Everybody has eyes on Tiger

The 2008 Masters begins today and based on the pre-tournament hype, it would seem as if Phil Mickelson has the same chance of winning as Bubba Watson because of the Tiger Woods factor.

Woods, who has won four Masters titles and earned victories in seven of his eight events this year, is the consensus favorite by a landslide. He’s listed at 6-5 followed by the field (all others) at 5-1, according to Sportsbook.com.

Please let that sink in for a minute.

Woods’ domination over golf is so strong that some Las Vegas oddsmakers have made him the bet against the best golfers in the world. Not in a multiple event series, where the top player or team usually wins out.

No, it’s a single tournament event where Woods competes against everyone else.

Woods’ main individual competition will be Mickelson, who is listed at 10-1 at Sportsbook.com. Mickelson is followed by Vijay Singh and Geoff Ogilvy at 15-1. Watson is listed at 150-1.

At VegasInsider.com, it’s also Tiger vs. the world. Woods is listed at 7-5 with the field at 9-2. Mickelson is next at 8-1, followed by Ernie Els at 15-1 and Singh at 18-1.

On sports betting boards that do not have Woods vs. the field, Tiger is listed at 1-1, followed by Mickelson at 10-1 and Singh at 18-1. But some, like Bodoglife.com, also have a Masters’ bet for every golfer except for Woods.

Without Tiger in the wager, Mickelson is listed as the favorite at 6-1, followed by Singh and Ogilvy at 12-1, Retief Goosen at 14-1 and Els at 16-1.

Bodoglife.com also has a bet available for the top European player with Padraig Harrington listed as the favorite at 7-2. He’s followed by Justin Rose at 6-1 and Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson at 8-1. Here’s one final note on Woods: At Sportsbetting.com, Woods is listed at 6-1 not to win any majors in 2008; 3-1 to win one major; 3-1 to win two majors; 3-2 to win three majors; and 2-1 to win four majors.

Hockey

As if the Stanley Cup playoffs were not interesting enough, Bodoglife.com has numerous proposition bets available for this year’s postseason.

Some of the more interesting wagers include: How many upsets will there be during the first round of the playoffs? Over 3 (+130) or under 3 (-160); How many Game 7s will there be during the entire playoffs? Over 4 (-115) or under 4 (-115); How many overtime periods will there be during the entire playoffs? Over 24 1/2 (-115) or under 24 1/2 (-115); How many five-minute fighting majors will there be during the entire playoffs? Over 21 (-115) or under 21 (-115).

NBA

The Clippers and Lakers meet for the fourth and final time this season when they play tonight at Staples Center. The Lakers won the first three meetings and covered double-digit point spreads in the last two victories.

Dating to the 2005-06 season, the Lakers have covered the spread against the Clippers in six of the last eight games between the teams.

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lonnie.white@latimes.com