Tag: PGA Championship

Golf Legend Phil Mickelson Chases Elusive Grand Slam

Phil Mickelson is a legend of the golf world, a five-time major winner and Hall of Famer. His record is the envy of many players on the tour, with an Open Championship, two PGA Championships and three Masters to his name in a career going back almost 30 years. It was 1992 when the San Diego native first turned professional after graduating from ASU, but it took 12 years for him to lift his first major, despite some strong finishes. The 50-year-old is still pounding the fairways, desperate to add that one elusive title that would give him a Grand Slam: The US Open.

Mickelson and the Open have something of a love/hate relationship. As his career begins to wind down it is the only tournament still to evade his clutches, but he has finished as runner up on six occasions, firstly in 1999 and latterly in 2013. This year, at Torrey Pines, he will once again be looking to make history and become a Grand Slam champion.

Mickelson almost missed out on the tournament altogether. ESPN reports there was talk of him having to qualify in the 36-hole sectional qualifier on June 7 in Columbus, Ohio but instead he recently accepted a special exemption from the United States Golf Association on Friday to play in the 121st tournament bearing the US Open name. Torrey Pines is close to his hometown of San Diego and that certainly has had a bearing on his decision, as he revealed in a statement.

“Winning the U.S. Open has been a lifelong and elusive dream, and I’ve come close so many times,” Mickelson said in a statement. “You can’t win if you don’t play. I’m honored and appreciative of the USGA for the opportunity and look forward to playing in my hometown on a golf course I grew up on.”

Despite the obvious romance surrounding the story, it is not going to be easy for Mickelson to take home the prestigious trophy, and write himself into the history books. He is ranked as an outsider with Bwin, behind 20 other golfers. Dustin Johnson is the favorite, with Brooks Koepka and last year’s winner, Bryson DeChambeau. Odds mean little though, as Mickelson has already proven this year.

Mickelson is ranked 116th in the world heading into the tournament and has uniquely never been World Number One, having played second fiddle to Tiger Woods for much of his career. However, he did surprise the world in May when he lifted the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, becoming the oldest player in the history of the game to take a major title. Could that be the start of the US Open fairytale? After his win, he refused to rule it out.

“I just love this game of golf and I love what I do and I love the challenge of competing against such great players,” USA Today reports Mickelson as saying after defeating Koepka in an emotional final round. “This might be my last win, but I also might go on a bit of a run.

Whilst he made history at Kiawah Island, another win at Torrey Pines really would be a fairytale conclusion to a stellar career which is an inspiration to many golfers today, old and young.

Phil Mickelson. David J Phillip/AP/Shutterstock

June 9, 2021
2019 PGA Championship Viewing Guide
The 2019 PGA Championship starts tomorrow and it looks like the course will be playing very long and wet for the first few rounds until the weather warms up and the course dries out a bit. To keep up with all the action, here’s a quick viewing guide.

FANTASY GOLF ALERT: Kelly Kraft takes Justin Thomas’ place playing with Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott in the 7:40am tee time for the first round. Thomas withdrew because of a wrist injury.

Tee Times for Rounds 1 & 2 at Bethpage State Park – Black Course

Round One

( * indicates group will start on #10)

6:45 AM — Rob Labritz, Beau Hossler, J.J. Spaun
6:45 AM* — Ben Cook, Scott Piercy, Brian Gay
6:56 AM — Sam Burns, Jeffrey Schmid, Keith Mitchell
6:56 AM* — Thomas Pieters, Patton Kizzire, Adam Hadwin
7:07 AM — Byeong Hun An, Jason Caron, Andrew Putnam
7:07 AM* — Brandt Snedeker, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Max Homa
7:18 AM — John O’Leary, Harold Varner III, Kyle Stanley
7:18 AM* — Henrik Stenson, David Lipsky, Richard Sterne
7:29 AM — Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Justin Harding, Richy Werenski
7:29 AM* — Shane Lowry, Erik Van Rooyen, Tommy Fleetwood
7:40 AM — J.T. Poston, Jason Dufner, Jimmy Walker
7:40 AM* — Sergio Garcia, Kelly Kraft, Adam Scott
7:51 AM — Graeme McDowell, Chez Reavie, Brendan Jones
7:51 AM* — Charley Hoffman, Louis Oosthuizen, Patrick Reed
8:02 AM — Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Knox, Haotong Li
8:02 AM* — Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson, Justin Rose
8:13 AM — Lee Westwood, Shaun Norris, Charles Howell III
8:13 AM* — Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, Alex Noren
8:24 AM — J.B. Holmes, Lucas Bjerregaard, Troy Merritt
8:24 AM* — Brooks Koepka, Francesco Molinari, Tiger Woods
8:35 AM — Joost Luiten, Brian Mackey, Matt Wallace
8:35 AM* — Aaron Wise, Ryan Fox, Shugo Imahira
8:46 AM — Casey Russell, Luke List, Abraham Ancer
8:46 AM* — Julian Suri, Marty Jertson, Martin Trainer
8:57 AM — Craig Bowden, Adam Long, Joaquin Niemann
8:57 AM* — Lucas Herbert, Cory Schneider, Sungjae Im
12:10 PM — Michael Thompson, Danny Lee, Justin Bertsch
12:10 PM* — Ryan Vermeer, Adrian Otaegui, Jason Kokrak
12:21 PM — Cameron Champ, Rich Berberian, Jr., Lucas Glover
12:21 PM* — Alex Björk, Rod Perry, Ross Fisher
12:32 PM — Emiliano Grillo, Daniel Berger, Paul Casey
12:32 PM* — Eddie Pepperell, Branden Grace, Ryan Palmer
12:43 PM — Tony Finau, Billy Horschel, Ian Poulter
12:43 PM* — Ryan Moore, Joel Dahmen, Thorbjørn Olesen
12:54 PM — Matt Fitzpatrick, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Gary Woodland
12:54 PM* — Y.E. Yang, Rich Beem, John Daly
1:05 PM — Padraig Harrington, Martin Kaymer, Keegan Bradley
1:05 PM* — Steve Stricker, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay
1:16 PM — Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth
1:16 PM* — Sung Kang, Shaun Micheel, Alex Beach
1:27 PM — Pat Perez, Kevin Kisner, Bryson DeChambeau
1:27 PM* — C.T. Pan, Kevin Na, Ryan Armour
1:38 PM — Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Jason Day
1:38 PM* — Danny Willett, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson
1:49 PM — Satoshi Kodaira, Matt Kuchar, Cameron Smith
1:49 PM* — Kevin Tway, Brandon Stone, Bronson Burgoon
2:00 PM — Corey Conners, Jim Furyk, Marc Leishman
2:00 PM* — Si Woo Kim, Danny Balin, Tom Lewis
2:11 PM — Jorge Campillo, Stuart Deane, Chesson Hadley
2:11 PM* — Jazz Janewattananond, Tyler Hall, Michael Kim
2:22 PM — Dylan Frittelli, Andrew Filbert, Kurt Kitayama
2:22 PM* — Mikko Korhonen, Craig Hocknull, Jhonattan Vegas

Round Two

6:45 AM — Ryan Vermeer, Adrian Otaegui, Jason Kokrak
6:45 AM* — Michael Thompson, Danny Lee, Justin Bertsch
6:56 AM — Alex Björk, Rod Perry, Ross Fisher
6:56 AM* — Cameron Champ, Rich Berberian, Jr., Lucas Glover
7:07 AM — Eddie Pepperell, Branden Grace, Ryan Palmer
7:07 AM* — Emiliano Grillo, Daniel Berger, Paul Casey
7:18 AM — Ryan Moore, Joel Dahmen, Thorbjørn Olesen
7:18 AM* — Tony Finau, Billy Horschel, Ian Poulter
7:29 AM — Y.E. Yang, Rich Beem, John Daly
7:29 AM* — Matt Fitzpatrick, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Gary Woodland
7:40 AM — Steve Stricker, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay
7:40 AM* — Padraig Harrington, Martin Kaymer, Keegan Bradley
7:51 AM — Sung Kang, Shaun Micheel, Alex Beach
7:51 AM* — Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth
8:02 AM — C.T. Pan, Kevin Na, Ryan Armour
8:02 AM* — Pat Perez, Kevin Kisner, Bryson DeChambeau
8:13 AM — Danny Willett, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson
8:13 AM* — Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Jason Day
8:24 AM — Kevin Tway, Brandon Stone, Bronson Burgoon
8:24 AM* — Satoshi Kodaira, Matt Kuchar, Cameron Smith
8:35 AM — Si Woo Kim, Danny Balin, Tom Lewis
8:35 AM* — Corey Conners, Jim Furyk, Marc Leishman
8:46 AM — Jazz Janewattananond, Tyler Hall, Michael Kim
8:46 AM* — Jorge Campillo, Stuart Deane, Chesson Hadley
8:57 AM — Mikko Korhonen, Craig Hocknull, Jhonattan Vegas
8:57 AM* — Dylan Frittelli, Andrew Filbert, Kurt Kitayama
12:10 PM — Ben Cook, Scott Piercy, Brian Gay
12:10 PM* — Rob Labritz, Beau Hossler, J.J. Spaun
12:21 PM — Thomas Pieters, Patton Kizzire, Adam Hadwin
12:21 PM* — Sam Burns, Jeffrey Schmid, Keith Mitchell
12:32 PM — Brandt Snedeker, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Max Homa
12:32 PM* — Byeong Hun An, Jason Caron, Andrew Putnam
12:43 PM — Henrik Stenson, David Lipsky, Richard Sterne
12:43 PM* — John O’Leary, Harold Varner III, Kyle Stanley
12:54 PM — Shane Lowry, Erik van Rooyen, Tommy Fleetwood
12:54 PM* — Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Justin Harding, Richy Werenski
1:05 PM — Sergio Garcia, Kelly Kraft, Adam Scott
1:05 PM* — Vijay Singh, Jason Dufner, Jimmy Walker
1:16 PM — Charley Hoffman, Louis Oosthuizen, Patrick Reed
1:16 PM* — Graeme McDowell, Chez Reavie, Brendan Jones
1:27 PM — Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson, Justin Rose
1:27 PM* — Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Knox, Haotong Li
1:38 PM — Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, Alex Noren
1:38 PM* — Lee Westwood, Shaun Norris, Charles Howell III
1:49 PM — Brooks Koepka, Francesco Molinari, Tiger Woods
1:49 PM* — J.B. Holmes, Lucas Bjerregaard, Troy Merritt
2:00 PM — Aaron Wise, Ryan Fox, Shugo Imahira
2:00 PM* — Joost Luiten, Brian Mackey, Matt Wallace
2:11 PM — Julian Suri, Marty Jertson, Martin Trainer
2:11 PM* — Casey Russell, Luke List, Abraham Ancer
2:22 PM — Lucas Herbert, Cory Schneider, Sungjae Im
2:22 PM* — Craig Bowden, Adam Long, Joaquin Niemann

TV Schedule & Coverage

The networks of TNT and CBS will have live coverage of the PGA Championship all four days. TV times for TNT & CBS are as follows:

First Round, Thursday, May 16
TNT: 1:00 – 7:00 PM

Second Round, Friday, May 17
TNT 1:00 – 7:30 PM

Third Round, Saturday, May 18
TNT: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
CBS: 2:00 – 7:00 PM

Fourth Round, Sunday, May 19
TNT: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
CBS: 2:00 – 7:00 PM

Online Streaming

PGA.com will live stream featured groups all week. You can watch them on the PGA Championship live player and on the PGA Championship mobile app – available here.

Along with coverage of the featured groups, PGA Championship LIVE will provide coverage of the closing Nos. 16, 17 and 18 holes at Bethpage Black.

TNT Simulcast
- First Round – Thursday, May 16, 1:00 – 7:00 PM
- Second Round – Friday, May 17, 1:00 – 7:30 PM
- Third Round – Saturday, May 18, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Fourth Round – Sunday, May 19, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
CBS Simulcast
- Third Round – Saturday, May 18, 2:00 – 7:00 PM
- Fourth Round – Sunday, May 19, 2:00 – 7:00 PM
May 15, 2019
Rod Perry Wins 2013 PGA Professional National Championship
Congratulations to Rod Perry for winning the PGA Professional National Championship! This story is significant for us at into the grain because Rod is a local boy and a personal friend. We are headquartered just a few minutes from Crane Lakes Golf Club in Port Orange, Florida where Rod is the head professional. There are many great teachers and many great players in the game of golf, but it is very rare to find someone that is both a great player and teacher. Mr. Perry is one of those rare talents. He’s no stranger to competing at the highest level, having played in several PGA Tour events and last year’s PGA Championship at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course. Congrats Rod!

Below is the press release from Taylor Made that summarizes his victory and gives you a look at their overall club usage at the event.

CARLSBAD, Calif. (June 27, 2013) – After placing second in last year’s event, TaylorMade-adidas Golf PGA Staff Professional and Rod Perry claimed a three-shot victory at the PGA Professional National Championship in Sunriver, Oregon. Perry, wearing adidas Golf apparel and footwear, played a full bag of TaylorMade equipment highlighted by the RocketBladez Tour irons. With the win, Perry receives a guaranteed entry to play in the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.

Perry, the PGA head pro at Crane Lakes Golf and Country Club in Port Orange, and seven other TaylorMade-adidas Golf PGA staff professionals punched their tickets to the season’s final major by placing in the Top 20. Those players include:
- • Jeff Sorenson – Columbia Golf Learning Center
- • JC Anderson – Missouri Bluffs GC
- • Chip Sullivan – Hanging Rock GC
- • Bob Sowards – New Albany CC
- • Sonny Skinner – River Pointe GC
- • Jeffrey Martin – Norton CC
- • Caine Fitzgerald – Murphy Creek GC
For the first time in tournament history, TaylorMade was the No. 1 driver brand played at the event, played by more than 45% of the field. Also of note, the Ghost Spider S was the No. 1 putter model, with 18 in play while the Daddy Long Legs ranked No. 2 with 10 in play. This also marked the first time TaylorMade has been the No. 1 putter model at this event.

In the Bag:

Lethal golf ball

RBZ Tour 10.5

RBZ Stage 2 Tour 14.5

Adams hybrid 17.0

RocketBladez 4-PW, AW

ATV 54, 60 wedges

Ghost Spider S

adidas Golf apparel

adidas Golf footwear – adidas Tour 360 ATV
June 27, 2013
Should Dustin Johnson Have Won The PGA Championship?

Photo: Getty Images

For everyone that missed the finish of yesterday’s dramatic PGA Championship, it will certainly be remembered for some time, especially when we speak of the “what if” scenarios and epic blunders in major championship golf. The record books will show that Germany’s Martin Kaymer won the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin.

Coming down the stretch on the back nine, Dustin Johnson made a birdie on the Par 3 17th hole to take a one shot lead to the 72nd hole. Previous to that, Bubba Watson made a great par on 18 and Kaymer also drained a great par saving putt on 18 to tie with Watson. With Watson and Kaymer watching, Dustin Johnson blocked his tee shot on 18 way right, into a trampled down sandy area. Thinking nothing of the fact that the area may have been one of the 1200 or so bunkers on the site, he grounded his club on the hard packed sand before playing his second shot. After a great chip shot from left of the green, he missed his par putt, which at the time he thought was to win the PGA Championship. So, thinking he was joining a three way playoff, he was accosted by a rules official from the PGA and informed that there was an issue. In the scoring room, he was informed and shown on video that he grounded his club in what was at one point a bunker and assessed a two stroke penalty under rule 13-4. The penalty strokes changed his score to 73, he obviously missed the playoff, and the rest is history.

In the aftermath of this incident, several questions remain: Should the trampled, sandy area really have been a bunker under the rules of golf? Should Johnson have been allowed to ground his club in it? Should Johnson have known better? Let me give you my thoughts on this controversial matter.

Should the trampled, sandy area really have been a bunker under the rules of golf?
This question is most open to debate. Some people say it should have been a waste area or just dirt, where you are permitted to ground a club. Others say even if it was a bunker it should have played like a waste area because people were standing in and around it and trampled it all to hell. Yet others have argued that the PGA Championship Committee should have marked all bunkers outside "the ropes" to be treated as waste areas. However, the PGA decided that all the maintained sandy areas were specifically designed as bunkers by course architect Pete Dye, and therefor would be treated as bunkers, meaning players were not allowed to ground the club. This included all bunkers, even if fans had trampled and strewn litter all around them. The PGA posted a "Supplementary Rules of Play" sheet in the player's locker room and each player got the same rules sheet before play, and the first thing on the sheet was the rule on the bunkers: 1. Bunkers: All areas of the course that were designed and built as sand bunkers will be played as bunkers (hazards), whether or not they have been raked. This will mean that many bunkers positioned outside of the ropes, as well as some areas of bunkers inside the ropes, close to the rope line, will likely include numerous footprints, heel prints and tire tracks during the play of the Championship. Such irregularities of surface are a part of the game and no free relief will be available from these conditions. Note 1: The sand area in front, left and behind No. 5 green in the later water hazard is NOT a bunker (do not move stones). Note 2: Where necessary, blue dots define the margin of a bunker.
Should Johnson have been allowed to ground his club in it?
This is an easy one, considering the above. No! Obviously under the rules you cannot ground your club in a hazard. There was a local rule in effect that stated pretty clearly that all the sandy areas designed as bunkers would be treated as hazards, so there is no exceptions to this one. Some have suggested the rules official walking with his group should have warned him, but they are not allowed to interject and tell people what they can and can't do. The only way a rules official can get involved is when the players specifically ask for them about rules issues. For example - The official can't speak out and say "Hey Justin, make sure you don't ground your club there, it's a bunker!", but if Justin had called him over and asked if he was in a bunker the official would have quoted the local rules and informed him that he was indeed in a bunker and to proceed under the rules as such.
Should Johnson have known better?
Sadly, I feel Dustin Johnson should have known better than to ground his club in that sand on the 18th hole. Along with most of the television viewers, I hated to see Johnson's major championship hopes end with a rules infraction, and to his credit he handled the whole situation with class and maturity, unlike some other young players who clearly could have learned something from him. However, Johnson should have known better than to ground his club in that sand. Playing tournament golf for years has taught me one thing - When in doubt, don't ground the club. Even so, would I have grounded the club had I been in his place? Probably. It's a damn shame that things had to happen the way they did, but the bottom line is Dustin Johnson had every opportunity to read the local rules sheet and did not. He could have called the official over and did not. He could have decided not to ground his club and did not. He deserves the penalty strokes he got, and he knows it.
[caption id="attachment_2532" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Photo: Newscom"][/caption]
You may recall Johnson was leading the US Open at Pebble Beach earlier this summer before clearly caving under the pressure and shooting a round in the 80s on Sunday and fading into the pack. The media wondered if and how he would learn from that bitter disappointment, and he showed us on Sunday. He used his experience at the US Open to play steady golf at the PGA and give himself a putt to win. He's shown that he can overcome disappointments at major championships, and I think he'll win one some day. He'll need to overcome it pretty quick, because the silver lining in this story is that he's guaranteed a spot on Corey Pavin's Ryder Cup squad later this summer.
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August 16, 2010
Y. E. Yang outclasses Tiger Woods!

Photo: AFP

Tiger barely looked up and Steve Williams walked away as Y.E. Yang’s birdie putt rolled into the center of the cup on 18 Sunday to give him a 3 shot win over the best player in the world. Yang did the impossible at the PGA Championship – he faced down Tiger Woods face to face in a major championship with Tiger holding a 2 shot 54 hole lead and beat him by 3.

Tiger had never lost a major after holding the 54 hole lead. Maybe Y.E. Yang didn’t know this, or maybe he didn’t care. Tiger didn’t have his A game, but he had won majors before when not playing his best. I, like many others on Sunday, were waiting for Tiger to come alive with a long putt or another 178 yard eight iron to 4 inches to seize control of the tournament. Instead, Yang seized control on 14 with a chip in for eagle and never looked back.

Tiger seemed flustered and out of sorts. His distance control was off and he hit many good putts, but they just didn’t want to fall. Yang played solid golf and smiled and waved at fans and the camera all the way. His second shot on 16 stayed out of the hazard, and he managed to dodge a bullet on 17 when his first putt came up woefully short. Fortunately, Tiger couldn’t muster a par either after hitting a flush iron shot that bounded over the green.

Y.E’s second shot on 18 will be in the highlight reels for some time. His three hybrid shot that almost went in from 210 yards will rank right up there with Shaun Micheel’s seven iron in 2003. What will make Yang’s more important is who was watching from the other side of the fairway when he hit it.
I have seen the unbeatable superstar fall before, and things seem to change once it happens. For two or three years, Roger Federer was untouchable until Rafael Nadal took him out at Wimbledon. Then Novak Djokovic beat him a few times, then Andy Murray, and people started thinking they could beat him. He's still the best player in tennis and will go down as the best player of all time, but he's no longer the unbeatable force he once was. I predict the same may now happen in golf. Y.E. Yang has show the golf world that Tiger Woods can be beaten head to head in a major. For those of us who are fans of the game, we were waiting for someone that could stare him in the eye and say "Tiger, I'm going to take you down!" Harrington came close last week, and others like Bob May have given him scares, but no one had pulled it off until Sunday. Maybe now the rest of the golf world will start believing they can beat him too. As Frank Nobilo asked on the Golf Channel's post game show: "Where does Tiger go from here?" I think Tiger will use this loss as motivation for next year. A few months ago we didn't expect much from Tiger coming off knee surgery. All of a sudden he wins, then wins again, and again, and overnight he's the old Tiger again and we expect miracles from him. Where as the rest of the PGA Tour stars may start the believe he can now be beaten, Tiger may also take his game to a level we have yet to see from him... I always welcome comments, questions, hate mail - whatever. I want to hear from you out there! Let me know if the 5 minutes you wasted at work to read my blog was worthwhile. Cheers!

August 17, 2009