US PGA Championship Courses
A selection of top championship courses
The 90th US PGA Championship is going to be hosted at the legendary Oakland Hills Country Club in Michigan. No stranger to the US PGA Championship, the course has played host to the top tournament twice in its 90-year history. With the planned changes and improvements to the course, the 2008 tournament looks set to be a riveting and thrilling one.
We take a look at ten featured US PGA Championship courses which have seen top golfing greats walk their greens over the past 90 years.
1. Oakland Hills (South Course), Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (1972, 1979 and 2008)
Called “a monster” by Ben Hogan when he won the US Open in 1951, the course has proved a challenge to old and new champions alike. It was originally designed by Donald Ross and before Oakland Hills hosts the 2008 US PGA Championship, South Course will be reworked by Rees Jones, Robert Trent Jones' son. Renovation work has started and will see the course brought to over 7,450 yards. Major renovations include: more bunkers, more water and moving tees.
Gary Player’s 150-yard 9-iron over a willow tree to four feet at the 70th hole in ’72 remains one of the PGA’s most memorable shots.
2. Baltusrol (Lower Course), Springfield, NJ (2005)
The Lower may not dish out magic in its design, but the pros cherished its honest virtues and winner Phil Mickelson proved that there’s inherent drama in any major course that finishes with a birdie-able par-5.
3. Whistling Straits, Sheboygan, Wisconsin (2004)
At times it wasn’t easy for spectators to negotiate the slopes and 1,400 bunkers that dot the landscape, but this 1997 Pete Dye design is visually hard to beat. With Vijay Singh conquering the winds off Lake Michigan by carving old world-style long irons into greens, it pushed this venue into the forefront of modern major venues.
4. Medinah No. 3, Medinah (1999)
Medinah has been changed again and again over the years so may not be able to lay claim to having an all-world design. It did however produce an unforgettable duel between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia in 1999. In a nutshell, this course is robust and straightforward.
5. Winged Foot (West Course), Mamaroneck, NY (1997)
Winged Foot may not have played as tough in 1997 as it did for the US Opens of 1974 and 2006, but it is worth remembering that only five players matched or bettered par for 72 holes that year. One of them, Davis Love, was divinely inspired, holing that final birdie under a rainbow’s arc to finish 11-under, a fitting tribute to his late father, a long-time PGA professional.
6. Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California (1983, 1995)
Two US PGA Championships have taken place at this renowned club. Jack Nicklaus charged home in 1983 with a 66, but Hal Sutton held him off by one to go wire-to-wire. Twelve years later, the ravaged and cosmetically-challenged greens couldn’t stop the scoring onslaught when Steve Elkington and Colin Montgomerie went 17-under for 72 holes, before Elkington pipped Monty on the first hole of the playoff.
7. Inverness Club, Toledo, Ohio (1986, 1993)
A marvellous collection of Donald Ross-designed par-4s set the stage for two more of Greg Norman’s most crushing defeats, the first when Bob Tway holed a bunker shot, the second when the Shark lipped out putts on two straight holes, handing the playoff win to Paul Azinger.
8. Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pennsylvania (1922, 1951, 1978)
This stern layout with its church pew bunkers and frighteningly quick greens qualifies as US golf royalty. Tommy Armour, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller and Ernie Els are among those who have won Opens here, while Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead and John Mahaffey took the three PGAs.
9. Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California (1977)
No course offers better aesthetics and drama down the homestretch of big events, thanks to its cliff-top setting above the Pacific, ever-present weather bursts and rich history. The only PGA Championship played here was filled with intrigue. Start with a browned out course that played like a British links, the result of a summer-long drought, throw in an illegal groove controversy which forced dozens of players to discard their clubs on the eve of the tournament and finished with a final-nine collapse by popular veteran Gene Littler, which allowed Lanny Wadkins to edge him in the first sudden death playoff in major championship history.
10. Pinehurst No. 2, Pinehurst, NC (1936)
The ultimate test of short-game prowess and ball position golf first appeared in 18-hole form in 1907, but it wasn’t until Denny Shute captured this event that the Donald Ross masterpiece offered grass greens.
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