It was the PGA Championship. No, it was the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

Saturday’s third round of the 88th PGA at Medinah turned into a festival of birdies on greens so spongy and delectable all they lacked was chocolate frosting. What happened?

Arron Oberholser complained about the lack of “root structure” on the rebuilt greens after missing Friday’s cut by a stroke, but it sounded like sour grapes. If the greens were so easy, then why did he get the weekend off?

Then Stewart Cink came off the 18th green after shooting a 73 on Saturday. “It doesn’t feel like a major,” Cink said, pointing the finger at Medinah’s soft greens. “We’ve been taking huge chunks out of the greens all week, and it’s because they don’t have much of a root system.”

Cink was hovering at even par, in 40th place. It seemed ironic that the players faulting the course for being too easy were the ones who were struggling to play it, but the fact remained, Medinah was a cupcake on Saturday. Players made a total of 236 birdies and five eagles, while the course played to a stroke average of 72.071, making it the easiest day of the week by half a shot. Joey Sindelar even made a double eagle when his 240-yard, 3-wood second shot disappeared into the cup on the 537-yard 5th hole.

Rees Jones did more than a nip and a tuck around Medinah in 2002. He redid seven greens, removed some 300 trees, eliminated blind shots on the first and eighth holes, and moved the 17th and 18th tees farther back and higher up, respectively. “It’s not your grandfather’s Medinah,” a press release touted. At 7,561 yards, the longest course in major championship history would “meet the challenges of today’s skilled player and their equipment.”

Alas, the PGA of America found out the hard way that distance doesn’t faze the best players in the world. They make their money with the putter, and if the greens don’t have severity or speed, or repel shots like a trampoline, then the course lacks “that edgy feel,” as Cink noted.

The new Medinah has yielded birds in bunches, especially on Saturday, after overnight rain left the greens defenseless. Shaun Micheel shot a 6-under 30 on the front nine. Chris DiMarco and Luke Donald had a 31. Phil Mickelson shot 32, as did Tiger Woods, perhaps benefiting from a 20-minute practice session in the rain, with coach Hank Haney and caddie Steve Williams, after his round on Friday.

“I shot 3-under today and I’m probably going to lose ground on the leaders,” Jim Furyk said after signing for a 69. “In fact I am going to lose ground.”

Jim Furyk wouldn't say if Medinah has been too easy.Getty Images

Furyk called Medinah “a nice golf course” and “a fair golf course.” But was it too easy? He wouldn’t say.

It seems that Medinah has not been made tougher but easier. Even on day one, before much rain fell, the players set a championship record with 60 sub-par rounds, bettering the previous mark of 57 set in 1993 at Inverness; and in 1995 at Riviera.

Or perhaps Mother Nature is to blame.

“The greens started firming up Wednesday,” Retief Goosen said after shooting 68 Saturday to get to 5-under for the tournament, “but then it rained. We’ve been lucky with the weather. The wind hasn’t blown hardly at all.”

And so, we get birdies and eagles and a relative lack of wrecks, notwithstanding the whiff by Davis Love III on Thursday. Woods won the 1999 PGA with an 11-under-par 277. The course is too wet to dry out now, and that sum may not make the top 10 this year. But look closer.

Sergio Garcia hovered around the lead in 1999, as he’s done again this week. Weir played in the final group in 1999; he’ll play in the next to last group Sunday. Woods played in the last group while winning in ’99.

No, it’s not your grandpa’s Medinah, but the more things change, the more they stay the same.