Turning Stone hunting for Tiger - Wednesday, July 04, 2007
| Fred Funk and his merry band of supporters - Funk's Punks - is coming to town. So are Chris DiMarco, Woody Austin and Jason Gore. Add several others with colorful names - Bubba Dickerson, Duffy Waldorf and Rocco Mediate - to the list. Could Tiger Woods be next? On Tuesday, the first nine commitments for the inaugural Turning Stone Resort Championship - a new event on the PGA Tour's Fall Series - were announced. At the same, it was revealed that Turning Stone and Oneida Nation leader Ray Halbritter landed some major face time with Woods, the world's No. 1 golfer and celebrity, in an attempt to recruit him for the Sept. 20-23 event. The meeting occurred during Tuesday's practice round for this week's AT&T National tournament, a PGA Tour event in Bethesda, Md., that now has Woods serving as its host. Woods was playing with former Stanford teammate Notah Begay III, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour. Begay, a Native American, also happens to be the official ambassador for Turning Stone's tournament - the first PGA Tour event to be hosted by a Native American enterprise. "Ray Halbritter was following the players when Notah got him inside the ropes," said Oneida Nation spokesman Dan Hartman. "He walked the last nine holes with Tiger and Notah and was able to talk with Tiger." The meeting was the second time Halbritter has met with Woods. The first came during the Wachovia Championship the first week of May. "At that time, Tiger said he already knew about our tournament because Notah had told him about it," Hartman said. "So he's very aware of it." For several reasons, Woods is considered a long shot to play at Turning Stone. First, he plays a limited schedule - usually less than 20 tournaments each year - and second he rarely plays more than two or three weeks in a row. This year's newly designed PGA Tour schedule will tax those past habits as it introduces the FedEx Cup Playoffs - a series of four tournaments over four straight weeks that concludes with the Tour Championship Sept. 13-16. The winner of the playoffs earns a $10 million bonus. Turning Stone's tournament starts the week after the Tour Championship. It is followed by the Presidents Cup, the elite team competition that matches the top 12 United States players - including Woods - against the top 12 international players. For Woods to play at Turning Stone, it would probably mean competing five straight weeks, and six out of seven, because the year's final major, the PGA Championship, precedes the FedEx Cup Playoffs by two weeks. If Woods plays in all of the Playoff events and at Turning Stone, he would then be scheduled to play a sixth straight event - the Presidents Cup in Montreal - before taking a break. Other than a $6 million purse, with more than $1 million to the winner, what does Turning Stone have to offer to the richest man in sports? "Well, this is the only Native American venue (on the PGA Tour), and he is part Native," Halbritter said of Woods during a news conference in April. "We don't know. He's in high demand . . . (but) I think there's something we can provide in a level of amenities. And it just might be something he'd be interested in." As for those who have indicated their intentions to play at Turning Stone's Atunyote course, the 51-year-old Funk is the biggest name. The colorful character continues to remain competitive past 50, having won on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour (for players 50-and-over) this season. The fan favorite has claimed eight PGA Tour titles, including the prestigious Players Championship - known as the fifth major - in 2005. Here's a look at others who have indicated they will play: Chris DiMarco: The three-time winner is best known for two near-misses in major championships and for his rabid support of his alma mater, the Florida Gators. In the 2004 PGA Championship, DiMarco lost to Vijay Singh in a playoff. The following spring, he lost another memorable extra-hole affair to Tiger Woods in the Masters. DiMarco finished 53rd on the 2006 money list ($1,537,926) and is 103rd this year. Jason Gore: The engaging journeyman hit the limelight in 2005 when he contended for the U.S. Open, playing in the final group the final day with Retief Goosen. He followed that up with three straight wins on the Nationwide Tour, earning a "battlefield promotion" to the PGA Tour. There he won the 84 Lumber Classic and earned a two-year exemption on the big tour. Last year he finished 118th on the money list and this year he continued to struggle until tying for second in last week's Buick Open. Woody Austin: The 13-year veteran has earned more than $1 million in each of the past five seasons, including this year when he won his third career title. He closed with a tournament-record 62 to claim the Stanford St. Jude Championship last month and followed up by tying Gore for second in last week's Buick Open. Austin is best known, however, for his big driver, loud shirts, and volcanic temper. The 43-year-old once got so mad after missing a putt that he repeatedly smacked himself in the forehead with the club. Ouch. Rocco Mediate: The five-time winner has been plagued by back problems in recent years, but still has recorded two top-10 finishes this year and a tie for 15th in The Memorial, giving him $904,404 in winnings so far. Mediate, who began the season as an on-course commentator for The Golf Channel, previously played at Turning Stone's Shenendoah course in the Telergy Celebrity Golf Classic in 2000. Duffy Waldorf: A four-time winner known for wearing gaudy flower print hats barely lost retaining full playing privileges this season, finishing 131st on the 2006 money list (the top 125 keep full exemptions). Waldorf has made six cuts in 12 starts this year, with three top-20 finishes. Bubba Dickerson: The 2001 U.S. Amateur champion also just missed keeping full playing privileges after finishing 127th on the 2006 money list in his rookie season. This year, he has made only two of eight cuts and earned just $42,020. Kevin Stadler: A lookalike for his more famous father, Craig "The Walrus" Stadler, Kevin is returning to the PGA Tour after spending last season on the Nationwide Tour. The 27-year-old has four wins on the Nationwide Tour, including two last season. Robert Gamez: The three-time winner last hoisted a winner's trophy in 2005 at the Valero Texas Open. Gamez, who will turn 39 last this month, has made the cut in half of his 18 starts this year, earning $260,604 with one top-10 finish. He ranks 148th on the money list. |
