by Ryan D. Jaeger
While Tiger Woods' return to the green has been rocky after his self-inflicted absence following marital problems, he has remained a favourite to win each and every tournament he entered among odds makers.
However, it finally seems that bookies are starting to realize that Tiger Woods is not a sure win and for the first time, he is not the favourite to win the current PGA Golf Championship this time around.
Bookies have clipped Woods' chances at 13/1 odds to take home the title, instead putting Phil Mickelson at the helm as favourite.
It couldn't have been easy for bookies to drop Woods, but his performance at the Bridgestone Invitational must have been the deciding factor.
Woods finished a woeful second last in Ohio last week.
"I was just trying to keep my head a little more steady going back," said Woods, after his performance. "I was rocking my head all over the place. The head was moving way to much for me and my golf swing, so I tried to shore that up a little bit. It's starting to feel a little better."
Woods has won the PGA Golf Championship four times in the past (1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007), while Mickelson has only won it once in 2005.
An analyst noted this week: "This is the first time this century Tiger is not the favourite to win. With no golfers in single digits, the tournament looks more wide open than ever before."
"Steve Stricker will see plenty of support as a Wisconsin native," he predicted. "Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and in-form golfers Jeff Overton and Bo van Pelt could be a few to give you a run for your money."
