TOUR Insider: Six who could end win droughts at St. Jude

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Robert Allenby
Stan Badz/PGA TOUR
Allenby has finished runner-up twice this season, most recently at THE PLAYERS.
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Jun. 9, 2010
By Stan Awtrey, PGATOUR.COM Contributor

When Adam Scott won in San Antonio a few weeks ago, he was able to scratch his name off a list that no established player wants to be on. Scott's victory allowed him to escape the "When's The Last Time That Guy Won?" list.

To be on such a list isn't altogether bad, since it means the player has actually won at some time in their career on the PGA TOUR. It's different from the "Why Hasn't That Guy Won?" list or the ever-popular compilation of "Best Player Without a Major Championship."

It hadn't really been that long since Scott had won a tournament, only two years or 37 events. It just seems longer when an accomplished player like Scott goes more than a year without winning. He's won seven times and he's only 29. A fair comparison to Scott is future Hall of Famer Davis Love III, who had eight wins before he was 30.

With Scott off the naughty list, who are the guys who are in this week's field at the St. Jude Classic presented by Smith & Nephew who need to get back in the win column? Here are a half-dozen multiple winners who are looking to make a return visit down victory lane:

Robert Allenby: Hard to believe the Australian hasn't won since the 2001 Marconi Pennsylvania Classic. That's a span of 224 events. Since then he's finished second seven times, including this season at the Sony Open in Hawaii at THE PLAYERS Championship. He won in South Africa and back home Down Under to close the 2009 season and shared the third-round lead in Hawaii, an event won by Ryan Palmer. He's got two other top-10 finishes. This guy is too good to go much longer without a win. It might happen this week: over the last three years at the St. Jude Classic he's tied for fourth, lost to Justin Leonard in a playoff and tied for 12th. Other than missing the cut in 2005, Allenby hasn't been worse than 17th at Memphis since 1999.

David Toms: Physical problems have taken their toll on the 2001 PGA Championship winner, whose most recent win was the 2006 Sony Open in Hawaii. That's 101 events without a victory. He came close with three runner-up showings in 2009, finishing tied for second at the Sony Open, the St. Jude Classic and the Travelers Championship. Toms is another guy to watch this week in Memphis, where he won in 2003 and 2004 and has finished out of the top 20 only once in the last six events. In fact, Toms has won more money in Memphis ($3.5 million) than any other player in the history of the event.

Vaughn Taylor: The two-time PGA TOUR winner and member of the 2006 Ryder Cup team has gone 135 tournaments since winning the 2005 Reno-Tahoe Open. He came close to snapping the streak at the 2009 Turning Stock Resort Championship, but lost to Matt Kuchar in a bizarre six-hole playoff that ended on Monday morning. His best finish in Memphis was a tie for fifth in 2004, his rookie season on TOUR, and he hasn't missed the cut in four previous starts.

Rod Pampling: It's been 107 events since Pampling received the first-place check from Arnold Palmer on the green at Bay Hill. He threatened at the 2008 Colonial and was tied for the lead after 71 holes, only to have Phil Mickelson rob him by making a dramatic birdie from the trees. That gave Pampling the only runner-up finish of his career. He's playing in Memphis for the first time since 2003; he missed the cut there in his only two appearances.

Chad Campbell: The easy going Texan is looking for his first win since the 2007 Viking Classic, a span of 72 events. Campbell came very close on two occasions in 2009, losing to Angel Cabrera in a playoff at the Masters and to Martin Laird in a playoff at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Campbell hasn't been a regular competitor in Memphis and last year did not play because of strained calf muscle. He's missed the cut in his two previous starts there.

Woody Austin: Aquaman's last victory came at the 2007 St. Jude Classic; it was the signature moment in his career season. Austin has played 80 events without a win, although he came close in 2008. He finished second at the 2008 Buick Open when he three-putted the final hole and was third at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans when, needing a birdie to catch Andres Romero, he hit his approach into the lake and took a double. He was ninth at Memphis a year ago and has made the cut there for five straight years.

These six guys are too good to go much longer without a win. Given the history of success for most of them at Memphis, it just might happen this week.

Stan Awtrey is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of the PGA TOUR.

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