Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - PGA TOUR - FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN, Torrey Pines Golf Club (North & South Courses), San Diego, California - The PGA Tour returns to California this week for the Farmers Insurance Open.
Torrey Pines has long been one of Tiger Woods's favorite stops. He has won this event seven times, and claimed his last major there at the 2008 U.S. Open, when he beat Rocco Mediate in a playoff.
However, Woods is coming off a last place finish in Phoenix, so it is hard to say what we will see out of the 14-time major champion this week. Last year, Woods stumbled to a 79 in the third round and missed the secondary cut in his title defense.
With Woods out of contention last year, there was a battle for the title. Scott Stallings closed with a 4-under 68 to win by one stroke over five players and by two shots over three more.
The victory was the third for Stallings on the PGA Tour. Like Woods, Stallings is coming off a missed cut last week in Phoenix. After his win last year, Stallings went into a tailspin as he missed 13 cuts in his next 23 starts. However, his missed cut last week was the first in six starts this season for Stallings.
Along with Woods and Stallings, the field will include 13 of the top 25 players in the world. World No. 5 Justin Rose is the highest ranked player in the group that also includes Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Jimmy Walker and Bill Haas.
Johnson will make his first PGA Tour start since last years Canadian Open. His best finish at this event was a tie for third in 2011.
Golf Channel will have coverage all four days. Their coverage on Saturday and Sunday will be early, before they hand off to CBS.
The PGA Tour heads to Northern California next week for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Walker stumbled to a 2-over 74 in the final round last year, but he held on for a 1-stroke win over Johnson and Jim Renner.
EUROPEAN TOUR
MAYBANK MALAYSIAN OPEN, Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - The European Tour heads to Kuala Lumpur this week for the Maybank Malaysian Open, where Lee Westwood was a runaway winner last year.
Westwood did enough in the first two rounds to earn the title. He opened the week with rounds of 65-66 to end 36 holes at 13-under par. The Englishman picked up five more strokes over the final two rounds to end at 18-under par, seven shots clear of Louis Oosthuizen, Nicolas Colsaerts and Bernd Wiesberger.
The win was the 23rd on the European Tour for Westwood. In his first start of 2015 last week in Dubai, Westwood shared ninth place, eight strokes behind winner Rory McIlroy.
Westwood will be on hand to defend his title against a field that includes Miguel Angel Jimenez, Stephen Gallacher, Robert Karlsson, Victor Dubuisson and Graeme McDowell.
Golf Channel has early morning coverage of all four rounds this week.
The European Tour shifts to Thailand next week for the inaugural Thailand Classic.
LPGA TOUR
PURE SILK BAHAMAS LPGA CLASSIC, Ocean Club Golf Course, Paradise Island, Bahamas - The LPGA Tour is in paradise this week with the third playing of the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic.
Jessica Korda broke par in all four rounds en route to a 1-stroke win over Stacy Lewis last year. Korda closed with a 7-under 66 on the par-73 Ocean Club Golf Course.
Korda rallied by third-round leader Na Yeon Choi, who closed with a 72. Korda picked up her third LPGA Tour win later last year when she won the Airbus LPGA Classic. She shared second place last week at the Coates Golf Championship, where Choi came from behind to win that crown.
Both Korda and Choi will be in the field this week, along with newly minted world No. 1 Lydia Ko as well as Inbee Park, Stacy Lewis, Paula Creamer, Suzann Pettersen, Lexi Thompson and Michelle Wie.
Golf Channel will have coverage of all four rounds of the event.
After a week off, the LPGA Tour heads to Australia and Asia for three events. First up is the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open. Karrie Webb rallied to win in her homeland last year as Chella Choi stumbled in the final round.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
ALLIANZ CHAMPIONSHIP, The Old Course at Broken Sound, Boca Raton, Florida - After a week off, the Champions Tour is in Florida this week for the Allianz Championship.
Michael Allen fired a 12-under 60 in the opening round, then followed with a pair of 69s. Duffy Waldorf posted a 67 in the final round to catch Allen at 18-under-par 198, which set the tournament's scoring record.
The duo headed back to the par-5 18th, where they both 2-putted for birdie on the first extra hole. Allen birdied the hole for a second time to fend off Waldorf and win for the sixth time on the Champions Tour.
Golf Channel will have coverage of all three rounds.
The Champions Tour shifts to Naples next week for the ACE Group Classic, where Kirk Triplett beat Waldorf, Bernhard Langer and Olin Browne by a single stroke last year.
WEB.COM TOUR
PACIFIC RUBIALES COLOMBIA CHAMPIONSHIP, Bogota Country Club, Bogota, Colombia - The Web.com Tour continues its trek through Central and South America this week with the Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship.
Weather problems plagued the tournament last year when Alex Cejka was declared the winner after he wrapped up a third-round 63. He beat Andrew Putnam by three strokes.
All three rounds were finished the day after they started. Cejka played just one hole of his third round on Saturday, but had gotten nine holes into the fourth round before play was suspended on Sunday.
Players were unable to return to the course after that suspension so scores reverted back to the end of the third round and Cejka was declared the winner. It was his first Web.com Tour title.
There is no television coverage this week.
The Web.com Tour will take three weeks off before returning with a new event, the Karibana Championship, which is also in Colombia.
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