Sports Personality: Rose a worthy second to Wimbledon champ
Published:Ladbrokes paid out on Andy Murray winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year after the Brit’s Wimbledon heroics, but the race for the runners-up spot remains competitive.
At 6/4 Chris Froome is the runaway favourite, and the Brit appears to be well on the way to securing a second consecutive Tour de France victory for Britain.
Last year’s winner Bradley Wiggins was the first Brit ever to achieve that feat, though it should also be noted that Wiggins’ credentials for the end-of-year prize was augmented by his gold medal effort in the time trial at the London Olympics.
Froome does not have that opportunity this year, and as a quiet character, may not garner the same level of publicity achieved by Wiggins. Cyclists have won three of the past four years, and in this non-Olympic year, attention may turn back to the more seasonal sports.
Golfer Justin Rose presents a credible alternative. The 32-year-old ended another long wait on these shores, in becoming the first Englishman to win the US Open for 43 years. He is 4/1 to finish second in the BBC’s annual ceremony.
Rose saw off a challenge from four-time Major winner and home favourite Phil Mickelson to lift his maiden Major, and given the vast following for his chosen sport his odds should attract much attention.
Should Rose get to the world number one spot, an unlikely feat considering Tiger Woods’s form this year, admittedly, his odds will surely shorten. Whatever happens at Muirfield (he shot an unpromising 75 in the opening round), Rose also has a chance to stake his claim at the PGA Championship in August.
At 14/1 Leigh Halfpenny represents a good outside shot. Halfpenny was instrumental in the British and Irish Lions 2-1 series victory over Australia, accumulating a mass of individual records.
The Welsh full-back was nerveless with the boot, registering 49 points across the series to surpass the previous record of 41, by his compatriot Neil Jenkins. He was also heavily involved in the Lions’s try-scoring exploits in the third Test, and was defensively sound throughout.
He was also the player of the Tournament in the 2013 Six Nations Championship, which culminated in an emphatic 30-3 win for Wales over England.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
