PGA Tour Odds: Have We Entered the Rory Era?
by Richard Gardner | Bodog Sportsbook Manager - 6/22/2011
Tiger who?
OK, let’s not get carried away. But Rory McIlroy’s dominant victory at last week’s US Open certainly has the golf world buzzing for the first time in quite a while. Not that there haven’t been exciting moments since Tiger Woods fell from his perch; however, every sport needs its superstars and no up-and-coming golfer has superstar potential like young McIlroy.
At Bodog’s online sportsbook, we couldn’t be happier that everyone’s talking about golf again, particularly as we head into the summer months with no basketball or hockey for bettors to wager on. In fact, we’ve already started to book substantial action on next month’s (July 14) British Open at Royal St. George’s.
McIlroy is our favorite at 5/1 odds to win The Open Championship, followed by Lee Westwood at 9/1 and Tiger Woods at 12/1.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that Woods will even play in the third major of the year. On Wednesday, he tweeted that doctors have not cleared him to play in next week's AT&T National due to a strained left Achilles' tendon that he suffered at the Masters.
There are those that think injuries will be a factor for Woods the rest of his career, and if that’s the case, golf will need a player like McIlroy even more to stay relevant with casual fans.
At Bodog, the attention of casual fans makes a huge difference in the amount of action we book on a tournament. We know there will always be hardcore golf bettors who will watch and wager because they love the game, but nobody brought the fair-weather bettors out like Woods.
Which brings us back to McIlroy. The 22-year-old’s record-breaking, 16-under performance at Congressional had everyone making comparisons to Woods. Because it wasn’t just that he won the US Open; it’s that he won it spectacularly, besting second-place finisher Jason Day by eight shots.
"I couldn't ask for much more and I'm just so happy to be holding this trophy," McIlroy said. "I know how good Tiger was in 2000 to win by 15 in Pebble.
"I was trying to go out there and emulate him in some way. I played great for four days and I couldn't be happier."
And if you needed confirmation that McIlroy has the potential to become the world’s next great golfer from a guy that knows what he’s talking about?
"I don't think there's any question about it. He's got all the components,” said the one and only Jack Nicklaus.
"He's got a lot of people rooting for him. He's a nice kid.
"He's got a pleasant personality. He's humble when he needs to be humble and he's confident when he needs to be confident."
One major victory. And counting.
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