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A new reputation Valhalla Golf Club now has some history to it
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Critics will have to find another reason to disparage Valhalla Golf Club. History, or the course's lack thereof, can no longer be used. Tiger Woods and Bob May saw to that Sunday afternoon. In one of the most thrilling head-to-head matches this side of the Ryder Cup, Woods won his second consecutive PGA Championship in a playoff with May that is sure to go down in golf history as one of the most thrilling ever. "Tradition has to start somewhere," May said. "Maybe this is the starting point here." The only other major championship held at the 14-year-old course was Mark Brooks' victory over Kenny Perry, also in a playoff, in the 1996 PGA. But the most memorable aspect of that tournament was that the pros tore up the course with low numbers and two relatively anonymous players ended up playing for one of golf's biggest prizes. But the 82nd PGA Championship will be remembered because it featured the game's most dominant player against someone who wouldn't back down. Both played their share of bad shots, but always seemed to recover. And when they needed a birdie, there was always a little bit of magic in those big, leather golf bags. "I think it's got to go down as one of the best duels in the game in major championships," Woods said. "Granted, there have been some great ones. But I think it goes up there. "Both of us shot 31 on the back nine Sunday afternoon with no bogeys. And I played the final 12 holes in 7 under. "That's not too bad." Woods and May dominated Sunday, but the supporting role went to Valhalla, a course created by Jack Nicklaus specifically to serve as a host for major championships. The PGA of America now owns the course. It will be the site of the 2007 Ryder Cup and, rest assured, many more PGA Championships since it has already had two played there in the past five years. Something dramatic seemed to happen on every hole down the stretch. Woods played the final nine holes of regulation in 5 under and also had a dramatic par save in that stretch. May, who grew up in Southern California not far from Woods, birdied the first three holes on the back nine and four of the first five, posted a white-knuckle par on another and had birdie putts skim the lip on two other holes. Both made a birdie on the closing hole of regulation in what may end up being one of the best remembered moments of this year in golf. May had to hit an 18-footer from the back fringe -- TV analyst Ken Venturi said, "It's not going to be!" just as the putter made contact -- for his birdie. Then Woods made a nerve-jangling 6-footer for his, setting off a sonic boom from the massive crowd encircling the green. Woods finally pulled even with the stubborn May on a birdie putt a hole earlier. The dramatic closing putts by each extended the day into a three-hole playoff, a new format for the PGA. The lowest cumulative score for the last three holes would decide whether Woods joined Ben Hogan as the only player to ever win three majors in the same year. On the first extra hole, Woods drilled a 20-foot putt while May went from deep rough to deep rough on his first two shots, then hit a pitch-and-run that dribbled within 6 inches of the cup for an incredible par. Both saw some real estate on the next hole, with Woods bouncing one shot off a cart path, all the way across the green and down a steep slope in back. May hit into two bunkers. Yet under mind-numbing pressure, both made pars. The final hole was another adventure with both hitting their drives into deep trouble to the left. Woods advanced his second shot into deep rough, then knocked his third into the gaping bunker in front. But from there he blasted within 2 feet -- close enough to lock up his par and prevent May from pulling off a startling upset. "When par's a good score, I play pretty tough," May said. That also goes for Woods and the best championship courses.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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