Warm windy weather greeted the players again today at the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National in Chaska. Even with temperatures soaring into the low 90’s, fans have been showing up in huge numbers, much to the delight of Minnesota Native Tom Lehman. Click here to hear from Lehman.  Photos by Bryan Singer

“The course is in great shape.  I think it’s going to be a wonderful test of golf this week … a challenging but fair test.” – 2005 PGA Champion Phil Mickelson, on Hazeltine National Golf Club
Tops in International Presence: The 70 international players here this week are the most for any PGA Championship. Those 70 are from 21 countries — not a PGA Championship record, by the way.
98 of Top 100 Ties ’02 High Mark: With 98 of the top 100 players in the world set to tee off tomorrow, the second PGA Championship visit to Hazeltine National Golf Club has equaled the record total established here at the 2002 PGA Championship.

Can 66 Be Bettered?: The 66s fired by Robert Allenby, Rich Beem and Justin Leonard in the second round of the 2002 PGA Championship tie them for the competitive course record at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

Saluting the Champions: Defending PGA Champion Padraig Harrington hosted the annual Champions’ Dinner Tuesday night at the Sofitel Minneapolis. Harrington, an Irishman who last year became the first European to win the PGA Championship since 1930, presented 13 other PGA Champions in attendance with a Celtic Drum as their gift for the evening.

Trying to Join “Iron Byron”: Should Tiger Woods win the PGA Championship this week, he will join Byron Nelson as the only players to win more than consecutive two events directly leading a major championship. Woods captured the Buick Open and the World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational over the past two weeks.In 1945, Nelson won a record 11 straight events on the PGA Tour, with the eighth being the PGA Championship at Moraine Country Club in Dayton, Ohio.
Working for the Weekend: Four of the PGA Club Professionals in the field have made the 36-hole cut in previous appearances in the PGA Championship. Lee Rinker of Jupiter, Fla., has played into the weekend in four of his six PGA Championship appearances.

The others:

• Mike Small of Champaign, Ill., the 2009 PGA Professional National Champion – 2 cuts made
• Ryan Benzel of Bothell, Wash., and Steve Schneiter of Sandy, Utah – 1 cut each

Lehman’s Excellent ’09 Adventure: Having turned 50 in March, Minnesota native Tom Lehman has experienced a rarity in recent weeks.  He played in three consecutive major championships heading into the 91st PGA Championship and he completes that “foursome” of majors this week.

Lehman, the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup Team Captain, competed in the British Open because of his victory in that Championship in 1996. The next two weeks, he turned his focus to the 50-and-over crowd, playing in the British Senior Open and then the U.S. Senior Open (he tied for eighth).

Earlier this year, Lehman also played in the Senior PGA Championship, which dates back to 1937.

This week, he is back home in Minnesota via a special invitation from The PGA of America.

“It’s been a really, really great year,” Lehman said today. “My schedule has been just full of amazing tournaments.”

Family Affair: Marc Turnesa, playing in his first PGA Championship this week, has a strong golf lineage. His great uncle, Jim, won the 1952 PGA Championship. His grandfather, Mike, won six times on the PGA Tour and was runner-up to Ben Hogan in the 1948 PGA Championship.

Mike was one of seven brothers, six of whom played on the PGA Tour. One of the brothers, Joe, was a 15-time PGA Tour winner.

Quite a Coincidence: Lehman and two-time U.S. Open Champion Lee Janzen were both born in Austin, Minn., population 22,900 and located about 90 miles outside the Twin Cities.

PGA Champions in the Field: Defending Champion Padraig Harrington and is one of 13 PGA Champions in the field this week at Hazeltine National.

The other Champions and the year(s) of their triumphs:

Paul Azinger (1993)
Rich Beem (2002)
Mark Brooks (1996)
John Daly (1991)
Steve Elkington (1995)
Davis Love III (1997)
Shaun Micheel (2003)
Phil Mickelson (2005)
Vijay Singh (1998, 2004)
David Toms (2001)
Bob Tway (1986)
Tiger Woods (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007)

Fishing for a Major Victory: England’s Ross Fisher has been a steady force in the three major championships played thus far in 2009. Fisher, in his fourth full season on the PGA Tour, was fifth at the U.S. Open in June and led the final round of the Open Championship outright last month before finishing in a tie for 13th.

In April, Fisher tied for 30th in his first appearance at the Masters.

“I just love to compete and I love the big stage,” Fisher, 28, said today. “What better way to showcase yourself than at major championships.”