The Luck of the Draw

Sodden Birkdale!
Friday afternoon, mid July, and it's p*ssing down again. I'm watching the world's top golfers squelching their miserable way round Royal Birkdale and the gale force winds and driving rain are making the game's elite look like your bog-standard Sunday morning hackers.
I've never played golf but I enjoy watching the Open - and it's even better when the conditions make it a bit more interesting; the wind and rain are a great leveller.
No Tiger this year of course, but even had the Great Man been at Royal Birkdale I very much doubt that we would witness huge sub-par rounds and mile-wide winning margins.
It always looked like it was going to be wide open this year so I couldn't resist having a small investment given that the favourite was 8 - 1. With the recent Czech Republic Euro2008 disaster fresh in my mind the stakes were small, but potential returns are impressive.
Luck does play it's part in golf and the weather is one of those things you can't predict, so I shrewdly (I thought) avoided placing a bet until after the first round, watching which players were adapting best to the horrendous conditions as similar rotten weather is forecast for Friday and Saturday.
Those players out early on Thursday had the worst of the conditions (although it was hardly balmy in the afternoon) so were due to enjoy the 'better' weather today as those who went out late on Thursday started their rounds early on Friday.
After careful consideration my two 'investments' were Senor Miguel Angel Jiminez, a crafty Spaniard who copes well with the conditions and finished his first round on just two over par, and England's Lee Westwood, who was further back on +5 after day one but who has been in good form and was reportedly unlucky not to make a better score on Thursday.
It is now 5:30pm on Friday. Jiminez finished his round some time ago on +14 - that's some achievement and probably the worst round he's shot in his professional career! The pressure of having my money on him was clearly too much and he's heading home. Poor Lee Westwood can't buy a putt for love nor money and he is dropping dangerously close to the cut line too.
Monty is dropping shots right, left and centre and he is glowering magnificently, stomping his way from one hole to the next with a face like thunder.
They do say golf is a good walk spoiled, and I think Monty would agree with that sentiment just now. The storm clouds are gathering - fore!