We get a two for one special this week on the PGA Tour as there are two events, one The Presidents Cup, and two the Viking Classic.  Each event is special and important in its own right.  The President’s Cup is important not from a monetary standpoint, but from a country pride, and team standpoint.  The Viking Classic is important from a monetary and where you are standing in relation to the top 125, and a potential job for next season standpoint.  This weekend should bode well for the golf fan as he has a smorgasbord of golf to choose from and watch. 

The Presidents Cup is back for another installment and this year’s version should be just as exciting as the previous versions.  Held at The Royal Montreal Golf Club’s Blue course, in Montreal, Canada, the reconfigured layout will play 7,171 yards, par 70, nearly 300 yards longer than in it played in 2001.  The captain for the American team is Jack Nicklaus, and the Captain for the International team is Gary Player.  This event’s brief history has been an exciting one, and the American team has seen the better results with a record of 4-1-1.    

This is a huge week for Mike Weir as he is the basically the poster boy for Canadian golf.  "Here, he brings a massive atmosphere,” said Geoff Ogilvy. "I’ve played in the Canadian Open when Mike’s been in contention and there’s something special about it.”  There is also some buzz about the home-grown superstar playing against the world’s number one, Tiger Woods, as this has been commonplace in the last two Presidents Cups.  "It might be icing on the cake for me to get a chance to get in there and possibly beat him. You know, I know come Sunday in singles, we just want to pair up who is going to match up the best. As I said, this is my fourth time. I haven’t been on a winning team yet; we tied once and lost twice. Gary wants to make sure that we do the right thing, not just for myself to put me against Tiger, but for everybody. We’re trying to win this.”

No matter what the tournament is, these guys still want to win.  That should be evident this week as the only prize in country pride, and that can be a larger motivator than money.  Be on the look out for some amazing golf and an amazing competition.

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Viking Classic

Running at the same time as the Presidents Cup, the Viking Classic will be some more PGA Tour golf for your appetite.  Being held at Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Mississippi, the Viking Classic boasts a purse of 3.5 million dollars, and the winner getting $630,000 dollars for his efforts this week.  Playing at a par of 72 and a yardage of 7,199 yards, look for the scoring to be great. 

There are several interesting stories developing this week, with the return of David Duval being the most talked about.  Duval will return to the PGA Tour after last appearing at the Nissan Open in February, where he missed the cut in his fifth event of the year. He has been home in Colorado taking care of his family as his wife, Susie, has suffered through a difficult pregnancy. 

Davis Love III has pulled out of the event with an ankle injury, and that is a major blow to the event as he was the biggest name player in the field.  Love, has not officially withdrawn from the tournament but he won’t play because of an ankle injury, said Randy Watkins, the tournament director.  "He busted up his ankle at a horse show with his kids," Watkins said of Love. "He called me today and said he tried to play today but had to quit after three holes. He just couldn’t play.” 

This event is a great chance for some of the “bubble boys” to make a strong move toward securing their PGA Tour cards for next year.  This is typically the time of the year where you start hearing more about the top 125, 50, and 30, as each plateau means different things to different people.  But most important is the top 125, as if you are within that number you will have a place to play next year.  Outside of that number and you will be back to Q-school to attempt to gain full status back. 

We should be in store for some more great golf, and it will be a nice change to take a rest from the Presidents Cup and flip it back and forth between the two events.  Enjoy it, because it does not happen that often.   

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