Mired in the longest slump of his career, Tiger Woods nevertheless has been installed as a 13/2 future book favorite to win The Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club, April 7-10. Those golf betting fans who wager on Woods will do so with the same trepidation they feel standing over a four-foot putt.
Woods, who has captured 14 Major championships, including four Masters, has not won a golf tournament since Nov. 15, 2009, four weeks before he revealed his own marital infidelity and began a self-imposed four-month exile from the game. Since returning at the 2010 Masters, Woods has lost 15 straight tournaments. Woods' last victory in a Major came in 2008 when he beat Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole playoff to claim the US Open. Woods, who was the world's top ranked golfer for a record 623 weeks, including eight full years, has dropped to No. 5 in the rankings, behind Germany's Martin Kaymer, England's Lee Westwood and Luke Donald, and Ireland's Graeme McDowell. A fundamental reason for Woods' decline, in addition to his personal problems, may be that Tiger currently ranks 183rd in driving accuracy and 98th in putting.
Golf betting aficionados who don't relish taking a short price on Woods winning his fifth Masters have many other options. Foremost among them is Phil Mickelson, the 7/1 second choice on most future book lists. "Lefty" hasn't played particularly well recently but Mickelson is the defending Masters champion and also won the event in 2004 and 2006, which means he's won two Masters since Tiger wore his last Green Jacket in 2005.
The aforementioned Kaymer, Westwood, Donald and McDowell also should get a long look from golf betting devotees. Kaymer captured his first Major when he won the PGA Championship last year while Westwood, though still seeking his first Major, has finished second or third in all four Major events during the last three years. Both Kaymer and Westwood are being offered to bettors at odds of about 15/1 while Donald and McDowell each are in the 25/1 to 28/1 range.
Other golfers given a realistic chance by sportsbooks include Nick Watney, 20/1, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson, each 25/1, Paul Casey, 28/1, and Matt Kuchar, 40/1. Recent former Masters Champions (in addition to Woods and Mickelson) looking to beat the odds include Angel Cabrera (2009), Trevor Immelman (2008), and Zach Johnson (2007), each at 125/1.
It's difficult picking one winner out of a field of 150 quality golfers so sportsbooks are helping queasy bettors by offering odds on players finishing in the top three. Called a place bet in Europe and a show bet in the US, it's a bit of a hedge so of course the payoffs are smaller.
Woods, for example, is 3/2 to notch a top three finish while Mickelson is right behind at odds of 8/5. You can get 3/1 on a Westwood top three finish or 7/2 on Kaymer being no worse than third. Watney and McIlroy each are 5/1 while Johnson (Dustin, not Zach), McDowell, Donald, Kuchar and Casey each are 6/1 to notch a top three finish.
Golf betting fans also can wager on the tournament's winning margin. You get 12/5 that extra holes are needed to declare a winner, 5/2 that the margin of victory is one stroke, 7/2 that it's two shots, 9/2 that the margin is exactly three strokes and 10/3 that the 2011 Masters Champion wins by four or more shots.
The Masters is the only one of the four majors that is played on the same golf course each year but familiarity doesn't necessarily translate into success. In fact, it's a rare year when the golf course, particularly a handful of holes in the middle, isn't the stern teacher who decides who passes the first classic test of the year.
In fact, the tournament is likely to be decided on the 11th, 12th and 13th holes, nicknamed "Amen Corner." This term was first used in print by author Herbert Warren Wind in a 1958 Sports Illustrated article about that year's Masters. In 1984, Wind told Golf Digest about the term's origin, saying he wanted a catchy phrase like baseball's "hot-corner" or football's "coffin-corner" to explain where some of the most exciting and challenging golf was played. Thus "Amen Corner" was born.
Now, 43 years after the term was first used, golfers and golf betting betting fans alike know their Masters fortunes will be decided there.
