2001 champions start anew at Mercedes

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

A year ago, Rory Sabbatini was left on Kapalua Plantation's 18th green mourning the miss of a three-foot putt as Jim Furyk drove away with the 2001 Mercedes Championships — in a Mercedes, of course.

	2002 Mercedes Championships
•	What: PGA Tour season-opening event featuring the 2001 tournament champions, including Tiger Woods, David Duval, Retief Goosen and David Toms
•	Where: Kapalua Plantation Course (Par 36-37i73, 7,263 yards)
•	When: From 10:30 a.m. Tomorrow-Saturday and 7:30 a.m. Sunday
•	Pro-am: Today, from 7 a.m.
•	Purse: $4 million ($720,000 first prize, plus a Mercedes-Benz SL500)
•	Defending champion: Jim Furyk (18-under 274)
•	Tickets: Season tickets (good through-Jan. 6) $60. Daily prices: $15 tomorrow or Friday, $30 Saturday or Sunday. Children (16-under) free with ticket-holding adult
•	Television (All times HST): ESPN—3-5:30 p.m. tomorrow, 2:30-5:30 p.m. riday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday

The Pro-Am tees off today at 7 a.m. Joe Torre and Clint Eastwood are playing with Furyk, and Roger Clemens is on Jeff Sluman's team.

The first three rounds begin at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, Friday and Saturday. Sunday's final round is scheduled to start at 7:30 a.m., with a 2:30 p.m. finish for ESPN.

Furyk won with a final round of 6-under-par 67 a year ago in typically tough West Maui winds. He two-putted the final hole, from 135 feet, for birdie. Sabbatini needed a three-foot birdie putt to tie him, at 18 under, on the final hole. It spun off the lower lip.

"Jimmy played an amazing round of golf," Sabbatini said. "More power to him for the way he played."

Ernie Els and Vijay Singh tied for third last year, but won't repeat because neither won in 2001. Tiger Woods, who won five times, is here. Woods also won here two years ago, beating Els in a playoff.

The Mercedes field includes six of the Top 10 in the World Golf Rankings — Woods (1), David Duval (3), Davis Love III (5), Sergio Garcia (6), David Toms (7) and Retief Goosen (10). Duval won the first Mercedes played in Hawai'i, in 1999.

Two-thirds of this elite field is committed to play next week at the Sony Open in Hawai'i. That includes Love, Garcia and Toms, but not Duval, Goosen or Woods, who has never played at Waialae Country Club. The Sony field also includes former champions Paul Azinger, Brad Faxon, Furyk, John Huston, David Ishii and Corey Pavin.

Mercedes Championships Pro-Am

Today's Tee Times
First Tee

7 a.m.—Tiger Woods
7:10 a.m.—Sergio Garcia
7:20 a.m.—Mike Weir
7:30 a.m.—Mark Calcavecchia
7:40 a.m.—Jim Furyk
7:50 a.m.—Hal Sutton

8 a.m.—Scott Verplank
8:10 a.m.—Bob Estes
8:20 a.m.—David Toms

11:20 a.m.—Joe Durant
11:30 a.m.—Kenny Perry
11:40 a.m.—Jesper Parnevik
11:50 a.m.—Tom Pernice, Jr.

Noon—Retief Goosen
12:10 p.m.—Robert Damron
12:20 p.m.—David Gossett
12:30 p.m.—Bob Gilder

Tenth Tee

7 a.m.—Davis Love III
7:10 a.m.—David Duval
7:20 a.m.—Robert Allenby
7:30 a.m.—Frank Lickliter II
7:40 a.m.—Scott McCarron
7:50 a.m.—Justin Leonard

8 a.m.—Jeff Sluman
8:10 a.m.—Chris DiMarco
8:20 a.m.—Scott Hoch

11:20 a.m.—Brad Faxon
11:30 a.m.—Steve Stricker
11:40 a.m.—Shigeki Maruyama
11:50 a.m.—Joel Edwards

Noon—Cameron Beckman
12:10 p.m.—John Cook
12:20 p.m.—Garrett Willis
12:30 p.m.—Andy North

Tomorrow's First-Round Tee Times
First Tee

10:50 a.m.—Mike Weir/Cameron Beckman
11 a.m.—Justin Leonard/Chris DiMarco
11:10 a.m.—Joel Edwards/Scott Verplank
11:20 a.m.—Kenny Perry/John Cook
11:30 a.m.—David Gossett/Tom Pernice, Jr.
11:40 a.m.—David Duval/Jeff Sluman
11:50 a.m.—Retief Goosen/Shigeki Maruyama

Noon—Frank Lickliter II/Bob Estes
12:10 p.m.—Sergio Garcia/Robert Damron
12:20 p.m.—David Toms/Scott Hoch
12:30 p.m.—Hal Sutton/Scott McCarron
12:40 p.m.—Jesper Parnevik/Tiger Woods
12:50 p.m.—Joe Durant/Robert Allenby
1 p.m.—Mark Calcavecchia/Davis Love III
1:10 p.m.—Garrett Willis/Brad Faxon
1:20 p.m.—Jim Furyk/Steve Stricker