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2012 PGA Championship: Distance, Rain May Impact Play On Kiawah Island

The longest course in major history (and thunderstorms) should challenge players at the 2012 PGA Championship.

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KIAWAH ISLAND, SC - AUGUST 06:  A general view of the course during a practice round of the 2012 PGA Championship at the Ocean Course on August 6, 2012 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.  (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
KIAWAH ISLAND, SC - AUGUST 06: A general view of the course during a practice round of the 2012 PGA Championship at the Ocean Course on August 6, 2012 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Getty Images

The longest course in major championship history and a forecast of possible thunderstorms could pose major challenges to players at the the 2012 PGA Championship, as Steve DiMeglio of USA Today writes. Play begins on Thursday, but fans shouldn't be expecting too many low scores:

Length will create plenty of stress. The course, which can tip out at 7,967 yards but is expected to play 7,676, still the longest in major championship history, is drenched following numerous soakings the past three days. Forced carries over hazards, deep greenside bunkers, broad sweeps of sandy wasteland and severe putting surfaces add to the anxiety.

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island has received the highest Course Rating, an estimation of what a scratch golfer would shoot, of any major in the past ten years (79.7) by the United States Golf Association, so possible thunderstorms would only compound that issue.

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