Players coming to Kiawah Island should be expecting quite the challenge as they compete in the 94th edition of the PGA Championship this year, as Steve DiMeglio of USA Today writes.
Between the unusually long distances of the Pete Dye-designed course, windy conditions and a forecast of scattered storms throughout the weekend, low scores shouldn't be expected:
Length will create plenty of stress. The course, which can tip out at 7,967 yards but is expected to play 7,676, still the longest in major championship history, is drenched following numerous soakings the past three days. Forced carries over hazards, deep greenside bunkers, broad sweeps of sandy wasteland and severe putting surfaces add to the anxiety.
As DiMeglio notes, The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island has received the highest Course Rating (an estimation of what a scratch golfer would shoot) of any major in the past ten years by the United States Golf Association. With a figure of 79.7, it's well above the 78.3 figure of Course No. 3 at the Medinah Country Club, which held the 2006 PGA Championship.
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