Last chance up north: 2009 PGA Championship TV Schedule and Preview

After a scintillating British Open (even without Tiger Woods making the cut), the 2009 PGA Championship is coming up fast, set to begin August 13 at Hazeltine Golf Club in Minnesota. Tiger Woods will be looking to rebound after only the second missed cut in a major in his career.

Hazeltine has hosted big championships before, with the 1970 and 1991 U.S. Opens both being held there along with the 2002 PGA Championship.

Padraig Harrington is trying to defend his title in the 2009 PGA Championship, but has struggled with swing changes this year and that was evident at the British Open, opening at -1 but finishing at +12.

Here are some other past winners for the PGA Championship, hoping to add their name to the trophy again in 2009:

PGA Championship Past Winners

While the PGA Championship doesn’t have quite the prestige of the other majors, the tournament is still typically competitive and has produced quite a few memorable moments over the last ten years or so.

Tiger’s been involved in a couple of duels, including his win over Sergio in 1999 and his loss to Rich Beem in 2002 – the only other time the PGA Championship has been played at Hazeltine.

Vijay Singh had a nice showing in the British Open, and has won the PGA twice. Look for Singh to perhaps come out on top.

The Wanamaker trophy has also been the career highlight for players such as Beem, Shaun Micheel and David Toms. Could this be another year where an unheralded player comes out of the woodworks to win?

To see all the action from Hazeltine, just check out the TV schedule for the 2009 PGA Championship right here:

2009 PGA Championship TV Schedule

There should be a large field of contenders, similar to those at the British Open. Boo Weekley and J.B. Holmes had decent finishes at the British Open; depending on how they play in the next couple of weeks, either of them could make some noise in Minnesota at the PGA Championship.

Phil Mickelson probably will not be playing as his wife Amy continues to fight breast cancer, but he has yet to make an official announcement about his status for the tournament.

Maybe Stewart Cink will build off the confidence of winning his first major and win his second straight at the 2009 PGA Championship. Hey, he’s been close before – maybe he just needed that breakthrough win.

Lucas Glover hasn’t made much noise after his U.S. Open win (and yes, I did have to look that up. I mean, really? Lucas Glover?)

Hard to tell what will happen in Minnesota in August, but the drama of the final round of a major championship cannot be topped.

Hopefully the 2009 PGA Championship provides more drama to another drama-filled year on the PGA Tour.

Tiger pic: http://golf.about.com/od/tigerwoods/ss/tigerpga_2.htm