Williams World Challenge: Pictures from the Pro-Am
by Richard Linde, 13 December 2001

It was autograph and picture day at the Williams World Challenge, hosted by the Tiger Woods foundation and played at the Sherwood Country Club in Ventura County, California. The tournament is presented by Target. 

The event features a field of 16 elite PGA tour players--the top eleven from the Official World Golf Ranking. 

Most of the professional golfers were quite willing to sign autographs and pose for pictures after finishing a hole. One pro was assigned to each fivesome, which included four amateur partners. Playing in a  two-best-ball format, each golfer would hit a drive and then use the best drive of the bunch as a starting point on the fairway. The professional's drive could be used once during a nine. 

The start of play was delayed one hour by frost, the overnight low dipping into the twenties. By noon, the temperature climbed into the high sixties, and we began to unpeel our layers of clothing. The weather was clear, cool and the air was mostly still. 

As usual, Seattle's Fred Couples was one of the more affable players, quite willing to pose for pictures and sign autographs. Freddie lives in Santa Barbara, which is about 65 miles north of Sherwood, along the 101 Freeway. 

Security was tight, as it should be. We were scanned by a metal detector before entering the golf course. The scanner was so sensitive that it detected a stick of gum in my pocket, the foil triggering the sensor.

The pictures below were taken at the pro-am event. Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the picture.