’03 PGA winner Micheel on Valhalla conditions

I nabbed this interview on Tuesday… just now getting to posting it.

Here’s 2003 PGA Championship winner Shaun Micheel on Valhalla’s playing conditions:

“The course is in great shape. It’s long, it’s playing long… not getting a lot of run in the fairways.

I think some of these young kids, as far as they hit it, with all the carry they get, I think someone can shoot a really low number. The rough is up a little bit. Depends on what hole you’re on, if you can get it to the green.

You never know in these types of things, in what the winning score is going to be. Just looking back at the one that I won? And how difficult the course was? It’s hard to give a number, but I’ll say double-digits under par.

The greens are soft, not as quick as they could be. A lot of pin positions on the greens, but they’re pretty receptive. I think you can attack the course. It’ll be a fun test, good for the fans.

(Valhalla superintendent Roger Meier) has done a good job. It’s probably been a great year for growing grass up here. It’s just a matter of what (PGA of America Chief Championships Officer) Kerry Haig wants out of him. Kerry’s obviously a professional setting up the golf course for professionals and all of us appreciate that. There’s nothing crazy out there. There’s some pretty generous width off the tee, a lot of movement in the fairway, so it does make it to the eye a little more challenging. But he’s done a great job, hat’s off to him.”

I love how Shaun worked in the mention of his 2003 PGA Championship win at Oak Hill… I’d do the same thing if I were him. I could be at the grocery store buying milk, “Sir, do you have your shopper card with you?” “I do. You know, when I won the PGA Championship in 2003, we didn’t need these silly things!”