Woods says sweeping majors 'easily within reason'

By Lynn DeBruin, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 23, 2008 at 12:45 a.m.

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Photo by Reed Saxon / Associated Press

Tiger Woods, who will make his 2008 debut at Torrey Pines, which will host the U.S. Open, could be primed for a run at the single-season Grand Slam.

K.J. Choi

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For some, Hawaii marks the official start of the men's professional golf season. Others don't pay attention until the Masters in April.

But with Tiger Woods finally teeing it up this week at the Buick Invitational in San Diego, it's time to look ahead to what 2008 might hold.

For starters, there's Woods' duel with world No. 2 Phil Mickelson, who on Tuesday pronounced himself ready to go at Torrey Pines after three days spent battling an upper respiratory ailment that had him on bed rest and antibiotics.

Mickelson is familiar with the golf course, having grown up in San Diego. But so is Woods, who has won the Buick five times and each of the past three years - one reason why some think this could be the start of something Grand.

The U.S. Open - the major that has eluded Woods since 2002 - will be held at Torrey Pines in five months, a course where Woods has gone as low as 62 and has a 68.2 scoring average.

Granted, it will be beefed up come June, when the U.S. Golf Association is running the show, and Woods has won more than two majors in a calendar year only once.

But with his focus even more on golf, Woods has acknowledged the possibility of a calendar year Grand Slam.

"I think it's easily within reason," he said on his Web site recently.

Mark O'Meara, speaking Tuesday at the Buick, doesn't doubt it.

"I know there was probably moments last year with Elin having the baby . . . the fact that he lost his dad the year before. Sometimes people's focus can vary at different stages of your career," O'Meara said. "I reckon he's as focused as ever and fired up and ready to go."

Stories to watch

While Woods looks for win No. 62 this week in his PGA Tour season debut, there are plenty of other story lines this season.

* What will Phil do next? Mickelson switched swing coaches and won three PGA Tour events last year, but no majors. Now, at 37, can he catch fire again and challenge Woods?

* On the move: What player will take the next step up the ladder, especially with Vijay Singh (now 44) falling to No. 11 in the world and Retief Goosen No. 28? Will it be young standouts Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Jonathan Byrd, Anthony Kim or Rory Sabbatini? Or South Korea's K.J. Choi, with $1 million in the bank already this year?

* In the cup: All PGA and Nationwide tour members will be subject to random urine tests, starting this year, beginning July 8 at the John Deere Classic (Champions Tour testing is awaiting its policy board's approval). The tests will look for performance-enhancing substances, masking agents and recreational drugs including cocaine and marijuana. A first offense will merit up to a one-year suspension.

* Ending the drought: Who will win on tour again first, No. 5 Ernie Els, who admitted 2007 "didn't go as well as I had originally hoped or anticipated," or John Daly, who now has Butch Harmon as his coach? Neither has won on U.S. soil since 2004.

* Ending the drought part II: Will more captain's picks finally help the U.S. win a Ryder Cup? Paul Azinger gets four now instead of two. But it remains to be seen if the Americans can snap Europe's streak of three straight and four of the past five.

Grand Slam?

If Woods is to win the Grand Slam, this might be a good year to do it. He'll be the favorite to win a fifth green jacket at Augusta in April, is familiar with the U.S. Open venue at Torrey Pines and finished third the last time the British was held at Royal Birkdale (1998). He doesn't have much history at Oakland Hills, site of the PGA Championship in August, but has won the event four times.

* Masters: Tied for third in 2006, tied for second in 2007. Is there a trend here?

* U.S. Open: Hasn't won since 2002, but Torrey Pines isn't Oakmont or Winged Foot.

* British Open: In his previous visit to Royal Birkdale, he finished one shot out of a playoff.

* PGA Championship: He'll be going for the three-peat this year.

Local flavor

* David Duval: Cherry Hills Village resident had a top-25 all-time exemption last year but played in only seven events while helping with his pregnant wife and their children. He has 20 events in 2008 to earn $713,235; if he can make that, he will be granted major medical extension status for rest of the year. He has had a rough start, though, finishing 125th in Bob Hope last week. 2007 earnings: $71,945.

* Shane Bertsch: Parker resident was granted a major medical exemption for 2008 after missing all but four events last year because of vertigo. He has 28 events to earn $774,164. If he can reach that figure, he will be able to play with major medical extension status for the rest of 2008. So far, so good. In two events, he has earned $94,620 - including $73,950 (tie for 16th) at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. 2007 earnings: $20,670.

* R.W. Eaks: Colorado Springs native and Northern Colorado grad had a big year on the Champions Tour in 2007, winning twice and posting 11 top-10 finishes en route to sixth on the money list. Tied for 23rd in the MasterCard Championship last week. 2007 earnings: $1,534,098.

* Hale Irwin: 10th on Champions Tour money list in 2007, having started the season in style with a victory at the MasterCard Championship for his 45th victory. Tied for 30th in the event this year. 2007 earnings: $1,269,513.

* Kevin Stadler: Son of Evergreen resident Craig Stadler kept his PGA Tour card by finishing 124th on the money list. Best finish this year is tie for 69th at the Sony Open. 2007 earnings: $810, 856.

* Craig Stadler: Hasn't won since 2004 but four top 10s on Champions Tour put him 32nd on money list in 2007. Also off to a good start in 2008, tying for eighth in MasterCard Championship. 2007 earnings: $568,604.

* Brandt Jobe: Freak home accident forced him to undergo season-ending surgery last year. Granted major medical extension for 2008 and has 23 events to earn $774,164 and receive major medical extension status for rest of the year. 2007 earnings: $11,016.

* Mark Wiebe: After making history by winning his Champions Tour debut, he's off to good start in 2008 with a tie for 13th at the MasterCard Championship and has run his streak of consecutive holes without a three-putt to 288. 2007 earnings: $459,729 ($20,535 on Nationwide Tour).

* Martin Laird: A 2004 graduate of Colorado State, Laird, a native of Scotland, earned his PGA Tour card by finishing 13th on the Nationwide Tour money list in 2007. He has made two cuts in two tries so far. 2007 earnings $252,679.

Coming to Colorado

The U.S. Amateur Public Links championship will be held July 14-19 at Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora.

The event, which attracts players from all walks of life - bus drivers to bartenders and firemen to college professors - gives exposure to public course players who otherwise might not have an opportunity to compete in a national championship.

There is no age limit on applicants, but they must have a handicap index no higher than 4.4. Applications will be available online the second week of March at USGA.org.

Last year's champion was Colt Knost, a recent graduate of Southern Methodist. Past winners include Billy Mayfair (1986), Tim Clark (1997), Trevor Immelman (1998), Brandt Snedeker (2003), and Ryan Moore (2004).

Senior moment

The Champions Tour already boasts big names such as Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Jay Haas and Tom Watson. Soon it will have a few more.

Also becoming eligible for the Champions Tour this year are Sandy Lyle (Feb. 9), Ian Woosnam (March 2), Hal Sutton (April 28), Larry Mize (Sept. 23) and Joey Sindelar (March 30).

Others who turned 50 late last season (Jeff Sluman, Sept. 11; Bernhard Langer, Aug. 27; John Cook, Oct. 2) are considered rookies as they did not play in the six events needed to qualify for Rookie of the Year honors.

Coming to Colorado II

Speaking of the over-50 crowd, the Senior U.S. Open will be held July 31 to Aug. 3 at the Broadmoor's East Course in Colorado Springs.

Applicants must be 50 on or before July 30 with a handicap index of 3.4 or lower. Online applications will be available the first week of March at USGA.org. Entries close June 11 and qualifying rounds will be played June 27 to July 7.

Last year's champion was Brad Bryant. Past winners include Allen Doyle (2005, 2006), Peter Jacobsen (2004), Bruce Lietzke (2003) and Dan Pooley (2002).

Survivors

Qualifying school is all about surviving, and after six rounds last month, 26 players earned their PGA Tour cards. One of them was a survivor long before that.

Todd Demsey, 35, survived two operations on his brain to remove tumors, the first in January 2003, less than a month after his wedding.

Now, the former NCAA champion is back on tour after a 10-year absence.

"I came here to get my card, but it's not life or death," Demsey said after earning his card. "I have things in perspective."

Another Q-school survivor was Oklahoma's Cody Freeman, who won't have to sell insurance this year if he has success.

Rookies to watch

* Brett Rumford: Finished second in Q-school tournament but already has three career European Tour wins. Will he be the next Australian to make a name for himself in the U.S.?

* Yong Eun-Yang: South Korean already can say what most cannot - he beat Tiger Woods. He accomplished the feat in China last year.

* Richard Johnson: Nationwide Tour money winner playing with big boys now.

Did you know?

* The PGA Tour's Shotlink can measure everything from swing and ball speeds to hang time and smash factor. Going into this week's Buick Open, J.B. Holmes had the top clubhead speed (125 mph) and ball speed (184 mph), while Fred Couples registered the top hang time (7.4 seconds) and Henrik Stenson the top carry distance (311 yards).

* Tommy Gainey, a PGA Tour rookie, is nicknamed Two Gloves because he wears gloves on both hands. He worked on an assembly line in South Carolina before making a name on The Big Break.

* Marc Turnesa, who earned his card after success on the Nationwide Tour, has to keep up the family name. Six of his relatives have played on the PGA Tour and another, Willie, won the 1938 and 1948 U.S. Amateur Championships.

* Bubba Watson's wife, the former Angie Ball, is a former WNBA player.

Numbers game

16 tournaments it took last year for Tiger Woods to earn $10 million, the same amount Frank Lickliter, now in his 17th season, earned in 16 years.

He said it

"I tell them she's a friend of mine, which she is. I've known her for 10 or 11 years now. We all say things we do regret, and that's certainly a moment she does regret."

Tiger Woods, on the controversy surrounding Golf Chan- nel anchor Kelly Tilghman, whose use of the word "lynch" during banter about Woods touched off a firestorm.

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