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Architect, golfer part of PGA Tuesday, Aug 5, 2008 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - Two figures from yesteryear are as much a part of golf's final major of '08 as guessing at who will take advantage of the opportunity created by the absence of Tiger Woods. Golf course architect Donald Ross will be cursed, probably quietly considering his lofty reputation, and Ben Hogan will be quoted. It was Ross who designed Oakland Hills, site of the PGA Championship, and it is amazing that a course which opened more than 90 years ago can stand up to today's technology. But, it has through the years and it will again this week. Although more than 300 yards has been added as a concession to drivers with 460 cc's of clubface, hybrids and cavity-back irons, it is the greens that will befuddle the players and bemuse weekend hackers. Jack Nicklaus, who won the U.S. Senior Open at Oakland Hills in 1991 with a 2-over-par 282, called the putting surfaces the "toughest set of greens we play in major-championship golf." In his victory speech after the 1951 U.S. Open, it was Hogan who said he was glad he "brought this monster to its knees." He won with a final-round 67, one of only two rounds under par all week, and finished at 287. There is a diagram in the August issue of Golf Digest that is downright frightening to those of us who employ a long putter because two hands no longer work together. It is a topographical view of the 17th green and the shades of green indicate that more than one-third of the surface cannot be used for pin locations because there is a slope of more than 4 percent. When he designed the greens, Ross could not have envisioned the speed of greens in today's major tournaments. In fact, said architect Pete Dye, Ross would modify his crowned creations if he was alive today. Supposedly, Hogan was so wary of the ninth green at Oakland Hills that he thought about playing short on the par-3 and chipping to the flag. This week, that hole will play at 257 yards. Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson are among the favorites this week, but both are suspect. Singh won by a shot in Akron, Ohio, on Sunday, ranking high in driving distance, accuracy and greens in regulation. During the week, he missed a half-dozen short putts. Shaky on the final putt from inside 4 feet, his hit-and-hope stroke will bite him at Oakland Hills. Mickelson hit six fairways on Friday, six more on Saturday, and still managed 66-68 with imagination and ingenuity. His errant tee shots caught up with him on Sunday and he bogeyed the final two holes. More of the same is in store for him at Oakland Hills. Lee Westwood and Stuart Appleby finished a shot behind Singh. Westwood drives it straight enough and hits it well enough to win, but his short game is suspect - note a double bogey from a bunker and a putter rather than a chip shot from several yards off the green. Appleby never seems to close the deal in a major. The PGA is in dire need of a compelling storyline, such as those provided by Rocco Mediate at the U.S. Open and Greg Norman at The British Open. No one comes to mind, but neither Mediate nor Norman received serious attention prior to the tournament. Trevor Immelman won his first major when Woods couldn't putt at Augusta and Padraig Harrington recorded his numero uno when Woods couldn't play at Royal Birkdale. The last major of the year is likely to go to another first-time winner. Pressed for a name, pencil in Anthony Kim, who hit it good at The British and never solved the greens. ------- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
