You don't need a calendar to know that it's late in the week at the PGA Championship. One trip to the maintenance facility Saturday afternoon will do the same thing.
My hike from the media center to the maintenance facility was a long and hot one, and at least as far as immediacy is concerned, a fruitless one. For the first time all week, there was virtually no activity around the compound. The basement dining area was completely empty. The shop area was vacant. About the only activity was in the GCSAA/GCSANJ hospitality tent, which was as full as I've seen it all week this afternoon. Of course, it's air-conditioned and has free food and drink, so should I really be surprised to find it full? As for the rest of the compound, it's clear the rigors of the week and the oppressive heat are sending more and more crew members to cool and quiet spots in the afternoon.
But we did just get a rise out of the crowd here in the hospitality tent, from where I am making this post, when "Mark Kuhns and his staff" got a shout-out for the "outstanding condition" of the course from the announcing crew on CBS. Well-deserved, I might add. And in another televised development, it looks like John Daly just reached the huge 650-yard par-5 17th hole in two. Amazing.
I'll be hanging around the maintenance area until the crew hits the course, then I'll tag along with them to check out course conditions. You'll get a handful of photos and another post before we shut things down in preparations for the final round of the PGA Championship tomorrow.
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