Whistling Straits Named as Site for PGA Championships & Ryder Cup Matches

Whistling Straits has been selected to host the 2010 and 2015 PGA Championship. The much-heralded course in Kohler, Wis., replaces Sahalee Country Club in Redmond, Wash., as the site of the event in 2010. The PGA of America recently dropped Sahalee due to concerns about the loss of corporate sponsorships from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C.

In 2020 Whistling Straits will also host the Ryder Cup Matches – subject to sufficient guaranteed quality hotel rooms, bringing the best of America in team competition against the best of Europe.

"Golf experienced a new chapter of major championship excitement last year at Whistling Straits and The PGA of America is excited to be able to return to Wisconsin and its outstanding sports fans for both the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup Matches," said PGA of America President Roger Warren. "The golf world spotlight will continue to shine in Wisconsin for years to come."

Opened in 1998 on the shores of Lake Michigan, the Pete Dye-designed Whistling Straits is ranked "one of the top five courses you can play" in the United States by Golf Magazine and "the best course of the year" by Golf Odyssey. The longest (7,536 yards) layout in major championship history, Whistling Straits attracted 320,000 spectators during last August's 86th PGA Championship, won by Vijay Singh in a three-way playoff.

Herb Kohler, Chairman, CEO and President of Kohler Co., said of that event: "If I had written a script for the 2004 PGA Championship, I could not have created the color and drama of the actual event. To a person amongst players and spectators, they and the 446 million households around the world who watched on television were taken aback by what they experienced. Competition for their attention that weekend was none other than the beginning of the Summer Olympics and Hurricane Charlie. In its aftermath, we are honored that the club professionals of the PGA of America have made such a strong long-term commitment to return to this venue."

The PGA Championship enjoys a rich heritage, one that dates back to its inaugural event in 1916. The tournament will mark its 87th go-round on August 11-14, 2005, when it make its first visit to Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J.

The Ryder Cup Matches, begun in 1927 and now one of golf's most compelling events, brings together the finest tour professionals from the United States and Europe in match-play competition. Last September the U.S. hosted Europe in the 35th Ryder Cup Matches and was defeated 18½ to 9½, at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Mich.

Future PGA Championship Sites

87th PGA Championship – Baltusrol Golf Club, Springfield, N.J. - Aug. 11-14, 2005

88th PGA Championship – Medinah (Ill.) Country Club - August 2006

89th PGA Championship – Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Okla. - August 2007

90th PGA Championship – Oakland Hills Country Club, Bloomfield Township, Mich. - August 2008

91st PGA Championship – Hazeltine National Golf Club, Chaska, Minn., August 2009

92nd PGA Championship – Whistling Straits-Straits Course, Kohler, Wis. - August 2010

93rd PGA Championship – Atlanta Athletic Club, Duluth, Ga. - August 2011

94th PGA Championship TBD

95th PGA Championship TBD

96th PGA Championship TBD

97th PGA Championship – Whistling Straits- Straits Course, Kohler, Wis. - August 2015

Future Sites for the Ryder Cup Matches

36th Ryder Cup Matches – The K Club, Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland - Sept. 22-24, 2006

37th Ryder Cup Matches – Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Ky. - September 2008

38th Ryder Cup Matches – The Celtic Manor, Newport, South Wales - September 2010

39th Ryder Cup Matches – Medinah (Ill.) Country Club - September 2012

40th Ryder Cup Matches – Gleneagles, Scotland - September 2014

41st Ryder Cup Matches – Hazeltine National Golf Club, Chaska, Minn. - September 2016

42nd Ryder Cup Matches TBD

43rd Ryder Cup Matches – Whistling Straits-Straits Course, Kohler, Wis. - September 2020