Author: Erik J. Barzeski

Looking to place your bet at the Masters? Could you retire on a $50 bet if David Duval wins the Masters? Not quite&hellipp; but at 1000:1 odds, you could probably take a comfortable year of unpaid vacation from your vocation.

How does Ladbrokes see the tournament? Unfortunately, they see another win for Tiger Woods, who has the best odds at 5:1. Following closely behind are Phil Mickelson (7:1), Ernie Els (8:1), and Vijay Singh (9:1). Retief Goosen (16:1) and Adam Scott (25:1) may not feel they’re getting the respect they deserve, but Davis Love III (40:1) and Tom Lehman (100:1) may be wise to bet on themselves. Our best pick mirrors Ladbroke’s own: Stewart Cink, at 66:1, looks like the best chance for a quick score. A simple bet of $15,200 on Stewart Cink will net you a cool million. You can live off the interest for the rest of your life.

The longest odds? Amazingly, they’re not on David Duval. That honor goes to Ben Crenshaw and Raymond Floyd, at 5000:1.

Continue reading “Betting Odds for The Masters”

Jack Nicklaus reminisced about the Masters Tournament today in a ceremony held in his honor. He took the opportunity to make a startling announcement: he’ll be playing this year.

A month ago, following the tragic death of Jack’s grandson in a pool accident, Nicklaus announced that he would probably skip The Masters, saying that he’d rather spend time with his family in these trying times.

Of his change-of heart, Nicklaus said “It (Augusta National) is a place that’s meant a lot to me in my life. I’m coming up here to play and fulfill a request by Hootie (Johnson, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club) and a desire on my part. I feel like I can play so I’m going to play.” Nicklaus made the remarks at the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Botanical Gardens, where he received a key to the city during ceremonies that also honored Lee Elder for breaking the color barrier in The Masters 30 years ago.

Continue reading “Jack to Play at The Masters”

The rain-shortened BellSouth Classic was only supposed to go 54 holes, but it took 58 for Phil Mickelson to come out on top. Phil birdied the fourth playoff hole to take victory away from the resurgent Rich Beem and José Maria Olazabal as well as Arjun Atwal and Brandt Jobe.

Scott McCarron, who held the second-round lead at -6, fell apart with a final-round 76. Arjun Atwal, who began the day at even par, took all of McCarron’s shots (and then some) on his way to a tournament-low 64. Finishing early, Atwal had to wait two hours to see if his final score of 8-under par would hold up. It did, but his bogey on the first playoff hole in the five-man sudden-death playoff – did not.

Continue reading “Mickelson Outlasts Four in a Bellsouth Playoff”

The 2005 Masters invitations have been sent out, and we know who should be checking their mailboxes. Players qualify for the Masters in one or more of seventeen unique ways. Though technically an “invitation-only” tournament, The Masters has published the criteria it uses for determining who should get an “invitation” for the past 20 or more years.

For example, if you win the Masters you’re welcome to come back and play as long as you’re alive. Winning another major earns you five years of invitations, and winning The Players Championship nets three yearly passes to Augusta. The current US Amateur, the runner-up, the British Amateur, the US PubLinks, and the US Mid-Amateur champion are all invited, along with the top 16, 8, 4, and 4 players from the previous year’s Masters, US Open, British Open, and PGA Championship, respectively. The final spots are reserved for folks who are ranked highly on money lists or Official World Golf Rankings.

Continue reading “2005 Masters Invitations List”

The Tavistock Cup went 21 holes and ended in a tie. The excitement was palpable as Tiger Woods and Lee Janzen, representing Isleworth, battled in extra holes against South Africans Ernie Els and Retief Goosen of Lake Nona. The 8½ to 8½ tie is the first in the short history of the event and follows Isleworth’s 14½ – 9½ victory at Lake Nona last year.

Tiger Woods earned low medalist honors with a -6 (66) which included two sixes on the front-nine par fives but an incoming 31.

Continue reading “Tavistock Tie”

The funky weather led to a Funky winner: Fred Funk may have gone backwards in the final round, three-putting three times, but his efforts were good enough to secure a one-stroke victory in the funkiest Players Championship ever.

The former Maryland Terrapin golf coach birdied the par-5 sixteenth, landed his ball safely on the island green at the seventeenth, and got up and down from a greenside bunker – only yards away from the water – on the last hole, holing a five-footer for the save and the victory.

Continue reading “A Funky Monday Finish at The Players Championship”