Whistling Straits holds no fear

IT’S funny you know. You turn up at a major championship venue on the Monday, have a look at the course, play maybe nine or 18 holes, and come off shaking your head in bewilderment.

"How am I going to get around this place, it's almost unplayable," you fret. However, as the days go by, everything slowly but surely slots into place. You become familiar with all the little quirks, you learn where to hit the ball and where not to hit it, you get to grips with the pace of the greens and the undulations, you accept the atmosphere for what it is.

You realise that first impressions are just that. You put them to the back of your mind and tell yourself don't panic! Whistling Straits for this week's US PGA Championship sounds like a beast, sounds brutal, but they said Bethpage for the US Open two years ago was the toughest ever and I coped pretty well and probably should have finished better than 5th.