Thursday, Jun. 19, 2008

No Tiger, but lots of talk

CROMWELL, Conn. — Tiger Woods has never played the Travelers Championship and wasn't planning to be in Connecticut even before his knee injury.

But his decision to undergo season-ending surgery dominated the conversation at the TPC River Highlands on Wednesday.

"You're going to see some guys win who maybe haven't won in a while," said Ben Curtis, the 2003 British Open champion.

Today, 156 players will begin competing for a $6 million purse and a $1.08 million first-place check.

Recently in danger of losing its spot on the tour, the event has added numerous amenities for players, including a new $4.5 million, 23-acre practice facility.

The tournament also offered a free ride to every player and two family members on a charter flight that took them from the U.S. Open in San Diego to Hartford on Monday. About 40 players took advantage of the offer.

"We were extremely lucky to have a plane with DirecTV on it, so we got to watch the playoff and stuff," Hunter Mahan said. "It was pretty neat."

Mahan earned his first tour victory here a year ago, defeating journeyman Jay Williamson with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff.

Rocco Mediate withdrew after Monday's playoff with Woods, and former Masters champion Zach Johnson pulled out because of a wrist injury.

Kenny Perry is the event's highest-ranked player at No. 6 on the points list, just ahead of Stewart Cink and Vijay Singh.

• NO TAHOE FOR FAVRE — Brett Favre has withdrawn from the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship. The former Packers star will miss the July 11-13 tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course because of a scheduling conflict, tournament spokesman Steve Griffith said.

Nearly 80 sports stars and entertainers have pledged to play, including Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Dennis Miller, Ray Romano, Mario Lemieux, Jerry Rice and Donald Trump. Ex-NFL quarterback Chris Chandler is the defending champ.

• WOMEN'S PUBLINX, at Erin, Wis. — Qualifying medalists Lizette Salas and Katie Kempter lost their first-round matches.

Ellen Mueller of Bartlesville, Okla., beat Salas, of Azusa, 2 and 1, and Taiwan's Tzu Chi Lin edged Kempter, of Albuquerque, N.M., in 20 holes.

Mueller and Lin were among seven who tied for the final spots in stroke-play qualifying at 14-over 160 — 16 behind Salas and Kempter on the 6,158-yard par-73 Erin Hills Golf Course.

• HIGH, BUT NOT THAT HIGH — Lorena Ochoa wants to climb to base camp on Mount Everest someday. What she won't do is try for the summit.

"I have many things I like to do, and I got to be alive!" she said with a gentle laugh.

This week, the No. 1 player in women's golf is defending her title at the Wegmans LPGA, which starts today in Rochester, N.Y. It's a chance to outplay close friend Annika Sorenstam, who's retiring at season's end.