Tranlate this title Tiger Woods had clear opinion on Medinah before Presidents Cup in spanish

The Presidents Cup is being played at Medinah Country Club this week, and the famous Illinois venue has a long history with some of the biggest names in golf.

Tiger Woods is one of the golfers most connected with Course No. 3. The American won the PGA Championship at Medinah in both 1999 and 2006, becoming the first player in PGA Championship history to win the event twice on the same course.

His second victory there was quite convincing. Woods finished the 2006 tournament at 18-under after rounds of 69, 68, 65 and 68, beating Shaun Micheel by five shots. It was his third PGA Championship title at the time and his 12th title in one of golf’s four biggest championships.

The 50-year-old has not forgotten how he felt about Medinah during those years. After winning in 2006, Woods spoke in very positive terms about the course and stressed that its layout was one of the reasons he enjoyed playing there.

“Medinah Country Club is one of the neat places. I’ve played here a few times, actually, as well as in the 1999 PGA and 2006 PGA. I’ve come out here with MJ, and we’ve played a little bit,” Woods said.

Woods was referring to basketball legend Michael Jordan, another figure closely connected with Chicago. Their rounds away from tournaments also gave Woods more time to know the place outside the pressure of a big tournament.

Woods liked the simple nature of Medinah: We don’t get to play golf courses like this

The former world No. 1 explained that Medinah did not try to create problems in an artificial way. Woods compared it with several other traditional American courses that players enjoyed at the time.

“I’ve always loved playing here. It’s a straightforward golf course. We don’t get to play golf courses like this. That’s why guys love Charlotte, love playing at Firestone next week, and why guys love playing Riviera.

“These are straightforward golf courses, classic golf courses that are just right in front of you. They’re difficult, but they’re not tricked up like how most of the modern golf courses are now. It’s very straightforward.”

Medinah also gave Woods another reason to smile in 2006. After his victory, the club gave him honorary membership.

“The membership has done a fantastic job of getting prepared for us and having open arms and just having a great event this weekend. I just received an honorary membership, so it’s pretty sweet; I don’t have to pay dues, either,” he said.

The veteran’s relationship with Medinah started with one of the most remembered battles of his younger career. In 1999, the then 23-year-old Woods held off 19-year-old Sergio Garcia by one stroke to win his first PGA Championship.

Seven years later, there was much less drama on Sunday. Woods started the final round tied with Luke Donald, made birdie on the opening hole and then separated himself from the field. His five-shot victory also made him the first golfer to win two PGA Championships on the same course.

The Medinah of 2026 is very different

Players at the Presidents Cup are not seeing exactly the same Medinah that Woods knew in 1999 and 2006.

Course No. 3 went through a large redesign led by OCM, the design group of Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Cocking and Ashley Mead. The renovated course reopened in 2024 and now has wider fairways, larger greens, bigger bunkers and more open views.

The changes were much more than a few new tee boxes. Fairway area nearly doubled, the number of bunkers increased from 70 to 117 and three completely new holes were created. The final six holes were also rerouted to make Lake Kadijah a bigger part of the course.

There is another change for the Presidents Cup. The competition is beginning on what members normally play as the fifth hole. The idea is to bring more of the matches toward the holes around the lake before they are decided.

The official Presidents Cup setup measures 7,564 yards and plays as a par 72. Medinah is hosting the event for the first time, after previously staging three U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships, the 2012 Ryder Cup and the 2019 BMW Championship.

This week’s competition runs through Sunday, September 27, with Brandt Snedeker captaining the United States and Geoff Ogilvy leading the International Team.

Woods will not be part of the competition, but his history at the venue will again be remembered while another big team event is played there. The course may look different now, with his two PGA Championship victories still remaining an important part of Medinah’s history. Those memories are still quite fresh for golf fans.