2012 PGA Tour Championship Odds: Rory McIlroy Favored
By Drew Sharper
ATLANTA, GA (TheSpread) – The PGA Tour Championship is the final event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Here is a look at the odds to win this event.
The top 30 players left in the FedEx Cup standings are playing in this tournament, which begins Thursday. According to oddsmakers, both Rory McIlroy is the favorite to win, as he has 4/1 odds. Other short odds to win are Tiger Woods (9/2), Phil Mickelson (12/1) and Dustin Johnson (12/1).
McIlroy is the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world and he also sits in the top spot in the FedEx Cup standings. McIlroy has won three of his last four events
Woods is a two-time winner of this tournament. His last victory in this event came in 2007. He is currently second in the world rankings and has placed in the top 4 of the last two FedEx Cup events. Woods has placed 11th or better in five of his last six tournaments.
Mickelson has won this event two times, with the last time coming in 2009. He is 15th in the world rankings and has finished in the top 4 of the last two playoff events.
Johnson is 12th in the world rankings right now, but he has also been very strong as of late, playing sixth or better in his last three tournaments.
The PGA Tour Championship takes place from Thursday, September 20 and will run through Sunday, September 23 from East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. For complete odds for each golfer to win The PGA Tour Championship, see below.
2012 PGA Tour Championship Odds to Win
Rory McIlroy 4/1
Tiger Woods 9/2
Phil Mickelson 12/1
Dustin Johnson 12/1
Lee Westwood 15/1
Adam Scott 15/1
Luke Donald 20/1
Louis Oosthuizen 20/1
Jason Dufner 25/1
Sergio Garcia 25/1
Bubba Watson 25/1
Steve Stricker 25/1
Justin Rose 25/1
Jim Furyk 25/1
Nick Watney 30/1
Webb Simpson 30/1
Zach Johnson 30/1
Brandt Snedeker 30/1
Keegan Bradley 30/1
Bo Van Pelt 30/1
Rickie Fowler 40/1
Ernie Els 40/1
Matt Kuchar40/1
Hunter Mahan 50/1
Ryan Moore 50/1
Robert Garrigus 50/1
John Senden 50/1
Carl Pettersson 60/1
Scott Piercy 80/1
John Huh 80/1
The TOUR Championship Betting Preview
By Matt Fargo
Playbook.com
After nine months and 40 events, we have reached the final stop on tour with The TOUR Championship. This week will decide the FedEx Cup Champion and the $10 million bonus that comes with it. A win by any of the players currently ranked in the top five are guaranteed the FedEx Championship while players outside the top five can still get it with a win and some help but the chances are slim.
The TOUR Championship takes place at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta for the 12th time including the last nine. At 7,319 yards, East Lake is the second-longest par 70 the touring pros see all year but bombing the ball won’t necessarily get it done. Accuracy off the tee is a must as is putting. New greens were put in after the first year East Lake hosted the final stage of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and are significantly tougher.
This is a course where each hole needs to be thought out and played backwards in order to get the best shots into the green. That makes greens in regulation very important to set up birdie opportunities from the best situations. However as mentioned, it is the putting that will trump that as Bill Haas, Tiger Woods And Vijay Singh, three of the past four champions at East Lake, led the field in putting.
The top five this week consists of Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Nick Watney, Phil Mickelson and Brandt Snedeker and as stated, a win by any of these players no matter where the others finish means a big payday of $10 million. The other 25 players in the field all can win but everything has to fall exactly into place for the majority of those so the winner likely will come from a player currently ranked in or close to the top 10.
The favorites this week are McIlroy and Woods, both around 4/1 and in my opinion, not worthy of a bet because of the low value. We could do a hedge bet with each to recoup some of the other losses should either of those win but the return on investment is minimal. Throwing a unit on each will return just two net units since both cannot win but by all means feel free to do so if you want to increase the action.
Dustin Johnson (+1,200) comes in as one of the top favorites and rightfully so despite being outside the top five. He is currently ranked seventh in the FedEx Standings so he is very much alive. He started the year slow because of injuries but has caught fire at the right time. He has a T3, T4 and T6 through the first three playoff events and while his best finish at East Lake is T22 in three starts, this could be the year he breaks out.
While many feel it has been a disappointing year for Phil Mickelson (+1,200), the fact that he is sitting fourth in the FedEx Cup Standings means his year has been pretty solid. He is catching fire at the right time as he has a T4 and a T2 in the last two events. He has qualified for the TOUR Championship every year of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and he has won on this course twice so he cannot be counted out.
This is a bit of a surprise number for Brandt Snedeker (+3,000) since he is ranked fifth in the standings but comes in tied for 15th in the odds. He is coming off a disappointing T37 at The BMW Championship but prior to that had a solo second at The Barclays and a solo sixth at the Deutsche Bank Championship. After missing the Tour Championship the last three years, he finished T16 here last year and his putting can win it this year.
We cannot leave Bo Van Pelt (+3,000) out of the mix this week after backing him quite a bit this year. He is without a win but he has nine top tens and his T10 at the BMW Championship vaulted him up to 19 in the FedEx Cup Standings. He has qualified for the TOUR Championship each of the last two years and finished solo ninth last year as he led the field in greens hit. A hot putter can rise him to the top.
This is the one event where a longshot could have a tough time with everything on the line but with just 30 players in the field, Hunter Mahan (+5,000) should be out to prove something. He came in last place at the BMW Championship which was the same week he found out he did not make the Ryder Cup team. With a week off, he is now out to show he belonged. He lost in a playoff at East Lake a year ago.
Recommended Tournament Win Five Pack at the TOUR Championship – All for 1 Unit
Dustin Johnson (+1,200)
Phil Mickelson (+1,200)
Brandt Snedeker (+3,000)
Bo Van Pelt (+3,000)
Hunter Mahan (+5,000)