Tiger And Dad Paired In Pebble Beach Golf

One week after winning a tournament in his mother’s native Thailand, Tiger Woods will golf with his father for the first time as a pro at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

The tournament, which pairs pro golfers with the likes of actor Kevin Costner and rock star Alice Cooper, will have a larger purse and a smaller field when it starts today.

The purse for the pros has been increased by $600,000 to $2.5 million this year, with a first prize of $450,000. The field has been cut from 180 to 168 to speed play, especially if rain and fog make conditions difficult.

The four-day tournament, played on the Pebble Beach, Poppy Hills and Spyglass Hill courses overlooking the Pacific Ocean, benefits charities ranging from the Alliance on Aging to the Carmel Music Society.

Tiger and Earl Woods will play in a foursome that includes defending champion Mark O’Meara, who teamed with his dad a few years ago.

Tiger Woods and O’Meara are neighbors and close friends, so the younger Woods will be surrounded by familiar faces - as well as quite a few security guards.

Bob Dole applauded with his withered right hand. Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin spoke of a deaf brother. In the middle stood Casey Martin, balancing all his weight on his left leg.

“I know that in the golf community, I’m probably not being received with open arms right now,” Martin said at a news conference at the Capitol. “But it’s nice to have friends in high places.”

Martin, afflicted with a rare circulatory disorder, took his bid to ride a golf cart on the PGA Tour to Capitol Hill and received the support of the two co-authors of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.

“PGA does not mean ‘Please go away,”’ said Dole, the former presidential candidate whose hand was injured during battle in World War II. “He’s here to play.”

Daiwa Corp. and golfer Fuzzy Zoeller agreed on an endorsement contract for the company’s golf clubs, his largest sponsorship agreement since he was dropped by Kmart Corp. over remarks he made about Masters champion Tiger Woods.

Zoeller, the winner of the 1989 Masters and 1984 U.S. Open, is playing Daiwa’s irons and will ease into using the company’s woods. The contract is for around $1 million for three years, said Zoeller’s agent, Eric McClenaghan.