Wednesday, August 1, 2001
Tiger plans many more returns to the desert
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Tiger Woods never has played the
five-day Bob Hope Classic and probably never will, given the format
(three amateur partners for four rounds) and the reputation of
the tournament for ridiculously low scoring.
Fans in the Coachella Valley will hardly be deprived.
Woods' deal with Disney, parent company of ABC Sports, calls for
him to play in four of the next five Skins Games. He also is under
contract to play prime-time exhibitions like the Battle at Bighorn
for the next four years, agent Mark Steinberg said.
Woods will return to the Skins Game this year at Landmark in nearby
Indio. The defending champion is Colin Montgomerie, with Sergio
Garcia also expected to return. Golf World magazine reported last
week that Greg Norman will fill out the foursome.
The format in the next Battle at Bighorn remain unclear.
IMG is leaning toward another alternate-shot match among generations,
possibly Woods and Jack Nicklaus against Gary Player and Ernie
Els if schedules can be arranged. Bighorn is under contract for
one more year.
———
HAVING A BALL: Tiger Woods now has played three balls in competition.
He began his professional career with Titleist, switched to Nike
last year and teed off in the Battle at Bighorn with a Callaway.
Actually, it was partner Annika Sorenstam's ball.
None of the four players in the mixed-team match used the same
ball. Woods and David Duval play a slightly different version
of the Nike Tour Accuracy; Sorenstam uses the Callaway Rule 35
blue; Karrie Webb plays the Titleist Pro V1.
The players decided the most important shot was the approach.
Woods and Duval used the women's ball when teeing off so that
Sorenstam and Webb could hit their own ball into the green.
Duval left Titleist to join Nike last year, prompting a series
of lawsuits that now are under mediation.
———
TIRED TIGER: With three more titles to defend, plus the Ryder
Cup, Tiger Woods is having second thoughts about whether to play
the Buick Open next week.
The deadline for committing is 5 p.m. Friday.
Woods played the Buick Open outside Detroit last year and tied
for 11th, although he was never seriously in contention. A week
later, he won the PGA Championship in a playoff for his third
consecutive major.
His agent, Mark Steinberg at IMG, said Woods probably will decide
by Thursday whether to play the Buick Open. While not under contract
to play specific Buick tournament, he already has played two this
year — the Buick Invitational in San Diego, and the Buick
Classic at Westchester.
———
WHO'S NO. 2?: David Duval didn't care that he was not ranked No.
1 until the end of a stretch in which he won 11 of 34 tournaments.
Now that he has won the British Open, he doesn't care whether
he's No. 2.
The world ranking puts him at No. 3 behind Phil Mickelson, who
has won just about everything but a major and has more top-3 finishes
this year than anyone, including Tiger Woods.
Duval was asked Monday night if he should be considered Woods'
primary rival.
“It's not up to me. It's up to you to decide that,”
he said. “I was over and done with the last two years, and
the Phil was the true rival. And then after he didn't do it, it
was Sergio after he won a tournament finally over here at Colonial.
“It's just the flavor of the month. At the PGA, I'll be the
rival. If I don't play great and Tiger wins, then I'm done again.”
Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
Send the URL (Address)
of This Story to A Friend:
|
