Jim Furyk Partners With Children's Miracle Network, Announces Miracle Birdies

Beginning with this week's tournament, The Heritage in Hilton Head, SC, 2010 PGA Tour Player of the Year Jim Furyk debuts his partnership with Children's Miracle Network. The network is a charity that raises funds for over 170 children's hospitals in North America. Miracle Birdies is a new program where individuals, groups, and sponsors can pledge money every time Furyk makes a birdie during his play in 2011. Importantly, donations are are localized so the money ends up in the person's local hospital.

I must admit I have a parochial interest in this program. My brother John Brancato is a pediatric emergency physician at Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford, CT, a Children's Miracle Network facility. His husband, Thomas Richardson, is Senior Director of Strategic Planning & Development at the hospital. Here's what they and Martha Schall, President of the hospital's Foundation, had to say about being a part of Children's Miracle Network;  

"Children's Miracle Network Hospitals support touches every corner of Connecticut Children's Medical Center.  Those gifts make possible investments in state-of-the-art technology, groundbreaking research and development of new clinical programs that provide care of the highest quality in the most effective and efficient ways possible.

Children's Miracle Network donors number in the thousands every year.  Every donor makes a difference, and we hope every donor remembers we are here for their families and their friends' families, so that every child in our region who has the chance to receive the special care that comes from doctors and nurses who only treat children, and have the comfort of an environment specially designed for children and their families."

 

There's no better way to invest in our future than through our children, our most precious resource. The golf community has a validated history for charity, so I ask you to consider this cause, as Furyk has, and add to that legacy. 

Here's where you can enroll... Miracle Birdies

THE TOUR Championship 2009 - Odds and Expert Picks

The East Lake Golf Club hosts the dual honor of THE TOUR Championship and the FedUp Cup finale. $10,000,000 to the Cup winner with an additional $1,350,000 for the tournament winner. Not chicken feed.The top five in the dizzying rating system can clinch the Cup with a win. The others need a confluence of events that would stagger Stephen Hawking.

We're here to pick the winner and offer stunning commentary on the favorite's chances. No more, no less. So, with our usual assistance from betting house Ladbrokes, may the games begin.....



Tiger Woods, Even - By all rights should win. Stupefying odds difference between him and the field. Still, as goes the putter.....

Jim Furyk, 14:1 - No wins this year, just solid play. 6 top 10s at East Lake. Laser irons. Could win.

Padraig Harrington, 14:1 - Swing changes kicked in. If he avoids 8s and worse, could win.

Steve Stricker, 16:1 - Should be rested. Kinda gassed at last. Hot putter? Could win.

Zach Johnson, 20:1 - Has course record 60. Great iron player. Could win.

Phil Mickelson, 20:1 - Who knows? Can't get a read on his game after a very tough year off the course. Could, probably won't.

Retief Goosen, 25:1 - Sneaks up on you. Easy to forget about. Hot putter = could win.

Sean O'Hair, 25:1 - Has the game. Implodes at worst times. Won't win.

Hunter Mahan, 33:1 - Average Golfer's been on him all year. Hasn't come through. Might here.

Dustin Johnson, 40:1 - Bomber with game. May surprise. Take him as a dark horse.

Ernie Els, 40:1 - Better of late. Still no killer instinct. Might win if others fall off. Won't snatch it.

Geoff Ogilvy, 40:1 - Underperformed all year. No reason to think that'll change here. Won't win.

Luke Donald, 40:1 - Nope, not here. Take him in my scramble though!

Scott Verplank, 40:1 - Remarkable putter. 2nd in last event. Longest of shots. Like him though.

Notes on Others......

Stewart Cink at 66:1 is a nice bet. Heath Slocum at 100:1 is in the top five FedUp Cup standings, which means a win nabs him the 10 million. US Open champ Lucas Glover is a bewildering 66:1. Masters winner Angel Cabrera is posting at 50:1. Not exactly much respect for this year's major winners. Full 30 player field.

The Atlanta area has endured torrential rains of late with the outlook of more of the same. East Lake switched to Bermuda greens which should drain better than bent grass. Officials were predicting a 12 on the Stimpmeter, regardless of the recent water. Expect pin seeking to be rewarded and the best iron players of the week to be right there at the end. The course will play at 7,154 yards, par 72.

Average Golfer's Picks

1. Woods
2. Furyk
3. Toms

Dark Horse. Just one in a 30 man field. Cink.

Bet early and often.




Til' next,

90th PGA Championship - Odds and Insight.

Boy I sure wish some golfer would jump out and proclaim themselves as the clear cut favorite for the 90th PGA Championship. It's like trying to pick the best dog from a litter of 156. You almost have the feeling that a club pro could break through. Almost. Will Phil come apart again like a $30.00 suit? Will Sergio choose the wrong putter from his extensive collection? Will Vijay continue to miss the cup from inside five feet? Will Kenny Perry manage to stay white hot? Average Golfer breaks down their chances and predicts a winner. Here's the top odds favorites from Ladbrokes' oddsmakers.......

Mickelson, 10/1 ..... Odds based on talent, not shot selection or execution under pressure. Can win, won't win. Still shaken from WGC.

Harrington, 20/1 ..... Has major experience obviously. Can close the deal. Short game helps here. Can win.

Garcia, 20/1 ..... Same old story. You know the tune. If he builds a lead by Saturday, could win.

Singh, 20/1 ..... Gee, I wonder what he's been practicing in his hotel room. Although, he made the putt that mattered last week. Could win.

A. Kim, 25/1 ..... Boy, hard to figure. Game's not in question, his youth is. Could win, tough to pick him though.

Els, 25/1 ..... Should win based on his talent vs theirs. Long running story with Ernie. Have to wait and see. Too risky to pick.

Furyk, 25/1 ..... Ideal set up for the straight, but long enough, hitter. Can win, may pick him.

Westwood, 25/1 ..... Hottest player not to win in the last month. Hard to not pick him. Obviously capable.

Goosen, 25/1 ..... Nasty greens and areas surrounding greens are his specialty. Can win with a hot putter, which is true of a lot of the field.

Scott, 33/1 ..... Get the feeling he's happy with top 10s. May be wrong, but lacks the killer instinct to finish guys off. Can win, won't win.

Ogilvy, 40/1 ..... Mediocre lately for a US Open winner. Regardless though, have to consider him a threat every time he tees it up. Can win.

Mahan, 40/1 ..... Dissed the Ryder Cup without ever having played in it. Bad Karma. Won't win.

Stenson, 40/1 ..... RoboGolfer. Has the tools, seemingly lacks the passion. Could win, probably won't.

KJ Choi, 40/1 ..... Hot earlier in the year. Can't question his tools. Tough guy to figure out. Capable of winning. No call here. Wouldn't be surprised to see him 1st or 61st.

Perry, 40/1 ..... Should be the fan's choice. Achieved his goal, but I'm sure he'd love to win a major to shut up the naysayers. Could win.

Cink, 40,1 ..... Another enigma. Wicked hot six weeks ago. Now, who the &#$* knows? Could win I reckon, long and straight enough. Best with the wacky putter.


Sleeper Picks....

A little tough to call these "sleepers", but for lack of a better name..... Ames, Appleby, Chad Campbell, Cejka, Tim Clark, Leonard, O'Hair, and Jeev Milkha Singh.

Without further ado, the winner of the 2008 PGA Championship is.....

1st - Lee Westwood, He's due, overdue.

2nd - Retief Goosen

3rd - Robert Allenby

There you have it again. Now all you have to do is watch!

Til' next,


*Average Golfer noteworthy pick. We picked Ya-Ni Tseng to win last week's Women's British Open. She finished 2nd. We're due.

2008 Memorial - Winner Predicted - Best of the Rest

Jack's tournament, the 2008 Memorial at Muirfield Village may be more conspicuous this year for who's not playing. Widely considered one of the best tourneys outside the majors, the withdrawals are stacking up at an unheard of rate. Tiger Woods, knee. Vijay Singh, rib injury. Steve Stricker, elbow. Elbow or ego? Strick's having some trouble making cuts of late. Adam Scott, fatigue. Fatigue? Carrying his own clubs? Hair too heavy? Lie and say food poisoning, not fatigue for cryin' out loud! I'm 51 years old and work in a construction related business. Today I handled 80 pieces of sheet rock and 50 bags of cement, not to mention how many hundreds of pieces of lumber. I'M FATIGUED! How are you going to topple Tiger with that namby- pamby outlook? Enough. The word is that this golf course is the best conditioned course these guys will play all year, including the majors. I'm sure that's how Jack wanted it to be.

As is Average Golfer's custom, we'll dissect the favorites as considered such by Ladbrokes, the British odds house. Here we go.........

Phil Mickelson, 7/1 --- Can't bet against him after last week. By far the best player here.

Geoff Ogilvy, 14/1 --- On the strength of his Florida swing. Legit chance.

Stewart Cink, 14/1 --- Rap on Stew, great tournaments, lots of 2nds, can't win.

Jim Furyk, 16/1 --- Uncharacteristic balky putter. Tee to green, one of the best.

Sergio Garcia, 16/1 --- Expected better odds after The Players. Guess they're waiting to see if his putter implodes.

Kenny Perry, 20/1 --- Bit of a hot head on Sundays. See Stewart Cink.

Ernie Els, 25/1 --- Missed the cut last week at Wentworth, his home course. Was in this tournament, withdrew, got back in. Ernie's a mess. Avoid him like the plague.

K.J. Choi, 33/1 --- M.I.A. since Hawaii, California swing. Was steady, now a bit shaky. Defending champ though.

Luke Donald, 33/1 --- Brits and Scots have a tough time in the states. Ask Monty and Justin Rose.

Rod Pampling, 33/1 --- Gritty and competitive. Wouldn't count him out.


Sleeper picks from down the odds board. Aaron Baddeley, 40/1. Consistent enough to win anywhere. Hunter Mahan, 100/1. Great player. At these odds, worth a look. Daniel Chopra, 150/1. Already won this year, why not? David Duval and Larry Mize at 300/1. Feel bad for David. Larry got in due to the high number of dropouts. Any action on David vs Larry head to head?

As an aside, at about halfway through the professional golf season, the 100th money ranked player is Alex Cejka with $475,848.00. The 1st millionaire to appear on the list is Pat Perez, ranked 43rd on the money list with $1,018,735.00. So, is there any surprise that tournaments are having trouble attracting great fields on a regular basis? All you have to do now is play to keep your card. That's money in the bank.

Almost forgot, Average Golfer's winner prediction for the 2008 Memorial is..................Jim Furyk. Jimbo sheds the "Furyk Funk" and makes the putts he has to make.

Til' next,