97th PGA Championship Preview

The season's final major is quickly upon us.  For as slow as the PGA Tour season seems to move from January through April, the summer months of June, July and August (which encompass 3 of 4 majors) seems to move with lightening speed.  It's almost hard to believe that it wasn't just yesterday that Zach Johnson was lifting the Claret Jug at St. Andrews.

But here we are, the middle of August and the time for the season's final major is upon us.  The PGA returns to Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin for the third time in 11 years.  Naturally, everyone is asking the same question on the eve of the PGA: just how much money does Herb Kohler pump into the Professional Golfers Association???

Kidding...........sorta




The Course

Whistling Straits sits alongside Lake Michigan.  It will be the third links* style golf course to host a major championship this year.  The Par 72, 7700 yard course has previously hosted the PGA Championship in 2004 and 2010.  The previous contests have resulted in a playoff.  In 2004, it was Vijay Singh winning his second PGA Championship.  In 2010, Martin Kaymer outlasted Bubba Watson for his first major victory, but it was what happened on the 72nd hole in regulation that is most memorable.

Dustin Johnson, playing out of what he was thought was a patch of dirt where fans had been standing, grounded his club in one of the thousands of bunkers that comprise Whistling Straits.  Once the penalty was applied to his score, Johnson went from being a member of a three-way playoff to being eliminated.

The PGA appears not to have changed it's position on the bunkers at Whistling Straits, as evidenced by this Tweet from Golf Channel's Todd Lewis.

To make sure players are aware of bunker policy the PGA has statement in locker room everywhere, I mean everywhere! pic.twitter.com/3fOckDuhHW

— Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) August 10, 2015

I would expect, in light of DJ's DQ in 2010 that every player in the field will confer with a rules official before hitting a shot when their ball finds any spot that isn't green or easily identifiable as grass.  While golf is not an easy game, and courses and tournament organizers should not pander to players, requiring professionals to play shots out of "bunkers" that have been trudged over by patrons for several days is a tad ridiculous.  Then again, the course is designed by the same architect who thinks an island green is terrifically diabolical.  While the layout at Whistling Straits is aesthetically pleasing, the fact that players have to play shots from someones beer cup or footprint doesn't scream "major championship golf."

Along the same lines, the PGA Championship is a fantastic major and tends to produce some great drama without feeling the need to embarrass the players.  That being said, the new tagline of "This is Major" is horrible.  I know that "Glory's Last Shot" seemed played out, but we all know that this is a major.  We get it - it's an important golf tournament.  Do better PGA.

But I digress...

As for the course itself, the New York Times has a great overview of each of the holes the competitors will face this week.  Here are just a few of the holes to keep an eye on this week as the Championship progresses:

No. 5 is a Par 5 which plays in excess of 600 yards.  There is water on both sides which makes the hole even more challenging.

No. 12 is a very short Par 3 playing under 150 yards, but the green is very tricky to navigate.

No. 18.  A hole synonymous with a "bunker" but plays to some great views.  18 is a very challenging Par 4, and because of that, don't expect the winner to come out with a birdie on this hole.

Broadcasting Information

Lots of coverage for the season's final major.  PGA.com will have lots of streaming video as well as well as coverage of feature groups.  CBS Sports Network (yeah I didn't know it was still around either) will have coverage of players on the driving range.

For the traditional broadcast, TNT will have Thursday and Friday coverage starting at 2:00 PM EST.  TNT also has early round coverage going on Saturday and Sunday starting at 11:00 EST with CBS picking up Saturday and Sunday afternoon coverage.

Predictions 

Will Tiger Woods make the cut? 

Tiger looked improved at both Greenbrier and the Quicken Loans National, but couldn't put it together at The Open.  You need to be accurate off the tee at Whistling Straits - and Tiger has not been accurate this year.

Prediction: No

Will Rory McIlroy make the cut? 

Rory has been out since suffering an ankle injury playing soccer.  He was not able to defend his Open Championship or the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.  There is very little to go on when trying to figure out where Rory will finish.

Prediction: Yes

Will Jordan Spieth win his 3rd Major? 

Spieth has been the best player in 2015 - and it's really not close.  Nobody has won 3 majors in a calendar year since Tiger Woods.  Spieth certainly has the game to do it, but asking someone to win 75% of the majors in a calendar year is a tall task.

Prediction: No

Who wins the 97th PGA Championship?

This is a loaded field and there are probably a dozen or so guys who really stand out as having a great chance of winning.

Prediction: Jason Day

Interesting tidbit from the CBS telecast this week: the last time Americans won all four of golf's major championships in a year was 1982.  If an American wins this week, then the USA will have a clean sweep of all the majors in 2015.