To the surprise of very few, Tiger Woods is favored to win this year’s PGA Championship, which starts today and runs through the weekend. The PGA Championship is the fourth and final major of the year.

Woods is currently a 3/2 favorite to win and although he’s coming off a victory at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Tiger has yet to win a major in 2009. In fact, the best he’s done so far was a sixth place finish at the Masters and a sixth place finish at the U.S. Open. (He missed the cut entirely at the British Open.)

Tiger missed last year’s PGA Championship, but did win the event in 2006 and 2007. He also has some momentum heading into Hazeltine National, winning the two last consecutive tournaments (Bridgestone and the Buick Open) that he has played in, which give him a total of five wins on the year.

Tiger’s main competition this weekend, at least based on the odds, appears to be Padraig Harrington (20/1), Phil Mickelson (22/1), Lee Westwood (28/1) and Hunter Mahan (30/1).

Here’s a TV schedule for this year’s PGA Championship:

Thursday, August 13: 2PM – 8PM on TNT
Friday, August 14: 2PM – 8PM on TNT
Saturday, August 15: 11AM – 2PM on TNT
Sunday, August 16: 11AM – 2PM ET on TNT
Sunday, August 16: 2PM – 7PM on CBS

To check the 2009 PGA Championship leaderboard, click here.

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PGA hall-of-famer Lee Trevino believes he holds the secret to Tiger Woods regaining his dominance on the golf course. The Merry Mex has sent word through a mutual friend, Mark O’Meara, for Woods to contact him.

Here is Trevino’s solution to Tiger’s problems:

“Tiger needs to learn how to hit a power fade,” said Lee Trevino, a five-time major champion. “If he learns how to drive the ball, he won’t lose a tournament. He’s got nothing to lose, just call me. Heck, I’d go see him; he wouldn’t have to do nothing. Hank Haney knows what he’s doing.”

Trevino went on to add, “Haney helped Tiger a lot, but I’d like to sit down and have a session with Haney ’cause it looks like Tiger doesn’t want me to help him. I’d teach him a power fade, a go-to shot. Everyone has to have a go-to shot. He used to win majors with his stinger go-to shot. Last week he didn’t even look comfortable with a 3-wood on the tee; he was scared, trying to guide the ball.”

According to his doctors, Tiger is ahead of schedule in his recovery from knee surgery. Having played very little competitive golf in the last eight months, Woods is having difficulty in regaining confidence in his swing. By playing at the Player’s Championship this weekend, it will mark the first time he has played in consecutive events since returning to the PGA tour.

90 seconds of the lead single, in its television world premiere, will serve as the backing music to the show’s intro featuring video of contestants Michigan State and North Carolina, who will then square off in the title game in Detroit. 21st Century Breakdown is due out May 15, and Green Day is planning a world tour immediately following in support of it.

For CBS, this is their 28th straight season broadcasting the Final Four. After that, the network will turn its attention to golf next weekend, when The Masters kicks off Thursday in Augusta, Georgia.

All times ET…

NBA
Friday, 7:30 PM: Boston Celtics @ Atlanta Hawks (NBA TV)
Saturday, 10 PM: Memphis Grizzlies @ Portland Trail Blazers (NBA TV)
Sunday, 1 PM: Dallas Mavericks @ Cleveland Cavaliers (ABC)
Sunday, 8 PM: San Antonio Spurs @ New Orleans Hornets (ESPN)

NHL
Saturday, 1 PM: New York Rangers @ Pittsburgh Penguins
Saturday, 7 PM: Boston Bruins @ Toronto Maple Leafs (CBC)
Saturday, 10 PM: Minnesota Wild @ Calgary Flames (CBC)

NCAA Tournament
Friday, 7:07 PM: (12) Arizona vs. (1) Louisville (CBS)
Friday, 7:27 PM: (3) Syracuse vs. (2) Oklahoma (CBS)
Friday, 9:37 PM: (3) Kansas vs. (2) Michigan State (CBS)
Friday, 9:57 PM: (4) Gonzaga vs. (1) North Carolina (CBS)
Saturday, 4:40 PM: (3) Missouri vs. (1) Connecticut (CBS)
Saturday, 7:05 PM: (3) Villanova vs. (1) Pittsburgh (CBS)
Sunday, TBA: Midwest and West Finals (CBS)

PGA
March 27-29, see your local listings for times: Arnold Palmer Invitational, Orlando, FL. (NBC/TGC)

Welcome Back, Eldrick!

That should be on the marquee outside the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Tucson this weekend, as Tiger Woods makes his return to the PGA tour at the Accenture Match Play Championship. He has completed his rehabilitation from knee surgery and the next step for him is competing inside the ropes of a tournament. It has only been 253 days since Tiger’s tournament victory at the U.S. Open last June, but who’s counting?

The PGA executives were, that’s who. Their sport is back on the front page of websites and newspapers all throughout the world as everyone anticipates Woods’ return. The turnstiles will be ringing in Tucson this weekend, as golf’s main attraction will be on display once again. And the tour’s corporate sponsors will be smiling; television ratings should go through the roof. The tour has struggled to keep its sponsors, but Tiger’s return should give it a much-needed shot in the arm.

It’s almost unrealistic to expect Tiger to sustain the pace he was playing at last season. His U.S. Open victory at Torrey Pines was his ninth overall win in 12 2008 PGA tournament appearances, and Woods finished no worse than fifth in the other three events. He did confess in a conference call with reporters last week that it will be comforting to hit a golf ball on a healthy knee for the first time in a few years. Tiger wouldn’t elaborate further except that bones inside his knee would move on certain shots that he attempted in a round of golf. It turns out that Woods could have returned sooner to the tour but elected to wait until after the birth of his son, Charles Axel, earlier this month.

Tiger is the world’s best stroke-player, but his match-play career numbers (31-6 at Accenture) are even more impressive. Throw in his career record (6-3-1) in Ryder and President Cup play and it’s clear that the match play format could be helpful in Tiger having a successful return to the tour.

There are many unanswered questions surrounding Woods’ stamina: How will his knee react to playing competitive golf? What is the recovery time for Tiger from the day-to-day rigors of tournament play? These questions could be partially answered this weekend. Remember, he hasn’t played in a PGA event in close to nine months, and Woods will need multiple rounds of golf to knock the rust off his game.

Tiger will get ample opportunity to play a ton of golf in the match play format, as the first three rounds will consist of one 18-hole match per day. On Saturday, an 18-hole quarterfinal match will take place in the morning, followed by an 18-hole semifinal match in the afternoon. And the finals on Sunday will consist of a 36-hole championship match.

One stumbling block (for all the golfers) will be playing a PGA tournament on an unknown course. None of them will be able to determine the speed of the fairways at the Jack Nicklaus newly-designed links until after completing their practice rounds. Historically, round play in Arizona has been an adventure for golfers, as the desert climate wreaks havoc with their tee shots.

Tiger would love to confirm his playing schedule in preparation for the Masters on April 9, but he cannot. Ideally, Woods would play every other week until he arrives at Augusta. This would give him enough golf to knock off the rust and aid his pursuit of a fifth green jacket.

We never get a true read on what Tiger is thinking or how his knee rehabilitation is actually progressing. The barriers are firmly in place to keep intruders away, but if we’ve learned one thing in the past it’s that Woods is always two steps ahead of the pace.

Many believe that Anthony Kim has the attitude and game to compete with Tiger Woods this season. Camilo Villegas was a star in waiting during his first two years on the tour and blossomed during the 2008 FedEx Cup playoffs with two tournament victories. Both players have become the poster boys for the youth movement on the tour, but their success will be measured by tournament wins, especially capturing multiple major titles.

Defending FedEx Cup champion Vijay Singh did compete in the first tournament of the season, but will sit out the remainder of the West Coast swing. He will have knee surgery to repair a torn cartilage and is expected to miss five weeks of action. Sergio Garcia still remains the best player on the tour not to have won a major title. He tied for second place in the PGA Championship last year and has finished with a top-five finish in three of the last four British Opens. Unfortunately for Garcia, no trophies are given to the runner-up. And then there is the dilemma of Phil Mickelson.

Lefty had won a major tournament in three consecutive years before losing the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot with a double bogey on the 18th hole. Since then, Mickelson has not won a major and more importantly his round play has been inconsistent. Lefty in his last 10 major appearances has missed the cut twice and finished a combined 80 shots out of the lead. Drastic times call for drastic measures, and golf swing guru Butch Harmon has been brought in to assist Mickelson in regaining his stroke for the coming season.

What would a PGA tour preview be without a Tiger update? Well, he began hitting balls at a driving range in December and declared himself better than ever. Though he told Craig Sager at the Orlando/Boston game last night that his game just isn’t there yet. No one in the Woods camp will confirm his exact return date, but the official statement is that Tiger is ahead of his rehabilitation schedule after reconstructive knee surgery in June. It is safe to assume that Woods will compete in tournaments prior to the start of the Masters in April. But one thing is for certain, once Tiger returns, he will be ready to win.

College Basketball
Sat, 12 PM: No. 21 Louisville vs. No. 17 Villanova, ESPN
Sat, 12 PM: No. 22 West Virginia vs. No. 15 Marquette
Sat, 1 PM: Kansas vs. No. 12 Michigan State, CBS
Sat, 2 PM: No. 2 Duke vs. Florida State, ESPN
Sun, 1:30 PM: Wisconsin vs. No. 14 Purdue, CBS
Sun, 8 PM: No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 4 Wake Forest, Fox Sports Net

NBA
Fri, 8 PM: Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, ESPN
Fri, 10:30 PM: Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns, ESPN
Sat, 9 PM: Detroit Pistons vs. Utah Jazz
Sun, 8:30 PM: Orlando Magic vs. San Antonio Spurs, NBA TV

NFL
Sat, 4:30 PM: Baltimore Ravens vs. Tennessee Titans, CBS
Sat, 8:15 PM: Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers, Fox
Sun, 1 PM: Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants, Fox
Sun, 4:45 PM: San Diego Chargers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, CBS

NHL
Fri, 9 PM: San Jose Sharks vs. Edmonton Oilers
Sat, 7 PM: New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators
Sun, 5 PM: New Jersey Devils vs. Anaheim Ducks

PGA
Fri, 6:30 PM: Mercedes-Benz Championship at the Kapalua Resort, The Golf Channel
Sat, 6 PM: Mercedes-Benz Championship at the Kapalua Resort, The Golf Channel
Sun, 6 PM: Mercedes-Benz championship at the Kapalua Resort, The Golf Channel