In preparing to write about Charles Barkley’s odds to win the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship, I went to look up some old clips of his swing for us all to laugh about. And to my surprise, it’s actually improved from the old disjointed stroke that made us feel better about our own games over the years.
The new swing is turning some bettors into believers.
Barkley’s odds to crack the top 70 of the 87-golfer field opened at +500 at Caesars Sportsbook but moved to +260 as of Thursday, according to ESPN’s David Purdum. One person that isn’t buying Barkley’s new and improved game, however, is fellow NBA superstar Stephen Curry.
“No, hell no,” Curry said Thursday at a news conference about Barkley’s chances. “Clip that, send it to him, let him play it on every tee box. There’s no way he’s doing it.”
Top 70 is as far as bettors were willing to go on Barkley. His 7500-1 odds to win the tournament aren’t seeing much action.
Charles Barkley has 7500-1 odds to win the American Century Championship.
Per @DavidPurdum, there are 10 bets on him to win at @CaesarsSports (biggest is a $10 wager)
— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) July 8, 2022
Barkley finished 76th last year, the best he’s done in the tournament. But Curry, who has 12-1 odds to win, might be alone in his doubt about Barkley’s chances to climb. The largest bet Caesars had taken through Thursday was $2,000 for Barkley to finish in the top 70. Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, the favorite at 3-1 to win the event, said it’s a bet he would also make.
“He hit the ball really well,” Romo said of Barkley’s practice session. “And he improved a lot last year, I thought. I would bet on him to finish in the top 70.”
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