Oddsmakers back off Woods in big way for U.S. Open

Oddsmakers have bailed on Tiger Woods, a 14-time major champion, as he attempts to correct his struggling golf game at this week’s U.S. Open in University Park, Wash.

Woods, typically among the betting favorites in major championships, will offer arguably the biggest potential payoff of his career to bettors who back him if he wins Sunday at Chambers Bay Golf Course. Woods, 39, heads into Thursday’s opening round as a 50-1 pick by Bovada SportsBook. The three-time U.S. Open champ is a 60-1 consensus play of all Vegas sports and online books, including LVSuperbook, based on research by Pregame.com.

To put that in perspective, the list of golfers considered more likely to win at Chambers Bay, based on the consensus odds, includes a long list of golfers with zero major titles that includes Dustin Johnson (18-1), Hideki Matsuyama (30-1), Sergio Garcia (35-1), Jimmy Walker (40-1), Billy Horschel (45-1), Patrick Reed (50-1) and Matt Kuchar (50-1).

Woods, at 60-1, is placed on equal footing with fellow Open competitors Brooks Koepka and Ryan Moore. Between them, that trio has won 14 major titles: all by Woods.

But the most telling piece of evidence to illustrate how far Woods has fallen came from analysts at MyTopSportsbooks.com, who offered 3-1 odds on this “prop” bet: Houston resident Cole Hammer, a 15-year-old qualifier, will win a U.S. Open before Woods wins another one. The site listed Hammer, who just finished his freshman year in high school, as a 500-1 favorite to win at Chambers Bay while Woods received 35-1 odds.

Another notable “prop” bet, offered by Bovada: Woods is a 1-1 bet to make the cut and a 10-13 choice to miss it. By contrast, the world’s top-ranked golfer, Roryy McIlroy, is a 2-13 selection to make the cut and pays 4-1 odds if he misses.

This story was originally published June 17, 2015 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Oddsmakers back off Woods in big way for U.S. Open."