Round 1: PGA Championship

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Aug. 13, 2009
By PGATOUR.com Staff

OLYMPIC UPDATE (9:30 a.m. ET): The International Olympic Committee announced Thursday that it has recommended golf as one of two sports to be included in the 2016 Olympics. That leaves golf with one final step -- a vote on Oct. 9 by the 106-member IOC assembly. Click here for story

The first groups are ready to tee off in the first round at the PGA Championship, and here's who we are following:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
9:35 a.m. ET, Hole No. 10		Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, Rich Beem Put yourself in Harrington's shoes. After a nightmarish ending to last weekend's Bridgestone Invitational, Paddy will be golfing with final-round partner Tiger yet again. Good luck.
2:55 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1		Justin Leonard, Retief Goosen, Jeev Milkha Singh Call this the Presidents Cup group. While Goosen is solidly in the top 10 of the International standings, Leonard and Singh both need solid weekends to make their respective teams.
2:45 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1		Phil Mickelson, David Toms, Paul Azinger Mickelson will be the crowd favorite, so balancing the adrenaline rush of huge crowds will be key to sticking around at the top through Sunday.

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR on-site correspondent Brian Katrek previews Thursday's round:

Thursday's forecast

Mostly Sunny
Temp: 89 high/66 low
Sunny with only a few clouds. Winds from the southeast at 10 to 20 mph.

How will last weekend's 6 inches of rain affect the course? That question is on the minds of many players. Leading in to last weekend, the course was very dry and playing firm and fast. Although I didn't see too many mud balls out there early in the week, there wasn't a ton of roll out either.

I spoke to a PGA of America official about golf course preparation and the conversation turned to green speed. He told me the greens will run at "championship speed". In other words, they are not going to release the actual speed of the greens as the tournament progresses. I think I will enjoy "championship speed".

There are many big corporations headquartered here in Minnesota. 3M, Target, and my favorite, Dairy Queen. Although I will be sweating a ton walking the golf course during the day, there is a DQ everywhere you turn, so the weight will be easy to put right back on.

Stat of the Day

Stewart Cink will be going for two major championships in a row starting today. Cink, who won the British Open last month, enjoyed his best PGA Championship finish in 1999 at Medinah Country Club, when he tied for third. His other PGA top-10 came in 2002 at Hazeltine. Cink finished T6 at last week's World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

The Film Room

	Opening Shot: August 12, 2009 Tiger Woods gets his 7th win at Firestone and it's "Glory's Last Shot" as players take on the PGA Championship at Hazeltine. Beau Estes and Brian Katrek discuss all this and more. Watch it
	Mickelson reflects on his 2009, looks for success this week Phil Mickelson addressed reporters before the start of the 2009 PGA Championship. Mickelson spoke about fan support at Hazeltine National, how 2009 has been for him and his future golf goals. Watch it
	Stricker welcomed back near hometown at Hazeltine Wisconsinite Steve Stricker talked about the friendly midwestern fan support players have received at the 2009 PGA Championship. Stricker went on to talk about his readiness to come through with a win at a major championship. Watch it