Baltusrol Bits Day 1

I will be providing a daily notebook of bits, nuggets, thoughts, and information throughout PGA Championship Week here at Baltusrol Golf Club in my hometown of Springfield, New Jersey:

The ghost is on Twitter

Make sure you follow @BaltusRolGhost. The farmer, Baltus Roll, raised oxen on the land that Baltusrol Golf Course now lies. Roll was murdered the night of February 22, 1831 and has come back to life on Twitter with the following profile highlighted by his tombstone mention: Murdered farmer. Parody of 2016 PGA. Ye friends that weep around my grave, compose your minds to rest. Prepare with me for sudden death & live forever blest. Baltus Roll’s tombstone and gravesite is directly across the beautiful, white-painted Springfield First Presbyterian Church in the center of town.

Tuesday’s (7/26) interview schedule
(make sure you catch on Golf Channel or CBS Sports Network):

• 10:00 a.m.: Defending PGA Champion Jason Day
• 10:30 a.m.: Davis Love III, U.S. Ryder Cup Captain
• 12:00 p.m.: Jordan Spieth
• 1:30 p.m.: Rory McIlroy, 2014 PGA Champion
• 2:30 p.m.: Phil Mickelson, 2005 PGA Champion at Baltusrol
• 3:00 p.m.: Henrik Stenson, 2016 Open Champion
• 4:00 p.m.: Rich Berberian, Jr., 2016 PGA Professional Champion
• 4:30 p.m.: Danny Willett, 2016 Masters Champion

Tuesday’s Long Drive contest

Will be held for the third straight year (2014 at Valhalla), on Baltusrol’s 478-yard, par-4 1^st hole between 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Just a note for all Springfield residents: the 1^st hole is adjacent to Shunpike Road.  Past champions include: Louis Oosthuizen (340 yards, 2014) and Anirban Lahiri (327 yards, 2015).

Previous events hosted by Baltusrol

• S. Open: 1903, 1925, 1936, 1954, 1967, 1980, 1993
• S. Amateur: 1904, 1926, 1946, 2000
• S. Women’s Open: 1961, 1985
• S. Women’s Amateur: 1901, 1911
• PGA Championship: 2005, 2016

Future PGA Championship sites

• 2017: Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
• 2018: Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis, Missouri
• 2019: Bethpage Black, Bethpage State Park, Farmingdale, New York
• 2020: TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California
• 2021: Kiawah Island Golf Resort-Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
• 2022: Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster, New Jersey
• 2023: Oak Hill Country Club-East Course, Pittsford, New York

Baltursol course stats to chew on

• Tournament Set-up: Par 70, 7,450 yards
• Average tee size: 1,000 square feet
• Average green size: 6,402 square feet
• Acres of fairway: 24
• Acres of rough: 70
• Sand bunkers: 138
• Water hazards: 5
• Total course acreage: 500
• Water source: Pond, well
• Drainage conditions: Good
• Soil conditions: Silt Sand Loam, Glacial deposit

Extra holes

In case of a 1^st-place tie at the end of 72 holes on Sunday, there will be a 3-hole aggregate score playoff on holes 4 (par-3, 196 yards), 5 (par-4, 425 yards), and 18 (par-5, 554 yards). If still tied, there will be a hole-by-hole playoff starting on 18, and if needed, holes 4, 5, and 18 will be repeated until a winner is determined.

Follow me on Twitter: @loumonaco, @doublegsports