Hole-by-hole tour of Valhalla Golf Club, site of the 2024 PGA Championship

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Major championship golf is back at Valhalla Golf Club in east Louisville, and the course is ready to test the best field in professional golf.

The three previous majors at Valhalla — in 1996, 2000 and 2014 — saw dramatic finishes with Mark Brooks, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy hoisting the Wanamaker Trophy. It also hosted the Senior PGA Championship in 2004 and 2011 as well as the 2008 Ryder Cup, which the United States won, 16.5-11.5, over Europe.

Here's a detailed look at Valhalla, which will play at 7,609 yards for the 2024 PGA Championship, 151 yards longer than in 2014. See below for details on each hole, what makes them challenging for players during tournament week and exciting for fans watching. You can also check out a video flyover of each hole, images from the ground and a "Major Moment," something that makes each hole significant from a past championship:

No. 1

Par 4 | 484 yards

The most drastic scorecard change at Valhalla will meet players right off the first tee. A new tee box placed right beside the driving range lengthened No. 1 by 38 yards. A dogleg left with trees lining the left side of the fairway, the longer hitters in the field took it right over the corner in 2014, leaving wedges into the green. This year, that'll be more difficult. The green is relatively straightforward by Valhalla's standards, though a back-right pin tucked behind a large bunker will be tough to attack.

Major Moment:

Tiger Woods was playing some of the best golf of his illustrious career in 2000, going for his third-straight major championship, something only one man had done in history: Ben Hogan in 1953. He was paired that day with Bob May, who was having a good season but had never won a PGA Tour event. As part of an interview for the three-part documentary series "Tiger," released in 2004, May recalled his thoughts standing on the first tee with Woods that Sunday.

"I hit my drive down there in the center of the fairway, and then … they called him to the tee, and when he hit his drive, I thought 'You know, he's kind of pulled that a little to the left,'" May said. "There's a big, huge tree, and it's out there about … 265. His ball got to the tree, and it was still carrying upward. And I'm going 'You've got to be kidding me. He meant to take that line.' Right then, I knew we were going to be playing a different game that day."

No. 2

Par 4 | 500 yards

Floyds Fork makes its first appearance on No. 2. Lurking from tee to green all the way down the left side, players will often bail out right off the tee for safety. But this is a mammoth par 4 that requires two quality shots. Three bunkers protect what is a pretty large green. The feel of this hole changed drastically from the first two PGA Championships at Valhalla to the last one, when it changed from a par 5 to a par 4.

Major Moment:

Tiger Woods made a sloppy bogey on No. 2 in the final round in 2000, turning a one-shot lead into a one-shot deficit. He wouldn't regain the solo lead over Bob May until the first hole of the three-hole playoff.

No. 3

Par 3 | 208 yards

Valhalla's first par 3 goes over the widest stretch of Floyds Fork on the course, but it isn't in play. Tucked back in the trees and into the prevailing wind, this hole will almost certainly play as one of the toughest on the front 9.

Major Moment:

Rory McIlroy bogeyed No. 3 in the final round in 2014, falling into a tie for the lead with Phil Mickelson. He wouldn't regain the solo lead until he was on No. 16, and a birdie on No. 17 sealed his second PGA Championship.

No. 4

Par 4 | 372 yards

This will be one of the most interesting holes for players, and it'll start with a decision off the tee. Conventionally, it just requires an iron off the tee and wedge into the green. But the PGA of America could use multiple tee boxes on this hole, and, depending on the wind direction and pin location, longer players may have the chance to simply pull a 3-wood or driver and try to get their tee shot up around the green. From there, though, it can be tricky. Three bunkers protect an elevated green, and a miss left will run down a steep hill toward Floyds Fork.

Major Moment:

Rory McIlroy made his first birdie of the third round in 2014 at No. 4, but it was an adventure. He pulled his tee shot with a 3-wood left of the green and faced a second shot from deep rough in which his head was well below the level of the hole. But a tidy uphill pitch set up a 12-footer for birdie, which he made.

No. 5

Par 4 | 463 yards

Probably the least-interesting hole on the front 9, No. 5 will see a lot of pars. Four fairway bunkers frame the landing area off the tee, and with no rough guarding their edges (a change to Valhalla's fairway bunkers since 2014), they'll be a common collection point. This part of the course is far from any trees, so any wind that's blowing will be at its hardest and likely in the players' faces. Like No. 1, a back-right hole location will be tough to access, tucked right behind a large bunker.

Major Moment:

Rickie Fowler birdied No. 5 in the final round in 2014 to take the solo lead over Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson. It was his first lead of the tournament and one he'd maintain until he bogeyed No. 14, ultimately falling two shots short of McIlroy. The third-place finish made him the third player in history to finish in the top five in all four majors in a calendar year, joining Jack Nicklaus (1971 and 1973) and Tiger Woods (2000 and 2005). Jordan Spieth became the fourth in 2015, and Brooks Koepka became the fifth in 2019. Fowler, however, is the only one of the group who's never won a major championship.

No. 6

Par 4 | 495 yards

No. 6 is a unique beast of a hole that asks players for two specific shots. The hole turns nearly 90 degrees to the right as it crosses Floyds Fork, requiring players to hit no more than fairway wood to the end of the fairway. From there, it's a long iron approach of 200 yards or more up the hill. Long or left of the green are bad places to be, so misses will likely end up in the closely-mown area short and right.

Major Moment:

The final rounds in 2000 and 2014 saw both members of the final groups make bogey at No. 6: Tiger Woods and Bob May in 2000 and Rory McIlroy and Bernd Wiesberger in 2014. It's unlikely the 2024 edition brings many birdies. Players will be happy Sunday night having made four pars.

No. 7

Par 5 | 597 yards

No. 7 is the longest hole on the course, but don't mistake it simply for a brute. It's filled with nuance too. First off, a split fairway presents players with two options off the tee: play it safely down the right side along what'd be a conventional dogleg left par 5 around water — or go left, aiming for a 26-yard wide strip of fairway in line with the green. That riskier play is a big advantage, as hitting it shortens the hole by more than 50 yards. From there, it's still a fairway wood or long iron into a green that's cut directly against a lake to its left. Players will tend to bail out short and right on the second shot, setting up a pitch from a tight lie. Trouble lurks all over at No. 7, but it will see a lot of birdies too.

Major Moment:

Tiger Woods' final round 67 to get into a playoff with Bob May in 2000 was sparked by a birdie at No. 7, his first of seven in the final 12 holes. Woods went for the narrow strip of fairway off the tee and missed in the rough. He hacked out with a long iron, leaving his ball just short of the green. But a pitch up to a foot secured his first birdie of the day, kickstarting what turned into an epic day.

No. 8

Par 3 | 190 yards

The shortest hole at Valhalla and the easiest of the par 3s, No. 8 will only require a mid-iron. But it features a tricky green with multiple different levels on which the PGA of America could choose tricky pin locations. No. 8 will see its fair share of birdies, but it'll take a quality iron shot to get a makeable putt. There won't be many long putts holed here.

Major Moment:

In the 1996 final round, Mark Brooks birdied No. 8, his third straight birdie, to maintain a commanding four-shot lead over Kentuckian Kenny Perry. It was Brooks' largest lead of the day but one he quickly surrendered when he played his next six holes in three-over. After being four shots clear with 10 holes to play, Brooks stood on the 15th tee actually trailing by three. But he birdied the 18th to tie Perry and then birdied it again in a sudden-death playoff to win.

No. 9

Par 4 | 415 yards

The camera shots of No. 9 are striking on TV. Players tee off back in the trees — behind Floyds Fork up against the railroad tracks — hitting to a fairway lined by five bunkers. The second shot is then up to an elevated green site, flanked by a wide amphitheater of fans at the base of the tall clubhouse on the hill. This isn't a challenging hole, but the approach shot is seriously uphill and will be a test of players' distance and spin control, particularly to a green that slopes sharply from back to front.

Major Moment:

In the final round in 2014, Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson both birdied No. 9, surging into a three-way tie for the lead alongside Rickie Fowler. Rory McIlroy, the eventual champion, sat two shots back of all three players at -12. Fowler and Stenson played the back nine in even par, and Mickelson played it in 1-under. McIlroy played it in 4-under to win by one.

No. 10

Par 5 | 590 yards

A relatively straightforward par 5, No. 10 requires two long, accurate shots to get home in two. Valhalla's redesigned bunker edges come into play again on the tee shot. But if longer hitters hit the fairway on No. 10 they're likely going for the green. A large, x-shaped bunker protects shots headed toward the right half of the green, but the green funnels toward those pin positions. This hole could feature the most birdies of the week.

Major Moment:

This is where Rory McIlroy made his charge for a fourth major championship in 2014. In the fairway, 283 yards from the hole, McIlroy hit what can only be described as a low, pull-cut 3-wood. CBS color commentator and six-time major champion Nick Faldo immediately said he "necked it," slang for hitting it near the heel of the club. It probably wasn't the shot McIlroy wanted but it was the perfect shape for the shot he needed. The ball landed in the large mouth short and left and trundled all the way across the green, stopping 8 feet away. He made the putt for eagle to get within one shot of the leader, Rickie Fowler.

No. 11

Par 3 | 211 yards

A long iron into a shallow green is never an easy task. The green at No. 11 features a ridge near the front that will funnel any mishits back down to the front of the green. And deep rough behind the green and a sharp drop-off into the trees left of it penalize anything too aggressive toward a back-left pin. This hole will reward good shots but could pretty severely punish bad ones too.

Major Moment:

Bob May's improbable duel with Tiger Woods in 2000 really took off on this stretch of the back nine. After matching Woods' birdie at 10, May ran in a 25-footer for birdie on No. 11 to take a one-shot lead. Woods hit what he thought was a great tee shot at No. 11, but when it flew right over the flag and nestled in some thick rough, TV cameras showed him say "You're (kidding) me. C'mon Stevie." He was clearly angered by some club or wind advice his caddie, Steve Williams, had given him. But Woods managed to get up-and-down for par.

No. 12

Par 4 | 494 yards

Lengthened by 27 yards for 2024, this could be one of the more difficult holes of the week. Like No. 6, the fairway ends about 300 yards off the tee, forcing most players to hit less than driver and, consequently, have 180-190 yards in for their second shot. The green site is classic Valhalla, an amphitheater setting for fans to watch towering approach shots. And the green complex is tricky. Several gentle mounds off the back of the green and another closer to the front will feed balls toward or away from the pin.

Major Moment:

Mark Brooks' 1996 win looked like it was falling apart walking off the green at No. 12. After sitting on the ninth tee with a four-shot lead, Brooks bogeyed 11 and 12 to fall into a tie for the lead with Kentuckian Kenny Perry. He would actually trail by three two holes later before surging into a sudden-death playoff, which he won on the first hole.

No. 13

Par 4 | 351 yards

The 13th might be the unofficial "signature hole" at Valhalla and it got a fresh look ahead of 2024. The tee box was lowered 9 feet to allow fans a better panoramic view of the entire hole. And the green site will get plenty of TV time on tournament week with a newly-refined waterfall feature behind the green. Teeing off atop the hill next to the 18th green, players will use just an iron, setting up tricky sawed-off wedge shots into an island green surrounded by Brush Run Creek. The hole will certainly play under-par for the week, but, especially under the Sunday pressure of a major championship, it will be difficult to control the spin and attack pins close to the edge of the green.

Major Moment:

In front of a home crowd in 1996, Kentuckian Kenny Perry birdied the 13th hole, walking off the green with the solo lead and five holes to play. He had his first and only major championship in his sights. But he played those five holes in even-par, ultimately losing to Mark Brooks on the first playoff hole.

No. 14

Par 3 | 254 yards

Easily the longest par 3 on the course, the 14th was lengthened by 37 yards with the creation of a new tee box above the waterfall behind 13's green. Players choosing long irons and even fairways woods off the tee will ensure this hole will be among the toughest against par of the week. Two bunkers short of the green and two behind it make things even tougher to navigate. A birdie here will be stealing one from the field.

Major Moment:

Playing at 208 yards in 1996, Kentuckian Kenny Perry birdied the 14th, his second straight birdie, while Mark Brooks bogeyed to give Perry a three-shot lead with four holes to play. Just six holes earlier, he'd been down four. But Perry couldn't hold onto the lead, ultimately losing on the first playoff hole.

No. 15

Par 4 | 435 yards

Brush Run Creek glides daringly all the way up the 15th hole. A slight dogleg left off the tee, the water isn't necessarily in play on players' drives but it crowds the entire right side of the green. It's not a terribly difficult hole from the fairway, but the closely-mown collection area short and left of the green will get a lot of traffic for those playing it safe away from the water.

Major Moment:

Tiger Woods nearly lost the 2000 PGA Championship on No. 15. Bob May, leading Woods by one shot with four holes to play, had just hit a great second shot, leaving 8 feet for birdie. Woods double-crossed his approach shot from the first cut, finding the collection area left of the green. After a mediocre lag putt from off the green, he had 12 feet for par, staring at the prospect of a three-shot deficit with three to play. In the three-part 2004 documentary series "Tiger," Woods explained what was at stake on that green.

"Fifteen was a turning point. Fifteen was huge," Woods said. "I knew that was the tournament. If I could make this putt, even if he made it, I still had three holes to make up two shots. I made mine (and) forced him to make his to take a two-shot lead. He missed it, and I felt like I grabbed all the momentum because he could have put the tournament away."

No. 16

Par 4 | 508 yards

The longest par 4 on the course, No. 16 was transformed into a behemoth for the 2014 PGA Championship, lengthened by more than 60 yards. But, frankly, there isn't much to it. Off the tee, the hole bends just slightly to the right toward a green that has two tiers with a pretty severe slope separating them. Expect a lot of long birdie putts here and plenty of bogeys, especially for those who miss the fairway.

Major Moment:

Everyone has seen the video. On the first hole of a three-hole playoff in 2000, Tiger Woods stood over a 20-foot birdie putt with Bob May, who was already in for par. When the ball was still 5 feet away, he began racing after it, nearly beating it to the hole. He grabbed the ball, let out a fist pump and a roar and all but floated off the green and up the hill to the 17th tee. For the first time since the second hole of the day, he had the lead all to himself. He wouldn't let it go again.

No. 17

Par 4 | 472 yards

A relatively straightforward par 4, the 17th fairway is flanked by two large bunkers that'll likely be a popular spot during tournament week. Nearly every professional in the modern game hits a left-to-right tee shot, which this hole doesn't suit. An awkward angle from the back tee requires players hitting a driver to fly the left bunker while also risking their ball running through the fairway into the right bunker. As a result, club selection will be interesting off the tee. A flat green awaits up the hill on a hole that could see a fair amount of birdies from those who hit the fairway.

Major Moment:

With darkness descending on the players down the stretch, Rory McIlroy stood on the 17th tee in the final round in 2014 with a one shot lead over three players. After finding the right fairway bunker with his tee shot, McIlroy hit a towering iron shot that landed 10 feet right of the hole. He made the putt, pushing his lead to two shots and giving him the cushion he needed to cruise down 18 to his fourth major championship.

No. 18

Par 5 | 570 yards

A new championship tee was added to the 18th ahead of 2024, lengthening the hole by 28 yards. A fairway bunker down the left and water down the right will tempt players to hit 3-wood off the tee, but, given the length of the hole, that could lead to a forced layup on what's historically been a reachable par 5. The green, shaped like a boomerang at the base of the clubhouse, has two ridges running from front to back, which will lead to some long, undulating putts. Par 5 finishing holes always create excitement, especially on Sundays. This one could decide the championship.

Major Moment:

This hole is the site of one of Tiger Woods' most famous putts. Tied for the lead with Bob May on the 72nd hole in 2000, Woods watched as May made a wild double-breaking putt for birdie off the fringe. Woods had a slick 8-foot putt to tie. If he missed, May was the PGA champion. Of course, he didn't, unleashing two massive fist pumps before shaking May's hand and heading up the hill. He won the ensuing three-hole playoff, winning the third of his four consecutive major championships, something no one had ever done before or has ever done since.

2024 PGA Championship Coverage:

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