Many of you may not know it but in the UK and other countries around the world it was quite legal for players, caddies as well as the public to place a bet at bookmakers tents right on the golf course.
In fact in the old days when prize money was a pittance, players would bet on themselves, or horror of horrors nowadays, on someone else.
In 1950 the great South African Bobby Locke won his 2nd of four Open's at Troon. The prize fund was 1500 pounds, with Bobby collecting 300 pounds for his efforts.
In fact Sam Snead refused to play the Open in his heyday because it cost him more to sail over from the US and stay than he would have received if he won !!
So professional players could recoup their expenditure with a well placed wager.
All that has changed of course, in fact in 2011 the European Tour banned the practice outright. Now most every pro on tour is a millionaire with very generous sponsorship deals, the need to supplement their income long gone.
For those of us who like to have a flutter here and there, here are some odds for this weeks Valspar Championship.
Adam Hadwin (defending champion) 29-1
Jordan Spieth 9-1
Rory McIlroy 15-1
Sergio Garcia 17-1
Justin Rose 19-1
Henrik Stenson 21-1
Tiger Woods 26-1
Adam Scott 46-1
Louis Oosthuizen 46-1
Jason Dufner 61-1
Zach Johnson 71-1
Bryan Angus
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