The Tour Championship - 72 Hole Group Betting

Tee-off: 9/24/2009

Because only 30 golfers will show up to tee-off in the Tour Championship, the BetUS online sportsbook will offer odds on only three groups.

Tiger Woods, the even money favorite to win the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup, isn’t in any of the three groups. The thinking from BetUS odds makers and golf betting fans is that Tiger will win the Tour Championship easily.

That’s all well and good as betting on a golfer to win a particular group means that the golfer only has to beat those golfers within that particular group.

Let’s take a look at each group.

Golf: 72 Hole Group Betting in the Tour Championship

Group A: Jim Furyk +300, Padraig Harrington +320, Steve Stricker +350, Zach Johnson +350, Sean O’Hair +400

Analysis: Furyk is the favorite, but this is a seriously talented group. At the golf odds, Furyk isn’t worth the bet because Harrington, Stricker, Johnson and O’Hair all have a shot to win in this group. Who figures to be the winner in a group full of them? How about Zach Johnson who holds the course record for a round when he shot a 60 in 2007. Johnson looked good two weeks ago in the BMW Championship and could be on the verge of a victory. His odds are nice and he has as much of a chance of winning this group as Harrington and Furyk.

Pick: Zach Johnson

Group B: Hunter Mahan +300, Phil Mickelson +300, Retief Goosen +300, Ernie Els +350, Geoff Ogilvy +350

Analysis: Ogilvy is a throw-out at the odds of +350 because he hasn’t been the same in months. Els has been playing well, but asking him to put together another great tournament is probably asking too much. Neither Mahan nor Mickelson have been very good lately. That leaves Goosen who know doubt will show up in the Tour Championship. He won the tournament in 2004 and has never finished out of the Top 10. That’s good enough for me.

Pick: Retief Goosen

Group C: Dustin Johnson +330, Mike Weir +340, David Toms +350, Stewart Cink +360, Luke Donald +360

Analysis: Mike Weir has improved his finish in each of the three FedEx Cup Playoff Events in 2009. He finished tied for 6th in the 2008 Tour Championship and should be considered the favorite in this group. Can anybody beat him? Yes, Toms, Cink, Donald and Dustin Johnson could beat him, but the bet is that they won’t. Weir is the best wager in this group.

Pick: Mike Weir