From: Scott Woods
[nittanylion96@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 3:54
PM
To: Eric A. Drossner; Dan Hoelke; Paul S. Rovner
Subject:
MBBC XIV - Early Odds
After months of discussions, the schedule for the 14th
Annual Myrtle Beach Birdie Champion has finally been set. The
players have agreed that the tournament will be held from Saturday, May 22nd
through Wednesday, May 26th. The players have also agreed on the majority
of the courses to be played, with some courses still to be determined. For
the first time in tournament history, the players will attempt to play 3 of
their favorite courses twice. On Day 2, the traditional Batrefoot Day
(also known as Moving Day) the players will play the Fazio Course twice.
Two days later, the players will have two shots at their favorite hole, when
they play the Love course twice. The players are also hoping to play
Grande Dunes twice (on Monday, the 24th and the final round on the 26th), but
that remains in question because of maintenance being done on the course.
Three time champion Eric Drossner has selected Myrtlewood as the site of the
opening round. (Drossner had selected the Pine Hills course, but because
of maintenance, the tournament will likely open on the Palmetto course)
After Moving Day, the tournament will likely move to Farmstead with its Par 6 (a
course played once before but not birdied) with a to-be-determined replay at
Grande Dunes, Tidewater, Shaftsbury Glen, or Pine Lakes. The next day, the
tournament will move to the ove Course in a day that is sure to feature a lot of
fireworks. (There has been some talk that the players will change tees for
the two rounds, but that is also to be determined.) Finally, as indicated
above, the tournament hopes to wrap up at Grande Dunes.
With the
schedule finally released, the latest sponsor of the MBBC odds, New York - New
York Hotel and Casino, is pelased to announce the opening lines for the 2010
Myrtle Beach Birdie Championship.
Eric Drossner -
1:1
Three-time defending champion Eric Drossner has
been established as the opening line favorite. Drossner made an impressive
statement last year, when he fired 9 birdies and absolutely blew away the field
in Tiger Woods-like fashion. Drossner's performance quashed any critics
who questioned the legitimacy of his previous two titles (because of the reduced
field in 2007 and the tiebreaker win in 2008). "Impressive" is the best
way to describe Drossner's performance. he struc 3 times in the opening
round and never looked back. In fact, Drossner probably could have reached
double digits had he converted a couple of other chances. However, for the
most part, Drossner converted nearly all of the legitimate birdie chances he
had, as well as a couple of not so legitimate chances. "Converting your
chances is the key," said former champion Scott Woods, "and Droz did better
in 2009, then I think anyone has ever done it before. He simply did not
miss, and anyone is hard to beat if they're converting like that." Simply
put, Drossner was "in the zone" throughout the tournament. He also showed
something of a killer instinct, which had been lacking in year's past.
During the course of the event, Drossner never seemed satisfied with a lead, and
continued to add to his birdie totals and piling the embarassment on the
other competitors. The simple question for 2010, Can he do it
again? The oddsmakers seem to think he can. Drossner putted better
then he ever has, and there's no reason to think he cannot continue doing it in
2010.
Dan Hoelke -
3:2
Dan Hoelke has struggled since his
horrific knee injury caused him to miss the 2007 tournament. He has posted
respectable birdie totals of 4 in each of the last 2 years, but even he
would have to agree that he has not played up to the level he showed
before his injury. Hoelke's game was especially ugly last year, as he
struggled off the tee and could not set himself up for birdie
opportunities. More than anyone, Hoelke seems to be putting too much
pressure on himself to make birdies. Many have suggested that his wife is
the one putting all the pressure on him, as she has often suggested that she
would withhold sex if Hoelke failed to win the title. (It is unknown if Mrs.
Hoelke has ever made good on this promise, but it is not believed to be the
case, since she recently delivered their first child.) Drinking on
the course seemed to help Hoelke quite a bit, as he became much more relaxed and
made at least 2 of his birdies while he was partially intoxicated. In
recent months, Hoelke has suggested that he will spend the entire trip
intoxicated. In fact, since he will be the first of the foursome to
arrive in Myrtle Beach, he recently commented that he could be found at the
airport bar. There does seem to be some truth to this theory, since Hoelke
has often played very well after heavy drinking nights. There is still no
doubt that Hoelke is the best overall golfer of the foursome, and it is very
likely that he will be the most prepared of the foursome. Once again, the
course selection would seem to favor Hoelke, since the players will play the
Barefoot courses 4 times (courses that Hoelke has destroyed in the past) and
could play his favorite venue, Grande Dunes, 2 times as well. Hoelke
always has the potential to catch fire and blow the field away, as he did many
years ago. There is the potential for a high scoring showdown between
Hoelke and Drossner.
Scott Woods -
8:1
Scott Woods' fabled career appears to have come to
a crashing halt. Woods was absolutely abysmal last year in firing a career
low 2 birides. His putting was atrocious, as he missed at least 5 other
reasonable chances. While last year may have been the worst, Woods' play
has been on the decline over the last several years. He
offered little challenge to Drossner in the Hoelke-less tournament in 2007
(a tournament many expected him to win) by firing only 2 birdies. 2008 was
only somewhat better, as he fired 4 birides and lead until the final hole, but
his inability to put the title on ice was unforgiveable. Woods seems
unable to keep up with the high numbers posted by Drossner and Hoelke over the
years. It has been 7 YEARS since Woods posted his career-best total of 6
birdies in a tournament. Many have question whether he is capable of
scoring any higher, which appears will be necessary to keep up with Drossner and
Hoelke. Woods has slacked on his preparation over the last few years,
although he was never known for his preparation previously. He has also
been distracted by his marriage. Some suspect he will be distracted again
this year, as he is on the verge of signing a contract on a new home.
Woods has made some changes for the better though, as he recently stopped eating
fast-food and drinking Coke leading to a 10-15 pound weight loss. Eric
Drossner saw little reason to believe the "diet" would continue as he commented,
"He won't be able to stay away from McDonald's much longer, and once he goes
back, he'll be a blimp in no time." The oddsmakers still see some
potential for Woods. He is the "darkhorse" in many people's minds, and the
world his hoping that he might be able to keep pace with Hoelke and Drossner to
create an exciting three-way race for the title.
Paul
Rovner - 75:1
As has been the
case over the last couple of years, there appears to be little chance of Rovner
challenging for the title in 2010. Despite dramatic improvements in his
game over the years, and some brief appearances on the leader boards, Rovner has
completely lost his game. Rovner has made 1 biride in the last 397
holes. The 1 birdie came last year after a 301 hole drought, which spanned
the end of 2007, all of 2008 and the beginning of 2009. He is currently
riding a 96 hole drought. It would be one thing, if Rovner was simply
putting poorly and failing to convert his birdie chances. Unfortunately,
it does not appear that there is one specific thing that Rovner is doing that is
preventing him from making birdies. Simply put, Rovner's birdie
opportunities have been few and far between. He has been erractic off the
tee, struggled with his irons and approach shots, and been fair at best with the
putter. About the only things that Rovner does well is get out of bunkers
and book the trip and rental car. Several years ago, Rovner had dedicated
himself to winning the MBBC. Somewhere, Rovner lost his way. While
he still plays occassionally, he has lacked the dedication needed to
contend. Rovner has also reportedly begun exercising and lost some weight,
leading to some to believe he may be back on a three year plan to win the title
in 2012. Clearly, Rovner cannot win in 2010 unless he takes a
surprising lead int he opening round and the remainder of the tournament is
rained out. A bet on Rovner for 2010 would appear to be throwing money
away until he shows some hope of contending.
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