By Dr. Tony Parker, Official Historian to the World Golf Hall of Fame
The 97th PGA Championship returns to Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin for the third time since its opening in 1998. The course, designed by World Golf Hall of Fame member Pete Dye and his wife Alice, will prove to be a testing venue as PGA TOUR player Jordan Spieth seeks his third Major title this year.
Dye and his wife designed Whistling Straits to look like a traditional Scottish or Irish links course with dunes and fescue grass. Situated along the coastline of Lake Michigan, the weather adds to the links atmosphere, bringing the wind into play. Bunkers abound throughout the golf course and it has been said that even Pete Dye doesn’t know how many there are. Whistling Straits is designed to test the mettle of even the best golfers in the world.
The two previous Majors hosted at Whistling Straits provided dramatic theatre and tense finishes from the leaders.
Whistling Straits made its PGA Championship debut in 2004 when ‘98 PGA Champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member Vijay Singh prevailed in a three-way playoff over Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco for his third career Major.
The championship began with a solid performance from several Major Championship winners. Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke fired a first-round 65 to finish at 7-under-par, closely followed by Hall of Fame member Ernie Els and Leonard at one shot behind. Singh stood by in a tie at fourth place with his best start in 13 PGA Championships.
In the second round Leonard picked up a stroke while Singh moved into a tie for first with a 4-under 68. At the end of play on Day 3, Singh found himself at 12-under-par and leading by one shot over Leonard and four shots over the rest of the field, including Els and Hall of Fame member Phil Mickelson sitting at 8-under-par.
While the rest of the field struggled in the final round, DiMarco made a move and had a chance to win the tournament; however, with two bogeys in the last four holes he finished the day at 8-under-par. Although he was the leader in the clubhouse, Singh and Leonard were still on the course. Els finished with a 73, leaving him one shot off the lead.
Singh and Leonard ran into trouble in the final round with a stretch of bogeys and even a double-bogey for Singh. The pair finished with a three-way tie, joining DiMarco with 8-under-par. The PGA Championship would be decided by a three-way aggregate playoff. On the first hole of the three-hole playoff, Singh hit a massive tee shot up the 10th fairway and hit his pitch shot to six feet. He rolled his putt in for the birdie while the other two made pars. Leonard and DiMarco could only complete the other two holes in par giving Singh the victory.
On claiming his third Major Championship win, Singh proclaimed, “It looked ugly, but it’s the prettiest!”
With a field of true competitors including 2015 two-time Major Champion Jordan Spieth, this year’s tournament could prove to be just as tight. Who will win the next PGA Championship at Whistling Straits and hoist the famed Wannamaker Trophy? We will find out on August 16 when golf’s final Major wraps up in Wisconsin.
