Wed, Aug 11, 2004 page20

• Whistling Straits ready to punish PGA contenders

  • NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE
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  Whistling Straits, site of the PGA Championship, which begins today, has generated quite a buzz for a five-year-old course that has never played host to a major championship.

  It measures a mammoth 7,514 yards, the longest course in major championship history. Three of the par-4's are at least 500 yards. At first look, the world's best players did double-takes.

  "I was very impressed by it," Darren Clarke, who played a practice round on Sunday, said. "I didn't realize there was that many par-6's on one golf course. You usually have one or two holes every week where you could take lots of high numbers. I think there's about 10 this week where you can take lots of high numbers."

  While it is hardly unusual to hear players predict that a major championship will be difficult, Whistling Straits has punishing potential, particularly if it is windy, which is not uncommon at this links-style golf course nestled alongside Lake Michigan, about 100km north of downtown Milwaukee. Shaun Micheel, the defending champion, said with a straight face after a practice round earlier this summer that 10-over par might win the tournament if it is windy.

  "If the wind comes up at all, and they play the golf course the way it did when I played, it really felt like double digits over par could win," Micheel said. "And I know how good these guys are. In a way, I kind of hope it plays that way, because people are going to be looking at me like I'm silly."

  Most players think Micheel's assessment is overboard, but nobody is expecting an easy week. Not only is Whistling Straits long, it is visually intimidating, with narrow fairways, wispy rough and more than 1,000 bunkers on rolling terrain.

  Talk of how tough Whistling Straits might play brings a smile to the face of the course designer Pete Dye. No stranger to controversy, Dye designed the TPC of Sawgrass, site of the Players Championship, which features the world-renowned island green at No. 17, a hole that has tormented players for years.

  "I'm sure somebody will get to this golf course, because it's a fair test," Dye said. "The fairways are out there, all 30 yards wide. The greens are flawless. If a player is playing good, they are going to shoot low scores. Somebody will shoot a 65 or 66. I believe they will shoot under par here. With the weather that's forecasted, eight or 10-under par."

  Asked on Monday where Whistling Straits ranked in terms of difficulty among his designs, Dye wryly said: "This will be a popcorn. You can interpret that any way you want. Sometimes people choke on popcorn. Wait and see."

  Els in the hunt

  Ernie Els lost a little ground in the world ranking with his tie for 29th in the International, but he is closer than ever to replacing Tiger Woods as No. 1 in the world.

  In the previous two majors, Els needed at least a victory to end Woods' five-year reign at the top. Going into the PGA Championship, the Big Easy can overtake him by finishing second.

  Here's the scenario for Els to move to No. 1:

  ? He wins, and Woods finishes in a three-way tie for second.

  ? He finishes second alone, and Woods finishes 16th alone.

  ? He finishes in a two-way tie for second, Woods misses the cut and Vijay Singh does not win.

  Singh, who challenged Woods earlier in the year before slipping to No. 3, has a chance to move to No. 1 if the Fijian wins the PGA, Woods misses the cut and Els is not the sole runner-up.
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