The TPC Boston in Norton, Mass, is the site for this week's second round of the PGA Playoffs with 120 golfers on hand, including Tiger Woods who skipped last week's tourney.
It’s been a long time since I watched a tournament with two picks in contention come Sunday, so you can imagine how much I enjoyed watching the last round of the Barclays with Steve Stricker in the lead to start the day and Geoff Ogilvy also on the first page of the leaderboard. I enjoyed the back nine even more as Stricker hung tough and Ogilvy was just a couple strokes behind.
It’s a much more enjoyable experience that way. I’d almost forgotten what it’s like. And unlike having a 10-1, say, and a 25-1 with very good chances to win, Ogilvy and Stricker were both 50-1.
Stricker’s been so consistent for the last two years, and he’s such a great putter, it was only a matter of time for him and a matter of sticking it out until the end (he birdied four of his last five holes, including 16, 17 and 18 to seal the win). I’m tempted to pick him again this week, but I imagine he might understandably be a little less focused given the win was his first in six years. I’d certainly have Kapalua dancing in my head. I think he’s going to make the cut this week, so he might be another good pick for the head-to-head, but after the win sinks in and he realizes he has a shot at the FedEx Cup I think he’ll make an even better head-to-head pick for the BMW Championship two weeks from now.
Last week: Sweet math. I had Stricker in the head-to-head, too, over Stewart Cink. That was 10-11 odds, 1 unit wagered, for 0.9 unit. As mentioned, Stricker was 50-1. With 1/6 unit wagered, that comes to 8.3 units. The total then, for the week, was 9.2 units.
At this week’s Deutsche Bank outside of Boston, take Tiger Woods (9-4), 1/6 unit: What, you think he’s not going to win? Competition too tough? He’s a lead horse and he’s already behind in this 4-tournament playoff series? I’m saying he could win out. Probably not going to happen, but it wouldn’t surprise me. In any case, you have to take him each of these last three real tournaments of the 2007 season.
Take Geoff Ogilvy (33-1), 1/6 unit: Ogilvy’s strong performance last Sunday (no bogeys, two birdies) gave him a T4. The tournament before that he was T6 at the PGA. He has six top-10s this year. We’re seeing a talented young player who has a chance to win every week. He’s been sort of lurking around. Maybe he’ll never quite get the cred he deserves given the handful of players who should have won his U.S. Open. Make no mistake, though, this guy can play and will be winning for years to come.
Take Padraig Harrington (40-1), 1/6 unit: He’s come down a little since the Open win. He hasn’t played poorly either, with T14, T42 and T35 last week. He’s never played this tournament, but sometimes that can be an advantage, especially since the course has been reworked with grass bunkers added to make it more of a positioning course, more of a shot maker’s course. Harrington’s going to have to rely on his putter in Boston -- we saw what a strong putter can do last week.
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Brian Gabrielle: Deutsche Bank Championship
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