The 2005 PGA Championship

Washington Post staff writer Dave Sheinin was online Friday, Aug. 12 at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the 2005 PGA Championship.

Leader Board

Recent Coverage:

For Woods, Prospects Darken for PGA Title (Post, August 12)

Big Hitters Are in the Driver's Seat (Post, August 11)

Leonard Shapiro: Is Woods as Strong as Ever? (Post, August 10)

Audio: Post's Sheinin on PGA Tournament

The transcript follows.

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Dave Sheinin: Howdy, golf fans. Thanks for stopping by. By way of introduction, let me point out that I am normally The Post's national baseball writer, but I've been called to pinch-hit this week at the PGA for our golf writer, Len Shapiro. Len will be back in action in time for next month's Presidents Cup. I covered golf for five years in the 1990s for The Miami Herald and am thrilled to be back, if only for a week. Now, let's go to your questions...

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Arlington, Va.: Dave -- how do you see this turning out in the end? Thanks.

Dave Sheinin: Well, before I answer that, let me tell you where things stand now. Phil Mickelson dropped a nice little 31 on us on the back nine this morning (he started his round on No. 10), and got down to 8-under before making double-bogey on No. 1. So he's at 6-under as he plays No. 3 (his 12th hole of the day), with a one-shot lead over Rory Sabbatini. It is entirely possible Tiger Woods could find himself 13 or more shots back before he ever sticks a tee in the ground today at 1:30 p.m.

Despite his muff at No. 1, Mickelson is playing with a lot of confidence right now, and more importantly, he's playing smart -- hitting a lot of 3-woods or scaled-back drivers off the tee, in order to hit fairways. At this point, he looks like the guy to beat.

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Washington, D.C.: What's been your favorite part of covering the tournament so far? Have you interacted much with the players?

Dave Sheinin: To be honest, the best part is simply being able to be inside the ropes watching the world's best golfers. I walked quite a few holes with Tiger yesterday -- including the 18th, which has been the source of some controversy today regarding the plugged lie of his ball -- and there's not many things better in this business than being 10 or 15 feet away from him as he plays shots the rest of us can only dream about.

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Alexandria, Va.: To quote Mr. Shapiro:

"That's because Tiger is going to win the PGA Championship over the next four days at bodacious Baltusrol in New Jersey"

I know you all in sports media worship the ground Tiger Woods walks on, but please don't give him the trophy until HE EARNS IT.

Dave Sheinin: Yes, indeed. Tiger will need to shot a 66 or so today to get himself back into this thing. There is even a chance, if he falters again, that he could miss the cut. And what a story that would be.

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Bowie, Md.: Mike Wilbon, Tiger's biggest fan, mentioned on PTI that you guys have an office pool on the PGA tournament? Is that for real? How is he coping with the fact that his idol's game at the PGA Championship isn't looking that hot?

Also, do you consider Tiger to be "beloved" like others do? He came from a tough background, but hasn't reached out to his black and asian roots, while just focusing on being neutral to maintain his marketability? Even Serena and Venus Williams comes to DC to hold camps, but Tiger won't even come here.

Dave Sheinin: I don't know anything about an office pool, particularly if you are from the IRS.

As for Tiger, there is a certain rock-star-worship atmosphere surrounding him, and you can tell that many people adore him. But he also seems, in my opinion, to keep a distance from the public that perhaps prevents him from gaining the sort of widespread adoration that someone like Muhammad Ali had.

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Tiger?: Do you think Tiger will win this one?

Dave Sheinin: No. Not only is he in danger of being too far back, but he also hasn't shown any reason to believe he can drive it straight enough to keep himself out of the brutal rough and give himself a chance to make birdies.

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Fairfax, Va.: How is Michael Campbell doing? He's played well in two majors now, is he on a roll and here to stay?

Dave Sheinin: I really like Campbell. I covered the 1995 British Open at St. Andrews, which he nearly won before a mishap on the Road Hole on Sunday. He is in Tiger's group for the first two rounds, shooting 73 yesterday and teeing off today at 1:30.

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Oakton, Va.: Does Mickelson have a good chance to carry this lead to Sunday, and why hasn't he won more majors? Just wondering if and when the wheels could fall off, as well as why.

Dave Sheinin: That's the question everyone wants to know about Mickelson -- why hasn't he won more majors? I tend to think he fights an inner struggle between his heart, which wants to crush his driver on every tee and attack every hole, and his head, which knows the smarter approach is to hit fairways and play to the center of greens. Most of the time, in my opinion, he lets his heart win. But judging from his opening round and the way he has played today (by the way, he birdied No. 3 to move to 7-under) makes me think his head is winning this week.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Dave --

How are the crowds at Baltusrol responding to Rory Sabbatini? I wonder if he is still experiencing fallout from his terrible behavior earlier this summer toward his playing partner, Ben Crane. While Crane handled the situation with class, Sabbatini truly embarrassed himself.

Also, I assume the crowds are providing significant support to Padraig Harrington. Although Padraig's not having a great tournament, it's great to see him back after missing the British Open due to his father's passing.

Dave Sheinin: Sabbatini doesn't seem to be running into any trouble out there from the galleries. In fact--and I'm not necessarily advocating this--there seems to be at least a portion of the golfing public who appreciates the stand he took against slow play.

Harrington, on the other hand, has been received very warmly here this week.

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Arlington, Va.: Can you describe the mannerisms of the golfers as they play - from an up close perspective? Thanks!;

Dave Sheinin: They're all a little different in one way or another. However, the thing that tends to stand out if you don't watch a lot of professional golf up close is how slow everyone plays. If I played that slowly, I'd have groups behind me firing shots at me all day.

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Why?: Why do you think Tiger's not ahead this tourney?

Dave Sheinin: Tiger's problem is that he isn't hitting the ball straight enough off the tee to avoid the rough, and no one -- not even Woods -- can make birdies out of this nasty rough. So much attention was focused on the sheer length of Baltusrol that few people realized the real challenge was not the length, but the tightness of the fairways and the penal nature of the rough.

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Fairfax, Va.: Are more and more players using hybrid clubs and mallet putters? Seems like the non top golfers are more open to using the new technology, but not the top ones. Why is that?

Dave Sheinin: It seems to me the same technology is available to pretty much anyone out here, so I don't see evidence of the two-tiered caste system you describe. There is no doubt, however, that technology is constantly changing the game and forcing courses to make changes to keep pace.

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Ashburn, Va.: Who are your favorite interviews so far? Anything interesting about a player that most fans wouldn't know? I'm a big Campbell fan too, seems like a nice guy with a nice story.

Dave Sheinin: He doesn't play competitively anymore, but TV analyst David Feherty is a personal favorite of mine (and of many other people, judging by his popularity). Here's something you may not have known about him: He once trained as an opera singer.

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Arlington, Va.: Is the course so long that players can't tone down the drivers to stay in the fairway? Maybe I'm naive, but when my driver starts flying left or right, I take an easy swing and just pop it into the fairway. Yes, it's not cool, but its in play and I still have a legitimate shot at birdie, rather than looking at par or worse.

Dave Sheinin: Great question, and you've hit on exactly what Mickelson is doing so effectively thus far. He explained yesterday that he is making a conscious effort to take about 25 yards off his drives -- which he does by hitting a higher, softer fade with more spin, which makes the ball stop faster when it lands, rather than rolling forward with topspin. That's the strategy he is using to keep the ball from running through the fairway into the rough -- and so far it seems to be working.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Dave,

Tiger's cooked, no three of four this year. The highest 1st round score to win a tourney at Baltusrol was, I believe a 71, by Nicklaus in the 1967 Open. Lots of great play near the top, Kenny Perry's eagle on 17 yesterday was amazing!! So, what is your prediction?

Dave Sheinin: It's not exactly going out on a limb here, but Mickelson is looking very good, and I'd have to pick him. But look out from below: Vijay Singh is 3-under for the day through 12 holes and is also 3-under for the tournament, four shots behind Mickelson.

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Bethesda, Md.: Any details on Greg Norman pulling out of the tournament? Is there more to it than just a bad back? Was he trying to avoid seeing Tiger after saying Nickalaus is the better golfer at the British Open?

Dave Sheinin: No, I think it was more a case where Norman did not want to show up and embarrass himself if he couldn't play his normal game, and he also didn't want to be forced to withdraw midway through a round or something.

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Dave Sheinin: OK, folks. We're done here. Thanks again for stopping by. Enjoy the rest of the tournament. It's a fabulous leaderboard and it should be an interesting weekend.

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