WOODSTOCK - The World Golf Championships were designed to bring together the greatest players in the world. <br>
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This one could go a long way toward identifying the best player of the year. <br>
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Tiger Woods, Mike Weir, Davis Love the third and Jim Furyk return from long layoffs to compete in the American Express Championship, a six million dollar tournament that serves as the starting line for what should be a fascinating finish to the season. <br>
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At stake, along with $1.05 million for the winner, is a chance for a half-dozen players to state their cases as PGA Tour player of the year. <br>
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Woods said, ``This week and the Tour Championship will probably determine a lot of different things -- the money title, player of the year, Vardon Trophy. A lot of things are up for grabs. It's pretty important to play well in those events.'' <br>
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Until this year, about all that mattered at the American Express Championship was the prestige of the trophy and the size of the check. Woods already had wrapped up the big awards, sometimes as early as July. <br>
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Now he is only one of the contenders. <br>
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Weir has won three times, including the Masters, and is fifth on the money list, still in range with two six million dollar events on the schedule. Furyk won the U.S. Open, another PGA Tour event and is rarely out of the top ten. <br>
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The last time someone was voted PGA Tour player of the year without winning a major was Greg Norman in 1995, a trend that bodes well for Weir and Furyk. <br>
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Vijay Singh has three victories and leads the money list with $5.7 million, although Davis Love the third was quick to point out that Singh has played five more tournaments and leads him by just under $200,000.
