No Poa There: Tiger Commits To Honda Classic
/For Immediate Release:
TIGER WOODS COMMITS TO THE HONDA CLASSIC
Tiger Woods, a new resident of Martin County, has committed to compete in the 2012 Honda Classic, a PGA TOUR event that will be played February 27-March 4 just 20 minutes from his Jupiter Island home at PGA National Resort & Spa.
It will be Woods' first appearance at The Honda since he competed in the event as an amateur in 1993 and his first professional appearance in the Palm Beach County / Treasure Coast area of Florida that he now calls home.
"I have heard great things about The Honda Classic," Woods said. "Now that I live here, I want to play whenever possible. Jack's involvement in the tournament and the benefits to the local community are also important."
Woods' game has been resurgent in recent weeks as he seeks his first PGA TOUR victory since September 2009. After winning the Chevron World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, CA in December, Woods finished third in his first event of the new year - the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
Then he was in contention in his 2012 PGA TOUR debut at Pebble Beach until he struggled with his putting in Sunday's final round.
"I feel very at peace where I'm at," Woods said at Pebble Beach. "I had to make some changes and that took time. And I'm starting to see the results of that now, which is great. My last four events I've played really well. So I'm just building on that. Everything is headed in the right direction."
Woods' commitment is a huge endorsement for The Honda Classic, which has steadily been rising in stature with TOUR players since its move to PGA National in 2007. Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy, currently ranked No. 2 and 3 in the world, are already part of an international field that also includes defending champion Rory Sabbatini, major winners Charl Schwartzel and Darren Clarke, Ernie Els, Graeme McDowell, Mark Calcavecchia, Stewart Cink, Rickie Fowler, Louis Oosthuizen, Camilo Villegas, 2007 champion Mark Wilson and 2005 champion Padraig Harrington.
"We obviously are thrilled to have Tiger Woods play in The Honda Classic," Executive Director Ken Kennerly said. "We have worked hard for five years to make this one of the premier events on the PGA TOUR. This is a testament to where the tournament has come and a testament to Honda's 31 years as the longest-standing sponsor on the PGA TOUR.
Easy there Ken, the guy lives in the neighborhood now. Let's not oversell this one. Too late...
"We are once again going to have a great world-class field. We have been extremely pleased with the growth of our field. Now to have Tiger not only as a local resident, but as a leader in the world of golf, is a tribute to all of our partners -- American Honda, PGA National for having a fantastic facility, PGA of America, Palm Beach County, and the City of Palm Beach Gardens. It is so gratifying to see improvement made year after year and to have Tiger commit this year is a further acknowledgement of our growth and success."
