Golf Betting Preview - Furyk tees up for third straight Canadian Open
Posted on 7/23/2008 8:28:10 AM
By Marco Sussman
Jim Furyk will be taking aim at his third consecutive victory in the Canadian Open, which will return to Glen Abbey Golf Course for the first time since 2004. The steady American is the favorite when it comes to the PGA betting odds this week, but he will be facing stiff competition from his fellow countryman, young Anthony Kim, who may be playing the best golf on the Tour.
Furyk is the favorite at +700, fresh off a fifth-place finish at last weekend's British Open at Royal Birkdale in England. Furyk has a couple of top-fives in his last two starts, at Royal Birkdale and a third-place finish at Congressional for the AT&T National. As the defending champion at this event, there's really no other choice but to give Furyk the best betting odds available.
Kim is next at +1000, and the 23-year-old won at Congressional before finishing seventh at the British Open, which was his first time playing links golf. Kim was touted as the next big thing and, in his third year, appears to be ready to establish himself as a force to be reckoned with on the PGA Tour.
In 2004, Mike Weir almost became the first Canadian since Pat Fletcher in 1954 to win the tournament in his home country, before falling in a playoff to Vijay Singh. Weir has been rather inconsistent this year, but has still improved from last year's struggles. At PGA betting odds of +1400, and with the galleries surely behind him, look for the lefty to be near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday.
Another Canadian, Stephen Ames, follows his fellow countryman at +1600, and he tied with Kim for seventh at the British Open last weekend. When Ames gets hot, he can rack up birdies with the best of them. The fiery Canuck has three top-10s in his last five events, so he may be heating up for a summer tear.
I like putting money on Kim to break Furyk's run of three straight Canadian Opens. Kim is young, and brash, and he has the game to back it up. He's also figuring out how to manage his way around the golf course and is one of the top ball-strikers on the Tour, especially at such a young age.
Full list of PGA betting odds available here
Marco
Sussman isn't too bad on the links, reportedly a five handicap. But, he's great
in the sports betting game. He'll watch just about anything you put in front of
him, but golf is what really gets his juices flowing. Thoughts or questions? Email
Comments@BetOnline.com.
