Event: 87th PGA Championship. Dates: Aug. 11-14. Site: Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower Course). Length: 7,392 yards. Par: 34-36-70. Format: 72 holes, stroke play. Playoff: Three holes, stroke play. Purse: $6.5 million. Winner's share: $1.17 million. Field: 156 professionals (25 club pros). Defending champion: Vijay Singh. The Course: The land once was farmed by a Scottish immigrant named Baltus Roll. It was owned by Louis Keller when he decided to build a golf course in 1895 that he called Baltusrol. A.W. Tillinghast plowed over the course and built the Lower and Upper courses in 1922. It has held seven U.S. Opens, tied for the most with Oakmont. This will be its first PGA Championship. Last year: Vijay Singh failed to make a birdie in regulation during the final round, and his 76 was the highest score by the winner in PGA Championship history. He hit a wedge into 6 feet for birdie on the first playoff hole, then made par on the other two to defeat Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco. Leonard had the tournament won until making bogey on two of the last three holes for a 76 that dropped him into the playoff. It was Singh's second PGA Championship title. Tiger Tales: Woods won the Masters and British Open and was runner-up in the U.S. Open. A victory would make him the only player to twice win three professional majors in one year. Presidents Cup: This is the final tournament to qualify for the Presidents Cup. The U.S. team is based on PGA Tour earnings the last two years, while the top 10 for the International team is decided by the world ranking. Captains Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player will announced their two wild-card picks the day after the PGA Championship. Venue change: The PGA Championship was supposed to be played at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., site of the '99 Ryder Cup, until club officials asked out of the arrangement. Notable: Four players hold the U.S. Open scoring record of 272. Jack Nicklaus (1967) and Lee Janzen (1993) posted their scores at Baltusrol. Quotable: "The rough is always up. The greens are always fast. The pins are always tucked. But it's always the fairest major." - Tiger Woods on the PGA Championship. Television (times EDT): Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m., TNT. Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., TNT; 2-7 p.m., CBS.
