Everyone Should Be Up for the Challenge

The $5.25-million Target World Challenge, or Tiger Woods’ annual holiday party for 16, begins today at Sherwood Country Club, where there will be no losers -- last place is worth $150,000.

It’s the sixth edition of the 72-hole tournament, the last event on the PGA Tour for 2004, and proceeds benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation.

The 16-player field has Woods, the top 11 available players from the rankings as of early October and four special exemptions. Davis Love III is the defending champion.

Vijay Singh, the No. 1 player in the world, and the second-ranked Woods headline the exclusive group that includes Padraig Harrington, Love, Stewart Cink, Miguel Jimenez, Chris DiMarco, Todd Hamilton, Jim Furyk, Kenny Perry, Chad Campbell, Stephen Ames and special exemptions Jay Haas, Fred Couples, John Daly and Colin Montgomerie.

Love is the only two-time winner of the event -- he also won in 2000. Love hasn’t played since he withdrew from the Tour Championship in October because of a sore neck. After winning four times in 2003, Love was winless this year, and after he tied for fifth at the British Open in July, he had only one top 10, a tie for fourth at the NEC Invitational.

“I felt the frustration of 19 years of playing and not having the year I liked,” Love said. “I finally have felt if I don’t do the right things, I’m going to get passed by.”

The field won a combined 17 PGA Tour events this year -- nine by Singh, who won his first player-of-the-year award. First place is worth $1.25 million.