Final field set to compete in Deutsche Bank Championship

BY iseekgolf.com | US PGA Tour | 2003 Deutsche Bank Championship | General | 24 Aug 2003

The world’s top-ranked player, Tiger Woods, reigning U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk and two-time major championship winner Vijay Singh head a spectacular 156-player field that will compete in the inaugural Deutsche Bank Championship at the Tournament Players Club of Boston, Aug. 26 – Sept. 1 2003.

The Championship has one of the richest purses on the PGA TOUR at US$5 million with the winner earning US$900,000. The 72-hole championship is one of 48 official events on the 2003 PGA TOUR. The event’s charitable proceeds will benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation, which promotes children’s health, education and welfare, as well as several New England based charities.

The field will also include a strong foreign contingent that includes eight members of Europe’s Presidents Cup team – Singh (Fiji), Nick Price (Zimbabwe), Peter Lonard (Australia), Adam Scott (Australia), Stuart Appleby (Australia), Robert Allenby (Australia), K.J. Choi (Korea) and Tim Clark (South Africa).

Some of the other top international players in the field are Greg Norman (Australia), Jesper Parnevik (Sweden), Shigeki Maruyama (Japan), Jose Coceres (Argentina), Darren Clarke (Northern Ireland) and Justin Rose (England).

The United States Presidents Cup team members in the field are Woods, Furyk and Jerry Kelly.

The strength of the field for the Deutsche Bank Championship can be measured by the nine players who are currently ranked among the top 30 in the world: Woods (1), Furyk (4), Singh (5), Price (11), Clarke (17), Kelly (22), 2001 PGA Championship winner Rich Beem (23), 2003 PGA Championship runner-up Chad Campbell (26) and Scott Hoch (27). Add to that the talent of British Open champion Ben Curtis, Len Mattiace, Rocco Mediate, Jeff Sluman, David Gossett and Steve Flesch, and the Championship can boast one of the strongest and deepest fields of the year.

Kirk Hanefeld, the director of golf at The International in Bolton, Mass., earned a spot in the field with his three-shot victory in the New England PGA Championship at Abenaqui Country Club in Rye, N.H. The final four spots in the field will be determined in a qualifying tournament on Monday, Aug. 25 at Stow Acres Country Club’s North Course in Stow.

One of the most anticipated sporting events of the year in the Greater Boston area, the Championship has been sold out for weeks.

The main attractions are Woods, Furyk and Singh, three of the top five players on the PGA TOUR money list who have combined to win 11 of the four major championships in the past six years.

It is a testament to Woods’ sheer talent and incomparable drive that he is No. 2 on the money list (he would become No. 1 with a victory in the Deutsche Bank Championship, which pays US$900,000 to the winner). Sidelined for the first month of the season after knee surgery, Woods has still maintained his lofty standards with four victories this year as well as the lowest scoring average (68.38) for the year.

Furyk, a two-time winner this year (U.S. Open and Buick Open) has made the cut in 18 of his 20 events and has a tour-best 13 top-10 finishes.

A two-time major champion (the 1998 PGA Championship and the 2000 Masters), Singh owns two victories this season: at the Phoenix Open – where he closed with a final-round 63 — and the EDS Byron Nelson Classic. That only scratches the surface in describing Singh’s consistency this season. He’s made the cut in 18 of his 19 starts and racked up 10 top-10 finishes including a runner-up finish at the British.

Not to be forgotten is Curtis, who In July, pulled off one of the most surprising victories in golf history when he captured the British Open. Ranked 396th entering the Open, Curtis was the only player at Royal St. George’s to finish under par.

Championship week for the Deutsche Bank Championship begins with practice rounds Tuesday, August 26 and Wednesday, August 27 and a pro-am on Thursday, August 28. The four-day Championship begins Friday, August 29 and continues through Labor Day, Monday, September 1—the only official Monday finish on the PGA TOUR.

Source – Deutsche Bank