News flash: Tiger favored to win Masters

It's easy to measure the impact Tiger Woods has on golf wagering. When he tees it up, every shot matters and sports books are busy.

But when Woods is missing, so are most of the bettors.

"If Tiger is out in any event, the handle is off a minimum of 60 to 70 percent," said Jimmy Vaccaro, director of operations for Lucky's sports books.

Woods is back in a major way, and he's again favored to win the Masters, which begins Thursday at Augusta, Ga. The odds on Woods are 11-5 at Lucky's and 9-4 at the Las Vegas Hilton.

In a Sports Illustrated story this week about Woods, the headline said it best: "Don't Bet Against Him." It seems much wiser to bet on Woods, even if the odds present a minimal payoff.

Woods, who went into last year's Masters as about a 6-5 favorite, is a four-time Masters winner. But he has not won it since 2005.

"If somebody said, 'Hey, you can get 5-1 on Tiger to win a tournament,' even a screwball like me would take that bet," Vaccaro said. "If you see any type of price on Tiger, it would be an automatic to take it."

Lucky's, based at the Plaza downtown, posted a proposition bet that asked: Will Woods win at least one major in 2009? The "Yes" side opened at minus-160, and one-sided action has moved the price to minus-300.

At the Hilton, Woods is plus-225 to win the Masters with the rest of the field at minus-265, and Woods is a minus-250 favorite in a matchup against Phil Mickelson.

Vaccaro is taking Woods wagering to a new level for the Masters. He posted props on what Woods will do on each of the 18 holes in the first round.

On the par-3 fourth hole, for example, Woods is minus-340 to shoot par, and all other scores are plus-260. The line opened with par as a minus-475 favorite, but Vaccaro said betting was heavy on all the plus-prices and he had to adjust the lines.

For the four rounds of the Masters, Vaccaro posted props on Woods' total number of eagles (1 1/2), birdies (12 1/2), pars (49 1/2) and bogeys (9).

"I'm searching to create something. I'm trying to do something a little different," Vaccaro said. "The Tiger props do draw attention and they get people out of their seats."

If Woods does not win this week, the biggest dilemma facing bettors is finding the player who will prevail.

As for the most common strategies to betting golf majors, Vaccaro said, "It's usually Tiger, maybe bet a couple other (mid-range) players, and then people just start to take shots."

Padraig Harrington would be a good place to start. Harrington, trying to win a third straight major, is getting 20-1 odds.

There also are the usual suspects such as Mickelson (8-1), Sergio Garcia (15-1) and Ernie Els (25-1).

If it's more appealing to take a shot at longer odds, bettors might consider Anthony Kim (40-1), defending Masters champion Trevor Immelman (50-1) and former UNLV standout Adam Scott (65-1).

In his past 15 majors, he has won seven times, placed second four times and recorded two other top-five finishes. So a wager on Woods almost guarantees action on Sunday.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.