2010 PGA Championship

Usually the PGA Championship is the least interesting major of the year, but this year's tournament turned out to be the best of the year. As is becoming a standard story, there was an old guy making a resurgence. Forty seven year-old Steve Elkington, who had not won on tour in over ten years and last won a major in 1995, was in it until the last few holes when a near perfect shot at the difficult par 3 17th hole took one bounce too many and trickled down an embankment taking him out of contention. On the other end of the age spectrum, 21 year-old Rory McIlroy ended up tied for third, but he missed so many close putts it was heartbreaking.

Speaking of heartbreaking, this tournament will not be remembered for the great playoff where Martin Kaymer defeated Bubba Watson, but the sand bunker debacle. Dustin Johnson was making a great push to the top of the leader-board and had a one stroke lead going into 18. When he pushed his drive out to the right, I started to think back to his complete collapse at the US Open this year, when he shot an 82 on Sunday to blow a big lead. In this case it was not Johnson's swing that let him down, he hit a mediocre shot out of the rough, chipped it close and missed a seven foot put that got him into the playoff. Only it didn't. As he was walking off the course a PGA official pointed out that his second shot was not out of a waste area, but a bunker. Johnson had grounded his club in that bunker and it cost him a two stroke penalty and his place in the playoff. The tragedy is that the PGA had clearly posted a local rule that all bunkers, no matter where they are, in this case outside the ropes where the spectators had been standing, where still to be played as bunkers and Johnson had not read the rule, nor had his caddy. It was a mistake of monumental proportions, and I am sure it will be written about for years. I only hope Johnson has another comeback in him.