Date:30/03/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/03/30/stories/2007033008241900.htm

Sport - Golf

Field of 120 for Woods's tournament

Humble (Texas): The U.S. PGA Tour approved a field of 120 for Tiger Woods's tournament in July, defusing a debate that divided players for weeks.

When the AT&T National in Washington, D.C., was added to the schedule, tour commissioner Tim Finchem suggested it would be considered an invitational, like Jack Nicklaus' Memorial tournament with a field of 105 last year and Arnold Palmer's event at Bay Hill, which had 118 players in 2006.

Rich Beem said he was "insulted" by the idea of another reduced-field event, and other players joined in, saying the tour should not take away spots in a season already made shorter by the season-ending FedEx Cup.

The AT&T National replaces the International, which had a 144-man field but was taken off the schedule when it couldn't find a sponsor.

Finchem, attending the Houston Open this week, spoke to the 16-member Players Advisory Council during a conference call on Wednesday. The group then approved a compromise on the field size.

The tour will decide the criteria for the 120 players chosen "in the next few weeks," Finchem said. — AP