GOLF
Xander Schauffele, top 10 in all four Majors, 12/1 (Sky Bet); top 20 in all four Majors, 9/2 (Sky Bet)
Shane Lowry, top 20 in all four Majors, 50/1 (Sky Bet)
WITH Scottie Scheffler winning nearly every time he tees it up and threatening to turn Augusta into his own personal playground, the main focus from the bookies going into 2025 will be on the world number one, who is a 250/1 shot to win all four Majors.
Rory McIlroy will also get plenty of attention as he tries to end his Major drought, with the Grand Slam much discussed in the lead-up to The Masters, before his beloved Quail Hollow hosts the US PGA in May.
Xander Schauffele, meanwhile, will continue to slip under the radar despite outdoing Scheffler on the Major front by winning two in 2024.
We tipped the Californian at 12/1 this time last year to finish in the top 20 of all four big events, which duly came up, although he actually placed in the top 10 in them all, and such is his consistency on the Major weeks that there is no reason to abandon him in 2025.
Schauffele has played 28 Majors in his career, finishing in the top 10 in 16 of them and the top 20 in 23 – including his last 11 – while the Major venues stack up well for him in 2025, having a second and third to his name at Augusta, as well as a runner-up finish to McIlroy at Quail Hollow just eight months ago.
He has a stunning US Open record and will want to put up a good Open defence at Royal Portrush, so the 12/1 about four more top 10s makes appeal, while the 9/2 about a full set of top 20s is a decent safety net.
The venues for 2025 also make Shane Lowry of real appeal as he continues to turn it on when the stakes are highest. The Offaly man famously led the field a merry dance at Royal Portrush in 2019, while he will want to get his own back on 2025 US Open venue Oakmont, having led after 54 holes there in 2016 before finishing second to Dustin Johnson.
With a third to his name at Augusta, The Masters will hold no fear, with only a humdrum Quail Hollow record a bit of a concern.
That said, a tougher set-up will suit Lowry, and with three Major top 20s in each of the last two years, he’s bound to be worth a bet at 50/1 to complete the set in 2025.
Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland kids can take on the World
2026 World Cup qualification
Northern Ireland to finish in top two of Group A, 11/10 (Unibet);
Wales to win Group J, 4/1 (Unibet)
WITH the 2026 World Cup expanded to 48 teams, it should be easier than ever to qualify for the finals in USA, Canada and Mexico, but understanding the qualification process is getting ever more difficult.
Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland are in a four-team group with either Italy or Germany, plus Slovakia and Luxembourg, and will be confident of finishing second behind whichever of the two big-hitters they end up facing, which would secure a play-off spot in early 2026.
They were a breath of fresh air in the Nations League in 2024, with Conor Bradley a swashbuckling talisman from whom the rest of O’Neill’s youngsters take huge confidence.
Slovakia will be the competition for second spot when the group gets going in September and have real experience in the ranks but could prove vulnerable to a young, vibrant team and Northern Ireland are well worth backing.
Wales, meanwhile, won their League B section in the Nations League and have adopted an energetic approach under Craig Bellamy which will be a nightmare for a Belgium side who are the top seeds in Group J but are fading rapidly.
The Red Devils’ ‘Golden Generation’ has fizzled out, and the replacements are nowhere near the same quality, as shown by a return of four points from Six Nations League games.
Wales are the coming force – with North Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein their other opponents – and they can book a direct route to the finals without worrying about the other means of qualification.
Magpies can soar towards the top four
Premier League
Newcastle United to finish in the top four, 7/2 (Betway)
AFTER sinking to 12th in the table following a 4-2 loss to Brentford at the start of December, there was a bit of unrest on Tyneside, but Eddie Howe’s man have bounced back in style, winning their last four games without conceding, and look a proper team again.
They now sit fifth in the table, just five points behind second-placed Nottingham Forest, who surely can’t last the pace, while Chelsea in fourth are wobbling and champions Manchester City, currently sixth, look tired and old.
Liverpool and Arsenal are nailed on for two of the top four spots, but Newcastle look as good as anyone else, with Alexander Isak flying, Bruno Guimaraes back in top form and Sandro Tonali clicking into gear after his betting ban.
The Magpies have a good run of fixtures over the next few weeks, and with the defence proving hard to break down, they could well be over-priced at 7/2 for a return to the Champions League next term.
Banbridge could fly to Ryanair success at Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival
Banbridge, Ryanair Chase, 6/1 (General)
AFTER his last-gasp King George win at Kempton on Stephen’s Day, the immediate reaction was to put up Banbridge as a Cheltenham Gold Cup contender.
However, the Ryanair will surely be the Festival target, especially with Galopin Des Champs strolling to Savills Chase victory to suggest he might be almost unbeatable come the big one in March.
There was a question mark over whether Banbridge would get the three miles at Kempton, and Paul Townend rode him accordingly before swooping late to collar Il Est Francais, and stamina would surely be a doubt over an extra two furlongs around the Cheltenham undulations.
Banbridge looks all over a Ryanair contender, despite flopping in the 2024 renewal, with two-miles-four-and-a-half looking perfect at Prestbury Park, a distance he won the Martin Pipe over in 2022.
With other leading contenders either struggling at Christmas or likely to go down another route Joseph O’Brien’s charge looks a rock-solid each-way bet at the very least at 6/1.
