While Tiger Woods "prefers to take the week off before
a major championship," he's "making an exception" this year,
as he will play next month's Buick Open in MI, the week
before the PGA Championship in KY, according to Doug
Ferguson of the AP. Woods' decision is "sure to raise
speculation" that he is "contractually obliged to play a
certain number of PGA Tour events" sponsored by Buick, with
whom Woods has a $30M endorsement deal. But Woods' IMG
agent Mark Steinberg said such a provision is "absolutely
not in his contract. If we had a contractual situation, I'm
sure Buick would have wanted him in the New York area [for
last month's Buick Classic], and Tiger didn't play there"
(AP, 7/12). PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said while
Woods "drives" TV ratings, public interest and ticket sales
for golf, the Tour has been "very, very successful in weeks
when Tiger isn't there. We had 85,000 people in Hartford
(two weeks ago), and we had 110,000 at Phoenix (in January).
The sport has got legs now" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 7/12).
