GOLF 92ND US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP:THE CROSSROADS on the way into Whistling Straits is, fittingly enough perhaps, called Haven. Ironically, the thunderstorm which swept through these parts yesterday would have you believe it was more akin to Armageddon, such was its ferocity. A not so gentle reminder, perhaps, that things are not always as they seem?

And, for this 92nd US PGA Championship on a beautiful course but one with devilish intent, that additional watering from eerily blackened skies will likely ensure it plays to every one of its 7,507 yards for a final major of the season which – even before a shot has been hit – has conjured up subplots that leave the real thing with some act to live up to.

After all, we’ve had Tiger Woods coming in here after playing like a hacker in last week’s WGC–Bridgestone Invitational.

We’ve had his nemesis Phil Mickelson, a player with the chance to overtake Woods as world number one here, revealing he’s suffering from psoriatic arthritis. We’ve had Lee Westwood, the most in-form of all players in the majors this past year or more without actually managing to win one of them, not even making it to the first tee due to a leg injury. What next, you figure?

And, heading into today’s first round of what is known in the locker-room as “Glory’s Last Shot”, there has been a general level of anticipation from those who want to claim a first major – the Rory McIlroys of this world – and those who want another, among them Pádraig Harrington.

It’s almost as if they’ve been licking their lips for a challenge that is truly wide open, backed up by the evidence of Pebble Beach and St Andrews where Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen fearlessly took their chances down the stretch to claim the US Open and British Open respectively.

In some eyes, the PGA is the least coveted of all the majors. But, historically and statistically, it boasts the strongest field of them all; and, for sure, this course – especially if the wind blows at all – presents a challenge worthy of deciding any championship. This Pete Dye-designed self-styled links ticks all the boxes in examining and finding a worthy champion.

“Anyone who wins the PGA is going to turn a pretty good year into a great year,” opined Mickelson, who believes medication and a switch to a vegetarian diet has combined to help him alleviate the effects of arthritis. He added: “If I were somehow able to come out on top at the end of this week, it would be just an incredible year.”

It would also move him to the world’s number one spot.

As the likes of McDowell and Oosthuizen have proven in the manner of their major wins this season, and which YE Yang proved a year ago in claiming this title, there is a fearlessness and a strength in depth on tour that means players must have all facets of their games in top order to deliver the goods.

What’s more, the course will ensure all the tough questions will be asked. Since Vijay Singh won the PGA here in 2004, some alterations have made it an even tougher examination – and the most quirky yet controversial addition has been a small, deep bunker lodged between the double-leafed shaped sixth green. “It’s like a coffin. If you go in there, it could be a day ender, it’s going to ruin your day. It is a hazard in the truest form,” said McDowell.

In fact, there are in excess of 1,200 sand traps on the course but the really critical factors are driving, with up to eight blind holes in a back-handed tribute to Ballybunion and Royal Co Down, while the greens are very undulating.

In truth, this is a wide open championship. Can some of the US young guns – Hunter Mahan, winner last week in Akron, or Jeff Overton or Dustin Johnson – step up to the mark? Will Mickelson, or for that matter, Woods rediscover the secret to getting the ball into the tin cup? Can McIlroy become the youngest winner of the PGA since Tom Creavy in 1931?

Certainly, McIlroy, the world’s number eight, heads an exceptionally strong Irish challenge that also features McDowell, Harrington, Shane Lowry and Darren Clarke. McDowell, for one, feels ready for the challenge.

“I haven’t felt as focused on the course as I did pre-Pebble. I’ve had a period of trying to get my head screwed back on. It’s my type of golf course, where you’ve got to drive the ball exceptionally well,” said McDowell.

Harrington, too, is looking forward to the challenge after a return to form which has seen him finish runner-up in the Irish Open and tied-ninth in Akron. He hasn’t won on tour since claiming the Wanamaker Trophy at Oakland Hills in 2008. He said: “I could definitely do with a win, it would make my life a lot easier.”

The other 155 players in the field could say the same. It promises to be interesting.