TOUR Insider: Jonesing for another major championship

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For the second time this year, golf's best players will have to find a way to keep up with the Joneses in a major championship.

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Oakland Hills

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Rees Jones, who doctored up Torrey Pines South for the 108th U.S. Open earlier this summer, also has applied his scalpel to the South Course at Oakland Hills Country Club, which this week hosts the 90th PGA Championship. Oakland Hills, located 20 miles northwest of Detroit in Bloomfield Township, Mich., is hosting its third PGA and ninth major championship. The South Course also was the site of the 2004 Ryder Cup.

But thanks to Jones's renovation in '06, Oakland Hills is significantly different from the layout on which Europe registered its most lopsided win over the U.S. on American soil, and stronger than the "monster" course Ben Hogan conquered in the 1951 U.S. Open after a major redesign by Rees's father, Robert Trent Jones.

"This course meant the most to my father," Jones said, adding that the opportunity to work on Oakland Hills was "the call I was waiting for my whole life."

Thanks to Jones, the year's final major might be the toughest. Oakland Hills was just 6,974 yards for the 1996 U.S. Open and played to 7,125 for the 2004 Ryder Cup. But in order to retain the integrity of the shot values, Jones lengthened 15 holes and stretched the converted par-70 South Course to 7,445 yards.

In addition, he narrowed several fairways, changed the size and location of many fairway bunkers -- bringing them closer to the fairways -- added a few more, and also altered greenside bunkers on eight holes. The number of bunkers was increased from 117 to 135. Most significantly, though, he deepened many fairway bunkers. They might be more of a penalty than straying into the 3 ½-inch rough.

Jones, who also increased the size of the two ponds at the seventh and 16th holes, didn't do anything to the greens except bring a few bunkers closer to the putting surfaces. Then again, he didn't need to do much; the greens are as swift, sloping and scary as any the players will encounter.

"It's all about the greens," Adam Scott told the media after visiting Oakland Hills recently.

The upshot is that the course originally designed by Donald Ross in 1916 will be a quintessential championship examination, one that will demand power and precision in equal proportions to submit a score around par.

Dave Stockton in 1976 at Congressional Country Club was the last player to win the PGA with an aggregate score exceeding par. World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational winner Vijay Singh, one of the 97 of the top 100 ranked players in this week's field, won in a playoff in 2004 after he, Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco finished at even-par 280 at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wis.

We're betting that not one of the 156 competitors at Oakland Hills would turn their nose up at that number.

FEDEXCUP POINTERS

• Four-time champion Tiger Woods, winner of the last two PGA Championships, isn't in the field, of course, but 10 other former champions are, including '05 winner Phil Mickelson. The others: Bob Tway (1986), John Daly (1991), Paul Azinger (1993), Steve Elkington (1995), Mark Brooks (1996), Davis Love III (1997), Vijay Singh (1998, 2004), David Toms (2001) and Rich Beem.

• Players returning to Oakland Hills from the U.S. Open in 1996 number quite a few more than one might think. Thirty players who teed it up in the 96th Open are in this week's 90th PGA field, including six men who finished among the top 10: Tom Lehman (2nd), Davis Love (3rd), Ernie Els (T5), Jim Furyk (T5), Vijay Singh (T7) and Colin Montgomerie (T10).

• Of the 30 returning Open competitors, 23 made the cut in '96, which actually wasn't much of an accomplishment considering 108 men advanced to the weekend. That easily remains the record for largest U.S. Open cut.

• The European drought in the U.S. Open stretches back to 1970, but that's nothing compared to the shutout streak in the PGA, which dates to Tommy Armour's win in the 1930 edition. One possible candidate to break the string is Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke, who is in this week's field after accepting a special invitation. Clarke, who finished 42nd last year at Southern Hills, is coming off a strong finish at the Bridgestone Invitational.

• Europeans, in general, should feel optimistic, at least those who helped deal the Americans that record 9-point setback in the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills. Among the top hopefuls who enjoyed tremendous success four years ago include Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood, who each posted 4-0-1 records; two-time Open Championship winner Padraig Harrington (4-1); and Colin Montgomerie (3-1).

• Nine players each from the American and European contingents at that '04 Ryder Cup are coming back for individual glory. Each side also has a man out due to injury: Woods from the U.S. and Luke Donald, who injured his wrist at the U.S. Open, from the Europeans.

• Forget the '96 Open and '04 Ryder Cup. How about any returnees from the 1979 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills? Yep, there's one. Jay Haas, the reigning Senior PGA champion, tied for seventh place with Howard Twitty and Don January at 1-under 279, seven shots behind eventual winner David Graham, who beat Ben Crenshaw in a playoff. Haas tied for 90th in the '96 Open.

• John Daly, the 1991 PGA champion who led after the opening round of the '07 PGA at steamy Southern Hills after eschewing practice rounds, trotted out a new putter at the British Open but missed the cut after shooting 80-89. He tried the Taylor-Made Spider model with little success, but it probably didn't help that his rib ailment reared up again at Royal Birkdale.