in Golf Articles

Ernie the favorite

The European Tour stages the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship this weekend, with many of the world’s top international golfers taking part. The tournament takes place in Scotland, on the St. Andrews, Kingsbarns, and Carnoustie courses, and includes both professional and amateur players. Past winners include Colin Montgomerie (2005), Stephen Gallacher (2004), Lee Westwood (2003), Padraig Harrington (2002), and Paul Lawrie (2001). Prior to 2001, the tournament had been a three-man team competition.

Golfers rotate through the three courses over the first three days of the tournament, with one professional player and one amateur making up a team. The field is then reduced to the top teams and players for the final round (which will be played at St. Andrews) – and both an individual champ and a team champ will be crowned on Sunday afternoon.

Harrington and Montgomerie might be former winners of this event, but it’s Ernie Els who is the oddsmakers’ current pick to win the tournament. Els is listed at +600 to pull out the victory, while Harrington is pegged at +1600 and Montgomerie is at +2800. Other top odds have been given to David Howell (+1800), Vijay Singh (+1800), Henrik Stetson (+1800), and Ian Poulter (+2000). Here are the rest of the top tournament odds:

Odds to Win the Dunhill Links Championship 

Ernie Els +600

Padraig Harrington +1600

David Howell +1800

Vijay Singh +1800

Henrik Stenson +1800

Ian Poulter +2000

Paul Casey +2800

Darren Clarke +2800

Jose Maria Olazabal +2800

Colin Montgomerie +2800

Thomas Björn +3000

Angel Cabrera +3000

Robert Karlsson +3000

Lee Westwood +3000

Bradley Dredge +4000

Niclas Fasth +4000

Back in North America the PGA Tour stages the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro this weekend at Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. K.J. Choi won this event last season, while Brent Geiberger picked up the victory in 2004, and Shigeki Maruyama was the winner in 2003. Choi is pegged as the favorite to be a repeat champ this year, at +2000 odds, while each of Maruyama, Tim Clark, Lucas Glover, Davis Love, Justin Rose, and Steve Stricker are listed just back at +2500. The other top odds:

Odds to Win the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro

K.J. Choi +2000

Tim Clark +2500

Lucas Glover +2500

Davis Love +2500

Shigeki Maruyama +2500

Justin Rose +2500

Steve Stricker +2500

Brett Quigley +2800

Mike Weir +2800

Jonathan Byrd +3000

Kenny Perry +3000

Carl Pettersson +3000

Ryan Moore +4000

Nick O'Hern +4000

Ted Purdy +4000

Camilo Villegas +4000

Tiger Woods picked up yet another tournament win last weekend, rolling to a victory in the WGC-American Express Championship at The Grove in Hertfordshire, England. He’s off this weekend though – which gives everyone else a chance to grab a win. But Woods’ scorching stretch has everyone thinking about next season – and the number of major tournaments he might be able to win. Here are the current odds for ’07 Woods:

How many Majors will Tiger win in 2007?

Exactly 1 +125

Exactly 2 +275

Exactly 3 +800

Exactly 4 +2500

Exactly 0 +200

Before getting to his grand-slam quest, though, Woods will have to complete his 2006 schedule. Woods is next expected to compete in the HSBC Champions Tournament at Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai in early November, with the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament, the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, and the Target World Challenge also penciled into his schedule. Watch for Woods to be the big favorite in those tournaments.