Tiger, TV Grab for Gold Mine in Desert

Still looking for one of those natural rivals to step up and challenge Tiger Woods, aren’t we?

On Sunday at the NEC Invitational he beat darkness, so now you can eliminate sundown as a possible threat.

As usual, Woods dominated the golf proceedings for four days and ended them with his standard bravado. After a three-hour rain delay earlier in the day, Woods birdied the last hole at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, in near total darkness and won again, scoring an 11-shot victory in the $5 million event and winning a very sunny $1 million.

Chances are, it’s going to be a lucrative, oh, 24 hours for Woods, who jets in here this afternoon and then tees it up against Sergio Garcia in a made-for-television prime-time event where $1.1 million goes to the winner.

It is called the “Battle at Bighorn,” because it is staged for ABC at Bighorn Country Club and because it’s supposed to be a battle. That would be a change for this event, which was anything but that in last year’s debut at Sherwood Country Club when Woods trounced David Duval in a match that was over almost before ABC ran its first promo for “Nightline.”

It is not unexpected that this event is about money, and that seems only appropriate because Woods is clearly about money, too. Money and winning.

Last year, International Management Group sold the rights to the event to ABC for $1.5 million and that sum is believed to be slightly higher this year. So is the commercial air-time. The going rate for 30-second spots are up $20,000 to $150,000.

There is more money news, of course. Lincoln Financial paid $3.5 million to be the title sponsor of the tournament.

As for the players, clearly Woods and Garcia are going to make out all right. The winner gets $1.1 million and the loser $400,000, with both players donating $200,000 to charity.

An estimated 5,000 tickets sold out at $75, not counting sunscreen, which you need to bring to avoid being par-boiled on the last Monday in August out here in the desert where even the cactus look pooped.

Meanwhile, Woods doesn’t seem capable of showing any kind of fatigue. At the NEC, his 21-under is a record for venerable Firestone Country Club. His 11-shot victory over Philip Price and Justin Leonard isn’t a record, but that’s about the only one Woods has missed lately.

It was his eighth victory of the year and increased his PGA record money earnings this year to a record $7.69 million. Woods had the previous record in 1999 with $6.61 million. Only one other player has won as much as $2.5 million--Duval in 1998.

In the last two years, Woods has won $14,309,406--more than any PGA Tour player has won in a career except for Davis Love III, but not by much. Love has made $14,565,855 in 15 years.

Woods has played 31 consecutive rounds under par, a record since the PGA Tour began tracking it in 1980. His 23rd PGA Tour victory in less than four full years as a professional moved Woods past Raymond Floyd into a tie for 20th along with Johnny Miller, Tommy Armour and Macdonald Smith. Sam Snead holds the record with 81 tournament victories.

Woods is also the first player since Snead in 1950 to win at least eight times in two different years. Snead also won eight tournaments in 1938. Of course, Woods has done it consecutively. In the last 40 years, the only other players who have won eight times in even one year are Johnny Miller in 1974 and Arnold Palmer in 1960.

So much for degree of difficulty. Actually, Woods is sort of making it hard on himself with the day he has scheduled. He begins at Firestone this morning when he conducts a clinic for American Express, one of his sponsors. Garcia had an easier commute. He came in from Reno, where he tied for 17th in the Reno-Tahoe Open.

Garcia, like Woods, is a client of IMG, which was smart enough to come up with the match-play concept and skillful enough to sell it to ABC. Last year’s so-called “Showdown at Sherwood” drew a 6.9 rating, the second-highest for a golf event on television in 1999, surpassed only by the 10.1 on CBS for the last round of the Masters.

While Duval played like a dud last year, there are great hopes that Garcia won’t do the same thing. Garcia has only two top 10s in 13 PGA Tour events this year and he is No. 66 on the money list.

Garcia was picked last September, after the PGA Championship at Medinah, where he pushed Woods to the limit.

“At that time, it looked like the two most charismatic players in the world,” said Alistair Johnston of IMG. “Sergio has had ups and downs this year, but he’s very popular with the sponsors.”

Woods has played a lot better than anyone could have expected.

After you see him at Bighorn, you’re not going to see him again in a tournament until the Presidents Cup the third weekend of October.

Johnston said the date of the event wasn’t ideal, but it was right for ABC because it is the Monday between the last exhibition NFL Monday night game and the first regular-season Monday night game.

And if it gets hot enough to melt a couple of titanium club heads, well, Johnston said it’s not going to bother anyone watching on ABC.

“At least the viewers at home won’t be able to feel the temperature,” he said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

TOP THREE

In NEC Invitational:

Tiger Woods: 259 (-21)

Justin Leonard: 270 (-10)

Phillip Price: 270 (-10)

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THE SPREAD

Largest winning margins this season.

15--Tiger Woods (-12) U.S. Open

11--Tiger Woods(-21) NEC Inv.

8--Tiger Woods (-19) British Open

8--Loren Roberts (-14) Milw. Open

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THE YEAR

Most victories this season:

8--Tiger Woods

3--Phil Mickelson

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THE TAKE

Money leaders:

1. Tiger Woods: $7,692,821

2. Phil Mickelson: $3,387,457

3. Ernie Els: $3,207,739