PGA Championship Reaction

The season’s final major began with two players looking to take over the world No. 1 ranking, Tiger Woods trying to find his game after an awful week and numerous Ryder Cup implications at stake for both sides. It ended, though, with a controversial ruling on the 72nd hole as well as the crowning of Martin Kaymer and his first major championship.

On Thursday play was suspended due to a three-hour fog delay in the morning, but right out of the gate it seemed that vintage Tiger was back. Caught working with coach Sean Foley on the range prior to his round, Tiger birdied three of his first four holes but faded to shoot a 1-under 71. World No. 2 Phil Mickelson fared worse, shooting a 1-over 73.

That set the stage for a young gun to take the lead after 36 holes, Matt Kuchar, which was a common theme on the year. He unfortunately faded over the weekend and handed the lead over to fellow American Nick Watney to take a three-shot lead into the final round. Other players in the hunt included Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Steve Elkington, Martin Kaymer, Zach Johnson and Bubba Watson.

In the morning Phil made a run, shooting 67 to tie for 12th. Tiger, however, spiraled downward to a 73, and tied for 28th. As the leaders teed off in the afternoon, Watney’s lead evaporated on the opening hole with a double bogey, which led to an 81. This final round disappointment was all too familiar with his playing partner, Dustin Johnson, who had a similar experience at the U.S. Open.

As the 92nd PGA Championship at Whistling Straits rolled along, the wind picked up for a difficult final round. Kaymer looked solid early, taking a two-shot lead at one point, but a shaky bogey on the 15th looked like it might be the young German’s kryptonite. Dustin Johnson and McIlroy couldn’t get anything going early, but stayed tough throughout the round and made a surge at the end. Zach Johnson showed glimpses of his form at Augusta three years ago as he charged at the lead on this thrilling Sunday. Long hitter Bubba Watson refused to go away with birdies on 13 and 14, looking for his first major title. 47-year-old Steve Elkington hit some extraordinary shots down the stretch but bogeyed 17 and 18 to diminish his chances.

All of these happenings set up for a dramatic finish as the players vied for glory’s last shot. Watson was the first to post 11-under, which at the time looked very solid. McIlroy and Zach Johnson couldn’t find a way to tie that number when they finished their rounds but nevertheless tied for third. Kaymer came to the 18th in need of a par and hit a perfect flop shot that set up a tremendous par putt to tie him with Watson. Dustin Johnson then birdied the 17th to take the outright lead at 12-under, and looked poised to put Sunday at Pebble Beach behind him.

But his tee shot on the 72nd hole sliced into the crowd and landed on a patch of sand, which the crowd had walked on throughout the event. Needing par to win, the crowd was separated to create room for the leader’s second shot. He grounded his club in one of the 1200 bunkers on the course, something that, at the time, didn’t seem like a big deal to the world. Some of the gallery stood in the bunker with Johnson as he flew the green with his approach. He chipped onto the green and missed his par putt, and seemingly found his way into a three-way playoff.

But, as fate would have it, the rules officials pointed out to Johnson that he hit his second shot out of a bunker and grounded his club, which was a two-stroke penalty. After 20 minutes of talking over the ruling, heartbreak set in for the young American as his chance of winning the PGA was over. He acted as a gentleman as the scenario developed, but it’s hard to imagine how terrible he feels after a triple bogey (that would’ve been a bogey) on the final hole.

As much as I hated to see how it unfolded, the ruling was clearly stated for the players prior to the tournament and he did violate grounding his club in a bunker. But even though this drama on the 72nd hole was stealing the spotlight, a playoff still had to determine the champion.

It was a three-hole playoff (on holes 10, 17 and 18) for Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson to crown a first-time major winner. Watson took the lead after one hole, with a birdie on 10 but Kaymer answered back to tie it after the 17th. Then on the final hole both tee shots went into the right rough, with Watson drawing the better lie. He played first and landed in Seven Mile Creek, 30 yards short of the green. Kaymer then chipped out to the fairway, taking the advantage.

He hit onto the green, with a putt for par and Watson flew the green, into a bunker, and had a chip for bogey. He nearly holed out but landed four feet away for double. Kaymer missed his par putt but made the comeback, ensuring him of the victory.

The 92nd PGA Championship will be remembered by a lot of things: Tiger’s struggle (which summed up his entire year), the slew of young talent that contended for the title, Elkington making a run at the age of 47 and Dustin Johnson’s heartbreak on the final hole. But the image that should overshadow the final major of the year is a young German with a lot of talent that won his first major, which could be a sign of more to come.

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