Can Tiger make it 5? Can Phil turn things around and add some much needed and long awaited joy to his weekend? Who will be the annual surprise? All these questions are just waiting to be answered this weekend, the most exciting weekend in the entire last half of the PGA Tour season and by all accounts, so far so good. That’s right, Round 1 at the PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota has officially kicked off and a little over half the field is already either out on the course or already in the clubhouse and posting their scores.
Tiger Out In Force
One of those golfers who is already out on the course, just so happens to be tied for the lead. Tiger Woods looks to be in his final round of the Bridgestone form so far on the course and through his initial 13 holes has captured a tie for the lead at -4. That is great news for Tiger but could potentially be terrible news for the rest of the field. It’s been showing that in tournaments that Tiger starts off strong, he generally keeps that mojo flowing throughout the rest of the weekend and more often than not, wins the tournament. We all know his amazing record when he leads after 54 holes, so for Tiger, and for the rest of the competition, it is a race to that 54th hole, all trying to come out on top.
Hazeltine = Longest Course on Tour
One thing to keep in mind today, and for the rest of the weekend is that Hazeltine does play as the longest golf course on the PGA Tour this season. It’s a course that demands big drives, big fairway wood or long iron shots and I suppose that should make it not very surprising that sitting all around the top of the leaderboard right now, including Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson, who is third on the PGA Tour’s driving distance list, and Alvaro Quiros, who averages 315.6 yards off the tee is sitting at -3.
Even The Little Hitters Can Compete
As PGATour mentions however, this course is so long that it can often negate any driving distance advantage, with par 5’s that are so long that no one, repeat no one, can reach them in two. This explains why guys who can’t blast it off the tee are still able to compete and give it a solid run for its money.
Phil Ready To Tee Off
That said, it’s getting great out there, and Phil is getting closer to his tee-off time. If you’re not tuning in already to catch Tiger’s last few holes, at least tune in to catch Phil’s performance today.
(image via Greenwood/Getty Images)
