This hasn?t been the best of times for Eldrick Woods.
Already at age 30 considered one of the best golfers who ever lived, ?Tiger? is at a crossroads. His father and mentor, Earl Woods, died on May 3 from prostate cancer. Tiger was understandably not terribly interested in golf during his father?s illness; he hasn?t played a tournament since finishing third at the Masters over two months ago. The younger Woods has instead embarked on a series of life-affirming adventures. In late April, while in New Zealand to attend his caddie?s wedding, Woods competed in a celebrity stock-car race and bungee-jumped from over 400 feet in the air.
Now Woods is about to make his return at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York, where the West Course is playing host to the 2006 U.S. Open Championship. The obvious question is whether Woods will be motivated or distracted by his situation. The odds table suggests many believe the former will take place. Woods is the favorite at +500 to win his third U.S. Open (2000 and 2002 were the others) and 11th major tournament.
It?s widely believed Tiger will be mentally ready for this week?s events. But Woods hasn?t just taken an extended vacation from competing; he reportedly didn?t even pick up a golf club for a month. He?s been playing catch-up since then, working furiously to prepare physically for Winged Foot. ?I?ve been practicing my butt off,? Woods recently told an audience at a press conference. ?Obviously, you have to drive the ball great at U.S. Opens. You can?t win a U.S. Open driving the ball poorly,? Woods continued. ?Work on my driving and really work on my irons, distance control.?
The need to grip it and rip it at the 7,264-yard, par-70 West Course is reflected in the odds list. Woods? main rival on the PGA Tour, Phil Mickelson, is second at +700. Then there is a significant drop to Vijay Singh at +1400. All three can mash the dimples off the ball; however, the popular Woods-Mickelson dynamic virtually guarantees those two golfers will be overvalued. Not playing at the Memorial denied Woods a valuable warmup opportunity for this week, and Mickelson has yet to win a U.S. Open.
Singh has some value in this situation. He?s a relentless worker who appears to have finally shaken off his lingering health issues, judging by his win at last week?s Barclays Classic. On the other hand, Singh is also looking for his first U.S. Open title. Jim Furyk, meanwhile, won the 2003 Open and has all the earmarks of an excellent value pick at +2000. Furyk is currently No. 2 on the PGA money list (behind Mickelson and ahead of Singh) at $3.1 million. He doesn?t carry the same boom stick as the other favorites, but he?s ranked fourth on the Tour in driving accuracy, and he won last month?s Wachovia Championship at the 7,442-yard Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C.
Sharp handicappers will also see plenty of value in Retief Goosen. The quiet South African is ranked No. 4 in the world, but toils in relative anonymity, thanks in part to the time he spends on the European Tour. At +1600, it becomes much harder to ignore Goosen. He won the Open in 2001 and 2004 for his only two major tournament victories, and Goosen?s all-around game should be well suited for the incredibly tough West Course, especially his putting and scrambling prowess.
Ernie Els is another European Tour stalwart, but even at +2000, knee problems make it unlikely that Els will be physically ready to revisit his past Open glories in 1994 and 1997. Anyone looking for a Euro outsider could do worse than David Howell. The No. 9 player in the world is a virtual unknown in North America. He?s also listed at +5000 for the U.S. Open. Howell is 19th on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy and second in putting. He?s coming off Euro victories at the HSBC Champions Tournament and the BMW Championship, but has yet to win after seven events on the PGA Tour this year. Also of note: Defending champion Michael Campbell is listed at +8000 after missing the cut at his last three PGA events.
The festivities at Winged Foot were slated to get underway Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time, with Andrew Svoboda, Chris Nallen and J.J. Henry in the opening threesome. The weather forecast calls for some rain Thursday with a potential for thunderstorms on Saturday. ESPN and NBC are splitting the television coverage in the first two rounds; NBC will have the last 36 holes to themselves over the weekend.
---Perry
BetWWTS.com
Already at age 30 considered one of the best golfers who ever lived, ?Tiger? is at a crossroads. His father and mentor, Earl Woods, died on May 3 from prostate cancer. Tiger was understandably not terribly interested in golf during his father?s illness; he hasn?t played a tournament since finishing third at the Masters over two months ago. The younger Woods has instead embarked on a series of life-affirming adventures. In late April, while in New Zealand to attend his caddie?s wedding, Woods competed in a celebrity stock-car race and bungee-jumped from over 400 feet in the air.
Now Woods is about to make his return at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York, where the West Course is playing host to the 2006 U.S. Open Championship. The obvious question is whether Woods will be motivated or distracted by his situation. The odds table suggests many believe the former will take place. Woods is the favorite at +500 to win his third U.S. Open (2000 and 2002 were the others) and 11th major tournament.
It?s widely believed Tiger will be mentally ready for this week?s events. But Woods hasn?t just taken an extended vacation from competing; he reportedly didn?t even pick up a golf club for a month. He?s been playing catch-up since then, working furiously to prepare physically for Winged Foot. ?I?ve been practicing my butt off,? Woods recently told an audience at a press conference. ?Obviously, you have to drive the ball great at U.S. Opens. You can?t win a U.S. Open driving the ball poorly,? Woods continued. ?Work on my driving and really work on my irons, distance control.?
The need to grip it and rip it at the 7,264-yard, par-70 West Course is reflected in the odds list. Woods? main rival on the PGA Tour, Phil Mickelson, is second at +700. Then there is a significant drop to Vijay Singh at +1400. All three can mash the dimples off the ball; however, the popular Woods-Mickelson dynamic virtually guarantees those two golfers will be overvalued. Not playing at the Memorial denied Woods a valuable warmup opportunity for this week, and Mickelson has yet to win a U.S. Open.
Singh has some value in this situation. He?s a relentless worker who appears to have finally shaken off his lingering health issues, judging by his win at last week?s Barclays Classic. On the other hand, Singh is also looking for his first U.S. Open title. Jim Furyk, meanwhile, won the 2003 Open and has all the earmarks of an excellent value pick at +2000. Furyk is currently No. 2 on the PGA money list (behind Mickelson and ahead of Singh) at $3.1 million. He doesn?t carry the same boom stick as the other favorites, but he?s ranked fourth on the Tour in driving accuracy, and he won last month?s Wachovia Championship at the 7,442-yard Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C.
Sharp handicappers will also see plenty of value in Retief Goosen. The quiet South African is ranked No. 4 in the world, but toils in relative anonymity, thanks in part to the time he spends on the European Tour. At +1600, it becomes much harder to ignore Goosen. He won the Open in 2001 and 2004 for his only two major tournament victories, and Goosen?s all-around game should be well suited for the incredibly tough West Course, especially his putting and scrambling prowess.
Ernie Els is another European Tour stalwart, but even at +2000, knee problems make it unlikely that Els will be physically ready to revisit his past Open glories in 1994 and 1997. Anyone looking for a Euro outsider could do worse than David Howell. The No. 9 player in the world is a virtual unknown in North America. He?s also listed at +5000 for the U.S. Open. Howell is 19th on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy and second in putting. He?s coming off Euro victories at the HSBC Champions Tournament and the BMW Championship, but has yet to win after seven events on the PGA Tour this year. Also of note: Defending champion Michael Campbell is listed at +8000 after missing the cut at his last three PGA events.
The festivities at Winged Foot were slated to get underway Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time, with Andrew Svoboda, Chris Nallen and J.J. Henry in the opening threesome. The weather forecast calls for some rain Thursday with a potential for thunderstorms on Saturday. ESPN and NBC are splitting the television coverage in the first two rounds; NBC will have the last 36 holes to themselves over the weekend.
---Perry
BetWWTS.com
