2008 FedEx Cup Odds and Betting Preview
by Joe Paciella - 12/31/2007
This week 2008 FedEx Cup odds were posted at Sportsbook.com, Superbook and Sportsbetting.com, and it should come as no surprise that Tiger Woods weighs in as the favorite. Here's a look at the other top four individuals and how they stack up against the World's no. 1…
Adam Scott
Odds: 20-1. Final '07 FedEx Cup Standings: 12th. FedEx Cup Playoff Wins: 0.
'07 PGA Tour Events: 19. '07 PGA Tour Wins: 1.
Adam Scott had a pretty solid season on the PGA Tour in 2007. Only missing two cuts and winning a tournament, Scott began to cement himself as one of the stalwarts of the Tour for years to come. This year, he finds himself as one of the favorites to win the FedEx Cup and does actually have a pretty legitimate chance. One thing that will hurt Scott is the fact that he doesn't play as many events on Tour as some of the other competitors not named Tiger Woods. This may prohibit him from climbing as high in the playoff seedings as he could if he played more. But if he can sneak in another top five finish or even a win during the first two playoff tournaments, Scott may find himself in a fight with Woods for the title down the stretch.
Vijay Singh
Odds: 12-1. Final '07 FedEx Cup Standings: 10th. FedEx Cup Playoffs Wins: 0.
'07 PGA Tour Events: 27. '07 PGA Tour Wins: 2.
Vijay Singh hit a rough stretch in the late summer, missing cuts at the PGA Championship and then again in the first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs. He limped into the Tour Championship, but did have a good showing there, finishing tied for 7th. Singh's final ranking was helped out by the fact that he began the playoffs in the second spot, right behind Tiger Woods. To win his first FedEx Cup, Vijay will have to maintain his good play all throughout the season. But this year he will turn 45, and consistency and stamina will be increasingly tougher to find, since Singh isn't showing any signs of curtailing his rigorous schedule. He has the game to beat Tiger, as he has shown in the past, but will need to play well when it counts if he expects to overcome Woods.
Jim Furyk
Odds: 10-1. Final '07 FedEx Cup Standings: 11th. FedEx Cup Playoff Wins: 0.
'07 PGA Tour Events: 23. '07 PGA Tour Wins: 1.
Jim Furyk played very well during a period in June and July, but came up just short in the playoffs. He was not able to crack the top 10 in any playoff event and actually lost ground after the playoffs began, dropping from 3rd to 11th in the FedEx Cup rankings. Furyk has shown he can play on major venues and against the top players in the world. He must now show that he can play well over a four-week period if he wants to beat Tiger, Phil or any other player that finds himself up at the top. Furyk is a crowd favorite and he may get close, but at 10-1 there isn't enough value there for me to put any money down.
Phil Mickelson
Odds: 5-1. Final '07 FedEx Cup Standings: 3rd. FedEx Cup Playoff Wins: 1.
'07 PGA Tour Events: 22. '07 PGA Tour Wins: 3.
If Tiger Woods didn't exist, Phil Mickelson was your biggest earner on Tour last season. Woods however did exist, much to the dismay of many golfers, and Mickelson was forced to settle for second on the Tour's moneylist. Like Tiger, he only played in three playoff events and like Tiger had more than one top 10 finish in those playoffs. He was even able to beat Woods in a playoff event. So why didn't he win the FedEx Cup? Well, Tiger came in as the top seed and won two of the three events he played in. That's impossible to beat. Mickelson should be able to get in at worst as the fifth seed and from there anything is possible. It may behoove Phil to play in all four playoff events this year, since multiple wins in the playoffs, as we have seen, can go a long way. At 5-1, Mickelson is just about the only competitor aside from Tiger that I would consider putting any cash on, but it all hinges on if he can beat Woods more than once in the playoffs when it matter most.
Tiger Woods
Odds: 1-1. Final '07 FedEx Cup Standings: 1st. FedEx Cup Playoff Wins: 2.
'07 PGA Tour Events: 16. '07 PGA Tour Wins: 7.
Tiger Woods had as many wins on tour in 2007 as his four closest competitors combined. He won an astounding 44 percent of the time he teed it up in 2007, and if you have followed golf for even a little while you know that number is stupid good. What's more is that he actually took off the first week of the FedEx Cup playoffs and still won two of the three other events en route to taking home the trophy. Oh yeah, and he finished in a tie for second in the playoff event he didn't win.
Out of his 16 starts, Tiger finished outside of the top 10 only four times. He also captured his 13th career major, putting him just five behind the mark of 18 set by Jack Nicklaus.
So what does he do for an encore? Well, if you look back to 1999, Woods won his only major of the year at the PGA Championship. He went on to win three majors in 2000 and the Masters in 2001, making it five victories in six tries. The only other time that his only major win of the season came at the PGA was, you guessed it, in 2007. With majors coming up at Augusta and Torrey Pines, where he has won a combined nine times, Woods should be primed to catapult himself to the top spot on the FedEx Cup points leaderboard by the time the playoffs arrive.
Once the playoffs do kickoff, Tiger should have little trouble defending his title. Woods should do well at the Deutsche Bank Championship, where he posted a second place finish last season and at The Tour Championship at Eastlake, where he crushed the field by eight shots.
What this comes down to is fairly simple. Woods is even money to win his second consecutive FedEx Cup. I don't see anyone who is going to be able to derail his attempt to repeat, especially with the venues that will be played this year. We should know fairly early if this will be one of Tiger's best seasons, and my guess is that at even money, he's a steal.
For more FedEx Cup odds, check Sportsbook.com.