PGA Betting: No Tiger means wide open field
Betting a PGA Tournament that doesn't include Tiger Woods in the field is nothing new since Tiger has played a limited schedule in the past. But it does make for interesting lines and force bettors into a different strategy before plopping down moolah at the window. At this week's AT&T National, for example, the Field is even money to take home the bulk of the $6 million purse.
Tiger Woods has a lot more time to spend with his family these days. Woods is on crutches after winning the U.S. Open with both a torn ACL and a double stress fracture of the left tibia. Reconstructive surgery will keep Woods out of action for possibly the rest of the 2008 season. He’s expected to return as good as new; until then, the PGA Tour betting odds are wide open.
This week’s AT&T National in Bethesda, MD, won’t be the first time handicappers have bet on a Woods-less field; he played just 16 events last year and 15 in 2006. But anytime Tiger is out, betting strategies have to be completely rethought.
Finding a value pick in the middle or even the lower tier of golfers is the way my daddy taught me to make money over the long haul. Look at this week’s odds: The “field” is the even-money favorite. In other words, someone outside the 31 established names on the odds list is a coin flip away from hitting paydirt.
The AT&T National throws bettors an additional dogleg because it’s only been around since 2007, when K.J. Choi won the inaugural event. This used to be the week we got to watch the wacky International and its Modified Stableford scoring. Moreover, the Congressional Country Club hasn’t been a regular stop on the PGA Tour since hosting the Kemper Open between 1980 and 1986. It’ll take a little more creativity than usual to come up with a winning pick this week.
How does Ryuji Imada grab you? He’s sixth in the FedEx Cup standings and eighth on the money list, making him the leading golfer in Bethesda this week. Yet Imada is priced at 25-1, behind the defending champion Choi (20-1) and the favorite, Jim Furyk (10-1).
Imada has been rising up the rankings since turning pro in 1999 following a successful college career at the University of Georgia. He finished third on the Nationwide Tour money list in 2004, and won his first PGA Tour title this May at the AT&T Classic. His scrambling and putting ability compensates for his relatively short drives (276.9 yards apiece), and the beautiful Blue Course at Congressional has more hazards than Beirut.
Seeing the lighter hitters in the spotlight is a welcome change of pace, especially after the grip-and-rip U.S. Open. Choi isn’t going to blow anyone out of the tee box either at 284.1 yards per drive, and Furyk is also more about accuracy than length at 277.8 yards. This week, Furyk has the added advantage of inside information – caddy Fluff Cowan is a member at the very exclusive Congressional.
However, someone with a little more pop in his club might be in order this week. The Blue Course usually plays at par-72 over 7,255 yards, but the AT&T National will be a par-70 to make it a little more daunting. Stuart Appleby (20-1) has been hitting 290-yard drives this year, and like Imada, Appleby is proficient at scrambling (especially out of fairway bunkers) and putting. Appleby led last year’s AT&T National after three rounds before melting down on the front nine to finish tied for third. This is the Aussie native’s chance to get back into the swing of things after starting 2008 with five consecutive Top 10 results.
Late-round television coverage of all four rounds is available, with The Golf Channel handling Thursday-Friday while CBS takes over Saturday-Sunday. Coverage on all four days starts at 3:00 p.m. Eastern.
Betting a PGA Tournament that doesn't include Tiger Woods in the field is nothing new since Tiger has played a limited schedule in the past. But it does make for interesting lines and force bettors into a different strategy before plopping down moolah at the window. At this week's AT&T National, for example, the Field is even money to take home the bulk of the $6 million purse.
Tiger Woods has a lot more time to spend with his family these days. Woods is on crutches after winning the U.S. Open with both a torn ACL and a double stress fracture of the left tibia. Reconstructive surgery will keep Woods out of action for possibly the rest of the 2008 season. He’s expected to return as good as new; until then, the PGA Tour betting odds are wide open.
This week’s AT&T National in Bethesda, MD, won’t be the first time handicappers have bet on a Woods-less field; he played just 16 events last year and 15 in 2006. But anytime Tiger is out, betting strategies have to be completely rethought.
Finding a value pick in the middle or even the lower tier of golfers is the way my daddy taught me to make money over the long haul. Look at this week’s odds: The “field” is the even-money favorite. In other words, someone outside the 31 established names on the odds list is a coin flip away from hitting paydirt.
The AT&T National throws bettors an additional dogleg because it’s only been around since 2007, when K.J. Choi won the inaugural event. This used to be the week we got to watch the wacky International and its Modified Stableford scoring. Moreover, the Congressional Country Club hasn’t been a regular stop on the PGA Tour since hosting the Kemper Open between 1980 and 1986. It’ll take a little more creativity than usual to come up with a winning pick this week.
How does Ryuji Imada grab you? He’s sixth in the FedEx Cup standings and eighth on the money list, making him the leading golfer in Bethesda this week. Yet Imada is priced at 25-1, behind the defending champion Choi (20-1) and the favorite, Jim Furyk (10-1).
Imada has been rising up the rankings since turning pro in 1999 following a successful college career at the University of Georgia. He finished third on the Nationwide Tour money list in 2004, and won his first PGA Tour title this May at the AT&T Classic. His scrambling and putting ability compensates for his relatively short drives (276.9 yards apiece), and the beautiful Blue Course at Congressional has more hazards than Beirut.
Seeing the lighter hitters in the spotlight is a welcome change of pace, especially after the grip-and-rip U.S. Open. Choi isn’t going to blow anyone out of the tee box either at 284.1 yards per drive, and Furyk is also more about accuracy than length at 277.8 yards. This week, Furyk has the added advantage of inside information – caddy Fluff Cowan is a member at the very exclusive Congressional.
However, someone with a little more pop in his club might be in order this week. The Blue Course usually plays at par-72 over 7,255 yards, but the AT&T National will be a par-70 to make it a little more daunting. Stuart Appleby (20-1) has been hitting 290-yard drives this year, and like Imada, Appleby is proficient at scrambling (especially out of fairway bunkers) and putting. Appleby led last year’s AT&T National after three rounds before melting down on the front nine to finish tied for third. This is the Aussie native’s chance to get back into the swing of things after starting 2008 with five consecutive Top 10 results.
Late-round television coverage of all four rounds is available, with The Golf Channel handling Thursday-Friday while CBS takes over Saturday-Sunday. Coverage on all four days starts at 3:00 p.m. Eastern.