Traditional date attracts strong Buick Open field

GRAND BLANC -- The move back to its traditional spot on the PGA Tour schedule paid off for the Buick Open. After being held in late July or early August for 21 years, the tournament was moved to late June the past two years. That put it between the U.S . Open and British Open and caused many of the top players in the world to bypass Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club. But now that the tournament is back in its usual spot on the schedule beginning today, the field once again features some of the top names in Golf, with world No. 1 Tiger Woods at the top of the marquee. Woods, whose nine-year business relationship with Buick ended last winter because of Generals Motors' financial problems, entered Thursday morning and joined a field that already included big names such as John Daly, Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard, Stuart Appleby and David Duval. "Tiger, that's the news," said a happy Larry Peck, national promotions manager for Buick-GMC. "His camp had given me a good indication. But to get the news, we're still reeling from it. Tiger obviously changes everything. That's just so huge. "I think we have a good field without Tiger. But to put him in there is icing on the cake. It's just incredible." Woods, who has won twice this year and leads the PGA Tour with more than $4.5 million in earnings, has played in the Buick Open eight times. He won in 2002 and 2006 but skipped the tournament the past two years because of the birth of daughter Sam Alexis in 2007 and knee surgery last summer. While Woods had other reasons for staying home the past two years, the schedule didn't help the Buick Open attract other top players since the tournament was played the week before the AT&T National, an invitational hosted by Woods that annually draws the world's finest golfers. "The (traditional) date is good, because it's two weeks in front of the PGA Championship, which is in the region this year at Hazeltine in Minnesota," Peck said. "There are a lot of great names" in the Buick Open field. They include 12 players who have combined to win 27 major championships, 14 of them by Woods. Other major winners include Paul Azinger, Mark Calcavecchia, Lee Janzen, Corey Pavin, Daly, Duval, Furyk and Leonard. Although defending champion Kenny Perry withdrew last week because of his mother's illness, there are 10 former winners in the field -- Woody Austin, Brian Bateman, Brad Faxon, Furyk, Leonard, Billy Mayfair, Rocco Mediate, Tom Pernice Jr., Scott Verplank and Woods. Mediate has been one of the most popular players among his peers, and he captured the hearts of Golf fans around the world last year when he lost to Woods on the 19th hole of a playoff in the U.S. Open. "How would you like to see those two guys go down to the wire?" Peck asked. "You never know." There are six players in the field who have combined to win 10 PGA Tour events this season -- Nick Watney, Y.E. Yang, Michael Bradley, Woods, Brian Gay and Rory Sabbatini. The tournament lost a few big names as U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, fan favorite Boo Weekley and flamboyant Swede Jesper Parnevik all withdrew after originally offering a commitment. Vijay Singh, the only three-time champion in Buick Open history, is conspicuously absent after being a regular when the tournament was played in its traditional spot on the schedule. Players with local ties include Grand Blanc amateur Jimmy Chestnut and Mount Pleasant's Ryan Brehm, former Michigan State teammates who received sponsor's exemptions. Scott Hebert, head pro at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, also is in the field after winning last year's Michigan PGA.