PGA Betting: Tour Championship at East Lake Country Club

Thursday, 02 November 2006

The PGA Tour season finally comes to a close this weekend when the Tour Championship takes place at historic East Lake Country Club in Atlanta.
And that's a good thing.

There's no denying that the golf season is way too long, which is why things are changing next year. A season that starts the first week in January and continues into November without stopping just doesn't work.

Finally, they're catching on. This tournament, which is really supposed to mean something and has throughout the years, has become nothing more than a leaner version of a Hartford or Milwaukee.

In other words, there's no Tiger Woods, so why should we watch? Well, there's no Phil Mickelson, either, and that makes matters worse.

The two stars of the tour, who do nothing more than set up their schedules around the majors, are both absent from the final event of the season, both citing the need to rest.

Bet on the PGA Tour Championship here.

Please! We're talking about golf here, and they should be in attendance. But this is a sport where players play when they want, and it's too bad they don't feel the need to be here. It's too bad.

Woods has had an emotional year, dealing with the sickness and eventual death of his father and then turning in one of the most amazing hot streaks ever seen during the summer and fall. He says he wore himself out by playing so much in the fall, and we can give him something of a pass if he feels the need to decompress. Still, this is the Tour Championship. It should be a big event, and everyone should be there, including Woods.

Mickelson never likes playing this time of year, which is obvious from his Ryder Cup record. He will be missed too, although it's been a while since he has won and it's unlikely he'd be a favorite here anyway. This is a tournament for only the Top 30 money-winners, and they should all be there.

Woods would be a heavy favorite if he were here, but one thing to remember is that Woods hasn't won this title since 1999, though he has come close many times. He was runner-up the past two years, losing by six to Bart Bryant and by four to Retief Goosen in 2004. He also finished second to Mickelson in 2000.

So what's left?

Jim Furyk, second on the money list, is the WagerWeb.com favorite at 6.5 to 1. He is followed by Ernie Els and Vijay Singh at 9 to 1, and Luke Donald and Davis Love at 12 to 1.

I watched Els play quite a bit outside Tampa last week at the Chrysler Championship, and he's hitting the ball well. His putter kept letting him down at key times, though he could be a big factor here if the putter gets hot.

In fact, I like him a lot this week. He hasn't won yet this year on the U.S. tour, slowly recovering from a knee injury.

But Els is hitting the ball well, and this is the type of course that sets up like a U.S. Open venue, something he likes. That will to win could be strong for him, especially on a course that's old-fashioned and a player favorite, much like last week was at the Innisbrook Golf Resort.

"It's an awesome golf course," said Zach Johnson, playing in his second Tour Championship. "The history speaks for itself with Mr. [Bobby] Jones. It's just a good, classic golf course. It's hard to find a negative."

East Lake was designed by Tom Bendelow (1904) and Donald Ross (1914). George Cobb was brought in to make changes in 1959. Reese Jones renovated East Lake in 1994 and restored it to prominence.

"It's a good golf course," Stewart Cink said. "The players like it. The layout is fantastic; it's difficult, narrow, and you've got to do it all. It's not just a putting contest. Your short game really gets a workout. It has no shortcomings as a tournament venue."

Of the 27 players in the field,, seven others besides Els qualified for this event without winning this season. They are Cink, Johnson, Adam Scott, Brett Quigley, Lucas Glover, Goosen and Tom Pernice Jr.

"Starting this year, my goal was to win a golf tournament," Quigley said. "Unfortunately, I haven't done that yet, but I've played pretty well along the way, and that's snowballed into a great year. A win this week would be the ultimate. Against this field, it definitely would be the ultimate."

Those eight players also get one final chance to qualify for January's season-opening Mercedes Championship in Hawaii, open only to tournament winners from the previous year.

"This hasn't been a great year because there's no wins," Cink said. "I've had some good moments; I played well at the Ryder Cup. But there's that glaring omission of no wins. So this is it for me.

"I've got a chance to qualify for the next tournament on the schedule, and that's the Mercedes."

If you look for that win as motivation to start out the 2007 season as something worthwhile, then you'd want to look at that group, but none is playing all that well besides Els. Cink has Atlanta ties, so maybe he's worth a look as well.

Bet on the PGA Tour Championship here.