Ben Coley rounds up some of the key information and betting pointers ahead of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill.
The PGA Championship returns to Oak Hill Country Club, but it will look, feel and likely play very different to the course which saw Jason Dufner win this title 10 years ago.
Here are some of the key factors to consider.
Same name, different course
Oak Hill's East Course has seen it all, as a former host of the PGA Championship, the US Open, and the Ryder Cup. But we haven't seen Oak Hill, at least not the version which will greet players for the second men's major of the season.
Andrew Green's restoration has seen more than 600 trees removed from the property, along with extensive work to all of the greens, the return of a short par-three on the front-nine, and many other substantial changes aimed at bringing Donald Ross's classic back to life. Green calls his restoration 'sympathetic', both to Ross and to reality. Golf in 2023 is very different to golf in 1921, when the club found its new home, so to remain relevant means to make certain compromises.
Members at Oak Hill took some convincing, particularly when it came to the 13 trees removed from the 'Hill of Fame', dedicated to the likes of Dwight Eisenhower and Gerald Ford. In the end, they too had to come to terms with reality. This was not so much about preparing for the arrival of Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm, but safeguarding the very future of the golf course.
The effect on the PGA Championship should work in tandem with the way golf has changed in the decade that has passed since the event last came to Rochester. Back then, three of the straightest hitters in the sport dominated, playing either from the fairway or the first cut for much of the week, so often on the correct side. Oak Hill was a course where being in the fairway wasn't always a guarantee of a line to the green.
Now, there is far more space, and golf is far more dominated by bigger hitters. Thick rough has been proven to be more in favour of those who hit the ball a long way, rather than those who do their best to avoid it. The last major to be played in New York was at Winged Foot, when Bryson DeChambeau blasted his way to the US Open. This won't quite be that, but power is sure to be advantageous in a way it simply wasn't 10 years ago.
Beyond driving, alterations ought to make the bunkers more penal and there's some talk of sideways shots if a particular fairway is missed. Then there are the greens, made larger which will help in some ways. However, one of the main benefits as far as this tournament's organisers go is that they'll have more options to tuck pins away. Expect some devilish ones.
August to May
The expectation of power over precision is no less influenced by the time of year. This will be the fourth PGA Championship to be held in May since the last August renewal in 2018 (the 2020 edition took place in September) and it's not long since snow fell in New York. Temperatures will be low, far lower than in Oklahoma last year and than that US Open at Winged Foot, or at Shinnecock in 2018.
As well as ensuring that the ball doesn't fly as far, it seems likely the fairways are far less fiery than at Southern Hills, particularly if more rain falls before tee-off as is expected. Anyone studying pictures of the course will note how lush it is, and we've had the traditional 'here's what happens when you drop a ball in the rough' video. That was noticeably absent a year ago.
One unknown is just how much accuracy off the tee will play a part, even if we accept that it plays second fiddle to distance. Oak Hill's PGA pro Jason Ballard insists that rough cut as short as three inches will still be a serious problem because of how dense it is and so will fairway bunkers, which have always been a big part of the course's challenge.
Perhaps a measure of precision will still be required in a way that it simply wasn't last year. Justin Thomas won the PGA Championship ranking 45th in fairways and runner-up Will Zalatoris was a remarkable 75th. At Kiawah Island, Phil Mickelson ranked 57th, and at Bethpage in 2019, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, clear of the field, ranked 44th.
Tellingly, the latter duo were still the most effective drivers in the field.
East Course now a long course
It's impossible to escape the fact that Oak Hill is now a long golf course. It seems strange to say it, because length was far from a factor before, but at almost 7,400 yards, this par 70 is going to prove a real slog for anyone who doesn't give the ball a rip from the tee.
Consider this: Firestone's South Course played to 7,400 yards when last it featured on the PGA Tour, a course always described by players as long first and foremost. Bethpage Black, where Koepka and Johnson bossed the field off the tee and pulled clear as a consequence, also played to 7,400 yards. Before that tournament began, Justin Rose said there weren't many possible winners because of how vital power would be.
PGA Championship officials have options with tee boxes which they will use, but Oak Hill seems sure to be long regardless. Remember, its yardage includes a 150-yard par-three and a short par-four or two. Driver feels like it could be the most important club in the bag just as it was at Bethpage. These two courses have produced drastically different leaderboards but now feel similar.
Inside talk
Ted Bishop, former president of the PGA, spoke to Oak Hill member Ballard, who will be in the field this week. Ballard summed it up neatly by stating that "the golf course will look and feel much different than it did in 2013", also picking out Rory McIlroy as a potential winner – though McIlroy's Oak Hill membership may have something to do with that.
Ballard said: "Donald Ross did a fantastic job designing both our courses. Our members play the West Course more often than the East; the guests play the East more often. The East is just a challenge. I've never seen it looking so good.
is as comprehensive as ever and he's had an admirable stab at projecting approach shot distances which you'll see below.
Going back to Andy Johnson's take, he talks about a lot of 30-yard pitch shots and Andy Lack is in broad agreement as far as the short-game test that is expected.
If this proves true, note that Jon Rahm's short-game has been exceptional all year. Former US Open winner Gary Woodland is at the other end of the spectrum while Viktor Hovland clearly has something to prove, too.
