By Jugjet SinghTHE Mines Resort and Golf Club might see the return of Tiger Woods, whose last sighting there in 1999 earned him the World Cup stripes together with Mark O’Meara.
The Tiger bait is US$6 million CIMB Asia Pacific Classic, which is part of the US PGA Tour.
Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew, founder of the Mines City, was optimistic yesterday that the World No 1 might make a comeback to Malaysia.
“Woods is on the trail of making a comeback, and I feel he would be among the 40 golfers who will be at the Mines. Anyway, I would be personally writing to him soon because I am sure his fans in Asia would want to watch him play here again,” said Lee.
And the good part is, according to Lee, sanctioning fee would be out of the picture.
“The last time we had to pay a sanctioning fee to get him here, but with the tournament being part of the PGA Tour, if he comes, it will purely be on merit. And another good news is that we will be hosting the tournament for the next seven years, and if not this year, I am sure Tiger will come in the near future,” said Lee.
The tournament will be held on Oct 28-31 with no halfway cut as only 40 golfers will be involved.
The top 25 available PGA Tour players from the FedExCup standing, the top 10 from the Asian Tour and five sponsor exemptions will make-up the cast.
Yesterday Steve Wenzloff, the PGA Tour vice-president Design Services and Player Liaison, visited the course to start some minor changes to the Mines.
“The overall appearance and conditions of the golf course is good. However, a few minor adjustments are being recommended to restore aspects of the original design with the intent of making it more interesting and elevate the stature of the facility,” said Wenzloff.
Other than the World Cup, the Mines has hosted the 2000 Women’s World Cup and the 2003 Malaysian Open.
