COURSE REVIEWS

Wednesday at Pebble Beach:
Tiger Ready for a Fast Start

By David R. Holland,
Senior Regional Staff Writer

PEBBLE BEACH, CA -- The celebrities and the crowds came out Wednesday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and we found out one thing -- Tommy Smothers can handle a yo-yo, but he can’t catch a pass.

Especially when the football is tossed by Super Bowl MVP and retired Denver Broncos’ quarterback John Elway.

Surrounded by a huge gallery at the practice putting green, Smothers found a young boy just itching to get Elway’s autograph on his football. Smothers escorted him under the ropes, tossed the ball a few times to Elway, then had the future Hall of Fame quarterback from Stanford autograph the ball.

All in a day at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Five twosomes competed in the 3M Celebrity Challenge on Wednesday which covered the “Whiskey Run” holes of Nos. 1, 2, 3, 17 and 18. The team of Jerry Rice and Kevin Costner won the skins-format event on the 18th. Costner hit a drive that found the middle of the fairway and Rice followed with a shot just over a bunker short of the green. Costner then chipped on the green to within 30 feet and Rice drained the putt.

The other celebs were Clint Eastwood, Huey Lewis, Craig T. Nelson, Kevin Sorbo, Glen Campbell, Ray Romano, Smothers and Elway.

A Rested Tiger Ready for a Fast Start

	Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods said he took a vacation the past three off weeks on the PGA Tour.

“I got away from everything for a while and then came back and was charged and ready to go,” said Woods, winner of his last five starts. “I went and did a lot of practicing, a lot of playing and I’m almost ready. I need to get off to a fast start. In 1997 I had two great final rounds -- I just need to have two good opening rounds.”

And Tiger did confirm that he was going to be paired with Michael Jordan before Jordan aligned himself with the Washington Wizards. “We were going to play together, but now he has a job and can’t get off work even though he is the boss.”

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The other tour players are fielding questions about Tiger’s win streak and possibility for a Grand Slam, winning all four majors in the same year, something that has never been accomplished.

“For sure he is scary,” said Rocco Mediate. “I’m not much on golf history but I’d say in the past 100 years no one is even on the same page as this kid.”

TPC Course for the Monterey Peninsula?

PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem has confirmed discussions have been held about having a TPC course on the Monterey Peninsula and officials at the old Fort Ord Bayonet and Black Horse courses say there’s a possibility the PGA is looking at them.

Currently, the city of Seaside is negotiating to have a large world-class hotel built on property that is now the driving range at Bayonet-Black Horse.

“I can’t get in to specifics right now,” Finchem said. “But such a course could take on several forms.” Finchem did confirm the course would not be in the Del Monte Forest area of the peninsula.

If plans materialize it would be the first TPC course in the northern part of the state. The only other is the TPC Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta. But another TPC course is currently under construction at Valencia and will be finished in 2002.