Harvick, who lost the lead on the final lap last year in the Nationwide event a

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Joe LaCava walked nearly every blade of grass on the 18th green at Valhalla Golf Club, jotting notes in his yardage book after stepping off the distances from every edge of the green to every possible pin position. It was just like any other Monday at a major. The caddie just didnt know whether any of this information would be useful in the PGA Championship. LaCava was awaiting word on whether his boss -- Tiger Woods -- would be healthy enough to play the final major of the year. "Im optimistic," LaCava said after he finished charting the entire golf course. "Im hoping he plays. So Im just doing whatever work I would normally do." The caddie was at Valhalla. So was his car, a silver SUV parked in the spot assigned to the four-time PGA champion. As for Woods? Stay tuned. His agent, Mark Steinberg at Excel Sports Management, said in an email that Monday would be too early for doctors to decide whether Woods could or even should try to play this week after another back injury. The PGA of America said that Woods would not have his previously scheduled news conference Tuesday morning. It did not provide additional details. Woods took another turn toward an uncertain future when he withdrew after eight holes and one final shot Sunday at the Bridgestone Invitational. Before leaving Firestone, he said he jarred his back when he hopped into a deep bunker after playing a shot on the par-5 second hole from an awkward lie off the slope above the sand. "Its just the whole lower back," Woods said. "I dont know what happened." Making the picture look even bleaker was the timing. Woods had back surgery March 31 to alleviate the pain from a pinched nerve. The Bridgestone Invitational was only his third tournament since returning from a three-month absence. And there he went again, riding off the golf course in a cart, struggling to even remove his shoes before LaCava drove him to the airport for a flight back to Florida for evaluation. "Obviously, I feel bad for him," Rory McIlroy told the BBC on Monday. "The game of golf really needs Tiger. Hes had a few withdrawals the past couple of years. I think the first thing is just to get fit and 100 per cent healthy, even if that means taking the year off and coming back next year ready to play golf." If he doesnt play the PGA Championship, his season indeed would be over. Woods has to win the final major of the year to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs. He would have to win to clinch a spot on the Ryder Cup team. And by the sound of U.S. captain Tom Watson, he would have to play at Valhalla to even merit consideration as a wild-card selection. "Tiger would be a great addition to our team," Watson told SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio on Monday. "Ive said all along, I would pick Tiger Woods if hes healthy and playing well. This doesnt bode well right now. I just hope that maybe its just an isolated problem that he can turn around and possibly play this week at the PGA." Watson said he watched the entire front nine and knew something was wrong with Woods after his tee shot on the par-3 fifth hole came up 65 yards short. "You dont hit that terrible a shot ever -- ever," Watson said. "And I said, Something is wrong." LaCava noticed it much earlier, when Woods hit a shot so heavy that it came up 30 yards short of the flag and into the water on the third hole. "I knew he was hurting when he fatted the one on 3, which he never does," LaCava said. "He never fats them like that." Woods kept playing, though, until grimacing on a tee shot at the ninth, slowly bending to remove his tee and calling for a cart to take him in. Why not stop sooner? "Hes tough," LaCava said. "Tough and stubborn would be two good words." Woods has not been back to Valhalla in 14 years, not since that high-charged playoff victory over Bob May that gave Woods his third straight major on his way to an unprecedented sweep of the majors at the height of his game. Woods was recovering from season-ending knee surgery in 2008 and did not play in the Ryder Cup. The course has changed since, with Jack Nicklaus making various tweaks, especially around the green. The par is now 71 with the second hole changed to a par 4. Otherwise, it looked to be in immaculate conditions on the first day of practice. Phil Mickelson, coming off a 62 in the final round at Firestone, played nine holes. The practice range and chipping area were crowded with players. McIlroy already was back at work, having established himself as the overwhelming favourite coming off his wire-to-wire win at the British Open and rallying from three shots behind to win at Firestone. Still to be determined is whether Woods would be able to join them. Custom Minnesota Vikings Jerseys . Not to be outdone, Atletico Madrid bettered its title rivals by demolishing 10-man Getafe 7-0 with Diego Costa returning from injury to score with a brilliant bicycle kick. "It was an almost perfect night," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. Paul Krause Jersey . -- Jim Furyk was 10 shots worse and right where he wanted to be Saturday in the BMW Championship. http://www.authenticvikingspro.com/John-randle-vikings-jersey/ .Brazil midfielder Ricardo Goulart scored the winner in the 50th minute to give the defending champion a four-point advantage in the standings over second-place Sao Paulo, which beat rival Palmeiras 2-0. Randy Moss Jersey . Los Angeles announced its new deal for Kupchak late in the fourth quarter of a 145-130 loss to the Houston Rockets. Kupchak had one year left on his current contract. Fran Tarkenton Jersey . Not that he was complaining. Davis had 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight blocks, and the New Orleans Pelicans emphatically snapped a three-game skid with a 135-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.HAMPTON, Ga. -- Kevin Harvick kept waiting for Kyle Busch to get physical on the final lap. That moment never came. "I was prepared to get hit," Harvick said. "Its the last lap, and thats what youre supposed to do. Kyle Busch isnt my favourite person, but I enjoy racing him." Harvick raced to his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory of the year and 40th overall, holding off Busch at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday night. Harvick pulled ahead of Busch on the 60th lap and led 132 of the 195 laps. Busch had won six of the previous Nationwide events this year in which he also won the pole. Sam Hornish Jr. was third, followed by Kasey Kahne, rookie Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Trevor Bayne, Austin Dillon, Regan Smith and Brian Scott. On the final lap, Harvick expected that Busch would "bomb it in" for a collision in the middle of the track between Turns 1 and 2, so he hit the brakes in hopes of getting hit squarely enough to hold the car tight and keep the lead. Busch, though, decided to stay clean. "I try not to do those things although my reputation doesnt really perceive it that way," Busch said. "So, I essentially screwed up. If I would have went to the middle again, I probably could have made up ground on him and tried something in (Turn) 3. You live and learn. You learn for tomorrow." The victory marked a redemption of sorts for Harvick, who lost the lead on the final lap last year in the Nationwide event at Atlanta when Brad Keselowski bumped Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on the front straightaway and Stenhouse went ahead for good in Turn 3. Harvick finished third last year. He has made seven starts this year, and hasnt finished lower than fifth in his last six events. Harvick accused Stenhouse last year of throwing a water bottle out of his car tto cause a late caution.dddddddddddd With that bitter memory in mind, Harvick crew chief Ernie Cope made sure to save a fresh set of tires in case of another late caution. When Jeff Green crashed into the outside wall on lap 182, causing the fourth and final caution that allowed the leaders to change tires, Copes strategy paid off. "If the caution comes out and youve got more than three laps on your tires, youre probably going to put them on," Cope said. "The tires are just huge. At this place, they fall off big time. We had two sets to go, and we pitted with 50 to go. We couldve made it on gas, but if we pitted again we were going to put them on." When the race restarted, Busch moved past Kahne and was side by side with Harvick with six laps to go. Busch was a single car length back with three laps to go, but Harvick wouldnt let him get low and never relinquished the lead. "There at the end we were a touch too tight, but we were in control of the race from the restart and able to control the bottom and do what we needed to do," Harvick said. "He had a great car on long runs." Busch was trying to win a Nationwide event at Atlanta for the first time. He has won one Sprint Cup race and four Truck races, but now has five runner-up Nationwide finishes at Atlanta. Busch has nine Nationwide victories this year. "For the last restart, we even made changes to free up our race car, and it just wasnt enough," Busch said. "It was too tight, even there, to make any runs on the outside of Kevin. I had one run on him through 1 and 2 and he blocked me up to the fence. I had to lift so I didnt wreck. But it is what it is. Its just racing, I guess." In the Nationwide points race, series leader Hornish moved 10 points ahead of Dillon. 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