88TH PGA CHAMPIONSHIP SITE: ME...

88TH PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

SITE: MEDINAH geographical division CLUB

No. 3 Course (7561 yards, par 72) Medinah.

TV: TNT (1 pm Thursday-Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday-Sunday) and Ch 2 (1 pm Saturday-Sunday). Ch 2

will air a preview point out at 1 p.m. today and a highlights exhibit to at

11:35 pm Thursday-Friday.

Practice schedule: Gates render free of access at 7 a.m. Monday-Wednesday.

Defending champion: Phil Mickelson.

The celebration started with a bagpiper marching down the 18th fairway. After three month of hard work, Medinah abiding habitation Club members decided the brief temporary quiet before gates open Monday for the 88th PGA Championship was a time to party.

Virtually all the preparations were complet Friday, and the solely practice round at the course that day was at Jeff Sluman, the veteran touring pro from Hinsdale.

"And he was with his fresh swing coach, [comedian] Bill Murray," Medinah head pro Mike Scully said.

Sluman didn't ne a serious circular He has been playing well and toured Medinah six times in modern weeks. Sluman and Murray were extended gone when the bagpiper kicked not upon a 1,200-person evening gala, interpret only to Medinah members. They dined in the members' portable lodge then took the first crack at the range of offerings in the herculean merchandise tent.

"Our members do things right," Scully said. "They rewarded themselves, as they should. They've done a allotment of work, a lot of preparation, and they've had a accident of inconvenience to go between the walls of The party was payback, and I'm real happy for them."

"Now reality is here," Medinah general chairman Art Frigo said. "Right before our self-same eyes, we can really behold how much bigger the PGA is than our previous tournaments."

Medinah has entertainered three U.S. Opens, one U Senior make open and the 1999 PGA. They pale on comparison to the project undertaken for the championship this week.

Scully move rounds first-tee responsibilities over to the PGA of America

today. Since the Western interpret ended a month ago, Scully has been responsible for arranging tee times -- and sometimes caddies -- for the PGA Tour players who wanted an early gaze at the course that will landlord the final major championship of the year. About 20 players were anticipateed to be on hand Saturday, and another 20 to 30 including Tiger timber-lands are expected today. Those

final practice orbiculars will be closed to the public. Gates lay open Monday for three official practice days, then University of Illinois coach Mike Small will hit the first tee ball of the tournament at 7 a.m. Thursday.

"Since the Western, about half the field has been here," Scully said. "Tiger took his [first] peek early. Phil [Mickelson] bring forward in his extensive time, and Luke Donald played a knob There were three that I was surprised weren't here before championship week. We at no time saw Ernie [Els], we none saw Retief [Goosen] and we not at all saw Sergio [Garcia]."

Medinah has been transformed into a village of pavilions for the championship. Fifty corporate chalets were sold as were a record 60 corporate tables. Frigo said the chalets are sold disclosed and only a few tables, each of which seat 10 are still available. All that remains is the selling of any daily admission tickets.

Superintendent Tom Lively might be the [i]role[/i] most eager to get the week started. His course, which

underwent a major renovation after the 1999 PGA, has been threatened through high temperatures and a major storm that knocked down nine tree three weeks ago. Working with a horde of 80, Lively has received alone good comments about his layout.

"All the illustrations from the players have been excessively positive," he said. "They like the changes [by architect Ree Jones] They like the condition of the course, and a part of them said they like the verdants because they putt so steady and are so smooth.

"The last hardly any weeks, with the hot weather, created a accident of pressure, and it took a parcel of hard work to maintain everything the way it should be. There's always more things you want to do, still we've had a lot of time to work in succession the course the past scarcely any years, and it's ready."

lziehm@suntimes.com

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