The Hindu : Sport / Golf : A dramatic duel unlikely at Honda Classic

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Friday, Mar 11, 2005

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Sport - Golf

A dramatic duel unlikely at Honda Classic

PALM BEACH GARDENS, MARCH 10. Last weekend's dramatic duel between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will be tough to repeat, and the Honda Classic won't even try.

For starters, the tournament lacks the cast. Woods edged out Mickelson at the Ford championship at Doral, but both are sitting out this week's U.S. PGA Tour event. Doral attracted 11 of the world's 12 top-ranked players, but the Honda includes only one among the top six — No. 2 Vijay Singh of Fiji.

The tour has long debated how to bolster weak fields and one recurring proposal — appearance money — became a topic again when four top players, all IMG clients, took part in a corporate outing in Miami last week and stayed at Doral three days later.

PGA Tour policy board member Davis Love III said players would head off a push by IMG for more such outings.

``That's against the tour's policies that have been around a long time,'' Love said on Wednesday. ``The players I've talked to are very upset about it because one, they don't want it to happen. Two, they didn't like the way it has happened.''

The Ford Motor Co. outing in Miami involved Singh, fifth-ranked Retief Goosen of South Africa, No. 6 Sergio Garcia of Spain and No. 8 Padraig Harrington of Ireland.

Love said the players weren't at fault. But he said IMG is overstepping its bounds by offering to organise more corporate outings at tournament sites to ensure commitments by top players.

``Our rules are very clear, and they are just going to be restated to all the parties,'' Love said. ``It won't happen again. There are going to be some hands slapped and some guys with some bad feelings about it.''

Mark Steinberg, IMG's managing director of golf, didn't return phone calls seeking comment. The issue will be high on the agenda when tournament sponsors gather for their annual meeting later this month at The Players championship.

Cliff Danley, executive director of the Honda Classic, said appearance money would create competition between sponsors for top players and could mean lower purses.

``It's not good for the sport,'' Danley said. ``It's a slippery slope if you've got to keep enticing guys to play.'' — AP

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