PGA Championship: I Retract My Compliments

I take back the compliments I gave to the PGA Championship in my previous article: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/44130-give-the-pga-championship-some-respect

This year, the PGA Championship deserves no respect.

After the second round, it's safe to declare that USGA Syndrome has become an epidemic.

The PGA is trying to turn itself into the U.S. Open, but doesn't quite understand that golf fans want to see something different in a major championship.

We've already watched golfers pray to make pars and struggle to make birdies. We've already seen world-class golfers like Vijay Singh and Ernie Els walk off with scores over par by double digits. We've already laughed as pros kick their putters and grimace in pain as they walk off each green.

The U.S. Open works in and of itself.

But, the U.S. Open can't be topped this year. After Tiger and Rocco put on the greatest U.S. Open in history, golf fans don't want to see a rip-off of an already perfect concept.

This year, the U.S. Open is Pepsi, while the PGA Championship is Super-Mart Cola.

This year, the U.S. Open is a diamond buried in the rough of Torrey Pines, while the PGA Championship is cubic zirconium stuffed in the styrofoam peanuts of a QVC box.

It usually wasn't this bad, though. Recently, we've seen exciting PGA Championships at Whistling Straits, Baltusrol, Medinah, and Southern Hills. Under-par scores won all four tournaments.

And, the four most recent winners weren't bad either: Vijay, Phil, Tiger, and Tiger again.

But, we might not be in for quite a treat this time around, because Oakland Hills has been an absolutely ridiculous course thus far.

The level of unfairness is what we're used to seeing in U.S. Opens, not the player-friendly PGA Championship.

First, there are the ridiculously hard greens which bring a huge element of luck into play.

A shot which nestles up close to the hole, but just happens to roll a centimeter too far and catch a slight slope, may roll right off the green. Meanwhile, an approach that's 25 yards off line but manages to catch a hill might very well roll within a few feet, or even into the hole.

Then, there's the rough. And if six-inch deep ungraduated grass wasn't enough to rattle a player's nerves, the PGA decides to rake the rough toward the fairway, instantly gobbling up every little white golf ball it sees. That'll teach those pesky golfers.

Well, it's not very fun to watch golf when players are constantly whipping out sand wedges and 9-irons to pitch out into the fairway.

And, how about this situation: Sergio Garcia's ball heads down the fairway but gets an unlucky bounce and rolls two inches off-line into the rough, while John Daly completely shanks his drive and watches it venture into the trees—but both players have the same lie.

The PGA Championship should be a fun major—where players are greeted by receptive greens and friendly course conditions. Birdie roars should echo throughout the course. Players should be pumping their fists and giving radiant smiles to the gallery.

That fun and friendliness is the only thing that can separate the PGA from the U.S. Open.

Instead, it appears that the PGA has decided to be USGA Junior. I guess after the Tiger/Rocco showdown, the PGA thinks it can pump up ratings and strip its stigma as the worst major (i.e. easiest major) by emulating the U.S. Open.

The only thing is: the PGA doesn't have the drama, or the passion, or the prestige, or the history, or the tagline of being "our national championship" to pull that feat off.

Oh, and I almost forgot: they also don't have Tiger Woods.

This course better soften up fast, or you'll be seeing many fans switch from CBS golf coverage to NBC Olympic swimming coverage.

Good luck, PGA Championship. I'd hate to be in the room when you see this year's Nielsen ratings.