PGA Championship stirs your heart
New Sites and Sounds: Granted, seeing the azaleas at Augusta never gets old, and Lord knows Oakmont is worthy of the eight U.S. Opens it’s hosted, but there’s something to be said for exploring new venues throughout America. No one does it better than the PGA of America, and the proof is in the pudding. Since the first PGA Championship in 1916, 71 different venues have played host. During that same time period the U.S. Open has only been to 41 different sites. And let’s not forget the PGA’s decision to venture to the Upper Midwest and another Pete Dye masterpiece – Whistling Straits (pictured below) in Kohler, Wisc.
Pretty Birdie: Unlike the new beefed-up Augusta and the always brutal scoring conditions at the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship offers both the players and fans alike a chance to see some…yes, birdies! In fact, four of the five lowest aggregate scores in major championship history have come at the PGA. And just three years ago Tiger himself rang up a final score of 18 under par. And that has to amount for something, for a steady diet of even-par scores can get a little boring in my book.
Trophy: And by big, shiny trophy we mean the heaviest barrel of bling with handles you’ve ever seen on a golf course. According to Padraig Harrington, who was shocked when he first attempted to pick it up, this baby tips the scales at an impressive 44 lbs. That’s more than the Stanley Cup weighs, and makes the Heisman Trophy look like an office paperweight. Take that, hockey and football! Yes, only a man’s man can win the PGA Championship, a macho man with brute strength to lift that hardware without getting a hernia. Remember kids, don’t grab it without bending your knees and lifting through the legs.
Best of the Best: Since 1994, the PGA of America has been able to boast that it has the strongest field of any of the majors – setting a record at the 2002 PGA Championship (also at Hazeltine National) with 98 of the top 100 players in the world. This year, it’s one better with 99 of the top 100 committed to play in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. And it has still has room in the field to offer exemptions to the likes of Tom Lehman, who grew up in Minnesota, and current Ryder Cup captains Corey Pavin and Colin Montgomerie. There are no amateurs here, folks. As Tiger says, “If you win (the PGA), you’ve beaten the best field in all of golf.” OK then.
Tender: Despite all the reasons already mentioned, the PGA Championship still suffers from an identity crisis. And that’s just simply a low-down dirty shame. It’s a major for crying out loud. There’re only four a year – embrace it for the love of the golf gods. And if you want to go on not giving it the respect it deserves, take a look at the list of champions from the past five years: ‘04 Vijay Singh; ‘05 Phil Mickelson; ‘06 Tiger Woods; ‘07 Tiger Woods; ‘08 Padraig Harrington.
Phil Mickelson to his President Cup
