By mustang6560 on 7/25/12

It's funny how quickly the majors come and go.

Just last Wednesday we were getting revved up for the 141st Open Championship. And now it's the Wednesday following The Open and we can't even see Ernie Els's win in the rear-view mirror anymore. But, the good news is we have one more major to look forward to, the PGA Championship.

The final major of the year will be played at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah, South Carolina next month, and as you might expect, the course is full of sand. But, good news for Dustin Johnson, the PGA of America announced there will be no bunkers on the Ocean Course. Every grain of sand will be considered a waste bunker.

The PGA released a special notice Tuesday to inform players that all bunkering at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course will be considered “sandy areas” and will be played “through the green.” For all practical purposes, the sandy areas, even when they look like traditional bunkers, will be played like waste areas, where players will be allowed to ground their club, remove loose impediments and even take practice swings.

In essence, the PGA is declaring that there will be no bunkers at the Ocean Course.

“Whistling Straits was obviously just the opposite,” said Kerry Haigh, the PGA’s managing director of championships.

In case you need a refresher, Dustin ruined his chances of winning the 2010 PGA Championship because he grounded his club in a bunker at Whistling Straits, which is a no-no. He was assessed a two-stroke penalty and missed out at the opportunity to play in the playoff against eventual winner Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson.

Dustin is from South Carolina so I imagine he'll be a favorite to win the PGA Championship outside the usual suspects (Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, etc).

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Image via Flickr, Keith Allison

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