Aug. 11, 2010
By PGATOUR.COM staff and wire reports
News, notes and predictions as we get set for the first round of this week's PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis.
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| TV/Radio (all times ET) |
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| RADIO: SIRIUS 209, XM 146, PGATOUR.COM (Thu.-Fri., 12 p.m.-8 p.m.; Sat.-Sun. 1 p.m.-7 p.m.) |
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CHEESE HEADS: Wisconsin native Steve Stricker adds plenty of local flavor this week at Whistling Straits, and he's considered a strong favorite to win the Wanamaker Trophy. Ranked fourth in the world, Stricker makes his 13th PGA Championship appearance this week, with his best finish coming in 1998 when he was second at Sahalee Country Club in Redmond, Wash.
As a close friend and former University of Illinois teammate of Stricker, Mike Small knows Stricker wants a win in his home state this week.
"We spoke about a week ago, and I know this is a big deal to him and I know he's under maybe some self-imposed pressure, maybe because he wants to win a major and being in his home state," Small said.
So Small plans to give his old buddy some space.
"I'm sure we'll run into each other and have a Coke or something and talk, but I'm not going to go get in his kitchen," said Small, currently the men's golf coach at Illinois. "I'm going to let him be and do his own thing and root him on."
IRON MAN: Vijay Singh, who won his third and last major at the 2004 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, will compete in his TOUR-best 66th consecutive major this week. The last major Singh missed was the 1994 U.S. Open at Oakmont GC. Mike Weir is second behind Singh as he competes this week in his 47th consecutive major, dating back to the 1999 U.S. Open.
WINNER'S DINNER: To honor defending PGA champion Y.E. Yang, the First Lady of South Korea arranged to have four of the top chefs in Yang's home country flown in to Wisconsin for Tuesday's champions dinner. The menu included japchae, a colorful dish made with glass noodles, carrot and spinach seasoned with soy sauce, and modeumjeon, assorted pan-fried delicacies including halibut, mushrooms and zucchini with vinegar soy sauce.
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| How Phil Mickelson becomes No. 1 in Official World Golf Ranking at PGA Championship |
| Mickelson wins |
| Mickelson 2nd and Woods outside top 3 |
| Mickelson 3rd and Woods Outside top 11 |
| Mickelson 4th and Woods Outside top 46 |
| Mickelson T4 and Woods misses cut |
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FEDEXCUP UPDATE: There are only two weeks left before the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, beginning with The Barclays at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J. Any of the top 13 in the standings will move into first place with a win. Forty-nine of the top 50 players in the FedExCup standings are in the field this week.
Tiger Woods is in 119th position and with a win would move into 25th place. A 10th would put him at 86th. If he earns no points, Woods could fall to 127th and out of contention for the Playoffs.
Only seven of the players ranked outside the top 30 entering the 2009 Playoffs made it the THE TOUR Championship.
| Predictions: Columnists vs. Interns |
| PGATOUR.COM's interns are trying to outpredict our expert columnists this summer. We'll keep tabs and see how they rank at the end of the internships. Here are the picks for the PGA Championship. |
| Columnists |
Pick |
Comment |
Stan
AWTREY |
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STEVE STRICKER: His record in the three majors has been less than stellar, but he's coming off a top-10 finish at Bridgestone and has the game that should be rewarded at Whistling Straits. The Wisconsin native will certainly have the support of the fans and would be a popular champion. |
Craig
DOLCH |
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ERNIE ELS: The FedExCup points leader was one shot out of the playoff in the 2004 PGA at Whistling Straits. He's ready to move within a Masters title of the career Grand Slam. |
Melanie
HAUSER |
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RORY MCILROY: Why? Couple of reasons. He's got serious game. He's playing great. He's going to win a major soon. And Whistling Straits won't put him in a strait jacket. Then again, what do i know? |
| Interns |
Pick |
Comment |
Chris
DUNHAM |
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PHIL MICKELSON: Almost decided to end the internship with an interesting pick like Adam Scott, but want to give Lefty a chance at redemption after a tough Sunday in Akron. |
Todd
HOSKINS |
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HUNTER MAHAN: He's got the best swing on TOUR, and that's what golf typically requires -- someone who can swing a golf club. |
Ryan
PIERCE |
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CAMILO VILLEGAS: Completely baffled, but this pick is based on the Colombian's hometown, Medellin, for all the Entourage fans out there. |
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| Bolton's Yahoo! selections |
| Fantasy columnist Rob Bolton will provide his Yahoo! picks as a starting point for you every week. Use the advice and opinion from his Power Rankings and Fantasy Insider to assist in determining lineups changes throughout each tournament. |
| Group |
Starters |
Bench |
| Group A |
Steve Stricker |
Ernie Els |
| Group B |
Padraig Harrington, Jeff Overton |
Retief Goose, Bo Van Pelt |
| Group C |
Matt Kuchar |
Louis Oosthuizen |
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| Did you know? |
| The PGA Championship has been hosted in 25 different states (this is the third time Wisconsin has hosted the Championship). New York and Ohio lead the way, as each state has hosted the major 11 times. |
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| What the winner gets |
| A victory this week at the PGA Championship will earn the following benefits: |
| • Fully Exempt for the remainder of 2010 and all of 2011-2015 |
| • 600 FedExCup points. It took 354 points to qualify for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup in 2009 and 494 to reach the Deutsche Bank Championship. |
| • A spot in the following 2011 events in order of play: |
| - 2011 SBS Championship |
| - 2011 Bob Hope Classic |
| - 2011 Arnold Palmer Invitational |
| - 2011 Masters Tournament |
| - 2011 Verizon Heritage |
| - 2011 THE PLAYERS Championship |
| - 2011 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial |
| - 2011 The Memorial Tournament |
| - 2011 U.S. Open |
| - 2011 AT&T National |
| - 2011 British Open |
| - 2011 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational |
| - 2011 PGA Championship |
| • If a U.S. player, 1 point for every $1.00 won towards making the 2011 Presidents Cup team. |
| • If a U.S. player, 2 points for every $1,000.00 won towards making the 2010 Ryder Cup team. |
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