Mar. 3, 2010
Here's a quick look at the Florida swing of the PGA TOUR schedule, starting with this week's Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
| Florida swing |
| Plenty of sunshine ... and a chance to see Arnie |
MARCH 1-7: The Honda Classic, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
MARCH 8-14: WGC-CA Championship, Doral, Fla.
MARCH 15-21: Transitions Championship, Tampa, Fla.
MARCH 22-28: Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, Orlando, Fla.
THE SKINNY: There are five tournaments in the Sunshine State, but only four are now part of the Florida swing. That's because THE PLAYERS Championship, which is the PGA TOUR's signature event, was moved to May in 2007 to give the schedule a marquee tournament each month beginning with the Masters in April.
The kickoff to the Florida swing is The Honda Classic, which is being played at PGA National for the third straight year. The tournament began at the Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic back in 1972 and counts Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller as its only multiple champs. In the we-should-have-seen-it-coming category, Y.E. Yang won last year -- five months before he stared down Tiger Woods and won the PGA Championship.
Those lucky enough to make the elite field for the World Golf Championships-CA Championship, which is played at TPC Blue Monster at Doral, will only have a 90-minute commute to this Miami suburb. Phil Mickelson is the defending champion after outlasting Nick Watney to win his first and only World Golf Championships title. Not to be outdone, though, Tiger Woods has won this tournament six times on as many courses -- including the Blue Monster -- in four different countries. No word yet on whether he'll make his 2010 return at Doral.
The CA Championship has now found a home at Doral, and Woods also won the last two Ford Championships there before the World Golf Championships moved in.
Those players who don't qualify for the limited-field CA Championship can travel to Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular.
The Transitions Championship is a relative newcomer to the PGA TOUR schedule. It debuted in 2000 and has been played on the challenging Copperhead course at the Westin Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor on the Gulf Coast ever since. Retief Goosen became the tournament's first two-time winner last year when he rolled in a testy 5-footer for par on the 72nd hole to beat Brett Quigley and Charles Howell III by a stroke. The victory ended a four-year victory drought for Goosen.
Most appropriately, the finale to the Florida swing is also one of its most popular with the players and the fans. The host is ever-present at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard contested at his Bay Hill Club since 1979. The tournament actually dates back to 1966 when it was played at another Orlando club, Rio Pinar, where Palmer happened to win in 1971.
Other generations have taken over, but no one besides Palmer "owns" Bay Hill more than Woods, who is the two-time defending champion and a six-time winner overall. He rolled in a 15-footer on the final hole in 2009 to complete a five-stroke comeback and win for the first time since an eight-month layoff due to ACL reconstruction in his left knee. If he doesn't come back at Doral, might he return here? Who knows.
OTHER FLORIDA TOUR EVENTS
MAY 3-9: THE PLAYERS Championship, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
NOV. 8-14: Children's Miracle Network Classic, Lake Buena Vista, Fla. |
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