• Out of Bounds

The time is right for Pad to strike

Tiger Woods has been working hard on his game this week © Getty Images

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Whistling Straits plays host to the US PGA Championship and as well as the final major of the year on offer, there are subplots aplenty on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Tiger Woods is fighting to revive his career; Phil Mickelson is fighting to shrug off the shadow of the world No. 1 spot that has seemingly been weighing him down for weeks. And add to that the battle for Ryder Cup spots reaching a conclusion and the US PGA is shaping up to be a cracking four days of golf.

Woods, clinging on to his No. 1 tag by the skin of his teeth, is vying for favouritism - Stan James have him priced up at 14/1 - but anyone who witnessed his abject effort at the Bridgestone Invitational would steer well clear. It was not just one round that blighted Woods' tournament, he was shocking for four days and it was clear that he had no idea where the ball was going. There were some shots that would have embarrassed a 15 handicapper and it is inconceivable that he will be able to turn his game around in four days.

The players himself has said as such: "I went through something like this when I changed my swing in '98 and '99, second half of '97," Woods said. "I had periods where it wasn't very good. When I was struggling right before I went with Hank, it wasn't quite this bad. But when I kind of tore my swing apart with Butch [Harmon] after basically the Masters in '97, it took me two years to get it back before I started playing well."

The standings suggest Mickelson is best placed to take advantage of Woods' fall from grace and he is 14/1 to claim his second major of the year. The left hander has always been a crowd pleaser and the Wisconsin galleries would like nothing more than to see Mickelson win the title and with it claim the No. 1 spot. But the desire to claim the top position in the game has been preying on his mind for some time and when he had it in his grasp last weekend, nerves appeared to get the better of him.

With Woods defending a large number of points following his second-place finish 12 months ago, Mickelson may well claim the position he craves but it would be unwise to take him for victory when he has another prize on his mind.

The world's No. 3 is absent, Lee Westwood has opted to take a break due to injury, and as such the tournament has an extremely open feel. Whistling Straits and its 967 bunkers, and that is not a misprint, is believed to favour the 'British' challenge due to its links-type feel.

A player who will be well suited to the challenge is Padraig Harrington and the Irishman has ticks in many of the right boxes. Whistling Straits is a course that will reward players who can grind out a score and there are few better exponents of that art than the Irishman. If the wind blows, which is highly likely, it will make scoring difficult and that would be a test Harrington would relish.

Padraig Harrington looks ready to strike © Getty Images

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The world No. 16 has not won this season but he has shown on occasions, most recently when second at the Irish Open last month, that he is ready to strike. And being a past winner of the US PGA, at Oakland Hills in 2008, he has the temperament to compete down the stretch and that makes 20/1 look good value.

The last time the competition was held at Whistling Straits, in 2004, it went to a three-way play-off. Vijay Singh emerged victorious from Chris Di Marco and Justin Leonard; the latter has been in good form this year and the course suits his eye. He is not the longest hitter, but that will not necessarily be a handicap and there have been far worse 100/1 shots over the years than Leonard.

Graeme McDowell proved in the US Open that Brits can win majors in America and two who are likely to relish the challenge are Paul Casey and Luke Donald - two players who hit straighter than most and at 40/1 and 50/1 respectively, offer some value.

The eyes of the world will be on Woods, but Out of Bounds feels the chances of him adding to his four wins in the event are slim to non-existent, and a better bet is Harrington to claim the title.

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