PGA Tour returns at Mercedes Championship
IN: News | US PGA | Mercedes Championships (2006) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 04 Jan 2006
No sooner was it over than it is back on again. The USPGA Tour heads to Kapalua in Hawaii this week just a few days after the arrival of 2006.
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 now boasts the unique configuration of par 73.
The lack of time between the end of season events and the recommencement of the tour has had an impact with three of the leading four players not appearing in the event. For Phil Mickelson it is hardly news as he has not played the tournament since 2001 despite being eligible in all but one of those years. He has shown previously that he is a bit of a homebody and that he is not all that comfortable in Hawaii.
For Tiger Woods however, this represents a departure from his normal schedule. The only time since turning professional that he has not played in this event was in 2003 when he was kept away only by knee surgery. As a two time winner of the event and just because of his standing in the game, he will be sorely missed. The suggestion that he is not playing because of the fact that he is sponsored by Buick is too simplistic and hardly close to the mark. He did after all win the Ford Championship last year.
Retief Goosen is taking further time off in South Africa and Padraig Harrington is the only other eligible player who will not be here.
Enough of those who won't be here, what about those who will?
Stuart Appleby is attempting to win the event for the third consecutive year and become the first player to do so since Gene Littler completed his treble in 1957. Appleby arrives here off some solid end of season form in the US and Australia. He hardly threatened to win events but he was in the mix on several occasions and it could be said that his form is no worse than it was when he played here twelve months ago.
Appleby often plays well in Hawaii and in Florida. Three of his six wins on the USPGA Tour have come in either state and his two wins in Australia have both come in Queensland on Bermuda greens. Despite slipping to number thirty in the world ranking, he still stands a very good chance of a three-peat in this event.
Vijay Singh has not won a regular tour event in Hawaii but did finish second to Appleby here last year. He has had a nice break and returns as the leading ranked player here and no doubt the favourite with betting agencies.
Jim Furyk won the Nedbank Challenge late in 2005 and is a previous winner of the event at this golf course. He had a solid week at the Target Challenge following his win in South Africa and appears a good chance here.
Michael Campbell played very well at the Target Challenge just when his demanding 2005 season appeared as if it might be getting the better of him. As a non-winner on the USPGA Tour, until his US Open win last year, this will be the first time he has played the event.
Sergio Garcia like Furyk is a previous winner of this event here at this course. He did not play well at Sun City but his other form late in 2005 was rather good.
Kenny Perry finished third here in 2002 and played reasonably well late in the season in 2005. He has not regularly starred in Florida or Hawaii but he is such a good player that he could better his previous best here.
Bart Bryant's achievements in 2005 are perhaps still being underrated but for the man who won two of the bigger events outside the majors, namely the Memorial and the Tour Championship, this offers an interesting challenge. This is his second time here having finished 16th in 2005. He might just be the dark horse once again in this field.
The other Australasians in the field, aside from Campbell, are Peter Lonard and Geoff Ogilvy who were both first time winners on the PGA Tour in 2005. Lonard had arthroscopic knee surgery just three weeks ago but has been back hitting balls for a week and he tells me he is not feeling any affects from the surgery. He has not walked a course since the surgery preferring to ride a cart in the holes he played while home in Sydney.
Ogilvy has improved in 2005 to the point where he won his first ever professional event and recorded top tens in two of his three majors. He has typically played well in Florida and Hawaii type conditions and although he has not played competitively for five weeks he could do well.
Adam Scott won an event on the PGA Tour in 2005 but because it was rain shortened to thirty six holes it was not officially recognised and as such it did not earn the Australian start here.
The tournament has a purse of US$5,400,000.
Photo - Anthony Powter
