| bly the only thing more difficult and frustrating than | | | | Maggert (FedEx St. Jude Classic, May 28); Carl |
| gaining a degree of proficiency at playing golf is trying | | | | Pettersson (the Memorial Tournament, June 4); J.J. |
| to make a buck betting golf. As the PGA Tour tees | | | | Henry (Buick Championship, July 2); and Corey Pavin |
| it up for the start of another season this month, | | | | (US Bank Championship, July 30). |
| it’s a sober fact of betting that no matter | | | | Nail just one of the above winners and |
| how you slice it—-into the rough, into the | | | | you’re good for a free ride betting the PGA |
| water, into the woods, beyond the | | | | Tour every week for two to five years, depending |
| hazard—-earning a profit through golf betting | | | | on the size payout of that one winner. |
| may be the most absurdly arduous and unrewarding | | | | So what’s the problem? Just bet a longshot |
| task facing a prospective sports bettor. | | | | each week. |
| Consider that if you place a future book wager on a | | | | Well, for starters, exactly how do you find a J.B. |
| major tennis tournament where there are 128 | | | | Holmes or a Chris Couch? When Holmes won the |
| entrants, such as Wimbledon or the US Open, your | | | | FBR Open there were 109 other golfers offered at |
| choice has to beat just seven players. The other 120 | | | | odds of 100/1 or more, including 51 at odds of 250/1 |
| are eliminated by someone else. | | | | or greater. In fact, if you were looking for a real |
| The same thing happens in the NFL playoffs where a | | | | longshot, there were 35 golfers who were offered |
| team need beat just three or four opponents to | | | | at betting odds of 300/1 or more, including Tony |
| claim a Super Bowl championship. The NBA and Major | | | | Rohlik and Ian Leggatt, each at a life-changing 750/1. |
| League Baseball have similar formats, where most of | | | | How in the name of Titleist could you isolate Holmes, |
| the teams are eliminated by someone other than the | | | | who won in just his fourth PGA start? |
| eventual winner. | | | | It was a similar situation when Couch won in New |
| About the closest thing to golf is a NASCAR Nextel | | | | Orleans. At that tournament, 26 other golfers were |
| Cup race, where your driver has to beat 42 other | | | | listed at 250/1 and 19 more were quoted at odds of |
| competitors. | | | | 300/1 or greater. |
| But a typical golf tournament features about 150 | | | | Given the difficulty in isolating a longshot, maybe |
| players, meaning the man on whom you placed your | | | | betting the favorite is the better way to go. |
| wager, has to beat every one of them. | | | | Well, no. |
| Given those overwhelming odds, then, why play? | | | | Favorites won just nine events last year and, with |
| The answer, of course, is because the payoffs can | | | | the exception of Phil Mickelson’s triumph at |
| be so large. For example, of the 48 regular season | | | | odds of 7/1 in the BellSouth Classic, April 2, the other |
| events on the 2006 PGA Tour, 17 of them were | | | | eight favorites all were named Tiger Woods. |
| won by players returning a three digit reward to the | | | | Woods, in fact, won eight of the 15 PGA Tour |
| bettor. An additional nine tournaments went to | | | | events he entered last year, meaning you could have |
| players whose odds ranged from 40/1 to 80/1. | | | | realized a modest profit by betting on the |
| The list of bountiful winners is headed by J.B. Holmes, | | | | world’s No. 1 player in each start. But for his |
| who captured the FBR Open, Feb. 5, and Chris | | | | career, Woods has won 54 of 200 tournaments, or |
| Couch, who won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, | | | | just over one in every four tournaments he’s |
| April 30, each at odds of 250/1. | | | | entered, so you’d have to average odds of 3 |
| Kirk Triplett (Chrysler Classic of Tucson, Feb. 26); | | | | 1 to break even. |
| Aaron Baddeley (MCI Heritage, April 16); Brett | | | | That’s not going to happen. |
| Wetterich (Byron Nelson Championship, May 14); Ben | | | | So how do you win betting golf? |
| Curtis (Booz Allen Classic, June 25 and 84 Lumber | | | | “I don’t know anyone who bets golf |
| Classic, Sept. 17); Dean Wilson (The International, | | | | consistently and wins,” conceded a Nevada |
| Aug. 13); and Eric Axley (Valero Texas Open, Sept. | | | | bookmaker who asked he not be identified. |
| 24), all scored at odds of 150/1. | | | | “It’s really a fool’s errand. The |
| Last year’s winners at 125/1 included Rod | | | | only way someone can win betting golf is to hit a |
| Pampling (Bay Hill Invitational, March 19); Stephen | | | | longshot and never bet again.” |
| Ames (The Players Championship, March 26); Jeff | | | | Yeah, right. |