PGA Tour goes to Torrey Pines without 7-time winner Woods

PGA TOUR
FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN
Site: San Diego
Course: Torrey Pines GC, South Course (Yardage: 7,765. Par: 72.) and North Course (Yardage: 7,258. Par: 72.)
Prize money: $7.5 million. Winner’s share: $1,350,000.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 3-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).
Defending champion: Marc Leishman.
FedEx Cup leader: Dustin Johnson.
Last week: Si Woo Kim won The American Express.
Notes: Tiger Woods, who typically starts his year at Torrey Pines when healthy, is not playing this year. He had back surgery on Dec. 23 and is out for at least the next month. … Torrey Pines is hosting the U.S. Open in June for the second time. Woods won the PGA Tour event and the U.S. Open at Torrey in 2008. … Jordan Spieth and Louis Oosthuizen make their first starts of 2021. Spieth is trying to end a drought that dates to the 2017 British Open. … Rory McIlroy goes from Abu Dhabi to Torrey Pines. Justin Rose, who won at Torrey two years ago, is playing in Dubai this week. … Phil Mickelson is playing his hometown event after missing the cut in The American Express last week. This is the 20-year anniversary of Mickelson winning the tournament in a playoff with a double bogey. … Jon Rahm at No. 2 is among only three players from the top 10 in the world at Torrey. The others are McIlroy and San Diego native Xander Schauffele. … U.S. Amateur champion Tyler Strafaci received a sponsor’s exemption. Strafaci is exempt into the U.S. Open in June. … Sungjae Im, Lanto Griffin and Richy Werenski are playing for the fourth consecutive week on the PGA Tour. … Among the sponsor exemptions are Nick Watney, who won the tournament in 2009.
Next week: Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
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EUROPEAN TOUR
OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC
Site: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Course: Emirates GC. Yardage: 7,353. Par: 72.
Prize money: $3.25 million. Winner’s share: $552,500.
Television: Wednesday, 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. (Golf Channel); Thursday, 6:30-8:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Friday, 2:30-8:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 3:30-8 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Lucas Herbert.
Race to Dubai leader: Tyrrell Hatton.
Last week: Tyrrell Hatton won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Notes: PGA champion Collin Morikawa, who played last year at Torrey Pines, makes his second trip to Dubai. He played the DP World Tour Championship last year as his first regular European Tour event with a chance to win the Race to Dubai. … Morikawa and Tyrrell Hatton are the only two players from the top 10 in the world ranking. … Sergio Garcia, who began the year with consecutive weeks in Hawaii, plays the first of consecutive weeks in the Middle East. He also plans to play next week in Saudi Arabia. … Bryson DeChambeau is not playing after being in Dubai each of the last two years, including his first European Tour victory two years ago. He is expected to be at the Saudi International next week. DeChambeau is among three Americans to have won in Dubai, joining Tiger Woods and Fred Couples. … The Dubai Desert Classic is the oldest of the Middle East tournaments, dating to 1989 when Mark James won. … Lee Westwood is in the field. He has been runner-up three times without ever having won this event. … Rory McIlroy, a two-time winner, is playing the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, site of the U.S. Open in June.
Next week: Saudi International.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/european-tour/
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LPGA TOUR
Last week: Jessica Korda won the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.
Next tournament: Gainbridge LPGA on Feb. 25-28.
Race to CME Globe leader: Jessica Korda.
Online: https://www.lpga.com/
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PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Last week: Darren Clarke won the Mitsubishi Electric Championship.
Next tournament: Cologuard Classic on Feb. 26-28.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Bernhard Langer.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/champions.html
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OTHER TOURS
PGA Tour of Australasia: TPS Victoria, Rosebud CC (North), Rosebud, Australia. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://pga.org.au/