PGA to come back to Louisville

The PGA is coming back to Valhalla!

The PGA of America is expected to announce Thursday morning that it will stage two major events Louisville's Valhalla Golf Club within the next five years.

The events are the 2011 Senior PGA Championship and the 2014 PGA Championship, one of golf's four major annual tournaments.

Both events previously have been held at Valhalla, which also was the site of the Ryder Cup matches between American and European pros in September 2008. The news conference will be held at the Valhalla course off Shelbyville Road in eastern Jefferson County at 9 a.m.[...]

The letter said that at the news conference “the PGA will announce the 2011 Senior PGA championship and the 2014 PGA Championship (are) coming to Valhalla Golf Club. … PGA President Jim Remy, PGA CEO Joe Steranka and several other PGA officials and special guests will be in attendance. …”

The PGA sent invitations to the news conference last week, but PGA officials and officials of the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau, Greater Louisville Inc., the local chamber of commerce, and other agencies have remained tight lipped about the announcement in recent days.

“We've all heard the rumors,” said Carmen Hickerson, spokeswoman for Greater Louisville Inc., specifically mentioning talk of the senior event. “We love the PGA. It would be fabulous news,” about any major event coming to Valhalla. Local organizers estimated the Ryder Cup had a $120 million economic impact on the community.