Kim enters this year’s tournament as one of the favorites in Golf Betting Odds and with Phil Mickelson entering the event as of March 18, Kim’s online betting odds may be tempting. Kim is coming off of his best finish this season, a sixth place in the Farmers Insurance Open.

Other notable entries for the Shell Houston Open will be Ernie Els, Fred Couples, and Matt Kuchar.

Fred Couples is always a fan favorite but one the contenders to challenge Anthony Kim will be Matt Kuchar. Kuchar is looking strong early and is coming off a fifth place finish in the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. Kuchar also ranks near the top in the FedEx Cup standings, has made the cut in every event and placed in the top 25 six of his seven events entered.

Tiger Woods normally passes up on the Houston Open because it is the weekend before The Masters. Mickelson was a surprise late commitment to the event and it may be because he wants to find his rhythm as he heads to Augusta the next week. Mickelson scored a second in the Farmers Insurance Open and a ninth in Pebble Beach this season. Mickelson is also striking the ball well, averaging 293 yards.

At St. Andrews from July 15-18, the event will be held, with $759,000 pounds for the runner-up and $496,000 for third place, a total purse of $7.3 million.

The pound has weakened position against the dollar and the euro has been taken into account, says Royal and Ancient Club chief executive Peter Dawson.

“The Open Championship sits at the forefront of world golf and it is appropriate that our prize fund reflects that position in the game, over the last 18 months we have had to take account of the pound’s weakened position against the U.S. dollar and the euro, and we have increased our prize money accordingly”, Dawson said Tuesday.

To rest an ailing right shoulder, David Toms has withdrawn from the British Open, and Anthony Kim formally pulled out as he recovers from thumb surgery.

At St. Andrews, the Royal & Ancient said Tuesday they were replaced in the field by Ricky Barnes and Davis Love III.

Since the spring, Toms has been coping with a bone spur in his rotator cuff, and he has been trying to get by without surgery. His fourth straight tournament is the AT&T National. Toms wanted to wait as long as possible to see how he was feeling, but not so long that it affected the travel of whoever replaced him, said his agent, Adam Young.

In May, Kim had surgery and never planned to play the Open. At the Canadian Open, he hopes to return a week later.

Since turning professional in 2006, Kim has played in ten major tournaments including three US Opens. He has had moderate success in majors, but after finishing third at the Masters a few months ago he knows how elusive these majors can be.

Kim’s first US Open came in 2007 at the Oakmount Country Club in Pennsylvania. Kim ended up finishing 20th overall. A year later, Kim regressed a little by finishing 26th at the 2008 US Open held at Torrey Pines.

Kim’s best performance to date at the US Open came in 2009 on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Long Island. He would finish tied for 16th place.

Kim, has done very well on the PGA Tour and has established himself as one of the best young talents in the world. He picked up his third PGA Tour victory on April 4, 2010, at the Shell Houston Open. With the win, he joined Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, and Adam Scott as the only golfers to win three PGA Tour events before turning 25.

Whether Kim can build from the momentum of the Masters and the Shell Houston Open remains to be seen. Kim played his best golf when it mattered the most at the Masters, posting a final round score of 65. He appears to be interested in staying on top of the leader boards of major tournaments for years to come.

The tournament was moved from its regular position on the tour schedule due to numerous mitigating factors, among them television contracts and the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The event kicks off with the FBR/Xerox pro-am which has attracted such notables as Alice Cooper, George Lopez and Ray Romano. The tournament is being hosted by The Thunderbirds, a local charitable organization founded in 1937.

The tournament purse is $6 million dollars and 500 FedEx points are at stake.

Last year’s winner, Kenny Perry, is currently ranked sixth in the Golfweek/Sagarin power rankings. Perry had to scramble to victory last year, as he won on the third hole of a playoff, and the field looks equally daunting this year.

Other golfers that have committed to this year’s tournament include Y.E. Yang and Anthony Kim.

Some of the sponsor’s exemption may draw some notice as well. The golfer who was granted the final sponsor’s exemption is Sam Saunders, the grandson of golf legend Arnold Palmer.

Also, Martin Kaymer has gotten the Commissioner’s foreign exemption, and he is currently ranked fifteenth in the Golfweek/Sagarin power rankings.

If the tournament holds to form from last year, the toughest hole to play will be number eleven and the easiest hole will be the thirteenth. Be sure to watch the tournament on the golf channel, as another desert shootout appears to be looming.

Will he or won’t he is the question many are asking. If Tiger Woods plays, and that’s a big if he will be 4-1 odds.

There is a big group right behind Tiger that will go off at 8-1 odds. In this group will be Phil Mickelson, Kenny Perry, and the defending champ Angel Cabrera. Will Cabrera be able to find the magic this year, and can Kenny Perry get back into contention?

Going off at 12-1 odds will be Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, and Geoff Ogilvy.

Maybe worth a shot at 20-1 odds, you can consider giving Chad Campbell, Stephen Ames, and Paul Casey a look. Longer odds fall with Anthony Kim, Padraig Harrington, and Henrik Stenson.

Still a couple months to go before all the greats tee it up at Augusta. One thing is for sure, everyone will be trying to spot a Tiger. If he isn’t there, it’s anyone’s guess who will be the favorite.