Happily, that type of thing wasn't happening over the weekend. Even at a layout as difficult as Oakland Hills, there ought to be a happy medium. Maybe, as Haigh contends, the dry air, bright sun, steady wind and erroneous forecast were mostly to blame for the conditions the first two rounds. Some water wisely was put on the course before the third round, before the rains that hit Saturday afternoon. Andres Romero shot a 65, but the PGA Championship didn't turn into the Wichita Open. A great course got a great champion from a great conclusion, but the week wouldn't have been diminished had the cut come at four over, or if the winning score had been nine under, or if a dozen players had finished under par for 72 holes, or if, heaven forbid, the greens, perhaps the most severe in America, were running a couple of feet slower on the Stimpmeter. "I bet there wasn't a course anywhere in the country that had greens rolling at more than 6 in 1951," Pete Dye said last week, reiterating something he often points out about the evolution of playing conditions.
It sure was more fun to watch Harrington and Garcia stuff their tee shots tight on No. 17 Sunday than to see Vijay Singh putt his ball off the ninth green Friday afternoon. Tour pros can be crybabies from time to time when it comes to how they earn their living, but once in a while their tears are justified.
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