Last year world #1 Lee Westwood ruffled a few feathers on the Yankee turkey when he announced he would not be playing full time on the PGA tour, concentrating rather on the European tour instead. That followed on the heels of similar decisions by world #3 Martin Kaymer and #12 Rory McIlroy.
This weekend brings an early indicator of the new world order as Martin Kaymer defends his title in Abu Dhabi
16 of the world's top 30 will travel to the desert of the middle east to play the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, including #4 Phil Mickelson, while only 2 will travel to the Palm Springs desert to play the Bob Hope Classic
12 others are not playing in either including the likes of Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson and Hunter Mahan who have chosen not to play their PGA tour event... Now the Hope, once a classic, Arnie won it 5 times, is not every one's cup of tea or should I say tee, anymore.. 5 days ( 4 with amateurs) on 4 very easy courses (Palmer course PGA West where Duval shot 59, Nicklaus course PGA West, La Quinta and Silver Rock ) with a winning score usually around 30 shots under par.. Mike Weir won in 2003 with a total of 330.. it doesn't make it a great draw for the world's elite although Canucks Weir, Ames Baryla are in the field and McQuillan is an alternative..
The European Tour starts it's 4 week desert swing as follows...
Jan 20 Jan 23 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
Abu Dhabi Golf Club,Abu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates
$2,700,000
Jan 27 Jan 30 Volvo Golf Champions
The Royal Golf Club,Kingdom of Bahrain,Bahrain
€1,700,000
Feb 03 Feb 06 Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy
Doha GC,Doha,Qatar
$2,500,000
Feb 10 Feb 13 Omega Dubai Desert Classic
Emirates GC,Dubai,United Arab Emirates
$2,500,000 where Tiger Woods is scheduled to start his 2011 campaign,,
while the PGA tour has this lineup, none of it with world #1 Lee Westwood or Tiger Woods..
Jan. 19 - 23 Bob Hope Classic
PGA West (Palmer Course), La Quinta, California
PGA West (Nicklaus Course), La Quinta, California
La Quinta CC, La Quinta, California
Silver Rock, La Quinta, California
Purse: $5,000,000
Bill Haas (D)
Jan. 27 - 30 Farmers Insurance Open
Torrey Pines (South Course), San Diego, California
Torrey Pines (North Course), San Diego, California
Purse: $5,800,000
Ben Crane (D)
Feb. 03 - 06 Waste Management Phoenix Open
TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona
Purse: $6,100,000 GOLF
Hunter Mahan (D)
Feb. 10 - 13 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California
Monterrey Peninsula CC, Pebble Beach, California
Spyglass Hill GC, Pebble Beach, California
Furyk and Stricker normally don't play next until the following week at the Northern Trust Open at Riviera which Stricker won last year and Mickelson will likely get back on a plane from Abu Dhabi to play the Farmers Insurance at Torrey Pines since he is from San Diego.
The Pheonix Open has been moved up this year to the week before Pebble Beach.
A feast of golf for sure, but the early in the 2011 season, the stars are in the desert of the middle east..
Abu Dhabi's slogan.... This is not big it's major !! and in the near-40 year history of The European Tour there has never been such a superb field so early in the season. Here is a breakdown of the world's top 30 this week..
Key: Abu Dhabi (16) Bob Hope (2) NP not playing at either (12)
1 Lee Westwood, Eng 8.83 406.14 46 -18.81 0.00
2 Tiger Woods, USA 7.31 292.59 40 -22.67 0.00 NP
3 Martin Kaymer, Deu 7.05 338.21 48 -17.59 0.00
4 Graeme McDowell, Nir 6.24 343.11 55 -10.38 20.00
4 Phil Mickelson, USA 6.24 268.24 43 -19.93 0.00
6 Steve Stricker, USA 6.02 264.87 44 -17.91 19.98 NP
7 Jim Furyk, USA 5.76 276.53 48 -16.50 7.00 NP
8 Paul Casey, Eng 5.65 248.80 44 -16.52 0.00
9 Luke Donald, Eng 5.50 297.15 54 -13.41 0.00 NP
10 Ernie Els, Zaf 5.40 302.54 56 -14.41 5.64
10 Ian Poulter, Eng 5.40 270.12 50 -12.18 9.50
12 Rory McIlroy, Nir 5.40 291.65 54 -16.13 0.00
13 Matt Kuchar, USA 4.82 255.42 53 -11.71 20.06
14 Dustin Johnson, USA 4.42 220.92 50 -12.16 7.00 NP
15 Francesco Molinari, Ita 4.33 237.99 55 -8.45 4.63
16 Retief Goosen, Zaf 4.30 241.06 56 -13.76 0.00
17 Robert Karlsson, Swe 4.21 180.93 43 -5.90 0.00 NP
18 Louis Oosthuizen, Zaf 4.03 209.74 52 -9.85 22.00
19 Edoardo Molinari, Ita 4.03 213.61 53 -10.22 0.00
20 Tim Clark, Zaf 3.83 206.89 54 -9.29 28.13
21 Hunter Mahan, USA 3.80 205.37 54 -11.60 2.60 NP
22 Robert Allenby, Aus 3.56 199.09 56 -11.22 0.00 NP
23 Charl Schwartzel, Zaf 3.55 198.57 56 -8.71 25.43
24 Adam Scott, Aus 3.50 181.93 52 -7.19 3.13 NP
25 Geoff Ogilvy, Aus 3.47 169.90 49 -10.77 0.00 NP
26 Padraig Harrington, Irl 3.46 190.05 55 -10.82 0.00
27 Miguel A Jimenez, Esp 3.44 192.79 56 -9.12 0.00
28 Zach Johnson, USA 3.43 181.79 53 -12.21 2.85 NP
29 Kim Kyung-Tae, Kor 3.34 176.79 53 -4.97 0.00 NP
30 Rickie Fowler, USA 3.33 133.17 40 -5.26 0.00 NP
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
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