Phoenix Open champ Mark Calcavecchia, that
was two Champions Tour players out of Clark’s
five picks already in the field.
Clark called it “absolutely the toughest
decision” he had to make as chairman. And it
became a bad decision when Couples withdrew
at the last moment because of a bad back.
things over and over again.”
Wilson and Steve Stricker are the only two
players on Tour who have won three times in
the past 12 months. So what’s it like for Wilson,
a North Carolina “Cheesehead” from Chicago,
when he defends a title?
“I just keep plugging along
and see what I can do. ... I just
do the same things over and
over again.” - Mark Wilson
Keegan Bradley was reminded how far his
career has come when he played in the Waste
Management Phoenix Open for the first time officially. Last year, he tried and failed to Monday
qualify – the last time the PGA Championship
winner attempted to Monday qualify on the Tour.
“I remember, I shot 68 and 67 and got in,” he
said. “I had 15 feet (for birdie) on the last hole.
Didn’t think I had any chance – and missed it.
“I had finished in the top 10 at the Hope and
played well at Torrey, and then on Monday I’m
in a qualifier at some course, and I was playing
with two guys that were not that – it’s kind of a
shock to the system, and I told myself, this will
hopefully be the last Monday qualifier I’ll ever
participate in.”
“I guess the main thing is that any tourna-
ment that I’ve won I’ve gone into with very low
expectations, not trying to win the tournament,
just go out there and play the best I could and
see what I shoot.
