Woods & Donald Headline Target World Challenge Field

Tiger Woods and defending champion Luke Donald head the 16-player field for the eighth annual Target World Challenge presented by Countrywide. The event, which will be held at Sherwood Country Club, December 13-17, benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation.

The field also includes Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, Henrik Stenson, David Howell, David Toms, Chris DiMarco, Colin Montgomerie, Padraig Harrington, Paul Casey, Darren Clarke, Jose Maria Olazabal, Davis Love III, Fred Couples and John Daly.

Of the 16 players in the field, 11 were members of either the U.S. or European teams competing in the Ryder Cup last week at The K Club in Ireland – Woods, Donald, Stenson, Howell, Toms, DiMarco, Montgomerie, Harrington, Casey, Clarke and Olazabal.

The field will compete for their share of the $5.75 million purse. First prize is $1.35 million, and no golfer leaves with less than $170,000. The field is selected from the top players (who accept invitations) from the Official World Rankings and select special exemption players chosen by the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Players who qualified based on their Official World Ranking as of Sept. 18 are Scott (5), Donald (9), Ogilvy (10), Stenson (11), Howell (13), Montgomerie (14), DiMarco (15), Toms (16), Casey (17), Harrington (18) and Olazabal (19). Love, Couples, Daly and Clarke received special exemptions to complete the 16-player field.

"As has become the tradition here, we have an exceptional field for the Target World Challenge presented by Countrywide," Woods said. "I think Southern California golf fans are in for a real treat, and of course, that only helps support the charities that the tournament benefits."

Woods, the world’s No. 1-ranked player and the tournament’s host, has won seven of the 14 PGA Tour events he has played in 2006, including the last five – the British Open, the Buick Open, the PGA Championship, the Bridgestone Invitational and the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Woods' latest British Open and PGA Championship victories leave him alone in second place on the all-time major championships win list with 12. He is fifth on the all-time PGA Tour win list with 53 victories, and his current string of consecutive PGA Tour victories is the longest since he put together a six-tournament winning streak in 1999-2000.

Woods has won this tournament twice (2001, ‘04) in its seven-year history. Love III (2000, ‘03) is also a two-time winner. Other previous champions in this year's field include Donald and Harrington (‘02).

Scott hasn’t been able to add to his career total of three wins this season, but has finished in the top 10 in eight of his 16 starts during 2006, including two second-place finishes and three thirds. Scott will play in the Target World Challenge presented by Countrywide for the first time.

Ogilvy has followed up his maiden PGA Tour victory in 2005 with two victories this season. He won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in February, finishing out the event with a 3 and 2 over Love III in the championship. His bigger triumph, though, was his first major – Ogilvy captured the U.S. Open title by edging Phil Mickelson, Montgomerie and Furyk by one shot at Winged Foot.

Donald could be considered to be having a career year, as his 2006 total of eight top-10 appearances surpasses his total from any other season. He ran away from the field at the Honda Classic, securing his lone victory of the season by shooting three rounds in the 60s.

Stenson is the owner of seven international victories and is beginning to make a name for himself on the PGA Tour. He placed third last year at the WGC-American Express Championship, and followed that up with a third-place showing this year at the Players Championship.

Howell experienced a breakout year, finishing seventh on the European Order of Merit after landing 10 top-10 finishes in 18 starts. In his first full season on the PGA Tour this year, he has registered one top-10 finish.

Montgomerie brings to the tournament one of the most complete resumes of any international player. An eight-time winner of the Harry Vardon Trophy (for leading the European Order of Merit), he climbed 68 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking last year and finished the season 15th.

DiMarco has steadily moved up the Official World Golf Ranking the last few years, and in 2005 banked $3,562,548 in earnings, a career high. He finished second three times in 2005, including at the Masters, where he has three top-10s in five starts.

Toms has one victory and five other top-10 finishes this season, bringing his career victory total to 12. In 2005, he recorded a career-best $3,962,013 in earnings, a season in which the Louisiana native netted three top-three finishes.

Casey won the HSBC World Match Play Championship a week ago by the largest margin in the 43-year history of the event, besting Shaun Micheel with a 10-and-8 victory. He pocketed $1.88 million for the event en route to enjoying his best year as a pro. He won the Volvo China Open and the Johnnie Walker Championship as well to give him seven European victories since turning pro in 2000.

Harrington won the Target World Challenge in 2002, holding off Woods on the final day with help from a third-round 63. He registered his first two career wins in 2005, adding to a resume that already included nine international victories.

Olazabal finished in the top 10 four times in 17 events during 2006. The Spaniard has won six times on the PGA Tour and 23 times internationally.

Love has won this tournament twice, both times beating Woods by two strokes. In 2003, his third-round 63 trumped Woods’ final-round 65. In 2000, he set a fast pace by shooting 67 and 64 in the first two rounds and finished with another 64.

Couples and Daly have long been fan favorites across the country. Couples owns 15 Tour victories and five international victories, including the 1992 Masters. Daly’s five Tour wins include two majors (the 1991 PGA Championship and the 1995 British Open), and his oversized personality attracts fans as much as his mammoth drive and surprising touch around the greens.

Clarke, considered one of the best all-around players in the world, will be making his fourth appearance at the Target World Challenge. Clarke recently lost his wife, Heather, after she succumbed to a long and courageous battle against cancer. Clarke owns 16 worldwide victories during his 16-year pro career. In a limited schedule this year, he had four top-10 finishes

Tickets for the Target World Challenge presented by Countrywide can be ordered through the tournament website, www.targetworldchallenge.com, or purchased by phone at 800/594-TIXX.

The week begins with a Pro-Am on Wednesday, December 13, and the four-day tournament begins Thursday, December 14, and continues through Sunday, December 17.

Sherwood Country Club, which opened 17 years ago, is again expected to provide a stern test for golf’s top players. Rated as one of the best golf courses in the world, Sherwood Country Club features 1,800 mature oak trees and lush landscaping including waterfalls, jasmine and rose bushes.

Tournament proceeds will benefit the Tiger Woods Learning Center and the Start Something Program. The Tiger Woods Learning Center is a 14-acre, youth-education facility that represents the vision of Tiger Woods and his goal to provide youth from diverse backgrounds an interactive enrichment program that will improve individual aptitude in reading, math, science and technology. As a result, youth will develop personal accountability, independence and resilience, leading to greater knowledge of career options and an increase in college enrollment. For more information, visit www.twlc.org.