Lefty

I saw where Tiger once again won't play in this week's FBR. Is this because of the incident with the fan a few years back? He will be playing in Tucson at the end of February, so I guess I'll be able to see him play then.

__________________

82CardsGrad

That incident certainly made him think twice for a number of years, however, the Dubai Classic is the same week as the FBR, adn Tiger gets paid $3million or so just to show up to that event. Unless that event goes under or changes it's dates, I don't see Tiger back here in the valley anytime soon...
He will however be down in Tuscon in Feb/March for the WGC Championship...

Scott MS

Two problems or Tiger: 1) the gun incident, and 2) the orange throwing incident. I think in general, he doesn't like the crowds that the FBR brings.

Coincidentally, the European or some other Tour schedules the Dubai Desert Classic this same week. Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, and lots of other Europeans are playing there this week instead of the FBR. Until this changes, I doubt he'll be in Phoenix.

Here's the top of the Dubai board. These guys are obviously not here at the FBR Open:

Ross Fisher, England 65-65-130 14-under

Peter Hanson, Sweden 69-65-134 10-under
Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland 65-69-134

Miguel Angel Jimenez, Spain 67-68-135 9-under
Tiger Woods, United States 68-67-135

Robert-Jan Derksen, Netherlands 70-66-136 8-under
Joakim Haeggman, Sweden 69-67-136

Alvaro Quiros, Spain 69-68-137 7-under

Paul Casey, England 70-68-138 6-under
Darren Clarke, Northern Ireland 68-70-138
Ignacio Garrido, Spain 71-67-138
David Griffiths, England 71-67-138
Cesar Monasterio, Argentina 68-70-138
Taichi Teshima, Japan 69-69-138

Thomas Bjorn, Denmark 70-69-139 5-under
Richard Green, Australia 72-67-139
Raphaël Jacquelin, France 68-71-139
David Lynn, England 70-69-139
Richard Sterne, South Africa 69-70-139

Phillip Archer, England 69-71-140 4-under
Notah Begay III, United States 71-69-140
Andrew Coltart, Scotland 69-71-140
Stephen Dodd, Wales 72-68-140
Johan Edfors, Sweden 72-68-140
Stephen Gallacher, Scotland 71-69-140
David Park, Wales 70-70-140
Oliver Wilson, England 73-67-140

Scott MS

Here's a nice article from the Republic. No, he won't be back in the near term, not when he's getting paid $3M just to show up in Dubai.

-----------------------------------

Bob Young
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 1, 2007 12:00 AM

We'd like to tell you that it will be a cold day in Phoenix before we see Tiger Woods playing at the FBR Open again, but after suffering from Popsicle toe at the TPC Scottsdale on Wednesday, we can report that not even a cold day is going to get it done.

Woods isn't here. Again.

He hasn't played here since 2001 when it was still the Phoenix Open.

Somebody rolled an orange onto the green that year when Tiger was putting, and a couple of years before that, some guy following Woods was wrestled down and found to be carrying a pistol.

Between the fruit and the firearms, we evidently haven't left a very good impression.

Still, he said back in 2001 that he'd like to play here again. He just failed to mention that it would be during his farewell tour.

Trouble is, the FBR has been scheduled head-to-head with the Dubai Desert Classic, which pays ungodly sums of money just to lure top players to the event.

Reportedly, Tiger gets $3 million just to show up there, and he's designing a golf course in the United Arab Emirates, for which he'll reportedly get something like $25 million.

We're betting they throw in a membership or an oil well, too.

The PGA Tour doesn't allow appearance money or free oil wells, which is how it should be.

So if we want the FBR Open on the Tiger Tour, we're going to have to figure out another way to compete with Sheik money.

There's more troubling news, too. The London Telegraph reported this week that Woods has agreed to a new deal with the Dubai tournament to play there in four of the next five years

devilfan02

He'll 100% be here next year. There's a little thing called the Super Bowl going on right down the street from the TPC that I'm sure he'll be attending for leisure and sponsorship obligations. Mark it down, 100%

He doesn't like the crowds, the course, he gets millions to show up in Dubai..... Just a few reasons he doesn't play here

__________________

82CardsGrad

But yet, the guy who can stand on the sidelines of any Super Bowl is chooses to attend, will for some odd reason put aside his feelings about the PHX crowds, the course and the $3million plus he gets each year in Dubai to play next year at the FBR - just to be at the Super Bowl??? Uhh... ok....

devilfan02

Yes, no doubt. The Phoenix Open when the Super Bowl is in town is a totally different monster. They have tons of celebrities in for the Charity Classic, they fly in helicopters to give rides to- celebs, big time PGA players like Tiger, and other big shots so they can make it for kickoff. It's not just the fact that he'd go to the game, it's everything else that surrounds it. His sponsors will have a field day during that week which is exactly why he will be playing next year. The most attended sporting event in the world (PHX Open) and the biggest sporting event in the world (Super Bowl) all in 4 days have that kind of draw

My Dad's a Thunderbird (the civic group that runs the PHX Open) and it's been well known within the group for years that Tiger has agreed to play in 2008 because of the Super Bowl.

Save the sarcasm

__________________

82CardsGrad

Hope you're right... (sarcasm withheld...)

Lefty

What has happened to Phil Mickelson? He did not make the cut this week. Ever since his meltdown on hole #72 of last year's US Open, he has been horrible. I wonder if he will ever recover from the US Open?

__________________

Scott MS

FBR (Phoenix) Open This Year = BORING!!

Who were these guys at the top? I went on Saturday and I felt like I was watching a sport where I didn't know any of the players. Actually, I didn't except for V.J. Singh and Fred Funk.