By Greg Robertson
ESPN Golf Online
Sunday, June 11

Details
When	Thursday-Sunday
Course	Westchester Country Club (West course), Harrison, N.Y.
Par/Yardage	Par 71; 6,722 yards
Purse	$3 million (Winner: $540,000)
1999 champion	Duffy Waldorf
Tournament record	19-under 261 (Bob Gilder, 1982)
Television	Thursday: 4-6 p.m. ET (ESPN) Friday: 1-3 p.m. (ESPN) Saturday: 2-4:30 p.m. ET (ABC) Sunday: 3-6 p.m. ET (ABC)

The tournament

	Hole by hole
	Hole	Par	Yards
	1	3	190
	2	4	384
	3	4	408
	4	4	419
	5	5	565
	6	3	133
	7	4	326
	8	4	464
	9	5	505
	Out	36	3394
	10	4	314
	11	4	442
	12	4	473
	13	4	379
	14	3	154
	15	4	462
	16	3	204
	17	4	374
	18	5	526
	In	35	3328
	Total	71	6722
	Key holes: Westchester has a pair of tempting par-4s, but players often find big numbers when going for the green with a driver on Nos. 7 and 10. The seventh is a big dogleg left, just 333 yards. But there's no real opening to run it up. No. 10 has an opening and is even shorter -- just 314 yards -- but the dreen is undulating and bunkers on both sides treacherous. The 18th is a longer version of No. 7, a huge dogleg measuring 535 yards where placement is everything.

The PGA Tour arrives at a classic golf course with an excellent field, but most thoughts will be 3,000 miles away at this week's Buick Classic.

Westchester Country Club offers a traditional, stylish challenge for players, but most will be thinking ahead to Pebble Beach Golf Links and the U.S. Open just one week away.

Despite being on the other side of the country, Westchester has drawn almost every big name this week -- with the exception of Tiger Woods -- as the tour's elite prepare for the year's second major.

Westchester is one of the shortest courses players will see all year at just 6,722 yards, but the course is loaded with trouble. The winning score hasn't been above 15-under in the past 10 years, with winning totals closer to Duffy Waldorf's 8-under 276 of last year.

Waldorf picked up the first of two 1999 titles with a birdie on the first playoff hole, keeping Dennis Paulson from his first career title. They were one shot better than Chris Perry and two up on Scott Hoch during a year when the Buick was played the week after the U.S. Open.

While the big names are using this event as a tuneup for Pebble Beach, some of the others in the field will be thinking about what might have been. Several prominent players failed to make it through sectional qualifying this week and will be at home next week.

A dozen players to watch
Fred Couples: Couples picked up his third top-10 finish of the season at the Memorial. He tumbled to 48th in the World Rankings this week thanks to a two-year victory drought.

David Duval: Westchester will be the test for Duval's putting stroke. If he can get some putts to drop this week, he'll certainly be a force at next week's U.S. Open. If not, it will be nothing more than another close call.

Ernie Els: Els has been spectacular in this event, winning it in both 1996 and 1997 and finishing second in 1994. This is the perfect venue for Els to get ready for the U.S. Open -- a course he knows he can win at and gain tons of confidence.

Steve Flesch: Flesch has been among the most consistent players all year with seven top-10 finishes this year. But after failing to get through U.S. Open qualifying on Monday, will he bring his best effort to Westchester?

Davis Love III: Everytime Love tees it up lately, he seems to be in contention. But it hasn't translated to any victories. At least Tiger Woods isn't in the field to give him the jitters should he be in the hunt on Sunday.

Steve Lowery: He hasn't won a tour event since the 1994 International, but Lowery has been hot of late. He was in the final twosome each of the past two weeks, finishing fifth at the Memorial and second last week at Kemper.

Phil Mickelson: Already a winner of three events this year, Mickelson is continuing his new strategy of playing the week before a major. His putting has been the best on tour this year.

Jesper Parnevik: Parnevik is returning after a month off tour, having post three consecutive top-10 finishes before the break. He has eight top-10s in just 11 starts this year -- a monster season.

Tom Scherrer: Which Scherrer will show up this week? The one that won the Kemper Open on Sunday for his first career victory, or the one that failed to qualify for the U.S. Open on Monday?

Vijay Singh: Like Els, Singh has played extremely well at Westchester over the years. He won in 1993 and 1995 -- both in playoffs -- and tied for fifth last year.

Duffy Waldorf: It's been a difficult year for the defending champion. Since The Players Championship, he missed four consecutive cuts and failed to crack the top 50 in his last two starts. It's a similar tale for Dennis Paulson, the man Waldorf beat in a playoff last year.