2011 PGA Championship Preview: What Has Changed at the Highlands Course?

This place looks familiar, just not identical.

Back in 2001, the Atlanta Athletic Club was in Duluth, Georgia. This year the tournament is back at the Atlanta Athletic Club, only now it's in John's Creek, GA.  There is no telling if this is the golf course, formerly known as the AAC in Duluth, or the new improved Rees Jones layout - now known as the AAC at John's Creek.

Confused?  Don't be.

Let's wind back the Rolex starting clock.  Back in 2001 both the Seattle Mariners and David Duval were really good.  The Mariners would win 116 games. And, Duval was coming off an impressive win at the British Open at Royal Lytham and St. Annes.

Ten years ago this was the place where players were challenging and losing on the long par four 18th. There were only 43 birdies all week at the home hole.  

In 2001, the scorecard said 490 yards, but many of the players were not buying the yardage stock. Five-hundred-yard par-fours were not very common back then.  David Toms, nursing a one shot lead, made a calculated play.  Instead of playing a low percentage shot 234 yards over the water guarding the par-four 18th green, Toms sent his second shot to a lay-up zone within a wedge of the green.  A lay-up?  A lay-up is what Dominique Wilkins did in Atlanta when he could not send home a mind bending dunk.  It might be one of the most historical lay-ups in all of golf. He then dialed in a shot that left him a 12 footer for the championship.  And, he nailed it. Phil Mickelson was stoic on the 72nd hole.  He needed a birdie to tie Toms who was still holding a one shot lead. Mickelson was left with the same feeling he had two years earlier when Payne Stewart rolled one in to edge him by one stroke at Pinehurst.

The interesting thing about the 2001 PGA Championship - it was almost All-American.  As in, the top 10 players on the leaderboard were all American players except Japan's Shingo Katayama, who tied for 4th.

Other changes to the course that will effect this year's PGA Championship?

In 2006 course designer Rees Jones made some fundamental changes to the AAC golf course. He added new Diamond Zoysia fairway grass which gave the course some teeth during the extreme weather conditions. At the home hole, he lengthened the pond, added a bunker and will prove to be another daunting par-four—this time at 520 yards.

The par four sixth hole will offer both risk and reward.  Depending on where the PGA tournament set-up committee plans to put the tee markers, the hole can place between 295 and 425 yards. With each tee box selection, the hole can result in a bevy of different scores.  This hole is a good reflection of the options available to create scoring numbers that are likely to be less than the 15-under winning score from ten years ago.  

Interesting facts when Tom's won a decade ago

Toms had a sidehill, downhill lie to a carefully guarded (water) left pin on Sunday.  He actually pulled a five-wood from the bag, but after calculating his options, he decided to lay-up.  The smart choice.

His Pre-Tournament Meal was Chick-Fil-A with a large sweet tea.

He watched the movie Men of Honor on Saturday night which starred Robert DeNiro and Cuba Gooding, Jr.

Two large blisters on his heels left his socks soiled in blood.  He visited the medical trailer before the final round for treatment.  Four year's later, it was Curt Schilling's World Series famous bloody sock that was the talk of Fenway Park.

Ironically, the best shot Toms hit back in 2001 was not at the 72nd hole.  His ace on the par-three 15th hole on Saturday with the same five-wood he put back in the bag, was his most memorable shot during the championship.

Considering the field for the 2011 PGA Championship, an All-American leaderboard like 2001 is something that is not expected.  This year's field features 68 international players from 20 different countries. This is also a trend that does not show signs of stopping.  The last six major champions are from; Northern Irleand (Darren Clarke and Rory Mcllroy, South Africa (Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen) and Germany (Martin Kaymer).