This Week On The Pro Tours

February 10, 2009

PGA TOUR

AT&T National Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Site: Pebble Beach, Calif.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Courses: Pebble Beach Golf Links (6,874 yards, par 72), Spyglass Hill Golf Course (6,953 yards, par 72) and Poppy Hills Golf Club (6,944 yards, par 72).

Purse: $6.1 million. Winner's share: $1,098,000.

Television: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m., 8:30-11:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday, 3-6 p.m.; Sunday, 3-6:30 p.m.).

Last year: Steve Lowery won his third PGA Tour title and first in more than seven years, beating Vijay Singh with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff. At 47, Lowery became the oldest winner in tournament history.

Last week: Nick Watney won the Buick Invitational for his second tour victory, birdieing two of the final three holes for a one-stroke victory over John Rollins.

Notes: Phil Mickelson won by five strokes in 2007, closing with a 6-under 66 to match the tournament record of 20-under 268 set by Mark O'Meara in 1997. Mickelson also won in 1998 and 2005. He tied for 42nd last week in San Diego (70-72-73-75) after missing the cut in Scottsdale (76-73) in his season debut. ... Singh, the 2004 winner, is returning to play following arthroscopic surgery last month on his right knee. ... Jim Furyk is making his season debut. The 13-time PGA Tour winner had a tour-best nine top-10 finishes last year in his first winless season since 2004. ... Kenny Perry is coming a playoff victory two weeks ago in the FBR Open. ... Tommy Armour III won the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational for second straight year in November, beating Scott Simpson and Brock MacKenzie in a playoff. ... PGA Tour commissioner is teaming with Davis Love III in the pro-am competition. ... The final round will be played at Pebble Beach. ... The Northern Trust Open is next week at Riviera, followed by the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play in Marana, Ariz. -- opposite the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico.

LPGA TOUR

SBS Open at Turtle Bay

Site: Kahuku, Hawaii.

Schedule: Thursday-Saturday.

Course: Turtle Bay Resort, Arnold Palmer Course (6,560 yards, par 72).

Purse: $1.2 million. Winner's share: $180,000.

Television: Golf Channel (Thursday, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Friday, 12:30-2:30 a.m., 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Saturday, midnight-2 a.m., 6:30-9:30 p.m.; Sunday, midnight-3 a.m.).

Last year: Annika Sorenstam won the season-opening event for her first victory since September 2006. She birdied two of the last three holes for a two-stroke victory, the 70th of the retired star's 72 LPGA Tour titles.

Last event: Catriona Matthew, the 39-year-old Scot expecting her second child in May, won the 15-player, 36-hole LPGA Brazil Cup exhibition event Jan. 25. Matthew had two 3-under 69s for a five-stroke victory over Kristy McPherson.

Notes: Michelle Wie is making her first start as an LPGA Tour member. The 19-year-old Stanford student earned her tour card in December with a seventh-place tie at Q-school. In 2005 as a 15-year-old amateur, she tied for second in her home-state event-- two strokes behind Jennifer Rosales. Ranked 236th, she has 13 top-10 finishes in 48 winless LPGA Tour starts. ... Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa is skipping the tournament. No. 2 Yani Tseng is in the field along with No. 3 Paula Creamer, No. 4 Suzann Pettersen, No. 5 Jiyai Shin, Cristie Kerr, Morgan Pressel, Juli Inkster and Natalie Gulbis. ... Tseng, the LPGA Championship winner and tour rookie of the year, has jumped from 133rd to second in the world since the start of last season. ... Creamer won the 2007 event. ... Shin won the Women's British Open and two other LPGA Tour events last year as a non-member. She has 26 worldwide wins in three years, 20 on the Korea LPGA. ... The tour is off the next two weeks. Play will resume Feb. 26-March 1 with the Honda LPGA Thailand, Ochoa's first event. The HSBC Women's Champions is the following week in Singapore.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

Allianz Championship

Site: Boca Raton, Fla.

Schedule: Friday-Sunday.

Course: The Old Course at Broken Sound Club (6,807 yards, par 72).

Purse: $1.7 million. Winner's share: $255,500.

Television: Golf Channel (Friday, 12:30-2:30 p.m.; Saturday, 2-4 a.m., 1-4 p.m., 9:30-11:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1-4 p.m., 9:30-11:30 p.m.).

Last year: Scott Hoch won the first of two straight victories, birdieing five of the final eight holes for a one-stroke victory over Brad Bryant and Bruce Lietzke. Hoch won The ACE Group Classic the following week.