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What will Mickelson do?
Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas and Brad Faxon address the media at the Tournament Players Club of Boston. (Staff photo by TOM MAGUIRE)
Top Headlines One question, however, is likely to hang over the Tournament Players Club of Boston in the month before the fifth annual Deutsche Bank Championship begins: Will 10 million be enough to attract the only golfer who can challenge Tiger Woods in both popularity and skill? Phil Mickelson - who has slipped from second to fourth in the world golf ranking but is always a huge fan favorite - is expected to play when the PGA Tour makes its annual stop at the golf course off Route 140 in Norton on Aug. 31 to Sept. 3, say tournament organizers. "We're certainly expecting Phil to be here," said tournament director Eric Baldwin during Monday's annual media day at the TPC Boston. Although Mickelson has never played in Norton and seldom tees it up after the PGA Championship in mid-August, PGA Tour officials are hoping that will change this year all of the world's top golfers will take part in the FedEx Cup, the new four-week, season-ending playoff which has a top prize of $10 million. However, Mickelson has played very little since July when he sprained his left wrist in preparation for the U.S. Open. Several trade publications, citing anonymous sources, have said that Mickelson is likely to stop playing for the year after the PGA Championship, which is scheduled for Aug. 9-12. If Mickelson fails to show in Norton, he is likely to be only big-name golfer to do so. Baldwin mentioned 2003 champion Vijay Singh, 2002 champion Adam Scott, number-two ranked Jim Furyk, Ryder Cup stalwart Sergio Garcia and two South Africans who have twice won the U.S. Open, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, as players expected to contend for the Deutsche Bank Championship's top prize of $1.26 million, up from $990,000 last year. The FedEx Cup, designed to not only crown a PGA Tour champion for the year but to create excitement about golf at a time when football kicks off and baseball's pennant races heat up, is creating a lot of buzz among the players, said Rhode Island native Brad Faxon, a member of TPC Boston and a 24-year veteran of the PGA Tour. "Although no one is exactly sure how it will turn out, all the players are excited about it," Faxon said. The Deutsche Bank Championship is the second round of that playoff, and the top 120 in the elaborate FedEx Cup point standings are scheduled to take part in this year's tourney in Norton. "We're really proud to be a mini-major," said Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank North America, a reference to the sport's major tournaments. "This is going to be hard event to skip." Although tournament officials had hoped to limit ticket sales to early summer, Baldwin said a limited number are still available. Tickets are $25 for the practice and pro-am rounds on Tuesday-Thursday, $45 for single-day competition round tickets, $150 for tickets to all four days of competition and $250 for tickets for the entire week. Tickets can be purchased by calling 888-TIX-4DBC or visiting www.dbchampionship.com. MIKE KIRBY can be reached at 508-236-0344 or at mkirby@thesunchronicle.com.
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