Tournament organizers for the PGA Tour Honda Classic said that Tiger Woods' decision to play in the event next month “means an extra $800,000 in ticket sales,” according to Ostrowski & DiPaolo of the PALM BEACH POST. Tournament Exec Dir Ken Kennerly said that attendance at the four-day event “could jump to 150,000 this year, up from 111,000 last year.” Woods last appeared at the event as an amateur in '93. Kennerly said, “We have what we call a Tiger plan. We wanted him and his camp to understand we're ready for him" (PALM BEACH POST, 2/15). In West Palm Beach, Greg Stoda notes Woods is “a new resident of Jupiter Island,” and during the construction process of his “$54.5 million, 12-acre ocean-front spread, he said he would support the Honda Classic after he moved in.” Woods: "It's fun to play a home game if you can. I had hoped to add some new events this year, and this is a good one to include on my schedule." Kennerly said that tournament officials "began courting Woods at the Frys.com Open last October in Northern California.” Kennerly: “Tiger doesn't often play three tournaments in a row or four out of five, so we appreciate what he's doing to play here.” Frys.com Open President Duke Butler predicted that the Honda Classic “will experience a spike in publicity, TV ratings and daily ticket sales, but encounter parking and security challenges because of Woods” (PALM BEACH POST, 2/15). Kennerly said, “We've worked hard for this. We've always wanted to make this a premier event on the PGA Tour. We had a great field; it continues to get better and better. Having Tiger join us this year takes it over the top" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 2/15). ESPN.com’s Bob Harig wrote Woods “made good on his promise to add a new event to his schedule” by committing to the Honda Classic (ESPN.com, 2/14).
MISSING TIGER: In L.A., Mark Medina wrote even though Warriors Exec BOD member Jerry West described his three-year stint as PGA Tour Northern Trust Open Exec Dir as "extremely gratifying," there is “no question he hardly remains fully satisfied.” Part of that “may stem from Tiger Woods' absence from this week's event.” West said of Woods, “He makes his own schedule. Certainly we've love to have him, but I would never be one to ever be critical of someone like him who has so many demands on his time.” West’s hope that the tournament “can raise between $5 million and $6 million for charity sounds ambitious compared with the $1.5 million it brought in in 2010 and the $1.6 million it raised last year” (LATIMES.com, 2/13).
