Norton, Aug 31: Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam are going north of the border for a golf exhibition aimed at boosting Toronto's SARS-ravaged tourism industry.
Woods and Sorenstam will team up against Canada's top two players, Masters champion Mike Weir and Lorie Kane, in a Sept. 23 match, a source close to Woods' camp said Friday.
The match will be played at Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ontario, a private club just north of Toronto.

The deal is expected to be finalized over the weekend, although organizers are still looking at additional financing, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The match originally was to be played last Monday, after the NEC Invitational at Firestone and before the start of the Deutsche Bank Championship, but organizers could not secure funding in time.



Outside of Asia, Toronto had the largest outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, a potentially deadly ailment. City officials insist the danger was overblown and are working to bring back tourists. Woods could not be reached for comment.



Weir, a three-time winner this season and a leading candidate for PGA Tour player of the year, said in July he was unaware of the plans but endorsed the concept.



"We could do something for SARS and Canada, kind of put a little boost back into the economy and people's perspective about what's really happening there, which has probably been blown out of proportion," Weir said at the British Open. Woods has played four times in Canada since turning pro.



The 1997 Canadian Open is the only PGA Tour event where he missed the cut. He won the 2000 Canadian Open at Glen Abbey, then tied for 23rd at Royal Montreal a year later.



He also put on an exhibition in Toronto last year for American Express, which unveiled a card with his image.



For Sorenstam, it would be her third time playing against men. She missed the cut at the Colonial in May with rounds of 71-74, becoming the first woman in 58 years to play on the PGA Tour.



Sorenstam also teamed with Woods at the "Battle at Bighorn" in 2001, when they defeated David Duval and Karrie Webb. The 32-year-old Swede is expected to play in the Skins Game on Thanksgiving weekend.


Bureau Report