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They don’t call it Hot-Lanta for nothing

For those outside the ropes, there are fans atop the bleachers and misting stations to cool down. For the players, there are buckets filled with cold, bottled water at every hole.

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — For those outside the ropes, there are fans atop the bleachers and misting stations to cool down. For the players, there are buckets filled with cold, bottled water at every hole.

Better take advantage of it.

They don’t call it Hot-Lanta for nothing.

The PGA Championship is back in the Deep South, right in the middle of a summer that’s more blistering than usual — even for these parts.

On Monday, as most of the players showed up at the Atlanta Athletic Club to begin practising, the conditions were about par for the course this year: the temperature climbed into the mid-30s, and the humidity made it feel hotter.

The forecast calls for more of the same the rest of the week.

“It wasn’t too bad,” said Wisconsin native Steve Stricker, trying to sound optimistic. “This is what you expect coming here.”

Rich Beem, the 2002 PGA champion, wasn’t concerned.

“If I’m worried about the heat, then I must not be in very good shape,” he said after playing 18 holes on the Highlands Course. “They give you water on every single tee box. If you’re not smart enough to drink it, then you ought to collapse.”

Over the last two decades, the PGA has generally scheduled its August championship for courses that might be a bit milder in the middle of summer, places like Whistling Straits (Wisconsin) and Hazeltine (Minnesota).

But the Atlanta Athletic Club, located in the sprawling suburbs north of its namesake city, has been an exception to the rule. It will become only the fifth club to host the PGA for a third time, serving previously in 1981 and 2001 (in addition to hosting the U.S. Open in 1976).

The club’s most famous member is Bobby Jones, whose 1930 Grand Slam is memorialized with a series of plaques behind the 18th green.

But he played when it was located just east of downtown Atlanta at what is now East Lake Golf Club, home to the season-ending Tour Championship. Atlanta Athletic Club moved to its current spot along the Chattahoochee River in the 1960s.

No matter the location, it’s going to be a scorcher.

The organizers have set up cooling tents around the course, allowing fans to dip under cover for a refreshing mist. Some bleachers have metal fans attached to the top railing, at least providing a bit of a breeze.

The players have to make their own arrangements to deal with the heat. Most will be carrying extra gloves and plenty of towels.

Club pro Marty Jertson is used to playing in these temperatures, being from Arizona. But the humidity presents additional challenges.

“It’s totally different,” he said. “You’ve got to switch gloves all the time here. It’s a little wet. But I was preparing for the worst. It’s not too bad.”

Stricker said the key is drinking plenty of water and also munching on a few snacks while out on the course.

“You’ve got to stay hydrated,” he said. “It’s so hot, you can probably drink one of those little eight-ounce water bottles every hole.”