2006 PGA Championship Betting

There’s little doubt as to who the favorite is going into thisweekend’s 88th playing of the PGA Championship at Medinah #3 justoutside of Chicago.

Tiger Woods, who in the last month has wonthe British Open and the Buick Open, is the clear favorite toadd to his number of PGA victories and majors this weekend. Woodsis posted, at various online sportsbooks, at between 2/1 and 3/1to win his 12th career major championship at the same course hewon one of his previous majors.

Woods won the British Open at Royal Liverpool a month ago forhis 11th career major victory, then snared his 50th career PGAwin two weeks ago at the Buick Open.

Woods won the PGA Championship when it was held at this coursein 1999. And he’s been hot lately; he’s broken 70 in 10 of thelast 12 tournament rounds he’s played.

Phil Mickelson, the defending PGA champ who also won The Mastersearlier this year, is the second favorite on online PGA Championshipbetting boards at right around 8/1. Mickelson, if you’ll recall,made a birdie on the 72nd hole at Baltusrol last year to win histhis tournament, his second career major victory. He then addedhis third at Augusta this spring.

But Mickelson missed the cut last week at The Internationalat Castle Pines.

Medinah #3, which will become the longest course (7,561 yards)to ever host a major this weekend, opened in 1928 and has beenredesigned four times. The par-72 layout has only four par-5s,and has been lengthened by 157 yards since the PGA was playedhere seven years ago. But interviews with some of the playersearlier this week indicate the course “doesn’t play” as long asthe yardage listed.

And #3 would seem to favor a right-handed swinger who can drawthe ball. Five holes play as dogleg lefts, while only two holesplay as dogleg rights.

Ernie Els, who hasn’t won a PGA event in two years, is postedat right around 14/1 on most PGA betting boards. He’s followedby another member of The Big Four, Vijay Singh, who’s listed ataround 16/1. And Jim Furyk, with four straight Top 4 finishesthis summer, is posted at around 17/1 to claim his second careermajor championship this weekend.

Singh is a two-time winner of this event, claiming the WanamakerTrophy at Whistling Straits in 2004 and at Sahalee in 1998.

Others on the PGA Championship betting board include RetiefGoosen at 22/1; Sergio Garcia (2nd at Medinah in ’99) at 24/1;Adam Scott at 28/1; local favorite Luke Donald at 29/1; ChrisDiMarco (2nd at British Open last month) at 30/1; Padraig Harringtonat 37/1; and Trevor Immelman, U.S. Open champ Geoff Ogilvy, andEuropean Order of Merit leader David Howell at 40/1.

This weekend’s PGA Championship is also the last tournamentin which American players can earn points toward the Ryder Cupstandings. And being a major, the points are worth double. TheTop 6 players on the list have already clinched spots on the team.So #s 7-10, Vaughn Taylor, J.J. Henry, Zach Johnson and BrettWetterich, have a lot more than just a major championship to playfor. Most of them are listed at right around 80/1 to win thisweekend, if they’re not included among “the field” betting.

John Rollins, Stewart Cink (60/1), Jerry Kelly (2nd at U.S.Bank Open three weeks ago), Lucas Glover and Davis Love III (’97PGA Championship winner) make up #s 11-15 in the American RyderCup rankings.

Argentinean Angel Cabrera, a bomber off the tee who’s finishedin the Top 10 at both The Masters and the British Open this year,is listed at around 80/1 to win the PGA Championship this weekendat sportsbooks where he’s not included in the field.

The field of 156 players this weekend includes 19 club professionals.

TNT will provide the television coverage from 2 to 8 p.m. EasternThursday and Friday. TNT also picks up the early coverage Saturdayand Sunday, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. CBS swoops in for the late coverageover the weekend, from 2 p.m. until play is done Saturday andSunday.

The Ultimatecapper Pick: We’ll take Vijay here at 16-1.