Cialis Western Open
from
www.betonline.com
The putts just wouldn?t drop for Tiger Woods. They went every which way to circumvent the holes at Pinehurst No. 2. And when he finally got one to fall on the final hole on Sunday, it just wasn?t enough.
With his dreams of a Grand Slam deferred to another year, Woods returns to action at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club for the Cialis Western Open.
Two weeks removed from his runner-up finish to Michael Campbell in the U.S. Open, Woods will try and gear up his game for another major run, as he is just two weeks away from the Open Championship at St. Andrews.
This will mark the only competitive event for Woods in between the season?s second and third major championships.
And while Cog Hill?s Dubsdread Course in no way resembles the Old Course at St. Andrews, this could be the tune-up Tiger needs as he vies for his second Open Championship victory.
Woods has won this tournament three times. Yet he?s not the defending champion.
That distinction goes to Stephen Ames. Ames kept Woods from repeating a year ago, eventually winning by two strokes over Steve Lowery.
It was Ames? first PGA Tour victory, and his only one to date. In 25 starts since winning the Western, he has recorded only three top-10s. His lone top-10 finish this season came at the MCI Heritage.
Ames? recent performance, combined with the fact that Woods and Jerry Kelly are the only players in the last 10 years to finish inside the top 25 the year after they won the Western, don?t put him on the short list of favorites.
On the other hand, Woods is at the top of that list.
Five for the Title:
Tiger Woods +350
Just because Woods has had past success at a course doesn?t mean he?s going to factor into the final outcome (see this year?s Byron Nelson). But considering he has won this tournament three times (1997, ?99, ?03) in his last seven tries, it?s a good bet that he?ll somehow be among the final groups on Sunday. But where he finishes will likely depend on how he starts. Woods has played this tournament nine times, including twice as an amateur. Three times he shot in the 60s in the first round; and all three times he has won.
Accuracy used to be the key on Dubsdread. That?s why players like Nick Price (1993, '94), Joe Durant (1998) and Scott Hoch (2001) were able to win. But that was before the course was lengthened a few hundred yards prior to the 2002 tournament and reduced to a par-71 in 2004. Now it takes an all-around game ? like the one Donald possesses. Donald, a Chicago resident who was an All-American at Northwestern, is in the top 50 statistically on tour in driving accuracy, greens hit in regulation and putting; however, he?s outside the top 100 in driving distance. That shouldn?t hurt him, though, as two of the three winners since Dubsdread?s lengthening have been average hitters (Ames and Kelly).
Vijay Singh +800
Singh may be spoiling us. It seems like forever since he last won a tournament, even though it was less than two months ago. Maybe it feels that way because he hasn?t really been in the mix coming down the stretch since winning the Wachovia Championship. He was third at the Byron Nelson, but finished four back. He tied for sixth at the U.S. Open, but a balky putter really kept him from applying any pressure on Michael Campbell. In between those two events, he missed the cut at the Memorial and tied for 29th at the Booz Allen. Last week, he was tied for the lead during the third round, but dropped three shots coming home and shot 73 Sunday to tie for seventh. Perhaps he's due for a win. Singh has a good track record here, with seven top-20s in 10 career starts. He was the runner-up in 1998.
Jim Furyk +1200
Yeah, yeah, we pick Jim Furyk every week. And we almost got it right last week at the Barclays Classic. Once again, Furyk has to be considered one of the favorites, just based on his track record at Cog Hill. He has finished inside the top 10 in five of his last six starts here. The only negative might be that this will be his eighth event in the last nine weeks, and his fifth in a row. He may be worn out, particularly considering how much effort he had to give in trying to win wire-to-wire at Westchester, where he finished runner-up.
Stuart Appleby +4000
Appleby, like Donald, can do everything well; though, he has struggled with his putter this year. Appleby won the season-opening Mercedes Championships for the second straight year, but since has only one top-10. This could be where he turns it around. Appleby has a pair of top-5s in his last three starts here.
Playing Out the Front Nine, Four more players to keep an eye on ?
*Robert Allenby +4000, who won this tournament in 2000. Like his countryman Appleby, Allenby hasn?t been playing up to his standards. He?s currently outside the top 60 on the money list, with only a pair of top-10s in 18 starts. But he loves this venue. In addition to his victory, he has only finished outside the top 11 only once in the last five years.
*Jerry Kelly +5000, who won this tournament in 2002. Kelly has only one top-10 this season, but he has three top-5s in his last four starts here.
*Mark Hensby +3300, who will defend his title next week at the John Deere Classic. Hensby tied for third in his U.S. Open debut. He also tied for third at this event a year ago. Hensby, who turns 34 Wednesday, once slept in his car in the parking lot at Cog Hill. He won the Illinois Amateur in 1994 and the Illinois Open in 1996.
*Chris Couch (field), who has won twice this year on the Nationwide Tour. One of those victories was at the LaSalle Bank Open in nearby Glenview. He?s never had much success on the PGA Tour, but he is in the top 50 this season in every major statistical category on the developmental circuit.
* Odd Subject to Change
Enjoy the excitement of betting golf online or by phone with a company that prides itself on offering great bonuses, fast payouts and the best customer service in the industry ... guaranteed!
You have my personal promise that you?ll have an enjoyable experience with us this year and beyond.
Thanks, Tom
www.betonline.com Customer Service -877-238-5692.
from
www.betonline.com
The putts just wouldn?t drop for Tiger Woods. They went every which way to circumvent the holes at Pinehurst No. 2. And when he finally got one to fall on the final hole on Sunday, it just wasn?t enough.
With his dreams of a Grand Slam deferred to another year, Woods returns to action at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club for the Cialis Western Open.
Two weeks removed from his runner-up finish to Michael Campbell in the U.S. Open, Woods will try and gear up his game for another major run, as he is just two weeks away from the Open Championship at St. Andrews.
This will mark the only competitive event for Woods in between the season?s second and third major championships.
And while Cog Hill?s Dubsdread Course in no way resembles the Old Course at St. Andrews, this could be the tune-up Tiger needs as he vies for his second Open Championship victory.
Woods has won this tournament three times. Yet he?s not the defending champion.
That distinction goes to Stephen Ames. Ames kept Woods from repeating a year ago, eventually winning by two strokes over Steve Lowery.
It was Ames? first PGA Tour victory, and his only one to date. In 25 starts since winning the Western, he has recorded only three top-10s. His lone top-10 finish this season came at the MCI Heritage.
Ames? recent performance, combined with the fact that Woods and Jerry Kelly are the only players in the last 10 years to finish inside the top 25 the year after they won the Western, don?t put him on the short list of favorites.
On the other hand, Woods is at the top of that list.
Five for the Title:
Tiger Woods +350
Just because Woods has had past success at a course doesn?t mean he?s going to factor into the final outcome (see this year?s Byron Nelson). But considering he has won this tournament three times (1997, ?99, ?03) in his last seven tries, it?s a good bet that he?ll somehow be among the final groups on Sunday. But where he finishes will likely depend on how he starts. Woods has played this tournament nine times, including twice as an amateur. Three times he shot in the 60s in the first round; and all three times he has won.
Accuracy used to be the key on Dubsdread. That?s why players like Nick Price (1993, '94), Joe Durant (1998) and Scott Hoch (2001) were able to win. But that was before the course was lengthened a few hundred yards prior to the 2002 tournament and reduced to a par-71 in 2004. Now it takes an all-around game ? like the one Donald possesses. Donald, a Chicago resident who was an All-American at Northwestern, is in the top 50 statistically on tour in driving accuracy, greens hit in regulation and putting; however, he?s outside the top 100 in driving distance. That shouldn?t hurt him, though, as two of the three winners since Dubsdread?s lengthening have been average hitters (Ames and Kelly).
Vijay Singh +800
Singh may be spoiling us. It seems like forever since he last won a tournament, even though it was less than two months ago. Maybe it feels that way because he hasn?t really been in the mix coming down the stretch since winning the Wachovia Championship. He was third at the Byron Nelson, but finished four back. He tied for sixth at the U.S. Open, but a balky putter really kept him from applying any pressure on Michael Campbell. In between those two events, he missed the cut at the Memorial and tied for 29th at the Booz Allen. Last week, he was tied for the lead during the third round, but dropped three shots coming home and shot 73 Sunday to tie for seventh. Perhaps he's due for a win. Singh has a good track record here, with seven top-20s in 10 career starts. He was the runner-up in 1998.
Jim Furyk +1200
Yeah, yeah, we pick Jim Furyk every week. And we almost got it right last week at the Barclays Classic. Once again, Furyk has to be considered one of the favorites, just based on his track record at Cog Hill. He has finished inside the top 10 in five of his last six starts here. The only negative might be that this will be his eighth event in the last nine weeks, and his fifth in a row. He may be worn out, particularly considering how much effort he had to give in trying to win wire-to-wire at Westchester, where he finished runner-up.
Stuart Appleby +4000
Appleby, like Donald, can do everything well; though, he has struggled with his putter this year. Appleby won the season-opening Mercedes Championships for the second straight year, but since has only one top-10. This could be where he turns it around. Appleby has a pair of top-5s in his last three starts here.
Playing Out the Front Nine, Four more players to keep an eye on ?
*Robert Allenby +4000, who won this tournament in 2000. Like his countryman Appleby, Allenby hasn?t been playing up to his standards. He?s currently outside the top 60 on the money list, with only a pair of top-10s in 18 starts. But he loves this venue. In addition to his victory, he has only finished outside the top 11 only once in the last five years.
*Jerry Kelly +5000, who won this tournament in 2002. Kelly has only one top-10 this season, but he has three top-5s in his last four starts here.
*Mark Hensby +3300, who will defend his title next week at the John Deere Classic. Hensby tied for third in his U.S. Open debut. He also tied for third at this event a year ago. Hensby, who turns 34 Wednesday, once slept in his car in the parking lot at Cog Hill. He won the Illinois Amateur in 1994 and the Illinois Open in 1996.
*Chris Couch (field), who has won twice this year on the Nationwide Tour. One of those victories was at the LaSalle Bank Open in nearby Glenview. He?s never had much success on the PGA Tour, but he is in the top 50 this season in every major statistical category on the developmental circuit.
* Odd Subject to Change
Enjoy the excitement of betting golf online or by phone with a company that prides itself on offering great bonuses, fast payouts and the best customer service in the industry ... guaranteed!
You have my personal promise that you?ll have an enjoyable experience with us this year and beyond.
Thanks, Tom
www.betonline.com Customer Service -877-238-5692.
