Woods back to being major player

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Slowly but surely, as Tiger Woods’ world turns, the talk is swinging away from his soap opera tales and more toward the drama he can create on a golf course.

The dirty details revealed from his personal life are unforgettable. There were porn stars, prostitutes and a Perkins pancake waitress, followed by a phony trip to sex rehab and a costly divorce.

There was a low-speed car crash into a tree, breakups with his caddie and swing coach, a link to a doctor with HGH ties, lingering leg injuries, and a losing streak that punctuated his stunning fall from grace.

In August 2009, Woods was shot down by Y.E. Yang in the final round of the PGA Championship. Add that to his list of embarrassments. But nearly three years later, he’s back to chasing Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships.

"It seemed unreasonable a couple of years ago because you didn’t know if he could regain his form," LVH golf oddsmaker Jeff Sherman said. "But he’s got plenty of time. It doesn’t seem inconceivable."

Woods, who turned 36 in December, has been stuck on 14 major titles yet appears ready to resume his compelling hunt for Nicklaus’ mark at the Masters, which begins Thursday at Augusta, Ga.

Despite not winning at Augusta since 2005, and going without a major win since the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines near San Diego in 2008, Woods is the Masters favorite at 9-2 odds at the LVH sports book.

How many more majors will Woods win in his career? It’s the ultimate proposition wager, but it won’t be posted at a book near you because it could be 20 years before the result is decided.

"I don’t even know if our computer system could carry that," MGM Resorts sports book director Jay Rood said.

The casinos would be happy to hold the money. But in an era of in-running wagering and instant gratification, no bettors are interested in tying up money for an undetermined number of years. So it’s only fitting as a topic to debate or for a bar bet.

Sherman set the line for Woods’ remaining major wins at 4½, with the under price at minus-200.

"I was thinking 3½," Sherman said. "But if he gets to 17, he will keep playing until he dies to get the record."

Rood said he projects six more major wins for Woods.

"I would bet over the 4½ plus the money," Rood said. "There is a strong possibility he could win five or six. If he wins 10 more, I would be shocked, and if he doesn’t win another one, I would be shocked. You’ve got a good six to seven years, I think, that he’ll be taking legitimate stabs at it."

Nicklaus won four majors after turning 36, his last coming in the 1986 Masters at age 46. Woods could contend into his 50s, however, considering Tom Watson was one shot from winning the British Open at age 59.

"Tiger will win 20 majors," said Alf Musketa, a longtime golf handicapper and professional bettor. "He’ll be playing in majors until he’s 60-plus like Watson, and at least be competitive until 50. That gives him 14 years and 56 majors to play in, and if he is healthy for the next 50 majors, he can win another five to six and break Jack’s record."

A Las Vegas Review-Journal panel of 11 voters consisting of writers, handicappers and oddsmakers resulted in predictions ranging from one to six for the number of Woods’ future major titles.

"I was thinking that at an over/under of 1½, I would hesitatingly play the over, but at 2½ I would play the under, so my best guess is that Tiger would win two more majors at most," said handicapper Andy Iskoe (TheLogicalApproach.com).

"Age starts to take its toll, and Tiger has had to deal with some key injuries over the past three years. But perhaps more importantly, the quality of the fields has improved dramatically with many of today’s top players influenced and inspired by Tiger himself."

Cantor Gaming sports book director Mike Colbert is more optimistic about Woods’ opportunities, saying, "I think he’ll win six more, starting this weekend."

At MGM Resorts, Rood said, Woods has by far the most tickets written on him this week, ahead of Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson, and this Masters is set to attract a record handle for a golf major.

The betting frenzy is due mostly to Woods, whose five-stroke win in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill on March 25 was his first PGA Tour triumph since September 2009.

"Last year was a record handle here. This year, we passed that two weeks ago. It’s unbelievable where we are right now, and we’ve got a chance to basically double what we did last year," Sherman said. "A lot of it is Tiger. We’ve got a ton of money on him.

"I think he’s going to get around that 18 mark for majors, as long as he doesn’t get married again. If he stays single, he ought to be fine."

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.