Hinrich is in town for his charity golf tournament today. He will talk about the work he still does here in Sioux City, his playing days at West and Kansas and his future in the NBA.

Got a question for Kirk? Log on early and post your question. We’ll get to as many as possible before Hinrich tees off at the Sioux City Country Club.

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Associated Press photo

Tiger Woods didn’t win Sunday, but when a winner was crowned, it was truly his day.

Y.E. Yang, of South Korea walked away with the win in the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., Sunday, stunning the crowd.

Not only did the 37-year-old South Korean become the first Asian player to win one of golf’s majors — the Championship — he took down none other than Tiger Woods, the sport’s No. 1 guy, to do it.

Here are photos from Sunday’s competition.

The temperatures were in the mid-90s and the wind was howling, but it didn’t prevent Woods from mounting a four-shot lead midway through the 91st PGA Championship.

He shot 2-under-par 70 on Friday, following up on his 5-under 67 in the opening round on Thursday. The four-shot advantage he took into the third round was the largest since the 2005 British Open at St. Andrews.

Just for the record, Tiger is 8-0 when leading by 36 holes in a major championship. If he finishes the deal, and there’s a pretty good chance he will, it will be his 15th victory in a major, three behind the legendary Jack Nicklaus.

But you already knew that.

Tiger stands at 7-under and there are a host of players at 3-under, including Vijay Singh, who will play in the final group with Tiger on Saturday.

“Tomorrow is all about positioning yourself,” said Woods in his post-game interview. “I know Vijay won’t make many mistakes. He’s got the most win of anybody in his 40s and it should be fun tomorrow. I just have to keep grinding it out.”

Ross Fisher, one of the players who, like nearly every time he shows up, will be chasing Tiger over the weekend, offered this analogy:

“I mean, yes, Tiger is the greatest golfer I think we’ve ever seen, but at the end of the day, he’s just like you and me. He’s just a human being. He just happens to be damn good at golf. So we’ve got to work really, really hard to try and compete and catch him.”

Good luck. It’s going to be a difficult proposition.

Woods saved his best golf for the final hour, making three straight birdies on Nos. 14, 15 and 16. He must have been upset after lipping out a birdie putt on 13.

This was my third PGA Championship and, like the other two, I discovered that the best route is to find a hole and plop down. Watch all the players go through. I know it’s cool to say you followed Tiger, but I’ll bet you didn’t see much.

We’re fortunate that a major championship comes around once every seven years or so, close enough that we can drive there and see the world’s best players in action. It’s at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis., next year. That’s not that far, either.

So, if you’re a golf fan, jump in the car and drive a few hours. It’s worth it.

And, by the way, this one’s over. Put it in the books.

Yes, there are a lot of tremendous players in the field, 98 of the top 100 in the world to be exact, but a familiar character made his way to the top of the leaderboard after the opening round.

Tiger Woods, the world’s No. 1 player and four-time PGA champion, fashioned a 5-under-par 67 and leads Padraig Harrington of Ireland, the defending champion, by one stroke. Interestingly, these two staged a battle to the end in last week’s Bridgestone Invitational, eventually won by Woods when Harrington took a triple bogey 8 on the 16th hole.

It’s only the first round and there are plenty of other big names in contention, but normally when Tiger gets off to a fast start, he’s hard to beat.

“I played really well today,” said Woods in his post-round interview. “I just hit a bunch of good shots and this round could have been really low. I missed a bunch of putts out there.”

He didn’t, however, miss birdie putts on Nos. 12 (20 feet), 15 (2 feet), 2 (20-footer uphill), 3 (30 foot bomb) and 7 (a two putt after reaching the 572-yard par-5 in two shots).

Harrington matched Woods with five birdies, but also had a bogey on his card. It appears that Harrington enjoys playing with Tiger and, he said, why wouldn’t you?

“The great thing is if you’re playing with Tiger Woods you’re doing well,” said the cheerful Harrington, who seems to have recovered nicely from his problems late on Sunday. “That’s always going to be the case. If you’re playing with him, the first couple of rounds you’re a marquee draw. If you’re playing with him at the end of the week you’re always going to be in contention. If you don’t want to be in that spot, you shouldn’t be playing golf.”

Among a group of six at 3-under-par are former champions Vijay Singh (1998, ‘04) and David Toms (2001).

Australians Robert Allenby and Matthew Goggin, along with American Hunter Mahan and Alvaro Quiros of Spain also shot 3-under. Quiros, playing the group behind Woods, Harrington and Rich Beem, knocked his second shot on the massive 606-yard 11th hole, onto the green.

I spent most of my day greenside on the par-4 sixth hole, a 405-yard dogleg left. The shot of the day on that hole was by Rod Pampling, who holed out from 110 yards for an eagle.

Shingo Katayama, besides donning his traditional cowboy hat, wore the brightest shirt of the day, an orange jobbie you could see from 400 yards away. His countryman, 17-year-old Japanese sensation Ryo Ishikawa, who attracted a flock of Japanese media types, had on pants that were nearly as bright. You needed a pair of shades to watch these guys play.

The clouds rolled in and it looked like rain late in the afternoon, but nothing ever materialized. The forecast calls for much windier conditions for Friday, so anything can happen. Woods and Harrington, who played the morning shift on Thursday, will tee off in the afternoon.

By the end of the day Friday, we’ll know who will be around for the weekend. Stay tuned.

It doesn’t matter, because what in the heck does that have to do with golf, anyhow?

The players — both the contenders and the pretenders — made their way around the course for their final practice rounds today. At 7:15 a.m. sharp tomorrow, D.J. Trahan will hit the first official shot of the tournament, signalling the start of what should be four days of tremendous golf action in the last major of the 2009 season.

Tiger took the day off, choosing only to hit range balls and practice his chipping and putting, which, of course, drew the biggest crowds of all.

The big news on Wednesday was the arrival of Phil Mickelson, the world’s No. 2 player who returned to action last week. Mickelson has played a spotty schedule this season since both his wife and mother were diagnosed with breast cancer.

He looked in fine form during his only practice round and, with no Tiger strolling the fairways, Mickelson was the center of attention. Phil finished second in the U.S. Open in June and, despite being a little rusty, will no doubt be a factor before the end of the PGA Championship.

Mickelson said he feels good about his game, even better than he did the week before the U.S. Open. He said the long-term prognosis for both his wife and mother is good, which should give him more time to concentrate on golf.

John Daly probably won’t be, but the 1991 PGA champion has lost a ton of weight and sticks out like a sore thumb with those wild pants of his. Wednesday’s wardrobe consisted of red, orange, green, yellow and blue polka-dot pants and an aqua green shirt. And, man, the dude can still bash the golf ball.

Each of the 2010 Ryder Cup captains — Corey Pavin of the United States and Colin Montgomerie of Europe — spoke to the media. Their respective squads will tee it up a year from this fall at Celtic Manor across the pond. Pavin and Montie, by the way, are also part of the field this week.

So, when the dust clears late Sunday afternoon, will another surprise (remember Rich Beem in 2002) emerge as the winner, or will it be one of the frontrunners?

It’s hard not to pick Tiger because of the fact that he’s coming off back-to-back wins and seems to be at the top of his game. He finished one shot behind Beem in ‘02 after making birdie on the last four holes, but remember, Woods missed the cut in the British Open.

I don’t think it will be one of the young guns. Rory McElroy (20) and Ryo Ishikawa (17) will certainly have their days in the sun, but it’ll be a few years before they win a major. Anthony Kim could be considered a contender, but we haven’t heard much from him the last couple of months.

Angel Cabrera won the Masters, Lucas Glover the U.S. Opena and Stewart Cink the British Open. Of the three, I believe Cabrera has the best chance to win another major.

Everyone in Minnesota will be pulling for native son Tom Lehman, but at age 50 his best years are behind him. Sergio Garcia said his game is still not where he would like it to be, which means he’s pretty much throwing in the towel already.

Besides Tiger, two guys I think have a real good chance are Steve Stricker and Lee Westwood. Stricker is ranked No. 5 in the world and has won twice already this season. Westwood, the world No. 13, nearly joined Cink and Tom Watson in the British Open playoff and just missed the playoff with Tiger and Rocco Mediate in last year’s U.S. Open. Montgomerie, the Euro Ryder Cup captain, says Westwood is striking the ball as well as anyone.

Can’t wait for the tournament to begin.

Rich Beem signs autographs during a practice round for the 91st PGA Championship golf tournament at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The weather was simply gorgeous for the first practice rounds of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., on Monday.

Padraig Harrington is the defending champion but the field includes 10 more former winners, including four-time champion Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh, who’s won two Wanamaker Trophies. Woods, by the way, hasn’t won a major yet this season but has 14 for his career and is coming off back-to-back victories in  the last two weeks.

They don’t start playing for real until Thursday, but many of the stars had already made their way to this beautiful piece of property by Monday. Woods played an early practice round and then attracted thousands to the driving range (including yours truly) just to watch him hit balls. Believe me, that was a sight to behold!

We spent the first day Monday re-learning the course, since it’s been seven years since Hazeltine last hosted a PGA Championship.  Rich Beem won that year, coming out of nowhere to pass Justin Leonard and hold off a hard-charging Woods in the final round. They’ve made some changes to the course, but nothing major, and it all came back to me after walking the entire 18-hole layout.

This course is long and challenging, but if the weather stays the way it was on Monday, and you never know because we are talking about the midwest, there will certainly be some low scores. The national press throng won’t arrive until tomorrow, when Woods holds his first press conference, along with Beem and recently crowned British Open champion Stewart Cink (among others).

Be sure to check out my daily blogs through Friday. I’d love to cover all four rounds, but our Men’s City Championship finishes on Sunday, and that certainly can’t go on without me (just kidding).

Click here to see a photo gallery from practice rounds of the 91st PGA Championship.

Shortly after his practice rounds, Woods, looking to become only the second five-time PGA Champion (joining the immortal Walter Hagen), met the media. Once again, a substantial throng was on hand in the interview room, much bigger than it would be for some other players. Woods touched on a number of different subjects, including what distinguishes the PGA Championship from the game’s other three majors.

“Well, as far as what distinguishes it, it’s the best field that we play against. It’s the deepest field that we get, and usually there’s 98 or 99 (there are 99 this year) of the top-100 players in the world here. It’s been very deep. You know if you win this championship, you’ve beaten the best field in all of golf.”

There has been a lot written lately by some prominent journalists that’s been sharply critical of swearing the club slamming on the golf course by Woods during majors and other tournaments. Here’s what he had to say about that:

“It is what it is. Unfortunately I do make mistakes, and I hit bad shots and I say bad things at times. I don’t mean to; it just comes out. It’s not something that I try and do. It just happens. Have I been trying to get better at that? Yeah, my entire life. But it happens from time to time, and I’m not the only person that does it.”

And finally, if he does indeed win the PGA, what letter grade would Tiger give his 2009 season. If he doesn’t win, what letter grade would he give his season?

“Well, it’s been a great year either way. For me to come back and play as well as I’ve done and actually win golf events. To say at the very beginning of the year, when I was feeling the way I was, to be honest with you, I don’t think any of us would have thought I could have won this many events this year.”

For the record, Sunday’s win at the Bridgestone Invitational was his fifth this season and 70th for his career.

Harrington, who won both the PGA Championship (At Oakland Hills) and British Open last year (his second Open title in a row), still decided to tweak the swing that brought him three major championships.

“I’m not happy unless I’m changing, I’m working on something. I wouldn’t be motivated to get out there and practice unless I thought I was getting better. I’m always trying to get better. For motivation and for the adrenaline and the excitement and all of that, you’ve got to be trying to get better.”

Harrington had a one shot lead with three holes to go before making triple bogey on the par-5 16th at Bridgestone. Woods made a birdie for a four-shot swing and went on to win the tournament by four strokes. The twosome was “put on the clock” by PGA Tour officials on the 16th, which resulted in Tiger offering a stern opinion (there was no fine as was reported earlier) about the situation and Harrington hurrying a bit, which may have led to the disasterous 8.

“You know, we were having a great battle. I was enjoying it and I believe he was enjoying it. I reacted poorly to the situation and that’s my own fault. It’s part of the rules that these things are going to happen. It would have probably been better if it happened earlier in the round.”

By the way, Harrington, Woods and Rich Beem, who won the PGA Championship here in 2002, are paired for the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.

I followed Iowa’s pride and joy Zach Johnson and Stewart Cink, the recently crowned British Open champion, for parts of nine holes on Tuesday. Then, while watching Johnson hit on the range, I told him that Sioux City, Iowa, wishes him good luck.

He said thanks and took particular interest in the fact that I mentioned Denny Wiltgen’s name. Zach and Denny, of course, are longtime friends.

Two days and counting until the real games begin.

In case you missed it, three state colleges hosted their football media days this past week.

With just days away until season kickoff – and Sioux City’s Brennan Cougill at Iowa this year – anticipation is high among college pigskin fans.

Get a sneak peek at the talent in these photo galleries from Iowa, Iowa State and Nebraska.

The ten are: Wooden, (2) Vince Lombardi, (3) Bear Bryant, (4) Phil Jackson, (5) Don Shula, (6) Red Auerbach, (7) Scotty Bowman, (8) Dean Smith, (9) Casey Stengel, (10) Knute Rockne. If you go one spot further, at 11th is the sole woman on the list, Pat Summitt.

Sorry to disappoint, but Cornhusker football coach Tom Osborne comes in at 34th, although he’s ahead of Amos Alonzo Stagg, the legend whose name is affixed to the annual football coaching awar.

Here are the questions — (1) who do you put as your No.1 all-time coach from all sports and (2) which tri-state coach do you rate as best? Osborne? Hayden Fry? Ralph Miller? Steve Alford? OK, maybe not that last one.

I attended the press conference this afternoon announcing the resignation of Sioux City Bandits indoor football Coach Jarrod DeGeorgia after two years, but came away most intrigued with long-time owner Bob Scott’s blast against the Indoor Football League (successor to UIF league of a few years ago).  Scott put the hard times this year (4-10 record) in part on teams paying player salaries in excess of the league limits and practicing out of line with league rules too.

He said it would be premature to name a new coach until he knows if the IFL will put some teeth in rule enforcement. Scott said his preference is to remain in the league, since there are so many regional opponents, but the Aug. 28 league meetings will tell a lot. He’s going in with an open mind, hoping for the best, although he blasted the league to boot.

Scott said the Bandits have never made money, at best breaking even financially. He noted the team lost money on the 2009 year. The team could do better, he said, if the IFL ensured a competitive playing field — Scott was concerned the league moving to some teams (Sioux Falls?) becoming the equivalent of the high-paying, high-performing Yankees to the detriment of the others.

“Either we get people who play by the rules and do it right, or we’re gonna have to look at a different place to play football,” Scott said.

The Bandits have not had a winning season since 2005, with the 15-3 team that won two playoff games. In nine years since the team was created in 2001, the Bandits have made the playoffs four years.