pga championship

wind was undoubtedly a key factor at last month’s british open at st. andrews, but the breeze—or lack of it—could also dictate the outcome of the pga championship at whistling straits in kohler, wis. whistling straits was rather benign for three days during the 2004 pga championship, but when the wind kicked up sunday, scores followed suit. vijay singh won in a playoff over chris dimarco and Justin leonard despite a closing 76. the field averaged a tournament high 73.77 in the final round. why wind matters more at whistling straits, par 72 and playing to an identical 7,514 as it did in ‘04, is because the old course is a traditional links designed for bounces, rolls and, yes, the breeze off the coast. whistling straits, with its 967 bunkers and jagged playing corridors along the bluffs of lake michigan, might look like a links layout, but it plays like a target golf course. that means balls in the air, subject to the whims of nature. click the video for tim rosaforte’s look at the pga field.