The elasticity of the Atlanta Athletic Club as well as the imagination of the PGA Championship tournament committee was on dramatic display again Sunday. The par-4 sixth hole shrunk overnight from 432 yards to 289, a 143-yard reduction that was an effort to "tempt the players into trying to drive the hole, like we did (Saturday) on 13," said Thomas Adderhold, the tournament general chairman.
Tournament officials shortened the par-4 13th from 366 to 272 yards Saturday and lengthened it back to 359 on Sunday.
Sunday, for one hole, the world’s greatest players were playing from the women’s tees. (That yardage on No. 6 is listed at 296 on the AAC website.)
“It is an extremely high-risk shot,” Adderhold said of the drive to that green. “The fairway falls off to the left up near the green and the front of the green falls off that way toward the water. The right side of the green falls off toward the greenside bunkers.”
The siren song of No. 6 claimed a couple notable victims Sunday.
Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, after a birdie on No. 5 that left him four off the lead at the time, promptly gave back a stroke after driving into the water and posting a bogey 5.
Hunter Mahan was all pumped up after going birdie-eagle coming into No. 6. His drive into the water and resulting bogey was deflating.
Jason Dufner took an outright lead at the time at the hole by playing it safe, hitting an iron off the tee and then trusting his wedge. He was rewarded with a 5-foot birdie putt.
Overall, the hole gave much more than it took: 33 birdies, 36 pars, five bogeys and one double bogey. Considering those numbers, that tee may become very popular among all the AAC membership.
Mickelson steady against par
Phil Mickleson could never get all the way into contention over the weekend. He finished even par after rounds of 71-70-69-70-280.
“I played OK,” Mickelson said. “Just not good enough to get up and make a run. Didn’t make enough birdies.”
Mickelson finished the weekend with 10 birdies, six coming on the front nine. He had eight bogeys and one double bogey, seven of the over-par numbers coming on the back nine.
He did manage to par No. 18 on the final day. He played the hole four shots over par over the first three rounds.
Mickelson stood at 2 under par as he head to the final nine on Sunday.
“Unfortunately I bogeyed 10 and it kind of derailed me,” he said. “And then I didn’t birdie [par-5] 12. I was thinking eagle and didn’t get it done.”
McIlroy moving on
Rory McIlroy is glad the PGA Championship is over.
The U.S. Open champion injured his wrist on the third hole of the tournament, but played through the weekend after dismissing thoughts of withdrawing. An MRI exam showed a strained tendon but McIlroy pressed on to finish at 11 over par (70-73-74-74).
“To be honest, I’m glad to be done,” McIlroy said. “I basically played 70 holes of this tournament not at 100 percent so it was always going to be tough.”
He said the swelling had gone down near the tendon but the pronator muscle and medial collateral ligament are still sore.
McIlroy, who will soon be looking to buy a house in Florida, is not scheduled to play in any more tournaments in the United States this year. He will play in China, Dubai and Hong Kong.
None tougher than No. 18
As expected, the tough par-4 18th was the hardest hole of the championship. The converted par 5 played to a scoring average of 4.584, more than a half stroke over par.
Players complained much of the week about the limited landing area and the long carry of more than 200 yards over water to reach the green in regulation.
"It's not a very good hole at any spot, especially the finishing hole for a tournament like this," former Masters champion Trevor Immelman said.
For the week, there were only 28 birdies on the 18th. There were 218 pars, 150 bogeys, 45 double bogeys and 18 others.
Dufner was the only player not to have at least one bogey on the 18th. He parred the hole all four rounds and birdied it in the playoff.
The par-5 fifth hole played the easiest, playing to a scoring average of 4.660.
Merchandise sale
Merchandise from the 93rd PGA Championship will be available at a 50 percent discount on Monday. The sale will be held at the tournament’s merchandise tent at Atlanta Athletic Club from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fans can park in Parking Lot C.
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