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Enlarge Photo Justin Leonard of the U.S. hits his approach shot to the second green during second... Justin Leonard has bitter-sweet memories of the first PGA Championship played at Whistling Straits, hardly surprising given that the American was edged out for the title in a three-way playoff.Fiji's Vijay Singh emerged triumphant on the links-style Straits Course in 2004, beating Leonard and Chris DiMarco for the prized Wanamaker Trophy after three extra holes.
"It was a fun week (in 2004)," Leonard recalled ahead of this week's edition over the same layout. "I can't go head-to-head with Vijay because he's a foot taller than me, but toe-to-toe with Vijay that last day, it was fun.
"It was obviously disappointing to bogey the 72nd hole but ... I have a lot of great memories from that week and I look forward to reliving those on site this week."
Leonard, whose only major victory came at the 1997 British Open, was one ahead with three holes to play in regulation at the 2004 PGA Championship before he lost momentum.
He bogeyed three of the last five holes to take the tournament into a playoff, missing a 12-foot par putt on the 18th green that would have earned him the title.
"What ultimately cost me the tournament was my putting, and I missed about four putts inside of 10 feet on the back nine," Leonard said. "It's pretty hard to win a golf tournament, much less a major, when you do something like that."
THIRD MAJOR
Aged 41, Singh became the fourth oldest U.S. PGA champion while clinching his third major title despite having made only one birdie on the final day, at the first extra hole.
"The golf course was very difficult," said Leonard. "The greens really firmed up and the wind was a little bit stronger (in the final round).
"The biggest thing was the firmness and the speed of the greens, it was very hard to get the ball close to the hole. And coming out of the rough, it was impossible."
Whistling Straits, at 7,514 yards in 2004, was the longest venue to stage a major championship and is certain to provide another stiff challenge this week for the game's top players.
"You've got to be on your game," said South African Ernie Els, who three-putted from around 80 feet at the last to cost himself the chance of joining the playoff in 2004.
"There's a lot of blind stuff going on with second shots, you've got to find your own way of getting around that golf course. You can do it very aggressively or very conservatively."
A three-times major winner who has yet to win the PGA Championship, Els expects the vagaries of the weather to be a significant factor this week.
"The weather is certainly an issue there," he said of a spectacular layout which has eight of its holes hugging the Lake Michigan shoreline. "The wind comes up in the afternoons and there was a bit of rain here and there in 2004."
The PGA Championship starts on Thursday.
(Editing by Frank Pingue; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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