Classic PGA Championships in Review

The golf season's last major championship is just a few weeks away and with such an unpredictable year so far, it's anyone's to take. While the PGA Championship tends to fly under the radar of the other majors (the Masters, the U.S. Open and the British Open) the golf is always fantastic and drama-filled, and played at some of the world's best courses including this year's venue, Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. There are lots of questions heading into the final major. Can Tiger win? Can Phil take the number one ranking? Will another first time winner take the title? To get us prepared, let's look back at some of the better PGA Championships in recent years.

1999 at Medinah Country Club - Medinah, Illinois

Won by Tiger Woods

Tiger won his second career major and first since the 1997 Masters by holding off a hard charging 19 year old Spaniard named Sergio Garcia. Garcia is best remember by taking a mighty hack from behind a tree on the 16^th hole in the final round and pulling off a near improbable shot to get on the green. He ran up the fairway scissor kicking and expressed the youthful jubilance that had the pundits proclaiming him to be Tiger's rival for the next decade. Alas, it was Sergio's only whiff of a major for quite some time while Tiger has gone on to win 12 more.

2000 at Valhalla Golf Club - Louisville, Kentucky

Won by Tiger Woods

Tiger won his 3^rd major of the year and became the first golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three majors in a single calendar year. Little known Bob May pushed Tiger to a 3-hole play-off by holing an unbelievable birdie putt on 18 that even the announcer had called for dead. May shot three straight 66's to put the pressure on, but Tiger shot 67 on Sunday to keep him in it. Tiger's birdie on the first playoff was the difference as he would go on to win the 2001 Masters and complete the "Tiger Slam."

2002 at Hazeltine National Golf Club - Chaska, Minnesota

Won by Rich Beem

Unknown journey-man Rich Beem shocked the golf world by holding off a furious back nine Sunday charge from Tiger Woods to claim his only major championship. Buoyed by a stellar 66 on Friday, Beem ho-hummed his way around the course and when he made an impossible 35-foot birdie on the 16^th hole on Sunday, even four consecutive closing birdies from Tiger wouldn't be enough to catch him. Beem's improbable win is even more astounding that he never finished better than 15^th in any major before or after.

2007 at Southern Hills Country Club - Tulsa, Oklahoma

Won by Tiger Woods

Stifling heat and humidity made the course very difficult as only a handful of players finished the tournament under par. Tiger Woods had a birdie putt horseshoe around the cup on the 18^th hole on Friday which would have given him the all time low round in major championship history with a 62. Regardless, the 63 was enough to catapult him into the lead which he would not relinquish for the rest of the tournament. Woody Austin made a decent charge on Sunday but Tiger was able to improve his record to 13-0 when having the 54-hole lead in a major.

2009 at Hazeltine National Golf Club - Chaska, Minnesota

Won by Y.E. Yang

The golfing world was shocked when Tiger Woods was unable to keep a four shot lead from Friday through the weekend. Tiger finally let a 54-hole lead slip away by shooting a disappointing 75 on Sunday. Leading by 2 shots over Y.E. Yang, Tiger relinquished the lead on the 14^th when Yang chipped in for eagle on the short par 4. Yang hit a phenomenal closing approach shot to ten feet that ended Woods hopes for a 5^th PGA Championship. It was the first time Tiger had ever lost a major when having the lead entering the final round.

All data collected from www.pga.com and www.pgatour.com