When Rees Jones redesigned the Atlanta Athletic Club's Highlands course for the PGA Championship, he paid special attention to No. 18.

The 18th hole at the Atlanta Athletic Club. He knew a strong finishing hole was a must.

"I think the fourth hole at Brookline is one of the greatest holes in golf," Jones said Monday. "But it doesn't get much press because it's not the 18th hole."

In Atlanta, Jones lengthened the final hole to 490 yards, making it the longest par-4 in the history of the PGA Championship. That's 35 yards longer than the hole played in 1976, when the club played host to the U.S. Open.

A large lake comes into play along the left corner of the dogleg. Jones also placed a new set of bunkers along the right side of the fairway and altered the shape of the green to make club selection more challenging.

"I'm glad they're playing the 18th as a par-4," Jones said. "That's the way I designed the hole. The PGA debated whether to make it a 5 or a 4. Now, the water is in play off the tee. It's just a sensational finishing hole."

Actually, he is quite proud of the last four holes, which include the signature par-3 17th which overlooks a huge lake that surrounds most of the green.

"You want to lead into the round and build to a crescendo," Jones said. "I think all four of those holes are quite a finish."

His father, Robert Trent Jones Sr., took part in the original design of the course. The younger Jones was called in for a two-year, $2.5 million redo in 1995.

Modern-day designers have to keep lengthening their designs to keep up with the evolving technology, he said.

"We've got to make it so you use every club in the bag," he said.

RYDER RACE: Bernhard Langer finds himself in good position to make the European Ryder Cup team after missing out in 1999.

Langer is ninth in the rankings with three tournaments still to play, but has a sizable advantage over 11th-place Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain.

The top 10 automatically make the team, with captain Sam Torrance selecting the other two members.

Langer was passed over as a captain's pick in 1999. He could only watch as the United States made a historic comeback to beat the European team.

"I didn't like it all," the German said. "That wasn't much fun, after playing nine Ryder Cups in a row, to miss out. I would much rather have been there in the middle of the battle and not watching on TV and wishing them well."

Langer also believes his side should change its selection process to accommodate the growing number of Europeans playing on the PGA Tour in the United States.

Under the current system, the top 10 players qualified based on money won on the European tour. He would prefer to use the world rankings or increase the number of wild-card picks.

"It is time to rethink because there's about 12 to 15 of us playing more than half of the year in (the United States)," Langer said. "Certainly, we need to change to get the best 12 players on the team."

Ten members of the U.S. team will be determined after the PGA Championship, with captain Curtis Strange picking the other two players.

DOUBLE TEES: The PGA Championship will send off golfers on both the front and back nine for the first time in 30 years.

The move is designed to ensure that all players can get in their rounds before dark, while also providing more leeway if there is rain.

Two waves of thunderstorms hampered Monday's practice round. Similar weather could play havoc later in the week.

Double tees were last used in 1971 at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. That was the last year the tournament was held in February, when the schedule was set up with less daylight in mind.

While Nos. 1 and 10 will be used as starting holes, golfers won't be able to tee off at the same time. The first tee box sets up a shot over the 10th.

Jesper Parnevik approached the congested area Monday and asked, "Which way?"

TIGERMANIA: Hundreds of fans young and old crammed behind an iron fence as Tiger Woods walked off the course after playing nine holes. He only managed to sign a few autographs while keeping up a brisk pace, which left some disappointed.

And it left Mark O'Meara defending him.

"Hey, I want Tiger's autograph, too," he joked. "I don't have one, so don't feel bad."

SLOW PLAY AND A FAST PREZ: A year ago at Valhalla, the first round of the PGA Championship took more than six hours for some groups.

Davis Love III might be in for a shock. He played a couple of rounds last week at Sea Island during the Walker Cup with former President Bush, known for his fast pace.

"The first day we got caught behind a GB&I (Great Britain-Ireland) team and it took us four hours," Love said. "The next day we were done in three hours."

On another occasion, Love said he walked nine holes while Bush and a local judge rode in a cart.

"It was all we could do to keep up," he said. "I was worn out."

WITHDRAWS: Toshi Izawa, who tied for fourth at Augusta National for the best performance by a Japanese player in Masters history, has withdrawn from the PGA Championship because of a thumb injury.

Jumbo Ozaki previously withdrew because of a bad back.

They were replaced by Glen Day and Len Mattiace, while Briny Baird got into the field for his first PGA Championship because the Buick Open winner (Kenny Perry) had already qualified.

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