Tiger Woods, Mike Weir eye big win as Goosen disqualified

Woods, Weir eye big win as Goosen disqualified

Both Tiger Woods and Mike Weir have their own reasons of being desperate to win the Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club. The Nissan victory would be a real chance for Woods to reclaim  No.1 spot in world’s rankings, but a breakthrough for Weir.  Strangely, 29-year-old Tiger Woods, Los Angeles’ native, has never won a hometown PGA Tour stop at Riviera Country Club. Mike Weir, on the other hand, is gunning for his third Nissan title third in a row – for the first time in history.

"Basically, I don't look at records too much but I've thought about this one," Weir said. "This would be a pretty cool one. Looking down the list of the guys who have won twice here, there's a lot of history and I'd just like to have a little piece of it if I could."

His chances rose after Retief Goosen, fifth-ranked golf player in the world, was disqualified because he was late for his 6:40 a.m. Pro-Am tee time. The previous evening, Goosen had hosted a cocktail party at Riviera on behalf of Grey Goose Vodka.

"Retief Goosen is a model citizen who simply didn't get a wakeup call," said Mark Russell, a PGA official who made the call. "I told him I wished there was something I could do, but it's right there in black and white. He had requested that time but he just didn't get a wakeup call."

Tiger Woods told before the Nissan Open: "I played my first Tour event here when I was 16. I have some great memories, some nervous memories. It's my hometown. There are always friends and family here who don't get to see me play that often so it's a special event for me. No doubt about it. I'd like to win. Hopefully this will be the year."

Woods hasn't played since he won the Buick Invitational in San Diego on Jan. 23. Weir on the other hand, is making his fourth start in a row and is motivated just walking the fairways of Riviera.

"It would be pretty cool to win here three times in a row,' Weir said. "The first two were totally different. The first one I was coming from seven shots behind and I had to wait around for a while before winning the playoff. Last year, I was out front and then Shigeki (Maruyama) put on a charge and the game was on. It's a nice compliment. I don't think my game is anywhere near his, but it's just a nice compliment."

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