Patrick's Blog

First, some thoughts about majors and the PGA Championship:  By definition, a “major” is one of golf’s elite tournaments… one in which all of the world’s top players participate each year.  According to this definition, every PGA Championship since 1957 (before ’57 the PGA Championship was match play) should be considered the  #1 “major”  simply because the fields have consistently included more of the world’s top players than any other golf tournament. Historically, the PGA Championship was created as a high-profile competition for professional golfers at a time when the sport that was largely run by wealthy amateurs. This original concept is still reflected in the entry parameters:  The PGA Championship is the only “major” which does not invite leading amateurs to compete.

Hazeltine National Golf Club 7

Back in 1930, when Bobby Jones won the “Grand Slam,” the majors included the Opens and Amateurs of both the U.S. and Britain, although by virtue of their professional status several of the game’s top players weren’t eligible for some of these events. Other tournaments that were considered majors in those days included both the Western Open, first played in 1899, and the North and South Open, started in 1902 and played annually at the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. It has been suggested that the North and South was the Masters before there was a Masters Tournament – it was played at the same course every year and players were treated like royalty.   It ended in 1951 following a tiff between the tour and Pinehurst’s management, and the Western Open fell by the wayside when CBS began covering the Masters at Augusta in the mid-1950′s.

Except for the Masters, all current majors are championships of something: the USGA, the Royal and Ancient in Great Britain, the PGA of America. By that standard, I suppose the Players Championship, staged by the PGA Tour at Sawgrass, ought to be the fifth major…and many considerate it so, but the debate goes on.

Showtime at Hazeltine National
This year, the PGA Championship will be played at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.  The course is everything you might expect – a demanding parkland layout running adjacent to Lake Hazeltine, offering a full complement of Robert Trent Jones and Rees Jones challenges.  Water, woods and prairie have been configured to emphasize shot values, and nowhere is this more evident than #16.  It’s a diabolical hole; swing with confidence or you’re fish food.  Watch for it during the TV coverage.

Hazeltine National Golf Club 16

Garrison Keillor Country
If you’ve never traveled to Minnesota, you’re in for a pleasant surprise… Chaska is a scenic 40-minute drive from Minneapolis International.  It’s not exactly Lake Woebegone, but you’ll enjoy the countryside – the trees are just tall enough and all the girls are pretty.  Beautiful rural lake country.  In the land of 10,000 lakes that may sound too obvious, but never mind… this is an outdoorsman’s (and woman’s) paradise, especially if you like to fish.  Chaska is a bedroom community of Minneapolis, within a three-hour drive of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and popular destinations like Mille Lacs.  I was there in mid July and many of the roadside produce stands had fresh corn and tomatoes for sale…I’m a sucker for sweet corn, especially when it comes out of the field 20 minutes before you buy it.

Feed Your Head, Too
If you attend the Championship, plan to visit the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.  With its outstanding collection of contemporary art, it’s one of my favorite stops.  Try it on a Thursday night; there’s free admission courtesy of Target, Inc.

And don’t forget to stop by the Merchandise tent – I’ll be on hand to personalize any purchase.

In the world of golf there’s no such thing as the “British” Open Championship – not officially, anyway.  There’s the Open Championship, which is played in England, Scotland and once in Ireland, and there’s the U.S. Open Championship.

You don’t often see the word “British” in print referring to the Open Golf Championship in Britain. That’s because it’s the original Open Championship, established long before the U.S. version.  To avoid confusion the U.S. Open is identified as such, but tradition demands that the words “The Open” refer to the British championship.

Turnberry Hotel

I made sure to observe this rule when I received the assignment of photographing the courses that host this event on a rotating basis, including two that are no longer in the rotation – Royal Prestwick (site of the first Open in 1860) and Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland (the first and only time the event was not held on the British mainland).

This year the Open returns to Scotland, and one of its most fabled links venues:  Turnberry’s Ailsa Course, located on the west coast about 2 hours South of Glasgow.

Historic Turnberry
Turnberry began as the property of a railway company over a hundred years ago, and the ensuing century has seen its 5-star grand hotel converted into a barracks during WWII, with the golf course itself used as a wartime airfield.  Course architect Mackenzie Ross was commissioned to redesign the Ailsa course in 1951, and the result has drawn worldwide acclaim – Ailsa is now considered the #1 course in Great Britain.

Ailsa #10 from the green looking back

More manicured than most Scottish courses, this coastal stretch of holes intermingles turbulent dunes and rocky crags, which frame views of the imposing Turnberry lighthouse, a stoic witness to the many seafarers who have come to watery graves off the rugged coastline. It’s even said the lighthouse foundation at the water’s edge houses ruins of a hideout Robert the Bruce used to evade the soldiers of King Edward “Longshanks” of England.

The Duel in the Sun
The Ailsa hosted its first Open in 1977 and produced arguably the best Major championship finish ever. Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus by one stroke in a contest that would be immortalized as the “Duel in the Sun.” (Note:  The Golf Channel occasionally revisits this classic piece of golf history – still worth watching even though you know the result.)

Ailsa #12 from the tees and #11 to the right

I have two images in my collection to commemorate this year’s Open – Turnberry Ailsa#10, and what may be one of my most unusual images, taken from the tee box of #12 overlooking #11 green.  Each offers a most suitable remembrance of this year’s contest for the Claret Jug, even if I do say so myself.

The Hotel – a “Must Stay”
I stayed at the Turnberry hotel when I photographed the course and I must say I felt like royalty… causing me to invoke my “if you come you must stay” recommendation.  Adorned with spectacular ocean views and scenic links vistas, these accommodations immerse every guest in comfort and luxury, with elegant dining opportunities to match.  Everything about Turnberry is world-class!