Tour Insider

Woods, Haney Staying in Touch

Posted: October 24, 2007

(Continued)

Three things:

First, nobody currently in the world top 10 is averaging more yards off the tee than Woods.

Second, only three players currently in the world top 10 (Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker and K.J. Choi) have been more accurate off the tee this year than Woods.

Third, nobody currently in the world top 10 is ranked higher in total driving than Woods.

For the record, Woods currently ranks 14th in driving distance on the PGA TOUR at 302.4 yards and 149th in driving accuracy at 59.83 per cent. He is tied for 49th in total driving with Chris Tidland.

Chris Tidland currently sits at the No. 402 spot in the world rankings, which is part of the reason Haney also has little use for the formula that determines total driving.

KAPALUA FIELD
The Fall Series has been a boon to the Mercedes-Benz Championship, adding recent winners Mike Weir, Justin Leonard and Chad Campbell to the field for the event that will kick off the 2008 PGA TOUR schedule.

“Mike is always a big draw with Canadian fans here,” said tournament chairman Gary Planos. “He gets galleries as big as anyone.” Particularly in recent times now that the Canadian dollar has improved against the U.S. dollar.

Meanwhile, there has been something of a buzz from those who think Planos’ field should and could be bigger. Right now there are 33 players who have qualified for the 2008 edition.

It has been suggested that getting more players in the field would offset the occasional absence of World No. 1 Tiger Woods and the repeated absences of World No. 2 Phil Mickelson.

“We like our format,” Planos said, adding that no change is expected.

Meanwhile Planos reports the greens on the back nine of the Bay Course at Kapalua will be completely renovated for the LPGA’s 2008 debut at Kapalua. The Kapalua LPGA Classic will be the third Hawaii event on the LPGA’s schedule next year.

KANN DO
Jay Williamson, safe for next year at more than $825,000 in earnings, has received a sponsor’s exemption for next week’s Fall Series closer at Disney.

His caddie, for the entire tournament, will be Golf Channel’s own Kraig Kann in a kind of self-styled bagman’s busman’s holiday.

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Woods, Haney Staying in Touch

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