Tiger won't be in Mercedes' driver's seat
By Bill Kwon
Special to the Advertiser
KAPALUA, Maui — There is no Tiger Watch in the $5 million Mercedes Championships that begins the 2003 PGA Tour season tomorrow at the Plantation Course.
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But if you want winners, you've got 'em.
Sergio Garcia is pumped about defending his title but admits, "It's not the same without Tiger."
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, one-two on the money list last year, are the only ones missing among the 38 different tournament champions in the winners-only field.
"Different? Sure, it's different. It's not the same without Tiger," said defending champion Sergio Garcia, who is joined by a record 18 first-time winners in 2002, including Sony Open champion Jerry Kelly.
A few of the golfers kidded that with Woods probably sidelined until mid-February because of knee surgery, it will be a good chance to jump off to a head start on him in the 2003 money race.
Veteran Nick Price, one of five players in their 40s to win last year, doesn't see it that way.
"He'll probably make up for it in another tournament or two somewhere else," said Price, one of 28 in the field playing the sprawling, par-73 Plantation Course for the first time.
"He probably wants to be here as everyone else. This is a great event. I'm sure he misses it," Price said. "But you've got to admire him for looking at it (not playing) from a career point of view. You want to make sure you're 100 percent."
Jim Furyk, who owns a house overlooking the 18th fairway and is the only player to have played in all five years since the event moved here, is naturally the "local" favorite.
"It's always great to be back to Kapalua," said Furyk, who won in 2001 to join Garcia as the only previous winners returning this year.
Ernie Els, the reigning British Open champion, is back after a winless 2001 and ready for another chance to win the event.
He was involved in perhaps the most exciting finish in the event's history when he lost in a playoff to Woods three years ago after both had eagled the 72nd hole. They each birdied the first playoff hole before Woods birdied again to win it on the second playoff hole.
The tournament ends Sunday with the winner getting $1 million. Now, that's a nice jump start in the money race.
NOTES: Among the celebrities in today's pro-am are actors Clint Eastwood, Dennis Hopper and Thomas Gibson, who will be playing with Garcia. New York Yankee manager Joe Torre has Ian Leggatt, a first-time winner in 2002, as his pro, while pro Luke Donald has actor Luke Wilson among the four amateurs on his team. Local teen-age whiz Michelle Wie is on Shigeki Maruyama's team. Too bad she's not with K.J. Choi, the first Korean winner on the PGA Tour.
