Philadelphia, PA – PGA TOUR - FRYS.COM OPEN, CordeValle Golf Club, San Martin, California - The Fall Series heads to California this week for the Frys.Com Open.
Just two of this year's winners (Ben Curtis and Ernie Els) are in the field, but that doesn't mean it is devoid of talent. There are nine former major champions playing at CordeValle this week.
Headlining that group is U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III, who is playing for the second straight week after his teams' tough loss at Medinah. Also in the group of former major winners is John Daly.
Daly was in contention last week in Las Vegas after two rounds. He struggled to an 86 in round three and closed with a 77 to finish last by nine shots. The freefall cost Daly a chance to lock up his tour card for 2013.
With limited status this year, Daly could have moved inside the top 125 on the money list with a top-10 finish last week. Instead, he stands at No. 137 and has this and two other events to earn enough money to get his card for next season.
Daly has made it to the weekend in 11 of his last 13 starts worldwide.
Last year at CordeValle, Bryce Molder went 13-under par over the final two rounds to tie Briny Baird at 17-under. The pair then needed six playoff holes to determine a winner.
Molder birdied the sixth extra hole to earn his first PGA Tour title. Baird was denied his first win in his 348th tour start.
Dating to the PGA Championship, Molder has missed the cut in three of his last six starts, but he did finish ninth at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Golf Channel has coverage all four days this week.
The PGA Tour shifts east next week for The McGladrey Classic, where Ben Crane fired a 63 in the final round, then parred the second playoff hole to beat Webb Simpson for his fourth PGA Tour win.
EUROPEAN TOUR
PORTUGAl MASTERS, Oceanico Victoria Golf Course, Vilamoura, Portugal - In just his third professional start, Tom Lewis earned his first European Tour title.
Lewis had a tremendous summer last year. As an amateur, Lewis shared the first-round lead at the British Open. He eventually finished tied for 30th, but after turning pro, he posted a pair of high finishes.
In his first pro start, Lewis shared 10th in Austria. He took 70th at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship prior to winning the Portugal Masters by two shots over Rafael Cabrera-Bello.
Lewis has struggled this year as he has missed five straight cuts, and failed to make the weekend in nine of his last 11 starts overall.
European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal is in the field this week, as are Martin Kaymer and Francesco Molinari, who both played for Olazabal at Medinah.
Major champions Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke will also be at Oceanico Victoria Golf Course. Both are searching for their first title in some time. Harrington's last victory was at the 2008 PGA Championship and Clarke is winless since last year's British Open.
This is the last event in Europe for the year. The tour will be in Australia, Asia, South Africa and the Middle East for the final seven tournaments.
Golf Channel will cover all four rounds this week.
The European Tour heads to Australia next week for a new event, the Perth International Golf Championship.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
GREATER HICKORY CLASSIC AT ROCK BARN, Rock Barn Golf & Spa, Conover, North Carolina - The Champions Tour remains in North Carolina this week for the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn.
This event was played in early June last year and Mark Wiebe walked away the winner.
Wiebe 2-putted for par on the third playoff hole to beat James Mason. It was Wiebe's third Champions Tour title. The pair had to sit through a 1-hour weather delay after the first extra hole.
Last weekend, Wiebe carded three rounds in the 60s to take third at the SAS Championship. He also had top-8 finishes at the U.S. Senior and Senior British Opens.
With just two events left after this, nine of the top-10 players on the both the money list and Charles Schwab Cup points list are in the field this week.
The busy Golf Channel will cover all three rounds this week.
The Champions Tour moves to Texas next week for the AT&T Championship, where Fred Couples cruised to a 7-shot win last year.
LPGA TOUR
SIME DARBY LPGA MALAYSIA, Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - The LPGA starts its' four-week swing through Asia this week with the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.
Na Yeon Choi, the fourth-ranked player in the world, held off world No. 1 Yani Tseng last year to win by a shot. For Choi, it was her first win of 2011. She earned her sixth LPGA Tour victory earlier this year when she won the U.S. Women's open.
Choi was disqualified after the final round of the LPGA Championship. Other than that, she has finished every tournament she started this year. She has four top-5s and six top-10 finishes this year.
This will be the third year of the tournament. Nineteen of the top-20 players on the LPGA Tour money list are in the field this week at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club.
Golf Channel has tape-delayed coverage of the event.
The LPGA moves to South Korea next week for the LPGA KEB - HanaBank Championship, where Tseng beat Choi, the 2010 champion, by one shot.
WEB.COM TOUR
MICCOSUKEE CHAMPIONSHIP, Miccosukee Golf & Country Club, Miami, Florida - The Web.com Tour heads to Florida this week for the third-to-last event of the season.
Last year, Jason Kokrak fired four rounds in the 60s en route to a 7-stroke win over Mark Anderson last year. The win was Kokrak's second of the season.
His total of 264 was a new tournament record by four strokes.
Only six of the top-10 players on the money list are in the field this week, as all 10 have locked up their PGA Tour cards for next year. The battle over the last three events is to get inside the top 25 on the money list to earn their PGA status for 2013.
Golf Channel will have tape-delayed coverage all four days this week.
The tour shifts north next week for the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open, where Gavin Coles held on for a 1-shot win over Jonas Blixt last year.
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