Mercedes provides much intrigue despite Mickelson no show
IN: News | US PGA | Mercedes Championships (2005) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 03 Jan 2005
The decision by Phil Mickelson to delay the start of his 2005 USPGA Tour season until the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in late January, robs the season opening Mercedes Championship of some of its appeal, but that apart, the event is shaping as a great opening salvo to what promises to be one of the more intriguing years in golf.
With Vijay Singh, Tiger Woods, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els and Mickelson all potential number ones in the game by the end of year, there is perhaps more interest in how three of that group will get season 2005 underway this week on Maui.
Mickelson has played the event only twice at Kapalua and on both occasions he has not performed well. None of Mickelson's 23 official USPGA Tour wins have come in Hawaii, but he did of course shoot 59 late last year when blitzing the Grand Slam in Kauai.
With Tiger Woods closing the year 2004 with a runner up placing at the Tour Championship, a win at the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan and a another win at his own Target Challenge event in December, he showed that his comparatively ordinary season in 2004 may have been but an aberration. Singh, as we know, had one of the greatest seasons in modern day golf in 2004 with nine USPGA Tour wins and dominated the game. Ernie Els won three events in Europe, was the leader on that money list, runner up on the USPGA Tour and should have been named European Tour Golfer of the Year.
Retief Goosen had a great finish to 2004 along with his US Open win earlier in the year when he won the USPGA Tour Championship and also won the Nedbank Challenge late in the season.
Season 2005 promises just so much in terms of the fight for the number one spot in golf when it gets underway on Thursday.
The Mercedes Championship is open to winners of USPGA Tour events in 2004 and 31 players have taken up their right to start the year off with a guaranteed cheque and the possibility of making a flying start. Even the last placed played here can expect around US$65,000. Nice work if you can get it.
The Plantation Course at Kapalua is a Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore designed layout opened in 1991. The layout has staged the event since David Duval's win in 1999 and boasts the now unique configuration of par 73.
Woods has twice been a winner of the event but only the once here in 2000 when he produced a miraculous finish to edge out Els in a playoff.
Els gained some revenge on the course, but not on Woods, in 2003. The South African beat K.J. Choi and Rocco Mediate by eight shots that year with Woods absent from the event for the first time in his professional career when recovering from knee surgery. In four starts at this venue Els has finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 21st (2004).
Singh has not won the event, but has played well in Kapalua in recent years being runner up to Appleby last year, 4th to Els in 2003 and third to Furyk in 2001. In five times here Singh has finished worse than 4th just the once, when 8th in 2000.
Australia will have it's highest representation ever in the event which is exclusive to USPGA Tour winners from the previous season. Six Australians won seven USPGA Tour events in 2004 including Adam Scott (2) Stuart Appleby, Craig Parry, Mark Hensby, Andre Stolz, and Rod Pampling with the latter three all playing the tournament for the very first time.
Appleby is the defending champion having won last year by a shot over Vijay Singh. Appleby has shown, on several occasions, his ability to play well on Bermuda greens and in windy conditions and with two runner up placings in recent starts at the Australian Open and the Nedbank Challenge, he could well be in the mix again.
Adam Scott arrives here after some rather ordinary form since his fine work in the US at the Players Championship and Booze Allen Classic last season, but he did play well here last year when 7th, his last round 68 the only round in the sixties on a very difficult final day.
This week the event itself provides much interest but it will also give us the chance to see who comes out of the blocks quickest in 2005 and to also get an early indication of what lies ahead in a year that promises to provide an fascinating battle for the top position in the game.
