Associated Press
Wednesday, August 2

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. -- Greg Norman can finally eat breakfast sitting down and squat to line up a putt without wincing. But for David Duval, the mere act of removing his ball from the cup is a study in discomfort.

Where's the rivalry?

Like many of his colleagues, Greg Norman is concerned about the apparent lack of competition for Tiger Woods, who has won three of the last four majors in dominating fashion and who leads the Tour money list with $5.7 million -- more than twice that of runner-up Phil Mickelson. "Sport needs a rivalry, and right now there isn't one in the game of golf," Norman said. "I think that could be bad for the game of golf eventually, because ever since I've played the game there's been a wonderful rivalry, going back decades prior to me, right up to the times I used to compete with (Nick) Faldo and Seve (Ballesteros) and the Nick Prices of the world. Then Ernie Els came along. "I want to see somebody step up to the plate and create a rivalry. I'd hate to see Tiger get bored with the game. If you go out and win by 15, 8 and 6 shots all the time, sometimes a sense of complacency could result." Norman noted he played on Tuesday with young Aussie Adam Scott, who "blew my mind away. He launches it as far as Tiger and hits as straight as Tiger and putts as good as Tiger." Pointing to his heart, Norman said, "But it depends on what's right in here."

Norman, rejoining the PGA Tour following arthroscopic hip surgery five weeks ago, insists he is pain-free for the first time in about eight years, and he is eager to test his recovery in The International, which begins Thursday at Castle Pines Golf Club.

"My expectations as a player are always high," Norman said. "There's a building process I have to go through, but I'm two weeks ahead of schedule in my recovery. I'm starting to feel much more confident within myself. I haven't felt this way for a long time."

Norman, 45, whose best finish this year was fourth in the Buick Classic and who ranks 89th on the money list, hasn't won on Tour since 1997.

"It's going to take a period of time -- six months, probably -- to feel sharp again," he admitted. "At least I know I can feel sharp again. My quality of life is so much better."

Duval also feels confident about his game, even though he is battling a sprained lower back that became stiff and caused him to drop out of Wednesday's pro-am after 14 holes. In last year's International, Duval finished second to David Toms.

"My golf game is perfectly good enough to win this event right now," Duval said. "I think I showed it was good enough to win at St. Andrews (in the British Open two weeks ago). And it's going to be in shape enough to win at Valhalla (in the PGA championship) and then at Firestone (in the WGC-NEC Invitational).

"I just hope my back doesn't cause problems and hinder my performance for the next month."

The International is Tiger-less, with Tiger Woods having skipped this event to prepare for the PGA championship in two weeks.

Still, six of the top 10 players on the PGA Tour money list are entered, as well as four of the top 10 in the World Rankings. The field includes two-time International champion Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Tom Lehman, Masters champion Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia, Justin Leonard, Jose Maria Olazabal, Nick Faldo, Robert Allenby and Notah Begay III.

In addition, a group of youngsters adds spice to the field. Reigning U.S. Amateur champion David Gossett, 21, is making his professional debut here.

Charles Howell III, the 2000 NCAA Division I player of the year as a junior at Oklahoma State who started his pro career in late June, earned $176,800 with a third-place finish Monday in the John Deere Classic.

Australian Adam Scott has played this year in European Tour events since turning pro out of UNLV.

Hunter Haas, the former U.S. Public Links champion, also will be getting his first taste of the modified Stableford scoring system used in this event, which rewards a player with 8 points for a double-eagle, 5 points for eagle, 2 points for birdie, zero for par, minus-1 for bogey and minus-3 for double-bogey or worse.

Unlike the early years of this tournament -- when there were daily cuts and scores did not carry over from round to round -- the current format is more traditional. The field will be cut to at least 72 players for the third round, then will be cut again to at least 36 players for Sunday's final round. Points are cumulative for all four rounds.

Toms birdied the final two holes on Sunday in the 1999 International to edge Duval by 3 points.

Els, runner-up in all three majors this season, is hungry for his first win on Tour this season. The course and format fit his game.

"I make quite a few birdies normally," he said, "and all the ingredients are here to make birdies, with room off the tees and perfect putting surfaces. You approach every hole as if it's a birdie hole, and if you get in trouble you do everything you can to avoid a double-bogey."