Posted on: Sunday, January 11, 2004
Star power gives Mercedes tourney a lift
| • | Appleby putts past Singh to regain Mercedes lead |
| • | Stadler enjoying 3-week, 3-isle tour |
Advertiser Staff
A year ago, a Tiger-free Mercedes Championships saw its galleries slide some 40 percent from 2002. This year, with Tiger Woods in contention and Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wie giving the Pro-Am punch, attendance is on the rise.
Crowds were larger than last year every day this week through Friday, with the Pro-Am gallery of 3,342 nearly three times last year's attendance. Mercedes, which endorses Sorenstam, brought her in as one of the 34 pros in Wednesday's Pro-Am (the Mercedes field is 30). Wie, the Punahou freshman who won last year's U.S. Women's Public Links, drew large crowds playing with pro John Huston.
But the biggest crowd, as always, is with Woods. He was recovering from knee surgery during last year's Mercedes. The event drew 5,604 the first two tournament days. This year, about 8,500 showed.
SHORT PUTTS: Chad Campbell had two eagles yesterday and shot 65. ... Stuart Appleby is one of 19 Australians on the PGA Tour. ... Jim Furyk, who won here in 2001, shot 30 on the front yesterday and was at 12 under going into the par-5 18th. He hit his second shot into the hazard and double-bogeyed the second-easiest hole on the course. "I didn't have a very good lie and, like an idiot, I went after it with a 3-wood," Furyk said. "I probably should have grabbed a 4-wood."
