The PGA Tour heads to Florida this week for one of the true player-friendly events of the season. The event is held near Walt Disney World, and the golfers usually bring their families along for the week. This week should be no different, and the field is looking strong as well. The Funai Classic and next week’s Chrysler Championship are the only events remaining before the Tour Championship.
Three of the top four golfers in the world will be playing this week. Those three golfers are Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, and Retief Goosen. Chris DiMarco, an Orlando resident and the ninth-ranked player in the world, will also appear. Wes Short Jr., the unlikely winner last week in Las Vegas, will be making his first start since winning his first-ever PGA Tour tournament.
Tiger Woods has been the best golfer in the world most of the season, and he currently has a commanding lead on the PGA Tour money list and Official World Golf Rankings list. Woods also has his sights set on the all-time record for money won in a single season on the PGA Tour. Singh broke Woods’ previous record last year, and Tiger will be trying to return the favor this time around. Woods needs about $1 million more to break Singh’s PGA Tour record of $10.9 million in a season.
Speaking of Vijay Singh, he has had an awesome season as well. Singh has four victories so far and is right behind Tiger on the PGA Tour money list and Official World Golf Rankings. Vijay has also racked up 17 top-10 finishes, which is good enough for first on the PGA Tour. He has been very consistent this season and is coming off a top-10 finish in his last start at the WGC-American Express Championship (T6). Singh also finished in a tie for second last year at the Funai Classic.
Retief Goosen missed the WGC-American Express Championship due to personal reasons, but he played great at the Presidents Cup last month. Goosen has won numerous times worldwide in 2005, including the Sprint International on the PGA Tour. The Goose passed fellow South African Ernie Els in the world rankings and is close to doing the same to Phil Mickelson. He is currently about a half-point away from moving into third position behind Woods and Singh.
The other notables in the field are Chris DiMarco and Fred Couples, both Presidents Cup heros last month. DiMarco has played well all year, but he hasn’t picked up a victory yet. DiMarco’s most memorable finish was a runner-up finish to Tiger at The Masters. The same can be said for Couples. Freddie has yet to win in 2005, but he has a couple top-10 finishes to speak of. Couples finished second at The Memorial.
Just like last week, golfers will be pushing hard to finish in the top-30 on the PGA Tour money list, as well as the top-125 on the money list. Charles Howell III finished in fifth place last week in Las Vegas, and the earnings put him in the ever-popular 30th spot on the money list. Howell III is in the field this week, and one more good finish should put him in the Tour Championship in two weeks. Shigeki Maruyama also vaulted into the top-30 after finishing in a tie for sixth in Las Vegas. Maruyama moved up ten spots from 35th to 25th.
The two golfers that fell out of the top-30 are Zach Johnson and Joe Ogilvie. Johnson sits in 33rd this week, and Ogilvie sits in 31st. Neither one of these golfers are in the field this week, which will leave Fred Couples another opening to make a move. Couples was 31st last week and remains that way this week. Wes Short Jr., last week’s winner, moved from 176th to 70th.
The top-125 on the PGA Tour money list earn their tour cards for next season, and the race is heating up. Wes Short Jr., Nick Watney, and Briny Baird all moved into the top-125 with solid finishes last week in Las Vegas. On the other side of things, Patrick Sheehan, Todd Hamilton, and Tag Ridings all dropped out of the top-125 after dismal finishes. Hunter Mahan currently sits in 125th place.
Disney’s Magnolia and Disney’s Palm Course are the two courses for this week’s Funai Classic, and the scoring should be low at both places. The Magnolia course measures 7,516 yards and par is 72. The Palm course is much shorter at 6,957 yards where par is also 72. The finishing holes on each respective course are tough as nails and will test the player’s games all week.
The finishing hole at Magnolia is a 492-yard par 4 that requires an accurate tee shot to avoid water down the right side of the hole. The green is also protected on the right side by water, as well as a few tough bunkers. The golfers will take par here every time. The finishing hole at the Palm course is a 454-yard par 4 that requires a great tee shot and approach shot. The hole is protected on both sides by woodlands, and the green is protected by a large bunker in the front. This hole has been ranked as high as fourth on the PGA Tour’s list of toughest holes. Par will go a long way at this nasty finishing hole.
Last week, I picked Jim Furyk to win the Michelin Championship. He definitely didn’t dissapoint, losing on the second playoff hole. My “sleeper” pick, Lee Janzen, finished in a tie for 25th and moved up a few spots on the money list. This week, it will come down to Tiger and Vijay. Either pick is a good pick, but I’m going with Vijay. Tiger has won this event twice in his career, and Vijay won it in 2003. He will join Tiger as a two-time Funai Classic winner this week. For my “sleeper” pick, I’m going with Briny Baird. Baird finished in a tie for eighth last week to move into the top-125 on the money list, and he finished in a tie for second last year at the Funai Classic.
The weather for the Funai Classic isn’t looking too great. There is a chance for showers each day, with slightly higher chances for Saturday and Sunday. The conditions will be very muggy, with highs in the mid-to-high 80s. If there is a little rain, the scores should be even lower than they usually are. As usual, let’s hope the rain stays away for the most part, so the golfers can get their rounds completed.
Last year, Ryan Palmer shot a final-round 62 to defeat Vijay Singh and Briny Baird by three strokes. The field this week will be playing for an overall purse of $4.2 million, with $756,000 going to the winner. Past winners of this event include Jack Nicklaus (three times), Tiger Woods (twice), Vijay Singh, and David Duval.
The season is quickly winding down, but this week’s field boasts three of the top-four golfers in the world. That is a good enough reason for me to watch as much as I can. Tiger and Vijay have both played pretty well as of late, so it should be fun if those two are around the top of the leaderboard when Sunday rolls around. And watch out for the always-steady Retief Goosen. The Funai Classic can be seen this week on ESPN and ABC at the following times:
Thu 3-6pm ET ESPN Fri 3-6pm ET ESPN Sat 4-6pm ET ESPN Sun 3-6pm ET ABC