PGA Championship 2012: Last-Minute News and Notes from Kiawah Island

Once again, Tiger Woods is the favorite to win the next major on the PGA Tour schedule, despite the fact he hasn't won a single one since the 2008 U.S. Open.

One of these days, he has to complete his comeback, right?

Maybe. Maybe not. Tiger, Rory McIlroy and a host of the usual favorites have failed to impress on any of golf's biggest stages this year, so the pressure will be on over the next four days at Kiawah Island as they vie for the final major of 2012: the PGA Championship.

Usually, you would think that someone who has been on a roll all year might be the favorite at Kiawah—but not this year, when the likes of Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson have been the ones triumphing when the stakes are the highest.

If Tiger's name isn't the one at the top of the leaderboard on Sunday afternoon, it could very well be that of Luke Donald—who missed the cut at the U.S. Open, but bounced back with a fifth-placed finish at the British Open—or Lee Westwood, whose odds have been right up there with Tiger's and McIlroy's all season, but who has been sliding ever since tying for third at Augusta in April.

As we prepare to kick off the first round at Kiawah, here are the latest news and notes from around the PGA.

The Latest Odds
via Bovada

Name	Odds
Tiger Woods	7-4
Rory McIlroy	10-3
Luke Donald	10-3
Lee Westwood	4-1
Adam Scott	11-2
Jason Dufner	11-2
Justin Rose	11-2
Webb Simpson	11-2

Weather Report

It looks like there is a slight chance thunderstorms could interrupt the Round 1 action at Kiawah, according to Weather.com. On Thursday, it's going to be a very hot, humid 89 degrees with partly cloudy skies, and for the rest of the weekend, thunderstorms and rain could continue to threaten the action.

Key Story-lines

Tiger Helped to Make This Major Anyone's Game

We're all well aware that each major in 2012 has been a toss-up, and without a clear-cut favorite—that includes Tiger Woods, who's the favorite based on little other than reputation—we could once again see a winner we never could have predicted.

Odds are, though, we can count out Watson, Simpson and Els. As Newsday.com reports, the last 16 major winners have been 16 different guys.

And the golfers who have come out of the woodwork to win this year have Tiger to thank for showing them what it takes to win, how to prepare and how to maintain composure. As Masters winner Watson told Newsday:

"

People are watching how he practiced, how he trained, how he made golf a physical game. He's strong. He can play golf with power and he can play it with precision, he can play it with a mental game, and everybody has taken note of that.

"

As a result, Tiger has himself (partly) to blame for the stiff competition he's facing this weekend.

…But Tiger Is Still Relaxed Heading Into the PGA Championship

If there's pressure, Tiger isn't feeling it—at least outwardly. In a meeting with reporters on Tuesday, he appeared downright jovial, even as he struggled to be heard over the thunder, according to The New York Times.

And Tiger does have good reason to be happy. Considering the way the past two years have gone for him, this one has been spectacular. No, he hasn't been able to win a major, but he did get three total wins and, most importantly, is improving steadily as the year progresses.

Tiger told the Times, "I was right there after two days at the U.S. Open, and I was right there with a chance at the British Open."

He's well aware that consistency has been his biggest problem—he's finally conquered the art of starting strong, but he's been unable to sustain his pace throughout all four rounds. As a result, he knows he doesn't have much more work to do before he deems himself deserving of the odds he receives before every major. 

Jim Furyk Is Ready to Rebound from U.S. Open

It's been a rough go lately for Furyk. At the U.S. Open in June, he was tied for the lead with three holes left and blew it to finish in a tie for fourth. Last weekend, at the Bridgestone Invitational, it was a familiar story. He led for the entire tournament until the very last hole, which he double-bogeyed, handing the win to Keegan Bradley.

He's certainly ready to turn his luck around, and perhaps Kiawah is the place to do it. Furyk certainly hasn't been the picture of consistency this year—his last six outings have featured two top-five finishes and two missed cuts—but his competitive fire is never going to be burning brighter than it is right now after the collapses he's endured.