90th PGA Championship Preview

Golf Betting Lines

08/04/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - "I am glad I brought this course, this monster, to its knees."

Ben Hogan famously said that statement after the 1951 U.S. Open at Oakland Hills, site of this week's 90th PGA Championship.

Fifty-seven years ago, there were only two rounds under par, including Hogan's 67 on Sunday. He won the event and put the legend of Oakland Hills into golf immortality.

The South Course at Oakland Hills could still be fresh in the players' minds. It hosted the 2004 Ryder Cup and the 1996 U.S. Open, but renovations by Rees Jones two years ago could make "The Monster" even more terrifying.

Oakland Hills will play to 7,395 yards this week thanks to added length at 15 holes. Fairways were narrowed, both fairway and greenside bunkers were changed and even the ponds at Nos. 7 and 16 bring water into play.

One thing Jones didn't tinker with was the greens at Oakland Hills. Possibly considered the most treacherous putting surfaces in the U.S., Jones did not mess with the greens where even three-footers make players sweat.

Think back to four years ago. Without the top international players, the European team put on a clinic, especially on the greens, winning the event by a staggering nine points. Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood were outstanding that early fall weekend, but the Americans' best player was Tiger Woods.

The world No. 1 and defending champion is obviously not on hand this week, recovering from knee surgery. Last month, we endured our first Tiger-less major and it didn't disappoint.

Unfortunately, Greg Norman won't be at Oakland Hills to bring buzz like he did at the British Open. Norman declined the PGA of America's invitation, but the field is certainly not devoid of intrigue.

Phil Mickelson decided to switch clubs the week before the '04 Ryder Cup and struggled badly. He has not driven the ball well all year, but has two wins and played well at Firestone last week, tying for fourth after entering the final round tied for the lead.

Westwood shared the 54-hole lead at the Bridgestone Invitational and missed the epic Woods/Mediate U.S. Open playoff by a stroke. He's trimmed down, gotten his game in world-class shape and could be ready for a big breakthrough.

Vijay Singh was the third third-round leader and is a two-time PGA Champion. Like Mickelson, he's struggled some with the big club, but when the course requires precision and length, Singh is a hard guy to argue with. Now that he won last week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, he is the guy at Oakland Hills.

Garcia was lights out four years ago, but that was the Ryder Cup. He's been great at all four of those he's been in, so can he rekindle the magic without wearing the Euro uniform? Hard to say.

Garcia is probably the best driver in the world. He is not close to the top in putting and with these surfaces, the Spaniard could be in some trouble. However, imagination is required at Oakland Hills and Garcia excels when creativity is needed.

Obviously, Ryder Cuppers and 54-hole leaders from the week prior are not the only contenders worth watching.

Ernie Els and Jim Furyk tied for fifth in the '96 U.S. Open. Both are highly- ranked stars with major pedigrees and both posted top-10 finishes at Royal Birkdale.

Then there is Padraig Harrington. He's certainly in good form with his amazing back nine on Sunday at the British Open Championship and the Irishman played well in 2004 in the Ryder Cup.

Harrington went into the Open Championship with zero expectations due to a wrist injury. All he did was relax, play steady and hoist the claret jug for the second year in a row.

Not everyone has the luxury of a bum wrist. Expectations soar for some players in the absence of Woods. Mickelson, Els, Singh and Harrington can all take one step closer to being one of the game's all-time greats.

Garcia, Westwood, Adam Scott and even Kenny Perry can finally secure that elusive first major championship. Guys from both sides of the pond are fighting for Ryder Cup spots and all tour players are gearing up for a run in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

With so much at stake at the PGA Championship, no one will tame "The Monster." Scores won't be under par this week, so look for the grinders. It's safe to say there will be more than two rounds under par, but maybe not many more.

"The greatest test of golf I have ever played, and the toughest course." - Hogan.

The toughest course, and it's lengthened?

Really is a "Monster."

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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.

New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).

The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.

Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.

Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.

The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.

Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.

The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.

Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.

However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).

The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.

Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.

In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.

Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.

Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.

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