PGA Championship - Odds to Win (Without Tiger Woods)

BetUS wouldn’t even be offering this wager if this were 2008.  Last year, Tiger Woods didn’t even get a chance to win his 15th major when a bum knee kept him out of the PGA Championship.

This year, Tiger is in it, but he’s also a huge favorite at +160.  Without Tiger, the field gets somewhat more even, but, as always, prudent wagering requires looking for not just winner but for winners who will provide odds.

Luckily, that includes Phil who only loses a single point with Tiger out of the field.

Let’s take a look at some of the contenders who can win the 2009 PGA Championship sans Tiger Woods

2009 PGA Championship To Win (Without Tiger Woods)

1. Phil Mickelson +1500 - - Gamblers lose on a single point on the board, from 16 to 1 to 15 to 1, and they don’t have to beat the +160 favorite?  Wow.  This is a terrific wager because everybody knows that Lefty used the WGC-Bridgestone as a prep for this.  Lefty finished 55th at the Masters and 2nd at the U.S. Open.  He could win the USPGA this week.

2. Padraig Harrington +1400 - -I’m chilly on Harrington’s odds as he is going off at +2000 to win the USPGA with Tiger in the field.  At 14 to 1 he becomes the favorite and I hate betting favorites in golf unless that favorite is named Eldrick Tiger Woods.  Paddy has to be considered because he’s too tough mentally to let the 16th hole meltdown at the WGC-Bridgestone get to him.

3. Steve Stricker +2000 - - The odds make sense as Stricker is going off at 25 to 1 to win the USPGA with Tiger in the field.  Without Tiger, Stricker is a decent bet at 20 to 1 as he finished well in the WGC-Bridgestone and has been consistent.  Not only that, but his U.S. Open, where he finished 23rd, and his British Open, where he finished in the low 50s, were both played in adverse conditions.  Under the right conditions, Stricker is good in majors with a 6th in the Masters this year.

4. Stewart Cink +3000 - - Right now, Cink is 30 to 1 to win the USPGA with or without Woods in the field.  Obviously, betting him in this category, where he doesn’t have to beat El Tigre, is the way to go.  Cink has what it takes to win a second straight major.

5. Lee Westwood +1600 - - Westwood goes from 25 to 1 to 16 to 1 to win the USPGA without Tiger Woods.  That’s an 11 point drop and one that I might not consider taking as I fully expect Westwood to be tough no matter who he plays with on Sunday.  Westwood has been very good lately with a 3rd place and a 9th place finish in his last two tournaments.

6. Kenny Perry +3000 - - Perry’s odds drop from 35 to 1 to 30 to 1 and bettors should consider taking it as Kenny could very well be in the final two with El Tigre on Sunday.  Perry has no shot at beating Tiger in a straight-up match-up.  Sorry, it just won’t happen, but just maintaining and finishing 2nd to El Tigre means a victory in this category for gamblers. 

Best Long Shot

Angel Cabrera +3000 - - The odds aren’t fantastic but Angel looked so amazingly confident on Sunday at the WGC-Bridgestone that I have to put him somewhere.  Cabrera just seems to step it up when he has to.  With Woods out of the field for this category, Cabrera is another good wager to consider.