Capelle On Golf

Ladbrokes posted odds earlier this week for the Accenture Match Play, but I couldn’t find any for the finals between Tiger Woods and Stewart Cink. So, as a proxy, I checked out their odds for winning the Masters. Woods is 11/10, which means that if Tiger wins, $10 turns into $21. Such a deal. In contrast, Cink is a 100-1 long shot to win.

Does Cink have a chance against Woods? Well, he took Tiger to a fourth playoff hole before losing at the 2006 WGC – Bridgestone at Firestone. His claw grip belly putter had been working like a charm. He’s long off the tee and he hits lots of greens. His impressive run to the finals has taken him past three former major winners, including two of last year’s winners. And he scorched the front nine with a seven under 29 in the semifinals before cruising to a 4&2 victory over Justin Leonard. Woods, on the other hand, had a much tougher time beating five players with a combined two top fours in the majors.

So, does Stewart Cink have a chance? Yes, if the Cink of the last four days can continue to play his game. And, there is precedence for upsetting Tiger in the finals of this event as Darren Clarke demonstrated in 2000. But if a different version of Stewart Cink shows up on the first tee tomorrow morning, then you may have to rethink your plans for Sunday afternoon.

The Road to the Finals
Tiger Woods
Rd. 1 J.B. Holmes – 1-up
Rd. 2 Arron Oberholser – 3&2
Rd. 3 Aaron Baddeley – 20^th
Rd. 4 K.J. Choi – 3&2
Rd. 5 Henrik Stenson – 2-up

Stewart Cink
Rd. 1 Miguel A. Jimenez – 4&3
Rd. 2 Padraig Harrington – 2-up
Rd. 3 Colin Montgomerie – 4&2
Rd. 4 Angel Cabrera – 3&2
Rd. 5 Justin Leonard - 4&2