in Golf Articles

A $4 million prize purse will be on the line this weekend when 48 of the world’s top golfers arrive at Barbados’ Sandy Lane Resort. However, the WGC Barbados World Cup tourney has a twist – it features 24 two-man teams, each representing their home country. And there’s some good news for the non-USA teams – Tiger Woods isn’t there.

The winning twosome will split a prize of $1.4 million. The tournament features two rounds of foursomes and two rounds of four-ball, and runs from Thursday through Sunday. Last year, though, the final round was washed out, which was a bonus for Bradley Dredge and Stephen Dodd of Wales – they were declared the tourney winners.

That was Wales’ first win in the event (it used to be played under other names) since 1987, and that twosome will be back to try and defend their title this weekend. However, the oddsmakers don’t see them as the favorites – in fact, they’re back in the pack at +1800 odds right now, which ties them for seventh on the odds list with Spain’s pairing.

Who’s the favorite? Right now, it’s Team England, which features Luke Donald and David Howell. Those two tied for second place behind Dredge and Dodd last year, and will be looking to pick up the win on Sunday. Ireland’s Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley are next on the odds list at +550. Sweden’s Henrik Stenson and Niclas Fasth tied for second last year; Fasth is replaced by Carl Pettersson this time around, and they’re listed third at +600. And then sitting fourth at +700 is the United States team.

The Americans will be sending Stewart Cink and J.J. Henry as their representatives this year. The United States hasn’t won this event since Woods and David Duval grabbed the victory in 2000. Woods won this tournament in 1999 as well, with Mark O’Meara as his partner. Fred Couples and Davis Love III won four straight titles from 1992 to 1995.

So the USA has a pedigree at this event, it just remains to be seen whether Cink and Henry can get them back on top. Other teams with solid winning odds include Argentina (+1000) and Scotland (+1600). Here are the currently-posted odds for all 24 teams:

Odds to Win the WGC Barbados World Cup

England +400
Ireland +550
Sweden +600
USA +700
Argentina +1000
Scotland +1600
Spain +1800
Wales +1800
Australia +2000
South Africa +2000
Canada +2200
Denmark +2200
France +2800
Germany +3000
Japan +3000
Italy +4000
South Korea +4000
Colombia +6500
Trinidad & Tobago +8000
Mexico +20000
Singapore +25000
Barbados +40000
Jamaica +40000
Switzerland +40000

Bettors looking to root for the underdog on the links this weekend can instead wager on one of The Field beating the Big Four teams (England, Ireland, the United States, and Sweden) for the title. Both groupings have been listed with -120 odds to take the victory.

And finally, there are three other tournament groupings on which to wager – with teams thrown together based on their skill level. The top five teams (England, Ireland, Sweden, the United States, and Argentina) are listed as one group, with England the +250 favorite to finish with the best total score. Here are the three groupings and their odds:

England +250
Ireland +330
Sweden +350
USA +350
Argentina +450

Scotland +300
Spain +300
Wales +350
Australia +375
South Africa +375

Canada +300
Denmark +300
France +350
Germany +375
Japan +375

Woods is next scheduled to play at the Target World Challenge, which he will be hosting from December 14 to December 17, at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California. That tournament features a 16-man field, and the top prize is worth $1.35 million. Donald won the event last year, while Woods got the victory back in 2004.