KEY POINTS:
Golf is the toughest sport on which to place a bet.
At least it is outside the majors. When it comes to the biggies, you know who is likely to win it, but it's no fun backing Him. The odds are invariably too short and where's the enjoyment
if you're not chancing your arm?
Perusing the odds for the Masters this week, Jim Furyk caught the eye.
After all, he's the world No 2 player so he's no pickle, despite possessing a swing that seems to swerve around an invisible tree on its way to the ball. In fact, that's why he appeals. He's succeeded in spite of that swing.
Second, he's always struck me as a decent bloke, who doesn't puff his chest into the limelight, unlike some of his American chums.
Third, he must have something going for him as apparently he's good mates with Tiger Woods, and you can't say that about many of those who have challenged the great one over the past few years.
Vijay Singh? Yeah right. Phil Mickelson? Now you're being silly. Sergio Garcia? Made some silly comments at the time, which Woods kept in mind when the occasion called for a spot of additional motivation.
On the official world rankings, Furyk has 8.31 points, whatever that means. Woods has 20.16. "Only" 12 points back you say? The way the system works, apparently Woods could put his clubs away for the next year and still easily be top of the heap when he blew the dust off them and headed back to the range.
Furyk, who won the 2003 US Open, signed for a 3-over 75 in yesterday's opening round at Augusta, two worse than Woods, who these days never seems to be enjoying himself.
What's the point of sport if you can't have some fun? He's married to a blonde Swede, is about to become a father for the first time, and has stashed enough cash to buy a small country. What's not to be happy about?
Unlike other great sports arenas - Barcelona's Nou Camp, Stade de France, Wimbledon and Yankee Stadium for starters - Augusta holds no personal appeal, given its inglorious history back in the days when America was all about black and white. Give me natural St Andrew's over artificial Augusta with its spray-painted flowers, soft-focus imagery and dyed lakes any day.
The commentators? They kept referring, as they must on pain of eviction - seriously - to the "patrons". On his first appearance at the Masters, Jeev Milkha Singh was described as "a wonderful player from Europe", which is the first time Chandigarh has been located anywhere other than northern India, and we were told that "it should be quite entertaining at the 71st Masters".
I'd have thought that's the name of the game. This is one form of entertainment I'll happily take from afar.
* By the start of next week, England should be toast at cricket's World Cup. And that will effectively mean the four semifinalists have been sorted out.
In no special order, Sri Lanka, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand seem destined to square off in the semifinals in Jamaica and St Lucia on April 24-25.
Yes, don't rub your eyes. Those are the dates. First we need to work through another 15 Super 8 games. The people who planned this schedule should be made to sit through it all, because you can bet they're not.
New Zealand beat Bangladesh last Tuesday. They twiddle their thumbs for seven days before playing Ireland next Tuesday.
England play Australia on Monday. Forget they won their past three ODIs against the Aussies. It might as well have been years ago, so much has the momentum shifted in recent weeks.
England are like a man teetering on the edge of a tall building. Australia are poised to give them a gentle nudge on Monday. They'll then join the West Indies, Ireland and Bangladesh in dropping out of the contest, but still with a clutch of meaningless games to play.
There's another three weeks to run before the final in Barbados. Ships have been built faster than it's taking to finish this show. It's tough on the hosts, who are not to blame, but for all sorts of reasons - attendances, scheduling, pricing ripoffs and death - this will go down as the worst of the nine World Cups.
