Tiger Woods Favorite to Win Accenture Championship

Golfing legend Tiger Woods is the favorite to win the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship beginning Wednesday in Arizona.

Woods being the favorite isn't usually breaking news, but when we last saw him in June, he was winning the U.S. Open on one leg. And anytime a golfer is coming off ACL knee surgery, questions will remain.

Woods is the heavy 4:1 favorite, with Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, and Anthony Kim significantly behind him at 15:1. You can get all the odds for this event at Sportsbook.com, the leader in golf wagering.

Mickelson is coming off a win last week at the Northern Trust Open but Woods won the WGC-Accenture Match Play in 2008 as well as 2004 and 2003.

Other to watch out for this week are the 2006 winner Geoff Ogilvy, who was also the runner-up the following year. Ogilvy is at 20:1 odds as is the 2007 winner Henrik Stenson.

Woods excels in match play as he's the clutchest player on the tour. That's a big reason why he chose this event, to get off on the right foot for a big 2009 season.

Sportsbook.com also has a special prop for how many majors Woods will win this year with zero majors at 1:1 odds, one major at 2:1, two majors at 3:1, three majors at 10:1 and the Grand Slam at 20:1.

The ACL injury Woods suffered can be tricky for any athlete whether you're a golfer, basketball player or football player. Where the challenge really comes in for Woods is the quick twisting he does with his knee, especially off the tee.

Woods has one of the most hard and violent swings in the game, if not the hardest, and it remains to be seen if he'll be less than 100%.

You would like to think Woods wouldn't come back until completely healthy but it's hard to keep someone as competitive as him idol for too long. There will be rust as Tiger is still human after all, but how much is the big question.

Woods wouldn't be coming back unless he thought he could win this event, it's not just a tune-up for the Masters. (Note that Woods is the huge favorite for the Masters as well at 9:4 odds at Sportsbook.com).

Think Woods can perform another miracle on the green beginning Wednesday?

Bet on it at Sportsbook.com.

Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter