Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, Grand Blanc, Michigan

The tournament within a tournament is what the Buick Open is being called by many. While the winner will receive $864,000, something that is more important to some is the amount of points awarded toward the Ryder Cup. Under the new system for picking the Ryder Cup team, one that rewards the hottest players this season, the winner this week will collect 375 points. Anyone currently ranked in the top 40 and picks up the win will be vaulted into the top ten.

Warwick Hills is a 7,100-yard, par-72 course and was the 13th easiest on the PGA in 2005, averaging a stroke and a half under par. Many of the holes at Warwick are short and there will be an emphasis on driving accuracy since the course has numerous doglegs. Because the course was considered easy, a big change at Warwick this year is the higher rough which should keep the scores down slightly. The greens are huge so solid putting is also a priority.

The field is a top notch list. Last weeks U.S. Bank Championship winner Corey Pavin and veteran John Cook were the only notable additions to a field that already included Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, Chris DiMarco, John Daly and Geoff Ogilvy. From the PGA Tour money list, the Buick Open has four of the top five players, Woods, Furyk, Ogilvy and Singh, as well as 28 of the top 50 and 58 of the top 100.

Two time defending champion Vijay Singh will be trying to become the first player to win the Buick Open three straight years as well as four times overall. Singh set the 54-hole record here last year at 22-under par and will be making his first start since missing the cut at the Open Championship. Prior to that, he won the Barclays and finished 6th and 4th at the U.S. Open and Western Open respectively.

Tiger Woods has finished in the top three at the Buick a record four straight years and will be playing for the first time since his emotional victory at the Open Championship. In seven starts at Warwick Hills, he has never finished worst than 11th, with two runner-up showings and a victory in 2002. He tied the course record with a 61 in the second round last year but lost to Singh by four shots.

Jim Furyk has five straight top ten finishes at Warwick Hills and whose last three tournaments saw him tie for second at the U.S. Open, share fourth at the Western Open and finish fourth at the Open Championship. In 44 career rounds at the Buick, Furyk has only been above par once, shooting 75 during the third round in 1997 and has now played 29 consecutive rounds under par.

Chris DiMarco is coming off a second place finish at the Open Championship and is peaking at a good time with the most Ryder Cup points on the line. This is DiMarco's ninth straight appearance at Warwick Hills, where he has twice tied for second, 2001 and 2003, while finishing in the top 15 two other times. Nobody has earned more money than DiMarco at Warwick Hills without winning the tournament.