GOLF BETTING: Following Tiger Woods’ press conference on Friday, Ladbrokes make the world number one 1/6 to return to the circuit this year and 7/4 that he’ll pick up a major in 2010.
Tiger was non committal in his address to the world’s media and Ladbrokes spokesman David Williams told betrescue.com: “We weren’t expecting Tiger to be so tentative in his address. Punters were expecting a gung-ho announcement of his return to golf but it stopped well short of that.
“We still suspect we’ll see him back on the Tour later this year and all the records are still very much his for the taking. But the element of doubt has thrown a spanner in the works of all our golf markets.”
Meanwhile, Paddy Powerr have slashed the odds against Woods from 3/1 to 11/10 that he won’t win one of the big four tournaments this year – the shortest price Tiger has been to remain major-less since his first major triumph back in 1997.
Paddy Power are also offering odds about when the shamed superstar will make his return, making next month’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, which he won in 2009, their 5/4 favourite with the US Masters 8/1.
Paddy Power told betrescue said “Tiger didn’t even hint at when he plans to return to the game but with a Ryder Cup around the corner and the Golden Bears record firmly in his sights, it’s a safe bet we’ll be seeing him in action sooner rather than later”
In other Tiger Woods specials markets, Coral have eased the odds on him surpassing Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 Major wins to 1/2 from 1/4, and cut the odds on him not setting a new mark to 6/4 (from 11/4).
With uncertainty as to weather Tiger will play at the US Masters in April, William Hill make Phil Mickelson their 11/2 favourite for Augusta.
