This week's Barclays betting odds are backing the world's No.1 player to win the only one of the four FedEx Cup events he hasn't won yet, but he'll face some competition from two former rivals, a young gun, and a three-time major winner who is getting back to his best.
Barclays Betting - Thursday, August 27
Tiger Woods (+185) missed the cut at the British Open, then won two straight before fading in the PGA Championship, which may have stung more than the MC at Turnberry. Tiger famously skipped this event in '07 and still went on to hoist the FedEx Cup, but he's never played at Liberty National, which is holding a PGA event for the first time.
Phil Mickelson (+1850) is no stranger to Liberty National, as he is one of its most famous members. This hopefully points to a Tiger/Mickelson Sunday duel something like the final round of the 2007 Deutsche Bank Championship, and this year's Masters shootout. Mickelson needs the familiarity of Liberty National as he hasn't broken the top 50 in two events since coming back after dealing with personal problems.
Padraig Harrington (+2050) has rattled off two top-10s in a row after a miserable season, and he may have won those events if not for one bad hole. Harrington's swing changes are coming around, and one more solid showing will get some betting management players on his side.
Hunter Mahan (+2250) has been one of the most consistent players this season, and although he doesn't have a win, he has four top-10s in his last six starts, and he's missed the cut only once in 20 events. Mahan is in the top 10 in terms of birdies and total driving, and if the putting can be consistent, he could be a FedEx Cup betting darkhorse to win the whole thing.
Steve Stricker (+3050) won this event in 2007, and finished T-19 last year. In eight FedEx Cup events, he's cracked the top 20 seven times. He's second in scoring average to only Woods (and two spots in front of Mahan), and the only knock on him is that he's coming off a missed-cut in the PGA Championship.
Since Mickelson knows the course better than anyone in the field, most will go with "Lefty". But I'm picking an angry Tiger Woods, as he's been quiet since losing the Sunday lead at Hazeltime for the first time in a major, and we all know what he did after missing the cut at Turnberry. Take Tiger Woods in this week's sports picks.
