Tiger Woods: Will they beat him at Buick Open?
IN: News | US PGA | Buick Open (2006) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 02 Aug 2006
It has not taken long for Tiger to return to action following his classy win at Hoylake and it might just be that the man who chased him so hard at the Liverpool Golf Club, Chris DiMarco, could be there again on Sunday to push him to the limit.
Both Woods and DiMarco have good records in this event, Tiger's worst finish in seven starts was 11th in 2000. His results here include a win and two runner ups with DiMarco having been runner up twice and inside the top twenty in four of his last five starts at Warwick Hills.
The Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is once again the venue as it has been for much of the event's forty six year history. In 1970 and 1971 the tournament was lost to the Tour briefly and between 1972 and 1977 it was played at other courses in the Flint area and even underwent a name change as Buick dropped out of the naming rights sponsorship of the event. Buick and the tournament, returned to Warwick Hills in 1978 and both have remained since.
The course at the Warwick Hills Country Club is originally a James Gilmore Harrison design, opened in 1958. Ten years later Joe Lee set about a major redesign. Lee originally worked with the famed Dick Wilson but he completed some very well regarded courses, including this, on his own following the death of Wilson. The greens this year are expected to be quick once again although with the expected hot temperatures they will likely require regular syringing to keep them healthy.
The first winner of the event, back in 1958, was Billy Casper and on the forty occasions in which the event has been played at Warwick Hills since, only twice has the same golfer won the event twice or more. In 1964 and 1965 the brilliant Tony Lema, who had won the British Open in 1964, won and again the next year before his untimely and tragic death in a plane crash in Illinois in 1966. Last year Vijay Singh won for the third time year.
Tiger Woods might just have another chapter to add to that story when he returns after a week's break no doubt full of confidence following such an impressive and convincing win at the Open Championship. In last year's event Woods pulled out all the stops in his final round after falling ten shots behind Singh after he had bogeyed the first. Woods produced a run of eight under par in nine holes from the 9th before a bogey at the last saw his challenge for the title extinguished. Woods shared second with Zach Johnson, who was playing the event for just the first time in 2005.
Woods arrives at Warwick Hills with his game in great shape following his performances over the last fifty four holes at the Western Open and then at the Open Championship. A technical correction at the Western, where he worked on reducing the vertical movement of his head during his swing, worked wonders for the rest of that event and his performance at the Open where, according to his caddy, Steve Williams, he 'missed' only four iron shots in what must have been 130 or so that he executed that week was quite stunning and will install further fear into his rivals this week.
Chris DiMarco has a good record at Warwick Hills and given his impressive effort at the Open, where he was really the only one to seriously ask the question of Tiger, and could well continue his good run of finishes in this event. His Open runner up placing came after a two missed cuts so there is still a degree of uncertainty about his form but he will be buoyed by his effort across the Atlantic.
As a three time winner and defending at Warwick Hills Singh must be a danger. He did miss the cut at Hoylake but prior to that he was returning to his best form and if he can recapture that then on this course he will be a force to be reckoned with.
Jim Furyk has been his usual rock solid self of late and with a win and plenty of top tens around Warwick Hills it is difficult to imagine him not being in the mix this week.
Kenny Perry has shown in recent weeks a sign that things are returning to normal following his surgery earlier in the year. He has a good record at this venue and his very strong weekend in Milwaukee suggests he might just be able to challenge the more fancied players and repeat his 2001 victory at Warwick Hills.
Zach Johnson and Geoff Ogilvy are amongst others with valid claims.
The Australasians other then Ogilvy are an interesting mix. Rod Pampling perhaps heads them but Nathan Green continues to impress in his first season. Robert Allenby, Stephen Leaney, who has shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, Steve Elkington, Mathew Goggin, Brendan Jones, David McKenzie, Greg Chalmers, Phil Tataurangi and Steve Bowditch are all scheduled to tee it up.
Of particular interest is Steve Bowditch, who returned to the PGA Tour last week in Milwaukee after a break back in Australia and after a shaky opening round recorded a second round of 70, which given this early rookie season efforts, was a huge improvement.
Photo - WireImage
