Starting here.
Stan - I like that Rosie Jones bet, but 40/1 with Sorenstam at Bet365 isn't quite the same thing. Instead, I'll probably tag along with Cristie Kerr.
At the end of the 2002 season, I thought it ludicrous to contend that Annika was as dominant on the LPGA Tour as Tiger was on the PGA Tour. A lot of golf later, I think today it would be ludicrous to contend otherwise. Annika now stands about one victory (or two at the most) from laying claim to achieving a record of dominance on the level of Tiger's loftiest heights. An aura that matches the circumstances with Tiger Woods before Pebble Beach in 2000 is also easily discernible. The situation also easily calls to mind a quote by Nicklaus: "The grand slam was my goal at the start of every year. I always felt my year was over when I didn't win at Augusta." In her press conference, Annika candidly confessed that she hasn't entertained thoughts about how to regroup for the rest of the season if she comes up short this week. And there is a record at Rancho Mirage befitting the likes of Jack and Tiger at Augusta. . . . While a much sharper and well-rounded short game that was on display was the immediate consequence I noticed after Colonial, the transformation that is playing itself out has been a lot more substantial than that. Annika is delivering her best on cue, and is extremely comfortable under the microscope. And with Annika's expressions regarding other priorities like starting a family, I can even toss in an element of Bobby Jones, as a spectacular run over a couple of years may leave her with a feeling of having no more worlds to conquer . . . I like it when someone says what I've been thinking, only says it better. Laura Davies has been known to place a few wagers of her own, and this is how she sees it: "I certainly don't think Annika will finish outside the top two. It's whether someone can have the week to beat her."
In case you can't tell, I'm also kind of liking a potential wager on Annika and the Grand Slam, and although I haven't seen any lines on the proposition, I'll note the point recently explored in the NCAA Basketball forum, and made last year by Stanley about a Grand Slam quest by Woods. As Stan put it last year, "for a serious bet I would lay the sum on the (first major) alone and then carry the winnings onto the (next major) with a small hedge bet and so on." I played with the numbers, and assuming future odds of +120, +115 and +100, I calculated a rather modest return of about +1900. The option of reevaluating the proposition in future months and deciding to pull some of the funds off the table also seems a superior strategy to the alternative for hedging a conventional or immediate futures wager, which aims to buy a losing wager (at yet to be determined future odds) and be guaranteed of giving back some of the potential final winnings. Anywho, consider me on board with a "parlay" on Annika and the Grand Slam.
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So, these are my wagers:
(A) Annika Sorenstam(+120) To Win Only for 2.0* @ Bet365
- That's the "official" bet, with the intention of "letting it ride" on the McDonald's LPGA in June if it's a winner.
And some "unofficial" stuff:
(B) I started a $200.00 "Best Bet Fund" in the General Forum in a quest for $1000.00, and it now stands at a balance of $263.00.
http://www.madjacksports.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=129832 Any future golf bets with those funds will be mentioned in advance and tracked by me in my posts in this forum, and Best Bet No. 5 with those funds is Sorenstam(+120) To Win Only ($30.00 To Win $36.00).
(C) Pretty much without exception, after making my usual outright plays for my usual stakes in the PGA and European events, I'm going to "power up" the Win Only portion of ALL those bets by combining them in a $2 parlay with Annika. For instance, my plays this week will include Corey Pavin(150/1) as Top American (1/4 for Top 4) @ Bet365, and I have added a parlay wager at Bet365 that features Pavin(150/1) to Win Only that same specialty market wager along with Sorenstam(+120), for $2 To Win $662, or odds of 331/1.
I like Annika here.
GL
