Woods dealing with wild card at Masters....
When it comes to sports like football, medical reports regarding the status of players are crucial when handicapping games.
Medical reports will also be crucial when handicapping this year?s Masters. However unlike football, the key medical reports will not pertain to players.
Instead, the reports to watch out for will be coming out of California and will pertain to the health status of Earl Woods, Tiger Woods? 74-year-old father.
Currently battling cancer, the elder Woods is in dire health and is confined to his home in Cypress.
As most golf fans know, Tiger is incredibly close to his father and considers him his best friend. The No. 1 ranked golfer in the world spent most of the offseason with his ailing father.
A couple of weeks ago, two days before the start of the TPC at Sawgrass, upon hearing word about his father?s failing condition Woods jumped on a private plane to be with his dad.
He returned to the TPC the night before the tournament teed off and missed the final practice round. Woods, who has already won three tournaments this season, ended up playing the TPC but finished in a tie for 22nd.
Last week, Woods returned to form firing a 7-under par 65 and won a pair of matches to help lead Isleworth Country Club to a victory over Lake Nona Country Club in the Tavistock Cup in Orlando.
Woods returns to Augusta this week to defend the title he won last year. A win this year and Tiger will climb within one victory of matching Jack Nicklaus, who has six green jackets.
A fifth Masters title would also nab Tiger his 11th major, tying him with Walter Hagan for the second-most major championships. Nicklaus has 18 titles.
Woods opened as a +300 favorite to win this year?s Masters. He is followed by 2004 champion Phil Mickelson at +650, two-time runner-up Ernie Els at +800, 2000 champion Vijay Singh at +1200, and 2002 runner-up Retief Goosen who is also at +1200.
Under normal circumstances, taking Woods would certainly be a solid bet considering how Tiger thrives at Augusta National. As a long ball hitter, the course is tailor-made for Tiger?s game.
This year, the course has been lengthened by an additional 155 yards making it a whopping 7,445 yards in total. The course is now 520 yards longer than when Tiger won his first green jacket in 1997. In fact, Augusta National has become the second-longest course in major championship history.
Yet, the condition of Tiger?s father could play a significant role in the days ahead. Although some say that Earl Woods? health could inspire Tiger, it could just as easily be a distraction.
Tiger has also indicated that he would not hesitate missing the Masters in order to be with his father if Earl?s condition were to take a turn for the worse. In other words, it should not come as a surprise if Tiger were to bolt from Augusta midway through a round.
With that in mind, it?s probably safer to bet on Mickelson. The 35-year-old left-hander enters the tournament after recording a dominating win last week at the BellSouth Classic in Duluth, Georgia.
The defending BellSouth champion led the tournament wire-to-wire, winning the event by an incredible 13 shots. Playing at the TPC at Sugarloaf, Mickelson shot a 28-under-par 260, a score which broke the BellSouth record for 72 holes.
Lefty is obviously a huge fan of playing in Georgia, having carded three wins in his last eight tournaments in the Peach State.
Besides taking Mickelson at +650 to win the tournament, bettors might also want to consider taking Phil in a head-to-head matchup with Woods. Woods opened as a -175 favorite versus Mickelson, who opened at +137.
A longshot to consider for the tournament might be Stephen Ames, who opened at +8000. The Calgary, Alberta golfer captured the TPC at Sawgrass two weeks ago.
Last year, Ames finished tied for 45th in what was his first Masters appearance.
Live television coverage of the Masters is as follows:
Thursday, 4-7 p.m. ET, USA Network
Friday, 4-7 p.m. ET, USA Network
Saturday, 3:30-7 p.m. ET, CBS
Sunday, 2:30-7 p.m. ET, CBS
--Perry
BetWWTS.com
When it comes to sports like football, medical reports regarding the status of players are crucial when handicapping games.
Medical reports will also be crucial when handicapping this year?s Masters. However unlike football, the key medical reports will not pertain to players.
Instead, the reports to watch out for will be coming out of California and will pertain to the health status of Earl Woods, Tiger Woods? 74-year-old father.
Currently battling cancer, the elder Woods is in dire health and is confined to his home in Cypress.
As most golf fans know, Tiger is incredibly close to his father and considers him his best friend. The No. 1 ranked golfer in the world spent most of the offseason with his ailing father.
A couple of weeks ago, two days before the start of the TPC at Sawgrass, upon hearing word about his father?s failing condition Woods jumped on a private plane to be with his dad.
He returned to the TPC the night before the tournament teed off and missed the final practice round. Woods, who has already won three tournaments this season, ended up playing the TPC but finished in a tie for 22nd.
Last week, Woods returned to form firing a 7-under par 65 and won a pair of matches to help lead Isleworth Country Club to a victory over Lake Nona Country Club in the Tavistock Cup in Orlando.
Woods returns to Augusta this week to defend the title he won last year. A win this year and Tiger will climb within one victory of matching Jack Nicklaus, who has six green jackets.
A fifth Masters title would also nab Tiger his 11th major, tying him with Walter Hagan for the second-most major championships. Nicklaus has 18 titles.
Woods opened as a +300 favorite to win this year?s Masters. He is followed by 2004 champion Phil Mickelson at +650, two-time runner-up Ernie Els at +800, 2000 champion Vijay Singh at +1200, and 2002 runner-up Retief Goosen who is also at +1200.
Under normal circumstances, taking Woods would certainly be a solid bet considering how Tiger thrives at Augusta National. As a long ball hitter, the course is tailor-made for Tiger?s game.
This year, the course has been lengthened by an additional 155 yards making it a whopping 7,445 yards in total. The course is now 520 yards longer than when Tiger won his first green jacket in 1997. In fact, Augusta National has become the second-longest course in major championship history.
Yet, the condition of Tiger?s father could play a significant role in the days ahead. Although some say that Earl Woods? health could inspire Tiger, it could just as easily be a distraction.
Tiger has also indicated that he would not hesitate missing the Masters in order to be with his father if Earl?s condition were to take a turn for the worse. In other words, it should not come as a surprise if Tiger were to bolt from Augusta midway through a round.
With that in mind, it?s probably safer to bet on Mickelson. The 35-year-old left-hander enters the tournament after recording a dominating win last week at the BellSouth Classic in Duluth, Georgia.
The defending BellSouth champion led the tournament wire-to-wire, winning the event by an incredible 13 shots. Playing at the TPC at Sugarloaf, Mickelson shot a 28-under-par 260, a score which broke the BellSouth record for 72 holes.
Lefty is obviously a huge fan of playing in Georgia, having carded three wins in his last eight tournaments in the Peach State.
Besides taking Mickelson at +650 to win the tournament, bettors might also want to consider taking Phil in a head-to-head matchup with Woods. Woods opened as a -175 favorite versus Mickelson, who opened at +137.
A longshot to consider for the tournament might be Stephen Ames, who opened at +8000. The Calgary, Alberta golfer captured the TPC at Sawgrass two weeks ago.
Last year, Ames finished tied for 45th in what was his first Masters appearance.
Live television coverage of the Masters is as follows:
Thursday, 4-7 p.m. ET, USA Network
Friday, 4-7 p.m. ET, USA Network
Saturday, 3:30-7 p.m. ET, CBS
Sunday, 2:30-7 p.m. ET, CBS
--Perry
BetWWTS.com
