THE Celtic Manor Wales Open champion Ian Poulter was speechless last night when he found out that one confident punter had wagered £15,000 on him at odds of 14-1 to repeat last year's feat.

Poulter, after a long pause, said: "Have they really? On the nose?! I'd say it is a smart bet because I'll be having a few quid myself!

"I am happy to be back and out there playing a course with happy memories and knowing that I have actually played the course as well as I did last year.

He added: "My game is in good shape but I just need to hole a few extra putts, if I keep the head on I should figure at some stage.

"My ball striking is not as pure as at certain stages last year but you don't have to pure every shot and there are not many guys that go out there and walk off and say they have pured every shot.

"You need to pure a few, roll a few putts in and that should be good enough."

Another man who may be worth a flutter this week is 2001 winner Paul McGinley.

The Irishmen who sank the putt that claimed the Ryder Cup for the Europeans at the Belfry in 2002, only moments after Phil Price had completed his demolition of Phil Mickelson, is in good spirits and believes he is not far from hitting his top form.

After his historic putt at the Belfry, McGinley dived into the famous lake at the 18th holes, but luckily for him, there is no water at the final hole at Celtic Manor, but he can see himself grabbing the spotlight again.

McGinley said: "I am playing pretty well, hitting the ball nicely and swinging pretty steadily. I am looking forward to hopefully having a good week.

"I have had some good times on the course and the weather is looking great this week."

The Irishman is currently 25th on the Volvo order of merit and is probably only one win away from getting into a Ryder Cup qualification spot, and he thinks his win will come sooner rather than later.

"I am knocking on the door," he said. "There are some big tournaments coming up including this one, so a strong summer will put me in good stead."