92nd PGA Championship @ Whistling Straights in Kohler, WI

This is the coveted trophy the winner will take home on sunday, August 15th. Y.E. Yang, the defending champion 
of this Championship beat out Tiger Woods to claim the title at Hazeltine last year. Can he do it again? Will Woods be a contender? Will Lefty get his game back to what it has been? These are the questions of many and like myself, one will only know by watching each round. I expect we will see some changes each and every round on the leaderboard. I do not think this will be a course or weather conditions conducive to someone holding lead position through 3 or all 4 rounds. 


This year the 92nd PGA Championship will be played at Whistling Straights in Kohler, WI.  This is a beautiful little area of Wisconsin for those that have not gotten the chance to visit. It is home of two fabulous courses; Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straights by course designer Pete Dye. I have gotten the chance to play Blackwolf Run a few years ago and was quite glad that the round was cut short by weather as my scorecard was less than acceptable! Whether some say it's more like an old Links course, it is certainly open and rugged. The winds of Wisconsin sweep across the terrain. Whether it's the deep pot bunkers, large sandy areas or undulating greens; Mother Nature will reign. The bonus is, on all 18 holes of Whistling Straights, you will get a great view of Lake Michigan. The course boasts bluffs, massive sand dunes and the fairways are of natural fescue. The elevation change alone on this course, is 80 feet. Half of the holes will hug the shoreline. Best known for it's signature hole, a par 3 #17 will have players hitting to a green over both the sand and water. 


Lee Westwood who is out with his calf injury, will miss this event and most likely the Ryder Cup as it looks now and as sources have speculated. Tiger Woods hasn't won a major in 2 yrs now. While his personal life unraveled last year, his game completely unraveled last week. He shot the worst round in his history as both an amateur & since turning professional. Today, Woods was seen with swing coach Sean Foley out on the course, who was videoing Woods from both a front and rear view. My recommendation, shave the mustache & goatee; I think it weighed him down last week. 
This is the same Sean Foley who works with Sean O'Hair and Hunter Mahan. By the way these two guys have been playing, it appears this was a wise decision for Woods. He will be paired with Y.E. Yang and Vijay Singh for the first two rounds. Another good pairing to watch will be Rickie Fowler and Justin Leonard, who will be joined by Ryo Ishikawa. Wisconsin native Steve Stricker will be paired with Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott, which will be a great 3 to keep an eye on! Lefty on the other hand, will be paired with two recent winners; Graeme McDowell & Louis Oostuizen. The goup just ahead of them will have Stenson, Z. Johnson & L. Glover. 


The big excitement is that for portions of the 1st & 2nd rounds, there will be some 3D provided by both TNT and on the PGA.com website. Now remember, you won't be able to see this by merely rushing out and buying 3D glasses. You must have a 3D TV or 3D compatible PC Screen. For only viewing portions of rounds 1 & 2, I won't be rushing out to obtain either. Regarding mobile apps; the best  is the one on the iPhone," PGA Championship". This allows you to watch live, see live leaderboard scoring, get the latest news,  set alerts for birdies, etc. It's one pretty package and it's FREE! Those like myself with the iPhone4, can see this in the clearest and best optimal viewing with the new retinal display, which is beyond phenomenal.


Coverage will be as follows:

Thu, August 12		1-8 PM ET
Fri, August 13		1-8 PM ET
Sat, August 14		11 AM-2 PM ET
		2-7 PM ET
Sun, August 15		11 AM-2 PM ET
		2-7 PM ET

The weather will be near 90 degrees at the start of the tourney and drop to around 80 degrees for Sunday's final round. Each day but Thursday are calling for the potential thunderstorms and/or showers. The midwest is getting more than their share of warmth and humidity and have had heat index at or above 100 & advisories in states just southern to Wisconsin. Either way, the anticipation of this tournament and the potential for someone to grab their first win, could easily become a reality! I'll be watching, will You? 




Now, Go Hit Some Balls..........................