The Chrysler Championship is the last full-field event before the season-ending Tour Championship. There is really only one key story to keep an eye on this week, and that is the race to finish in the top-30 on the PGA Tour money list. Sure, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, Adam Scott, and David Toms are all top-ten golfers playing this week, but those guys have their spots wrapped up. The guys near the 30th position will be sweating it out the most this week.
Charles Howell III is the lucky golfer sitting in the 30th position on the PGA Tour money list. Howell moved up to 30th two weeks ago and maintained it after finishing in a tie for 15th last week at the Funai Classic. He will need another finish in the top-20 this week to be safe because a couple guys will more than likely move up the list with great finishes.
The two golfers that made the biggest jump last week were Funai Classic champion Lucas Glover and Geoff Ogilvy. Glover moved from 57th to 28th with his victory, putting him in pretty solid position heading into the Chrysler Championship. Ogilvy is also in pretty good shape, moving from 38th to 27th after last week’s great finish (T3).
On the other side of things, Jason Bohn and Peter Lonard moved out of the top-30 after last week’s Funai Classic. Bohn missed the cut, and Lonard finished in a tie for 70th. These two are now on the outside looking in, and both will be in the field this week. Bohn and Lonard, as well as the rest of the golfers around the 30th position, will be trying to cement their spot in the Tour Championship.
Shigeki Maruyama moved from 25th to 29th last week and will need to finish strong to avoid slipping even further down the money list. The other golfers just below 30th include Joe Ogilvie (33rd), Fred Couples (34th), and Zach Johnson (35th). These guys can still make it to the Tour Championship with a finish near the top of the leaderboard, but they have no time for mistakes this week. All are in the field this week except Couples.
The race to see who finishes in the top-30 will be one of the main focuses of the week, but don’t forget about the big guns teeing it up. There are four guys ranked in the top-10 in the world rankings making an appearance in Florida this week. Vijay Singh leads the strong field and is the defending champion of the event. Singh is the leading money winner in the event’s four-year history. Not only did he win the Chrysler Championship last year, he also finished runner-up to Retief Goosen in 2003.
Last year, Vijay Singh shot four rounds in the 60s en route to winning the 2004 Chrysler Championship by five shots over Jesper Parnevik and Tommy Armour III. Singh’s final-round 65 was plenty to get the job done. He also became the first golfer to eclipse the $10 million mark in a single season. Vijay definitely has great memories of this event, and he will be the favorite once again this year. Rounding out the top-five last year was Joe Durant (4th) and Kirk Triplett (5th).
Retief Goosen is the second leading money winner in this event’s history. As I already mentioned, Goosen won the Chrysler Championship in 2003. He didn’t do as well last year but still finished in the top-20. Goosen is fourth in the world and is close to passing Phil Mickelson for third. The Goose let an opportunity pass last week after finishing in a tie for 58th at the Funai Classic. However, if Goosen has success this week, he could definitely leapfrog Lefty in the world rankings.
Adam Scott and David Toms will also be in the field this week. Both guys have had solid years and are still ranked in the top-10 in the world. Both guys have one win apiece on the PGA Tour in 2005, but both were back in February. Scott won the rain-shortened Nissan Open, and Toms won the Accenture Match Play Championship the next week. Toms is currently fifth on the money list, while Scott is ranked 13th.
The course for this week’s Chrysler Championship is the Westin Innisbrook-Copperhead course. The course measures 7,295 yards and par is 71. The opening hole is a double-dogleg par-5 hole measuring 560 yards. Although it’s very lengthy, it can still be a birdie hole if played correctly. The players really can’t go for the green in two because of the doglegs, but a well-placed drive and second shot will give the guys an opportunity to start the round with a red number.
The finishing hole is just a regular 445-yard par 4. The hole is uphill the entire way, ending with a green that slopes from back-to-front. An accurate tee shot will leave the golfers in good position to play an uphill approach to the green. The green is surrounded by bunkers in the front and back. The leaders will have opportunities for birdie at this hole, but they will also take their par and run if they get the chance.
Last week, my picks did awful. I picked Vijay Singh to win, and he missed the cut. My “sleeper” pick, Briny Baird, also missed the cut. Hopefully I can get on a roll the week before the Tour Championship, so here goes. I’m picking Tim Clark to win this week. Clark hasn’t won on the PGA Tour yet, but it seems like it’s a lot of first-time winners are winning lately. Clark is always near the top of the leaderboard, and I think it will be his week.
For my “sleeper” pick, I’m going with the red-hot Ryan Moore. Moore has been playing a lot lately in hopes of getting his PGA Tour card, and he has been playing very well to say the least. I think he will be in the mix this week and just may win his first PGA Tour event in the process. Moore finished in a tie for 13th last week at Disney.
The weather last week got a little shaky, but it worked out well for the players. This week, the weather should be pretty nice. The forecast calls for partly cloudy conditions on the weekend, but the probability of precipitation is very little. The highs should be in the mid-to-upper 70s, and the conditions should be awesome for the golfers. The scoring should also be very good, as it was last year.
The field will be playing for an overall purse of $5.3 million, with $954,000 going to the winner. Vijay Singh can’t catch Tiger on the money list this season, but he can still win the Chrysler Championship in back-to-back seasons. Add in Goosen, Scott, and Toms, and it should be an exciting event if they make the cut. And finally, don’t forget about the race to finish in the top-30 on the PGA Tour money list. The Chrysler Championship can be seen on USA and ABC this week at the following times:
Thu 4-6pm ET USA Fri 4-6pm ET USA Sat 3-6pm ET USA Sun 2-5pm ET ABC