Medinah Shores Up Its Defenses

Just to prove it’s a numbers game, here comes the 88th PGA Championship, worth at least $6.5 million, with at least $1.17 million to the winner. The top 10 players in the world are on hand at Medinah Country Club, the suburban Chicago layout, playing host to its fifth major championship.

And the one to watch is still Tiger Woods.

His own numbers are off the charts: $5.1 million, No. 1 ranked for the 404th week, four victories this year, 50 for his career, two wins and a tie for second in his last three tournaments, PGA Tour leader this year in earnings, scoring, greens in regulation, birdie average and closest to the hole.

All that and he’s coming back to Medinah Country Club, where a 23-year-old Woods won the 1999 PGA Championship, his second major victory. He won his 11th a month ago at the British Open at Royal Liverpool. Now, Woods is once again regarded as the player most likely to succeed.

“He’s the best iron player in the world,” said Tom Lehman, the U.S. Ryder Cup captain. “He’s also the best par putter in the world.”

But that doesn’t mean Tiger is out of the woods this week as the year’s final major championship takes place at venerable Medinah, a project from the 1920s about 35 minutes west of Lake Michigan. The 60,000-square-foot clubhouse, with a 60-foot-high rotunda, has plenty of room for Woods and the rest of the challengers to stretch out in.

Chances are no one will find Medinah a pushover, not after its latest makeover by Rees Jones. The architect increased Medinah’s yardage to 7,561 yards, making it the longest course in major-championship golf.

If Woods is the favorite, he has plenty of challengers:

No. 2 in the world, Phil Mickelson: No factor at the British Open, Mickelson has still won twice this year, including the Masters, and he’s fourth in scoring (69.37), fourth in putting and third in earnings with $4.1 million. He spent last Monday and Tuesday at Medinah, getting a grip on the place; he tied for 57th at the 1999 PGA Championship.

No. 3, Vijay Singh: His grip on the third spot in the rankings is slipping, yet he’s still playing well. Other than missing the cut at the British Open, Singh went win, tie for sixth and tie for third, in succession, at the Barclays Classic, the U.S. Open and the Western Open. He also has won the PGA twice (in 1998 and 2004), although he ranks only 55th in driving distance this year and 167th in fairways hit. No one has played the par fives better than Singh this year -- and Medinah has four of them, one measuring 605 yards. He tied for 49th at the 1999 PGA.

No. 4, Jim Furyk: If not for Woods, he would clearly be the most consistent player, starting at the U.S. Open, where he tied for second. He tied for fourth at the Western, was fourth again at the British Open and was second (to Woods) at the Buick Open. He has nine top 10s in 18 tournaments. He’s fifth in fairways hit and second (to Woods twice more) in scoring (69.12) and earnings ($4.69 million). He hits it straight and he gets it in the hole -- ranked 14th in greens in regulation and 16th in putting. Furyk tied for eighth at the 1999 PGA.

No. 5, Retief Goosen: It has been a down year, after a second at the Players Championship and a tie for third at the Masters. He missed the cut at the U.S. Open and didn’t contend at the British Open. His statistics are not overpowering -- 138th in fairways hit, 81st in greens in regulation and 56th in putting. His scoring average of 70.20 is 20th, down eight places from last year. He missed the cut at the 1999 PGA.

No. 6, Adam Scott: Tied for eighth at the British Open and has six top 10s in 13 PGA Tour events. Third in scoring (69.16), he averages 300.8 yards off the tee to rank 13th and is a solid 18th in greens in regulation. Has not won a major, but he’s a major threat, maybe even this week. He didn’t play in the 1999 PGA.

No. 7, Ernie Els: He turns 37 in October and hasn’t done much on the PGA Tour since he tied for seventh at the Verizon in April, but he might have found his rhythm at the British Open, where he was third, after opening with rounds of 68-65. He hasn’t been hitting it long (77th in driving distance at 291.7), straight (145th in fairways hit), or hitting the greens (151st in greens in regulation). His putting has been so-so (71st), but he usually contends at the PGA. Missed the cut in 1999 at Medinah.

No. 8, Geoff Ogilvy: His two victories were slightly quirky, at the Match Play, where anything can happen, and at the U.S. Open, where Mickelson, Colin Montgomerie and Furyk handed him the trophy. But Ogilvy manages his game, avoids getting rattled and backs down to no one, which should help him. Did not play in the 1999 PGA.

No. 9, Sergio Garcia: He was 19 and a rising star when he finished second, nosed out by Woods, in the 1999 PGA at Medinah. He hasn’t come closer in a major since. Garcia missed the cut at the U.S. Open but tied for fifth at Royal Liverpool. His main problem, again, is on the greens. His 289.7-yard average off the tee is good enough, but he ranks 164th in putting, and his scoring average of 70.86 ranks 71st. Another way to look at it: He’s due.

No. 10, David Howell: One top 10 in PGA Tour events this year, and that was at the Match Play tournament in February, which means his best result in a full-field, stroke-play tournament is a tie for 12th at Doral. He gets it done with his short game. He’s 129th in driving distance (285.8), but he’s third in putting and first in average distance of putts made (10 feet 4 inches).

There are others with legitimate chances, including 13th-ranked Chris DiMarco, who has had an up-and-down year but was second at the British Open. Luke Donald is fifth in scoring average and third in sand saves this year and appears to be on the brink of something big.

Stewart Cink, David Toms, Padraig Harrington, Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby shouldn’t be overlooked, even if the bigger names hog most of the attention, starting with Woods.