PGA Playoffs Gaining Momentum

Sports Betting News - September 3rd, 2009 - Written by John

It's sandwiched somewhere between a Major and a minor, they will tell you. Between career changing and 'there's still more golf to be played'. The immediate payout is big (last week's purse was $7.5 million) but the pages of history may remain indifferent.

The first FedEx Cup Playoff match of the year was packed with drama-Heath Slocum nailed a 21-foot par putt on the 18th hole to win The Barclays-putting itself in a precarious position of being as relatively pointless as The John Deere Classic, yet as riveting as the U.S. Open.

Somewhere between the two, Slocum now finds himself, leaping forwards towards a chance at the $10 million Championship prize he wouldn't have even considered a week ago. No, it wasn't as memorable as a Major victory would've been, but (and this is a big but) it does grant him automatic entry into all four next year.

"Overall, it was an incredible day, an incredible experience," Slocum said on ESPN.com. "I was just kind of lucky to come out on top. A lot of good players. At the end of the day, the putt on the last was magical. I'll remember that for the rest of my life."

That's what makes the FedEx Cup so darn interesting. It's elimination format, which makes each sequential round more prestigious, gives the aura of a Major to a place like Liberty National. After the first round, the field of 125 is cut down to 100. The second round will invite only the top 70 players and the the PGA will slice it down to 50 for the final.

For Slocum, his third career win has been a means to vault him from 124th in the rankings to 3rd, all but securing him a spot in each of the remaining rounds.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods again came painfully close to another trophy. The no.1-ranked player in the world finished tied for second behind Slocum, when he missed a seven-footer for birdie on the 18th hole that would have secured at least a two-man playoff. It was the second consecutive time he's been runner-up.

But that doesn't mean he's not the clear-cut favorite to win this weekend. Vegas is paying out -450 on a Woods win, while several superstars of the game could turn out to be very profitable. Padraig Harrington, who tied Woods for second last week, is paying out +325, Phil Mickelson has a line of +115 and Sergio Garcia is at +105.

Slocum is obviously not favored to win back-to-back crowns, but Vegas is giving an even line on him. Only Paul Casey (who actually has withdrawn from the event), Webb Simpson and Ryuji Imada are receiving an even line.

Vijay Singh seems like a dark horse in this tournament. He's won the Deutsche Bank Championship twice and has four top-5 finishes in five appearances. His win last year eventually lead to the overall FedEx Cup title, but hasn't won since. A repeat will payout +115.

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