ESPN.com - Golf Online - PGA Championship 2000 - Players will take time to feel out Valhalla

By Billy Andrade
Special to ESPN Golf Online
Wednesday, August 16

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- You can't overstress the importance of getting off to a good start in a major championship like the PGA.


	Andrade

The first thing everybody wants is to establish some confidence. You need to get yourself into a good flow and give yourself a lot of chances.

If you've done that, it's time to see how low you can go. The only rule on the first day of a major -- or any tournament for that matter -- is don't shoot yourself out of it. Stay consistent and stay patient.

Because many of the players aren't all that familiar with Valhalla -- some of them haven't even played it -- we might see some more tentativeness early. Nobody wants to do anything stupid right off the bat, so we might not see players firing at every pin right away.

But because the course is new to so many people, they've spent a lot of time preparing in the practice rounds. You see how the ball is bouncing, see how the greens are holding and, most importantly, finding out where you don't want to go.

At Valhalla, like any Jack Nicklaus golf course, you have to hit the ball high into the greens to get it close to the hole. And here, because of the heat, the greens will be softer than we're used to in major championships. Usually, they're hard, firm and fast.

But at a place like this, they can't do it because the greens wouldn't hold up. The ball won't run as much in the fairways and it will hold better on the greens.

The key, as always, is to play consistently early. Take your time. Play your shots. And set yourself up for making the cut and scoring on the weekend.

Billy Andrade is a 13-year veteran and three-time winner on the PGA Tour. He has played in 11 PGA Championships. He will share his thoughts each day this week.