THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 12, 1996 TAG: 9610120532
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: 68 lines
The Michelob Championship at Kingsmill already had a better date. Now it has a bigger purse and a bolder TV presence.
Executive tournament chairman William Rammes announced Friday that the PGA Tour event will increase its purse $300,000, to $1.55 million, for 1997 and that it will be televised by CBS the next two years.
The only thing that could make tournament executives happier would be if Tiger Woods were to commit a year in advance.
Last summer, tournament execs were able to move from a midsummer slot to a fall date. The Michelob, known as the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic before this year's tournament, will be played next Oct. 9-12 on the River Course at Kingsmill.
``I think our relationship with the PGA Tour has been enhanced by some of the work we've done recently with Michelob's tie-in with the Tour,'' Rammes said. ``It's helped us leverage this tournament, no doubt.''
Michelob is also a co-presenting sponsor with Mercedes of the season-ending Tour Championship.
After years of sweltering heat, crossed fingers during the heart of hurricane season and lousy fields with a date that butted against the British Open, it appears the Michelob Championship is catching all the breaks.
``For years we knew this tournament was saddled with a tough date with the British Open following it,'' said Ric Clarson, PGA Tour vice president of sponsor relations. ``With this date, the Michelob Championship will have a new feel and a new level of importance.
``The top players will be battling to finish in the top 30 on the money list and play their way into the Tour Championship. Others will be battling to finish in the top 125 and retain their playing privileges for the following year.''
Of the nine official events after the 1997 World Series of Golf and leading to the Tour Championship, only the Greater Milwaukee Open in late August can boast a television contract with one of the big three networks, ABC. Excluding next year's Ryder Cup on NBC Sept. 25-28, the PGA Tour's stops in September and October are either on The Golf Channel or ESPN.
And unless some of those nine events make significant purse increases, only Las Vegas - $1.6 million - will offer a bigger payday.
As for how differently the course will play, cooler temperatures should guarantee less flight on shots. And October breezes offer a change from the stagnant summer air.
``I was talking to (resident touring pro) Curtis Strange the other day and he said this would be a `sporty little course' come next fall,'' said Kingsmill greens superintendent Ken Giedd. ``It will be a different course, I'll guarantee that. We're experimenting with a lot of things this fall to find out what works for this time of the year.''
And as for the possibility of seeing Tiger Woods at next year's Michelob Championship: ``We've extended an invitation with a sponsor's exemption to Tiger the last two years,'' tournament director Johnnie Bender said. ``Tiger's father told us he wouldn't forget that.'' ILLUSTRATION: WHAT'S NEW WITH THE MICHELOB CHAMPIONSHIP
A date change to mid-October, beginning in 1997
A purse increase of $300,000 to $1.55 million
A winner's share of $279,000
A two-year contract with CBS Sports
LAWRENCE JACKSON
The Virginian-Pilot
A switch to sweater weather for the Michelob Championship at
Kingsmill will be an improvement over the stagnant summer heat of
past tournaments. The 1997 event will be played Oct. 9-12. by CNB