Tips of the Week: Flying start for World Cup previews and a profitable US Open

Claudio Marchisio strikes - as advised by Dave Farrar at 5/1

It's been an excellent start to the World Cup on the pitch - and the Betting.Betfair previewing team isn't doing half bad either, with a host of winners. All the details on these, and more winning tips in golf, cricket, rugby and racing, in our regular Monday round-up...

The general consensus - and the Betfair markets - ahead of England v Italy on Saturday night suggested that it would be a scrappy, low-scoring affair, but Dave Farrar was happy to oppose, backing Over 2.5 Goals at a juicy 3.02/1 in his preview.

It was one of three winners for Dave, with the Italy win landing at 2.915/8 and Claudio Marchisio scoring as advised at 6.05/1, meaning a profit of 7.9 points.

As well as previewing all of the Group D fixtures, Dave is reprising the Perfect Punter column for Brazil, with a pot of 100 per day, with every bet aiming to win 500. He made the best possible start, backing Over 2.5 Goals in Brazil v Croatia at 2.111/10. Check out his third instalment now, where he reckons there is some value in Spain's price in the wake of their Dutch hammering.

James Eastham made the perfect start to his Group E previews, going 4/4 on Switzerland v Ecuador and France v Honduras, for an overall profit of 5.6 points.

In the opener, James backed Switzerland to win @ 2.68/5 and Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.89/5, while he tipped up France on the -1.5 Asian Handicap @ 2.111/10 and Karim Benzema to score anytime @ 2.111/10 in the later game.

Over to Group B where Tobias Gourlay also had a great opening to his World Cup campaign, returning a 6.16 profit on Chile v Australia as Tim Cahill scored as advised at 7.06/1 and Overs landed at 2.166/5. 

Group A man Lewis Jones hit a profit of 6.12 points on his Mexico v Cameroon preview, as Hernandez and co helped land the win and the win to nil.

Only the hardiest of you will have stayed up to watch the 2am kick-off but Ivory Coast v Japan produced two winners and a 3.64 profit for Andrew Atherley as the Africans won and Over 2.5 Goals landed, while Paul Robinson had notable success on last night's late game between Argentina and Bosnia Herzegovina, with Overs landing as well as the 2-1 Correct Score (as advised as a dutch bet, along with 2-2), for a profit of over eight points.

On to golf now and yet another winner for the in-form Dan Geraghty, who another 150 profit to his total when his 200/1 each-way shot Brooks Koepka came home fourth in this weekend's US Open. 

It was a stunning pick. The young American was only playing in his fourth major, with two missed cuts and a tied-70th to his name from those outings. But the 24-year-old Floridian found Pinehurst to his liking, finishing alongside Keegan Bradley, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson in a five-way tie for fourth on +1. That five-player pileup meant the place terms of Dan's bet were diluted a touch with his 5 on the place becoming a 3 bet, but the return still came in at 153. 

That means Dan is nearly 700 in profit on his weekly 5 each-way bets since the turn of the year with four separate payouts - two tournament winners and two places - after his latest inspired bet. 

Other notable US Open winning bets came from Joe Dyer, who picked out Rickie Fowler for a Top-10 finish at 11.5n/a, and Steve Rawlings, who put up Ernie Els at 5.04/1 in the Top South African market and recommended lays of Miguel Angel Jimenez to finish as Top Senior and Adam Scott as Top Australian. 

Another profitable week for rugby union tipster Simon Mail, with 3/3 on his New Zealand v England preview, as the Kiwis won by under 12.5 points at 2.829/5, England were inside the + 11 handicap as advised at 2.25n/a and Julian Savea scored a try at 2.111/10.

Irish racing columnist Kevin Blake hit his seventh winner from 12 on Sunday as 3.65n/a place tip Jamesie finished in second at Cork.

Finally, to Lord's where Ed Hawkins successfully backed England to score more than 350 in their First Innings at 1.84/5 and suggested a back-to-lay on the draw at 3.55/2, trading out at 1.910/11 (at the time of writing, the stalemate has traded at a low of 1.141/7).