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PGA Tour Betting - Tiger Returns at the WGC-HSBC Championship

Bookmark and Share by D.S. Williamson

Tee-off: 11/5/2009

Tiger Woods has already won the PGA Tour Player of the Year award by virtue of his FedEx Cup victory, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t glory to be found from here on until the end of 2009 for the greatest golfer in the world.

El Tigre will be looking to find that glory when he steps onto the Sheshan Golf Course in Shanghai, China for the WGC-HSBC Championship. Some have started to call the WGC-HSBC the biggest golf tournament on the Asian continent.

This will be the 4th year that the WGC-HSBC will be played at the Sheshan Golf Course. Some changes from last year’s course, however, are install as overseeding means that thicker rough should be expected. The course measures 7,200 feet with severely sloped greens.

It’s the type of course that should play right into the hands of the 2009 FedEx Cup winner who has the ability to accurately place the ball anywhere on the green with his terrific approach game. Tiger is a big, big +150 favorite in this.

The short odds are justified as El Tigre was absolutely dominant the last time he played competitively, in the President’s Cup, and would like nothing more than to win this tournament on Chinese soil. America’s golf ambassador figures to be ultra tough in this.

But he won’t be alone.

Lefty and Paddy Should Challenge Tiger

Phil Mickelson is back. After returning from taking time off to help his wife as she battled cancer, and then struggling to keep his mental game together after learning that his mother was suffering from cancer as well, Phil Mickelson played about as poorly as golfing fans had seen him play in a long time.

But, now? Now, Lefty is back and he’s back better than ever. Starting with his victory in the Tour Champions, Lefty has been close to dominant on the course. A lot of it has to do with the fact that he changed his putting grip. The grip change has allowed him to control the ball much better. That’s led to more birdies which has led to lower rounds.

Lefty won the WGC-HSBC in 2007 and is a +1000 second choice to Tiger Woods in the BetUS online sportsbook to win the WGC-HSCB this year. The way he’s playing should give confidence to bettors looking to bet on a longer shot in this tournament than El Tigre.

The same really can’t be said for Padraig Harrington. Harrington tied for 11th in this tournament last year and his overall game is well suited for this course but, then again, his overall game is always well suited for the course. It’s his mental game, the biggest part of his overall game, that suffers.

Tiger is terrific at placing the ball anywhere on the green with his approach shot. Paddy is not. Because the slopes are so pronounced at Sheshan, Paddy could have trouble. At the odds of +1500, Paddy is an underlay in this tournament.

Two Others To Watch

Sergio Garcia +2000 - - Garcia won this even last year and has actually been golfing better lately than he did during the rest of the 2009. So, he’s got a shot, but as always gamblers should tread carefully when it comes to betting Sergio. He makes a lot of mistakes on the course.

Oliver Wilson +5000 - - Wilson battled Garcia last year all the way when bogeying only 3 holes. He’s a long shot. So, expectations shouldn’t be that high but if gamblers don’t have faith in El Tigre or Lefty, he’s a logical choice.