Woods’ 2004 Schedule Includes Nissan Open

There are still 19 days left in 2003, but it’s not too soon for Tiger Woods to start planning how to start his 2004 season. Chances are, he’s going to be busy, beginning with the Mercedes Championships at Kapalua. He also plans to play in the Nissan Open at Riviera.

Woods hasn’t made his schedule public and, unless he is defending a title, he doesn’t officially make commitments until the deadline, which is the Friday before a tournament. However, unless he’s injured or sick, this is what his early-season schedule will look like.

After the season-opening Mercedes, Jan. 8-11, Woods will take a month off, meaning he’ll skip the Pebble Beach AT&T; National Pro-Am for the second year in a row. Woods was recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery last year during the tournament at Pebble Beach.

Woods then would try to defend his title at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, Feb. 12-15, to begin a four-week stretch of tournaments, including the Nissan Open, Feb. 19-22, followed by the match-play event at La Costa, Feb. 26-29, and then a European Tour event at Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Next would be Bay Hill, where Woods is defending champion, March 18-21, then he would begin his normal preparation for the Masters with the Players Championship, March 25-28. The Masters is April 8-11.

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Padraig Harrington shot a five-under-par 67 Friday to take the second-round lead at the $5-million Target World Challenge, one shot ahead of Woods, Davis Love III and Chris DiMarco.

Harrington, the defending champion, played the last four holes in three under. Love had a 72 and DiMarco a 68.

Woods birdied the 16th and 18th holes and finished with a 71 that was an adventure from start to finish. Woods had six birdies, two bogeys, nine pars and a triple bogey at the par-five second hole when he hit two shots into a creek, the second one when his ball rolled back off the green.

“How about that round, huh?” Woods said. “That was probably one of the ugliest rounds I’ve ever played. At least I didn’t kill anybody and I didn’t kill myself.

“If I can just clean it up and play a good solid round of golf, I’ll be OK.”