9 handicap

image courtesy of vegasinsider.com There are only 17 days until Thursday, April 5th when the first major of the year officially tees off. With Tiger being the odds on favorite, the hype surrounding this year's tournament is at record levels. The real question for golf bettors is, can he really win? The answer is yes, however should he really be a 9/1 favorite? That is a resounding no from me. Attached here you can see the official odds of players to win the Masters. With the likes of Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, and Justin Rose in the field I find it hard to argue anyone is safe. Golf is in too good of a place to feel secure about anyone. Having said all of that, I am as big a Tiger homer as there is and I will be taking those 9/1 odds this year. It's not about the money at this point, it's about believing in the miraculous comeback and witnessing greatness.

As Tiger Woods consumes the attention of every camera and headline at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (API), I think it's important to shift the focus and talk about the impact of Rickie Fowler. Fowler is the Co-host of the API and living up to the kings expectations. Filling the shoes of the the late great Arnold Palmer is impossible, but Fowler is doing his best, starting with his shoes. However, honoring the king with his wardrobe is just the start for Fowler. As everyone knows imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and Fowler is doing this in the best way, with his time and charitable contributions. Palmer was known for his generosity, which has continued even after his passing. Palmers family continues his legacy by honoring a golfer who embodies Arnies values with a $100,000 donation to that golfers foundation. Fowler is known as one of the most generous golfers on tour. From signing autographs, to being voted the number one "best mannered celebrity," he is

We are less than 24 hours away from Tiger teeing off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (official tee time 6:23 a.m. MT) and 19 days away from Tiger teeing off in Augusta. As much as I'd like to look ahead to the masters, I'm almost more intrigued with this week. His last two showings have been nothing short of spectacular. After FOUR back surgeries he is finding a way to not only play on the PGA tour, but battle down the stretch of a Sunday. I want to believe with my whole heart that we are witnessing the comeback of the most polarizing athlete of all time, but have decided to reserve full judgement until he finishes the 72nd hole of this tournament (yes he will make the cut). I say this only to protect myself, because I want it to be true as much as the rest of the golf community, and if we're wrong it will be devastating. If he does pull this off then strap in, because nobody on earth can shake the landscape of the PGA like Eldrick Woods.

Celebrities everywhere! The Pebble Beach Pro-Am is a unique tournament with the pro-am portion lasting all four days. Normally tournaments start with a pro-am on Wednesdays, then the celebrities get out of the way and let the pros do their thing. Not at Pebble Beach. To the delight of the fans, the celebrities are there the entire tournament and these are A-list crowd pleasers. Some notable players are Justin Timberlake, Ray Romano, Toby Keith, and Larry Fitzgerald, however the star with the biggest following, Bill Murray. Murray turns these four days into a party and interacts with the crowd the entire time. All the while the pros he's paired with are competing for millions of dollars. You can see the man hitting shots, shaking babies legs, (yes I wrote that right) and just being classic Bill Murray. Click h ere to see Bill be Bill

ESPN was able to question a group of PGA pros on their feelings toward the infamous 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. The results? They like it. As someone who just experienced this atmosphere for the first time a week ago, I can tell you it's exactly as described. It's loud, there's beer literally flying, players are booed, and it's everything you don't expect at a PGA event, but that's what makes it so great. As you can read in the attached article , The pros have embraced this atmosphere and actually look forward to hit, however this doesn't mean they want to see it anywhere else. They believe this unique golf hole will, and should, remain one of a kind.

As a golf fan from Boise State University, I can't express how excited I get when an alum is in the hunt for a PGA tour victory. They are currently through three days of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a name at the top of the leaderboard is Troy Merritt. Merritt (-12) is a relatively unknown pro bolstering a lackluster resume on the tour and currently ranked #520 in the world, however has won one event in the past. For him to be in contention is very exciting, but his company at the top makes for one tall task to pull off the victory on Sunday. Leading the tournament is Dustin Johnson (-14). Johnson is currently ranked #1 in the world, has 17 PGA tour wins, and one of those is a major. Tied in second place with Merritt (-12) is Jason Day. Day is a former #1 in the world, currently ranked #10 in the world, and has 15 tour victories. Even for a touring pro seeing these names at the top with you, playing side by side with them, and experiencing their galleries is said to be over