TPC weather might keep Mickelson out of BellSouth
Updated: March 27, 2005, 5:31 PM ET
Associated Press
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Horrible weather at The Players Championship, and PGA Tour rules might keep Phil Mickelson out of the BellSouth Classic.
 | |
| Mickelson |
Mickelson was four strokes off the lead after two rounds of The Players Championship, which could be stretched until Tuesday because of rain. That means Mickelson's expected practice rounds at Augusta National early this week might get pushed to Wednesday at the earliest, and make him unavailable for the BellSouth's pro-am.
PGA rules are clear: If you miss the pro-am without an excused absence, you can't play that week.
"There's a good chance I'll end up playing Augusta on Wednesday and that means I won't be able to play" at TPC at Sugarloaf, Mickelson said Sunday.
Mickelson, the defending Masters champion, said he's not a fan of the PGA Tour's pro-am rule because it affects only those scheduled to play in the pre-tournament event and not all competitors.
"I don't think it's a legitimate rule," he said. "I think the punishment should not affect the competition itself."
Henry Hughes, chief of operations for the PGA Tour, said he didn't anticipate any exceptions to the pro-am policy just because a tournament ends on Monday, or even Tuesday.
"I would think that does not have any impact," Hughes said. "It's not a cross-country trip. I don't see any conflict."
Earlier this year, U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen overslept, missed his pro-am tee time at the Nissan Open and was disqualified at the Riviera Country Club.
The rule went into effect before last season. PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said in the two years before that, "we averaged 54 total no-shows" for pro-ams.
"We went from that to last year, two DQs," Finchem said.
Pro-ams are significant revenue streams for tournaments. A spot in the March 30 pro-am at the Tournament Players Club at Sugarloaf cost $4,950, according to the tournament's Web site.
Goosen was the only disqualification so far this season. Finchem says there have been no excused absences.
As problematic as disqualifying a player can be, Finchem says "there's always a silver lining in just about everything. I think it's really got the players focused on the regulation and the importance of making your tee time on Wednesday."
Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press
No comments:
Post a Comment