Westwood adds Irish Open to his schedule"I DON'T know what it is, something passed down from the kids to dad," remarked an under-the-weather Lee Westwood, still sniffling yesterday from whatever viral infection caused him to miss last week's Wachovia Championship on the US Tour.
Still one tournament's loss is another's gain, in this case the Irish Open. While the Englishman - currently heading Europe's Ryder Cup qualifying list and ranked 20th in the world - hasn't played since the Masters last month and resumes competitive play here at the Players Championship, the unintentional, expanded break since Augusta has led Westwood to add next week's Irish Open at Adare Manor on to his schedule.
Although a two-time winner of the European Open when it was held at The K Club, Westwood has never managed to win the Irish Open. Since making his debut in 1994, he has had four top-10s including a runner-up finish behind Colin Montgomerie at Druids Glen in 1997. He finished tied-21st at Adare Manor last year.
For now, though, it is back to business at Sawgrass for Westwood who missed the Players last year but has performed well here in the past, finishing tied-fifth in 1998 and tied-sixth in 1999.
But if Westwood were given the choice of winning the Players or a World Golf Championship event, he'd pick a WGC title. Why? "I think the WGCs have drawn something away from the size of the Players. You could have a European that's 51st in the world and wouldn't be in the field this week . . . so you could argue that the WGCs are stronger fields that this now." Ouch! The mandarins in the PGA Tour HQ at Sawgrass wouldn't like that assessment of the state of affairs for the unofficial fifth major.
Weekley braced for a different challenge
BOO WEEKLEY doesn't believe that he holds any advantage at the TPC Sawgrass just because the course has the same designer, Pete Dye, as at Hilton Head where the dial-a-quote American won back-to-back titles in the Heritage Classic. "This golf course is like one on steroids compared to over there (at Hilton Head). It's the same type of golf course, just longer and you've got to hit longer irons into these greens."
Long final hole asks the toughest questions
ALTHOUGH THE par three 17th is the most famous hole at the TPC Sawgrass, the toughest hole over the 26 years that the tournament has been played here is actually the par 18th with an average score of 4.36 . . . while the 17th, with a stroke average of 3.11, is the ninth toughest.
The 18th has water all down the left, forcing players to bail out right from the tee. Since 2003, there have been 576 approach shots from the right rough and only 18 per cent of those players hit the green in regulation.
Players trophy a cut above the rest
AS TROPHIES go, that awarded to the winner of The Players is one of the more elegant on tour. Designed by Waterford Crystal's master craftsman Martin Ryan, the trophy - which debuted last year when Phil Mickelson triumphed - retains the shape of the original but, although only three inches taller than its predecessor, is almost double the overall size.
A new pattern on the trophy depicts palm fronds and foliage unique to Florida, and it took more than 120 hours of precise cutting and engraving to create one of the more cherished trophies around.
The original Players trophy was hewn from black granite and, respecting this long tradition, the new Waterford trophy rests on a special black granite base. Since 2001, each year a different master engraver has travelled from Waterford to engrave the winner's name . . . this year the honour will fall to Pat Brophy.
Padraig Harrington at Sawgrass
2001: 70-75-73-72 T-33rd
2002: 70-72-77-70 T-22nd
2003: 67-68-70-72 T-2nd
2004: 68-70-73-66 2nd
2005: 67-73-77-78 T-63rd
2006: 73-73 MC
2007: 76-70-74-70 T-52nd
