2010 Chevron World Challenge - Odds and Expert Picks

Get ready for the last semi-legit tourney of 2010. An 18 man field, featuring Tiger Woods, in his own event for a change of pace, will compete for a 1.2 million dollar first prize, (and the kinda weird tiger trophy), before heading off to an island somewhere for the holidays. Nice walking around money I'd say. No Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson, or Martin Kaymer, but a rather good limited field will duke it out in the Chevron World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, CA. A bit of a home game for Mr. Woods. He could use the edge to save some reputation from an otherwise rather pedestrian 2010.

Without further ado, or wasted web space, let's rate their chances versus current odds presented by Ladbrokes. Here we go........

Tiger Woods, 3/1 - Expected. Home course. Most talent. Does he pop out of his slump now? Well, he could of course. Might win. Putter tells all.

Jim Furyk, 8/1 - Defends. Hard to say how much golf he's played in the last few weeks. Could win, probably won't.

Luke Donald, 10/1 - Luke always impresses me in not winning. Won't break that streak here. 

Rory McIlroy, 12/1 - Would love a win on Woods' turf. Definitely will contend.

Paul Casey, 12/1 - Ryder snub is big motivator. I like him here a ton. Should win.

Ian Poulter, 12/1 - Practicing ball marking no doubt. Long trip, still disappointed, won't win.

Steve Stricker, 14/1 - Woods' buddy. Probably a little rusty. Indifferent year thus far. Won't win.

Nick Watney, 14/1 - Replaced Kaymer. I put him in the Donald category. Impressive game, won't win.

Graeme McDowell, 16/1 - Love his temperament, or lack thereof. Solid all year. Could win.

Matt Kuchar, 16/1 - Making a lucrative career out of top ten finishes. May be rusty compared to Euros. Possible I guess.

Dustin Johnson, 16/1 - Like the odds. Most certainly could win depending on what he's been doing since the Ryder Cup.  

Zach Johnson, 20/1 - Not the Zach we're used to. Short hitter that has to knock down pins and make everything.  Hasn't happened this year. Won't win.

Camilo Villegas, 25/1 - Surprised at the odds. I think he's got a chance. Must avoid typical 1 bad round.

Hunter Mahan, 25/1 - I like him here. Again, depends on practice level since Ryder.

Stewart Cink, 25/1 - Just when I count him out...... Shouldn't win, but.......

Anthony Kim, 33/1 - Written off year due to injury. Some self-inflicted, some not. Take a flyer at 33/1 that he's healed.

Sean O'Hair, 33/1 - Another Woods' pal. Gone backwards this year after much promise. Kind of a Charles Howell III clone in that regard. Don't see it.

Bubba Watson, 40/1 - At these odds you gotta love Bubba. If he can keep it in the county, who knows?


Average Golfer Chevron World Challenge Picks

1. Casey
2. Woods
3. McIlroy

Dark Horse, Bubba Watson

There you have 'em. Expert picks gratis, nada, nothing. Thank me with 10% of your winnings.

Bet early and often.







Til' next,

Tiger Woods is Irrelevant

Tiger Woods' PR machine is coming at us with both barrels. One week shy of the anniversary of his "incident" Woods has surfaced, written and spoken, neither of which he's been all that willing to do, period, ever. A monologue in Newsweek, a phone interview on ESPN's Mike & Mike in the Morning, and perhaps a few other contrived statements are in the works, ghost written by IMG. He's realized his errors, yawn, discovered the joys of fatherhood, like 100 million of us, and is trying to resculpt what was at one time the most valuable image in the world. Better than the Pope's, Ali-esque.

The difficulty in selling all this to us lemmings is that what he got nailed for was beyond regular folk's comprehension. Even my most self-centered, hound-doggish male acquaintances, upon hearing of Woods' transgressions, collectively said "WTF, OMG!" Steroids may have met with more acceptance. It's tough to rally your image from an affair. It's even more tough if it's an All-Universe one. People have standards and morals that certainly vary by the individual, but all have a limit, I hope.

I've never been accused of being a Tiger Woods fan, but I haven't been a basher either. I definitely appreciated his talent on the golf course and enjoyed many hours watching him perform on a level I'd never believed possible. I'd have bet the house he'd break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors and would have been happy to witness the history. Now I don't really give two *#its if he does or doesn't. I'm glad, on a purely human level, that he's claimed to have found the error of his ways. I'm glad he's reconnecting with his children. I truly hope his kids end up as healthy, well adjusted adults. I just don't want to hear about it. Deal with that stuff on your own time like the rest of us do. Don't invade my air and print space with feats that all the rest of us pull off each and every day without fanfare.

Play golf Tiger, or don't play. Now it doesn't matter to me either way.






Til' next,

Westwood Swipes World #1 From Tiger Woods

Ah, the OWGR. Much debate regarding the significance of an Official World Golf Ranking. Does it earn you more money? Attract women? Come with a jacket you can wear during your reign? What does the moniker really mean? Depends who you ask. I'd say most reasonable folks agree that the two year window from which the ratings are calculated is much too long. How about a one week window? Then Ben Crane's #1. Or perhaps it's Graeme McDowell. On the other end of absurd, what if the window was 50 years? Anyone doubt Jack being #1? A perfect example of the ratings meaning very little about nothing is that the most current rankings have Steve Stricker 5th and Graeme McDowell 10th. So, let me get this one straight. The reigning US Open champ is rated below a player who's riding the results of two years ago. Thought so.

Count Tiger Woods, who has held the #1 ranking since 2005, among the least surprised at Westwood's ascension. "As far as the world ranking is concerned, yes, I'm not ranked No. 1 in the world," Woods said Monday. "In order to do that you have to win and I didn't win this year." The aforementioned McDowell as well as Jim Furyk, Ernie Els and Martin Kaymer may also have reasonable arguments for the #1 spot. 

If ratings are your thing then pay close attention to the upcoming HSBC Champions event. Westwood, Woods, Kaymer, and Phil Mickelson all have a shot at being #1 at the end of that tournament. So what does being #1 really mean? Not much in this average golfer's opinion. How about yours? 

Til' next,

2010 Ryder Cup - Monday Finish Merely a Formality, US Lost on Sunday

Hunter Mahan doesn't usually leave his tee shot, on a relatively straightforward par three, twenty yards short of the green. He typically doesn't chunk a twenty yard pitch shot from a perfectly good lie. He, in turn doesn't miss the hole completely with 20 foot putt that for all intentional purposes would have just delayed the inevitable. You see Hunter and his American compatriots had their asses handed to them yesterday, a day when, due to monsoons, six points were up for grabs in various manners. The old golf adage, "Even a blind fox finds a chicken now and then" didn't apply to the US on Sunday as they gagged their way to giving up 5 1/2 of a possible 6 points to the Euros. That was too large an obstacle to climb against the talent the Euros displayed. It was a Herculian effort just to make the final score as close as it was.

Both squads were diverse in age, accomplishments, and backgrounds. One could argue and pick regarding world rankings and captain's selections, but the fact is both teams had prodigious talent and represented the best of what each geographic region had to offer. Hard to quibble with that. In a different vein, I decided that the current world ranking system wouldn't hold up to a pile of spit. No amount of deciphering, or just plain ciphering for that matter, can convince me that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are the top two players in the world right now. I'd hazard a guess that Mrs. McDowell, if there is one, would agree with me.

Congratulations to the Europeans for a hard fought and well deserved victory! The golf was outstanding by both teams and a pleasure to watch.

PS - Will someone that matters please realize that the British Isles in October isn't the best place to schedule ANY tournament, much less one of this import. I don't want to see the world's best play lift, clean, and place. My regular foursome plays it year round and I'm stinkin' sick of it! Screw the FedUp Cup and move the Ryder back. I know, I know, the money, the money.







Til' next,

2010 Ryder Cup - US Needs Huge Rally in Singles to Retain Cup

I mentioned in yesterday's post that the US needed to be tied 8-8 going into the final single's matches. That didn't happen. Not even close. The Euros enjoy a 9 1/2 - 6 1/2 advantage after the rain plagued first four sets of play. Here's the Monday singles line-ups presented by Captains Montgomerie and Pavin....

Singles Match-ups (Europe vs. U.S.)

Lee Westwood vs. Steve Stricker
Rory McIlroy vs. Stewart Cink
Luke Donald vs. Jim Furyk
Martin Kaymer vs. Dustin Johnson
Ian Poulter vs. Matt Kuchar
Ross Fisher vs. Jeff Overton
Migeul Angel Jimenez vs. Bubba Watson
Francesco Molinari vs. Tiger Woods
Edoardo Molinari vs. Rickie Fowler
Peter Hanson vs. Phil Mickelson
Padraig Harrington vs. Zach Johnson
Graeme McDowell vs. Hunter Mahan

You see that Montgomerie has front loaded with his best players in an attempt to go for the jugular early. Arguably his best four players are in the first four matches. He hopes that the efforts of Woods and Mickelson will be moot. The way Mickelson's played it's almost a loss going in anyway. Given our traditional dominance in  singles I'd give us a shot, albeit a somewhat long one. The key are those first four pairings. Stricker, Cink, and Furyk should make a competitive showing. Whether it's enough to make the later matches worth watching remains to be seen. Can anyone say Brookline?

Til' next,

2010 Ryder Cup - US Up 6 -4, Thanks To Darkness

In the abbreviated world of the rain plagued 2010 Ryder Cup, the US held a 6-4 lead on paper over the favored Euros. That's because when darkness fell the Euros were leading all 6 suspended matches. If ever a time out was required for the US, this was it. Hopefully a good night's rest, (Hear me Tiger??), will inspire the same sort of comeback we enjoyed after day #1's rain delay. 
 
It seems all the Americans are getting waxed in the Round #2 sessions with little exception. Here's what HAS to occur for the US to have a decent chance in this thing. The Mickelson and Woods' groups are getting pounded. We need Furyk/D.Johnson, 1 down thru 8 to Harrington/Fisher and Cink/Kuchar, 1 down thru 6 to the Brothers Molinari, to win their matches. That would leave the Cup at an 8/8 tie going into the singles matches, in which we're traditionally heavily favored. Simple, isn't it? We're 4 down and 3 down in two of the remaining matches and two down in the others. Granted, there's a ton of golf left to be played, but if we enter the singles tied, or even 2 down, whenever the play is finished, I like our chances. This Average Golfer should have a fairly good idea how this will play out when he awakes, about 1 PM their time.








Til' next,

2010 Ryder Cup - Rain in Wales? I'm Stunned.

Of course it could rain in Wales in July, or in Peoria for that matter. Still, a late September tee time at Celtic Manor is just asking for a deluge. Too late to move the Ryder Cup, so let's make the best of it. Sir Terry Matthews, Celtic Manor owner and a non-golfer, made good on his desire to bring the event to Wales and his mega-resort. Forget though that it's a target style sort of course diametrically opposed to the innumerable links courses available in the British Isles. Like it's K Club predecessor, it was the dollar signs and the ability to hold 45,000 paying spectators that brought the Cup to this swamp.
  
Oh, the golf so far? It's really too early to tell as the first match of the tourney had only reached the 12th hole after a 7 1/2 hour rain delay. As they stand right now, Westwood/Kaymer 1 up on Mickelson/D. Johnson thru 12. Cink/Kuchar 2 up on McIlroy/McDowell thru 11. Stricker/Woods all square with Poulter/Fisher and Watson/Overton 1 up on Donald/Harrington thru 8. I sensed a decided momentum shift when the players returned from the lengthy break. Down in three matches at the time, the US has rallied to have the lead in two and halved in a third. It will be interesting to see if that continues tomorrow when these initial matches are concluded.  

The captain's won't have the luxury of hiding any players on Saturday as the plan is to complete all fourball and foursomes matches in order to get back on schedule for Sunday's singles. All 24 players will be involved to become heroes or goats. The plan is to finish the first fourball, (best ball), round, then play 6 foursomes matches, (alternate shot), followed by the last 2 foursomes and the last 4 fourball matches. Mother Nature will have the final say in this optimistic undertaking.   

*Average Golfer financial tidbit - Sell your Sun Mountain stock if you haven't already.






Til' next,