If you were an offshore bookmaker, would you make him an odds-on favorite, or would you best prop would be that he doesn’t throw his back out during a tournament? Most sportsbooks seem to be leaning toward the latter. LL Cool J said “don’t call it a comeback;” Tiger has not only called it a comeback, but has called it that twice. He was slated to return to competition in October’s Safeway Open, but he pulled out three days after committing to play. Tiger Woods is now scheduled to appear at the Tiger Woods-hosted Hero World Challenge in December, which is a benefit for the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Seeing as how his name is plastered all over the place, one would think he is a lock to play in it. However, it would not be the first time he pulls a Halloween III: Season of the Witch. He did not participated in the 2008 and 2009 editions because of knee surgery and for personal reasons, respectively. Offshore bookmakers are rather skeptical this time around, not just as it pertains this particular tourney but also about Woods’s career in general. For example, one could stand to win $230 dollars on a $100 wager if Woods withdraws from the competition, and $385 on a $100 wager if Woods retires before January 1st, 2018. We can just imagine some hard-up guy going “come on Tiger, just retire already. Daddy needs a new pair of shoes.”
The HWC would be Woods’s first start since tying for 10th place at the Wyndham Championship last year and undergoing two back surgeries. Assuming that the current 898th-ranked golfer does take his place among 17 other top representatives of the sport, some of the propositions from several offshore bookmakers include the following: withdraw during the 2016 Hero World Challenge; finishes last; scores over 72.5/under 72.5 during first round of 2016 Hero World Challenge; scores over 74.5/under 74.5 during first round of 2016 Hero World Challenge; scores over 68.5/under 68.5 during first round of 2016 Hero World Challenge.
Woods’s odds to win the WHC do not look too hot here at SBG Global either:
Odds to Win Hero World Challenge
• Brandt Snedeker +2550
• Brooks Koepka +1015
• Bubba Watson +1250
• Dustin Johnson +525
• Emiliano Grillo +2550
• Henrik Stenson +1015
• Hideki Matsuyama +750
• JB Holmes +3550
• Jimmy Walker +2850
• Jordan Spieth +615
• Justin Rose +1550
• Louis Oosthuizen +2250
• Matt Kuchar +1850
• Patrick Reed +1050
• Rickie Fowler +1550
• Russell Knox +2250
• Tiger Woods +2850
• Zach Johnson +3250
All of the above sparks the age-old debate about whether it is better to burn out than to fade away. The annals of sports are filled with stories of athletes whose bodies could not keep up with their minds, and that seems to be Woods’s case, who said “I’m going to try to do the same thing I always do. I’m going to try to win this thing.” Well, one never knows; he could always pull off a Tin Cup.