PGA TOUR
THE AMERICAN EXPRESS
Site: La Quinta, Calif.
Courses: TPC Stadium Course at PGA West (Yardage: 7,113; Par: 72); PGA West Nicklaus Tournament (Yardage: 7,159; Par: 72); La Quinta CC (Yardage: 7,060; Par: 72).
Purse: $6.7 million. Winner’s share: $1,206,000.
Television: Thursday-Sunday, 3-7 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Adam Long.
FedEx Cup leader: Justin Thomas.
Last week: Cameron Smith won the Sony Open.
Notes: Phil Mickelson is the host of the tournament with a new title sponsor and new name. … Former British Open champion Francesco Molinari is playing for the first time since 2017 and gives the field two players from the top 20. The other is Tony Finau. … Rickie Fowler, who grew up about an hour away, is playing for the first time in six years. … Mickelson last played at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai in late October, when he fell out of the top 50 for the first time in nearly 26 years. He enters this week at No. 79. … The tournament gave a sponsor exemption to 17-year-old Akshay Bhatia, who turned pro out of high school. He has missed the cut in five of his previous PGA Tour events. … Kevin Kisner is among six players in the field who also played the two Hawaii events. … Americans have won this event all but five years since the tournament began in 1960. … Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker is in the field. He has not played since the Senior Players Championship at Firestone in July. … Adam Hadwin, who shot 59 in 2017 and has been runner-up two of the last three years, is not playing because his wife just had their first child.
Next week: Farmers Insurance Open.
Online: www.pgatour.com
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EUROPEAN TOUR
ABU DHABI HSBC CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Course: Abu Dhabi GC.
Purse: $7 million. Winner’s share: $1,166,667.
Television: Thursday, 12-3:30 a.m., 6-8 a.m. (Golf Channel); Friday, 3-8 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 3:30-8 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Shane Lowry.
Race to Dubai leader: Branden Grace.
Last week: Branden Grace won the South African Open.
Notes: Brooks Koepka returns to competition for the first time since injuring his knee at the CJ Cup in October. He remains No. 1 in the world by a slim margin over Rory McIlroy, who makes his 2020 debut next week in San Diego. … This is the first of the Rolex Series events on the European Tour. … Shane Lowry (last year) and Martin Kaymer (2010) are the only players to win Abu Dhabi and a major in the same year. … Patrick Cantlay is making his first start in a regular European Tour event. … Bryson DeChambeau makes his 2020 debut after going winless last year. … Former U.S. Amateur champion Viktor Hovland is playing on a sponsor exemption. … The field features three of the top 10 with Koepka, Cantlay and Tommy Fleetwood. Abu Dhabi has six players from the top 20, compared with two playing this week on the PGA Tour. … The tournament dates to 2006 when Chris DiMarco won. It was his last victory.
Next week: Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
Online: www.europeantour.com
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LPGA TOUR
DIAMOND RESORTS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Site: Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Course: Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando. Yardage: 6,645. Par: 71.
Purse: $1.2 million. Winner’s share: $180,000.
Television: Thursday-Friday, noon to 3 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 2-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-5 p.m. (NBC).
Defending champion: Eun-Hee Ji.
Race to CME Globe champion: Sei Young Kim.
Notes: This is the opening event on the LPGA Tour and features four hours of network coverage on the weekend. … LPGA Tour players will play alongside celebrities and athletes, who will compete for a separate prize fund. They include defending champion John Smoltz, Ray Allen, Marcus Allen and Ivan Rodriguez. … Jin Young Ko, the LPGA player of the year with four victories and two majors last year, is not playing. … The field features 26 players from the LPGA Tour, making it the most exclusive field of the year. … None of the winners from the five majors last year is in the field. … In a vote of the fans, Inbee Park was selected the player of the decade. Park won 18 times on the LPGA Tour, along with six majors and an Olympic gold medal.
Next week: Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio.
Online: www.lpga.com
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PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CHAMPIONSHIP AT HUALALAI
Site: Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii. Yardage: 7,107. Par: 72.
Course: Hualalai GC.
Purse: $1.8 million. Winner’s share: $270,000.
Television: Friday-Sunday, 7-10 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Tom Lehman.
Notes: Ernie Els makes his PGA Tour Champions debut in the season opener against a 38-man field. … Vijay Singh and Jerry Kelly played the Sony Open on the PGA Tour last week. Singh missed the cut. … The field features 12 major champions, including Tom Watson, Fred Couples, John Daly and Mark Calcavecchia. … Steve Stricker, who won two majors last year on the PGA Tour Champions, is playing the PGA Tour this week in the California desert. … Scott McCarron won the Charles Schwab Cup last year. … This is the third straight week a PGA Tour product is in Hawaii. The LPGA Tour returns in April for the Lotte Championship on Oahu.
Next tournament: Morocco Champions on Jan. 30-Feb. 2.
Online: www.pgatour.com/champions
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KORN FERRY TOUR
THE BAHAMAS GREAT ABACO CLASSIC AT BAHA MAR
Dates: Jan. 19-22 (Sunday-Wednesday).
Site: Nassau, Bahamas.
Course: Royal Blue GC at Baha Mar.
Purse: $600,000. Winner’s share: $108,000.
Television: Sunday, noon-2 p.m. (Golf Channel); Monday-Tuesday, 2-5 p.m. (Golf Channel). Wednesday, 1:30-4:30 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Rafael Campos.
Next tournament: Panama Championship on Jan. 30-Feb. 2.
Online: www.pgatour.com/kornferry
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OTHER TOURS
Augusta National and USGA: Latin America Amateur Championship, El Camaleon GC at Mayakoba, Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Defending champion: Alvaro Ortiz. Television: Thursday-Friday, 3-5 pm; Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (ESPN2). Online: www.laacglf.com
Asian Tour: SMBC Singapore Open, Sentosa GC (Serapong), Singapore. Defending champion: Jazz Janewattananond. Television: Wednesday-Thursday, 8-midnight; Friday-Saturday, 11 p.m.-3:30 a.m. (Golf Channel). Online: www.asiantour.com
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