Whistling Straits offers exciting stage

The 92nd PGA Championship, which kicks off today at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wis., is being hyped as "Glory's last shot" by its marketers. But the current not-so glorious problems of golf's top-three ranked players leave everyone wondering more than usual what to expect when 97 of the top 100 players in the world rankings compete for the Wanamaker Trophy on a dramatic track along the shores of Lake Michigan.

It's hard to round up the usual suspects in picking a favorite when Tiger Woods is coming off the worst performance of his pro career, Phil Mickelson is battling an autoimmune disorder similar to rheumatoid arthritis and Lee Westwood is home in England dealing with a calve injury that could force him to miss the Ryder Cup matches in October.

However, that could be a plus, considering that the previous two major winners -- Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen -- were dark horses when they pulled off their victories in the U.S. Open and British Open, respectively. And the fact that Vijay Singh, a power player, won in a playoff over finesse players Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco when the PGA Championship was last played at Whistling Straits in 2004 indicates that the course doesn't suit one particular style.

The strong possibility that Woods will get shut out for a second straight year in the majors -- a first in his career -- adds an interesting ingredient to "Glory's last shot," but it is the course itself that is mostly likely to emerge as the real star of the tournament.

Whistling Straits, built by Pete Dye along the bluffs of Lake Michigan and made difficult by the seemingly random placement of 967 bunkers, offers some of the most inspired views in golf. Course owner Herb Kohler wanted Dye to create an American version of Ireland's famous Ballybunion and even has grazing goats on the course to create a similar effect. The course is a thing of beauty, rolling along through man-made dunes bordered by native grass that is yellow and wispy.

However, the softer soil of Whistling Straits is nothing like links golf, making the course a hybrid of sorts. Players can hit 4-irons onto fairways and get only 5 yards of roll. The course will play about the same as it did in 2004 at 7,507 yards and at a par of 72. Of its seven holes along the lake, all four par 3s require demanding shots to avoid the lake.

Along with its great views and numerous bunkers, Whistling Straits boasts large greens with lots of undulations that will lead to a lot of three-putting. Blind shots into fairways bordered by tough fescue rough will make it difficult for anyone to relax on a course that can become very difficult if windy conditions arise.

“It’s like a British Open with good weather,” Carl Pettersson said. “Some of the bunkers can be quirky, but that’s part of links golf. There’s a lot of blind tee shots, like you get in links golf. I don’t think it would be much fun to play in 20 mph wind.”

This year's field includes 12 past champions: Y.E. Yang (2009), Padraig Harrington (2008), Woods (2007, 2006, 2000, 1999), Mickelson (2005), Singh (2004, 1998), Shaun Micheel (2003), David Toms (2001), Davis Love III (1997), Mark Brooks (1996), Steve Elkington (1995), Paul Azinger (1993) and John Daly (1991).

The tournament can be seen on TNT (today-Friday: 1-8 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and CBS (Saturday-Sunday: 2-7 p.m.)

Information from GolfObserver.com, PGATour.com, Golf.com and ESPN.com contributed to this post.