Philadelphia, PA – EUROPEAN TOUR - NELSON MANDELA CHAMPIONSHIP, Royal Durban Golf Club, Durban, South Africa - The European Tour kicks off it's 2012-13 schedule this week in South Africa.
The newly created Nelson Mandela Championship is first up on the schedule for the new season.
Branden Grace was a breakout star in 2012 with four European Tour wins. He will headline the field this week with fellow South African George Coetzee and Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen.
The event will support the work of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.
Golf Channel will have early morning coverage of all four rounds.
The European Tour is in South Africa again next week for the Alfred Dunhill Championship. When that event was last played in 2011, Garth Mulroy beat George Murray by two strokes.
PGA TOUR
FRANKLIN TEMPLETON SHOOTOUT, Tiburon Golf Club, Naples, Florida - The Franklin Templeton Shootout runs Friday to Sunday this week and oddly has two teams defending their titles.
Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele improved their score every round last year en route to winning by three strokes. The duo shot 59 in the final round to beat a pair of teams.
Dustin Johnson and Ian Poulter closed with a 59 in 2010 to win by two. They couldn't defend last year, but are back this year hoping to win again.
This week's field includes eight major champions, a pair of Hall of Famers and as a group have combined for 183 PGA Tour title.
The Shootout will once again feature a modified alternate-shot format during the first round, a better ball Saturday and a final-round scramble.
Golf Channel will televise Friday's action, while NBC coverage on Saturday and Sunday.
The Father/Son Challenge is next week and that is the final PGA Tour sanctioned off-season event.
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