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Tournament Stats:
WGC - CA Championship
March 20 – 23, 2008
Doral Golf Resort & Spa (Blue Monster Course)
Miami, Florida
Par: 72 / Yardage: 7,266
Purse: $8 million with $1.35 million going to the winner
Defending Champion: Tiger Woods
There was no WGC-CA Championship played in 2001 due to 9/11 tragedy.
This is the second year in a row that the WGC -CA Championship will be held at Doral, which for 45 years held an annual PGA Tour event. So all of our stats will reflect both history of the WGC-CA Championship, which last year was the WGC-American Express, and the Ford Championship at Doral.
List of Champions & Scores
Results & Scores 2007 WGC-CA Championship
Box Score of 2007 WGC-CA Championship
Tournament facts:
Tournament Record for WGC CA Championship:261 (Tiger Woods in 2006 at The Grove)
54-Hole Record:
194 (Tiger Woods in 2006 at The Grove)
36-Hole Record:
127 (Tiger Woods in 2006 at The Grove)
Low round of tournament:
62 (Retief Goosen, 4th round & Sergio Garcia, 4th round both in 2002 at Mount Juliet)
Tournament Record for Ford Championship at Doral:
264 (Tiger Woods in 2005)
54-Hole Record:
195 (Greg Norman in 1993)
36-Hole Record:
129 (Franklin Langham in 2000)
Low round of tournament:
61 (Stephen Ames in 2nd round, 2000)
Tournament information:
The second World Golf Championship of the 2008 season, the WCG-CA championship, will be a 72-hole, stroke-play event with a limited field of around 70 players. It will include the top-50 players in the World Golf Ranking plus the top-30 from the FedEx Cup point list not otherwise exempt.Also, the top 20 from the 2007 PGA European Tour Volvo ranking, not otherwise exempt (players have to be in the top 100 of the world ranking), will be included along with the top-10 of this year's list. Also given spots are the top three from the 2007 Australasian Tour order of merit and the 2007 Japanese PGA Tour money list and the top three from the 2007/08 Southern Africa PGA Tour order of merit as well as the top 3 from the final 2007 Asian Tour money list. There will be no cut in the 72-hole event, which has an $8 million purse with the winner receiving $1.44 million. This is only the second time that this event has been played at the same course back-to-back since the first two years at Valderamma. This is the second year of a four-year contract for this event to be held at Doral Resort, just outside of Miami. Doral was the site of the Ford Championship of Doral between 1962 - 2006 and is now the home of the WGC-CA Championship.
Course information:
Doral was designed by Dick Wilson, with some help from Robert Von Hagge, and opened in 1962. After the 1996 tournament, Doral officials closed the course and commissioned Raymond Floyd to add 186 yards, put in an additional 18 bunkers, change the grass of the rough from Rye to Bermuda and change the banks around the greens. In total Doral spent $3.5 million on those changes. After the 2000 tournament, officials spent some more money, this time on the bunkering of the course. In total 91 bunkers were redesigned with 10 bunkers being completely eliminated. After all the work was done, only 10 bunkers were left unchanged. In 2003 the course was lengthened by 166 yards.Again, Doral has gone through some more changes for this year's event. The greens were renovated with TifEagle in a hope of making them firmer and faster. This grass also doesn't hold water as well so if it rains, the greens should stay firm.
The average green size at the Doral is 6,500 square feet, which is a little over the average on the PGA Tour. The course has 108 bunkers and water comes into play on nine of the 18 holes. For a more comprehensive look at the course, look at this Course Overview done by PGATour.Com
The Buzz:
The Tiger Woods train comes roaring into Doral with a full head of steam after his birdie putt on the 72nd hole at Bay Hill won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in dramatic fashion. Making things interesting is the fact that Woods has quietly stated to everyone that he plays each event to win and expects to win. Nothing fancy, no statements saying he will win just that he expects to win each time he tees it up.So with his last two victories in tough situations he is starting to give a "God-Like" appearance. How can you even come close to thinking that Woods can't win this week after enduring six tough matches in the Accenture Match Play Championship and then playing so-so golf for 54 holes only to roar to victory at Bay Hill. Now he comes to a course that he has owned, he has won the last three years he has played here and for those 12 rounds he is 54-under. There are three courses that Tiger seems to own -- Firestone, Torrey Pines and Doral -- so even though winning against such a tough field that has 49 of the top-50 players in the world would seem to be a difficult task, it's been a piece of cake for Woods.
Of course, things aren't that cut and dry. For Woods, this year will be a lot tougher because the rough is up, so he will have to make sure to keep the ball on the fairway. Just like anything else, on paper a victory looks good but you never know what to expect. Either way, Woods brings an air of excitement to the tournament. Even the casual golf fan wants to know: Can Tiger do it again? Just two weeks before the Masters, this is the fourth week in a row the Tour will tee off in Florida and by now the players are getting use to wind and tough conditions.
| The Blue Monster regains its "bite" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Scoring Average | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 - 1965 | 74.74 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1966 - 1970 | 73.28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1971 - 1975 | 72.94 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1976 - 1980 | 73.28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981 - 1985 | 72.77 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986 - 1990 | 72.49 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990 - 1995 | 72.07 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 - 1999 | 73.09 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 - 2006 | 71.18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | 73.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Injuries are making news this week as Brett Wetterich and Arron Oberholser are in the field but aren't 100%. Since there is no cut this week the guarantee of making a cut and not only getting a lot of FedEx Cup points but a check for around $35,000 a very bit consideration before withdrawing. Both players want to make it to Thursday because if they can and then withdraw they will get last place money unofficially but it spends very officially.
Players have this week and next week to get into the top-50 and secure an invite to the Masters. For Colin Montgomerie, time is just about up as this will probably be his last chance. After missing the cut last week at Bay Hill, he dropped to 66th in the rankings and for Mrs. Doubtfire he needs a top-four this week or he'll be watching the action from Augusta on TV. Another player on the bubble is Bart Bryant. With Woods depriving him a chance in the playoff last week, Bryant only climbed to 71st in the rankings and didn't make the field this week in Doral. By not playing this week, his chances look very slim for him making the Masters.
Here are some things to look for this week:
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For years Doral has been nicknamed the "Blue Monster." Last year it was a bit of a monster playing at 73.00. it will be interesting to see if that name holds up this week, as winds aren't in the long range forcast. That has been the problem in this event over the years. A lack of wind bring scores down.
It will also be interesting to see what affects the TifEagle greens will have on scoring. This type of grass holds up better in the heat of Florida and helps keep the putting surface firmer. If the course gets limited rain and plays fast, that could lead to higher scores. Another factor that could bring higher scores is the famous "Blue Monster" rough. Even though it's only two to three inches high, this rough is unforgiving as balls nestle down into it and make it very hard to get it out and control the flight and spin of the ball. Here are some of the secrets that it will take to play well this week at the WGC-CA Championship:
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Key stat for the winner:
Solid shotmakers, since Doral demands ball control, especially if there is any wind. In the last 10 years, eight of the winners have been in the top four in greens hit with last year's CA champion, Tiger Woods, first in that stat. - Unimportant stat: Those that play well not only in Florida, but on Bermuda grasses will do well this week. Interesting to note that since 1990 all the winners except for 1997 & 1999 champion Steve Elkington either grew up in Florida or live there. Elkington, however, did grow up in Australia with Bermuda grass.
- Interesting to point out that since 1983 every winner except for Rocco Mediate and Bill Glasson were over 29 years old with three winners in their 40s. The average age of the 16 winners at Doral is 35 years old.
- Par 5s aren't a push over, but have been conquered by the champions at Doral. Since 1997 they have averaged playing them in 9-under par. Woods played the par 5s last year at 10-under.
- Don't be surprised to see a non-American winner this week. Between 1962 and 1989 no international player won at Doral, but since then eight of the 18 have been international winners.
