Woods is star attraction at Japan's Dunlop Phoenix

BY Bruce Young | Japan Tour | 2004 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament | Preview | 17 Nov 2004

Traditionally the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament in Miyazaki on the east coast of Kysuhu in southern Japan, brings together the leading players on the Japan Golf Tour sprinkled with several of the world’s leading players. This year is no exception but the one added dimension is that the tournament organisers have managed to attract Tiger Woods to the event and it is a fair bet to assume Fuji film shares have gone up this week on the Tokyo stock exchange as a result.

Woods played here in 2002 finishing 8th and there will be much interest this year to see if he can leave an even greater impression on the golf crazy Japan fans.

Other non-regulars on the Japan Golf Tour who are in Miyazaki this week include Robert Allenby, Craig Parry, Carlos Franco, Andre Stolz, Thomas Bjorn and Stewart Cink. They will join the leading players on the 2004 Japan Golf Tour who include the leading money winners Shingo Katayama, Toru Taniguchi and Koreans Y.E. Yang and S.K. Ho.

The golf course at the Phoenix Country Club is on a beautiful piece of golfing land adjacent to the Pacific Ocean.

Other Australians besides Allenby, Baddeley and Parry are Brendan Jones, Paul Sheehan and Steve Conran, all looking to improve on their already successful Japan Golf Tour seasons. In Jones’ case he has just this and two more events on the Japan Golf Tour before heading to the USPGA Tour in 2005.

The tournament is worth ¥200 million (A$2.45 million) with ¥40 million ($A490,000) to the winner.