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Singh hunting for third straight Buick

Bookmark and Share by Mark Rothstein

Can he 3-peat?
After missing the cut at the British Open two weeks ago Vijay Singh will get a chance to put his game back together this weekend at the . Singh won the Buick Open (held at the Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan) in each of the last two years, and also picked up a victory in this tournament back in 1997.

That makes him the only three-time winner in Buick Open history. Singh won by a convincing four strokes over Tiger Woods and Zach Johnson a year ago, and edged John Daly by a single stroke to get the win in 2004. So why is Singh not the favorite to win his fourth Buick Open? As always, the answer to that golf question is Tiger Woods.

When Tiger is in a tournament he’s pegged as the favorite, plain and simple. Woods won the Buick Open back in 2002, and he rolled to a win in the British Open two weeks ago. As a result, Woods is listed as the +200 favorite at Warwick Hills this weekend, while Singh is tied for second place on the current odds list at a less-lofty line of +900.

Also sitting at +900 right now is Jim Furyk, who won the Buick Open in 2003. Furyk has finished in the Top 10 six times in 11 career starts at Warwick Hills (and has never missed the cut), and grabbed Top 5 results at both the U.S. Open and the British Open.

The last two golfers with short(ish) odds for this weekend’s tournament are Geoff Ogilvy (+1600) and Chris DiMarco (+2500). Ogilvy finished second in this tournament back in 2003, but was 18th in 2004 and 12th in 2005. DiMarco has finished second twice in this event (2001 and 2003). Neither golfer has yet been able to get the win at Warwick Hills.

Kenny Perry, the 2001 champion, is back at +4000 odds to get his second Buick Open championship this weekend. Sharing Perry’s +4000 odds are Robert Allenby and David Toms, with Woody Austin, Zach Johnson, Arron Oberholser, Sean O’Hair, Scott Verplank, and Mike Weir at +5000. Here are the current odds for all the top contenders:

Odds to Win 2006 Buick Open

Tiger Woods --- +200  
Jim Furyk --- +900  
Vijay Singh --- +900  
Geoff Ogilvy --- +1600  
Chris DiMarco --- +2500  
Robert Allenby --- +4000  
Kenny Perry --- +4000  
David Toms --- +4000  
Woody Austin --- +5000  
Zach Johnson --- +5000  
Arron Oberholser --- +5000  
Sean O’Hair --- +5000  
Scott Verplank --- +5000  
Mike Weir --- +5000  
Stephen Ames --- +6600  
Jason Bohn --- +6600  
Jeff Sluman --- +6600  
Ben Crane --- +8000  
Fred Funk --- +8000  
Justin Leonard --- +8000   
 
Past Buick Open winners Tom Pernice (1999) and Billy Mayfair (1998) are both pegged at +10,000 odds this time around, and might be worth a look for at least a show wager.

The Buick Open gets underway on Thursday morning, with television coverage available in the afternoon for all four days of the tournament. USA Network has the rights Thursday and Friday, with coverage moving over to CBS on the weekend days.

Other golf events on the go this weekend include the Weetabix Women’s British Open (LPGA Tour) at the Royal Lytham and St. Annes course in England, the 3M Championship (Champions Tour) at TPC of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and the Scandinavian Masters (European Tour) at Barseback Golf and Country Club in Sweden.
 
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