When Tiger Woods made his comeback at the Hero World Challenge in December, Las Vegas, like most golf fans, got a little carried away. And by "carried away," we mean dropping the 14-time major winner's Masters odds to a ridiculous 15-1 figure after a strong Friday start, making him one of the green jacket favorites. Slightly aggressive, given the guy's teed it up just once at Augusta National since 2013.
However, with the 42-year-old set to make his first official PGA Tour start in a year this week at the Farmers Insurance Open, the wise men in the desert are taking a more pessimistic stance to Woods' forecast.
According to BetDSI, oddsmakers do not envision Tiger playing on the weekend at Torrey Pines, bestowing Woods with +100 odds to make it to Saturday (against -140 of missing the cut).
Other bets for the week include his first drive finding the fairway (Yes -180, No +145), finishing inside the top 10 (Yes +350, No -550), total birdies on the week (over/under 6.5) and his highest score on a hole (over/under 7). Woods is also listed at +4000 to win the event, which features a loaded field of Jon Rahm, Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose and Jason Day.
The sportsbook is likewise down on the long-term outlook of Woods' latest comeback, placing:
-- The over/under on total number of cuts made at 4.5.
-- Odds of winning a PGA Tour/Euro Tour event in 2018 (Yes +1700, No -4000).
-- Odds of winning a major in 2018 (Yes +3000, No -7000).
-- Shooting an 80 or worse in a round (Yes -130, No +100).
In his only appearance on tour last season, Woods missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, shooting 76-72. It was just the 18th time he missed the cut in his career. In that same vein, Torrey Pines has been a stomping grounds for Tiger, with Woods winning nine times (eight as a pro, including the 2008 U.S. Open) at the course.
This week will mark his first official appearance since withdrawing from the Dubai Desert Classic last February.
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