NEC Invitational returns to Firestone
IN: News | US PGA | NEC Invitational (2003) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 20 Aug 2003
After a year's absence to allow the staging of the Seniors PGA Championship, the Firestone Country Club's famed South Course in Akron Ohio, again plays host to the US$6 million WGC NEC World Golf Championship when the event returns there this week.
The course originally opened in 1929 and was designed by Bert Way. It was extensively redesigned in 1985 by Golf Force, a Jack Nicklaus company. The facility at Firestone consists of three courses. The South, the North designed by Robert Trent Jones in 1969 and in 1989 the West Course designed by Brian Silva and Geoffrey Cornish. The West Course was redesigned by Tom Fazio in 2001.
Both the South and the North Course have hosted significant professional events but the South Course has essentially taken the mantle of the tournament course at Firestone. Last year it played host to the US Seniors Tour's PGA Championship won by Fuzzy Zoeller.
The last three times a USPGA Tour event has been played here Tiger Woods has won but he will not be the defending champion as Craig Parry surprised many last year when he won the event at Sahalee. Others who have played well here include Phil Mickelson a winner and three times second in the three years between 1996 and 1999 and then fourth in 2000, Jose Maria Olazabal, who did not make the field this year, has won on both the North and the South Course and Jim Furyk, who was second to Woods in 2001 and fourth to Woods in 2000.
The field is a good as you would expect for such an event with the top fifty in world rankings (plus some) lining up in the 86 player field. It also offers opportunity for players such Steve Allan as the Australian Open champion and Jarrod Mosley as the Australian PGA Champion, a start.
The leading contenders are the likely favourites and it may be a measure on just where Tiger Woods is at currently, given his previous domination here. Els, Furyk, Love, Singh and Mike Weir will all be there along with last week's stars Shaun Micheel and Chad Campbell.
Australasians are Allan, Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Michael Campbell, Stephen Leaney, Peter Lonard, Jarrod Mosley, Craig Parry, Adam Scott and Phil Tataurangi.
