Spreadwiser Wiser Spread Betting and Other Thoughts

Buyers would really love Tiger feat

Tiger Woods was on top form in his press conference earlier, but will he be on top form on the course after an enforced 16-week lay off?

Timing his return for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone, the course where he has won seven times in his last nine attempts. He's also paired with recent Open winner Darren Clarke, so Tiger will be hoping success rubs off on him to end his drought of two years without a tournament victory.

It's perhaps slightly surprising then to see Woods behind 13 other players in the finishing position markets - his spread is 29-32 with Sporting Index.

Going against Woods is the fact that he has parted company from his most succesful caddy, Steve Williams, the man who stood beside Tiger on his way to 13 majors and also the fact that Woods reportedly only started practising one week ago.

So what sort of player is most likely to win? At 7,400 yards, Firestone is a long par 70, although shorter hitters have tasted success here. A key attribute seems to be scrambling. Look out for Steve Stricker, Jason Day and Zach Johnson - all of whom are ranked in the top 5 for scrambling stats on the PGA Tour.