General / Editor / 28 June 2007 /

Jim Furyk has played down the fact that he is the firm favourite going into this week's Buick Open tournament.

The world number three is one of only two players ranked in the world's top 20, Trevor Immelman (32 to win) is the other, taking part in the Michigan event.

In particular, the absence of Tiger Woods has led to punters heavily backing Furyk to win his first tournament of the year. The 2003 US Open champion is trading at 6 to pick up the winner's cheque.

The 37-year-old said: "I've never looked at if it's a strong field or a weak field. Never have I shown up at an event and looked down the list to see who is here and who is not.

"Obviously with Tiger and Elin having the baby last week, it was pretty apparent he wouldn't be at this event. I know Buick will miss him, but he's played in this event a lot and he'll be back here a lot in the future."

Heavy rain has softened up the course, allowing players to shoot right at pins even more than usual and a low winning score looks likely.

Furyk added: "The greens couldn't be any softer. I can stop a 5-iron in a foot. This rain is pretty much ensuring it will be that way for the rest of the week."

Two other Americans, Scott Verplank and Sean O'Hair, are seen as Furyk's closest challengers. Verplank can be backed at 19.5 and O'Hair is on offer at 20.

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