And the big story going into these events is the return of Tiger Woods. This is the week Woods has typically started his season in recent years, but he's doing it this year at a different tournament.
The Farmers Insurance Open has been Woods' season-opener recently, and with good reason: Woods has dominated that tournament, and on its golf course, Torrey Pines. But in 2012, Woods is beginning not in California, but in Abu Dhabi.
Perhaps the fact that Woods had his worst finish ever at Torrey Pines last year has something to do with that. (Woods finished tied for 44th there in 2011; he had never finished lower than 10th at Torrey Pines before. And Woods had won his previous five appearances at that course - four Farmer Insurance Opens and one U.S. Open.)
Or maybe it's just the lure of a hefty appearance fee. Woods isn't the only PGA Tour regular who is passing up the Farmers for a guaranteed paycheck in Abu Dhabi; Jason Day and K.J. Choi are playing the Euro Tour this week, too.
Others in the Abu Dhabi field include Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Charl Schwartzel, Graeme McDowell, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Sergio Garcia and Matteo Manassero. Martin Kaymer is the defending champion, winning in 2011 by six strokes over runner-up Rory McIlroy. Kaymer and McIlroy are back, too.
But the Farmers Insurance Open has a good field, as well. The defending champ there is Bubba Watson, who birdied the last hole in 2011 to beat Phil Mickelson. Watson and Mickelson are in the field, which also includes, among others, Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler, Bill Haas, Ryo Ishikawa, Dustin Johnson, Hunter Mahan, Geoff Ogilvy, Justin Rose and Nick Watney. Ernie Els makes his first PGA Tour start of the year this week. And J.B. Holmes returns several months after undergoing brain surgery.
For more on each event, see our tournament pages:
This Week: Tiger Returns, Not At Torrey But In Abu Dhabi originally appeared on About.com Golf on Monday, January 23rd, 2012 at 11:33:36.
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