Reminder If You're Going To Whistling: Drive Very Carefully!

Going back through the archives of posts from the 2010 PGA at Whistling Straits, I'd forgotten just what a lousy time was had by most.

The combination of the marshaling crew (including one laughing at a media member who seriously injured himself falling), awful crowd control, the scale of the venue, the spectator-unfriendlness of the course and the commute for most, meant the gripes were applenty. But best of all was the effort by local law enforcement to enrich the state and local coffers by setting up a ticket-distributing speed trap, even nailing a PGA of America officer rolling a tad too liberally through a stop where an officer was waiting to write up a citation.

So remember players, drive your ball carefully and your courtesy course even more deliberately.

From my post summarizing the week of phone calls that ensued after the 2010 PGA:

And then there were also many remarks of surprise that none of the post-2004 issues with spectating had been resolved. To which I reminded these folks that it'll only get more awkward when the USGA goes to Erin Hills and Chambers Bay, each of which is just as difficult to navigate for those outside the ropes, if not more problematic.

But we know our ruling bodies don't care about these things. They care about how much money they can rake in and how much affection they'll get for going to venues with cachet. Yet it seems in the aftermath of the Dustin Johnson escapade and above mentioned items, Whistling Straits has lost its cache as an elite major venue. What can Herb Kohler do, if anything, to restore order?

It'll be interesting to see what is done this week to make for a better experience or what the USGA is going to do to make Erin Hills another of the made-for-TV major venues despised by most who visit.

Rory McIlroy Tees It Up Despite What His Publicist Says

These kids today are so defiant.

Gary D’Amato reports from the 2015 PGA Championship site where Rory McIlroy tested out his kicked-about ankle just days before the title he is set to defend. And the round came just days after his publicist, Terry Prone, denied to the Irish Golf Desk any accuracy in the Reuters report stating McIlroy had "booked" a round.

Turns out, McIlroy had...scheduled a round, just as Reuters had said.

Reuters clearly knows McIlroy’s schedule better than his own publicist!

Anyway, the point is, McIlroy looks ready to tee it up again after missing The Open in a quest for normalcy via the seemingly stress-reducing act known as the kickabout.

In a brief interview as he walked quickly from the 18th green to the parking lot, McIlroy deemed his first practice round for the 97th PGA Championship a success.

"Yeah, it's good," McIlroy said. "Good to get a look at the course. Obviously, I have decent memories from five years ago. Yeah, good."

Golf Channel had a live lookabout into Rory's first public round since his kickabout, including when he ran up a dune and hopped to show us how healthy his ankle is.

The GC Report:

Rory Now Communicating Via Emoji; Will Make Next Presser Fun

While most have been trying to analyze the emoji's for deep, hidden meaning, the non-millennial, non-Emoji-emplying print media will probably find more to decipher in his private jet magazine spread. Looks like Golf Digest is resonating with this jet-setting millennial! And GQ, Fortune and The Economist. Plus newspapers and his passport.

The latest Tweet comes after other tantalizing social media hints suggesting a return to the game. This, after hurting himself in a "kickabout," marking the first time a professional athlete has hyped their return from a completely embarrassing and (you would think) forgettable injury.

Has The DJ "Bunker" Been Covered By A Corporate Tent?

After this week's Golf Channel re-airing of the 2010 PGA Championship, the Dustin Johnson bunker/not-a-bunker mishap remains an awkward, bizarre, unfair, cruel and understandable scar on Whistling Straits. Look for the episode and the local rule that all sand is played as a bunker to be revisted ad nauseum, though I would argue with merit considering the impact on the championship.

Yet Will Gray reports on the comments of Graeme McDowell, who recently played Whistling Straits and says that the PGA of America has covered the offending "bunker" with a corporate tent.

“There’s a big stand over Dustin’s bunker, though,” McDowell said. “There’s a big corporate hospitality unit on Dustin’s bunker. So you’re in good shape if you whip it through that fairway.”

Update on 2015-08-09 23:21 by Geoff

**The PGA's Kerry Haigh confirms to GolfChannel.com's Rex Hoggard.

Specifically the bunker down the right side of the 18th hole, the same hazard where Dustin Johnson grounded his club during the final round in 2010, will only be “partially” in play.

“The actual bunker that Dustin was in, part of the bunker is still visible but some of it is indeed covered with a structure,” PGA chief championships officer Kerry Haigh told Cut Line via an e-mail this week. “There still remains a lot of bunkers not covered and in play.”

Video: Rory Trick Shot At Whistling! (And As Close As He'll Get)

It doesn't sound like Rory McIlroy will defend his PGA Championship title at Whistling Straits, so assuming the world's worst kickabout-erer doesn't make it to the year's final major, we at least have two reminders of his brief time in Wisconsin:

(A) The Omega ad that has inexplicably resurfaced after having been designated for shipping to hostage relief teams across the globe for flushing out barricaded suspects.

(B) His trick shot appearance at PGA Championship media day with the Bryan Brothers. This would be a great chance to merge one negative with one positive and air it as 2015's endlessly played Omega ad, minus that grating song. Wait, sorry, I forgot about the blatant Bose ad to kick things off the trick shot video. Because nothing sums up the joy of media day like giant noise-cancelling headphones!

BTW the trick shots are fun, and so are the drone views of Whistling all set to stock music known simply as What We Think The Millennials Would Download If They Paid For Music, Theme.

Update on 2015-08-04 00:33 by Geoff

**Andrew Both of Reuters cites a "reliable source" saying McIlroy has a Saturday practice round scheduled for Whistling Straits.

You Really, Really Want To See Chambers Bay

I thought the poll question from earlier this week was a loaded one, what with The Old Course hosting The Open this year.

But with 715 votes 47% of you said Chambers Bay was the most anticipated major venue of 2015, followed by St. Andrews at 27%. And the quick return to Whistling Straits has almost none of you excited.

Certainly there is a mysterious quality to Chambers Bay and how the entire thing will work (or not), from the conditioning to the setup to the logistics to the first Fox telecast. As always, thanks for voting.