Golf

Innisbrook has big fan in Els

By BOB HARIG
Published October 26, 2006

PALM HARBOR - Innisbrook ought to sign Ernie Els to an endorsement deal. Then again, why? The South African praises the Copperhead course without prompting.

When he first came here three years ago for the Chrysler Championship, Els called it one of the best courses he has played. Not bad coming from a guy who travels the world.

Els missed the past two tournaments because of injury but returned this week. He has been at the course since Monday working on his game. And Els, ranked seventh in the world, still has a high opinion.

"They can have any kind of a big event here," Els said of the venue where the Chrysler Championship begins this morning. "It's that good. At least you're not going to have a 24-under-par winning score here this week. The guy who does that will win by 12 or 13 if you do."

Els is not alone. Throughout its tenure as host, Copperhead has received good comments, which bodes well for the tournament's future when it moves to March in 2007.

"I like playing courses like this," Els said. "You've got to be right on from the first tee shot, you've got to be concentrating from the first go. . . . It's got undulation unlike other Florida golf courses that we play. The bunkering is different than other courses we play. We are playing a difficult course, and it's comforting to know that a low score is not going to win here."

Going home: This will be Craig Parry's final tournament on the PGA Tour, unless he qualifies for the majors or the World Golf events. Parry, who is likely to lose his tour card, is heading home to Australia, although he says it has nothing to do with making just six PGA cuts in 14 tournaments, with only two top-25 finishes. He simply wants to be closer to his family. So he will play the Japan Tour next year.

"I'm tired of the travel," said Parry, 40, who has 22 worldwide victories, including two on the PGA Tour. "It's straight up and down (from Australia to Japan), only an eight-hour flight, just a one-hour time change. I can leave on Tuesday night, get there Wednesday morning, no jet leg. I can get out of there Sunday night if I want to and get home in the morning to take my kids to school."

Parry will be taking advantage of the final year of the 10-year exemption he received for winning the 1997 Japan Open.

TV duty: Rocco Mediate is not giving up his day job, but he will take a three-week break. When the Golf Channel recently announced its on-air lineup, the PGA Tour veteran was part of it. But it is only for the first three weeks of the season, when two tournaments in Hawaii and the Bob Hope event in California are exclusively on the Golf Channel.

"I'm very much looking forward to it," said Mediate, 43, a five-time tour winner who has been plagued by back injuries. "I don't know how it's going to turn out. I think I'll be okay, we'll see. I think it will be fun. It will be a bit nerve-wracking at first because I've never done it. So I don't know. But I intend to play a bunch after that."

Around Innisbrook: Els flew into Tampa on Sunday morning from his home in London and immediately went to the Bucs game, where he was the guest of cornerback Ronde Barber in his suite. ... The team of pro Ben Crane and amateurs Kevin Hyman, Drew Gillan and Ron Campbell, president of the Tampa Bay Lightning, won the pro-am. They shot 13-under 58. ... Alex Pittman, an amateur from Tampa, made a hole-in-one Wednesday at the par-3 fourth hole from 150 yards with a 7-iron. He was playing in the pro-am with Vijay Singh.

[Last modified October 26, 2006, 02:54:58]