BEHIND THE LINES: Jim Furyk seems an odd choice as Canadian Open favorite

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BEHIND THE LINES

Jim Furyk seems an odd choice as Canadian Open favorite

The PGA veteran hasn't won this year and has missed three cuts, but he remains popular with oddsmakers. The fact he's won the last two Canadian Opens has something to do with it.

By Lonnie White, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 24, 2008

Jim Furyk is winless in 19 PGA Tour starts this year and has failed to make the cut three times.

But ever since Tiger Woods' season was cut short because of a knee injury, Furyk has become a popular pick for oddsmakers, who have made him the favorite for this weekend's RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in suburban Toronto.


Furyk, the two-time defending champion of the event, is listed with 8-1 odds to win again this year, according to Golfodds.com.

Anthony Kim, with two PGA wins this season, is listed at 10-1, followed by Mike Weir and Stephen Ames at 15-1. Retief Goosen is next at 20-1 with Camilo Villegas at 25-1.

Scott Verplank, Dean Wilson, Ken Duke and Bubba Watson are listed with 30-1 odds.

For Furyk, who has six top-10 finishes this season and is coming off a solid performance at last week's British Open where he finished tied for fifth, this will be the third time he has been a pre-tournament favorite since the U.S. Open, which Woods won on June 15.

Furyk, who defeated Vijay Singh by a stroke to win last year's Canadian Open, was tagged by oddsmakers as the golfer to beat at the Buick Open and the AT&T National. Furyk finished tied for 36th place at the Buick and tied for third at the AT&T National.

Early odds for this year's PGA Championship, scheduled to start Aug. 7 at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Mich., has Phil Mickelson listed as the favorite with 8-1 odds, followed by Sergio Garcia, Furyk and two-time British Open champion Padraig Harrington at 15-1.