Hazeltine National Golf Club

Final Round of the 2009 PGA Championship Should Deliver in Excitement

Ed — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:13:01 +0000

I suppose there are two schools of thought as we anticipate the final round of the 2009 PGA Championship. There are certainly those who would be happier to see Tiger Woods walk away with a 5 stroke victory than to see him grit out an 18 hold duel with the likes of Y.E. Yang or Padraig Harrington, but through the course of history what will be more memorable? Heaven forbid, for the legions of Tiger Woods followers, that another competitor end Tiger’s undefeated streak of wins when leading after the first two rounds of a major. That occurence would certainly have its place in the annals of golf history.

Whatever, this final round of play at the PGA Championship will be memorable. The conditions are blustery and the leaderboard includes some worthy and capable names who could put just enough heat on Mr. Woods to pump some high voltage into this overcast Minnesota afternoon. Regardless of the ending you’re hoping for, the final round should provide plenty of excitement and memories.

Chasing Tiger Woods

Ed — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:17:08 +0000

Just off the fairway of number 16 at Hazeltine is a wonderful location to watch the action at the PGA Championship if you can’t get close to the green. Plan it correctly and you can watch the players drive their ball into the fairway and then hit their approach shots. It is also a fantastic place to watch the incredible movement of the Tiger Woods Nation.

Watching the gallery that watches Tiger Woods is a wild experience. As one person remarked as we were watching the wave of spectators move towards us as Tiger made his way to the fairway, “here comes the circus.” His followers are like a moving auditorium. They travel in a monsterous pack and descend upon tee boxes, fairways and greens as a collective unit, inhaling and exhaling with every shot made by the world’s number one golfer.

Presumably, Tiger’s fans are there to see something heroic and memorable and perhaps to somehow connect with the greatness which he exudes. Next to his game, Tiger’s followers this week will be one of the memories that will stick with me long after this tournament is over.

Spaniard Alvaro Quiros Amuses Woods and Harrington in First Round

Ed — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:21:49 +0000

One of the enjoyable parts of media access at events like the PGA Championship is the insight you gain while sitting in player news conferences. Today, Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington commented on a light moment on the course during the opening round of the 91st PGA.

On the 11th hole, Alavaro Quiros from Spain nearly reached the monsterous 600+ yard par 5 in two shots. He happened to roll it up while Woods, Harrington and Beem were on the green. Quiros hit driver and then driver again off the deck to roll it up to the front of the green in two. His shot wasn’t close to hitting anyone, so not only were the players not concerned, they were truly amused by the length of the young Spaniard.

“That’s just stupid long, isn’t it,” Woods bemused recalling the shot. ”To hit it that far into the wind is phenomenal. It’s just absolutely phenomenal. I used to be able to move the ball, not anymore. I just plod my way around, shoot 67,” the 33 -year old joked.

Padraig Harrington, who was in the interview room after Tiger provided an even more entertaining reaction. Harrington first thought it was a player chipping out, hitting a third shot. After asking around he found out it was Quiros’s second shot.

“There couldn’t be anybody playing the game competitively who could have knocked it up there on 2 today. It was phenomenal.” Harrington went on and said, “we were joking between ourselves that we actually have it in the bag and we don’t take it out, but I don’t think that’s true.”

Woods finished with the clubhouse lead at 5 under par, Harrington trailed by one at -4, Beem got around in 71, 1 under par. Oh, yeah, Quiros? He’s at 3 under par after the first round.

Phil Mickelson “I’m fresh. I’m ready to go.”

Ed — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:30:11 +0000

Phil Mickelson says he’s there’s a sense of relief knowing the long term prognosis is favorable for his wife and mother, both who have been battling breast cancer. With that he proclaimed himself fresh and said, “I’m ready to go” during today’s news conference. Not to say that their health is not an ongoing concern for Mickelson, but he says he feels better about his game heading into the PGA Championship than he did going into the U.S. Open.

Just a week and a half ago Mickelson played a practice round at Hazeltine and he remarked during his news conference that the course is in great shape and that “the rough has grown up.” Lefty also spoke in detail about the par 5′s and said that all four will not be reachable by a lot of the players. While he’s not as enthusiastic about the 633 yard third hole, he proclaimed the 572 yard seventh hole one of his favorites.

He also spoke favorably about the par 3′s on the course and shared these thoughts with the media:

Padraig Harrington News Conference Tuesday at the PGA Championship ’09

Ed — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:50:45 +0000

Padraig Harrington was accountable, responsible and downright likable in his news conference today at Hazeltine National Golf Club. Harrington, meeting with the media for the first time during the 91st PGA Championship was asked a number of questions about his final round over the weekend. He had ample opportunities to cast blame for his failure to win on a number of people and factors, but ultimately accepted responsibility for his undoing on the 16th.

Harrington also commented on the fact that Hazeltine is long, but that he believes that’s how a major championship golf course should play. He referred to the course as strong and downplayed the length.

Tom Lehman Says His Game is Solid

Ed — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:11:03 +0000

Hazeltine members, this is for you: Have you ever tried to hit a 7 iron over the Chaska water tower from the parking lot? Tom Lehman has. Somerset members, have you ever tried to play a round of golf on your knees? Tom Lehman has. Have you ever been kicked off the course at Interlachen Country Club? Yep, you guessed it, Tom Lehman has.

During the course of Tom Lehman’s media sessions today, he let some ghosts out of his closet talking about some things he used to do as an Alexandria, MN student playing golf around the state. Lehman, was his usual reserved self, but offered some great insight with stories of his childhood playing junior golf and also touching on the emotions of sending his daughter, Rachel, off to college on Monday.

“It’s fun to be home. It’s always fun to play here,” Lehman said.

The Minnesotan turned Scottsdale, AZ resident also talked about Hazeltine National Golf Club and the fact that he hasn’t actually played the course many times.

“There’s never been a time when you faced four par 5s this long. And it really puts a premium on driving the ball,” Lehman responded when asked if he’s ever faced a course like this in a major championship. ”I think you’re going to see a lot more bogeys on par 5s than you probably have in a long, long time.

Lehman says his game right now is solid. After dealing with nagging tendinitis issue in his elbow which caused him to store his clubs for 4 months, he seems ready to go. He’s in the midst of an active stretch of golf. This will be his fifth tournament in six weeks and his fourth major in a row. ”So, when it comes to being competition-ready and competition-tested I’ve been playing a lot. So I feel my game is sharp that way,” Lehman added.

Lehman tees off at 8:15a.m. Thursday.

If You Want to Hit the Ball Farther, Grow

Ed — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:21:11 +0000

If you’re heading out to the PGA Championship this week take note of a couple of things. First, check out how far the golfers hit the ball. Not just their drivers, but their mid-range irons and wedges as well. Then, take a look at the size of the golfers. Much like watching college and pro basketball on television the players don’t look that big until you actually go to a game or stand beside them. Golfers are the same way. On television they don’t look very big, but in person, they’re much taller and stronger than you might expect.

Walking up and down the driving range you can develop a real appreciation for this. Corey Pavin, the 1995 U.S. Open Champion, was on the range yesterday and I got a chance to see him for the first time. He’s always been known as one of the smaller golfers on tour and he’s still about 5 feet, 9 inches (that’s an estimate). David Toms, the 2001 PGA Championship winner, is another guy who doesn’t look very big on television, but in person is probably about 5′ 10.”

Here’s the point: While we watch these players and admire their ability to hit the golf ball much further than most of us amateur weekend warriors, there’s good reason. First, they do it for a living, we don’t. The other factor is that most of the tour players are bigger and stronger than us mid and high handicap golfers and they’re able to generate way more club head speed with their longer frames.

If you want an appreciation for this, check out guys like Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. You’ll notice that they all are much taller and hit the ball much further than you could ever gather by watching on television.

Tiger Woods News Conference Highlights Tuesday at the PGA

Ed — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:16:26 +0000

Tiger Woods met with the media for the first time this PGA Championship. He spoke about being “on the clock” last weekend, his behavior on the course and his success this year. Tiger also spoke about the playing in Minnesota, the length of the course and the fans in Minnesota compared to other venues at which the tour plays.

Tiger Tracks Monday at Hazeltine National Golf Club

Ed — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:56:52 +0000

Imagine you just closed a big deal. You worked your tail off and beat some of the best competitors in the world. Do you celebrate and kick back for a few days to soak it in? Probably. Tiger Woods? No way. About 12 hours after winning the World Golf Championship in Akron, Ohio, his 5th tournament of the year and second in a row, he was on the course at Hazeltine practicing. He arrived at the course around 6:30am with a handful of people collecting autographs and finished the morning with a horde of media and spectators clicking away with their cameras.

We managed to get some photos and video that we want to pass on to you. Tomorrow he and Padraig Harrington, the defending PGA Champion, will speak to the media. We’ll post that as well. For now, enjoy the look that we got this morning.

Tiger is the Talk of the PGA Championship on Monday

Ed — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:17:48 +0000

Prepping for an event like the PGA Championship, from a local broadcast media standpoint, is interesting. You stockpile all the possible stories that you can cover, assign teams to cover them and expect them to get done for the evening news. Then, it happens. Tiger shows up and everything is out the window!

The big talk of the day was Tiger Woods, of course, on the course. Tiger arrived at Hazeltine at about 6:30a.m. and signed autographs for the kids of some of our members and was on the course by 6:45a.m. When Tiger teed off there were a handful of people to watch. By the end of his round virtually every media outlet in the market was there to document his finish. We caught up with Tiger as well and got these photos. We will be posting video from his round shortly.