Koepka's win at Bellerive was marked by enthusiastic crowds throughout the weekendGETTY IMAGES
The spotlight generated by the 100th PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club was the "brightest to ever shine on St. Louis," and "what the world saw was a compelling golf tournament," according to a front-page piece by Cameron Hollway of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Huge crowds "swelled around the most popular player in the sport's history," Tiger Woods, and the course was full of fans whom golfers "praised for being enthusiastic and respectful." The weekend, despite "cramming two and a half rounds of play into two days, went off without a hitch." It is not yet clear whether or when the "positive exposure for St. Louis will result" in another tournament. PGA Championship General Chair Mike DeCola said that the first step is for Bellerive membership to "agree to pursue an event." The tournament coincided with the fourth anniversary of the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, and there were "peaceful local events" noting the anniversary, but "no protests or street blocking" around the tournament. DeCola "declined to discuss whether plans had been put in place to deal with potential protests," or if some of the logistics involving the shuttling of ticketed fans to the course were "designed to limit the possibility of such." DeCola said, "A lot of things can happen, and none of them did." The "biggest glitch" for organizers came last Tuesday, when two electrical storms "caused delays in practice rounds and forced organizers to shut down the shuttle runs" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 8/14). Also in St. Louis, Ben Frederickson wrote the city "rocked this thing ... and it did not go unnoticed." The tournament, won by Brooks Koepka, will "be remembered for a very long time around here and elsewhere," and St. Louis and its people "played a very big role in that" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 8/14).
TIGER EFFECT: In Columbus, Rob Oller writes some of the "Woods effect remains, despite him not having won a major" since the '08 U.S. Open. Galleries "swell in size and sound, hundreds if not thousands of phones turn into video cameras and TV ratings balloon" when Woods is in contention. The other pros "acknowledge that Woods remains the biggest thing in golf, which suits them fine." Justin Thomas said, "It's pretty apparent what a Tiger roar is versus anyone else" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 8/14).
