My fairway research last month took me to The Land of Cheese, my nickname for Wisconsin, where I devoured deep-fried cheddar cheese curds for the first time and then was devoured by the Straits Course at Whistling Straits, site of this month’s PGA Championship.
One of the two aforementioned experiences was more enjoyable than the other. (Hint: I’m a single-digit handicapper who didn’t break 90.)
At least I can say none of the Scottish blackface sheep on the course were injured while grazing on the 15th fairway as I played through. I’m also proud that I visitedonlynine of the more than 1,200 bunkers on the course, even escaping the Grand Canyon-sized hazard fronting the par-5 11th without requiring a Sherpa-led search party.
All kidding aside, this Pete Dye-designed seaside links course on the shores of Lake Michigan, featuring two miles of uninterrupted shoreline and spectacular views of the deep-blue water on all 18 holes, is the perfect venue for a major championship. That’s why the PGA of America and USGA keep coming back to Whistling Straits and its sister courses at Blackwolf Run, all managed by the Destination Kohler resort.
Though it has only been open to the public since 1998, Whistling Straits has already hosted the 2004 PGA (won by Vijay Singh in a playoff), the 2010 PGA (won by Martin Kaymer in a playoff), the 2007 U.S. Senior Open and a third PGA Championship this month. The 2020 Ryder Cup also is coming to The Straits.
When I teed it up – yes, the winds do whistle off the lake and through the tall fescue, especially in the afternoon – the tournament grandstands were being erected and the rough was growing in, so it was easy to envision the conditions and championship setup as my caddie Gary Koenig led me around the course.
I’ve never seen a layout with so many bunkers – so many that a Sports Illustrated reporter stopped counting at 1,000 and a USA Today reporter counted more than 1,200. That’s an average of about 66 sand traps a hole! More than 7,000 truckloads of sand were brought in during construction, so I’m surprised it’s not called Whistling Straits and Blowing Beach. But now you know why Dye is so unpopular with a lot of recreational golfers.
Truthfully, most of the bunkers are out of the driving areas and exist for visual purposes only. But like a lot of first-time visitors, I wanted to examine a particular bunker on the 18th hole – the one that ignited a firestorm of controversy near the end of the 2010 PGA, because it might have cost Dustin Johnson his still-elusive first major title.
To recap, Johnson had birdied the 16th and 17th holes of the final round to take a one-shot lead. A par on No. 18 would win; a bogey would force a playoff. His tee shot on the 500-yard par-4 sailed 40-50 yards right into the gallery. When he got to his ball, it was surrounded by spectators on what he thought was a trampled-down dirt path. After all, there was a backpack sitting a few feet away, amid candy wrappers, a Gatorade bottle and footprints in a sandy area where people had been standing and sitting moments before his arrival.
Johnson didn’t realize he had been in a bunker, and illegally grounded his club, until after he holed out for a bogey and was told by an official that he had incurred a two-stroke penalty. Instead of being in a playoff, he had to sign for a triple-bogey 7 and finished fifth. Apparently, DJ hadn’t read a local championship rule posted in the locker room stipulating that all sandy areas – inside and outside the ropes, raked or not – were being played as hazards.
Even so, I thought he got a raw deal, because I’ve never seen spectators allowed to stand or sit in a bunker moments before or during a player’s shot in competition. Ever. So how would DJ know it was a hazard?
And when my caddie took me to the spot on No. 18 where Johnson had hit his approach shot five years ago, you’ll never guess what was there. Grass. The area has grown in with fescue. It’s not a bunker anymore.
“The club got tired of people asking about the shot,” Koenig said, adding that there’s talk of a grandstand also being built in the same spot for the PGA Championship.
That’s why if DJ wins at Whistling Straits this time, it would be an even better story.
Reach Randy Youngman at SouthlandGolfRY@aol.com.
