Woods heavy favorite in wagering on British Open

Picking the favorite in a golf major does not require the brain power of an astrophysicist. The top spot automatically goes to Tiger Woods, and the only debate is whether the smart money should follow him.

Woods is a 9-4 favorite to win the British Open, which begins Thursday at Turnberry in Scotland, and he's due to win after falling short in the year's first two majors.

A wager on Woods offers little value at less than 5-2 odds, but the quandary is figuring out who can beat him.

"It's easy to say Tiger's going to give you a run for your money on Sunday afternoon," Las Vegas Hilton golf oddsmaker Jeff Sherman said. "Everybody else is a crapshoot. Outside of Tiger, everybody else is 20-1 or higher."

The strongest trend seems to favor Padraig Harrington, who won the British Open the past two years. Harrington, a 25-1 shot, has been in poor form recently, however.

The second choice on the board is Sergio Garcia at 20-1, but Garcia is a head case, and he's never won a major. Phil Mickelson, normally the No. 2 choice, is not playing this week.

That leaves long-shot bettors with choices such as Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood (25-1), Anthony Kim, Hunter Mahan and Steve Stricker (30-1).

Sherman said the British Open is considered the "most wide-open of all the majors," and that proved true when Ben Curtis won in 2003 and Todd Hamilton took the title in 2004. European books offered Curtis at 500-1 odds before he shocked the field.

Woods, who has won three of his past seven tournaments, finished tied for sixth in the U.S. Open in June despite an unlucky draw that forced him to play in the poorest weather conditions.

Sherman said his best bet this week is Woods, who won the British Open in 2005 and 2006.

"Tiger probably would have won the U.S. Open if all things were equal," Sherman said. "I would fully expect him to win this tournament if he gets an equal shot at it. Even though he hasn't won the majors, his game is right there."