By Greg Robertson
ESPN Golf Online
Sunday, April 16

Details
When	Thursday-Sunday
Course	Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head, S.C.
Par/Yardage	Par 71; 6,916 yards
Purse	$3 million (Winner: $540,000)
1999 champion	Glen Day
Tournament record	19-under 265 (Loren Roberts, 1996)
Television	Thursday: 4-6:30 p.m. ET (TGC) Friday: 1:30-4 p.m. ET (TGC) Saturday-Sunday: 3-6 p.m. ET (CBS)

The tournament

	Hole by hole
	Hole	Par	Yards
	1	4	414
	2	5	505
	3	4	411
	4	3	198
	5	5	535
	6	4	419
	7	3	180
	8	4	466
	9	4	337
	Out	36	3565
	10	4	436
	11	4	438
	12	4	413
	13	4	378
	14	3	165
	15	5	575
	16	4	376
	17	3	192
	18	4	478
	In	35	3451
	Total	71	6916
	Key holes: Harbour Town is all about position, and no hole is more representative than the 15th which requires putting the ball in the right side of the fairway and a layup in a spot where the player is comfortable to shoot for the pin. Going for the green in two is virtually impossible because of trees and a lake blocking the way. The 18th, on the other hand, is one of the longest par-4s players will see all year. The approach is risky over marshlands and a huge bunker, and the green is multi-layered and a difficult two-putt, especially on Sunday.

The first major of 2000 is now history; now it's back to the grind of regular tour stops. But what a good one awaits players the week after The Masters.

Too bad many of the big names are taking the week off. They will miss one of the classic courses where the PGA Tour has been stopping for 30 years. It's a course which several players have grown to love through the years.

Among that group is Davis Love III, a four-time winner at Harbour Town, including the first victory of his career and the last. Unfortunately for Love, that last victory came two years ago. Although he's still ranked fourth in the world, Love has gone 104 weeks without a win.

Love isn't alone in his mastery of Harbour Town. Hale Irwin won this event three times, and Fuzzy Zoeller and Payne Stewart are two-time winners. Stewart nearly made it three last year, when he and Jeff Sluman lost a playoff to Glen Day, who claimed his first PGA Tour victory.

Day had finished second in 1998 behind Love, who raced to a seven-shot victory. That performance, however, gave Day the confidence one year later to overcome a five-stroke deficit on Sunday with a final-round 66. On the first playoff hole, he dropped a 40-foot birdie putt to beat Sluman and Stewart.

Day has struggled in 2000, missing the cut in four of 10 starts. But he played reasonably well last week at Augusta, finishing 19th, and should be prepared for his first-ever title defense.

Many of the big names are taking the week off, including Tiger Woods, David Duval and Fred Couples. But the tournament does have Masters champion Vijay Singh, runnerup Ernie Els and Love, to name a few.

This is the first of two stops in the Carolinas for the PGA Tour. Next week, players head to North Carolina for the Greater Greensboro Classic. Then the tour heads to Texas for three of the next four events.

A dozen players to watch
Glen Day: The defending champion of this event was also the runnerup in 1998. Struggling of late, losing in the first round of the Match Play Championship and missing three cuts in his last six starts.

Ernie Els: The runnerup at Augusta last week, Els did everything but get some key putts to fall on the back nine on Sunday. The Masters was his second close call this season, having lost a playoff to Tiger Woods in the season-opening Mercedes Championships as well.

Carlos Franco: Throw out the first round and Franco played better than anyone at Augusta. He played the final three rounds in 9-under to finish in a tie for seventh, his fourth top-10 finish of the year.

David Frost: Frost is one of those guys who loves Harbour Town, finishing second in 1988, 1993 and 1994. He set the course record in '94 with a 10-under 61. And as a 10-time winner on tour, Frost knows how to win when he gets in position.

Tom Lehman: His fine 2000 season continued at Augusta where he finished sixth after leading at points in both the first and second rounds. Putting is the key for Lehman, who has been among the best drivers and iron players all season.

Davis Love III: It's hard to believe Love hasn't won anything in two years, but this is the place he's won more than any other. Four of his 13 career titles have come in this event, and the North Carolina native feels like he's playing at home on this course.

Greg Norman: After the worst round of his career at Augusta on Thursday, Norman bounced back to make the cut and finish in a tie for 11th at The Masters. He's played well at Harbour Town over the years, winning in 1988 and finishing second in both 1986 and 1994.

Jesper Parnevik: In 27 rounds this year, only six have been over par -- two each at The Masters and The Players Championship. His West Coast swing included a win at the Bob Hope Classic, a second at Riviera and a third at Waialae.

Nick Price: Price tied for 11th at The Masters and has been in the hunt three times since starting his season in late February. He won this event in 1997 and is hitting his irons as well as anybody in the game right now.

Loren Roberts: Roberts stayed in the hunt for The Masters all week, finishing in a tie for third with David Duval. His lack of length didn't hurt him at Augusta, and it won't be a problem at Harbour Town. He set the tournament scoring record in winning here in 1996 at 19-under.

Vijay Singh: The last time Singh won a major, he went out the next week and followed his PGA title with a win at The International. After a win at The Masters, Singh could easily do it again. He led the field in greens in regulation at Augusta, and that's the key to success at Harbour Town.

Jeff Sluman: Sluman finished 18th at Augusta and played pretty well all week. He nearly stole this event last year after playing the first round 1-over, he followed with rounds of 67-68-67 to reach the playoff, won by Day on the first hole.