Wagering On Golf Up; Suckers Still Liking Tiger At 7-1

/

Did I say suckers? I meant the wise American public.

John Strege says the Las Vegas Hilton folks expect to surpass last year's Masters wagering, even with Tiger and Phil struggling. Or maybe because of Tiger and Phil are struggling says the Hilton's Jeff Sherman.

"Tiger's right up there with most tickets written compared with other players. But we had most of our money taken [when he was] at 4 or 5 to 1. At the same time, with his odds being higher, Nick Watney at 15 to 1, Dustin Johnson at 20 to 1, all these guys in the 15 to 20 to 1 range, a lot of people are taking a lot of chances on these guys.

"The most popular golfers right now, ticket-wise, are Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar. There are a lot of golfers with a lot of tickets on them. [Tiger's slump] has really spread it out."

What happens should Woods handily win the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week? Or should he miss the cut?

"Based on that scenario [winning handily], I could see him going down to 9 to 2," Sherman said. "If he misses the cut, the odds could hit 10 to 1."

Why haven't the odds moved to 10-1 already?

New Masters Journal/Mystery Image

/

The new Masters Journal is out and and usual it's an impressive publication, but this year it's a must-have for MacKenziephiles due to the inclusion of the original hole diagrams and green complex watercolors that appeared in the hard-to-find original program.

But I've been pulling my hair out trying to figure out this unlabeled page 101 image. Anyone care to guess what old hole we are looking at? I'm pretty sure it's Augusta based on the trees, bumps and the whacky shape of the green, which screams MacKenzie.

Tiger Hints At Another Way Augusta Makes The Course Play Longer?

/

The big takeaway from Tiger's CNN International interview with Shane O'Donoghue revolved around his suggestion that maybe he wasn't ready when he came back at Augusta last year. But I was fascinated by something he mentioned in responding to a question about whether the club will have to lengthen the course for today's bombers.

Note that he mentions the added length, the second cut, the cutting of the fairways toward the tee to slow balls down, but I don't recall anyone before saying that the fairway cut is a little longer, as he does here. He certainly would know and it's something I'm going to ask a few former champions about next week.

My number one observation from watching the 86 Masters today was how much more the tee shots roll when they hit the ground. It's great fun watching what the ball does on the ground, especially on 15 fairway.

Masters Foundation, EA Sports Partnership All About The Children

/

The Twittersphere is errupting over the news of Augusta National jumping into bed an international partnership with Tiger and EA Sports to grow the game around the world. But the more interesting news for me is this new foundation and its mission to grow the game around the world even though the place growth is most needed would be here in the good ole USofA. Where, it should be noted, the tax benefits of this foundation will be most enjoyed!

From Jason Sobel's ESPN.com story:

Read More

"Tuesday's announcement, while welcome, will nonetheless still leave golf fans wanting."

/
That's Bob Harig of ESPN.com on the folks at Augusta National adding another hour to the weekday telecasts on ESPN. While Harig is right, I think we've all become accustomed to Augusta doing things at their own pace. You know, like mowing fairways out gradually instead of just eliminating the second cut.
Read More