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It's getting close.

The final major golf tournament of the year -- drawing the world's 156 top golfers -- is expected to bring 40,000 people a day into the region Aug. 4 to 10.

Ryan Cannon, director of the tournament, said the golf course is ready.

"In 2006, the club hired architect Rees Jones and the South Course underwent significant renovation," he said.

New tees were added, fairways were narrowed and bunkers deepened.

"The end result is a golf course that will challenge the best in the world," he said.

A mistake involving the printing of 8,000 duplicate tickets has been corrected, according to officials. All people who received extra tickets will be contacted by mail on how to correct the error.

Cannon said the championship could bring $40 million to $60 million to the region, based on similar surveys taken at past PGA events.

"That money is generated by people working on the championship and media and visitors eating in restaurants, staying in hotels and entertaining themselves," he said.

A "huge contingent" of people come to town to work at the event, he said.

"Many have been here for the past three months," he said.

Cannon had no knowledge of whether legendary golfer Tiger Woods might make an appearance. Woods announced June 18 he will not be playing for the rest of the season after a double stress fracture in his left leg forced him to have surgery.

"He's a four-time champion of the PGA tournament," said Cannon, "very much part of the PGA family. We hope he gets to feeling better and gets back to playing the sport he loves to play. That is our primary concern."

The rest of the top golfers are coming to town, noted Cannon.

"Every other player you can possibly think of -- from Phil Mickelson to Sergio Garcia to Ernie Els. In the golf world, it's as big as it gets.

"It's hard to imagine how good they are and the control they have."

Dave Richards, who owns Resort & Golf Marketing in Bloomfield Hills, believes the loss of Tiger Woods "is a big blow," but there may be an advantage for people who love to watch golf.

"There is a huge circus around him and you can't see," he said.

Without Woods, the field will be more spread out and "people will get to see a lot of professional golf up close."

Along with the touring pros seen weekly at televised tournaments, the PGA Championship also offers an opportunity for the game's working men to compete.

Club professionals -- the men and women who handle the day-to-day operations of golf courses around the nation, selling equipment, managing business affairs and offering offering lessons to amateurs -- compete in the own national championships every year.

Twenty professionals advanced to the Oakland Hills event through PGA Professional National Championship held in June. Michigan pros Brad Dean from Crystal Mountain and Scott Hebert from Grand Traverse Resort were among those who qualified, giving fans a chance to root for some homegrown talent.

"We had two qualify from the state," said Richards. "That's pretty good."

Local residents may also want to be on the lookout for golf-loving celebrities who may slide into town to see the tournament.

The Ryder Cup in 2004 drew several, including basketball great Michael Jordan and former President George H.W. Bush. This year's tournament will likely draw more star power.

"Any time you have a major sporting event for a game that is so universally played, you'll have people come from all over the country," said Cannon. "It's going to be a spectacular week."