in Golf Articles

The PGA Tour ditches stroke play this weekend in favor of the Modified Stableford points system, the mysterious scoring structure that’s put in place once a year to confuse golf viewers around the world. And along with a bunch of baffled fans, The International promises something else too - a tournament winner that isn’t Tiger Woods.

That’s because Woods, who is coming off dominating efforts at both the British Open and the Buick Open, is sitting out this week’s event at Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado. Presumably that’s to rest up for the PGA Championship, which gets underway on August 17. However, it might also be just to give someone else a chance.

And that someone else could be Phil Mickelson, who is currently the oddsmakers’ choice at +700 to win The International. Although Lefty hasn’t played since turning in a sub-par effort at the British Open, he is a two-time winner of The International. Mickelson won with 48 points in 1997, and with 45 points way back in the 1993 season.

Retief Goosen won this tournament last year with 32 points, and he’s listed at +900 odds this time around. 2004 champion Rod Pampling is pegged at +2800, 2003 and 1990 winner Davis Love III is listed at +3000, and 2002 winner Rich Beem is way back at +13000. Ernie Els, who won The International in 2000, is given short odds of +800.

Other past winners of The International and their odds for this week include Tom Pernice Jr. (2001) at +4000, David Toms (1999) at +3000, Steve Lowery (1994) at +10000, and Jose Maria Olazabal (1991) at +3000. The 1998 champion, Vijay Singh, is skipping this year’s tournament. Here are the current odds for all the top contenders:

Odds to Win 2006 The International

Phil Mickelson --- +700 
Ernie Els --- +800 
Retief Goosen --- +900 
Sergio Garcia --- +1500 
Stuart Appleby --- +2300 
Chris DiMarco --- +2300 
Stewart Cink --- +2800 
Tim Clark --- +2800 
Rod Pampling --- +2800 
Davis Love III --- +3000 
Jose Maria Olazabal --- +3000 
David Toms --- +3000
Paul Casey --- +4000 
Lucas Glover --- +4000 
David Howell --- +4000 
Zach Johnson --- +4000 
Arron Oberholser --- +4000 
Tom Pernice Jr. --- +4000 
Ben Crane --- +5500 
Brett Quigley --- +5500 
John Rollins --- +5500 
Camilo Villegas --- +5500   

The Modified Stableford points system awards golfers designated values for bogeys, pars, birdies, and eagles. A bogey gets you -1 points, a par 0, a birdie 2, and an eagle 5. Double bogeys or worse punish you with -3 points, while an unlikely double eagle pays off at 8 points. Therefore, the higher your score, the better your tournament result.

After taking on Castle Pines Golf Club, the best golfers in the world will then head to Medinah Country Club in Illinois for the 2006 PGA Championship. Woods will be back in the field for that one, and not surprisingly he is the big +200 favorite to grab the victory. Here are the current odds for all the top contenders to win the fourth and final major:

Odds to Win 2006 PGA Championship

Tiger Woods --- +200 
Phil Mickelson --- +500 
Ernie Els --- +900 
Jim Furyk --- +1300 
Vijay Singh --- +1300 
Retief Goosen --- +1500
Chris DiMarco --- +2000 
Sergio Garcia --- +2300 
Luke Donald --- +2800 
Adam Scott --- +2800 
Padraig Harrington --- +3000 
Stuart Appleby --- +4000 
David Toms --- +4000 
Mike Weir --- +4000 
Tim Clark --- +5000  
Darren Clarke --- +5000
Angel Cabrera --- +5500 
David Howell --- +5500 
Colin Montgomerie --- +5500    

Woods is also the favorite to come out on top of the PGA Tour’s money list this season - and his odds keep getting less lucrative. Woods, who has won $5.1 million on tour this year, is listed at -1000 to win that title, while Jim Furyk, who has picked up $4.6 million in 2006 earnings, is back at +400. Mickelson (+1300), Singh (+2000), and Geoff Ogilivy (+5500) are the only other PGA golfers currently listed in the chart for that prop wager.