Yes, the Verizon Heritage has been good to Love, with titles coming in 1987, 1991, 1992, 1998, and 2003. He was also a runner-up in 2005. And despite posting just one PGA victory (last October's Chrysler Classic of Greensboro) in over three years, his status among the world's elite golfers hasn't been revoked quite yet.

Last week at the Masters, Love finished tied for 27th. His opening-round 72 put him in early contention, but a cold putter proved to be his downfall the following day. He hung around on the weekend but never made a serious charge.

Oddsmakers are giving Love 20/1 odds to win the 2007 Verizon Heritage. Only Jim Furyk (10/1), Ernie Els (12/1) and Geoff Ogilvy (16/1) are heavier favorites. Even Masters champion Zach Johnson (33/1) is getting longer odds, a testament to Love's past success in the tournament.

Love has had an up-and-down start to the 2007 season. Before the Masters, he missed the cut at Bay Hill. But a couple previous ties for fourth - in January's Mercedes-Benz Championship and February's Pebble Beach National Pro-Am - were reminders the No. 21 golfer in the world can still play.

Oh, and don't think Love's 43rd birthday is reason to bet against him. Forty-plussers have already captured a handful of tournaments this season. Vijay Singh, 44, has won twice while Paul Goydos, 42, Mark Calcavecchia, 46, and Fred Funk, 50, have also notched victories.

Last year, Australian Aaron Baddeley fended off Furyk at Harbour Town to win his first ever PGA title. His two late birdies and 6-foot par putt on 18 were good for a 15-under total and one-stroke victory.

For Furyk, it was his second consecutive second-place finish in the tournament. The 2003 U.S. Open winner has three top-10 finishes in 2007, thanks in large part to his 76.46 percent driving accuracy, second to only Fred Funk (77.84) on tour. That's good, because accuracy is the name of the game on the track designed by Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus. The Harbour Town course is one of the shortest on the PGA Tour, stretching just 6,913 yards, but narrow fairways and water abound. Its greens are also the smallest on tour.

Golf Betting Notes

• Ernie Els didn't play on the weekend at the Masters. It was his first missed cut after 46 successive paychecks. But perhaps Harbour Town will mark a return to his winning ways - he has six top-10 finishes in his last eight starts at the Verizon Heritage.
   
• Justin Rose is a 25/1 medium shot at Harbour Town. After being in the thick of the Masters for most of the tournament, the 26-year-old Englishman double-bogeyed 17 to finish tied for fifth. Still, it was his best finish in a major since another tie for fifth at the 2003 U.S. Open. Rose, of course, burst onto the golfing scene in 1998 when, as a 17-year-old amateur, he finished tied for fourth at the British Open.
   
• Simon Dyson and Thongchai Jaidee are 14/1 favorites to win this week's Volvo China Open at the Shanghai Silport Golf Club, an event which is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour. Dyson has three top-10 finishes to his name in 2007, his best being a third-place finish at March's Clariden Leu Singapore Masters. Jaidee's best finish this season was a tie for 11th at the Indonesia Open. He is a seven-time winner on the Asian Tour.
   
• Annika Sorenstam is a 3/1 favorite to win the LPGA's Ginn Open at the Reunion Resort & Club in Florida. She's followed closely by Lorena Ochoa at 4/1. Sorenstam has two top-10 finishes in three starts but has yet to win in 2007. Ochoa won the Safeway International in Arizona at the end of March. Mi Hyun Kim (28/1) is the defending champion at the tournament.