Jim Furyk not bothered by long odds against him

Jim Furyk is listed at odds of 66-1 to win the Masters Tournament, according to a compilation of Las Vegas sports books.

He knows enough about sports betting to not take it personal.

“It’s not who they think is going to win or who they think is a longshot,” Furyk said before playing in the Par-3 Contest on Wednesday at Augusta National Golf Club. “It’s all about trying to get the money going in a certain direction. That’s why that doesn’t mean anything to me.”

That said, those odds could make the 20-year PGA Tour veteran, 16-time PGA Tour winner and 2003 U.S. Open champion a tempting bet.

Furyk’s game has been trending up, with a tie for third last week at the Texas Open and a tie for seventh last month in the Tampa Bay Championship. He’s made all seven of his cuts this season and made a steady climb up the FedEx Cup points list, from 65th to 36th since the beginning of the Florida Swing.

Furyk is also coming off an 11th-place finish in last year’s Masters. Though he’s never won at Augusta, he has carved out a solid performance, making 14-of-16 cuts, finishing in the top 10 four times and in the top 20 eight times.

“I’m feeling good … I’m confident in where my game is,” Furyk said. “I feel good about my putting, which I wasn’t feeling at this time last year.”

Furyk has a new Callaway “Razr Xtreme” driver that is giving him more length and more height on his drives – certainly desirable at Augusta.

“My short game is coming around,” he said. “It was a thorn in my side earlier this season. Some things are falling into place.”

Furyk hasn’t won a tournament since the 2010 Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta, which gave him the FedEx Cup championship. He had eight top-10 finishes last year, with a string of bitter disappointments: losing a late lead in the U.S. Open; falling in a playoff to Luke Donald at Tampa Bay; tying for second in the Bridgestone Invitational after leading wire-to-wire until a double bogey on No. 18; and missing two crucial putts in singles during the Ryder Cup, losing 1-down to Sergio Garcia after holding a 1-up lead with two holes to play.

Furyk has had his share of heartbreak at Augusta. He shot 67-68 on the weekend in 1998 and had chances late before Mark O’Meara won. He finished fourth again in 2003, shooting a final-round 68 and missing the Mike Weir-Len Mattiace playoff by three shots.

Furyk entered the final round in 2009 in fourth and three shots off the lead after shooting 68, but he struggled to 73 the next day and tied for 10th.

Even in his 17th Masters, Furyk said there are lessons to be learned at Augusta.

“Every year I learn more about the course and how I can fit my game and my style to it,” he said.