Tiger Woods is back in action beginning on Thursday, and sportsbooks are expected to see a huge boost in total betting handle. Woods has not played since February, but he also brings some extra excitement and intrigue into the PGA Tour.
This weekend is the Memorial Tournament, and it is a place that Woods has won five times in his career. This is the sixth event since the PGA Tour resumed in June, and Woods finally feels comfortable enough to play.
Woods opted to stay at his home in Jupiter, Fla., and wait and see how the first five events went. Woods did play in a charity golf match with Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning in May, but that’s the last time golf fans have seen him.
The Memorial Tournament takes place at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, and this course holds some history. The course is known as “Jack’s Place,” and Jack Nicklaus is there to greet the winner on the 18th green each year.
Even though Woods has won this event five times in his career, he has not won it since 2012. Despite the long drought, sportsbooks are reporting that bettors are betting heavy on Woods this week.
BetMGM announced on Thursday that over 20 percent of all bets and 20 percent of all money wagered is on Woods leading up to the event. BetMGM lists Tiger Woods at +2000 to win the event, and he is not the favorite.
FanDuel Sportsbook Odds
FanDuel Sportsbook isn’t even giving Tiger Woods odds at +2000 to win the tournament, but that sportsbook is still seeing plenty of action. FanDuel Sportsbook is offering many unique betting options as well, but the outright winner of the event is the most popular bet.
Here are the current odds to win the Memorial Tournament entering Thursday:
- Bryson DeChambeau +1200
- Justin Thomas +1200
- Patrick Cantlay +1400
- Rory McIlroy +1400
- Dustin Johnson +1600
- Colin Morikawa +2200
- Jon Rahm +2200
- Viktor Hovland +2300
- Tiger Woods +2500
Even though there are some big names at the top of the odds list at FanDuel Sportsbook, history shows that the winner might come from outside of this group. Several recent winners at the Memorial Tournament have been longshots, and that could lead to a huge payday.
Jason Dufner won the event in 2017, and he entered Thursday with odds of +25000 to win the Memorial.
Sportsbooks have been seeing plenty of action on the PGA Tour since it resumed in June, and those numbers are going to increase with Woods back in the fold. Betting on the PGA Tour is the most popular sport to bet on at this time, but that will change when other professional sports come back next week.
FanDuel Sportsbook Special Odds
FanDuel Sportsbook is offering several special betting options, and a number of them are focusing on Tiger Woods. They are offering a bet at +10000 for Tiger Woods to lead each round of the event and come away with the win.
FanDuel Sportsbook has also set odds on whether or not Woods will make the cut. Tiger Woods to make the cut is at -310, and him to miss the cut is being offered at +225.
Bettors can also place a bet on whether or not Woods will have a bogey-free round in the tournament. A bet stating that he won’t have a bogey-free round is being offered at -950, and the yes option is listed at +570.
Other special odds are offered for all of the golfers in the field as well, but the big money and action remains on Woods.
