A charter jet will be provided next year for players "who are traveling from the Honda Classic to the World Golf Championship event that is being moved" from Miami to Mexico City, according to Tom D'Angelo of the PALM BEACH POST. The plane, which is being provided by the WGC event, will leave Palm Beach Int'l Airport on Monday "for the three hour flight for Mexico City." The charter would then "take the players from Mexico City to Tampa the following week for the Valspar Championship" (PALMBEACHPOST.com, 6/1). Honda Classic Exec Dir Ken Kennerly, whose tournament is played the week before the WGC event, said that the players after arriving in Mexico City "would not have to deal with customs and immigration issues." He said, "I’m sure they’ll have a red carpet rolled out for them and everything will be taken care of" (PALM BEACH POST, 6/2). Golf Channel's Tim Rosaforte reported players upon arriving "would be greeted with an armada of security." Rosaforte: "What they are trying to establish down in Mexico is that, 'We are a safe country and you should be welcomed here. You should feel comfortable here as well.'" Golf Channel's Todd Lewis noted the PGA Tour has "put a lot of work into" the move to Mexico City. Lewis: "They vetted this place, they vetted the area around there. They're not going to put their players, their players' families in any type of jeopardy" ("Golf Central," Golf Channel, 6/1).
NICKLAUS HOPEFUL FOR RETURN: Jack Nicklaus yesterday was "frustrated with the idea of the tournament leaving South Florida," though he "does see some positives in the tournament moving south of the border." Nicklaus said, "I have always believed that golf is a global game. ... It is a huge positive for the Tour and the game itself. My only hope is that golf played at its highest level will soon return to Miami and Trump Doral" (PALMBEACHPOST.com, 6/1).
MORE PLAYERS' TAKES: Phil Mickelson said that he "has mixed feelings" about the WGC tourney moving from Trump National Doral to Mexico. He noted Doral has been a "special place for the PGA Tour going back to the '60s, when it started." But the move "offers an opportunity to take a World Golf Championship event outside the United States to another part of the world and bring world class golf to Mexico City." Mickelson: "There could be some positives." Rory McIlroy: "I always felt that having three of them in the United States wasn't really spreading the game. So I think that's good news, you're getting at least one of those outside the States. And it's not as if we haven't been going to Mexico before" (USA TODAY, 6/2). Keegan Bradley said, "I loved Doral. It’s such a fixture on tour. The tour’s a business, though, and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do." Davis Love III: "It's hard to leave traditional places. Doral’s changed a lot over the years. The golf course has changed a lot. ... It's just for the sponsors, it hasn't really worked quite as well the last few years. But it's still disappointing" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 6/1).
