Aces have become favorites in WNBA
Hammon’s style has team clicking
Losing four-time WNBA All-star center Liz Cambage in free agency appears to have inadvertently helped the Aces, off to the best start in franchise history and the betting favorites to win the franchise’s first title.
The Aces, with a league-best 13-2 record, are even-money favorites at the Westgate Superbook to win the WNBA championship, and oddsmaker Jeff Sherman attributes much of the team’s success to the loss of Cambage and addition of first-year coach Becky Hammon.
“They’re playing a different style because they don’t have to clog the middle going to the post,” he said. “Becky Hammon has got this team playing more of an Nba-style perimeter game. It’s definitely an improvement from where they were last year.
“They’re leading the league in margin of victory, and they’ve just been impressive to start.”
The Aces, who opened at
4-1 to win the title, are second in tickets and money wagered at the Westgate to claim the crown behind the defending league champion Chicago Sky, the 5-1 third pick to repeat as champs.
In a potential WNBA Finals preview, the Aces host the Sky (10-5) on Tuesday night at Michelob Ultra Arena. Sherman projects the Aces, riding a four-game winning streak, to be 4½-point favorites.
The Connecticut Sun are the +350 second choice to win the title, followed by the Seattle Storm (7-1), Washington Mystics (10-1), Dallas Wings (40-1) and Phoenix Mercury (60-1).
Woods major liability
Tiger Woods will be back for the British Open, and so will his backers.
Bettors are loading up on Woods at long odds to win the year’s final major July 14-17 at St. Andrews in Scotland.
The 15-time major champion is the largest liability at the Westgate, which is already on the hook for six figures on Woods after taking a bet for more than $1,000 at 50-1 and a $400 wager to win $24,000 at his current odds of 60-1.
Woods hasn’t played since May 21, when he withdrew from the PGA Championship after limping his way to a 9-over 79 in the third round at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He announced on Twitter on June 7 that he was skipping the U.S. Open “as my body needs more time to get stronger for major championship golf.”
Woods missed most of last year with severe leg injuries suffered in a car crash in February 2021. He returned to the competitive golf in April at the Masters, where he finished with back-to-back 78s for a total score of 13 over, his worst score at Augusta National.
“With his lack of playing competitive golf, you just can’t expect him to step on this stage and win,” Sherman said of bumping Woods from 50-1 to 60-1. “Just look at the depth of the tour.”
Woods is third in tickets behind Jordan Spieth and Las Vegas resident and defending champion Collin Morikawa and second in money wagered behind Brooks Koepka on the British Open at the Westgate.
British Open favorites
Rory Mcilroy is the 12-1 favorite to win the 150th British Open. Jon Rahm and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler are each 14-1. PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas is 16-1, and Morikawa is 20-1.
U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick is tied for the 25-1 sixth choice with Spieth, Will Zalatoris, Shane Lowry and Las Vegas resident Xander Schauffele.
Sherman said he kept Fitzpatrick’s odds at 25-1 after he held off Zalatoris and Scheffler for a one-stroke victory Sunday at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
“It’s difficult for anyone to win back-to-back majors. Look at Justin Thomas,” Sherman said. “The tour’s just so deep and so talented.”