McIlroy, Rose confirmed for Frys

Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose have both been confirmed for this week’s PGA Tour season opener, the Frys.com Open.

Coming as soon as it does after the season-ending Tour Championship, the event does not usually attract a stellar field.
But a deal was struck in 2012 that saw a number of players to agree to play in the Frys.com Open at least once over the next three years in exchange for playing in that’s year’s Turkish Airlines World Golf Final, which was staged at the same time as the Frys.

McIlroy and Rose, plus former Masters champ Charl Schwartzel and 2012 US Open winner Webb Simpson, will all be fulfilling their obligation this week.

Tiger Woods was also due to appear, but has been ruled out following a second back operation.

Also in the field is American Scott Stallings, who returns to the PGA Tour after serving a three-month ban for violating the Tour’s anti-drug policy.

Stallings reported himself to the Tour after he realised that a supplement he had been taking to combat chronic fatigue was prohibited.

The Frys.com Open would not usually be able to call on players ranked third and seventh in the world given its position in the calendar, coming so soon after the Tour Championship in Atlanta and before the lucrative Final Series.
However, McIlroy and Rose were among eight players who entered a non-sanctioned match play event called the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final in October 2012, which was staged at the same time as the Frys.com Open.

And in return for being granted a release to play in Turkey – where Rose won USD1.5million for beating Lee Westwood in the final – all eight players had to agree to make the trip to Napa in California at least once during the next three years.

McIlroy, Rose and major winners Charl Schwartzel and Webb Simpson have left it until now to fulfil their obligations, with Westwood, Hunter Mahan and Matt Kuchar having already played.

Stallings said in July: “I regret my inadvertent mistake in not doing my homework to know for sure what was on the list of permitted and non-permitted substances.