Live from the PGA at Hazeltine on Thursday- Tiger and Padraig Continued

Golf writer Andy Reistetter is on site at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota and is providing daily reports covering both inside and outside the ropes.

Here are his notes from Thursday 8/13/09.

Today's excitement started early at 8 a.m. in the media center.

"On behalf of the International Golf Federation and the members of the International Golf Federation Olympic Golf Committee, I'm very pleased to be able to announce that we just received word from the IOC Executive Board who are meeting in Berlin this afternoon that they are recommending that golf and rugby sevens be presented to the IOC session in October for a vote of the membership of the IOC to be included in the 2016 Olympic Games."

Those were the words of Votaw who has been on loan from the PGA TOUR as Executive Director for the International Golf Federation's Olympic bid.

Golf is almost in, though not in yet.

The IOC Executive Board recommendation will now be presented to the 107-member general session of the IOC on October 9th. A majority vote of those 107 members is required for golf to be added to the 2016 Olympics.

It is not yet clear if golf and rugby will be blocked together or voted on separately. If blocked together their fate would be the same "do or die" decision.

First I am not sure what rugby sevens means. I thought it was just rugby. Are there seven players? Maybe we will see a joint promotion campaign with Tiger Woods and a rugby sevens star joking around together.

Wouldn't the golfer get hurt?

Tiger is 100% behind golf as an Olympic sport>

"I think it's great for golf. We're long overdue to have it in the Olympics. Our sport is a global sport. It's played all around the world. And I think it's a great time and hopefully it will be passed in October or November and hopefully it will be truly in the Olympics."

The games of the 91st PGA were well underway by the time the Olympic news conference was over.

It seemed like the last three days since Sunday at Firestone CC with Padraig and Tiger going down the stretch one a rabbit the other a turtle were lost.

Padraig versus Tiger continued.

Off at 8:35 a.m. off the 10th tee they raced around the course playing well and evidently having a relaxed and enjoyable time.

Tiger shot a 5-under 67 and Padraig a 4-under 68 to lead the PGA Championship at Hazeltine after Day No. 1. Both had five birdies. Padraig one bogey, Tiger zero bogeys.

Three of Tiger's five birdies came on par-5s the other two on par-4s.

"I played really well today. I hit just a bunch of good shots. And this round could have been really low. I missed a bunch of putts out there. So it was just a very positive start."

"It's always nice to get off quick. But the first round, you can play yourself out of a golf tournament. Certainly cannot win the golf tournament on the first day."

Tiger and Paddy did have fun out there today with no interference from any outside agents.

"Today we talked a little bit more because obviously it's the first round and most of the guys usually talk the first two or three days. But you get a little more quiet on the weekend."

Will Tiger win a Major this year at glory's last stand?

"You have to play well at the right time, and that's about it. I just didn't put it all together the other three major championships. The first two I was there with a chance; the last one I wasn't, but hopefully I will be this one as well."

Paddy was in a great mood today as if it was St. Patrick's Day and the luck of the Irish coming his way.

He bogeyed the par-4 first hole (his 10th hole of the day) and had four birdies on par-4s and one on a par-5.

"Obviously I'm very happy. First day of a major it's always good to keep yourself in there. I think probably did a little bit more than that. Anytime you break 70 you've got to be very pleased."

"Last Sunday both of us were very much into our own games and working very hard. And I think both of us were in the zone. Today was a lot more relaxed, a lot more talking and chatting."

With much stronger winds forecasted for Friday's second round the way this Major is playing out is to Paddy's liking.

"If you ask me the ideal tournament, I'd like at least one day of difficult conditions for everybody."

Woods in first place, Harrington in second place.

"(A) 4-under par (round) is always a good return in a major. I think there's a factor about the fact that Tiger is 5-under par and looks like he's playing well and looks like he could move away and the key will be obviously if he's moving away to make sure I'm moving away with him."

"The great thing is if you're playing with Tiger Woods you're doing well."

Well not exactly true on Thursday and Fridays but definitely true on Sundays.

Both golfers seemed to like the length and setup of Hazeltine National.

The defending champion put it this way:

"The golf course is brilliant. What they have done is they have got some length in it so they can have fair pin positions. It's like Augusta, since they have lengthened the golf course, the pin positions have become much fairer and much more enjoyable to play."

Tees were up today on some of the longer holes like Nos. 12 and 13 and the course played much shorter than the scorecard length of 7,674 yards the longest of any Major championship ever. Even the tees at the 248-yard par-3 13th hole were up at 218 yards.

Paddy was agreeing with Tiger on everything.

"You can be a bit more relaxed and it is only Thursday. Sunday's the business day."

Ditto for golf being in the Olympics though who knows if either of these leaders will qualify as one of the world's best golfers in the year 2016?

"Even a player who is dominant is not going to play more than once or twice in the Olympics because of the time frame."

Hopefully Tiger and Padraig will play together the next three rounds of the PGA Championship and we see another duel down the stretch on Sunday afternoon.

Hopefully we will also see them playing the Olympic sport of golf in the year 2016.

P.S. My picks for the winner other than Tiger Woods aren't doing that great: Steve Stricker (72, T69), Jim Furyk (71, T44) and Lee Westwood (70, T9).

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering for the tournaments and working part time for NBC Sports, CBS Sports, and The Golf Channel. He resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to [e-mail]