Golf Notes July 24

One of the best Sunday charges at the British Open came from Scott Hoch, the American who has riled Scots ever since he disparaged St. Andrews, the hallowed home of golf.

Truth is, Hoch doesn't mind the British Open.

``I only have a problem with that one course,'' he says.

That one course isn't Muirfield. Even though Hoch didn't play the British Open in 1987 or 1992 when it was at Muirfield, he played there during the Walker Cup matches in 1979. In fact, Hoch still holds the Walker Cup record for biggest rout in singles -- a 9 and 7 victory over James Buckley.

``It's a pretty good course for around here,'' Hoch said. ``I do like this course. I wanted to play it this year.''

He played it well. Despite getting off to a miserable start (74) in perfect conditions, Hoch rallied for a 69 to make the cut, and was one stroke away from making the playoff until he took bogey on the 18th hole.

He closed with a 66 and tied for eighth, his best finish in a British Open. Then again, he's only played four other times during his 23 years as a professional. His finish earned him an exemption for next year's Open at Royal St. George.

Will Hoch be there?

``That's a long time away,'' he said.

FAIR WEATHER MAN

Players have joked over the last couple of years that the best way to ensure good weather at a major championship is to get in Tiger Woods' side of the draw. That certainly wasn't the case in the British Open.

Woods caught the brunt of the wicked weather during the third round and shot an 81, knocking him out of contention and ending hopes of the Grand Slam this year.

Woods laughed when asked whether he had heard the ``fair weather'' stories, and suggested some players have a short memory.

``I got the bad end of it at Birkdale,'' he said, referring to the third round of the 1998 British Open when he was one stroke out of the lead and shot a 77. Until Saturday at Muirfield, that had been his worst round in a major.

``It howled at Birkdale,'' Woods said. ``I shot 77, and I played good to shoot that. Guys who went out in the morning that day had rain, but they didn't have wind. It's just the luck of the draw.''

Woods called the Muirfield conditions far worse, so bad that he was tempted to hit a 3-wood on the 213-yard fourth hole.

``I should have hit a 3-wood,'' he said. ``I was thinking, 'If I just hit alow 2-iron ... and then I shanked it to the right.''

GLOBAL AMERICA

The World Golf Championships could have a distinctly American flavor next year.

All four WGC events are expected to be played in the United States. The NEC Invitational will go back to Firestone, the Accenture Match Play Championship remains at La Costa, and officials are looking at Atlanta for the American Express Championship.

The EMC World Cup, a team event, is scheduled for Kiawah Island.

``That's a little odd,'' British Open champion Ernie Els said. ``Why call it a World Golf Championship? They should get a rotation and bring it all over the world.''

At least one WGC event has been held outside the United States since the events began in 1999 -- American Express in Spain and Ireland, Match Play in Australia, and the World Cup in Argentina, Japan and Mexico.

``That would be disappointing,'' Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland said about the possibility of an American-only year of WGC events. ``That was the whole idea of the World Golf Championships, wasn't it? To bring golf around the world.''

Clarke said the travel doesn't bother him. He's more concerned that certain golf-rich countries would be deprived a chance to see the best players in theworld.

BYE-BYE BIGHORN

This year will be the last ``Battle at Bighorn,'' but not the last of Monday Night Golf.

The three-year run at Bighorn will end after Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus take on Sergio Garciaand Lee Trevino on July 29. Organizers plan to move the prime-time exhibition out of the California desert -- and into Phil Mickelson's neighborhood, of all places.

The tournament is expected to move to Twin Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe near San Diego, a private club that Mickelson joined when he moved last year.

That doesn't mean Lefty will be invited to play.

Woods and Mickelson are not regular pals and are unlikely to play with or against each other in silly-season events.

Woods is leaning toward skipping the World Cup this year in Mexico rather than being paired with Mickelson; Lefty has not played in Woods' year-end tournament ever since it moved to Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks,Calif., two years ago.

TIGER SCALPS

Tournaments take on greater significance when Tiger Woods is playing, especially since he has won 37 percent of his PGA Tour events since late 1999. That said, it should come as no surprise who has the most tour victories when Woods is playing.

Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson and David Duval -- considered his chief rivals at various times over the last four years -- all have six victories.

Next on the list is Vijay Singh with five victories, followed by MarkO'Meara with three.

DIVOTS

Don't look for David Duval the last two months of the year. Wanting to cut down on his offseason schedule, Duval says he won't be playing in Tiger Woods' tournament at Sherwood Country Club, or even the Grand Slam of Golf should he win the PGA Championship. The only thing on the docket is an 18-hole, mixed-team match in Mexico with Annika Sorenstam against Jack Nicklaus and Lorena Ochoa. ... The Club at Nine Bridges in South Korea is bringing together club champions from top golf courses around the world Oct. 2-4 for the inaugural World Club Championship. Twenty teams from six countries based onGolf Magazine's list of ``Top 100 Courses in the World'' have been invited.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Ernie Els became the 17th player to have won the U.S. Open and British Open. Among active players, Els, Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo are the only players to have won three ``Open'' championships.

FINAL WORD: ``I don't want that one.'' -- Tiger Woods, when asked about Jack Nicklaus' record of 19 second-place finishes in the majors. Woods has never been a runner-up in a major.

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