PGA Tour: The Barclays Preview—Betting Odds, Prediction, TV Schedule

Before we jump into our preview of the betting odds for this weekend’s PGA Tour event, The Barclays at Liberty National, here is all the relevant information that you need to know:

• The Barclays Dates: Thursday, August 27 through Sunday, August 30
• The Barclays Course: Liberty National
• The Barclays Location: Jersey City, N.J.
• The Barclays Purse: $7.5 million ($1.35 million to winner)
• The Barclays Total Course Yardage: 7,400
• The Barclays Thursday-Friday TV Schedule: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm on The Golf Channel
• The Barclays Saturday TV Schedule: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm CBS
• The Barclays Sunday TV Schedule: 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm CBS
• StubHub: Great deals on tickets to The Barclays
• StubHub: Great deals on all PGA Tour tickets

Note: The Barclays can be viewed online at PGA.com

The Barclays Preview: Betting Odds and Prediction

As we’re seeing with NFL odds in the preseason, this week’s PGA Tour stop, the Barclays, carries lots of question marks with it.

Can Tiger Woods bounce back from the first true collapse of his career? Can Phil Mickelson finally win another tournament? Does anyone care about the FedEx Cup “playoffs”?

Let’s review a few possible picks to win this week.

Tiger Woods (+185 to win)

BOOM: Well, he’s Tiger Woods. He’s the best in the world, so much so that his current five-win season is labeled an “off” year. The Barclays lost course, Liberty National, is reasonably long, so Tiger could take advantage.

BUST: After choking against Y.E. Yang in the PGA Championship, Tiger is in uncharted territory. How can we know for sure that he’s handling the loss well and will bounce back strong? Considering that you get a small return on your investment with him compared to other sports picks, it’s worth waiting a week to see how he plays.

Phil Mickelson (+1850 to win)

BOOM: He’s long enough off the tee to score well at Liberty National and his birdie conversion percentage is the fourth-best on Tour. He’s also a member at Liberty National, giving him intimate knowledge of the course. That’s gold for an aggressive player like Phil, as he’ll know when he can afford to try a hero shot.

BUST: He still hasn’t really found his rhythm after his hiatus, so we can’t assume he’ll magically snap out of his funk this week.

Hunter Mahan (+2250 to win)

BOOM: He’s the definition of rock-solid this season. Always in the hunt, he has four top-10s in his last six starts. He also ranks highly in scoring average and greens in regulation, so his Barclays odds are good.

BUST: As well as he’s played, he hasn’t broken through for a win this season; what if he can’t handle the pressure with a lead on Sunday against a field of superstars? Also, his driving accuracy leaves a lot to be desired, ranking 85th.

Jim Furyk (+5250)

BOOM: Here’s a guy with a similar skill set and 2009 performance to Mahan’s, yet who offers more than double his value. Furyk could be the best sleeper according to stats from betting services; he has seven top-10s this season and cracks the top 10 in scrambling, putting average and proximity to hole.

BUST: While he’s not senior Tour material just yet, he may be past his prime at age 39, not having won a tournament since 2007. What if he simply doesn’t have that extra gear that propels him to victory anymore?

The Pick

Go with Phil Mickelson at +1850. He’s long overdue, he knows the course better than anyone else in the field, and the course should suit his game.