Miami – Some might consider it the ultimate in irony – others would liken it more to constantly taking slaps to the face. In either case, the ripples from The International’s demise keep lapping onto the PGA Tour’s shores.
The latest chapter occurred when it was recently announced that the upcoming AT&T National – the fully sponsored event that replaced the unsponsored Denver event – the one in essence hosted by Tiger Woods, who hadn’t played in Colorado since 1999 – would likely be a limited- field event.
That certainly had to be yet another burr under the saddle of all the oilmen at Castle Pines Golf Club, who were rebuffed through the years in their attempts to make their event more special – and weather-friendly – by reducing the number of players in the field.
At present, “likely” is the operative word with regards to the field size come early July in Washington. While Woods wants, which means PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem will be moving in lock step, to keep the number at less than the standard 156-man field, a number of players griped about the idea of replacing the full-field International with a special-invitation event.
The most notable complainer might have been Rich Beem, who won not only The International in 2002, but the Kemper Open in 1999. That was one adaptation of the nation’s capital event that folded at the end of last season, only to be resuscitated when Denver exited stage left.
“It’s the most totally wrong thing I’ve heard of in a long time. That’s sticking it to the players,” Beem told The Associated Press in a sentiment echoed by Brad Faxon and Fred Funk, among others.
The consensus among the dissenters is basically that making the AT&T would be taking away playing opportunities from the rank-and-file. Their argument is that if you add the new event to a schedule that already includes 12 limited-field events on a 37-week schedule, a full third of the season would be off-limits to all but the game’s most elite players.
“We’ve got players looking for spots, and we’re replacing a tournament that had a full field,” Faxon said. “With the amount of tournaments we have that are invitationals, it doesn’t make sense to do more.”
From his standpoint, Woods didn’t directly respond to the player criticism, saying only he was pushing for a limited-field event as part of “putting on the best possible field and best possible tournament we possibly can. … I always liked reduced fields, because obviously play moves along a lot faster. You get around in a much more rhythmical pace. You know, I think that’s important.”
Finchem said he has taken the complaints to heart and the matter of field size for the AT&T will be raised during the next meeting of the players’ advisory council. But that won’t be until the end of April. One of the most recent times the tour made a decree without consulting the players – regarding the size of field for the FedEx Cup playoffs – it retreated and capitulating to player wishes.
It should also be noted that while there were indeed some complaints about Woods’ plan, there were also a number of highly vocal defenders. Among them were Phil Mickelson and Tom Pernice, two former International winners who, because of their games or affiliation with Vijay Singh, would be regarded as rivals of the world’s No. 1. Another supporter was one of Woods’ closest friends on tour, Charles Howell III, who points out that even if opportunities may be dwindling in the onslaught of limited-field events, every player in professional golf is still certainly better off financially because of the revenues that Woods has brought to the game.
“I wouldn’t have a problem if they said to me, ‘Guys, just take a tenth of all your paychecks and send them over to Tiger,”‘ Howell said here on the eve of the latest limited-field event, the World Golf Championship-CA Championship. “That would be fine. We all owe him so much.”
Masters on their minds
“All thoughts are on the Masters now – this is a big event, but I think everyone’s thoughts are on Augusta.” – Padraig Harrington, on playing in this week’s WGC-CA Championship in Miami
Special invitation
Most PGA Tour events have spots for 156 players. However, 12 tournaments are limited-field events. Here’s a list of those tournaments and their participants this year.
(Event, Participants)
Mercedes-Benz Championship 33
World Golf Championship-Match Play 64
Arnold Palmer Invitational 120
World Golf Champ.-CA Championship 74
The Masters 100
Crowne Plaza Inv. At Colonial 110
The Memorial 105
World Golf Champ.-Bridgestone Inv. 73
The Barclays 144
Deutsche Bank Championship 120
BMW Championship 70
The Tour Championship 30
THIS WEEK
PGA Tour
WGC-CA Championship, Doral Golf Resort and Spa, Miami
What’s up: After a dismal final-round performance last week at Bay Hill, Tiger Woods moves south to defend not only his WGC victory of a year ago but his triumph at Doral.
LPGA Tour
Safeway International, Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club, Superstition Mountain, Ariz.
What’s up: The top 60 players on the money list are present as Juli Inkster tries to defend the title after rallying from a six- stroke final-round deficit in 2006.
SPOTLIGHT: HENRIK STENSON
Making his mark felt
A year ago, the name might have elicited a big yawn, followed by “Who’s that?” And although a mention of Stenson today might still evoke a few quizzical looks, there’s no question the Swede is en route to becoming a major player in the game. Last September, Stenson, a two-time winner on the European Tour, gained the point that clinched victory over the United States in the Ryder Cup. Last month, the 30-year-old won his first PGA Tour event, the WGC-Match Play. “It was the biggest win in my career so far,” Stenson said this week. “Hopefully, I can produce something better in the future.” Stenson’s rise – he has moved from 145th in the world golf rankings in 2005 to fifth entering this week’s WGC-CA Championship – is even more amazing when considering that five years ago things were so bad, he took to hitting with his eyes closed.
Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
