ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- PGA Professionals who have served Oak Hill Country Club know something about majors and one certainly knows what it means to compete in a Senior PGA Championship.

In 1948, Charles McKenna made Oak Hill membership proud with his victory in the ninth Senior PGA Championship, which was contested in January in Dunedin, Fla.

Fast forward to this chilly spring week in Rochester, where Oak Hill will host the 69th Senior PGA Championship, the first time this venerable championship has been contested on the Donald Ross masterpiece East Course. The Championship, May 22-25, is being contested during a week that began with a gusty 45-degree chill on Monday and with a forecast that may touch the mid-60s the remainder of the week.

The PGA Head Professional in residence is Craig Harmon, the 2004 PGA Golf Professional of the Year who joined the Oak Hill staff in 1972, and will be witnessing his seventh of the 10 overall premier events to be staged here.

The 156-player field, featuring the best in senior golf, will compete on a 7,001-yard layout that is 133 yards shorter than in 2003, when Shaun Micheel clinched the 85th PGA Championship with an approach shot for the ages.

"The condition of the golf course couldn't be better," said Harmon. "On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it an 11 in all areas. The difference since the last major we held here is that the rough will be about an inch lower. We have not made any changes to the course."

The prospects for bringing out the best in a world-class field is what major championships are all about. Harmon said that he favors a combination of the hottest and most seasoned player in a major.

"You have to go with who is playing well at the moment, and I think Bernhard Langer is a good choice. You can't discount him."

A native of Anhausen, Germany, Langer, one of 34 international players representing 16 countries in the field, is the Champions Tour leading money-winner and is one of three players entered who owns two victories this season.

Should he live up to Harmon's prediction, he would be the 10th international champion and first from Germany to win a PGA of America-sanctioned championship. Langer is one of five players in the field who completed 72 holes in the 2003 PGA Championship here, finishing tied for 57th. Jay Haas, the 2006 Senior PGA Champion, tied for fifth here in 2003.

"The players who are back from 2003 will find the course playing a little shorter, but I think that they will not have to be looking for anything new," said Harmon. "We're ready to go for a great week."

The field features first-time competitor Greg Norman, a two-time British Open champion, and 15 overall major champions who have combined to win 32 majors.

Defending Champion Denis Watson, a native of Zimbabwe, is one of the two-time winners this season, along with Scott Hoch.

At closer inspection, more notes about the 69th Senior PGA Championship:

Ryder Cup Deja Vu: Three members of the 1995 United States Ryder Cup Team and four from the '95 European Team will converge at Oak Hill, site of one of the most stunning climaxes to a Ryder Cup. Europe rallied from a 9-7 deficit on the final day, scoring a 14 1/2 to 13 1/2 victory. The U.S. Team of 1995 will be represented by Jay Haas and Loren Roberts. Europe will be represented by Mark James, Bernhard Langer, Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam.

Oak Hill Adds to Major Championship List: The 69th Senior PGA Championship is the second senior major to be conducted at Oak Hill Country Club, which hosted the 1984 U.S. Senior Open.

It's a Global Game: There are 34 players, representing 16 countries at Oak Hill this week. Japan again leads the list with seven players. The overall international delegation: Argentina -- Luis Carbonetti, Vicente Fernandez, Eduardo Romero; Australia -- Graham Marsh, Greg Norman; Canada -- Rod Spittle; England -- Gordon Brand, Bob Cameron, Mark James, Nick Job, Carl Mason; Germany -- Bernhard Langer; Ireland -- Mark McNulty, Des Smyth; Italy -- Costantino Rocca; Jamaica -- Delroy Cambridge; Japan -- Isao Aoki, Massy Kuramoto, Hajime Meshiai, Kiyoshi Murota, Jet Ozaki, Joe Ozaki, Katsuyoshi Tomori; Scotland -- John Chillas, Ross Drummond, Bill Longmuir, Sandy Lyle, Sam Torrance; South Africa -- Nick Price; Spain -- Juan Quiros, Jose Rivero; Thailand -- Boonchu Ruangkit; Wales -- Ian Woosnam; Zimbabwe -- Denis Watson.

Native New Yorkers: The home-grown New Yorkers in the field are: Mike Hulbert of Elmira, Wayne Levi of Little Falls, Joey Sindelar of Horseheads and Jeff Sluman of Rochester.

Senior Golf in New York: Since 1980, there have been 38 previous Champions Tour events contested in the state of New York. The 69th Senior PGA Championship is the third major on the senior circuit to be conducted in the Empire State. The previous majors in the Empire State were the 1980 U.S. Senior Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, and the 1984 U.S. Senior Open at Oak Hill Country Club.

The Last Tour Event at Oak Hill: The last PGA Tour event at Oak Hill Golf Club was the 2003 PGA Championship, won by Shaun Micheel. He capped his week by hitting an approach shot to within two inches of the flagstick on the 18th hole for his first and only major championship.

Calling All Champions: Defending Champion Denis Watson is joined in the field by the following past Senior PGA Champions: Allen Doyle (1999), Jay Haas (2006), Hale Irwin (1996, '97, '98, 2004), John Jacobs (2003), Mike Reid (2005), Tom Wargo (1993), Tom Watson (2001) and Fuzzy Zoeller (2002).

Senior Majors This Year: The 69th Senior PGA Championship, the first major championship on the 2008 Champions Tour calendar, will be followed by the Senior British Open, July 21-27, at Royal Troon Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland; the U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor (East Course) in Colorado Springs, Colo., July 28-Aug. 3; the JELD-WEN Tradition, at Crosswater Club in Sunriver, Ore., Aug. 11-16; and the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship at Baltimore Country Club in Timonium, Md., Oct. 6-12.

It's Hale's World: It should come as no surprise that Hale Irwin has easily earned more money in this event than any other player: $1,451,200 in 10 appearances. A four-time champion (1996-'98 and 2004), Irwin owns seven top-10 finishes and has been among the top three finishers six times. Irwin has compiled more rounds in the 60s than any other player (18), and his all-time scoring average of 70.38 is the lowest for players with more than one appearance.

First-Time Charms: Twenty-one players won the Senior PGA Championship on their first attempt. Since the start of the Champions Tour in 1980 that group includes, Arnold Palmer (1980), Miller Barber (1981), Gary Player (1986), Tom Wargo (1993), Hale Irwin (1996), Allen Doyle (1999), Doug Tewell (2000), Fuzzy Zoeller (2002), Mike Reid (2005) and Denis Watson (2007).

Senior PGA Aging Like Fine Wine: The Senior PGA Championship is the oldest event on the Champions Tour. Augusta National Golf Club served as host of the first event in 1937 at the invitation of the legendary Bobby Jones. After two years in Georgia, the tournament moved to Florida where it was held for more than 60 years in the following cities -- Sarasota, Fort Myers, Dunedin, Port St. Lucie, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, North Miami Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. The event began to rotate around the United States in 2001 and last year was played at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, S.C.

Senior Winner of a Senior PGA: Hale Irwin's victory at the 2004 Senior PGA Championship came three days short of his 59th birthday, making him the oldest player to win a major since the start of the Champions Tour. Jock Hutchison won the 1947 Senior PGA Championship at age 62, making him the oldest winner in event history. Don January's win in 1979 at 50 years, 26 days, made him the youngest winner in Senior PGA Championship history.

Catch Sam If You Can: Hale Irwin's four Senior PGA Championship victories (1996-98, 2004) are second only to legend Sam Snead's six wins (1964-65, '67, '70, 72-73). Gary Player (1986, '88, '90), Al Watrous (1950-51, '57) and Eddie Williams (1942, 45-46) each have three wins in this event. Irwin joined Snead, Player, Jock Hutchison (1937, '47) and Don January (1979, '82) as the only men to win the Senior PGA Championship in two separate decades.

Overtime Golf: The Senior PGA Championship has had 12 playoffs in its history, the latest in 2006 when Jay Haas defeated Brad Bryant on the third extra hole.

Comebacks: In the past 11 years, only three players have come from behind in the final round to win the Senior PGA Championship. The three were Mike Reid (2005/two behind), John Jacobs (2003/two behind) and Fuzzy Zoeller (2002/one behind).

Golf Channel's coverage from Oak Hill Country Club's famed East Course will be from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET Thursday, May 22 and Friday, May 23, with replay of each broadcast aired the same dates at 2:00 a.m. ET. Golf Channel has an international broadcast reach of 110 million households.

NBC Sports will take over coverage of the final two rounds, Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. ET.

Tickets for the 69th Senior PGA Championship went on sale in April and may be purchased by visiting www.seniorpga2008.com.

Oak Hill Country Club, recognized as one of the finest golf courses in America, has been synonymous with the best in golf. In the past two decades, Oak Hills' East Course has hosted the 1980 and 2003 PGA Championship, the 1984 U.S. Senior Open, the 1989 U.S. Open, the 1995 Ryder Cup and the 1998 U.S. Amateur. It has also been named the site of the 2013 PGA Championship.

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