Busy fall season on the horizon for Tiger
Tiger Woods begins a busy international schedule next week when he competes in the $5.2 million Turkish Airlines World Golf Final, Tuesday through Friday, at the PGA Sultan Course at the Antalya Golf Club in Belek, Antalya.
In Tuesday and Wednesday’s group stage, Woods will compete in three head-to-head stroke-play rounds, with the winners and runners-up of each group advancing to Thursday’s semifinals in advance of Friday’s final.
Tiger will be joined in the eight-man field by top-ranked Rory McIlroy, Charl Schwartzel, Lee Westwood, Hunter Mahan, Justin Rose, Matt Kuchar and Webb Simpson. The tournament will be televised to more than 50 countries.
Turkey will also host the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open and the World Amateur Team Championship, being held this week. The latter has been played for more than 50 years, and the winning trophy is named after President Dwight Eisenhower. The event has been conducted in more than 20 countries, and Woods was part of the winning U.S. squad in Paris in 1994.
Tiger will return to the U.S. the following week to host the Tiger Woods Invitational presented by USLI, Oct. 16-18, in Pebble Beach, Calif. Amateur participants will play three of the best courses on the Monterey Peninsula and will also be treated to a special exhibition and dinner hosted by Woods. All proceeds from this private golf event support the college-access programs of the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Next up for Tiger is the third annual CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 25-28, at the Mines Resort and Golf Club. Woods is one of 36 committed PGA Tour players who will join 12 others in pursuit of $6.1 million in prize money. Other notable entrants include Nick Watney, Jason Dufner, Bill Haas, Rickie Fowler, Carl Pettersson, John Huh, Kyle Stanley and defending champion Bo Van Pelt.
Woods will conclude his 2012 season by hosting the 14th annual World Challenge, Nov. 28-Dec. 2, at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Last year, Tiger birdied the last two holes to edge Zach Johnson and win the event for the fifth time.
The elite 18-player field is expected to include a significant number of U.S. Ryder Cup team members. Proceeds benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation. Tiger always donates his earnings from this event to the Foundation, and to date he has given more than $8.7 million.
Tickets for the World Challenge can be purchased online, in person, or by calling 1-800-594-TIXX. For more information, visit TigerWoodsFoundation.org.
