Tiger Woods comes into the Buick Open on top of the golfing world as always. Mr. Woods won his second major of the year two weeks ago at St. Andrews to (hopefully) answer the question “is he back yet” once and for all!
Unfortunately, last year’s Buick Open took place when Woods was still facing that question, and the honor of being defending champion belongs to Tiger’s top rival, Vijay Singh. Both players will be looking to win this event for the second time in their respective careers. Singh also won it in 1997, and Tiger won it in 2002.
Last year at Warwick Hills, Singh dualed with Tiger and John Daly on Sunday before finally putting the tournament away late. Vijay lit up the golf course, finishing at -23 overall. This was good enough to edge out Daly by one shot and Tiger by two. Vijay’s putting has let him down numerous times this season, but his excellent iron play has kept him in contention.
Woods and Daly participated in the annual Battle at the Bridges Monday night. They teamed up and went head-to-head against Phil Mickelson and Retief Goosen. Daly and Woods were defeated 5 & 3 by “Lefty” and “The Goose.” Both hope to have a little more success when they tee it up this Thursday at Warwick Hills.
The winner of this golf tournament in 2003 was Jim Furyk. Furyk is coming off his worst start in a few months at the British Open. He missed the cut by a few shots after being picked by many to contend. This won’t bother Furyk though, as he is one the best golfers in the world at bouncing back. The unorthadox Furyk won last month’s Western Open, holding off Tiger Woods in the process. Like Woods, Furyk will also be trying to win the Buick Open for a second time.
A few other notables that are in the field this week are Chris DiMarco, Scott Verplank, and Stuart Appleby. DiMarco is the highest-ranked golfer in the field besides Woods, Singh, and Furyk, but he hasn’t necessarily been playing his best golf as of late. As everyone knows, DiMarco went on a tear in April and May, finishing on the first page of the leaderboard almost every start. He has cooled off as of late and will be looking to get things going in the right direction again.
Scott Verplank has been very consistent in 2005, and he almost won last week in Milwaukee. Verplank finished second behind Ben Crane, but he still moved back up to 23rd in the world rankings. Verplank has contended just about everywhere this year, and he will probably be a factor again this week at Warwick Hills. Stuart Appleby is on the other side of the fence. He has moved way down the world rankings list since his win at the Mercedes Championship in January. What looked like a promising year has turned into a huge dissapointment for the Aussie.
Sean O’Hair and Jason Bohn are also in the field this week, and they both won their first PGA Tour event earlier this month. O’Hair won the John Deere Classic a few weeks back and then finished in a tie for 15th at St. Andrews. While O’Hair was playing the British Open, Jason Bohn was busy winning the B.C. Open. He also finished in a tie for 14th last week in Milwaukee. There is no secret these two are riding high with confidence, and they could be a force this week.
Warwick Hills Golf & Country ClubWarwick Hills Golf & Country Club is the golf course for the Buick Open. It is located in Grand Blanc, Michigan, and it’s a very nice layout. The course measures 7,127 and par is 72. The opening hole will provide a quick opportunity for birdie. The 567-yard par 5 can be reached in two by the long hitters and should play as one of the easiest holes on the course all week.
The two finishing holes will provide a tough finishing stretch at Warwick Hills. The 17th hole is a 197-yard par 3 where water comes into play. The green slopes towards the water hazard, so the long-iron tee shot will need to be placed in the middle of the green. This hole is probably the prettiest hole on the golf course and the location where the most fans are gathered.
The finishing hole is a 435-yard par 4. The only things that come into play are trees, bunkers, out of bounds, and a water hazard. Other than that, it should be pretty simple. This hole will definitely be vital if the leaderboard is closely-packed when Sunday rolls around.
Last week I picked Scott Verplank to win the U.S. Bank Championship, and he finished second. I was definitely pleased with that prediction. My “sleeper” pick Hunter Mahan started off on fire but fizzled on the weekend. This week, I am picking Chris DiMarco. I think the master of the claw grip is due for a win, and he finished in a tie for 15th last year at Warwick Hills. He was also the runner-up to Jim Furyk at the Buick Open in 2003. For my “sleeper” pick, I’m going with Mark O’Meara. He hasn’t played very well this year, but he has a good record at the Buick Open. O’Meara finished in a tie for 10th last year and was the runner-up in 2002.
The weather last week played a factor in Milwaukee, but it should be pretty clear for the Buick Open this week. There is a small chance of rain on Friday, but it’s only about 20%. The highs should be around 80 degrees, so the conditions should be perfect. The scoring should also be pretty low as it was last year.
It’s always a bonus for golf fans when Tiger and Vijay are playing the same tournament. Sprinkle in Daly, Furyk, and DiMarco, and the tournament should be pretty exciting. Tiger’s lead in the world rankings is very large, so Vijay will have to dominate this week in order to begin creeping back to the top position. The golfers will be playing for a total purse worth $4.6 million, with $828,000 and a new Buick going to the winner. The Buick Open can be seen this week on USA and CBS at the following times:
Thu 4-6pm ET USA Fri 4-6pm ET USA Sat 3-6pm ET CBS Sun 3-6pm ET CBS