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The Tigerless Tour These days you don't really have a tournament on the PGA Tour if you don't have Tiger Woods
By Gary Van Sickle In his five years as a pro, Tiger Woods has played in 33 of the Tour's 49 official events. Here are the unlucky 16 that he has never entered and the chances of his gracing them with his presence. Touchstone Energy Tucson Open Played same week as Mercedes, so has no shot unless Tiger goes full season without winning. (Yeah, right.) Outlook: Not likely. Sony Open in Hawaii Woods already plays four West Coast events (Mercedes, San Diego, Pebble Beach, L.A.), and usually adds World Match Play Championship and a trip overseas. Outlook: Doubtful. Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Tournament director Michael Milthorpe ripped Woods and IMG for not returning calls and for daring to say no to Hope. Said Milthorpe, "He can play in Thailand for the rest of his life." Outlook: Milthorpe can put on a tournament without Woods for the rest of his. Shell Houston Open Stuck in the dreaded four-week Dead Zone after Masters. Outlook: Grim. Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic With Tiger's Buick contract? Outlook: Nonstarter. Compaq Classic of New Orleans Prime vacation time, but everyone loves tournament director Rick George. Outlook: Why not? Kemper Insurance Open Not part of Tiger's normal Nelson-Germany-Memorial run-up to U.S. Open. Outlook: Because of appealing D.C., a definite maybe. FedEx St. Jude Classic Woods never plays the week preceding the U.S. Open. Free shipping isn't much of an incentive. Outlook: Not a chance. Canon Greater Hartford Open Big crowds, bad traffic and a small city leave Tiger nowhere to hide. Outlook: Would be something of an upset. Reno-Tahoe Open Held opposite the NEC Invitational, which Woods has won for each of the last two years. Outlook: Fuhgeddaboutit. Air Canada Championship Boxed in by NEC, Canadian and AmEx in out-of-the-way Vancouver. Outlook: Nope. Tampa Bay Classic Played opposite AmEx. Tiger is on AmEx payroll. Outlook: DOA. Marconi Pennsylvania Classic Think Woods will play three straight weeks before Ryder Cup? Outlook: Puh-leeze! Michelob Championship at Kingsmill Think Woods will play week after Ryder Cup? Outlook: No, he'll have seen enough of Curtis Strange by then. Buick Challenge Only Buick-sponsored tournament Tiger hasn't played. (He showed up in '96, WD'd and skipped dinner in his honor, drawing heavy fire.) It's wedged into a bad date—after Las Vegas and Disney, two of Woods's faves, and before Tour Championship. Outlook: Good. Southern Farm Burea Classic If Woods somehow finished out of top 30 and missed concurrent Tour Championship, he'd be too mortified to play. Outlook: No, no, never, never, uh-uh.
Issue date: July 30, 2001
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