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No Tiger Down Under Woods to skip the WGC Match Play Championships
Posted: Wednesday July 05, 2000 08:33 PM
LEMONT, Ill. (Reuters) -- Tiger Woods dealt a crushing blow to the status of the 2001 Andersen Consulting World Match Play Championship when he revealed Wednesday he would not be making the trip to Australia in January. Woods blamed a punishing schedule at the end of this year for his decision to skip the $5 million event and his absence will be felt by the sponsors and World Tours Federation that sanctions the event. Woods, the most dominant world number one since the rankings were established in the mid-80s, has joined a growing number of players unwilling to travel over the New Year's holiday. Had he gone to the Metropolitan Club in Melbourne, it would have necessitated him starting the journey on December 30, his 25th birthday. Colin Montgomerie, who has topped the European rankings for the past seven years, double Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal, Lee Westwood and world number two David Duval have expressed their reluctance to play in the championship, while Australian Greg Norman has already opted out. Woods is looking to make more golf history later this month in the British Open at St. Andrews. A victory there would make him the youngest player in history to complete the career Grand Slam of all four major titles. His absence from the 2001 season-starting match play championship seriously devalues a tournament designed to parade the best golfers in the world. Said Woods: "I am not going to the Match Play, no, I'm not. If you look at my schedule, I am playing eight straight weeks -- the President's Cup, Disney (U.S. tour), Tour Championship, Valderrama (Amex World Championship), Thailand, Grand Slam, Williams World Challenge (his own tournament) and World Cup. "All around the world, so that's a long trip." Asked whether anyone from the PGA Tour, notably commissioner Tim Finchem, had spoken to him about his decision, Woods responded: "Everyone has spoken to me about it. That's the way it goes sometimes, but I'm not the only one who won't be in Australia." The danger is that Woods's decision could ignite an exodus of even more top-ranked players but, then again, it may encourage others to play with their chances of a $1 million first prize enhanced by his absence. He has won two World Championship titles -- this past year's NEC Invitational and the American Express -- and finished runner up to Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke in the Match Play Championship in California this past February. Woods said he did not touch a club for 10 days following his stunning 15-stroke victory in this past month's U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and added that he felt refreshed in his bid for a third Western Open title in four years on the public Cog Hill course starting on Thursday. He departs for Ireland Sunday evening to complete his preparations for the 129th British Open championship on the East Coast of Scotland where he will be one of the hottest favorites in the history of the world's oldest tournament.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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