Westchester attracts quality field
Associated Press
Wednesday, June 7
HARRISON, N.Y. -- Tiger Woods has once again distanced himself from golf's other top stars.
While Woods is across the country preparing for next week's U.S. Open, the Buick Classic begins Thursday with one of the best fields in its 33-year history.
"I like playing here and that's why I'm back," David Duval said Wednesday after his pro-am round on the tree-lined Westchester Country Club course.
Phil Mickelson and Masters champion Vijay Singh are also in the field that features four of the top six players in the World Rankings and nine of the top 15.
"I think it works out well heading to Pebble Beach," Duval said. "But the guy who chooses not to play here thinks he's better off doing that. It's a very personal thing."
Woods, who has a five-year sponsorship deal with Buick for a reported $20 million to $25 million, is sticking with his major championship routine.
"Tiger doesn't play the week before a major no matter what. That's the old Jack Nicklaus plan," said Duffy Waldorf, the defending champion in the Buick Classic. "Myself, I don't like to get to a tournament too early. Even if I was staying home this week, I still wouldn't go up there until Monday."
Ernie Els, the 1996 and 1997 Buick Classic winner, is playing for the third straight week.
"This is one of my favorite events. It's tough for me to miss this one," the two-time U.S. Open champion said.
But he downplayed the U.S. Open connection.
"Unlike other years, this is not really a good warmup for the U.S. Open," Els said. "Pebble Beach will be much different. You have to take this week, then pick up out there next week."
Davis Love III, Fred Couples and Greg Norman also are in the field, along with Tom Lehman, Jim Furyk and European Ryder Cup players Sergio Garcia, Jesper Parnevik, Jose Maria Olazabal and Jean Van de Velde.
"It has a lot to do with the course," Singh said of the star-filled lineup. "When we play courses other than Westchester
before the Open, the fields are not as strong as this. The fact that it's here attracts a good field."
Singh, the 1993 and 1995 Buick winner, had laser eye surgery last week to correct slight astigmatism and nearsightedness.
"The way I putted the last day of the Memorial, I thought I better do something drastic," he joked. "It takes some getting used to, especially the depth perception."
Duval is winless in the last 14 months after winning 11 times in the previous 17 months.
"I haven't made as many putts as I did the last few years," he said. "You have to make a lot of putts to win."
About 3 inches of rain fell on the course Tuesday, forcing tournament officials to cut the pro-am to nine holes.
"The rough was pretty bad, but the course isn't too wet," Duval said. "The greens were a lot drier than I expected, so I
think everything will be fine come tomorrow."
Divots
Woods has made only two appearances in the tournament. He missed the cut as an amateur in 1994 and tied for 43rd in 1997 in his first full season as pro.
Shigeki Maruyama, who shot a 58 on Monday during U.S. Open qualifying in Rockville, Md., is making his 15th start of the season. He's 17th on the money list with $867,811.
The tournament has ended in playoffs the last two years, with J.P. Hayes beating Furyk in 1998 and Waldorf topping Dennis Paulson in 1999. There have been eight playoffs in the last 15 years, and 10 in 33 tournaments.
The winner will receive $540,000 from the $3 million purse.
