(AP) — The only complaint Tiger Woods had about his $5.75 million charity tournament in December was that it was scheduled so close to Christmas that several top players chose not to play.
"The date after the Skins Game would be great," he said last year.
Woods got his wish.
The Chevron World Challenge, originally scheduled for the week before Christmas, has been moved up to Dec. 3-6, which tournament organizers hope will attract an even stronger field. Among those who skipped last year were Padraig Harrington, Trevor Immelman, Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy, either because of the late date or a conflict with tournaments in Australia or South Africa.
"This is a huge deal," tournament director Greg McLaughlin said. "It's better for the players, and it's far enough away from Christmas that I think it will be excellent for a field."
Woods' tournament is the richest of the silly season - the purse is larger than 20 official PGA Tour events - but the change in date could come at the expense of one of the best tournaments that time of the year.
The date previously was occupied by the Father-Son Challenge, which is searching for a title sponsor and likely will take a year off.
The Chevron World Challenge is held at Sherwood Country Club in Thousands Oaks, Calif., about a two-hour drive from the Skins Game (although the Skins Game also is looking for a title sponsor).
It now falls two weeks after the Dubai World Championship, the final event on the European Tour.
