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CHAMPIONSHIP
TICKETS AND HOSPITALITY
GENERAL INFORMATION
HOST COURSE
WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
VOLUNTEERS
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For rising star Wetterich, what a difference a year has made  PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents DORAL, Fla. -- A year ago this week, Brett Wetterich played in the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by Dynamic Industries, tied for 33rd and won $2,850.  Brett Wetterich went from qualifying school to qualifying for the game's biggest events in less than 12 months. (Stan Badz/PGA TOUR/WireImage)
On Sunday, exactly 365 days later, Wetterich has a date at Doral's famed Blue Monster with the game's No. 1 player, Tiger Woods, where they will play in the final group of the final round of the World Golf Championships-CA Championship. Oh, and did we mention, he'll have a chance to win $1.44 million and 4,725 FedExCup points? Maybe those eye-popping numbers will put into perspective what a difference a year makes. Wetterich went from qualifying school to qualifying for the game's biggest events in less than 12 months. A win at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, coupled with four other top-10s landed him on the U.S. Ryder Cup Team last September. Wetterich also played in his first majors since turning pro in 1999 and his first World Golf Championships. "It's been a whirlwind, that's for sure," Wetterich said Saturday. "I went to q-school and I even played a Nationwide Tour event in 2006, because I wasn't getting tournaments out here, and then I started playing well and then I finally won. You know, had a couple of seconds, got to play in the Ryder Cup; it's been a big change for me. "Then you get tournaments like this. I guess that's the reward for your hard play." Wetterich will have to play plenty hard, though, if he is to overcome the four-stroke deficit he'll be starting with on Sunday. Not to mention, Woods is a phenomenal 38 of 41 when holding at least a share of the third-round lead. "I wouldn't have even known that if you didn't tell me," Wetterich said with smile and a shrug of his shoulders. When the reporter apologized for being the bearer of bad news, the 33-year-old was philosophical. "Facts are facts. "I'm not going to be thinking about that stuff. I'm just going to go out, like I said, and try to hit some good, solid shots and wherever that takes me, it does." And the fact is, Wetterich feels like he still has something to prove. "Not only to myself, but I think to guys out here," he said. "It would be nice to be able to win a few more tournaments. I think if I could do that, I would really feel like, you know, I had a great career, being that I played in the Ryder Cup and win maybe three or four tournaments, five tournaments, who knows. I think that would be a good career." Of course, beating Woods would make most careers, and to do so, Wetterich knows that more than likely he'll need a career day. Of course, Saturday's round of 67, which moved him from a tie for 15th to solo second, was pretty strong considering the blustery conditions. Wetterich made four birdies on the front nine and capped the round with a clutch par at the 18th after his drive strayed well right, hit the cart path and settled on an adjacent fairway. Told that his ball landed on Doral's Red Course, someone wondered if Wetterich had to pay a greens fee. "We'll find out. I haven't got the bill yet, though," he said good-naturedly. The 5-footer he wound up making for par on the Blue Monster's difficult finishing hole -- which played as the toughest the first two rounds and third toughest on Saturday -- sent Wetterich off in a positive frame of mind. "It gives you like a sense of like, hey, I played well today and I got to make that last putt," he said. Wetterich has never played a competitive round with Woods, who was among his teammates on the Ryder Cup team, although they did play nine holes together at The K Club. He's looking forward to the challenge.
"It's going to be a big difference," Wetterich said. "He's going out there and he wants to win, you know, and so do I. I'm sure even if I play with him, we might say a few words and laugh and giggle a little bit but for the most part I think it's going to be pretty much all business." Wetterich certainly won't be giving up any distance to Woods. He ranks fourth on TOUR in driving distance with an average of 302.8 while Woods is ninth at 298.9. Asked who hits it farther, Wetterich said it would "depend on who is madder" and Woods didn't disagree. "I think we are about the same with the driver," Woods said. "He's certainly longer with a 3 wood than I am. He hits it further than I do. I think him and (Henrik) Stenson are ridiculous how far they can hit 3 woods. "Brett hits pretty much kind of a low cut, and he goes at it no holds barred and makes a bunch of birdies. Once he gets it rolling, he does get it rolling pretty good. That's one of the reasons why we put him out there in the best ball in the Ryder Cup because he just makes a ton of birdies." If history holds true to form, Wetterich -- or anyone else -- will surely need a ton of birdies on Sunday to beat Woods. He's hardly throwing up the white flag, though. "I have a chance to, for sure," he said. "Anybody within maybe a couple shots has a chance. So it's just, you've got to go out and play your own game, and that's what I'm going to try to do and try not to pay attention to whoever I'm playing with. " Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. |
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