Tournaments prepare for Tiger's eventual return
Source: Agencies |
March 11, 2010, Thursday
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NOT long after Tiger Woods returned home and starting practicing, the PGA Tour began checking with tournaments to make sure they were prepared to handle the hype over the comeback of the world's top player.
That even includes tournaments he has never played.
"Historically, he hasn't played the week before the Masters," said Steve Timms, tournament director of the Houston Open, which is the week before the Masters. "But these are unusual times. We're prepared from a security and media standpoint. We've been watching the media closely, and we've had some weird ones."
Timms, like other tournament directors, are in touch with PGA Tour officials about who is applying for media credentials.
The more immediate focus is in Florida. Long before Woods was exposed for cheating on his wife, there had been increasing speculation that he was considering the Transitions Championship one of these years, although this doesn't appear to be one of them.
Even so, tournament director Gerald Goodman said tour officials contacted him last week.
"They described it as talking to all tournaments," Goodman said. "They gave no indication that they knew anything, they were just wanting to be thorough. They asked us if we had room for media. We're a large resort on a thousand acres. There's plenty of room."
Scott Wellington didn't need a phone call to start planning. He's the tournament director of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, where Woods is a six-time champion and lives a short drive away.
Wellington said the tour shared information from its experience at the TPC Sawgrass, where Woods spoke publicly on February 19 for the first time since his car accident in November. Some 300 media came to a nearby hotel to cover the event.
Bay Hill is not the largest property, although it typically has a large media turnout because it is two weeks before the Masters.
"We'll accommodate to the extent we're able to," Wellington said. "But it's like a balloon. It can only get so big."
That even includes tournaments he has never played.
"Historically, he hasn't played the week before the Masters," said Steve Timms, tournament director of the Houston Open, which is the week before the Masters. "But these are unusual times. We're prepared from a security and media standpoint. We've been watching the media closely, and we've had some weird ones."
Timms, like other tournament directors, are in touch with PGA Tour officials about who is applying for media credentials.
The more immediate focus is in Florida. Long before Woods was exposed for cheating on his wife, there had been increasing speculation that he was considering the Transitions Championship one of these years, although this doesn't appear to be one of them.
Even so, tournament director Gerald Goodman said tour officials contacted him last week.
"They described it as talking to all tournaments," Goodman said. "They gave no indication that they knew anything, they were just wanting to be thorough. They asked us if we had room for media. We're a large resort on a thousand acres. There's plenty of room."
Scott Wellington didn't need a phone call to start planning. He's the tournament director of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, where Woods is a six-time champion and lives a short drive away.
Wellington said the tour shared information from its experience at the TPC Sawgrass, where Woods spoke publicly on February 19 for the first time since his car accident in November. Some 300 media came to a nearby hotel to cover the event.
Bay Hill is not the largest property, although it typically has a large media turnout because it is two weeks before the Masters.
"We'll accommodate to the extent we're able to," Wellington said. "But it's like a balloon. It can only get so big."
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