PGA Championships Final Leg in Great Year of Major Events

OK, PGA Championship, now it’s your turn.

The last--some say the least--of the major championships starts Thursday at Medinah Country Club, past site of three U.S. Opens and the future site of a Ryder Cup. For now, the PGA is concerned with living up to what has been a memorable year of majors.

The Masters produced a dramatic back-nine duel between Jose Maria Olazabal and Greg Norman and a classic showcase of sportsmanship. There was an eagle, birdies, great pars and eventually two bogeys that dealt Norman another dose of Augusta heartache.

The U.S. Open, played for the first time at historic Pinehurst No. 2, made history of its own. Phil Mickelson carried a pager with him and promised to leave at any minute if his wife went into labor. Tiger Woods made another spectacular charge that came up short. And in the end, Payne Stewart won with the a 15-foot par, the longest putt on the last regulation hole to ever decide the 105-year-old championship.

And the British Open?

Perhaps the most bizarre finish ever in a major.

There was Jean Van de Velde, up to his shins in the water of Barry’s Burn thanks to an illogical chain of events that led to a triple-bogey 7 when all he needed was a 6.

Paul Lawrie won the four-hole playoff with great birdies on the last two holes, not that anyone will ever remember that--or him. Still, his 10-stroke comeback is the largest ever in the final round of a major.

So the PGA has some tough acts to follow. And if it can’t live up to the drama of the first three majors, it could get a boost from the tournament within a tournament. The 10 automatic spots on the U.S. Ryder Cup team will be determined when the Wanamaker Trophy is awarded, and there have been some impressive rallies over the years.

In 1995, Brad Faxon closed with a 63 to get on the team. Two years ago, Jeff Maggert sewed up a spot with a final-round 65 to finish third. Maggert is hanging on at 10th in the points, while Tom Lehman is among those who need a big week.

The PGA of America won’t make it easy on them.

Medinah will play as a par-71 at 7,401 yards, the longest course for a major since Columbine Country Club played at 7,436 yards in the mile-high air of Colorado at the 1967 PGA Championship--and that was a par-72.

“In Medinah, it’s a true 7,400 yards,” Justin Leonard said. “It’s going to require higher shots and the ball coming in a little softer because the greens aren’t exceptionally large. It’s going to test everything.”

With tight, tree-lined fairways and thick rough making it even more of a challenge off the tee, Medinah could at least keep in line with one theme.

“This year will be remembered for the four hardest majors,” Lee Janzen said.

Olazabal, Stewart and Lawrie are a combined 3-under in their major championship victories this year. The toughest years are considered to be 1959, 1963 and 1972, when the major champions were a combined 5-under.

If Medinah plays as it is intended, Janzen could be proven correct.

Vijay Singh will try to become the first player to successfully defend his PGA Championship since it converted to stroke play in the 1958, and the first back-to-back champion since Denny Shute in 1937. Singh fits the profile of a player who could do well at Medinah--long and straight off the tee and a renowned ball-striker.

“I’ve been playing pretty consistent all year,” Singh said. “The whole game is pretty good. I’m pretty confident with what I’m doing. I don’t know what my game is going to be when the tournament comes, but I’m playing well. I just don’t see it going that south.”

Still, the PGA has a reputation of producing champions without previous success in the majors. Eleven of the past 12 PGA champions won their first major, the exception being Nick Price in 1994.

That may be a good omen for David Duval, who will go into Medinah ranked No. 1.

The way his season began, winning four times before the Masters, Duval figured to bag at least one major this year. But he has not broken 75 over his last six rounds in the majors, and hasn’t won since the first week of April.

“It’s a continual challenge,” Duval said of adding a major to his 11 PGA Tour victories over the past 22 months. “When I win my first major, it will be a sense of satisfaction, but it won’t quench my thirst. I will want to win more.”

Tiger Woods will be playing for the first time since he tied for seventh in the British Open--remember, his 2-and-1 victory over Duval in their made-for-television exhibition doesn’t count. Woods may have lost his top spot in the ranking, but he has been far ahead of everyone else this summer. Since his post-Masters break, Woods has won three times and finished no worse than seventh in six events.

“Everything about my game has improved,” Woods said. “My bad rounds aren’t 78, 77 anymore. They’re 70 and 69. I’m so much more consistent now.”

What he’d like now is for that consistency to pay off in his first major championship since his record-breaking victory in the 1997 Masters. But don’t expect a score like 18-under to win at Medinah.

“I expect it to be pretty tough,” Mark O’Meara said. “This year, the majors have been very tough. I think Medinah will play similar to the way it played in the U.S. Open.”

Cary Middlecoff won the 1949 Open with a 2-over 286, one stroke ahead of Sam Snead. Lou Graham beat John Mahaffey in a playoff in the 1975 Open at Medinah after both finished at 3-over 287.

The 1990 Open was headed for the same fate until the USGA cut back the rough. Then it rained, turning a firm, fast course soft. Hale Irwin and Mike Donald finished at 8-under 280, but that year will be remembered for Irwin making a 60-foot putt on the 72nd hole and circling the green giving high-fives.

He beat Donald the next day on the first extra playoff hole and, at age 45, became the oldest U.S. Open champion.

Those kind of theatrics would serve the PGA Championship well this week.