Mastery of wind and weather

KIAWAH ISLAND (South Carolina) • Blustery winds, marshland waste areas and even alligators welcomed the world's best golfers to Kiawah Island on Monday for the first official practice round of the 103rd PGA Championship.

The resort's Ocean Course will be the longest venue in Major golf history at 7,876 yards, 135 more than the mark set by Erin Hills when it hosted the 2017 US Open.

It is a par-72 layout Golf Digest has called the most difficult US course, with seaside beauty and peril lurking on every hole.

"There aren't a lot of bailout areas," said 2003 PGA Championship winner Shaun Micheel. "There are a lot of things out there that are lying in wait for you."

Alligators are kept at a distance by security and course workers but there is nothing to stop the biting winds that swop direction.

"When the wind gets going out here, there's nothing to stop it," said Rickie Fowler, who received a special exemption into the field of 156. "It can blow pretty good. There are no trees to stop it. When the wind gets up, it can blow pretty hard out here. A lot of it is determined by weather and wind."

The forecast is sunny throughout the tournament this week but with winds shifting from out of the East to out of the West between the first two rounds and the weekend.

Three-time Major winner Jordan Spieth, who snapped a four-year win drought last month in Texas, can complete a career Grand Slam with a victory. He could also become the first player to complete the feat at a PGA Championship.

"I feel like iron shots in the wind and controlling distances is a strength of mine, and hopefully that's what it comes down to," he said.

Seventh-ranked Rory McIlroy, coming off a victory two weeks ago at Quail Hollow, won the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah by eight strokes and seeks his first Major title since taking the fourth of his career at the 2014 edition.

The 32-year-old Northern Ireland star was out in shorts on Monday, joining other contenders in testing the greens and chipping areas around the holes.

"Rory, you knew he was going to figure it out," said ESPN golf analyst Andy North. "The guy is one of the two or three most talented players we've got in the game. When he's at his best, you can argue that he's as good as anybody."

The longest-ever Major course could play into the hands of long hitters like top-ranked Dustin Johnson, a home-state hero who won last year's Masters.

"Any time Dustin Johnson steps on the golf course, he's a threat," said ESPN analyst Curtis Strange.

"DJ is one of those guys, along with Rory, who can win tournaments by many shots, and so therefore he doesn't have to... be hitting on all cylinders to win," he added of the American, who missed the cut in his title defence at the Masters last month.

Fifth-ranked Bryson DeChambeau overpowered Winged Foot last year to win the US Open by blasting drives for maximum distance regardless of landing area.

His power hitting, however, could leave high shots open to the wayward winds off the water and sand or tall grass to swallow up off-target balls.

World No. 2 Justin Thomas could overtake Johnson for the top spot this week with a victory if Johnson, who withdrew from last week's PGA Tour event with knee issues, finishes worse than fifth.

Defending champion Collin Morikawa will try to become only the third player to win back-to-back PGA Championships since 1958, after Tiger Woods and Brooks Koepka.

The PGA Championship, as it has since 1994, boasts the toughest field in golf with 99 of the world's top 100 players in the field.

There are 35 Major winners in the field, 16 of them past PGA Championship winners, with a combined 56 Major triumphs.

A limited crowd of about 10,000 spectators daily will be allowed onto the course.

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Spieth can complete the career Grand Slam with a victory at the PGA Championship. The world No. 26 won the 2015 Masters and US Open and the 2017 British Open but had not won since that third Major title until snapping a four-year win drought last month at the Texas Open.

His resurgence has been impressive, with seven top-10 showings in his past nine events, including a share of third at the Masters last month and ninth at the Byron Nelson last week.

His best PGA Championship finish was second in 2015.

The 32-year-old from Northern Ireland won the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island by a record eight strokes. Now ranked No. 7, the four-time Major winner seeks his first Major triumph since capturing the 2014 edition at Valhalla.

He has struggled to find his best form as well but won at Quail Hollow two weeks ago and recent training with Pete Cowen has helped overcome troubles that included trying to chase extra distance in the wake of Bryson DeChambeau's US Open victory last September.

Fifth-ranked DeChambeau values distance above all else when blasting tee shots, so it would seem like the longest course in Major golf history at 7,876 yards would be a natural for him.

But while he figures his distance will make up for any poor location where his ball might land, Kiawah offers some particularly nasty landing areas in sandy waste areas and tall grass. And fickle winds that change direction plus crosswinds could send the reigning US Open champion's lofty long-distance shots way off target.

World No. 3 Rahm is still chasing his first Major title, but the 26-year-old Spaniard has played well since late October, finishing in the top-10 in nine of 11 events even though he did not manage a victory in that stretch. He shared fifth at the Masters and the World Golf Championships (WGC) Match Play. He missed the cut two weeks ago at Quail Hollow and shared 34th last week at the Byron Nelson.

But it could be that Rahm is due, having last won at the BMW Championship last August.

The 23-year-old Norwegian has jumped to world No. 11 and has played well lately. He won his first two PGA Tour titles last year at Puerto Rico and Mayakoba in Mexico last December. Since then, he has been runner-up at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines and the WGC Workday Championship at The Concession. He also shared third earlier this month at the Valspar and Wells Fargo Championships.

In a week where accuracy in windy conditions will be vital, he might be ready to make a Major breakthrough.

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