PGA Betting: Lefty and Tiger Co-Favorites
Given his recent play, there's no reason for Tiger Woods to be a favorite at this year's US Open. Yet there he is, tied with Phil Mickelson atop the odds list for the Pebble Beach tournament.
It’s at the point where Tiger Woods could play a golf tournament with one hand tied behind his back and he’d still be favored.
Woods is the co-chalk along with Phil Mickelson for the 110th U.S. Open Golf Championship this week at Pebble Beach Golf Links, and while +700 is a pretty good betting odds price for him, Tiger has little of chance of winning on Sunday.
Yes, Woods is a three-time U.S. Open champion, but if you don’t know why he should be faded this week, I suggest you wager on something other than golf.
Tiger shot a 12-under 272 to win his first career U.S. Open title on this same Pebble Beach course in 2000, but his record 15-stroke victory was a decade ago. I’d put much more stock in Woods’ play recently – not to mention what he’s dealing with off the course.
After all, when Tiger dominated the U.S. Open 10 years ago, the Shaq-Kobe Lakers had just won their first NBA title together, no one had even heard of Tom Brady or Roger Federer, and the U.S. government was running a budget surplus.
In four starts this season, Woods has only one top 10 – at The Masters – and has missed the cut twice. One of those missed cuts happened when he withdrew at THE PLAYERS because of a neck injury; Tiger returned with a 19th at the Memorial two weeks ago, but you have to think the neck is still an issue for him.
Mickelson is also priced at +700 to cash the U.S. Open outright, but there are problems with him too. Lefty is a five-time runner-up at the year’s second major championship, and he has a pedestrian four top 10s in 12 events this season including his win at Augusta National.
The current World No. 2 is a three-time winner at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, but the course will play much differently this week than the annual PGA Tour event in February. The greens are smaller and the fairways more narrow, making ball striking and accurate putting the keys to victory.
There’s value in Lee Westwood at +1000, until you consider that a European player hasn’t won the U.S. Open since 1970 when Tony Jacklin turned the trick at Hazeltine.
Westwood is grouped with Woods and Ernie Els (+2500) for the first two rounds this week, and is coming off a win in a playoff at the St. Jude Classic last week.
Thing is, last week’s result has likely killed Westwood’s chances. No player that’s won the week before has gone on to cash the U.S. Open.
Jim Furyk is worth a look at +2500 and as a +105 underdog in his matchup pairing with Tiger (-135). The U.S. Open champ in 2003, Furyk has four top 10s this season including two wins (Transitions Championship, Verizon Heritage).
Furyk also has some key statistics working in his favor this week. He’s sixth in scrambling, third in scrambling from the rough, and sixth in driving accuracy (71.2%) on Tour this season. All of that should keep Furyk among the leaders if he’s on his game at Pebble Beach.
Els is a two-time winner at the U.S. Open (1994, 1997), but he hasn’t won a major since the 2002 British Open. The Big Easy was the co-runner up when Woods rocked the field at Pebble Beach 10 years ago, but he’s not playing his best golf after starting the year well.
Other players to handicap this week include Rory McIlroy (+2000), Luke Donald (+2500), Padraig Harrington (+2500), Steve Stricker (+2500), Dustin Johnson (+3500), and Paul Casey (+3500).
Of that group, Johnson offers the best return on investment. Johnson practiced earlier this week with both Tiger and Lefty, and was the winner at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February.
Yes, the course will play differently this time around, but Johnson faces exactly the same weather he encountered four months ago. The forecast calls for no rain and little wind, meaning the already-hard greens are going to play very quickly.
It’s hard to ignore Johnson’s last three rounds at Pebble Beach: 65-64-74. If he posts anything like that to kick off play this week, he’ll be in contention on Sunday on the par-71, 7,040-yard course.
Given his recent play, there's no reason for Tiger Woods to be a favorite at this year's US Open. Yet there he is, tied with Phil Mickelson atop the odds list for the Pebble Beach tournament.
It’s at the point where Tiger Woods could play a golf tournament with one hand tied behind his back and he’d still be favored.
Woods is the co-chalk along with Phil Mickelson for the 110th U.S. Open Golf Championship this week at Pebble Beach Golf Links, and while +700 is a pretty good betting odds price for him, Tiger has little of chance of winning on Sunday.
Yes, Woods is a three-time U.S. Open champion, but if you don’t know why he should be faded this week, I suggest you wager on something other than golf.
Tiger shot a 12-under 272 to win his first career U.S. Open title on this same Pebble Beach course in 2000, but his record 15-stroke victory was a decade ago. I’d put much more stock in Woods’ play recently – not to mention what he’s dealing with off the course.
After all, when Tiger dominated the U.S. Open 10 years ago, the Shaq-Kobe Lakers had just won their first NBA title together, no one had even heard of Tom Brady or Roger Federer, and the U.S. government was running a budget surplus.
In four starts this season, Woods has only one top 10 – at The Masters – and has missed the cut twice. One of those missed cuts happened when he withdrew at THE PLAYERS because of a neck injury; Tiger returned with a 19th at the Memorial two weeks ago, but you have to think the neck is still an issue for him.
Mickelson is also priced at +700 to cash the U.S. Open outright, but there are problems with him too. Lefty is a five-time runner-up at the year’s second major championship, and he has a pedestrian four top 10s in 12 events this season including his win at Augusta National.
The current World No. 2 is a three-time winner at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, but the course will play much differently this week than the annual PGA Tour event in February. The greens are smaller and the fairways more narrow, making ball striking and accurate putting the keys to victory.
There’s value in Lee Westwood at +1000, until you consider that a European player hasn’t won the U.S. Open since 1970 when Tony Jacklin turned the trick at Hazeltine.
Westwood is grouped with Woods and Ernie Els (+2500) for the first two rounds this week, and is coming off a win in a playoff at the St. Jude Classic last week.
Thing is, last week’s result has likely killed Westwood’s chances. No player that’s won the week before has gone on to cash the U.S. Open.
Jim Furyk is worth a look at +2500 and as a +105 underdog in his matchup pairing with Tiger (-135). The U.S. Open champ in 2003, Furyk has four top 10s this season including two wins (Transitions Championship, Verizon Heritage).
Furyk also has some key statistics working in his favor this week. He’s sixth in scrambling, third in scrambling from the rough, and sixth in driving accuracy (71.2%) on Tour this season. All of that should keep Furyk among the leaders if he’s on his game at Pebble Beach.
Els is a two-time winner at the U.S. Open (1994, 1997), but he hasn’t won a major since the 2002 British Open. The Big Easy was the co-runner up when Woods rocked the field at Pebble Beach 10 years ago, but he’s not playing his best golf after starting the year well.
Other players to handicap this week include Rory McIlroy (+2000), Luke Donald (+2500), Padraig Harrington (+2500), Steve Stricker (+2500), Dustin Johnson (+3500), and Paul Casey (+3500).
Of that group, Johnson offers the best return on investment. Johnson practiced earlier this week with both Tiger and Lefty, and was the winner at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February.
Yes, the course will play differently this time around, but Johnson faces exactly the same weather he encountered four months ago. The forecast calls for no rain and little wind, meaning the already-hard greens are going to play very quickly.
It’s hard to ignore Johnson’s last three rounds at Pebble Beach: 65-64-74. If he posts anything like that to kick off play this week, he’ll be in contention on Sunday on the par-71, 7,040-yard course.