Abraham Ancer signs with Callaway

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The 2022 edition of The American Express has put the fun back in function. After a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, amateurs are again in play in La Quinta, California. La Quinta Country Club also returns after giving way to the PGA WEST’s Stadium Course and Nicklaus Tournament Courses in last year’s adjustment. For other details of the format, the tracks and other information, continue reading beneath the projected contenders. Tournament host Phil Mickelson, defending champion Si Woo Kim, Sony Open in Hawaii runner-up Russell Henley and Rickie Fowler will be among the notables reviewed in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. Back at full strength across the board in the Coachella Valley, The American Express hosts its usual 156 golfers on three courses. Every entrant gets one loop around each before the 54-hole cut of low 65 and ties. All who survive are treated to a second spin on the Stadium Course in the final round. Save an 11-yard increase on the par-4 10th hole on the Stadium Course and a reduction of 34 yards on the par-4 first hole on the Nicklaus Tournament Course, the triumvirate of stock par 72s tests the same as the last time each was prepared for the tournament, and that comes with a reminder. Because amateurs were omitted from last year’s edition, a logical consideration was that both courses at PGA WEST could be set up to be more challenging than how they are presented customarily. In terms of scoring, that’s how it shook out as the Stadium Course (70.809) was nearly a half-stroke harder than its average in 2020, while “Nick Tourney” (70.949) checked in more than one-and-a-half strokes higher. While both have landed at similar scoring averages in recent years and Si Woo Kim’s 23-under 265 was in line with tradition, the field could be in store for a regularly tougher Nick Tourney from now on. The 2021 staging was devoid the easiest par 72 of the previous four PGA TOUR seasons as La Quinta CC is the pushover of the trio. It had been followed closely by Nick Tourney, but the latter figures to remain more difficult because this is the second year since its greens were enlarged significantly and replaced with TifEagle bermuda. So, it again could challenge the Stadium Course as the toughest even though the host annually ranks as the hardest of the set, and that includes final rounds that haven’t spiked scoring. All greens are prepped to run no longer than 11 feet on the Stimpmeter. As usual, to retain fairness, hole locations for the second and third rounds will remain in close proximity to positions in the first. ShotLink is used only on the Stadium Course, so all Strokes Gained data and measurements apply only to it. The proverbial dome of the desert is forecast to remain closed except for Saturday when winds out of the north will persist. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Ranking * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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Tiger Woods will make his 2019 calendar debut at next week’s Farmers Insurance Open, an event he’s won seven times. The tournament made the official announcement Wednesday. Woods also committed to playing in the Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles on February 14-17 where he doubles as the tournament host. Woods’ last PGA TOUR appearance was the memorable TOUR Championship in September when he walked up the 18th fairway en route to victory through a crowd of fans. That win was the 80th of his TOUR career, putting him just two shy of Sam Snead’s all-time record. The last time Woods played competitively was the week after Thanksgiving at his Hero World Challenge, a non-TOUR event in the Bahamas. Woods did not fare well that week, finishing 17th in the 18-man field. Still, the thought of a healthy Woods for a full season will be a huge storyline this season. A year ago when Woods played at Torrey Pines, he was still unsure how much he could play after enduring four back surgeries. After being limited to just two tournaments in the span of more than two full calendar years, Woods made his comeback in 2018, starting at Torrey Pines. He played 18 tournaments, securing 12 top-25 finishes and seven top-10s – including a pair of runner-up placings and his TOUR Championship win, his first victory in more than five years. He finished T6 or better in The Open Championship and the PGA Championship and earned more than $5 million for just the second time in nine seasons. Woods won the Farmers in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2013, and earned his most recent major championship victory in a 19-hole playoff at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in 2008. In addition to his seven victories, Woods has finished in the top 10 six other times in 16 appearances. He is the tournament’s all-time leading money winner, with $6,915,700. “We couldn’t be happier to have Tiger back in our field,â€� said Century Club of San Diego CEO Peter Ripa. “He really launched his fairytale comeback season right here last January, and he has enjoyed incredible success at Torrey Pines Golf Course and in our tournament over the years. It will be exciting to see him alongside many of the game’s other top players Jan. 24-27.â€� Until last year, Woods hadn’t played four complete rounds in the Farmers since his last victory here in 2013. After missing the cut during an abbreviated comeback in 2017, he advanced to the weekend last year by making birdie on his 18th hole Friday to make the cut on the number. Rounds of 70 and 72 Saturday and Sunday left him tied for 23rd. He would go on to secure top-10 finishes in the Valspar Championship, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Quicken Loans National, The Open Championship, the PGA Championship and the BMW Championship before his season-ending victory at East Lake. “This year as a whole was probably the most rewarding, because there was a point where I just didn’t know if I would ever do this again,â€� Woods said before the Hero World Challenge. “The expectations are much different this upcoming year. Now I know that I can do it, now it’s just about managing and making sure I’m fresh for events, because I know I can win tournaments again.â€� Twenty years ago, Woods captured his first title at the Farmers Insurance Open. It was his eighth victory on the PGA TOUR but carried extra significance because of the golf course on which he did it. Woods joins a strong list of early commitments that includes defending champion Jason Day; defending FedExCup champion Justin Rose; San Diego native Xander Schauffele; 2017 Farmers Insurance Open winner Jon Rahm; along with world top-30 players Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed, Marc Leishman, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay, Alex Noren, Gary Woodland and Hideki Matsuyama. Joining Fowler and Schauffele among San Diego products committed to the Farmers Insurance Open are Torrey Pines High School graduates Pat Perez and Jamie Lovemark, Poway product Charley Hoffman and San Diego State University alum J.J. Spaun. Joining Woods and Rahm as past tournament champions who have committed are Day (2018, 2015), Brandt Snedeker (2016, 2012), Scott Stallings (2014), Ben Crane (2010) and Nick Watney (2009). Young up-and-coming players to watch who have committed include PGA TOUR rookie and long-bomber Cameron Champ and 19-year-old Chilean sensation Joaquin Niemann. Woods will look to better last year’s performance at Riviera in February. In his first appearance at the event since 2006 Woods missed the cut, just one of two (U.S. Open) missed weekends all season. Prior to that he had eight top-20 finishes at Riviera, including runner up finishes in 1998 and 1999. The Riviera Country Club was the site of Woods’ first PGA TOUR event in 1992, competing on a sponsor’s exemption as an amateur. Woods’ TGR Live manages the Genesis Open and proceeds from the tournament benefit his TGR Foundation. “I’m looking forward to being back in Los Angeles for the Genesis Open,â€� Woods said. “It’s always great to be able to play at Riviera and I am very proud of the impact the Genesis Open has been able to make on education through my foundation.â€�

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