VC picks Cheese Head to win PGA

It's the last Major on the golf calendar. They play for the Wanamaker Trophy and this year an old abandoned air field along two miles of the Lake Michigan shoreline near Sheboygan, Wis., is home to the 92nd PGA Championship, which begins Thursday.

Oh, and the champagne is on ice as well. Patterson and I have had this friendly wager all summer. I'm up three games to one in the best-of-seven series. His only 1-up came in our head-to-head golf outing in June. My three conquests came by correctly picking International players to win the U.S. and British opens as well as the Lakers over the Celtics in the NBA Finals.

If I can correctly pick the winner of the PGA, out comes the champagne and the K-State Fight Song will be played on the loudspeakers enough so that Patterson can hear them clear down in the Ozarks! If he somehow prevails, a Game 6 will be necessary which means the KSU-KU game (football) in Lawrence will be necessary to determine the outcome of our wager.

Anyway, back to golf. Celebration comes later!

Patterson, always thinking how he can stay one step ahead of the competition, has changed the rules. No International vs. the U.S. in this major. This time we each pick five men who we think will win the PGA Championship which is at Whistling Straits.

No need to bother reading Patterson's selections. Here are mine, baby!

Lee Westwood was going to be one of my final five, but he withdrew Friday due to a calf injury that could hurt the European chances in the Ryder Cup come October. A win at the Bridgestone Invitational this past weekend would have vaulted him from No. 3 to No. 1 in the world.

"I will be out for as long as it takes to get better," Westwood said. "I am just hoping that it will be in time for me to play in the Ryder Cup."

I like London's Justin Rose, who has notched three top three performances in 2010 and four top-10 outings. That included wins in the Memorial and AT&T National where he shot 18-under and 10-under, respectively. He also added a third-place finish in the Honda.

Ernie Els of South Africa is almost always in contention when it comes to a Major. That's why he's another of my final five selections.

Els has two titles this year, both in March, at the WGC-CA Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational. He carded respective rounds of 18-under and 11-under in those outings. Four times he's finished in the top three and six times in the top 10.

I tried to get advice from Bren Fisher, my ace in the hole who's golfing at Pittsburg State during the school year. He's been too busy this summer playing in the Kansas Amateur and some tournaments in his hometown of Emporia, but I know Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy has been a favorite of his. Any favorite of his is a favorite of mine, thank you very much!

McIlroy shot 15-under to win the Quail Hollow Championship in early May. He followed it up with a 10th-place showing in The Memorial and a third-place tie in the British Open in which he was the 18-hole leader.

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell is beaming with confidence after his win in June at the U.S. Open. That was played near the Pacific Ocean (Pebble Beach) so he knows something about winning near lots of water.

But my pick to win the PGA? The Cheese Heads will be partying all across Wisconsin starting Sunday when native son Steve Stricker hoists the Wanamaker Trophy.

The 43-year-old from Edgerton, Wis., has made 13 of 14 cuts this year on the PGA Tour. He has three top-three finishes, including firsts in the Northern Trust Open in February and John Deere Classic in July.

The No. 4-ranked player will be competing in his first PGA Championship on home state soil.

"We are thrilled to have a fellow Wisconsite join the world's best field and have a chance to make a run for the coveted Wanamaker Trophy," PGA Championship Director Barry Deach said. "Wisconsites love their golf events and I am certain that many will rally to support Steve as he takes on the unpredictable course that is the Straits."

Hey, Cheese Heads, you supply the cheese, I'll furnish the first case of champagne!

My shout this week goes to Sean Sewell and his dad Scott of Topeka. Sean, a member of the Kansas Masonic All-State High School Marching Band, had a couple photographs of the Kansas State Wildcat football team in the latest Sports Illustrated Big XII preview. This included a two-page spread on pages 104-105 of the Wildcat team running from the lockerroom to the field from a year ago. His dad also had a couple photos in the magazine. Sean texted me this past weekend he's had pictures used on SI.com before but never in the magazine. Scott does freelance work and has shot K-State sporting events as well as those for the Royals. Nice work, guys!