KOHLER, Wis., Aug. 11 (UPI) -- The 86th PGA Championship begins Thursday at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin with a field that includes 95 of the world's top 100 golfers.
The tournament has 61 international players from 21 countries, breaking last year's record.
Twelve former winners are in the tournament, including defending champion Shaun Micheel.
At 7,514 yards, the Straits course at Kohler, about 45 miles north of Milwaukee, is the longest in major championship history. Eight holes are along the shores of Lake Michigan and strong winds could be a major factor in the event.
Tiger Woods, the champion in 1999 and 2000, continues as the world's No. 1-ranked player but Ernie Els and Vijay Singh are closing in and either could pass him with a top showing in the PGA if he finishes poorly. Woods has not won a major since the U.S. Open in 2002.
Singh has won four times this year. Other top contenders include Masters champion Phil Mickelson and Davis Love III and John Daly, both former winners of the tournament; Mike Weir, Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia.
Retief Goosen, the U.S. Open winner, had to skip the PGA because of a hip injury.
