Jeff Haney gets the lowdown on betting for the Masters, which begins today and has sports books seeing a lot of action on ‘the field’

Thursday, April 5, 2007 | 7:14 a.m.

A sampling of the 40 propositions on the Masters available at the Las Vegas Hilton sports book:

Lowest round shot by any golfer: over/under 65 1/2

Will there be a hole in one? Yes, plus-160; No, minus-180

Will there be a playoff? Yes, plus-250; No, minus-300

Finish position by Tiger Woods: over/under 2 1/2

Finish position by Phil Mickelson: over/under 6 1/2

Finish position by Ernie Els: over/under 8 1/2

Finish position by Vijay Singh: over/under 8 1/2

Ten years after he won his first Masters tournament, Tiger Woods stands out as the player to watch at Augusta - and at the betting windows in Las Vegas, where the Masters generates more wagering dollars than any event on golf's calendar.

"There's no doubt about it," said leading golf oddsmaker Jeff Sherman of the Las Vegas Hilton. "It far exceeds anything else in golf betting."

Sherman installed Woods as a plus-140 favorite (risk $1 to net $1.40) to win the tournament, which begins today, then raised the odds to plus-160 to attract more action on Woods.

That's a short price for any individual golfer, even Woods, in a projected field of 97 competitors.

But bettors can't complain, because the Hilton offers the other side of the prop as well. Gamblers have the option of laying minus-180 (risk $1.80 to net $1) on "the field," meaning every other player but Woods, to win the tournament.

Las Vegas sports handicapper "Fairway" Jay Ginsbach recommended a play on the field against Woods, relying purely on a statistical analysis rather than any anti-Woods sentiment. Sure, Woods is in great form and has a solid chance of winning. It's just not a 38 percent chance, which plus-160 represents.

The betting public evidently agreed with Ginsbach, betting more on the field than on Woods in the proposition, Sherman said. Typically, Woods generates plenty of support from bettors once his odds to win a tournament reach 2-1.

"This season his average odds have been 2-1, and we've seen a lot of money on him at 2-1 in tournaments he has won and in tournaments he did not win," Sherman said.

Woods backers had the option of playing an over/under on his finish, which the Hilton opened at 2 1/2, meaning "under" bettors would get paid if Woods finishe d first, second or in a tie for second.

The over/under on the winning score was set at 280 1/2 at the Hilton, or 7 1/2 under par. Last year's champ, Phil Mickelson, finished with a 7-under-par 281.

"They're expecting the course to play fast and firm," Sherman said. "That will help the short hitters because they'll get a little extra roll, but it could mean the greens play lightning fast, which could make the scores rise a little bit."

Mickelson was listed as an 8-1 second choice behind Woods, followed by Vijay Singh at 12-1 and Ernie Els at 15-1, according to the Hilton's odds.

The most money and betting tickets were generated by Singh, according to Sherman, with Retief Goosen (25-1) also commanding some support.

Although the tournament gets under way this morning, major sports books in Las Vegas update their Masters odds after each round, giving bettors an opportunity to make wagers throughout the event.

Ginsbach (online at sportsmemo.com), who tends to focus on head-to-head player matchups, has favored powerful "bombers" in the Masters since the course was lengthened - some say in an attempted "Tiger-proofing" - in recent years.

Ginsbach believes it's unlikely a short to medium hitter such as Jose Maria Olazabal (1994, 1999) will ever repeat as champion. It's possible the effects of those course changes haven't been fully reflected in the odds on certain players, Ginsbach said.

In head-to-head betting matchups, Ginsbach is backing strong hitters with reliable short games such as Goosen and Els.

Goosen, who has tied for third in the past two Masters and finished second in 2002, is paired against Jim Furyk in one of the Hilton's 37 matchups and also can be found paired against Henrik Stenson around town.

Ginsbach considers Stenson, ranked No. 6 in the world, a "fade" - or play-against - in this year's Masters largely because of his inexperience at Augusta. Stenson, who won this year's Match Play Championship, missed the cut last year in his only other Masters appearance.

"Experience is imperative," Ginsbach said. "Stenson is one of those players who's charging hard up the rankings, but he could be overvalued in the (betting) marketplace."

Ginsbach favors Els, who looks to be back at full strength after his 2005 knee surgery, in a matchup against Singh at the Hilton.

Ginsbach also likes Charles Howell III to rebound from his poor performance at last year's Masters and prevail in a matchup against David Toms.

"Howell is playing the best golf of his life," Ginsbach said. "With Toms, length off the tee is a concern."