‘Valhalla’ is an old Viking word which translates to “hall of the slain”.
The word also represents the brutal test awaiting the world’s best when they take on Valhalla Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky for the 106th PGA Championship.
The greens will be crispy, the fairways will be tight, and the rough will be thick and dense.
Although challenging and penal – and there will be players signing off on scores of 80-plus – there will be scoring opportunities for the men who decide to play the waiting game. Keep it on the short grass, you’re a chance. Miss your target and your score can add up.
Adam Scott summed it up perfectly before the 2014 PGA Championship: “It’s generous off the tee and quite demanding into the greens. If you can hit good, solid shots in the right areas on the greens, you’re going to have a good chance at making some birdies this week, possibly some eagles out there, too, with reachable 5s. That’s going to be exciting for everyone to watch and for us to play.”
Recent PGA Championship venues have all produced the kind of viewing that sees players who can make a string of birdies rocket up the leaderboard. Just as brilliant viewing is seeing someone get to the front and press the ejector seat button … looking at you, Mito Pereira.
The Jack Nicklaus-designed Valhalla has been the site of some famous victories and moments over the past 25 years and is
