Tiger not the favorite? Bet on it

For the first time since the British Open in 1998, the British bookmaker Ladbrokes does not have Tiger Woods as the betting favorite at a major championship in which he is entered. Ladbrokes has dropped the odds on Woods to 10 to 1 in the U.S. Open that begins on Thursday at Pebble Beach. Phil Mickelson is the favorite at 8 to 1.

"A favorite other than Woods would have been unthinkable not so long ago," Ladbrokes spokesman, Nick Weinberg, told Bettingpro. "But it's a sign of the times and testimony to the former poster boy's monumental fall from grace, that it's Mickelson who goes off as the man to beat."

The question is, would you bet against him?

-- John Strege