January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
If Tiger bails, who'll step in?
Jim Furyk is the first alternate, but he may not be able to come either
If Tiger bails, who'll step in?
That is the question.
And that applies to both Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk.
ESPN sports reported on Wednesday that Tiger Woods will announce by the end of the week whether or not he'll be participating in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf at the Mid Ocean Club this October.
Jim Furyk is the first alternate, but there's some doubt on whether or not he'll be allowed to compete if Woods bails.
Woods qualified for the event by winning the PGA Championhip last month. The Grand Slam of Golf is only open to the winners of the four majors - The Masters (won by Zach Johnson), British Open (Padraig Harrington) and U.S. Open (Angel Cabrera).
Woods has won the event seven times (out of eight) and has never skipped it up to this point, but there seems to be some doubt on whether he'll be attending the first one ever held in Bermuda.
If he can't go, Jim Furyk, the man Woods beat by two strokes to win last year's Grand Slam, would be the first alternate.
Furyk earned that right by finishing as the runner up at the PGA Championship.
But there's also a question mark on whether he'll be allowed to participate as he would miss the Pro-Am on Monday, October 15 because of a previous commitment to a tournament in South Korea.
In 2005 both Woods and Phil Mickelson missed the Pro-Am - Woods to a stomach virus and Mickelson to a family commitment.
Furyk told ESPN: "I would like to play. I know there's precedence. But I'm also an alternate. I like the PGA of America. And I would love to go, as long as I could work everything out."
If he can't go the next three alternates, in order, are Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Mike Weir.
With the Grand Slam sold out for October 16-17, it wouldn't affect ticket sales that much, but the TV ratings on TNT would take a hit as Woods always boosts viewership.
The PGA have already sold twice as many tickets for this year, and at a hefty price increase too. In last year's event in Hawaii, ticket prices were $10 for the Pro-Am and $20 for each of the Grand Slam days - $50 for all three days.
For the event in Bermuda, tickets are $50 per day or $150 for the whole week.
The broadcast is expected to reach 89 million U.S. homes and 100 million worldwide.
The PGA Grand Slam of Golf purse is $1.35 million, with the winner receiving $600,000; second place $300,000; third place $250,000; and fourth place $200,000.[[In-content Ad]]
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