Tiger takes on busy end of year schedule
IN: News | US PGA | Disney Golf Classic (2002) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 14 Oct 2002
Tiger Woods begins what, by his standards at least, will be a busy tournament schedule over the next few weeks as he takes his place in the field for the Walt Disney World event in Florida.
This will be the first of six events to finish the year events which encompass the the Disney World, the Tour Championship in Atlanta, the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan, the Grand Slam in Hawaii, the Skins in California and his own event the Williams World Challenge again in California.
Woods has won the Walt Disney World event twice in 1996 when it was the second event he won on tour and when it was known as the National Car Rental Classic and again in 1999 when he just edged out Ernie Els.
The defending champion here is Jose Coceres who had a setback earlier this year when he broke his arm playing backyard soccer. He has recovered from that but his form is hardly good enough to repeat the dose.
They play this event over the Magnolia and Palm courses at the resort and you can expect a winning score in the vicinity of twenty under par. Magnolia hosts the event and it is on that course that they will play three rounds. Both courses are thirty years old and were designed by Joe Lee.
In addition to Woods, leading players Toms, Love, Duval, Furyk, Howell and Di Marco will be there as will another two time winner John Huston. Huston seems to thrive in Florida and given his good recent form he will be a force to be reckoned with again.
A big group of Australians are lining up for various reasons. Appleby, needing to improve two spots on the money list to gain a start at the Tour Championship, Allenby, Allan now into 143rd on the money list, Lonard looking to confirm his Rookie of the Year title, Gow needing money to get inside the top one twenty five, Pampling Ogilvy and Parry will be there.
New Zealanders Grant Waite, who has a big job on his hand if he is to avoid Tour School, Craig Perks, Michael Long who is headed for tour school and Frank Nobilo who still needs about $50,000 to keep his card are in the field at this stage.
