PGA - 2010 Masters Odds without Tiger

The Masters is in April. That’s seems like a while from now, but the truth is that February and March are going to fly by in the world of golf betting.

With the season well under way with two tournaments already decided, and the rains coming down at the Bob Hope Classic, golf betting fans can turn their attention to the Masters for now.

U.S. Masters: To Win Without Tiger Woods

1. Kenny Perry +4500 - - Perry finished 2nd in last year’s Masters. All signs point to Perry really gearing it up in the 2010 edition. Perry suffered a meltdown in the final round at Augusta last year, but that shouldn’t happen again. Everybody knows that Kenny is reaching the end of his career on the PGA Tour. Wouldn’t it be great if he came out ahead and actually won the Masters in 2010? He can definitely do it. Don’t let the odds fool you. If anything, embrace them. Perry isn’t going to go full bore until the Masters in 2010, the way he did up to the Masters in 2009. If he can keep his tendonitis issues at bay, then he figures to do very well in the first major of the year again. He tied for 6th at the SBS Championship two weeks ago. What it means is that the new grooves rule isn’t affecting his game.


2. Lee Westwood +1400 - - Westwood ended up as the top ranked golfer in Europe in 2009, he won the Dubai World Golf Championships, and is easily one of the top golfers in the world. What will be interesting is to see how the new PGA Tour groove rules regarding clubs affects Westwood. Lee, more than anybody, loved the square grooves that are now forbidden on the Tour. If he can adjust, then Westwood could make a nice run at good odds.


3. Steve Stricker +2500 - - Stricker has already finished in the Top 10 in the first two tournaments of the year, the SBS Championship and the Sony Open. He figures to show up in the NTO in two weeks to face Rory Ishikawa and Lefty. How he does in that tournament will go a long way in determining his chances at Augusta. The thing about Stricker is that the new grooves rule isn’t hurting him at all as evidenced by his play so far this season.


4. Phil Mickelson +400 - - The Northern Trust Open is coming up in roughly two weeks. That’s going to be a key tournament in deciding how the world’s best player right now (Phil’s beaten Tiger the last two times the two have played in the same tournament) is gong to handle the new grooves rule. My hope is that he fails miserably because 4 to 1 on him is hard to swallow right now. If he ends up at 20 to 1, however, then I’m not going to let his failure at the NTO prevent me from betting him. Lefty is Lefty. The man will find a way to be competitive at Augusta. I’ll just be waiting for good odds before biting.


5. Geoff Ogilvy +1600 - - Ogilvy is a seriously talented golfer. He won the SBS Championship, which was called the Mercedes-Benz Championship in 2009, for the second year in a row. He played very well up until the Masters where he finished 15th. Ogilvy skipped the Sony Open in 2010 and my only thinking is that he probably wants to take his time getting ready for the Masters. He’ll show up in the NTO for sure. After that? Who knows. Ogilvy is loving the new grooves rule, obviously, and could pose a serious threat at Augusta.


6. Rory McIlroy +1400 - - McIlroy finished 20th in the Masters in 2009 and 3rd in the PGA Championship. It was his first Masters. So, a 20th place finish is more than impressive. McIlroy also finished 2nd to Lee Westwood in the Dubai World Golf Championships which means he ended 2009 the 2nd ranked player in Europe. The man can play golf, but like everybody, else he will have to contend with the new grooves rule. Another thing to note is that Rory has been seen driving around in a Lamborghini. Hey, he deserves it, but, let just hope he doesn’t end up like John Daly before he even hits his true potential.


7. Padraig Harrington +1100 - - Is Harrington getting too much credit or not enough from me? Paddy finished 35th in the Masters in 2009, but did end up finishing 2nd, 10th, 2nd, 4th, 6th and 4th in the final 6 tournaments he entered last year. The guy can flat out golf but how will the new grooves rule affect Paddy? Actually, it can’t hurt. The man had serious trouble pitching to the green in 2009. The new grooves rule might actually work better for Paddy than it does for everybody else. Maybe I’m not giving him enough credit.