Beetroot? Rory Gets Past Champions Their Daily Manganese

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Nice to see defending champion Rory McIlroy introducing the past PGA Champions to a some healthy food at Tuesday's dinner for former winners of "the season's final major which is no longer Glory's Last Shot."

From Tuesday's press conference:

Q. Can you just tell us, what was on the menu last night, and what do you think's on the menu for you this week? What do you think your chances are?

RORY McILROY: Menu last night was a goat's cheese and beet root salad for a starter and Irish tenderloin for the main course and then sticky toffee pudding for dessert. So it was good. It was nice. Everyone definitely enjoyed the last two courses; I don't know how the appetizer went down.

Video: Micheel Is Hanging On To The Epic 7-iron

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Shaun Micheel visited the media center Tuesday at Oak Hill and talked about his win ten years ago, his struggles with low T and Tiger.

Regarding his famous 7-iron shot, he had this to say:

KELLY ELBIN: Have they seen the shot from 2003? Do they have a sense of that part of history.

SHAUN MICHEEL: I think so. The biggest question that I get from my son is, you know, he's watched the video over and over of me kind of embracing Stephanie, and she was wearing that bright pink blouse and he was kissing her on the belly and the first question from him was, How did I get out of there? He's nine, so I'm not quite ready for that quite yet. He'll figure that out on his own probably.

Just to go back to your question, I do look forward to kind of sharing that with him. Of course, Stephanie was walking the golf course, and of course my father and in laws to get out there and see the place where I hit that shot.

Q. Where is the 7 iron?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I have it in an old just beat up, unassuming box in my golf/guitar room. It's back home. I've been asked for it several times, but if I had done this more than once, you might have been inclined to give it to somebody. But you never know; I'm going to hold on to that one.

Watching the video of the shot (thanks Shane Bacon for posting), I'm struck by how much more shaded the course is and how much the attire has changed in ten years.

Punters Beware: Plodders May Thrive At Oak Hill

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Steve DiMeglio goes out on the course Monday and returns to file a story suggesting the rough will be the story at this week's PGA Championship.

And not just because it's thick and tall. Keegan Bradley warned:

"Look at this. The ball is 6 inches off the ground," Bradley said Monday as he placed his 60-degree wedge near the ball in the thick rough. "You're going to see a lot of whiffs this week. Guys are going to go straight under the ball."

Of course, the ball also could end up all the way at the bottom of the thick grass.

And this from Phil:

"I'm sure they're going to cut some of it, but it was extremely thick, and so therefore the key to that course is going to be two things," Mickelson said "One is the fairway; you've got to hit fairways. You can leave yourself further back, but you've got to hit fairways. And two is Donald Ross courses, the greens tend to be a little bit more severe back to front, and I think you're going to have to leave it underneath the hole. Chipping from behind the greens it's almost impossible to get it close."

Sounds exiting!

Bring Back The PGA Championship Long Drive Contest!

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While we wait for the onslaught of remembrances celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Shaun Micheel's unforgettable win over Chad Campbell in the 2003 PGA at Oak Hill--goosebumps just typing that--Jason Sobel posts a super piece on Jack Nicklaus's memories of winning 1963 PGA at Oak Hill.

He reminds us that Nicklaus won the pre-event long drive contest that the PGA of America held until some time into the 1980s. And wouldn't that be a fun way to liven up Tuesday of PGA week again? Of course today's Hogan's and Snead's would never do it, but it might still be fun to see some lesser known players and maybe a few club pros have some fun.

There was also this:

He won with a mammoth drive of 341 yards and received a money clip that was engraved, “DRIVING DISTANCE WINNER.”

He remembers this because the money clip has stayed in his pocket every day for the past 50 years.

Think about that for a minute: For all of the accolades and treasures heaped upon Nicklaus during his career, the one which has remained closest to him, joining him on journeys around the world, along for the ride on experiences fit for a king, is a money clip for winning a long-drive contest.

“That drive was 341 yards, 17 inches. I do remember that, too,” he says proudly. “That was an 11‑degree wood driver, 32 ¾‑inch Dynamic Edge shaft. Everybody used the same golf ball, so nobody had a preference on what golf ball was hit.”

Getting In The Mood For Oak Hill: Hole-By-Hole Slideshow

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I was hoping for better, but boy did I see a lot of bunkers surrounded by rough and holes in shade. I'm trying to keep an open mind though, with views to come here and Wednesday on Golf Channel's Grey Goose 19th Hole (6 pm ET).

From GolfDigest.com and photographer Stephen Szurlej and Montana Pritchard.

Meanwhile, Donald Ross biographer Bradley Klein does his best to not get bogged down in the details in taking us hole-by-hole but it's pretty clear what he thinks of the Fazio's additions to this Ross original.

Even Insomniacs Won't Rejoice: Four More Years Of Firestone

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But hey, it may seem pretty depressing that the WORLD Golf Championship Bridgestone Invitational will be locked into Ohio's least interesting famous course for the next four years, but just think, in that time, failing the intervention of a agressive tree trimmer, we may actually get to see the first PGA Tour course where players can't hit greens from the center of the fairways!

For Immediate Release...and do note the goose-bump inducing news that Bridgestone is now the official tire of the PGA Tour and Champions Tour.

Bridgestone Extends Title Sponsorship of World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club

Recommits to Role as Official Tire of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour
 
AKRON, Ohio – PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem, representing the International Federation of PGA Tours; Masaaki Tsuya, Bridgestone Global CEO and Chairman of the Board; and Gary Garfield, CEO and President, Bridgestone Americas, announced today that the International Federation of PGA Tours and Bridgestone have reached an agreement to extend Bridgestone’s title sponsorship of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club through 2018. Finchem, Tsuya and Garfield made the announcement during a press conference prior to the leaders teeing off for the final round of the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational.
 
Bridgestone, a world leader in tire innovation and technology, first began sponsoring the Bridgestone Invitational in 2006, and the current title sponsorship agreement runs through 2014.  The Bridgestone Invitational is played at the famed Firestone Country Club’s South Course in Akron, Ohio.
 
Bridgestone also extended its Official Marketing Partner relationship with the PGA TOUR through 2018 and will remain as the “Official Tire of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour.”  The agreement gives Bridgestone opportunities to introduce a distinguished consumer demographic to high-performance Bridgestone tire technology equal to that which they have come to know from its products on the golf course.

Rusty Miller on Tiger's eighth win in the WGC Bridgestone, which actually included some fun revelations about his children peppering dad with the tougher questions than the media.

As he walked to the scorer's trailer to finalize his score, he scooped up 4-year-old son Charlie, who hugged him tightly as his father strode past the large gallery wildly cheering his landslide victory.

"This is the first win he's ever been at," Woods said. "That's what makes it special for both of us."

Daughter Sam was on hand when Woods, won the U.S. Open in 2008, before his personal life imploded. Now Charlie will have some memories of dad in the winner's circle.

"They always say, `Daddy, when are you going to win the tournament?' It was a few years there, or a couple years, I hadn't won anything," Woods said, smiling. "`Are you leading or not? That's a stock question. `Not leading.' `Well, are you going to start leading?' `Well, I'm trying.'"

As for the PGA, Bob Harig addresses Woods' chances heading into the final major.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said. "As far as wanting it more than any other, no. It's the same. Those [are] the events that we try and peak for and try and win. There's four of them a year.

"It's important for me to get some rest come Monday and Tuesday and do some light work. Come Thursday, I've got a great pairing with Keegan and Davis [Love]. Basically just try and get a feel for the golf course and how it's playing. Do I want it any more? Each and every major, I always want them. I've been successful 14 times, and, hopefully, next week will be 15."

The highlights:

Punters Note: Tiger Calls Oak Hill's Greens "Spotty"

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The enthusiasm in his voice is pretty telling. Someone misses Muirfield!

Bob Harig reports:

"The greens are spotty, and it'll be interesting to see what they do because they were running just under 9 on the Stimp [Stimpmeter]," Woods said. "They don't have much thatch to them, so it'll be interesting to see what they do for the tournament and how much they're able to speed them up with kind of a lack of grass."

The video: