PGA: Grand Slam of Golf Preview

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By Cody Thrasher via TheSandTrap.com

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The 2005 major championship winners, along with Vijay Singh, do battle in Hawaii.

One of the many perks of winning a major championship on the PGA Tour is getting the opportunity to play in Hawaii at season's end against the other major championship winners. The golfers get to showcase their respective talents on national television in a two-day event. The four men will play 36 holes over the two days, and the winner will walk away $400,000 richer.

There is no better place to start than at the top, and that is Tiger Woods. Woods is scheduled to play in the Grand Slam of Golf, but an ankle injury may force him out of the event. Woods has had the injury for about a month, and the cold weather in Japan this past week made it worse. As of now, Woods is still in the four-man field, and we will update you if there are any changes. For now, let's assume Tiger will be playing.

Tiger has dominated the 2005 season all around the world and finds himself in the Grand Slam of Golf after wins at The Masters and British Open. Questions regarding Tiger's "majors drought" have been answered in a big way in 2005. Woods defeated Chris DiMarco in a playoff to win his fourth green jacket. His chip on the 16th at Augusta in the final round was one of the best shots in the history of the game.

At the British Open, Tiger dominated once again. St. Andrews was the site of Tiger's first British Open victory in 2000, and it was much the same this year for Mr. Woods. Tiger led wire-to-wire, as he became the second PGA Tour golfer in history to win all four majors at least twice in a career. Oh yeah, he is only 29 years old! To say the season has been great for Woods would be a vast understatement.

One of the golfers joining Tiger Woods in the 2005 Grand Slam of Golf is U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell. Campbell is definitely the surprise entrant in this year's Grand Slam of Golf, but he is very deserving. He defeated the best golfers in the world en route to winning the U.S. Open, and he did it on the famed Pinehurst No. 2. That is an accomplishment worthy or praise. Campbell has played well in 2005, and the other three guys will have to watch out for him this week.

The final major championship winner of 2005 is Phil Mickelson. Mickelson's victory came at the PGA Championship. The tournament was stopped on Sunday due to inclement weather, and the finish was pushed to Monday morning. This didn't stop Mickelson from winning the second major championship of his career, however. Mickelson made a tough up-and-down at the 18th for birdie to win by one shot.

Lefty will be playing in his second Grand Slam of Golf in a row. Who can forget his unbelievable performance last season? After a first-round 68, Mickelson went crazy in the final round en route to a career-best 59! Mickelson only hit five fairways on the second day, but it was good enough for the lowest round in the history of the event.

The last of the four golfers playing in this event is Vijay Singh. Singh didn't win any majors this season, but he is the second-ranked golfer in the world and fills in the fourth spot available because of Tiger's two major victories. Singh also finished in the top-10 in all four majors in 2005, including a T5 at The Masters, T6 at the U.S. Open, T5 at the British Open, and a T10 at the PGA Championship. If anyone is worthy of the spot in this week's event, it's definitely Vijay Singh. Singh was also a part of last year's Grand Slam of Golf where he finished second to Mickelson.

The course for the Grand Slam of Golf is the beautiful Poipu Golf Course in Kauai, Hawaii. This is the 11th time the Grand Slam of Golf has been played at this course. It measures 7,123 yards and par is 72. The 16th hole is a 501-yard par 4 that is the most difficult on the course. Players will struggle to get par at this hole every time. The finishing hole can really spark some drama down the stretch. It's a 550-yard par 5 where eagles are definitely obtainable. Tiger Woods eagled the 18th in regulation in 2000 and then again in a playoff en route to defeating Vijay Singh.

The 2005 Grand Slam of Golf will showcase four of the best golfers in the world. Tiger Woods has won this event four times in his short career, and there is no doubt he will be the favorite to win yet again. However, Vijay Singh is always capable of shooting a low score, and Mickelson shot a 59 in this event last year. Anything is possible with these three top dogs, and don't forget about Michael Campbell either. Campbell proved he can outmatch the world's best on any given week.

Also, there was a special "20 Questions with the Grand Slam Fab Four" conducted recently, and The Sand Trap's Brian Whittaker gave his thoughts on the article. Be sure to check that out as well.

The 2005 Grand Slam of Golf will be televised Tuesday and Wednesday on TNT at the following times:

Tue 7-10pm ET TNT
Wed 6-10pm ET TNT

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