ESPN Golf

The driving force behind betting and booking golf is no different than anything else in the game: There is Tiger Woods, and then there is everyone else. Oddsmakers go out of their way to put up lines and props and matchups that tempt the public to bet on Tiger. Not that anyone needs all that much incentive.

"He gets it going," says oddsmaker Jeff Sherman, the golf expert at the Hilton in Vegas. "Handle goes down when he's not playing."

Sherman, who is so committed to golf linemaking he has a Web site called golfodds.com, has Tiger as a 9-4 favorite. He's also getting good action on a Tiger-vs.-Phil Mickelson matchup and a Tiger-vs.-the rest of the field prop. Walk over to the Mirage and Jay Rood has Tiger listed at 6-5, and he's still getting money from squares walking into his book. "Tiger is the only one who will get bet by the general public."

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