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PGA championship tees off at Baltusrol
Almost every question and comment going into the PGA Championship has mentioned Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh. The rest of the field is beginning to take umbrage.
Play got under way Thursday morning under mostly sunny skies with a forecast of hot, humid conditions. There was a chance of a late afternoon thunderstorm. Woods is looking to win three majors in a year for the second time. When he beat Bob May in a playoff to win the PGA at Valhalla in 2000, he became the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three-quarters of the Grand Slam in one year. "I think the atmosphere is nowhere near what it was in 2000 because I had won the U.S. Open by 15 and the British Open by eight, so 23 shots in two tournaments is pretty good," said Woods, who is playing in his last major as a 20-something. "This year I've won two major championships. The Masters was a little bit closer, but I won the British by five. The atmosphere is also a little different because I've done this before. I guess from some of the media I talked to the novelty factor is not there anymore; I've already done it." Woods, who has a total of 10 majors, is still excited about the prospect of another three-major year. "That would be huge, huge," he said. "To have won three majors in a year, that's pretty cool." Singh won the PGA Championship last year at Whistling Straits, joining Woods as a two-time winner. Only four players have won three or more PGAs: Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus with five each, and Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead with three apiece. "If I win, that will be great," Singh said. "I'll be over the moon if I do win it and get into that category with the rest of those guys. But I cannot look ahead. I've got to be in the present." The present will have Woods, Singh and the rest of the field chasing a $1.17 million first prize on a 110-year-old golf course that has hosted seven U.S. Opens and, at 7,400 yards, is a long par-70. The history is tough to ignore at Baltusrol. Nicklaus won the Open here in 1967 and 1980. Lee Janzen won the 1993 Open, the last major the club has hosted, beating Payne Stewart by two strokes. "Little things here and there are different and I think there's a few more bunkers than I remember," Janzen said. "The course is very long. They've added yardage on nearly every hole since we were here 12 years ago." There have been plenty of changes since Nicklaus first played here. Though he's not in the field ¡ª he played his last major last month at St. Andrews ¡ª he will be a permanent presence on the 18th tee. The PGA of America and Baltusrol unveiled a plaque in Nicklaus' honor on the tee box Wednesday. And while Nicklaus was reminiscing about his two Open wins, the topic turned to Woods and Singh. Nicklaus was asked if Singh is underappreciated. "I don't know whether underappreciated is the word," he said. "Maybe many people just don't realize how good he really is. Or maybe how good Tiger is, nobody realizes how good anybody else is." Singh wouldn't hear of limiting the likely contenders to himself and Woods. "I would say it's the other way around. I think there's only 10 or 15 guys out here who may not be able to win the golf tournament," he said. "I think the course is going to favor whoever putts well this week. The guy who putts well is the guy who is going to win the tournament."
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