By Greg Robertson
ESPN Golf Online
Sunday, August 13

Details
When	Thursday-Sunday
Course	Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club, Grand Blanc, Mich.
Par/Yardage	Par 72; 7,101 yards
Purse	$2.7 million (Winner: $486,000)
1999 champion	Tom Pernice Jr.
Tournament record	26-under 262 (Robert Wrenn, 1987)
Television	Thursday-Friday: 4-6:30 p.m. (TGC) Saturday-Sunday: 3-6 p.m. ET (CBS)

The tournament

	Hole by hole
	Hole	Par	Yards
	1	5	567
	2	4	431
	3	3	187
	4	4	401
	5	4	437
	6	4	421
	7	5	584
	8	3	199
	9	4	413
	Out	36	3640
	10	4	401
	11	3	190
	12	4	335
	13	5	544
	14	4	322
	15	4	457
	16	5	580
	17	3	197
	18	4	435
	In	36	3461
	Total	72	7101
	Key holes: The 15th is usually the toughest hole on the course. It's a long par-4 which plays into the wind and requires a long iron to the green flanked by bunkers on both sides. Fairway trees can also block approaches to the green. The 17th can play difficult, with water, sand and collection areas all part of the par-3.

The final tuneup for the final major takes place this week with some of the top players in the field at Warwick Hills Country Club.

At the top of the list is Tiger Woods, who makes his return to the golf course for the first time since completing a career Grand Slam at the British Open. It's a rare start for Woods, who generally bypasses tournaments the week before a major.

Vijay Singh, Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson, Hal Sutton and Fred Couples are among the other big names in the tournament. David Duval, Greg Norman and Tom Lehman are among those taking the week off to prepare for Valhalla.

The Buick Open has offered a mix of champions in recent years. Stars like Couples and Singh have won, but others like Woody Austin and Dan Forsman have also emerged from the talented pack. That was the case last year when Tom Pernice Jr. won for the first time in his career.

Pernice did it the hard way, coming from five shots off the pace on Sunday for a one-shot victory over Lehman, Bob Tway and Ted Tryba. Pernice closed with a 65 on Sunday to win in his 213th career start.

The victory made Pernice one of nine players to get their first wins at the tournament, a list that includes Justin Leonard and Peter Jacobsen.

This year has been a struggle for Pernice, who stands 109th on the money list. He had a pair of top-10 finishes early in the year, but he's missed the cut in five of his last six tournaments and 10 of 22 for the season.

After the PGA Championship next week, the season is far from over. Fifteen tournaments remain on the schedule, including the World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational and the Reno-Tahoe Open the following week.

A dozen players to watch
Fred Couples: The 1994 champion of this event, Couples has been playing well of late, including a sixth-place finish at the British Open. Back is no longer causing him problems.

Steve Flesch: The left-hander is still looking for his first win, but he's contended as much as anybody this season. He has nine top-10 finishes and flirted with the leaderboard throughout the British Open.

Jim Furyk: Has had success at this event in past years, finishing fourth in 1997 and third in 1998. Set the course record with a 62 in 1998. Didn't play well at British Open despite two top-five finishes as tuneups.

Miguel Angel Jimenez: The runnerup at the U.S. Open has played well in limited appearances on the PGA Tour. Warwick Hills should be a good test to see if his game is in shape for next week's PGA Championship.

Justin Leonard: Has struggled all season, except for a two-week blip in early summer. First tour victory came in this event in 1996 when he ran away from the field by five shots.

Davis Love III: Seven top-10 finishes and sixth on the money list this year, but Love has now gone 29 months without a victory. Should be in good mental state with PGA Championship a week away.

Billy Mayfair: Just slipped into the PGA Championship field, but 2000 season has been a struggle. Twice has tied for 10th this year for best finishes, but won this event in 1998.

Phil Mickelson: Already a three-time winner this season and third on the money list, Mickelson was second last week at The International. He's continuing his new tradition of playing the week before a major.

Vijay Singh: Singh has struggled with the putter since his win at The Masters, but he's shown signs of life lately with a tie for 11th at the British Open and ninth at The International. He won this event in 1997.

Hal Sutton: A two-time winner this season, Sutton has battled some physical woes since his torrid spring. He hasn't played since missing the cut at the British Open.

Scott Verplank: Verplank has had much success at Warwick Hills through the years. He won here in 1988 and was second to Billy Mayfair in 1998.

Tiger Woods: Playing for the first time since completing the Grand Slam at the British Open, Woods has five wins this year and has contended in all but two starts this year. One of those was his British Open tuneup.