Mickelson glad to be back in Kentucky

It has not been a great summer for American golfers, what with Tiger Woods’ back troubles, Dustin Johnson’s ‘leave of absence’ and a European surge up the world rankings.

So Team USA could be forgiven for a collective smile at the thought of returning to Valhalla Golf Course this week as the 96th PGA Championship is played out on a course that gave them so many happy memories at the 2008 Ryder Cup.

It was here in Kentucky six years ago that the Americans, led by captain Paul Azinger, turned the tables on the previously dominant Europe, whipping up the home fans with a pep rally in downtown Louisville on the eve of the matches, outsmarting rival skipper Nick Faldo and getting the best out of the game’s great stars who had so often underachieved in a team environment.

If only the Americans could have bottled whatever it was Azinger captured at Valhalla that September weekend, his victory would not have been the single success in the last six Ryder Cup editions.

The sight of Boo Weekley galloping down the first fairway astride his driver is a rare moment in recent times of American exuberance so it is no wonder Paul Mickelson, fresh from a closing 62 at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational last Sunday, was so pleased to get back to the Kentucky course.

“It really is a fun place for us to play because of the memories that we have in 2008,” Mickelson said. “Winning The Ryder Cup here, it’s a very emotional experience, and the people here in Louisville, we kept calling them our 13th man because they were such an asset to us in keeping us motivated, excited and giving us momentum.

“It’s a great golf town. It’s just a great place to play golf, and Valhalla is a wonderful golf course, and people here in Louisville should be proud of it. We are all excited to be back here.”

Well, perhaps not too many of the European team that week will be so animated, although Graeme McDowell can look back at what he believes was a career-transforming Ryder Cup debut back then, his impressive form garnering 2½ points for the losing cause.

The Irishman would win the US Open two years later and he is delighted to be back at Valhalla this week on a course he said suits his game despite his relatively short distance off the tee compared to the bombers he felt the course was set up for in 2008.

“It’s a bit tighter this year for a major championship but it’s a good course, a good balance of everything,” McDowell said.

It is also different from six years ago thanks to a renovation by course designer Jack Nicklaus in 2011 that has seen alterations to most of the greens.

“It’s so subtle I can barely see them,” McDowell said. “Nothing struck me apart from 14 being less severe that was different from 2008.

“He’s just softened out that left-to-right there. The green was really severe for such a long par-three.

“It’s a good course, the green complexes are really great. I really like it.

“I’m always kind of worried when you take a course like this and start tweaking but we didn’t really see much in the way of a redesign out there.

“Apart from 14 I didn’t really see much out there that was kind of like ‘wow’.”