Yesterday, I mentioned that there was a new prop bet available for The Masters. Learning of that new prop bet set me on a search to find out what sort of “action” there was on the event, and I learned that various sportsbooks in Las Vegas and online have a “significant exposure” to one circumstance:
- Several sportsbooks stand to lose a significant amount of money if Tiger Woods “makes a run” and simply finishes high on the leaderboard.
From one of the online sportsbooks, here is a sampling of the prop bets involving Woods just as The Masters was getting underway:
- Woods to win The Masters outright – – +6600
- Woods to finish in the Top 5 – – +1100
- Woods to finish in the Top 10 – – +650
- Woods to lead after Round 1 – – +3500
- Woods to be in the Top 5 after Round 1 – – +1100
- Woods to be the Top American – – +2800
The list goes on from here. My first impression as along the lines of “So what?” After all, Woods has not been lighting up golf courses after his near-fatal car accident a little over two years ago. However, I learned that there is a preponderance of money bet on Woods at these long odds and if it were to come to pass that he “won the whole thing”, a sportsbook manager said that the industry was exposed to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.
Well, “the industry” won the bets regarding Round 1. Woods shot 74 – – two over par – – and was 9 shots off the lead. If Woods does not make the cut at the end of today’s round, the sportsbooks can let out their held breath and enjoy the handle they took on Tiger Woods this weekend.
In bouncing around looking for prop bets on The Masters, I ran across several that involved the finishes of “PGA guys” versus “LIV guys”. And suddenly, I realized that I had forgotten what “LIV” stood for. I kept trying to use those letters as an acronym but things like “Living In Valhalla” just made no sense. So, Google was my friend and – – in case you too have forgotten what LIV stands for:
- LIV is the Roman numeral for the number 54.
- 54 is the score one would card on a Par-72 course if you birdied every hole.
- 54 is also the number or holes to be played in an LIV tournament.
Switching gears … Recently, I remarked here about the drama in the English Premier League at the bottom of the table where three teams will be relegated to the Champions League this summer. Most of the teams in danger of relegation this week have 9 games left to play; one of those teams, West Ham, has 10 games left to play. There are 20 teams in the EPL; as of this morning, the 9 teams toward the bottom of the standings are separated by a total of 7 points. Remember, points are earned in the EPL on the basis of 3 points for a win and 1 point for a draw. So, there is ample opportunity for the last place team to shoot up to 12th place in the table and for the 12th place team to sink like a rock.
- The team in 12th place today is Crystal Palace; they have lost 4 of their last 5 games.
- The team in 20th place today is Southampton; they have a win and two draws in their last 5 games.
- The team in 19th place today is Leicester City; they were the surprise winner of the EPL in 2016; they have 4 losses and one draw in their last 5 games.
- The team in 16th place today is Everton; the last time they were relegated was in 1951; they have 3 draws and a win in their last 5 games meaning they have clawed their way out of relegation to whatever precarious perch they enjoy today.
Moving on … There is a report today that Niners’ QB, Trey Lance “crashed” a workout session that Patrick Mahomes organized with a bunch of the Chiefs’ receivers at TCU. I wondered why a Niners’ QB would be throwing with receivers for another team and that aspect of the story was not significantly clarified. However, there was another tidbit in the story that raises a question in my mind.
- According to the report, Mahomes organized this “throwing session” at TCU because “during the NFL offseason, players aren’t allowed to practice together at the team facility.”
I understand that getting players more time away from the game was an important part of the last couple of CBA negotiations, and I understand that the union would want to make it such that teams cannot schedule any sort of “mandatory activities” at their facilities for much of the offseason. However, this “activity” was clearly organized by Mahomes; it was not “mandatory”; it had no imprimatur from the Chiefs or Andy Reid. So, if that is the case, why is the use of the Chiefs’ facilities forbidden?
Finally, I will close with these words from British historian, Thomas Babington Macaulay:
“The Puritan hated bearbaiting, not because it gave pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectators.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………