TOUR Insider: Children's Miracle Network Classic  PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent There should be a lot of smiles making the rounds this week at the PGA TOUR's season finale, the Children's Miracle Network Classic presented by Wal-Mart.  Joe Durant talks to Mickey Mouse after winning the 2006 event. (Greenwodd/WireImage)
Offering a $4.6 million purse to 132 lucky guys, this annual stop in the heart of the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., just outside Orlando, is a can't-miss affair for many TOUR fathers who usually try to make a working vacation out of visit to the Magic Kingdom. This year, for the first time, Wal-Mart, the champion of parsimonious shopping, is the presenting sponsor in support of a very worthy cause, the Children's Miracle Network. So, much of this week is about the kids. Excellent. But Wal-Mart might want to load up on the yellow smiley faces that are an omnipresent symbol in its stores. It's going to be hard for some guys to muster even a grin with all the pressure they are under. This is the week that lasts a year and defines the year. The PGA TOUR doesn't have one playoff season; it has two, and this week's tournament conducted on Disney's Magnolia and Palm courses, is the culminating event in the second. On the line, first and foremost, are playing privileges for 2008. Among players ranked 110 to 170 on the money list, just seven are sitting out, and most of those absent really don't have a choice due to injury or other factors. They are separated by about $580,000. But the number on which many are zeroing in is $758,734, the earnings of Ted Purdy, who is on the bubble -- 125th on the money list. Meanwhile, eight of the top 30 in earnings also are entered, as are 17 of the next 30, who are trying to get into that range and earn an invitation to the Masters. Mark Calcavecchia, who is 12th in money, is the highest-ranked player in the field. At the opposite end is Bob Burns, who won the 2002 Disney Golf Classic and is 243rd after playing most of the season on the Nationwide Tour.
As luck would have it (or maybe its misfortune since nerves tend to hamper the short game most), success at the two Disney courses is largely predicated on putting. Designed by Joe Lee, the par-72 Palm and Magnolia courses feature plenty of water hazards, but the fairways are wide, and scoring opportunities tend to proliferate due to the large, relatively subtle greens. Joe Durant led the field in putting average in winning a year ago with a 25-under 263 total. The Palm Course, at just 7,015 yards, is particularly defenseless. The Magnolia Course was upgraded to 7,514 yards in 2005 but can also be had with a hot putter. With complacency unlikely, players should expect another shootout to remain consistent with recent results; since 2000, the winning score has not exceeded 22-under-par 266. Worth knowing: Presidents Cup standout Woody Austin, a Florida native, is making his first domestic appearance since THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca Cola. Austin, 17th in points during the FedExCup season, has made just five of 11 cuts at Disney World Resort, but it's worth noting that all five have been in the top 25. Among the numerous Florida residents teeing it up this week is Chris DiMarco, who hasn't competed since he missed the cut at the Deutsche Bank Championship in early September. DiMarco is 110th on the money list; he hasn't finished out of the top 100 since 1998 when he ended up 111th. Turnover from last year's Disney event is quite high. Fifty-seven players either have never competed in the 35 previous editions or skipped the event last year. Twenty-five are making their debuts, including 16-year-old Tadd Fujikawa. Glen Day and tournament-record-holder John Huston have had the most success in the field with four top-10 finishes apiece. Seven others have had three top-10s, led by South African Tim Clark, who has, in four appearances, never finished outside the top 25. There have been 16 players who have broken through for their first PGA TOUR victory at Disney, including three in this decade. In the Fall Series, there have been two first-time winners, George McNeill and Daniel Chopra, which makes 10 for the season. Frank Lickliter is in danger of finishing below the magic 125 barrier for the second time in three years. He sits 138th on the money list. Fortunately, the final round of the year, should he make the cut, is on the Magnolia Course, where he shot a closing 10-under-par 62 last year to end up tied for second with Troy Matteson, four behind Joe Durant. And he does know how to close; he's 44th on TOUR in final round scoring average this year. Another veteran who needs a big week is Billy Andrade, who slipped to 148th after taking last week off. That wasn't his intention, however. Andrade had committed to the Running Horse Championship that was to be staged in California before that event was postponed because of course conditions. That gave way to the Ginn sur Mer Classic at Tesoro. All players entered in the original event were required to re-commit to the Florida event, but Andrade missed the deadline. Reigning U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera has signed a multi-year contract extension to continue playing PING golf equipment, a deal that requires him to put at least 11 PING clubs in his bag. TOUR Insider's power ranking for the Children's Miracle Network Classic presented by Wal-Mart: |
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