Associated Press
Wednesday, October 25

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Tiger Woods is going for his fourth straight victory, and must win the final three PGA Tour events if he wants to become the first $10 million man in golf and match Byron Nelson for the highest winning percentage in one year.

Most players at Disney this week would love to have such problems.

Instead, Rocco Mediate, Scott Hoch and Tom Scherrer will be among those trying to play well enough -- and earn enough -- to finish in the top 30 on the money list and get into the $5 million Tour Championship next week in Atlanta.

For Grant Waite and Scott Dunlap, the next two weeks are critical for them to finish in top 40, which comes with an invitation to the Masters.

Pressure?

Ask Dan Forsman, who has played the PGA Tour for 18 years and has never lost his card.

A four-time winner, Forsman finished another full day of practice Wednesday for the National Car Rental Classic and contemplated what it means to be 125th on the money list -- the cutoff for keeping his card, with only two tournaments left.

"I've been there before and I've succeeded," he said. "I've never been in this position and not made it. I'm 42 and I'm trying to rally, use my experience to minimized the thoughts toward what it means to miss your card.

"I love the tour, and I think I still have the skills and determination to make it happen."

Winning would take care of everything for everybody.

Nobody has been better at that since Woods, who already has won nine times in only 17 tour events this year and will be the defending champion for the next three weeks.

Woods won last year after a great duel against Ernie Els, closing with a 1-over 73. Only one other time out of 24 tour victories has Woods shot over par in the last round and still won, but that had more to do with the Magnolia course and brick-hard conditions.

At least this year, he can see. A year ago, Woods was playing for the first time after having Lasik eye surgery.

"Every day would be a challenge trying to figure out my lines and my sight," he said. "For one hour, it would be perfect. And the next hour, I couldn't see. This year, I feel my eyes are stable. My game is a lot better than I thought it would be after the break. And I feel pretty good coming in."

One reason Woods plays at Disney is because it's only a 15-minute drive from his home. Els, who also has a home in Orlando, did not return this year. In fact, only three players in the top 10 on the money list are playing.

But everyone from No. 23 to No. 37 on the money list -- except Nick Price at No. 27 and Shigeki Maruyama at No. 35 -- is playing, trying to hold their spot or crack the top 30 so they can make the field at East Lake, where the top prize is $900,000.

"You want to play at the Tour Championship," Hoch said. "I'm more concerned with trying to finish in the top 30 overall, and it would be much easier if I did that through East Lake."

Hoch is 31st on the money list, trailing Mediate by a mere $4,216.

The real grinding comes at the bottom, where players like Forsman will try to block out amusement park atmosphere and think about securing their status for next year.

Forsman at least has history on his side. He has never finished lower than 123rd on the money list, and he finished second to David Duval at Disney in 1997, so he gets positive vibes from the Palm and Magnolia courses.

"I haven't really grinded this week because it's my sixth tournament in a row," he said. "At this point, I just make my daily deposits -- putting, chipping, playing a round. But I'm not going to be able to force myself to make it happen. All I can do is prepare."

Mike Weir of Canada was in such a spot only two years ago, on the bubble when Disney was the last tournament of the year, a precarious position when you're not playing well. He made a 12-foot putt after the second round just to make the cut, but enough players passed him that he wound up 131st, and was off to qualifying school.

Weir is 24th on the money list this year, which explains what he was doing Wednesday afternoon -- nothing.

"It's a different feeling," he said. "Here it is, Wednesday afternoon, and I still haven't hit a ball or putt or anything. It's much more relaxing."

Where had he been all day?

"Animal Kingdom," he said. "We went on a safari today."