I have still to meet a poor bookmaker, but I suspect if I knew one who specialised entirely in golf he might, on the evidence of the odds I see week to week, be running a little short.
They set odds no-one with half a mind would take – okay, maybe the people who dream up their moronic adverts that litter Sky Sports’ channels might. But no-one else.
An example; this week at Wentworth for the BMW PGA Championship, Rory McIlroy persists as favourite with some bookies. This having just announced the clearly emotional end of his engagement to Caroline Wozniacki, on a course where he has never done well and freely admits doesn’t suit his style of game.
For further embellishment, I just took a look at the Open Championship odds, and one bookmaker, Coral, has Tiger Woods as 5-1 favourite to win at Hoylake in July.
Yes, 5-1. In a field of 156 players. With Tiger not having a serious swing since March, undergoing invasive back surgery and being banned from swinging a club by his doctors for 90 days afterwards.
Last week Tiger emerged for a press conference to promote his own charity tournament and gave the usual “I don’t really know” answer when pressed about his comeback, and whether he’d be ready for the US Open, the Open Championship and the PGA Championship, the remaining three majors of the year.
The US Open was but 24 days away when he was speaking, and as he revealed he wasn’t close to an all-clear to start to practise again, even the dumbest golf writer (and there are many of those) could deduce he isn’t going to be playing at Pinehurst.
Similarly, if the 90-day moratorium is observed, he’d be cleared to start swinging a club again for the first time after a 3-month break, remember a week before Hoylake. Seriously, he’s not playing in that either.
And when those two have gone, a three-week gap follows before the PGA Championship at Valhalla. It’s a considerable stretch that he’ll show up there, and if he’s properly advised, he surely won’t risk re-aggravating what was such a debilitating injury that he couldn’t get out of bed prior to surgery.
Why not just say he’s shutting it down for the season? Well, Tiger is notoriously secretive about even the smallest details this is a man who glared at an entirely innocent questioner who persisted in asking him what he would put in the Claret Jug for a celebratory drink.
He’s also well aware of place in the golfing firmament, and his importance to the game at the box office. To call off now would have a considerable effect on the ticket sales at the three remaining majors, so the USGA, R&A and PGA of America are probably quite happy he remains “indecisive”.
If I were to have a bet on it, I’d suggest the Turkish Airlines Open in November, where he is paid a considerable whack of Lira to play, would be the ideal re-start point.