Changes to Valhalla since the 1996 PGA Championship

The optional island fairway on the par-five seventh hole, taken out of play by the PGA in 1996 against the wishes of architect Jack Nicklaus, will be in play this time, offering a tantalizing choice. The seventh is a dogleg, three-shot hole of 597 yards when played via the conventional route, but the island fairway sits in the middle of a quarry on a straight line to the green, making the hole play about 510 yards and enabling even a medium-length hitter to reach the green in two. While there is some risk, the reward is great enough that many in the field will no doubt take the shortcut. This makes all four of Valhalla's par fives reachable in two, which is one reason the PGA closed the extra fairway last time. "It's actually a pretty easy hole going down the left [island] side, but it adds some excitement," says Nicklaus.

ABOVE THE WATERLINE: Virtually the entire front nine, which sits in a floodplain, had to be raised when Valhalla was built so the course wouldn't be underwater when Floyds Fork spills over its banks. So did parts of the back nine, including the island green on the 13th, which sits high in the water guarded by a stone face. "The green looks silly," says Nicklaus, "but when it floods, you're happy to have it up there, otherwise you wouldn't have a green."

SPLASHDOWN: It was forecast before the 1996 event that the pros would have little trouble with the 13th, despite its island green, because the 350-yard hole calls for only an iron off the tee and a wedge approach. However, the 13th proved unlucky for a number of pros, including second-round leader Phil Mickelson, whose downfall began when he dunked a wedge in the water there on Saturday. In all, 29 players made double bogey or worse, the second highest total of any hole on the course.

SWING HOLE: The 542-yard 18th, with its three-level green forming a horseshoe around a front bunker, has all the ingredients for a dramatic finish. It's reachable in two, so a spectacular eagle finish is possible. But it's not without danger, as Kenny Perry and Vijay Singh found out in 1996. Perry bogeyed the 18th in both regulation and the first hole of sudden-death, thanks to drives in the left rough, and lost to Mark Brooks, who birdied it in regulation and the playoff. Singh, needing a birdie to tie, was near the green in two, but couldn't land on the putting surface with a difficult pitch, and made a bogey to tie for fifth.

HARDEST HOLE: The 12th is not only the longest par four at 470 yards, it plays to an elevated green that makes it a tough target for a long- or mid-iron approach. The field averaged 4.302 in 1996.

LONGER START: New tees were built on the first and second holes, adding about 20 yards to each. The first was already a testing opener, but stretching it to 446 yards will force more players to hit a driver. The second was a pushover par five in 1996, so boosting the length to 535 should make it a bit more of a challenge.

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