The PGA Championship
The nights are getting shorter. But not the golf courses.
It?s already time for the last major of the golf season, the prestigious PGA Championship, taking place this week in Medinah, Ill. at the No. 3 Course at the swank Medinah Country Club. This course has hosted three U.S. Opens and the 1999 PGA Championship, won by then-emerging superstar Tiger Woods. He?s the clear favorite to win his third career Championship at +275.
The No. 3 Course looks a little different from the last time Woods struck gold there. The course was an already-long 7,401 yards back then; now it?s been pumped up to 7,561 yards, making this week?s event the longest major in PGA Tour history. But people are not feeling intimidated about ol? No. 3 after taking a few practice cuts. Stephen Ames (+8000), for example, had this to say Monday: ?This is the longest ever? Geez, I must be hitting it miles.? Arron Oberholser (+6600) practiced on the back nine and said it ?felt like 4,000 yards,? but he also pointed out that the straightforward layout of the fairways is not so daunting.
You don?t have to be a quantum physicist to see that carrying a big driver is going to send you rocketing up the odds list this week. Woods is cranking it once again this year at 304.1 yards per drive, good for 10th on the Tour. The man in second place on the market, Phil Mickelson (+1000) is a little shorter than usual at a mere 299.5, still enough to crack the Top 20. The third man in, Jim Furyk (+1400), is a bit of an exception. He?s relatively short off the tee at 279.7 yards, but his driving accuracy and scrambling are both among the best on the Tour. Too bad the No. 3 Course appears to minimize the potential advantages of Furyk?s skill set.
It?s hard at this point to picture anyone but Woods winning ? even though this week?s roster is replete with excellent golfers (which hasn?t kept the ?field? from logging short odds at +300). Tiger has looked very much like the man who took the sport by storm by winning five out of six majors starting with the 1999 PGA Championship. Since missing the cut at the U.S. Open in his first appearance following the death of his father, Woods has placed second at the Cialis Western Open and first at both the British Open and the Buick Open, bringing his career win total to an even 50 at just 30 years of age.
Big-hitting Mickelson should be able to make mincemeat out of Medinah. But the affable southpaw hasn?t been quite the same since he did the el foldo at the U.S. Open. Mickelson failed to crack the Top 20 at his last three stops, not even making the cut at last week?s event, The INTERNATIONAL (sorry for shouting) at Castle Rock, Colo. The man they call ?Lefty? may be worth fading in his head-to-head matchup with Ernie Els, who has never won this event. Mickelson is priced at ?140 compared to Els at +120. The South African is next on the odds list after Furyk at +1600 to win the PGA Championship, tied with Vijay Singh. Els and Singh are also carrying the torch for the ?Rest of the World? at +450 apiece to card the lowest score for a non-American, non-Euro golfer.
If you?re looking for a value pick out of the grippers and rippers, you?ll find such names as Adam Scott (300.8 yards, +3300) and Davis Love III (299 yards, +8000). But most of the other bombing specialists are lumped in with the field. If you want to bet specifically on a fan favorite like John Daly (305.8 yards), you?ll have to settle for his head-to-head matchup with David Duval; both golfers are priced at ?110. You can also snag Daly at +300 in a special first round 3-ball matchup with Singh (?145) and Jeff Sluman (+260).
Before you bet, note that some golfers have chosen to pull their names out of the PGA Championship hat. Bo Van Pelt is a brand new daddy for the third time; he won?t be at Medinah, so don?t pick him at +8000 to post the best score by an American. As well, stay away from both Steve Elkington and Mark Hensby at +6600 for the top ?Rest of the World? score. They?ve withdrawn for personal reasons.
The fun was set to start Thursday at 8:00 a.m. Eastern, with high-definition broadcasts available. TNT and CBS are splitting coverage.
---Perry
BetWWTS.com
The nights are getting shorter. But not the golf courses.
It?s already time for the last major of the golf season, the prestigious PGA Championship, taking place this week in Medinah, Ill. at the No. 3 Course at the swank Medinah Country Club. This course has hosted three U.S. Opens and the 1999 PGA Championship, won by then-emerging superstar Tiger Woods. He?s the clear favorite to win his third career Championship at +275.
The No. 3 Course looks a little different from the last time Woods struck gold there. The course was an already-long 7,401 yards back then; now it?s been pumped up to 7,561 yards, making this week?s event the longest major in PGA Tour history. But people are not feeling intimidated about ol? No. 3 after taking a few practice cuts. Stephen Ames (+8000), for example, had this to say Monday: ?This is the longest ever? Geez, I must be hitting it miles.? Arron Oberholser (+6600) practiced on the back nine and said it ?felt like 4,000 yards,? but he also pointed out that the straightforward layout of the fairways is not so daunting.
You don?t have to be a quantum physicist to see that carrying a big driver is going to send you rocketing up the odds list this week. Woods is cranking it once again this year at 304.1 yards per drive, good for 10th on the Tour. The man in second place on the market, Phil Mickelson (+1000) is a little shorter than usual at a mere 299.5, still enough to crack the Top 20. The third man in, Jim Furyk (+1400), is a bit of an exception. He?s relatively short off the tee at 279.7 yards, but his driving accuracy and scrambling are both among the best on the Tour. Too bad the No. 3 Course appears to minimize the potential advantages of Furyk?s skill set.
It?s hard at this point to picture anyone but Woods winning ? even though this week?s roster is replete with excellent golfers (which hasn?t kept the ?field? from logging short odds at +300). Tiger has looked very much like the man who took the sport by storm by winning five out of six majors starting with the 1999 PGA Championship. Since missing the cut at the U.S. Open in his first appearance following the death of his father, Woods has placed second at the Cialis Western Open and first at both the British Open and the Buick Open, bringing his career win total to an even 50 at just 30 years of age.
Big-hitting Mickelson should be able to make mincemeat out of Medinah. But the affable southpaw hasn?t been quite the same since he did the el foldo at the U.S. Open. Mickelson failed to crack the Top 20 at his last three stops, not even making the cut at last week?s event, The INTERNATIONAL (sorry for shouting) at Castle Rock, Colo. The man they call ?Lefty? may be worth fading in his head-to-head matchup with Ernie Els, who has never won this event. Mickelson is priced at ?140 compared to Els at +120. The South African is next on the odds list after Furyk at +1600 to win the PGA Championship, tied with Vijay Singh. Els and Singh are also carrying the torch for the ?Rest of the World? at +450 apiece to card the lowest score for a non-American, non-Euro golfer.
If you?re looking for a value pick out of the grippers and rippers, you?ll find such names as Adam Scott (300.8 yards, +3300) and Davis Love III (299 yards, +8000). But most of the other bombing specialists are lumped in with the field. If you want to bet specifically on a fan favorite like John Daly (305.8 yards), you?ll have to settle for his head-to-head matchup with David Duval; both golfers are priced at ?110. You can also snag Daly at +300 in a special first round 3-ball matchup with Singh (?145) and Jeff Sluman (+260).
Before you bet, note that some golfers have chosen to pull their names out of the PGA Championship hat. Bo Van Pelt is a brand new daddy for the third time; he won?t be at Medinah, so don?t pick him at +8000 to post the best score by an American. As well, stay away from both Steve Elkington and Mark Hensby at +6600 for the top ?Rest of the World? score. They?ve withdrawn for personal reasons.
The fun was set to start Thursday at 8:00 a.m. Eastern, with high-definition broadcasts available. TNT and CBS are splitting coverage.
---Perry
BetWWTS.com
