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Dates: Thursday, August 23rd through Sunday, August 26th
Site: Firestone Country Club (South Course), Akron, Ohio
Course Architect: Robert Trent Jones (1959); Jack Nicklaus (1986)
Par: 70
Yardage: 7,139
Hole-By-Hole: 1 - Par 4 399 yds 10 - Par 4 410 yds
2 - Par 5 497 yds 11 - Par 4 370 yds
3 - Par 4 442 yds 12 - Par 3 178 yds
4 - Par 4 458 yds 13 - Par 4 457 yds
5 - Par 3 200 yds 14 - Par 4 418 yds
6 - Par 4 469 yds 15 - Par 3 221 yds
7 - Par 3 219 yds 16 - Par 5 625 yds
8 - Par 4 450 yds 17 - Par 4 392 yds
9 - Par 4 470 yds 18 - Par 4 464 yds
------------- -------------
35 3,604 yds 35 3,535 yds
Annual: 3rd
Defending Champion: Tiger Woods
Runner-Up: Justin Leonard, Phillip Price
Tournament Record: 259 (Tiger Woods, 2000)
54-Hole Record: 192 (Tiger Woods, 2000)
36-Hole Record: 125 (Tiger Woods, 2000)
Course Record: 61 (Jose Maria Olazabal, 1990; Tiger Woods, 2000)
Total Purse: $5,000,000
Shares: 1st Place - $1,000,000; 2nd Place - 500,000; 3rd Place - 400,000
2000 Finish
-----------
Player Score Player Score
------ ----- ------ -----
Tiger Woods 259 Hal Sutton 271
Justin Leonard 270 Stewart Cink 272
Phillip Price 270 Paul Azinger 273
Jim Furyk 271 Colin Montgomerie 273
Phil Mickelson 271 Jose Maria Olazabal 274
Thomas Bjorn 274
Past NEC Invitational Winners and Runners-up
--------------------------------------------
2000 -- Tiger Woods (259) -- Justin Leonard, Phillip Price
1999 -- Tiger Woods (270) -- Phil Mickelson
Players To Watch
----------------
Finish Last Two Years
Player 1999 2000
------ ---- ----
Tiger Woods Won Won
Phillip Price dnp T-2
Phil Mickelson 2nd T-4
Jim Furyk T-10 T-4
Hal Sutton T-15 T-4
Colin Montgomerie T-30 T-8
Paul Azinger dnp T-8
Thomas Bjorn dnp T-10
Ernie Els 5th T-12
Robert Allenby dnp T-12
Shigeki Maruyama 6th T-15
Michael Campbell dnp T-15
Darren Clarke T-36 T-17
Notah Begay III dnp T-17
Nick Price T-3 T-20
Stuart Appleby T-23 T-20
Lee Westwood T-33 T-20
Retief Goosen dnp T-24
Carlos Franco T-7 T-27
Padraig Harrington T-12 T-27
Greg Norman T-25 T-31
Davis Love III T-10 35th
Miguel Angel Jimenez T-27 36th
Vijay Singh T-15 dnp
Mark Calcavecchia T-12 dnp
Scott Hoch T-23 dnp
David Duval T-27 dnp
Steve Elkington 39th dnp
Pierre Fulke dnp dnp
Bernhard Langer dnp dnp
Paul McGinley dnp dnp
Ian Poulter dnp dnp
Loren Roberts dnp dnp
David Toms dnp dnp
Kirk Triplett dnp dnp
Mike Weir dnp dnp
Niclas Fasth dnp dnp
Players in the Field
--------------------
Robert Allenby Carlos Franco Greg NormanStuart Appleby
Paul Azinger Jim Furyk Nick Price
Notah Begay III Retief Goosen Phillip Price
Thomas Bjorn Padraig Harrington Loren Roberts
Mark Calcavecchia Scott Hoch Vijay Singh
Michael Campbell Miguel Angel Jimenez Hal Sutton
Stewart Cink Bernhard Langer David Toms
Darren Clarke Davis Love III Kirk Triplett
David Duval Shigeki Maruyama Scott Verplank
Steve Elkington Paul McGinley Mike Weir
Ernie Els Phil Mickelson Lee Westwood
Niclas Fasth Colin Montgomerie * Tiger Woods
* - Defending champion
Golftoday Network Selections
-------------------------
Pick to Win - Tiger Woods
Darkhorse - Bernhard Langer
Last week's Pick to Win (T.Woods, D.Duval, P.Mickelson) - T-29, T-10, 2nd
Last week's Darkhorse (B.Faxon, J.Furyk, B.Mayfair) - T-59, T-7, MC
NOTES:
The second of four World Golf Championships events takes place this
week as world number-one Tiger Woods defends his title at the NEC
Invitational. Woods carded a final-round 67 to win by 11 shots over Justin
Leonard and Phillip Price last year. Woods' total of 21-under-par 259 broke
the 72-hole score of 270 he posted in winning the inaugural event in 1999.
Woods also topped the Firestone Country Club tournament record of 262 set by
Jose Maria Olazabal in the 1990 World Series of Golf. Woods only led by one
shot after the opening round, however a second-round, course-record tying 61
distanced himself from the field as he cruised to his second straight win at
this event. Woods also set a record for 36 holes at 125, not only an event
record but a PGA Tour mark. Woods became the first player since Johnny Miller
in 1975 to successfully defend three PGA Tour titles in the same season.
Players qualify for this lucrative event if they were a member of either
the U.S. or International Presidents Cup teams in 2000, 2001 U.S. Ryder Cup
team or in the top-12 in European Ryder Cup standings. Scott Verplank made the
field Monday after being chosen as one of Curtis Strange's selections for the
upcoming Ryder Cup team. The course was originally designed by Bert Way in
1929, but was completely remodeled by Robert Trent Jones. The remaining
players on the PGA Tour are competing this week in Nevada at the Reno-Tahoe
Open. Greg Norman and Jose Maria Olazabal are two-time winners on this
course. The World Series of Golf was held on this site from 1962-98. The PGA
Championship was also held on this course in 1960, 66 and 1975. Steve Stricker
captured the first World Golf Championship event this year, defeating Pierre
Fulke at the Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship. The winner of this
event will receive the Wedgwood, England-designed Gary Player Cup for his
victory along with the $1,000,000 first-place prize from the $5,000,000 purse.
Last year, the par-4 fourth hole proved to be the most difficult with a
scoring average of 4.345 while the par-5 second hole was the easiest (4.358).
Seven of the top-10 hardest holes on the course are on the front nine. This
event will be held at Sahalee Country Club near Seattle, Washington next year.
Next week, the PGA Tour moves to British Columbia for the Air Canada
Championship where Rory Sabbatini will defend his title
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