The Starter, Round 1: PGA Championship
STILL DELAYED (10 a.m.) -- The fog that has delayed the first round of the PGA Championship showed no signs of letting up. By 9:30 a.m. the players on the practice tee could only see the first set of flags, but were unable to see the end of the range. The first and ninth tees remained shrouded in fog.
No player was actively hitting balls on the range. Australians Jason Day and Stuart Appleby were having a conversation, while Day simultaneously bounced a golf ball with his wedge. Appleby finally removed his visor, hooked it on his bag and walked to the locker room.
Members of the first pairing were still hanging around waiting for the signal to begin. Vaughn Taylor was talking with his caddie, Scott Herbert was hitting short pitch shots, and Bo Van Pelt walked to a bench at the back of the practice area and had a seat. -- Stan Awtrey
FOG DELAY (8 a.m. ET) -- This just in from the AP:
The start of the PGA Championship is being delayed by fog. The first tee time, scheduled for 8 a.m. ET, will be 30 minutes after the fog clears.
The first round of the PGA Championship is set to begin Thursday. Here's a preview:
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NO CLEAR FAVORITE: Tiger's not playing like Tiger. Phil Mickelson's not in top form, either. And Lee Westwood's not even here. Those are the world's top-ranked players ... and those are the reasons why the expectations of a breakthrough major winner are so high going into Thursday's opening round at Whistling Straits.
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"There's going to be a lot of guys here thinking that it's the right time for them to break through, and I'm definitely one of those guys," said Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, who captured his first PGA TOUR win earlier this year at the Wells Fargo Championship. "And you can never write the likes of Tiger and Phil off. But I definitely think ... (other players have) a better chance coming into this event with those two guys not playing great and Lee obviously not playing."
England's Paul Casey said it wouldn't matter even if Woods and Mickelson were in peak form. The talent level on the PGA TOUR, as well as in Europe, has made things much more equitable.
"Even when you get these guys, Phil and Tiger, playing great golf, we now are at a level where we can compete with them," Casey said. "Maybe not day-in, day-out, as consistently, but when we are on our best, we can certainly win tournaments when they are in the field."
EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR NETWORK on-site correspondent Michael Collins previews Round 1:
With the big rain storms that came in early Wednesday morning and Wednesday afternoon the golf course got drenched with an extra two inches of rain that it didn't need. In this area, in the last two months, almost 30 inches of rain have fallen in an area that normally gets 9" in the same period. What that means is even with fescue fairways and great drainage on the greens, the course isn't going to get nearly as firm and fast as the PGA would have liked. That being said, after talking with Kerry Haig on Wednesday afternoon, the thought of a scoring festival for the opening round has everyone out here excited.
With very little to no wind in forecast for the first round, expect someone to go out and shoot at least a 65. You may not see some of the super low scores we've seen in the past month -- there will not be a 59 shot here because the course is too tough for that -- but someone is gonna be the rabbit.
One big story this week for me at least... cheese curds!! If you've never had cheese curds from Wisconsin, don't ever eat them. If you do you may end up on an episode of A&E's "Intervention". If you have had the pleasure of this guilty pleasure, you know of what I speak!
I you see me out walking the course this week PLEASE don't offer me a brat and/or cheese curds. Because I will accept!
INSTRUCTOR'S CORNER: Bill Masching, head instructor at TOUR Academy New York, analyzes the playing conditions this week:
The PGA Championship returns to Kohler, Wis. and Whistling Straits this year. Y.E. Yang, Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods will walk together for the first two days. Vijay was talking about getting "the vibe" at Whistling Straits being a key to his success. Tiger talked about using positive energy he received from his fans, when he won the U.S. Open a couple years ago. Whistling Straits offers many spectacular views with rolling hills, golden fescue and Lake Michigan visible from every angle.
Staring and noticing the beauty in your environment and breathing deeply is a great way to help calm nerves and lift your energy level. Next time you are over a big putt or on the first tee in front of your peers, take a few deep breaths and visualize hitting a perfect shot. Try this simple strategy next time you are playing golf to help lift your energy levels and see if you can find "the zone!"
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