When Lee Westwood holed his birdie chip on the 18^th green at the Gary Player Country Club on Sunday few would have attributed it any great significance. The world number 1 had simply won by 8 shots instead of 7 but to those who agreed with my weekends Best Bet it led to a massive swing in fortunes.

As a spreads punter you generally sum up a bet by looking at the potential upside versus what you consider a worst case scenario. A spread bet has a maximum win or loss to it but unlike a fixed odds bet your profit or loss will vary depending on how right or wrong you are.

I have been betting on sport for many years and while I had some good runs, it is only in the last 2-3 years that I have been able to pip the bookmakers on a consistent basis.

Regular readers of this column will know that my main focus from a sports betting perspective is rugby. Aside from the fact that I love the sport it is the area in which I enjoy most of my punting success and over the years I have cut betting on others sports down to a level where I am having a small bet just to have an interest in the game.