89th PGA Championship Preview

Golf Betting Lines

08/06/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time Tiger Woods failed to win a major in one season was 2004. Sure, it's only three years ago, but since his historic Masters win in 1997, there have only been three seasons without a major for Woods.

We will be looking at another majorless campaign if Woods does not win the 89th PGA Championship, starting Thursday at Southern Hills.

He certainly seems poised for a good week. Amidst the final-round grouping hoopla surrounding Woods and Rory Sabbatini Sunday at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Woods dominated. Maybe not dominated, but he humiliated not just Sabbatini, but the whole field and Firestone Country Club.

You get the feeling we could be in store for that this week. Aside from his outrageous performance at the WGC event, Woods is a firm believer in history. Majors are what drive the cart and the wagon has been somewhat derailed in the first three majors of '07.

Woods has held a share of the lead on Sunday at both the Masters and U.S. Open. We've become accustomed to Woods running away with it when he has the lead, but so far, 2007 has been a wash.

That gnaws at the greatest player in the game. Woods' pursuit of history (Jack Nicklaus' 18 majors) drives him to greatness, but Southern Hills may not be the best track for him.

Woods, who tied for 12th at Southern Hills during the 2001 U.S. Open, has one hole in his game and that is wayward tee shots. Southern Hills is full of twists and turns, so length will not be necessary for victory.

Not that the design eliminates Woods. There is not an architect out there that has sculpted a course at which Woods could not win. Southern Hills is no different, but the names you are looking for are average-length hitters with sharp iron play and patience.

Masters champion Zach Johnson fits that mold. As does British Open winner Padraig Harrington, but don't sleep on names like Scott Verplank, Luke Donald or Justin Leonard.

Nor should you forget about Angel Cabrera, the U.S. Open champion. Southern Hills hosted the USGA flagship just six years prior, so what's to say he couldn't contend on a similar track to Oakmont? How about the fact that Cabrera tied for seventh in 2001? Starting to look like he could be a perennial on this list.

Retief Goosen won the U.S. Open here six years ago, so obviously the South African would be a favorite. However he is mired in a horrific slump this year which has seen one top 10 on the PGA Tour.

Jim Furyk would be an ideal choice, but a back injury forced him to withdraw from Firestone. If he's healthy, and simply caught one of those "one-week" back injuries, he could compete.

Phil Mickelson has missed the cut in the last two majors and did not play well at the Bridgestone. Is his wrist 100 percent? Can he handle the conditions, which should rival the inner crust of the Earth's core?

Vijay Singh, Ernie Els and any other big-name guy could win here, but the PGA Championship has favored more of the run-of-the-mill player than has any other major championship.

How many had Shaun Micheel or Rich Beem in their office pool? Even further back in tournament history, names like Bob Tway, Jeff Sluman and Wayne Grady are etched on the Wanamaker Trophy.

Who could be that player this year? Joe Durant, Rod Pampling and Hunter Mahan all make a lot of sense. Lucas Glover is trying to hold onto that final automatic Presidents Cup spot. (Both teams are finalized after Sunday's final round.)

No matter what team you are trying to get on, or how many points you can accumulate for the upcoming FedEx Cup playoffs, you have to get past Eldrick Woods.

Trying to get that last major of the year, Woods will be focused, and clearly his game is in shape. It gets boring picking him, but after an eight-shot win at a difficult course, wouldn't you?

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LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.

The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.

MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.

A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.

Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

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