Oakland Hills once again proved its 'Monster' might

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Though in serious contention for the Wanamaker Trophy in the final round, Sergio Garcia was one of the many aghast at the strength of the "Monster" in this year's PGA.

What will you remember about the 2008 season? That was the simple question we asked PGATOUR.COM staffers and freelance contributors, who responded with a series of short essays that we will post during November (click here for the archive link).

File this under: Things that are hard to believe.

MORE MEMORIES

Dolch: Rocco's big week
Kupelian: Facing a 'Monster'
Spoor: Emotions at Valhalla
Wacker:Tiger on one leg
Smithson: Goydos' one bad shot
McAllister: Those Irish eyes
2008 Year in Review archive
Year-end essay archive

OAKLAND HILLS

Video: The head pro's view

The Monster returned to the PGA TOUR's major rotation this year as the PGA Championship venue -- and some in the field actually were surprised at the degree of difficulty of the famed South Course at Oakland Hills Country Club outside Detroit.

They shouldn't have been. The South Course once again demonstrated that its reputation isn't for nothing. After his 1951 U.S. Open victory, Ben Hogan made Oakland Hills famous by referencing it, in victory, as a monster.

Nothing has changed much over the years. Those in the field at Oakland Hills should have known the history, and they should have been prepared for it.

The complainers groaned about the setup or the greens or the rough. Those same players were beaten before they had a chance. Jack Nicklaus is fond of saying that by listening to the griping before a tournament, he would always know which golfers to cross off his list of contenders.

Others simply went about their business at Oakland Hills, and few are better at taking care of business than Padraig Harrington.

Harrington closed out his second straight victory in a major with rounds of 66-66 on the South Course. That's 8-under-par -- and Hoganesque. There was a fair share of other rounds in the 60s, too, including a course-record-equaling 65 by Andres Romero, along with some 67s, 68s, and 69s. It only proved that those kinds of numbers were out there and meant the course was eminently playable albeit extremely difficult.

Harrington was brilliant. He recovered from a sluggish start with new resolve -- and his putting display on the final three holes of the championship was historic, as it made him the first European-born golfer in 78 years, since 1930, to win the PGA Championship.

The final three holes at Oakland Hills are brutally difficult, so much so that twice Harrington was forced to save par. He rolled in a sweeping 20-foot putt for par at the 16th, a 10-foot putt for birdie at the 17th and another from 15 feet for par again at the 18th hole.

It was sublime stuff, the kind of golf required to tame a Monster.

Vartan Kupelian, a PGATOUR.COM freelance columnist and former golf writer at the Detroit News, has been called many things, but "Monster" is not one of them.