Woods is Masters 'favourite in first major, since surgery

Tiger Woods has officially played just 10 rounds of competitive golf in the past nine months, yet enters the Masters Tournament as an overwhelming favourite to claim his 15th career major title.

Woods, who underwent knee surgery following the US Open in June, is scheduled to tee off at 1:52 pm local time on Thursday as the season’s first major tournament begins at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. First-round play began at 8 am under sunny skies.

While he’s played in just three events since completing the rehabilitation of his reconstructed knee, Woods is listed as a 2-1 favourite to win the Masters, according to Las Vegas Sports Consultants, which advises Nevada sports books on betting lines. Two-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson is the second choice in the 96-player field at 8-1.

“You really can’t make him any lower,” Mike Seba, a senior oddsmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants, said of Woods in a telephone interview. “As good as Tiger is, it’s impossible to have somebody that’s even money — 2-to-1 is about as low as you can go for golf. “If Tiger wasn’t in the field, you’d probably have Mickelson as the favourite at 6-to-1 or 7-to-1,” Seba said.

“Nobody else would ever even come close to that.” At 2-1 odds, a winning $100 bet on Woods would yield a $200 profit along with the initial stake. Sergio Garcia is the third favourite at 15-1, according to Las Vegas Sports Consultants, followed by Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els at 18-1. Harrington won last year’s final two majors - the British Open and PGA Championship- while Woods was sidelined.