The PGA Tour web site shows that three tournaments already have been played this year, but who is kidding whom? The real golf season tees off Thursday in San Diego at the Buick Invitational when Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson make their 2008 debuts.
Woods, the world's No. 1 player, will be bidding for his fourth consecutive title at Torrey Pines Golf Course and sixth overall. He has a 68.4 scoring average in his 10 starts at the Buick Invitational, and his final-round average is 67.7. He is quite familiar with the course, having grown up about 80 miles north in Cypress, Calif. No wonder he has finished in the top 10 at this tournament in every start and is WagerWeb.com's -115 betting favorite this week.
"There are not too many golf courses you play where you feel very comfortable and that's what I feel here," said Woods, who won last year's title by two shots to claim his then-seventh consecutive victory on the PGA Tour.
Woods took a 10-week break after the Tour Championship, then won his Target World Challenge in December by seven shots. He hasn't played since.
"I felt like I made some improvements this winter," Woods said. "I solidified things I was working on toward the end of last year. At Target, I wasn't quite there the last two days. I went back and looked at it, figured out a few things and was working on that. I'm excited to play again.
"I'm really excited about starting out the year, and then my preparations toward Augusta."
Then there's Mickelson, No. 2 in the world, who won the Buick Invitational in 1993 (his first PGA title), 2000 and 2001. He is a native of San Diego who knows this course even better than Tiger."This is a tournament that means a lot to me because, growing up from here, I was on the outside of the ropes looking in and dreamed of being a Tour player," said Mickelson, +450 at WagerWeb.com to win. "It gives me a great feeling that I'm realizing those dreams of playing the Tour."
Lefty's debut was in doubt early this week when he spent three days on antibiotics and resting on doctor's advice due to a respiratory problem.
But he put out a statement on Tuesday saying: "I'm looking forward to working with (swing coach) Butch (Harmon) to make sure everything's in order for this week."
Mickelson actually beat Tiger the last time the two were paired in the final round - at the Deutsche Bank Championship last Labor Day, which was the first time Lefty ever beat Tiger when they were paired in the final round.
Both players start the year strong, as Woods has five wins and six other top-10s in 12 opening starts; Mickelson has four wins and three other top-10s in 16 starts.
This week's field features five of the world's top 10 with fourth-ranked Jim Furyk, South Korea's K.J. Choi (No. 7) and South African Rory Sabbatini (No. 9) also taking part.
In addition, this tournament could serve as a U.S. Open dress rehearsal as Torrey Pines will the year's second major in June.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Defending champ Retief Goosen returns to the Qatar Masters. In 2007, Goosen eagled the final hole for a 3-under 69 and a one-stroke victory over Nick O'Hern.
Goosen leads a field that includes Scott Verplank, Lee Westwood, Luke Doland, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson and Colin Montgomerie.
Stenson is the WagerWeb.com favorite at +700, with Westwood at +800.
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