golfrewind.com

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=1974391

HAVEN, Wis. -- Whistling Straits, the links-styled course along the shores of Lake Michigan that hosted the PGA Championship last year will get golf's fourth major in 2010 and 2015, along with the Ryder Cup in 2020.

The PGA of America really must love this course. Bummer for Seattle the PGA in 2010 got "rescheduled because the Winter Olympics are being held that year in the Vancouver, British Columbia".

Why would the Olympics in February affect a golf tournament in August? Seems a bit ify.

I thinkt hat Whistling Winds was a great course, but only after the second round when they put the tees all the way back. Majors are meant to be hard. Even par or near it should be the winning score. Not -10 and not -20. But near even par. It is too bad that so many pros egos are hurt when they actually shoot over par.

I like what one of the announcers for the British Open said a couple of years ago when they made a very long par4 into a par5. It was something like "I don't understand why people get so worked up over par. Just go out and whoever shoots the lowest score wins." Meaning that by simply converting that par4 into a par5, all they did was simply make every golfer shoot four shots better for the entire tournament (if they made the weekend). I don't recall how low the winner was, but if he won with -2, then he really should have won with +2.

I think its great, I loved watching the guys struggle on the course, it made them seem more human

I really don't think the winning score at the majors is all that important so long as the tournament is exciting. The winning scores at the Masters, Open Championship, and PGA haven't been close to par in recent years for the most part and while I don't think -20 should be winning them, birdies are made down the stretch at each of those tournaments and it adds to the excitement IMO. The US Open is fine but at times when they go too far to protect par, they get results like this year at Shinnecock (although there were guys under par there) with guys complaining the whole time.

Last year's Masters was a perfect example of how exciting it can get to see players make a lot of birdies. At the same time, I think it's great to have a few tournaments out there that really challenge the players. We see these guys shoot in the mid and low 60's week in and week out and it wouldn't hurt to see a couple where they're struggling. I think the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits was a perfect example of that. I believe scores were low at first but once they moved the tees back, the scores started to rise and the finish was quite exciting.

I agree. When a short par 4 such as the 10th plays an average of over 1 shot over par. It was even more unfair than the controversial 7th hole. Also, the wind didn't blow that hard in the final round and the scoring average was almost 9 over par that day. The USGA just proved that Shinnecock Hills is an easy course withou wind.

The PGA Of America has done this kind of thing before. They've used some fancy trickery to "steal" USGA-coveted courses in the past. Oakland Hills was a great example.

After Whistling Straits' stunning debut as a major championship host, there may have been a great eagerness, on the part of the PGA, to lock up another PGA Championship before the USGA could do something. It wouldn't surprise me to see Sahalee paid back before too long.

I don't like the way the PGA of America has been giving multiple events to one course 5 years apart lately. The PGA seemed to be the one major which didn't have to play the same courses all the time. They were getting into the habit of mixing in classic courses like Medinah, Baltusrol, Hazeltine, Oak Hill and Winged Foot and then they go and give multiple PGAs to places like Valhalla and Whistling Straits which, while nice, don't have that sense of history behind them. Three PGAs in one place in 12 years is too much of one course for a major like that IMO.

I loved watchin play that course, they look they're acualyy have to play, think about there shots, the weather etc, instead of just seeing who can bomb it and putt

Sahalee will get another shot a major, but I read where it will probably be about 2013 or so. It is a beautiful course. I was bummed that they took it away, it is within an hour of me. We have a Champions tour event in our area this August, so I will hit that.


The story here was that it got taken because they were worried about sponsors putting out big coin that close after the Olympics makes some sense. From what I have read, Sahalee was cool with it, and it couldn't have gone to a better place than WS.

Wasn't Valhalla specifically built to host PGA Championships? Like a home course sort of thing?

I somewhat disagree though - I think it is good for the Majors to have a sort of rota - bringing the PGA to the same course every so often will eventually give it a bit of history. They can still mix in a few different courses as they go.

Valhalla is owned by the PGA of America I believe but I don't think it was built specifically for PGA Championships.

As for a rota, it does make sense to a point, but going back every 5 years is too much IMO. Even in the Open and US Open rotas, they don't give any course that major that often (St. Andrews may be the only exception, but I don't know when the next Open will be held there after this one). I like the idea of spreading them around to classic courses, but the PGA obviously feels the need to play keep away from the USGA, and if they're gonna give us one course three times in 12 years, at they picked one as beautiful and challenging as Whistling Straits.

I'm with you, kiwidave. I'd love to give that course a try,too... even if I did shoot 130. It's not all that far from me, just accross Lake Mich. from where we vacation. It's right up there with Pebble, Pinehurst & some of the UK layouts that I'm going to try someday. Shinnecock would've been fine if they hadn't lost the greens.

Since 1984 St Andrews will have had the Open 5 times.