Golf Betting: Furyk Looks For Good Week
by Shawn Sillinger
Golf Betting: Woods guns for Grand Slam
If Jim Furyk can’t pick up a tournament win on Wednesday in Hawaii, he’ll get another shot at a prestigious title next weekend when he takes part in the 2006 Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa. Furyk won this tournament last year, but South Africa native Ernie Els (a three-time winner) is also a top contender:
Odds To Win the Nedbank Golf Challenge
Ernie Els +350
Jim Furyk +350
Retief Goosen +400
Sergio Garcia +500
Padraig Harrington +750
Trevor Immelman +800
Henrik Stenson +1300
Chris DiMarco +1500
Colin Montgomerie +1600
David Howell +1800
Jose Maria Olazabal +2000
Charl Schwartzel +3500
The winner of the Nedbank Golf Challenge (which features a 12-man field) will receive $1.2 million (total purse for the event is $4.385 million). Els won in Sun City in 2002, 2000, and 1999. Retief Goosen picked up a first-place finish there in 2004, while Sergio Garcia won in 2003 and 2001, and Colin Montgomerie was the big winner back in 1996.
And for those golf fans looking further down the line, odds have now been posted for players to win at least one major tournament during the 2007 season. Not surprisingly it’s Woods who leads that list, at -400 odds. Woods, of course, won two majors in 2006, and another two in 2005. Mickelson, who’s won a major in each of the last three years, is next at +275, while Furyk, who last won a major tournament in 2003, is next at +400.
2006 U.S. Open winner Ogilvy is listed at +1000 to perform a similar feat in 2007. Retief Goosen and Vijay Singh each last won a major tournament in 2004 - Goosen is sitting at +600 on the odds list, while Singh is pegged at +700. Here are the Top 20 on the list:
Odds To Win a Major in 2007
Tiger Woods -400
Phil Mickelson +275
Jim Furyk +400
Adam Scott +500
Ernie Els +600
Retief Goosen +600
Vijay Singh +700
Luke Donald +800
Sergio Garcia +800
Padraig Harrington +800
Geoff Ogilvy +1000
Paul Casey +1200
Trevor Immelman +1200
David Howell +1600
Darren Clarke +2000
David Toms +2000
Lee Westwood +2000
Henrik Stenson +2500
Chris DiMarco +2800
Colin Montgomerie +2800
Woods is next scheduled to play in the Target World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California. That tournament is set for December 14 through 17.
Shawn Sillinger is a freelance columnist and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker room.
