Mike's Blog - PGA Championship

I'm coming in here feeling rested and ready to go after spending last week on vacation in Mexico.  I really felt that I needed that after two tough weeks at the British Open and the RBC Canadian Open, and it's allowed me to come here feeling fresh.

Last year I played right through, adding the WGC event (not to mention going right into the FedEx Cup) and when I got to the PGA, there wasn't much gas left in the tank.  While it was tough to pass up a big event like the one at Firestone, I think I'll benefit from it this week.

I might need that extra energy to tackle Oakland Hills, which as I mentioned is playing really tough.  Sometimes when you come to the PGA, the setup is a little softer than some of the other majors, relatively speaking of course.  But this week, it feels more like a U.S. Open.  The rough is up and the greens are really diabolical.  I don't know if I've ever seen a tougher set of greens on any one course.  In fact, on some holes, you almost wonder how they're going to find four different pin placements.

The rough around the greens is also quite tough.  It's deeper and thicker than we normally see at the PGA and that's going to put a premium on accuracy, both off the tee and on approach shots.  I think if you miss greens around here, with how severe they are, it's going to make up and downs nearly impossible.

Still, I look forward to the challenge of a difficult course.  I think I always have.  Maybe that's why I've played so well in major championships; they seem to get my attention.  I enjoy trying to dissect a golf course, to use strategy to get the ball around.  That isn't always the case at regular stops where sometimes you have to just bomb it out there to win.  Majors usually require you to think and not being the longest hitter, I rely on that part of the game perhaps more than a long bomber.

I've been asked a lot this week about what it's like to play a major without Tiger in the field and first off, as an athlete, I wish he was here and not injured.  It's unfortunate but as athletes, you will almost always go through periods in your career when you have injuries.  I've had them and while not as extensive as Tiger, it's tough when you have to sit out.

But other than that, there just seems to be a different buzz around the course when he's not here.  I'm not really sure how to explain it but you can feel that he's not here just from the crowd.

I know that we're all still on our games and there's a lot of really good players here this week and every week.  It's going to be a difficult course on which to compete and I'm going to devote my full energy to that.  Tune in to the coverage because it is going to be an extremely competitive event with everyone trying to capture that final major of the 2008 season.

As always, thanks for your support and stay tuned for more.