Golf Events / Editor / 05 May 2007 / Leave a Comment

A mouth-watering prospect awaits golf fans over the weekend with Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh both in the group of joint leaders at the halfway stage of this week's Wachovia Championship.

Woods and Singh have won more tournaments between them in the last three years than any other five golfers combined and will play alongside each other in the third round - much to the delight of the organisers and spectators.

The pair sit at the top of the leader board, along with Arron Oberholser, on six under-par, one stroke clear of Ted Purdy and Jason Bohn, with the in-form Ken Duke a shot further back.

But, with another eight players just three strokes back on three-under-par, including the likes of Phil Mickelson, European number one Padraig Harrington, Rod Pampling and Rory Sabbatini, it is anything but a two-horse race and there promises to be plenty of drama over the final two days.

Woods began the week as the pre-tournament favourite when he could be backed at 3.9 to win and has now shortened to 2.18 while he is just 1.11 to finish in the top ten.

Singh, the winner at Quail Hollow two years ago, is trading at 5.6 to win, while the third of the co-leaders at the cut-mark, Oberholser, can be backed at 17 together with Mickelson.

Purdy is trading at generous-looking odds of 36, two points longer than first-round leader Harrington, with Bohn available at 44 to win ahead of Duke, who can be backed at 50 despite having finished in the top ten of PGA Tour events the last three weeks.

But most of the attention will centre around Woods and Singh, as the pair, the only multiple winners on tour so far in 2007, go head-to-head around one of the most testing courses on the PGA Tour.

Woods, who is trading at 1.25 to place in the first five, has already demonstrated his remarkable powers of recovery on his way to a share of the lead.

While the world number one made five birdies on Friday on his way to a second-round 68, he only had one bogey - some feat bearing in mind he only hit fit fairways all day and his ball was often seen sailing into the trees.

The tournament is one of five that Woods has never won on the PGA Tour and he is desperate to do so on the anniversary of the death of his father and mentor Earl, but he will need to scramble just as well over the weekend if he is to achieve his dream unless he straightens up off the tee.

There was nothing too spectacular about Singh's second round either in its early stages, but an eagle, birdie, par finish will have put the Fijian in good heart ahead of the weekend as he tries to emulate his victory two years ago.

Singh can be backed at 1.56 to finish in the top five while he and Woods have been paired together in Batfair's match-betting.

After recovering from a back injury early in the season, Oberholser is a player that has improved every week and it would be no surprise to see him among the challengers on Sunday afternoon.

Oberholser, who lost out to Joey Sindelar in a play-off here three years ago, signed off on Friday with three straight birdies to card a 69 and is trading at 3 to place in the first five.
Mickelson has produced his usual array of birdies and bogeys so far in North Carolina - he only hit one fairway on his front nine on Friday - but the left-hander is only three shots off the lead and, with his birdie-making ability, remains very much in the hunt.

The same applies for Sabbatini, 65 to win and 5.3 to come in the top five and Harrington, 4.4 to finish in the first five, who led with two holes remaining of his second round only to go bogey, triple bogey on Quail Hollow's treacherous finish.

Stewart Cink (85 to win), Rod Pampling (110 to win) and Carl Pettersson (90 to win) lie on the same mark and will fancy their chances of being involved in the final shake-up, while keep an eye out for 2004 winner Sindelar, who is also on three-under and finished in the top ten here last year, and is still attractively priced at 200 to win.

Included in the group on two-under-par, and who will believe they can still win, are world number three Adam Scott (48 to win and 4.3 to finish in the first five), Sergio Garcia and Trevor Immelman (trading at around 80 to win), who have both been beaten in play-offs in the last two years.

But also sneaking into contention is 2006 Players' Championship winner Stephen Ames, who is only four shots adrift of the leaders and looks to be hitting form at the right time ahead of next week.

He can be backed at an attractively looking 130 to win and 7.2 to come in the top five, with the in-form Jerry Kelly trading around a similar mark.