Windy conditions dominate at Hazeltine

The last day of practice for the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club was dominated by the breeze.

By mid-afternoon Wednesday, winds were measured between 20 and 25 mph. And that has a major effect on many of the holes -- especially Nos. 10 and 16, which lie along the lake.

``It's a totally different golf course,'' Duffy Waldorf said. ``It was blowing hard enough today that even the putts were affected.''

Many of the greens had to be watered throughout the day, because the wind dries them out and makes them much harder and faster. That leaves less leeway, especially on the shorter holes.

``On those par 3s, you just have to suck it up and really dig down deep,'' Steve Stricker said. ``It's hard to stay on the greens.''

Stricker said he started playing on Friday before anyone else and has noticed a remarkable difference in the speed of the course since then as it has gradually dried out.

``It's like night and day,'' he said.

DEFENDING HAL: Postponing the Ryder Cup matches for a year has created much speculation on how many players are on top of their games.

Inevitably, the questions are about Hal Sutton.

The star of the U.S. victory at Brookline three years ago, the 44-year-old Sutton has been dealing with nagging back pain and sleep apnea, a disorder that causes him to wake up constantly through the night.

Sutton is 140th on the PGA Tour money list, courtesy of missing 14 cuts and not playing the weekend since the Buick Classic in early June.

U.S. captain Curtis Strange quickly rose to Sutton's defense Wednesday.

``I think we bring up his name in a negative connotation a little bit too much,'' Strange said. ``I think he's going to be fine. Hal Sutton's game never gets so far off because he's a good striker of the ball.

``He's the kind of guy you want on your team. He was a rock in '99, and I expect him to be near the same thing.''

Of the 12 Americans, only Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk have won on the PGA Tour this year. On Europe's side, Lee Westwood has plunged to No. 139 in the world ranking. Pierre Fulke is at No. 102, and Phillip Price is at No. 79.

``When has the Ryder Cup ever been played with 24 of the best players in the world at that time?'' Strange said. ``Probably never, because you always have that six-week stretch between the PGA and the Ryder Cup matches. Will it take away from the matches? Absolutely not. I've still got a pretty strong team.''

TAKING IT TOO FAR: A Twin Cities radio personality was arrested Wednesday for allegedly trying to enter Hazeltine's grounds with a chain saw during a morning-show stunt.

Local law enforcement was not amused by Todd Downs, who's known as ``T-Bone'' on KDWB-FM.

``This is not funny,'' said Chaska police chief Scott Knight. ``I don't know if they thought it was going to be funny. I don't know what they were trying to accomplish by this.

``They certainly diverted some of our resources. They certainly attempted to damage the integrity of this event and perhaps spoil it for some people. We take this very seriously.''

According to police, Downs tried to get in the main gate with a weed whacker but was turned away by security. He went back to his car to get the chain saw and tried to bring it through the volunteer gate, claiming there was an emergency on the course and he had to cut down a tree.

He was then arrested by numerous police officers and FBI agents.

Downs, an assistant producer, has been at KDWB for less than a year but is known for his wackiness.

``He does these things all the time,'' program director Rob Morris said. ``It was more or less being done as a humorous thing.''

Morris, who said the station is reviewing the incident and taking steps to make sure something similar doesn't happen, said Downs' idea was in poor taste.

``It mushroomed into something it shouldn't have been,'' Morris said.

Downs, released from jail later Wednesday, faces possible disorderly conduct and trespassing charges.

TOP PRIZE: Total prize money for the PGA Championship has gone up by $300,000 this year to $5.5 million, with $990,000 for the winner.

The PGA Championship is the only major in which the first-place check does not have seven digits. Tiger Woods won $1,008,000 at the Masters and $1 million at the U.S. Open, while Ernie Els won about $1.1 million at the Open.

Still, the total purse has increased every year at the PGA since 1992.

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