Phil Mickelson rates Southern Hills as tough but fair challenge

Phil Mickelson expressed the views of most of the players at this week's PGA Championship by describing Southern Hills Country Club as difficult but fair.

The tree-lined par-70 layout, with several dog-leg par-four holes, places a premium on accuracy off the tee and the ability to shape the ball both ways.

Heat will also be a factor at the last of the year's four majors but shot-making will hold the key to success, according to Mickelson.

"It's a great setup to test the best players in the world," the 2005 champion told reporters during preparation for Thursday's opening round.

"It's difficult but it's fair. It's got opportunities for players to separate themselves, whether those be with shots out of the rough, shots around the green or chances to make putts.

"The set-up this week is one of the best I've seen. I think we're all excited to play here."

Tournament favourite and three-times champion Tiger Woods, who won last year's title by five shots at Medinah, agreed.

"The golf course is in fantastic shape," Woods said. "The greens are a little bit soft but you really can't get them too hard out there; you'd probably lose them.

"The rough is penal enough where you really can't control your shot, and marginal whether or not you can get the ball to the green. It will be a pretty darned good test this week."

With temperatures expected to peak at around 101 degrees (38 degrees Celsius) during the tournament, Woods plans to leave his driver in the bag on most of the holes.

"The ball's flying forever and the temperature is not going to go down so the ball is going to continue to fly," the 12-times major winner said.

"And that means a lot of the dog-legs in the spots that you want to get to are going to be with long irons or even fairway woods."

South Korea's K.J. Choi, a double winner on the PGA Tour this season, believes a high ball flight will be paramount, both off the tee and into the greens.

"This course requires a lot of high fade shots," the 36-year-old from Wando said. "When I first got to this country, my ball flight was very low and I wasn't able to hit those technical shots.

"However, now my ball flight is a lot higher and my driver distance is a lot longer. And I really think the shots that I have right now really fit this type of a course."

British Open champion Padraig Harrington has a simple strategy.

"You need to keep the ball below the hole," the 35-year-old Irishman said. "The greens are very fast and back to front.

"So that tends to be the play for the week: hit fairways and hit it in the middle of the green and try and hit your putts uphill."

The final major of the year starts on Thursday.