Picking a Winner at the St. Jude Classic

Tiger Woods proved that he’s ready for the U.S. Open in two weeks after shooting a 65 in the final round of The Memorial and taking home the trophy.

Now, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson will try to prove to golfing fans, and golf bettors, that they are ready to take it to Bethpage Black at the U.S. Open by playing well in the St. Jude Classic. Mickelson will tee-off on Thursday as the favorite. But is he the best wager in the BetOnline online sportsbook?

Let’s take a look at some of the golfers that have a chance to win The St. Jude Classic which will be played on the TPC Southwinds Golf Course, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Golf: St. Jude Classic To Win

1. Justin Leonard +1400 – - Leonard isn’t exactly a long shot in the sportsbook, but his odds are goof enough for most gamblers to consider making a wager on him. He’s the defending champion which means he knows how to play out of the rough at TPC Southwinds as only 56% of the shots were out of the rough in 2008. That, along with the fact that he finished 13th in his last tournament, means that Leonard is a viable bet at 14 to 1 in this.

2. Sergio Garcia +1400 – - Garcia is having a pretty bad year so far on the PGA Tour but he finished fourth in the St. Jude last year and no doubt should be on his game as he will be trying to get himself sharp for Bethpage in two weeks. Garcia has no top ten finishes this year out of 7 tournaments but he’s only missed the cut once. He did finish 22nd at TPC Sawgrass in his last tournament in the states, pretty good considering the quality of that field, and figures to be sharper this week.

3. Phil Mickelson +900 – - Lefty’s going to have to put real life behind him, his wife Amy is battling cancer, and concentrate on getting his game sharp enough for the U.S. Open. A good way to do that is to win the St. Jude as a favorite. Mickelson didn’t make the cut in his only start at TPC Southwinds, but he has two victories already this year and bettors know that he was watching Tiger do his stuff this weekend. Lefty should give a good accounting of himself.

4. David Toms +1400 – - Toms has been brilliant at TPC Southwinds during his career. He’s finished in the top ten in 6 out of the last 7 times he has teed off at the course and has two victories in the St. Jude. He’s worth a long look as a possible winner this week.

5. Robert Allenby +3000 – - Allenby tied for second in 2008 and for that should be better on the fairways than a lot of his competitors. Allenby’s also ranks 9th on the tour in ball striking. That could really help him on this difficult course. He’s got a shot at big golf odds.

6. Tim Clark +1600 – - Clark has had a pretty good 2009 so far with 4 top tens. He finished 2nd in the Crowne Plaza Invitational and even though he finished 18th in 2008 at TPC Southwinds, he still might be a good bet because he’s playing so well. Clark is ranked 4th in driving accuracy which is a telling stat considering how hard it will be to hit the fairways in this tournament.

Best Long Shot

Bob Estes +6000 – - 60 to 1 on a guy ranked 18th in driving accuracy and who won the tournament in 2001? Crazy odds. Add into the fact that Estes has finished in the top 25 in ten out of twenty starts at St. Jude and gamblers suddenly have a live long shot.