Phil Mickelson stood in deep grass, fifty feet from the pin, with the PGA Championship hanging on a single shot. It was Monday, August 15, 2005 -- the final round had been pushed to an extra day by weather delays -- and Mickelson was tied for the lead at three under par with Steve Elkington and Thomas Bjorn heading into the 72nd hole. What he did next became one of the most replayed shots in major championship history: a delicate flop from thick rough that landed softly and rolled to within two feet of the cup. He tapped in for birdie, and Baltusrol Golf Club's Lower Course had crowned a new champion.
The 2005 PGA Championship was a milestone for Baltusrol. Despite hosting the U.S. Open seven times stretching back to 1903, the Springfield, New Jersey club had never staged professional golf's other premier stroke-play major. The Lower Course, designed by A. W. Tillinghast and refined over decades by Robert Trent Jones and his son Rees, measured 7,392 yards at par 70 for the championship. The previous major at Baltusrol had been the 1993 U.S. Open, won by Lee Janzen. With a $6.5 million purse and a field of 156 players, the 87th PGA Championship brought a different energy to the storied grounds.
Weather disrupted the schedule throughout the week, pushing the final round to Monday. When play resumed at 10:05 that morning, six players were within three shots of the lead. The compressed drama of a Monday finish changed the atmosphere -- galleries were thinner but more intense, the tension more concentrated. Mickelson, Elkington, and Bjorn emerged from the pack as the trio to beat, their names locked together on the leaderboard as they approached the closing stretch.
The par-5 18th at Baltusrol's Lower Course has produced dramatic moments throughout the club's history -- Jack Nicklaus birdied it to win the 1980 U.S. Open, and Ed Furgol made it famous at the 1954 Open. Mickelson added his name to the hole's lore from the worst possible position: buried in heavy rough, short-sided, with the championship at stake. His flop shot -- a high, spinning lob that required both courage and extraordinary touch -- floated over the fringe and died beside the hole. Elkington and Bjorn both missed birdie putts on the same hole and settled for par, leaving Mickelson alone atop the leaderboard at four under.
The victory was Mickelson's second major title, following his breakthrough at the 2004 Masters where he had famously ended years of near-misses. At Baltusrol, Mickelson earned $1.17 million from the $6.5 million purse, but the shot on 18 was worth more than any check. It cemented his reputation as one of the game's great improvisers -- a left-hander whose creativity around the greens could rescue him from situations that would bury other players. The PGA Championship returned to Baltusrol in 2016, and the 111th edition is scheduled there for 2029, ensuring that the club's relationship with major championship golf continues to deepen.
Located at 40.705N, 74.328W at Baltusrol Golf Club's Lower Course in Springfield Township, New Jersey. The two courses are visible from the air as a broad green expanse amid suburban development, roughly 20 miles west of Manhattan. The club sits at the eastern edge of the Watchung Mountains. Nearest airports: Morristown Municipal (KMMU) approximately 10 nm northwest, Newark Liberty International (KEWR) 12 nm east. Best viewed at 3,000-4,000 feet AGL.