An improved process for telomerizing butadiene, the process comprising contacting butadiene and an organic hydroxy compound represented by formula ROH, wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 -hydrocarbyl and the organic hydroxy compound is not glycerol, in a reaction fluid in the presence of a palladium catalyst and a phosphine ligand, the improvement comprising, a) the phosphine ligand being selected from a group represented by formula: wherein: R 1, R 2, R 3 and R 4 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, substituted and unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 -hydrocarbyls, and substituted and unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 -hydrocarbyloxyls, provided that at least two R 1 moieties are independently selected from substituted and unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 -hydrocarbyloxyls and that the phosphine ligand has a total of two, three, four, five, or six substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 -hydrocarbyloxyls; wherein optionally on each phenyl ring, R 1 is bonded to R 2 to form a 5- to 7-membered ring, R 2 is bonded to R 3 to form a 5- to 7-membered ring, or R 3 is bonded to R 4 to form a 5- to 7-membered ring; and b) which contacting occurs in a reaction fluid, which reaction fluid comprises the butadiene, the organic hydroxy compound, the palladium catalyst, and the phosphine ligand, under conditions and for a reaction time sufficient to yield a product mixture comprising a linear product 1-RO-2,7-octadiene and a branched product 3-RO-1,7-octadiene with a linear product to branched product molar ratio of greater than 25/1 and a catalyst efficiency at least 150 grams of the linear product per gram palladium per hour, wherein R is as defined above. a) the phosphine ligand being selected from a group represented by formula: wherein: R 1, R 2, R 3 and R 4 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, substituted and unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 -hydrocarbyls, and substituted and unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 -hydrocarbyloxyls, provided that at least two R 1 moieties are independently selected from substituted and unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 -hydrocarbyloxyls and that the phosphine ligand has a total of two, three, four, five, or six substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 -hydrocarbyloxyls; wherein optionally on each phenyl ring, R 1 is bonded to R 2 to form a 5- to 7-membered ring, R 2 is bonded to R 3 to form a 5- to 7-membered ring, or R 3 is bonded to R 4 to form a 5- to 7-membered ring; and R 1, R 2, R 3 and R 4 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, substituted and unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 -hydrocarbyls, and substituted and unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 -hydrocarbyloxyls, provided that at least two R 1 moieties are independently selected from substituted and unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 -hydrocarbyloxyls and that the phosphine ligand has a total of two, three, four, five, or six substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 -hydrocarbyloxyls; wherein optionally on each phenyl ring, R 1 is bonded to R 2 to form a 5- to 7-membered ring, R 2 is bonded to R 3 to form a 5- to 7-membered ring, or R 3 is bonded to R 4 to form a 5- to 7-membered ring; and b) which contacting occurs in a reaction fluid, which reaction fluid comprises the butadiene, the organic hydroxy compound, the palladium catalyst, and the phosphine ligand, under conditions and for a reaction time sufficient to yield a product mixture comprising a linear product 1-RO-2,7-octadiene and a branched product 3-RO-1,7-octadiene with a linear product to branched product molar ratio of greater than 25/1 and a catalyst efficiency at least 150 grams of the linear product per gram palladium per hour, wherein R is as defined above.