It has been confirmed on the HSBC World Match Play Championship web site that the top three ranked players in the world – Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, and Phil Mickelson – will not be in the field. The tournament, which boasts a $1.78 million purse to the winner, will be played on September 15-18 at the West Course at Wentworth in England. The highest prize in golf was not even enough for Ernie Els to jump out of bed and forget about recovering from a recent knee surgery.
One would think that the tournament could not get any worse without Woods, Singh, Mickelson, and Els absent, but it does. With the exception of Chris DiMarco and Fred Couples, Sergio Garcia and Davis Love III have decided to stay home and watch Geraldo Rivera wade around New Orleans on FOX News. Vijay Singh will be defending his title against Mickelson, Couples and DiMarco at the 84 Lumber Classic in western Pennsylvania. There is not one American player in the field.
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