With Tiger Woods' seemingly inexorable though not irreversible slide into an abyss, something never before thought possible, more players than usual will have a chance to win the PGA Championship this weekend at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Lee Westwood and last weekend's winner at the Bridgestone Invitational, Hunter Mahan, will be among the threats to claim the season's final major championship.

However, as I scour the top 40 players in the World Golf Ranking, I wouldn't put money on Paul Casey, Robert Allenby, Sean O'Hair or Dustin Johnson to surprise and take the trophy. The reason? All were born under the sign of Cancer. And since the PGA Championship switched from match play to stroke play in 1958, nary a Cancer has claimed the Wanamaker Trophy.

Even the mention of astrology will likely cause readers to scoff. I count myself as one of the skeptics. But after examining the data closely, there appears to be at least a kernel of truth in the theory that astrology can sometimes help determine sporting greatness.

The signs that have utterly dominated the PGA are Aquarius, Capricorn and Virgo. The three have accounted for more than half the winners of the season's final major. This is not surprising. Consider that any list of the best golfers of all time starts with Jack Nicklaus, an Aquarius, and Tiger Woods, a Capricorn.

With his Aquarian nature, Nicklaus is in extraordinary company from other sports. It can be argued that the "greatest ever" in each major sport was an Aquarius: Jim Brown in football, Babe Ruth in baseball, Michael Jordan in basketball, Wayne Gretzky in hockey and Bill Tilden in tennis. Any new believers in the truth-telling ability of the zodiac now?

Tennis, the other major individual sport, also has stunning patterns. The three players routinely mentioned as the best of the Open era are Rod Laver, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer - all Leos. And Rafael Nadal has been labeled by John McEnroe as the 21st-century edition of Bjorn Borg. Why not? Both are Geminis.

In the second tier of most best-ever lists in golf reside Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson. Both are Virgos, who seem to be the most suited to golf, as their stereotyped traits of tenaciousness and industriousness are tailor-made for a sport that takes the utmost in patience.

While no Cancers have ever won a PGA, their struggles in all four majors are nothing compared with the wretched record of Tauruses. Indeed, Taureans toil in near-futility when it comes to the majors. Only 11 of the 296 major championships examined (the Masters from its inception, the PGA from 1958 and the U.S. and British Opens since World War I, generally considered the start of the modern game) have been claimed by those born from April 21 to May 20.

An acute sadness shrouds the better Taurus golfers. Several - such as Johnny Miller, Hal Sutton and John Daly - were hyped greatly or figured to win many majors. But the stubborn and bullish nature of this sign does not lend itself to the links. However, the PGA is the best event for Taureans, as they count five championships. So I wouldn't dismiss Rory McIlroy or Westwood on the basis of their birth dates alone.

And I wouldn't plan on Woods disappearing completely this weekend. After all, he is a Capricorn, and they've won more PGAs than any other sign.

*average taken from five polls from magazines and major websites.

*Stats are for all Masters championships, the PGA since 1958 and the U.S. and British Opens since World War I.