TRANSITIONS CHAMPIONSHIP
The No. 1 player in the world, Germany's Martin Kaymer, heads an impressive field of 144 golfers challenging Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead course this week. Jim Furyk returns to defend his title, one of three PGA Tour victories for Furyk that helped him garner the 2010 Player of the Year honor. Here's a closer look at the tournament.
Winners At Innisbrook
Player
Score
2010
Jim Furyk
271 (-13)
2009
Retief Goosen
276 (-8)
2008
Sean O'Hair
280 (-4)
2007
Mark Calcavecchia
274 (-10)
2006
K.J. Choi
271 (-13)
2005
Carl Pettersson
275 (-9)
2004
Vijay Singh
266 (-18)
2003
Retief Goosen
272 (-12)
2002
K.J. Choi
267 (-17)
2001
No tourney*
John Huston
271 (-13)
Just The Facts
WHEN: Thursday-Sunday
WHERE: Copperhead course, Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, Palm Harbor
LENGTH/PAR: 7,332 yards/71
FIELD: 144 players
PURSE: $5.5 million
WINNER'S SHARE: $990,000
TV: Thursday-Friday - Golf Channel, 3-6 p.m.; Saturday - Golf Channel, 1-3 p.m.; NBC, Channel 8, 3-6 p.m.; Sunday - NBC, Channel 8, 3-6 p.m.
TICKETS: Available at all Publix Super Markets, by logging on to , or by calling (727) 942-5566.
They Said It
"It's a wonderful golf course and it gets a wonderful field. Copperhead is probably in the top 10 percent of the courses we deal with on the Tour." - Defending champion Jim Furyk
"We've got a tremendous amount of momentum. We don't have to sell this course to PGA players, and Copperhead is looking spectacular. Our ticket sales are well ahead of last year's pace." - Interim tournament director Ron Campbell, former president of the Tampa Bay Lightning
Did You Know?
•Carl Pettersson's 2005 triumph marks the only time a PGA player has posted his first Tour victory at Copperhead.
•Brian Gay, who finished tied for fourth in 2007, is the only player to compete in all 11 Transitions Championships.
•At the age of 16 years, 11 months and 1 day, Matteo Manassero became the youngest player to compete in a World Golf Championships event at the Accenture Match Play Championship. He also is the youngest player to win a European Tour event.
•In 2010, the Copperhead course ranked as the 13th most difficult layout on the PGA Tour.
•For the first time, the tournament will allow cell phones to be brought past the gates, but phones must be powered off or turned to vibrate only.
Local Flavor
Woody Austin: The 47-year-old Chamberlain High graduate has three PGA wins and has earned more than $15 million on the Tour, posting three top-10 finishes last year.
Michael Bradley: Born in Largo, Bradley registered his third career Tour victory in the 2009 Puerto Rico Open.
Ryuji Imada: Born in Hiroshima, Japan, this former Chamberlain High standout has 13 career Top 10 finishes on the Tour.
Tim Petrovic: This Dade City resident topped the field in the 2005 Zurich Classic for his only PGA Tour triumph.
Foreign Flair
The international field will be well represented at the Copperhead course this week.
Germany's Martin Kaymer is making his Transitions debut and will be joined by England's Paul Casey, ranked No. 7 in the world; Spain's Alvaro Quiros; Sweden's Peter Hanson; Japan's Ryo Ishikawa; and Italy's 17-year-old Matteo Manassero.
Six of the previous 10 winners at the Transitions hailed from outside of the United States, including two-time champions Retief Goosen (South Africa) and K.J. Choi (South Korea).
Sweden's Carl Pettersson and Fiji's Vijay Singh are also past champions.
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