American Express Championship played in the US for the first time
IN: News | US PGA | American Express Championship (2003) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 01 Oct 2003
Sixty-nine of the world's best golfers will compete for a total prize pool of $US6 million on Thursday at the Capital City Club in Georgia as the third of four World Golf Championship events this year, gets under way. The winner will walk away with a first prize of $US1,080,000.
The American Express Championship is being played in the US for the first time this year after last year being played in Ireland and in the earlier years of its existence in Spain and Ireland. In 2001 it was cancelled due to the tragedies of September 11.
Tiger Woods defends his title from Mount Juliet but this time on a golf course that is just over one year old and one which no-one has played before, at least not under tournament conditions. The Crabapple course at the Capitol City Club measures 7189 yards and has a par of 70. It was designed by Tom Fazio who has had much success in Georgia with his reworking of Augusta National and his work on the Golf Club of Georgia and others. The greens are sown in A2 Bent with the rest of the course in Tifsport Bermuda.
Forty-nine of the top 50 players on the Official World Golf Ranking will be joined in the field by the top 30 from the PGA TOUR money list; top 20 from the European Tour's Order of Merit and the top 3 players from the Orders of Merit of the PGA Tour of Australasia, Japan Golf Tour Organization and the Southern Africa Tour
Also, any players who moved into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking as of Sept. 29 have been added to the field, as have any players who have done the same on the PGA Tour money list (top 30), European Tour Order of Merit (top 20) and Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit (top 3).
Tiger Woods returns for the first time since his seventh placing in Boston at the Deutsche Bank Championship five weeks ago and a win for him here would see him reclaim the number one position on the money list. He has won the event twice before, once last year in Ireland and in Spain in 1999.
Ernie Els, vijay Singh, Davis Love III, Jim Furyk and Darren Clarke are amongst the favourites behind Woods.
Australasia is well represented in such a strong field with Robert Allenby, Adam Scott, Michael Campbell, Stuart Appleby, Peter Lonard, Stephen Leaney, Craig Parry and Peter O'Malley all to take their place at the Captial Cith Club.
