This weekend marked the beginning of the stretch run to the 2003 Myrtle
Beach Birdie Championship with the playing of the 2nd annual Champions'
Challenge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event was scheduled to be aired
on ABC, but due to a last minute change of venue for the Champions' Challenge,
because of inclement weather, ABC was unable to air the exhibition. Frustrated
fans from around the country bombarded ABC headquarters in New York with phone
calls when they discovered the event was not being aired. Despite the lack of
television coverage, betting activity has been extremely high at the MGM Grand
Las Vegas Hotel and Casino in the last few days, resulting in significant
changes to the odds to win the Myrtle Beach Birdie Championship. Entering the
weekend, bettors had several questions that needed to be answered with regard
to the competitors, and while most of those questions were answered, a few
remain unanswered, and several new questions have been raised. First and
foremost, the Myrtle Beach Birdie Championship Golf Association has announced
the venues for all rounds of the 2003 Championship. The selected venues, while
not official until a few weeks before the tournament features a good mixture
of courses. The players will face 5 new courses, 4 courses they have played
before, and a mixture of bent and bermuda greens. With this mixture of
courses, the MBBCGA has insured that there will no allegations that the
courses are favorable to one player over another. The 2003 MBBC will begin at
Heather Glen. The other courses selected to host rounds of the tournament are:
Long Bay Club, Grande Dunes, Tidewater, Barefoot Love, Barefoot Fazio,
Prestwick Country Club, Sea Trail, and Tiger's Eye. The exact schedule will be
released a week or two prior to the tournament. Heather Glen Golf Club's owner
issued the following statement when it was announced that they had been
selected to host the opening round: "Heather Glen Golf Club
is extremely pleased and proud that it has been selected to host the opening
round of the most prestigious event in all of golf. Our goal is to provide a
challenging but fair test to all of the participants. We promise that the
course will be well maintained, hot dogs and drinks will be reasonably priced
at the turn, the drink girl will be extremely attractive with that slight
southern twang that the players love so much and the starter will have spent
some time in the Pennsylvania area. We wish each of the competitors the best
of luck in this year's event and hope the tournament will return to our venue
in future years." Several other courses also issued similar statements.
With just 42 days until the tournament, the players now turn their
attentions to fine tuning their games and making sure that they are playing
their best come August 8th. Meanwhile with 42 days left until the tournament,
bettors turn their attentions to who they think is going to capture this
year's title. Without further ado, here are the latest odds to win MBBC
VII:
Eric Drossner
Opening Line: 15-1
Updated Line: 30-1
Current Line: 5-1
The biggest jump in odds belongs to current co-champion Eric Drossner.
While the purpose of the Champions' Challenge is an opportunity for the
competitors to get together in a low pressure situation and gauge their play
against the other competitors and launch the countdown to the
tournament, there was an all together different purpose for Drossner.
Drossner's hopes for a title repeat appeared to be dashed when he underwent
wrist surgery earlier this year. Drossner was peppered with questions about
his recovery from the injury, and while he did issue periodic statements about
his recovery, he never publically addressed his status for the 2003 MBBC,
leaving many in the public wondering if Drossner would be ready for the
tournament. Drossner, normally the most outspoken of the MBBCGA
members, decided to let his play in the Champions' Challenge answer that
question. The answer was an emphatic 'yes' as Drossner fired 2 birdies.
Drossner was extremely consistent off the tee, never once "leaving it out
there", a problem which has plagued him in the past. In fact, one of his
birdies was the result of a booming drive on a short par 4. Drossner's irons
were a bit erratic, but he did fire a dart to within 2 feet of the cup on his
first birdie. Drossner also drilled his 2 short birdie putts. Drossner
appears fully recovered from his wrist surgery and, at this point, appears the
most focused toward repeating as the Birdie Champion. Drossner has
adopted a very workmanlike attitude toward his preparation for the MBBC, an
attitude that has never been seen from him before. In the past, Drossner did
not appear to fully dedicate himself to the tournament and did not take the
tournament seriously enough. Much like fellow Philadelphia athlete, Allen
Iverson, Drossner did not understand all of the criticism surrounding his
attitude toward pratice. Perhaps it was the wrist injury and the prospect that
his career could come to an end without ever realizing his potential, perhaps
it was the fact that he was forced to share the title last year, or perhaps
sharing the title gave him a glimpse of the glory that comes with winning the
prestigious MBBC, but for whatever reason Drossner has completely dedicated
himself to preparing for the 2003 MBBC. Clearly, Drossner is on a mission to
win the title outright, and is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish
that mission. Drossner refused to get too excited about his performance in the
Champions' Challenge as he commented that he was happy with the birdies
and was happy that he had shown that he was healthy again, but that
he knows that there are still things that he needs to work on in the time
left before the championship. While Drossner has alluded to the fact
that he will win the 2003 MBBC, he has refrained from making the brash and
cocky pre-tournament guarantees that he has made in years' past. Perhaps the
biggest indication that Drossner is focused on the MBBC, was something that
did not even happen on the golf course... As the golfers sat in the rain at
the original venue for the Champions' Challenge, it appeared that the
Challenge would be washed out, when Drossner announced that the Challenge
would be moved to a different venue. Such a move is the kind of thing that is
normally done in the event of inclement conditions during the MBBC, yet
Drossner was the only one of the players who made such a suggestion. Clearly,
Drossner is in a Myrtle Beach frame of mind. Bettors have responded to
Drossner's new workmanlike attitude and impressive performance in the
Champions' Challenge. Once again, many are predicting a break out year for
this defending champion.
Dan Hoelke
Opening Line: 3-1
Updated Line: 2-1
Current Line: 5-1
While Drossner answered questions surrounding him with his play at the
Champions' Challenge, Hoelke raised some questions with his play. While
Hoelke's driving and irons were consistent, his putting was downright
atrocious, as Hoelke looked completely uncomfortable on the shaggy greens
of Bella Vista's (ugly) sister course, Mainland Golf Course. Granted,
these greens were much slower then the players will face in the 2003 MBBC, but
Hoelke was unable to adapt over the 18 holes and only manged 1 birdie in
several opportunities. Hoelke's lone birdie was the result of an impressive
drive over the green of the short par 4 12th hole, and an even more
impressive up and down. Other then the birdie putt, it is not believed that
Hoelke made any putts of significant length. Hoelke's putting remains the
one part of his game that prevents him from completely dominating the MBBC.
Consistent off the tee and a solid ball striker with his irons, Hoelke
provides himself with the most opportunities for birdies, but his putter
continues to be his downfall. As has been pointed out many times before,
the one year that Hoelke was able to putt well, was the year that he set the
current record for birdies and blew away the competition. In previous years,
it was predicted that the other competitors needed to get off to early starts
in the MBBC in order to keep pace with the eventual birdie barrage from
Hoelke. However, it appears that this year, Hoelke is the one player who can
least afford a slow start. Last year, Hoelke struggled at the beginning of the
tournament and was unable to birdie for several rounds. Increasingly
frustrated by the failures of his putter, Hoelke could do nothing but watch as
eventual champions Rovner and Drossner took a commanding lead. Hoelke rallied
in the final round, but it was too little, too late. With all of the players
focused on the MBBC, and all players finally understanding what it takes to
win the title, it appears that this will be a record setting year for birdies.
Clearly, Hoelke has the ability and mental make-up to fire a lot of birdies,
but the pressure intensifies with each passing round that he is unable to
birdie. Hoelke has to be encouraged by the selection of Grande Dunes as one of
the venues for the 2003 MBBC, as it was the site of the final round of
Hoelke's title in 2001, and the site of one of the greatest performances in
MBBC history. Tentatively scheduled as the third round of the tournament, this
round could be the most pivotal rounds of the tournament for Hoelke. Another
solid performance on his "home" course could be the stepping stone he needs to
capture his second title, while a poor performance could mark the beginning of
the end of another frustrating MBBC.
Scott Woods
Opening Line: 12-1
Updated Line: 20-1
Current Line: 15-1
His appearance at the Champions' Challenge was the first time Woods had
played since his lackluster performance in the MBBC West Coast Swing in Las
Vegas in late March. The long layoff showed as Woods struggled in just about
all aspects of his game. His driving was inconsistent, with a tendency to go
deep to the right, his iron game was unspectacular, and his putting was
average. Overall, Woods was pleased with his performance, as he did provide
himself with a handful of legitimate birdie opportunities, but was unable to
convert. Woods' performance in the Champions' Challenge demonstrates the
problem that has resulted in his 2nd and 4th place finishes in the
last 2 MBBC's. In the early years of the MBBC, Woods dominated the
competitions as the other competitors: 1. had no idea the competition was
going on and 2. did not comprehend the prestige of winning the MBBC. As a
result, Woods was able to show up for the MBBC having practiced very little,
and with the raw talent he possesses, was able to make enough birdies to win
the competition. In the past three years, the fellow members of the MBBCGA
have come to understand the intensity of the MBBC, and as a
result have directed their focus toward winning the title, thus elevating
their games, while Woods has failed to respond. Without practicing, Woods
has shown that he is capable of making 3-5 birdies in the 9 round tournament,
but while that may have been good enough to win the title in year's past, it
appears that it will not be good enough to win this year's title. With
current co-favorites Eric Drossner and Dan Hoelke clearly focused on winning
the title, it appears more likely that the winning birdie total may
be between 6-10 birdies. If Woods has any hope to compete for the title,
he must find time in his busy schedule to practice for the
tournament.
Paul Rovner
Opening Line: 21-1
Updated Line: 10-1
Current Line: 35-1
The most disappointing performance of the Champions' Challenge was that
of defending co-champion Paul Rovner. The most recent update of the odds to
win the MBBC had Rovner established as the second favorite to win the
title. Many questioned the latest odds, but Rovner had clearly gathered
momentum with his performances in the last 2 years, and supporters felt that
despite being the worst golfer in the MBBCGA, Rovner had finally adapted his
game to the MBBC motto, "Score Doesn't Matter..." and had developed himself
into a serious title contender. However, since those odds were set, Rovner has
elected to begin taking lessons, which has resulted in a complete
reconstruction of his swing. While this move may pay huge dividends for Rovner
in future tournaments, it appears that his chances of winning this year are in
serious jeopardy. Rovner had no legitimate birdie chances during the
Champions' Challenge. He was fairly solid off the tee but struggled with his
irons. Rovner was able to drain a couple of decent length putts, but none of
any significance. Rovner was also not very impressive with his chipping, a
staple of his game in MBBC's past. Right now, Rovner looks completely lost
with a golf club in his hands. He is torn between using the new grip and
swing, or reverting back to the old form which helped him capture last year's
title and which he knows he can rely on to make birdies. Rovner had no comment
after the Champions' Challenge. At this point, many believe that Rovner will
only be able to make a few, if any, birdies, and will certainly not be able to
make enough to make a run at the title. Rovner supporters continue to dismiss
these claims and are becoming increasingly angry at what they perceive to a
consistent bias against Rovner and complete lack of respect. Each and every
year, doubters have presented reason after reason of why Rovner will be unable
to win the title. And yet, last year, Rovner dismissed all of the criticism
and proved the naysayers wrong by winning the title. Of course, many believe
that Rovner did not so much win last year's title as the other competitors
lost it. Once again Rovner is quite content to allow the other competitors to
believe that he has no chance to win the title. He happily accepts the role of
huge underdog. In fact he relishes in this role, because he believes that when
he begins making birdies in the early parts of the MBBC, it places an
unbelieveable amount of pressure on the other players who do not want to lose
to Rovner. The increased pressure causes the other players to make fewer
birdies, thus giving Rovner an opportunity to win the title. ovner would
likely be the first to admit that if the birdie totals go high, he probably
will not be able to make enough to win the title. His hope remains that the
birdie total is low and that he is able to take advantage of his few birdie
opportunities.