The defending champ has profited nicely from the local Champions event and is glad it's still around.
By BOB HARIG
Published January 8, 2004
LUTZ - The golf tournament is generally considered among the best on the Champions Tour, with a star-packed field, top-notch course and big-time fan support.
So when Outback emerged last fall as the title sponsor for the 17-year-old event, Champions Tour officials were relieved and ecstatic.
You could say the same for Bruce Fleisher.
No player could have been more in favor of saving the tournament than Fleisher, the defending champion who has won it twice and never finished worse than tied for third in five appearances.
"It would have hurt to lose it," said Fleisher, 55, whose victory last year at the TPC of Tampa Bay was his 16th on the tour. "For Outback to step up is wonderful. We don't get crowds like this everywhere. Only three or four places get this support. As a player, you don't like to play in front of nobody. It's no fun."
Fleisher was in town for a media gathering Wednesday to promote the event formerly known as the Verizon Classic. And with a new sponsor will come change.
Now to be known as the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, the Feb. 20-22 event will feature 72 pros, each paired with an amateur partner for the first two rounds. The top 12 pro-am teams advance to Sunday's final round, where amateurs could conceivably be playing alongside pros in the final groups competing for the $240,000 prize. The event will be televised live on the Golf Channel.
The pro-am, best-ball format is modeled after the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California and was put in place by Outback officials to give the event a fresh look. Tournament director Amy Hawk said she expects between eight and 12 "celebrity" amateurs to be announced later.
Some players on tour might not embrace such a concept, but they should get used to it. Two other events will have a similar format in an effort to bring the players closer to fans.
"As a player, we have to look beyond that," Fleisher said. "We're trying to be fan-friendly. We've done it for years at Pebble Beach and the Bob Hope."
Fleisher, who also won in 2000, will attempt to become the first to defend. He also finished second twice and is a cumulative 38 under par for 15 competitive rounds at the TPC of Tampa Bay.
Others who have committed to the tournament so far are Hale Irwin, Craig Stadler, Bruce Lietzke, Tom Kite and past champions Bob Gilder, Larry Nelson and Doug Tewell. Tampa's Gary Koch, serving as unofficial host for the event, also will play.
Senior newcomers such as Sam Torrance and Mark James, former European Ryder Cup captains, have entered, as has former U.S. Open champion Jerry Pate.
"The thought of possibly losing this tournament was one that none of us wanted to think of," Koch said. "But it was a reality. We feel so fortunate that Outback stepped up."
The tournament is selling daily tickets for $25 and offering a $65 tournament badge that is good Wednesday through Sunday. The event also is seeking volunteers. For information call (813) 265-4653.
