Historic Masters fuels drive to books
It was as if he had never left. Those who doubted he still had the game to win a major golf tournament must feel foolish now. Yes, Y.E. Yang is back, and he's as good as ever.
As usual, he's ahead of Tiger Woods on the leaderboard.
The first round of the Masters was full of surprises. Fred Couples, 50 years old and playing in tennis shoes with no socks, shot a 6-under-par 66 to claim a one-stroke lead over Yang, K.J. Choi, Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson and Lee Westwood.
Two shots off the pace lurks Woods, who played so well Thursday that almost everyone stopped talking about his harem of porn stars, prostitutes and that Perkins pancake waitress.
Woods went into the Masters as the 9-2 favorite. When adjusted odds were posted after the first round, he was the 5-2 favorite.
"It's very impressive what Tiger did," Las Vegas Hilton golf oddsmaker Jeff Sherman said. "That really surprised me, because he's always been a slow starter."
Woods recorded a 68 for his best first-round score at Augusta. His putting was solid, and he got a few fortunate breaks. Twice he blasted drives into the trees, only for the ball to kick out near the fairway.
The forecast called for rain and wind and potential treacherous playing conditions, but the weather was on the milder side. Twenty-one players shot 2 under or better.
The high-and-mighty Billy Payne and his Augusta National cronies will certainly order tougher pin placements this weekend, so the scores should look more realistic. But this is no normal major.
The leaderboard is stacked with familiar names, and with Woods in contention, Las Vegas sports books are getting their wish.
"It's going to far surpass the biggest handle I've seen on a golf tournament, and I've been doing this 17 years," Sherman said.
The price for betting against Woods to win the Masters was in the minus-650 range before the tournament. The Hilton adjusted the line to minus-300 (bet $300 to win $100) after the first round.
"Those people who laid minus-650 or 700 that Tiger wouldn't win, good luck," Vegas Insider handicapper Barry Holthaus said. "Bet against Tiger at your own peril.
"It's hard to believe he would shoot his lowest first round at Augusta after 144 days off. It's an unbelievable start, but nothing should surprise you with that guy."
Look for a couple of the elders in contention to fade. Couples, now at 15-1 odds, has won three Champions Tour events this year. Watson, lowered from about 125-1 to 50-1, remains a long shot.
"Couples looks like he could kind of sustain it. He's one of the hottest guys as far as performance," Sherman said. "I would expect Watson to falter in one of the three remaining days."
Mickelson knows his way around Augusta, so bet on him staying near the top Sunday. Sherman dropped the odds on Mickelson from 10-1 to 5-1. Westwood is an attractive value bet at 8-1.
"I would lean to Mickelson and Westwood," Sherman said. "Mickelson got back on track after a poor start to the year. Westwood has been so close in majors before, and he's going to crack one of these."
The Hilton posted 10 second-round matchups, and Woods is a minus-130 favorite over Mickelson.
Several books, including the Hilton and M Resort, will offer in-progress wagering for the final round, so plenty of opportunities remain to get wagers down on a historic Masters.
"It's a hell of a leaderboard," Sherman said.
Woods and Mickelson are there, Couples and Watson are making it intriguing, and maybe a player such as Yang will come out of nowhere and surprise everyone.
Yang is at 25-1 odds, down from 100-1 before the tournament. In August, he stunningly shot down Woods in the final round of the PGA Championship.
That was far from Tiger's biggest embarrassment in 2009. But he's off to a surprisingly smooth start at Augusta.
Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.
