Vijay Singh +500

Sergio Garcia +800

Phil Mickelson +1000

OK, the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs were a dud again this year.

That makes 0-for-2 in the drama department for the Tour’s postseason system that debuted in 2007. Last year, Tiger Woods had the FedEx Cup’s $10 million prize basically wrapped up by the time the Tour Championship rolled around. Most people expected a wide-open race in 2008 with Tiger sidelined by injury, but Vijay Singh put on a Tiger-esque performance by winning the first two playoff tournaments and only needs to not get disqualified this week to win the FedEx Cup.

So even though Singh technically has nothing to play for this week, you still have to count the hard-working Fijian as the favorite this week. He never takes a tournament off or for granted. No wonder Singh is the +450 WagerWeb.com favorite this week at East Lake in the smallest field (30 players) on Tour. He also has the advantage of being rested – Singh didn’t compete in last week’s draining Ryder Cup.

Singh credits his confidence with the putter for his recent surge this year.

“Just believing that stroking a putt is simpler than what I made it out to be,” he said. “I mean, for years and years I’ve been a very decent putter, a good putter for that matter. But I never really used that to my advantage. I just kind of took it for granted and when things started going bad, the negatives were very strong, a very strong thing.”

Singh leads the field in Tour Championship experience, playing in his 15th Tour Championship. He has finished no worse than fourth since the tournament moved permanently to the East Lake Golf Club in 2004. Ernie Els is next in experience, playing in his 13th tournament, with Phil Mickelson in the field for the 12th time in his career.

Of the 30 players in the field, 10 were members of the winning U.S. squad at last week’s Ryder Cup. They are Chad Campbell, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim, Justin Leonard, Mickelson, Ben Curtis, Steve Stricker, Kenny Perry, Stewart Cink and Hunter Mahan. Furyk is the top favorite among the Americans at +750, while Kim was spectacular at the Ryder Cup and is +900 this week on WagerWeb.com.

Spain’s Sergio Garcia (+800 on WagerWeb.com) is the only member of the European Ryder Cup team to play in the Tour Championship, and he is the best of the returning players having finished fourth at East Lake last year.

Can Camilo Villegas give the FedEx Cup its second straight two-tournament victor? Villegas stopped Singh’s streak at the BMW Championship and is +1100 on WagerWeb.com

There are five past champions of the Tour Championship in the field. They are Billy Mayfair (1995), Mickelson (2000), Mike Weir (2001), Singh (2002) and Campbell (2003).

Interestingly enough, East Lake Country Club was rated the seventh-easiest course on the circuit last year with the 15th hole rated as the easiest of the PGA Tour’s 55 courses.

InSpin.com

Watch the video related to pga tour

Win McMurry recaps Phil Mickelson’s fourth and final victory of the year at the 2009 World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China where he held off charging Ernie Els and playing competitor Tiger Woods to become the tournament’s first two-time champion. For complete coverage, visit PGATOUR.COM

Help answer the question about pga tour

About Author

Daniel graduated from Michigan University with a major in journalism. An avid sports enthusiast he has found a way to combine his writing experience with his passion for sporting events. Insightful, compelling and argumentative are just some of the words to describe his writing.

Technorati Tags: golf, pga, Tour, World

The Champions Tour starts its regular season Friday in Hawaii at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship. The course at Hualalai always yields low scores and 20 under might not be good enough to win.

With the regular PGA Tour showcasing more celebrities than tour winners this week, the Champions tourney is the one to watch. Hawaii this time of year looks pretty darn good.

“http://www.linkslifegolf.com/2009/01/22/old-guys-beat-the-young-guys/”>Here is my case for the round bellies over the flat bellies this weekend. Fred Couples, David Duval and maybe a first time winner are the stories at the Hope. It is so tough watching those pro-ams. It is only fun for the amateurs and celebrities that are playing. It is no fun to watch; maybe the tour should get the message.

If you want personality along with great golf, watch the Champions this week. There are eight players that have won a PGA major at the Hope this week. There are eleven players in Hawaii that have won PGA majors. The eight have won a combined total of eight majors, each having one win each. The eleven “old” guys have a combined 32 major wins. That’s right 32. Oh yea, the Champions event boasts seven World Golf Hall of Fame members. Gary Player has more major wins then the entire Hope field and Tom Watson has just as many.

Gary Player, Tom Watson, Hale Irwin these guys are icons that have shaped the golf world, and they still got game! Player is 73 and still beats his age. He is in better shape then 99% of the PGA tour and he’ll let you know it. Player has been the best international ambassador for golf for over 50 years.

Tom Watson has eight PGA majors and has battled all the greats over his career. He always manages to sneak into contention at the Masters. He is a living testament to the qualities that this game encourages.

Hale Irwin at 63 is the all time Champions Tour winner with 45 wins. These guys still can play some great golf.

Look at this one grouping, Player, Watson, and Jay Haas. Haas is the current Charles Schwab Cup champion and the 2007 player of the year. Watching that threesome alone is worth it.

Check out these names that are playing: Kite, Pate, Sluman, Stadler, Langer, Crenshaw, Strange and Roberts. These guys are good.

With all due respect to Arnie, who is hosting the Hope, I’ll spend my time watching some of the all time heroes of the game. I’ll take Player and Watson any day.

Watch the video related to pga tour

Win McMurry recaps Phil Mickelson’s fourth and final victory of the year at the 2009 World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China where he held off charging Ernie Els and playing competitor Tiger Woods to become the tournament’s first two-time champion. For complete coverage, visit PGATOUR.COM

Help answer the question about pga tour

About Author

Jeff is an avid golfer and loves to write. You can see more of his articles and hear his opinions on everything golf at his website www.linkslifegolf.com

Technorati Tags: golf, pga, Tour, World