Bookies running scared from Ulster boy wonder.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON is the man bidding to make Open history at Turnberry this week, but it's another Irishman who most bookmakers want to see beaten.

Hills and Coral have declared the 2007 and 2008 champion a bad result and are desperate to see his hat-trick attempt foiled but Ulster boy wonder Rory McIlroy (below) carries the hopes and cash of far more punters.

The 20-year-old goes off second favourite in some books and no bigger than 28-1 and Victor Chandler golf compiler Richard Friend said: "We have laid McIlroy at all rates from 100-1 down to his current price of 20-1, by far our biggest liability. In my opinion I think it may be a year too soon."

Harrington ended a run of five straight missed cuts winning the low-quality Irish PGA Championship on Sunday, but Paddy Power reckon even his army of patriotic backers have deserted him for the young pretender.

Power said: "For almost as long as I can remember Padraig has been unrivalled as the No. 1 choice for our punters - not even Tiger could compete with him. But Master McIlroy is the real deal and Padraig finally has someone to challenge him in the affections of Irish punters."

Hills' spokesman Rupert Adams added: "Punters seem to have forgotten how bad Harrington has been of late and his win over the weekend has got punters piling on. We are taking three bets on Harrington for every one on other competitors and are very happy to be taking them."

All the layers have players they would like to win and others they are desperate to get beat, plus a few favourites of their own.

Friend continued: "Two players I like are Sergio Garcia - great Open record, great eachway bet - and Darren Clarke at a big price."

Brad Barry of Ladbrokes echoed the view of many layers when he said: "It wouldn't surprise me to see Tiger win by a comfortable margin. But the result is not just about who wins - places are crucial.

"The early fly in the ointment for us is David Duval, largely thanks to a pounds 500 each-way bet at 500-1 struck during the US Open - he's already over a pounds 100,000 payout just for a place."

Stephen O'Brien at Coral added: "Punters have been concentrating on those players with good current form, with Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Hunter Mahan and Ross Fisher being the best backed in recent days. Tiger is only a small loser overall for us.

"Of those shorter in the betting we favour Villegas, Stricker and Weir. Among the bigger prices we like Stephen Ames who has a reasonable record in The Open and has put up good performances in this years Masters and US Open."

The players who have been practising on the Ailsa Course this week have talked up the punitive rough which has got Bet365's David Bass erring towards one of those radar fairways-and-greenspecialists. He said: "With first reports that the rough is brutal, my idea of the winner is Jim Furyk, who looks a great eachway bet.

Also Ernie Els who showed glimpses of form last week and with a brilliant Open record should never be underestimated. The front-runners I would be looking to oppose are Kim, Stenson, and Kaymer."

Blue Square's Paul Lawrence has got his eye on a former winner. "I think Ben Curtis could possibly repeat his victory of 2003. He was seventh last year, eighth in 2007, and is in form," he said.

That view is echoed by James Cook at Stan James, who said: "I think Ben Curtis will win, and we don't want Westwood or Stenson."

Chris Robinson of Totesport said: "Geoff Ogilvy's game seem seems to be coming together and he's a proven winner of big events. We don't want Lee Westwood, who we've laid heavily."

Nicola McGeady of Boylesports pinpointed money for former Masters winner Zach Johnson as one to watch, and Betfred's Shaun Gorman said:"Hunter Mahan was popular during his final round charge at the AT& T National, with the shrewdies taking the 66-1 and 50-1. "At bigger odds we think Davis Love and the cut-making machine Charley Hoffman represent a little bit of value."