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MUMBAI:
India’s Arjun Atwal will be one of the several top golfers
in the world who will hope to come out with their reputations intact
from the famous ‘Bear Trap’ when the PGA Tour visits the
famed PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida,
for the Honda Classic.
The
$5.6 million tournament, which has defending champion Ernie Els,
world No2 Sergio Garcia and No10 Camilo Villegas headlining the
field, will be available live and exclusive on Ten Sports, the most
watched sports channel in the Sub-continent.
Live
telecast on Ten Sports starts Friday, March 6, at 1:30 am IST.
Apart
from Els, Garcia, Villegas and Atwal, also entered for the tournament
are Northern Ireland’s teenager Rory McIlroy, who has taken
the golfing world by storm after winning the Dubai Desert Classic
and advancing to the quarter-finals of the WGC-Accenture Matchplay,
England’s Justin Rose and US Ryder Cup standout Boo Weekley.
Argentina’s
Angel Cabrera and Andres Romero, England’s Luke Donald, Spain’s
Miguel Angel Jimenez, Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke and
Japan’s Shingo Katayama give the tournament a distinct international
flavour. Also in the field are Davis Love III, David Duval, Stewart
Cink, Justin Leonard and Erik Compton, the only active professional
golfer who has had two heart transplants.
But
while the players are always an attraction, the real thing to watch
at the Jack Nicklaus-designed PGA National course is how they negotiate
the dreaded ‘Bear Trap’ – a stretch of three holes
starting from the 15th, which is so tough that they have been named
after it’s designer (Nicklaus is popularly known as the Golden
Bear).
The
holes played in a combined 356-over-par during the 2008 Honda Classic
after playing in a combined 245 over-par in 2007. Water comes into
play on all three holes.
The
par-three 15th hole had 39 birdies, 67 bogeys, 40 double-bogeys,
13 triple-bogeys or higher and 280 pars. The par-four 16th hole
had 45 birdies, 77 bogeys, 21 double-bogeys, two triple-bogeys or
higher and 294 par, while the par-three 17th hole had 36 birdies,
92 bogeys, 26 double-bogeys, five triple-bogeys or higher and 280
pars.
There
is so much excitement and leader board movement at the three-hole
stretch of the golf course that it has become an epicenter for fans
attending, or watching, the tournament.
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