Mosquitoes & Tiger creating most buzz

They circle in swarms, clamoring for a piece of Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, David Toms and any of the other big draws at the 84th PGA Championship.

No, not the golf-hungry Minnesota fans, a huge throng demanding its pound of flesh in the form of autographs from their favorite players. We're talking about the scourge of the Twin Cities, the Transylvanian-class mosquitoes known by many nicknames, including "DC-10," a nod to their airliner-sized wingspan.

They make Florida's airborne bugs seem puny.

"It's like they say up here: They're the official state bird," veteran Jerry Kelly said.

With rainfall in the Land of 10,000 Lakes running at 50 percent above normal, officials this week allocated another $820,000 to eradicate the flying pests. Considering the all-inclusive buzz surrounding Tiger Woods, they might be his biggest nuisance of the week.

In terms of abatement, Woods has become a persistent pest himself. He's looking like a shoo-in again.

Looking to collect his third major of the year, Woods is coming off a win last week at the Buick Open. And he has won two of the past three PGA Championships.

Though his quest for the calendar Grand Slam ended in the rain-soaked third round at the British Open, Woods has settled into his pre-major tunnel-vision mode.

"Let's see -- house, course, course, house," he said of his activities this week. "The week of a major championship, it's a little different. I don't really get out that much. I've got a routine that I like to stick to."

He's in quite the victory rut. Having already won the Masters and U.S. Open this year, raising his trophy total to seven of the past 12 majors, he can duplicate his 2000 feat of winning three majors in the same year. Only Woods and Ben Hogan have done that.

Woods did break from tradition somewhat, though: For the first time, he won a tournament the week preceding a major. That can't hurt his considerable confidence.

"I think the pressure is internal," he said. "I want to play well for my own sake. I have my own goals, and that's to win. I love competing, I love winning championships."

Woods is such a shut-in during the majors that he laughed when asked if he planned to tour the area's must-see sites.

"I would like to see the Mall of America, even though I hate shopping," he said. "I've heard it's a big place -- lots of square footage."

Ditto Hazeltine National Golf Club, which measures 7,360 yards. While Woods didn't quite fashion the calendar Grand Slam this year, the weatherman might. Thunderstorms are forecast for today. If it comes to pass, downpours will have interrupted each of the majors in 2002.

Rain would make the course play far longer, seemingly giving another edge to Woods and the big hitters.

The weather, and some uncharacteristically sloppy ball-striking, wrecked Woods' shot at glory last month at Muirfield during his third-round 81, a career worst. He otherwise played well at the British, finished in a tie for 28th, and seemingly has perfected the art of Grand Slam cresting.

"I try to do it four times a year, and so far, I've done it two times," Woods said, before breaking into a grin and remembering his 81. "Well, two and three-quarter times."

Statistically, there's hope for the field on a couple of fronts. Woods' five worldwide victories in 2002 have been evenly spaced -- every other start since his win at the Bay Hill Invitational in March. He won last week, so you can figure the rest.

Second, in terms of upset winners, the PGA Championship cranks them out like no other major. Of the past 14 winners at the PGA, 11 claimed their first major, a total that includes Toms, the defending champion.

While the course is long, most of the yardage is concentrated on a handful of holes, like the par-5 No. 3, a 636-yard monster that even Woods failed to reach in two blows.

The course setup is fair but not unnecessarily punitive, unlike the U.S. Open at times.

"What do we want? We want the best players coming down the stretch with an opportunity to win the event, not lose the event," said Jim Awtrey, CEO of the host PGA of America. "We set the golf course up fairly.

"If we are going to err, we will err on the side of the players. We won't try to define history by golf-course setup."

That said, with a major-championship record 98 of the top 100 players in the world rankings on hand, Sunday could deliver yet another wild ending. Over the past three years, no major has had more final-round drama than the PGA.

Unlike the ubiquitous gnats, no-see 'ems and mosquitoes, that's the kind of buzz the players actually like.

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