PGA Betting: Florida Swing Begins At Honda Classic

Rory McIlroy seems destined to win a PGA Tour event soon. (AP Images)

As soon as the PGA Tour leaves its West Coast swing for Florida, you know the Masters is right around the corner. Unfortunately, the top three players in the world aren’t at this week’s Honda Classic at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, but that just means the field is wide open on Bodog’s golf betting odds.

The oddsmakers always seem to love 21-year-old Rory McIlroy (co-favored at 16/1 to win this week at Bodog), who is up to No. 9 in the world but yet to win on American soil. In fact, he hasn’t won since his professional debut victory last February in Dubai on the European Tour. But McIlroy has two top-six finishes on the Euro Tour this year to go with a tie for 17th at the Match Play a few weeks ago. He was 13th at the Honda Classic last year.

Robert Allenby and Paul Casey also opened as the 16/1 favorites with McIlroy. Allenby has made the cut in all five events this year and has three Top-10 finishes among those five. The   Aussie loves the PGA National course with top-five finishes in each of the past three Honda Classics. Casey has played twice in the States so far year with a T10 at the SBS Championship and a runner-up finish at the Match Play. He hasn’t played this event since 2002, however.

Y.E. Yang burst onto the golf scene last year by winning the Honda Classic with a 9-under 271 to beat John Rollins by a shot. Of course Yang went on to be known around the globe when he shocked Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship last summer. Yang has proven 2009 was no fluke as he hasn’t missed a cut in five events this year and enters off a third-place finish in Phoenix last week. Yang is a fairly long 28/1 to repeat this week and is +250 to finish inside the Top 10.

At No. 4 in the world, Lee Westwood is the highest-ranked player in the field this week, and he has opened at 18/1. This will be his first tournament in the States this year, but he has started with top-three finishes in his first two events in Europe. Ernie Els, the 2008 Honda winner, rounds out the top-five favorites on Bodog at 20/1. He finished T22 at this tournament last year but led the field in fairways.

Bet on the PGA Tour all season at Bodog!