Golf divided by deserts: The PGA Tour is in California and Europe has a strong field in Dubai
PGA Tour
THE AMERICAN EXPRESS
Site: La Quinta, California.
Courses: PGA West (Pete Dye Stadium). Yardage: 7,210. Par: 72; PGA West (Nicklaus Tournament). Yardage: 7,147. Par: 72; La Quinta CC. Yardage: 7,060. Par: 72.
Prize money: $8.5 million. Winner’s share: $1.53 million.
Television: Thursday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Nick Dunlap.
FedEx Cup leader: Hideki Matsuyama.
Last week: Nick Taylor won the Sony Open.
Notes: What had been shaping up as a great field suffered a few setbacks when Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, Nos. 1 and 2 in the world, withdrew in consecutive weeks. … Former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark at No. 7 is the only player from the top 10 in the world in the field. … Nick Dunlap last year became the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991. … Matteo Manassero of Italy is playing for the first time this year. He was among 10 players who earned PGA Tour cards through the European tour. … Michael Thorbjornsen, the No. 1 player from PGA Tour University last year, makes his 2025 debut. He had to withdraw from the Sony Open last week with an illness. Former Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson received an exemption. … The tournament offered a spot to Blades Brown, the 17-year-old who has turned pro.
Next week: Farmers Insurance Open.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
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European Tour
HERO DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC
Site: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Course: Emirates GC. Yardage: 7,428. Par: 72.
Prize money: $9 million. Winner’s share: $1.5 million.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 2:30-8:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 2-8 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Rory McIlroy.
Race to Dubai leader: John Parry.
Last week: Britain and Ireland won the Team Cup.
Notes: Rory McIlroy makes his 2025 debut as the defending champion. He has seven victories in Dubai, four of them in the Dubai Desert Classic. … The field includes five players from LIV Golf, including Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed. … Viktor Hovland is in the field. He broke his right pinkie toe when he arrived in Hawaii for the PGA Tour opener and hobbled his way around the hilly Plantation course. … Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is playing. He observed the Team Cup last week in Abu Dhabi. … This is a Rolex Series event. The next one is not until the Scottish Open in July. … Akshay Bhatia is playing Dubai instead of the PGA Tour this week. … Robert MacIntyre is playing after playing the Sony Open in Hawaii, 13 time zones away. … Former PGA champion Jimmy Walker is playing on a sponsor’s invitation. … The field features nine of the top 50 players in the world ranking, a list that includes Adam Scott.
Next week: Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/
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PGA Tour Champions
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii.
Course: Hualalai GC. Yardage: 7,107. Par: 72.
Prize money: $2 million. Winner’s share: $340,000.
Television: Thursday-Saturday, 7-10 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Steven Alker.
Charles Schwab Cup champion: Steven Alker.
Last tournament: Bernhard Langer won the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Notes: The PGA Tour Champions begins its season on the Big Island in Hawaii. … Steven Alker won the Charles Schwab Cup last year. The bigger story was Bernhard Langer winning on the 50-and-over circuit for the 18th consecutive season. … Langer ended last year by winning the PNC Championship with son Stefan. … Steve Stricker is in the field. He’s playing his first official PGA Tour Champions event since September. Stricker has never played a Charles Schwab Cup postseason event, even though he won the cup two years ago. … The winners-only field includes sponsor exemptions. Among those receiving them are Fred Couples, David Duval, Tom Lehman and Justin Leonard. … Padraig Harrington of Ireland rarely plays this early on the PGA Tour Champions. He is playing a European tour event this week in Dubai. … The tournament moved to Hualalai in 1997. Langer and Miguel Angel Jimenez are three-time winners.
Next tournament: Trophy Hassan II on Feb. 6-8.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions
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Korn Ferry Tour
THE BAHAMAS GREAT ABACO CLASSIC
Site: Great Abaco, Bahamas.
Course: The Abaco Club on Winding Bay. Yardage: 7,141. Par: 72.
Prize money: $1 million. Winner’s share: $180,000.
Television: Sunday, noon to 3 p.m. (Golf Channel); Monday-Tuesday, 2-5 p.m. (Golf Channel); Wednesday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Previous winner: Aldrich Potgieter.
Points leader: TBD after Bahamas Golf Classic ends Jan. 15.
Next tournament: Panama Championship on Jan. 30 to Feb. 2.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour
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LPGA Tour
Next tournament: Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions on Jan. 30 to Feb. 2.
Last tournament: Jeeno Thitikul won the CME Group Tour Championship.
Race to CME Globe winner: Jeeno Thitikul.
Online: https://www.lpga.com/
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Other tours
Augusta National, USGA and R&A: Latin America Amateur Championship, Pilar GC, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Previous winner: Santiago de la Fuente. Television: Thursday-Friday, 1-4 p.m. (ESPN2); Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (ESPN); Sunday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (ESPN2). Online: https://www.laacgolf.com/
Sunshine Tour: Mediclinic Invitational, Heron Banks Golf & River Resort, Sasolburg, South Africa. Previous winner: Ryan Van Velzen. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/
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