PALM HARBOR - Whom do you want to see? Mike Weir? Ernie Els? Phil Mickelson? Your nephew the caddie? Anybody? Everybody?
If you plan to spend any time at the Chrysler Championship, you'll need a game plan.
There are various ways to watch a golf tournament, each with advantages and disadvantages. No matter your choice, the first thing you'll need is a daily pairings list, available on site at no charge. It will show you which players are grouped together and when and where they'll be teeing off. Thursday and Friday half the field will start at the first hole, the rest at No. 10.
Even minimal planning is better than wearing yourself out wandering around.
Here are three basic ways to watch the Chrysler Championship:
-- You want to see several groups of golfers, some of them more than once. Check the map. There are positions where you'll be able to see players coming and going from more than one hole.
The No. 4 green, No. 5 tee, No. 6 green and No. 7 tee are within 100 yards of each other. Also, the No. 5 green is close to the No. 9 fairway, and the 10th and 18th fairways run parallel. With the right timing you might see Justin Leonard on one and, through the trees, John Daly on the other. If you would rather not look through trees, two spots between Nos. 10 and 18 are close enough to stroll from one to the other and back again.
-- You want to see every golfer. Get to Innisbrook early enough to stake your claim to a spot at the first tee, or choose a par-3 hole, or find a seat in the grandstand at the 18th green.
There are downsides to each.
At No. 1 you can see every golfer - for one shot. Technically, at that point, everybody is tied for first.
With a well-planned spot at a par-3 (Nos. 4, 8, 13, 15 and 17), you will be able to watch every golfer from tee to green. That's also the drawback, seeing every golfer on the same hole. And tournaments rarely turn on a par-3.
At No. 18 you also can see every golfer if you're willing to spend six or seven hours in the grandstand.
Saturday and Sunday, grandstand seats should be available until about 2 p.m. The leaders will tee off at No. 1 at about 11:30 a.m. and arrive at the 18th green at 3:30-4:30 p.m. Unless there's a runaway leader, that's where the drama peaks. And blowout or not, that's where the champion hoists the trophy.
-- You want to spend the day with one golfer or one group. Be prepared to walk. A lot. Copperhead measures 7,315 yards (4.156 miles).
If you're interested in a lesser-known golfer and he's not playing with, say, Els or Mickelson, no problem. You'll be able to stroll the fairways with relatively few other spectators and stand against the ropes, your view unblocked.
If you want to follow a marquee player, be prepared to get the occasional close-up look separated by a lot of glimpses here and there. You won't be in a great position very often. As the crowd moves ahead you probably are going to be blocked out.
Suggestion: Go to, say, No. 3 while your marquee player is on No. 2. Watch him play No. 3. Then go to No. 5, stake out your site, watch others play through, watch your guy, then take off for No. 7, and so on. Drawback: If your player is playing just behind other stars or leaders spaced out over two or three holes, you may not find your vantage point closer than four holes ahead.
"There's no "best way' to watch," said Chris Card, Innisbrook's director of golf. "The "worst way' is to not plan ahead."
