For the third straight major, a links-style course will be used when the 2015 PGA Championship is hosted by Whistling Straits in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.
Whistling Straits was established 17 years ago in 1998. It features two courses, the Straits Course and Irish Course, but the PGA Championship will be held on the flagship track of the Straits Course.
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The land where Whistling Straits was built is the former grounds of a military training base called Camp Haven. The track was built thanks to the deep pockets of Kohler Company CEO, Herbert Kohler, the Dye-abolical mind of Pete Dye, and 800,000 cubic yards of dirt and sand.
The Straits Course plays 7,790 yards and looks like it was carved right out of Scotland and placed along a two-mile stretch of Lake Michigan. The winds coming off the lake provide for the whistling winds, but it is far from being straight.
Pete Dye took a visit to Scotland in 1963 and it was a trip that had a big impact on his golf architecture career. During that trip, Dye noticed the rolling, undulated greens, deep pot bunkers, sandy dunes, and thick rough. All of these features make an appearance in the design of Whistling Straits.
Whistling Straits has hosted three majors which include the 2007 U.S. Senior Open and two PGA Championships in 2004 and 2010 and is set to host the 2020 Ryder Cup. It will become just the eighth course in the tournament’s 97 years to ever host three or more PGA Championships.
The 2010 PGA Championship featured the infamous downfall of Dustin Johnson. DJ held a one-shot lead on the final hole, but he rested his 4-iron on a dead patch of grass, not knowing it was one of the thousand bunkers of Whistling Straits.
“The only worse thing that could have happened was if I had made the putt on that last hole.” — Dustin Johnson.
Johnson was forced to take a two-stroke penalty after finishing up the hole, leaving Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer with a three-hole playoff. After Watson double-bogeyed on the final hole of the playoff, Kaymer was left holding the Wanamaker Trophy.
In the 2004 edition of the PGA Championship, Vijay Singh beat Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco in a three-hole playoff to win his third major championship. Singh’s 76 was the highest final round by a winner in PGA Championship history and didn’t card a birdie in his final 18 holes of regulation.
Tiger Woods was able to tie for 24th in 2004 to hold onto his No. 1 world ranking and break Greg Norman’s record of 331 consecutive weeks as the world’s number one golfer.
Every hole at Whistling Straits has a picturesque view and will offer one of the most spectacular settings for a major championship this year.
We’ve been spoiled with scenic venues for majors this season. From the beautiful hallowed grounds of Augusta National, the skyline of Chambers Bay in the Pacific Northwest, and the historic looks of St. Andrews, but Whistling Straits may challenge them all.
Here’s Jordan Spieth taking it all in early this week during his practice rounds:
There’s plenty that can happen this week at the PGA Championship. Spieth has the opportunity to take over as the number one golfer in the world and become the third player ever to win three majors in one year.
There’s also the return of Rory McIlroy who will look to protect his reign at the top, while many are wondering if there will be another incident with the bunkers, like Dustin Johnson had in 2010.
But if there is anything you’re paying attention to this week, it should be the majestic views of Whistling Straits.
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