Tom Lehman, who got a special exemption to play in the PGA Championship, said he feels good heading into this week's event at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, is striking the ball well, is excited to play and has high hopes.

"I played reasonably well at the U.S. Senior Open last week; I finished eighth," the Alexandria golfer said. "By and large, I've been playing pretty consistently throughout the year, and I feel good about that. My health is good. Everything about my body feels pretty good.

"I'm going to play a few [tournaments]. I've played a couple and I'll play, I would say, two or three more, throughout the rest of the year."

Lehman said he is playing the week after the PGA Championship at the JELD-WEN Tradition, a Champions Tour event in Sunriver, Ore. Lehman turned 50 earlier this year and won his debut event in the 50-and-up tour, teaming with Bernhard Langer to win at the Legends of Golf in a playoff in April.

Asked how he would describe Hazeltine National, Lehman said, "You know, I really haven't played there all that much." He finished in a tie for 29th at the 2002 PGA Championship at Hazeltine but did not play in the 1991 U.S. Open there.

"I played there a few times in college, just goofing around, that's about it," he said. "I don't have a lot of experience out there."

Lehman has been out to Hazeltine in recent days. "It's tough. It's long," he said. "... The length is difficult. The shapes of the greens are very demanding. So, if the greens get firm and they get fast, it's going to be hard to hit it close to the hole.

"It favors long hitters, for sure. The thickest rough is right off the edge of the fairway, so if you hit it just a little off line you're in trouble. If you hit it a lot off line, generally, you might get away with a little bit more. So, some of the guys who are notoriously wild off the tee, but very long, guys like [Phil] Mickelson and Tiger [Woods], have an advantage."

Lehman did not play in the Champions Tour 3M Championship at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine in July, ultimately deciding to play in the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic instead. But he had some good news for 3M Championship tournament director Hollis Cavner for 2010, saying, "I think I will be playing in that tournament next year."

He's a class act and a close personal friend, and it would be great if Lehman had a couple of hot rounds and won the PGA. He has done so much for golf in this area.

No local help The Gophers football team begins its preparation for its first season at its new stadium with practice on Monday.

And once again, there is an absence on the roster of players who played football at Minneapolis or St. Paul public schools.

They do have highly regarded freshman Ra'Shede Hageman, the 6-6, 235-pound tight end from Minneapolis Washburn who might become the Gophers' first starter from a Minneapolis public school since 1998.

Back in the days when the Gophers were winning national titles, they dominated with players from schools such as now-defunct Minneapolis West and Minneapolis Marshall. In recent years, the Gophers have had some local players start from Twin Cities private schools, notably Cretin-Derham Hall, as well as one -- linebacker Dominique Sims -- from DeLaSalle.

But public schools, that is a different story. St. Paul public schools have produced only two starters over the past decade: running back Thomas Tapeh (Johnson) and tackle Jeremiah Carter (Central).

True, the Gophers will have some starters from the suburbs. But if Tim Brewster is going to have some winning teams, something has to be done about improving the caliber of football in the Twin Cities.

One thing that prevents Minneapolis kids from contributing players to the Gophers or any other school is that the city schools have the toughest conference eligibility requirements in the metro area. Students must have a 2.0 grade-point average to compete. This creates a problem, as some good athletes never get eligible to participate in any sport.

Currently, there is a campaign to try to improve the brand of football played in the Twin Cities. How far it will go, nobody knows.

Jottings The Vikings held a post-enshrinement dinner for Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Randall McDaniel on Saturday. On Oct. 5, when the Vikings play the Packers at the Metrodome on "Monday Night Football," the Wilf family will honor McDaniel at halftime with the presentation of his Hall of Fame ring.

New Twins pitcher Carl Pavano made his 22nd start of the season Saturday, four fewer than his total of 26 in his four seasons with the New York Yankees from 2005 to '08. Saturday's seven shutout innings in the 11-0 victory at Detroit made him 6-1 with a 1.88 ERA this year against the Tigers and White Sox, the two teams the Twins must beat if they have any chance for the American League Central title.

Twins attendance is up 13 percent over 2008, with the team drawing 1,577,429 over 54 dates at the Metrodome, an average of 29,212 per game. Twins attendance ranks 15th overall in the major leagues and fifth in the American League behind only the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels and Tigers. ... The Twins are working with the Minnesota State High School League and hoping to play host to the state high school baseball championship at Target Field next year. ... The Twins might be leaving the Dome, but TwinsFest will remain there next year, held Jan. 29-30.

St. Paul natives, former Gophers and baseball Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and Paul Molitor are in Toronto this weekend as the Blue Jays celebrate their 1992-93 World Series championship teams. Winfield was part of the Blue Jays' 1992 team while Molitor helped Toronto win the title in '93.

At a lunch Friday, Gophers men's basketball coach Tubby Smith and San Diego State assistant coach Brian Dutcher praised Justin Cobbs, a guard from Los Angeles who will be a Gophers freshman this season. "We worked hard to recruit Cobbs," said Dutcher, the son of former Gophers coach Jim Dutcher. "He is a point guard who will only make your team better. He can play in the Big Ten." Smith said he felt very fortunate to recruit this outstanding player, who was one of the real stars of the Howard Pulley League this year. I saw Cobbs play several times in Howard Pulley games, and it won't be long before he is a starter, if not right away. ... Cory Joseph, the brother of Gophers guard Devoe Joseph, is a member of the Findlay College Prep team in Henderson, Nev., and was selected for the Boost Mobile Elite 24, showcasing 24 of the top high school players in the country. The event will be held Aug. 21 in New York.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on WCCO AM-830 at 6:40, 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. and on his Podcast once a week at www.startribune.com/sidcast. shartman@startribune.com