Not counting the majors and the Ryder Cup, here are the top 10 tournaments to watch in 2012.

1. Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 26-29

Officially replaces Torrey Pines as the unofficial start of the 2012 golf season now that Tiger's playing, although the field would still be pretty strong without him. Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Charl Schwartzel and Jason Day will all make the trip to the desert this year.

2. AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Pebble Beach, Calif., Feb. 9-12

There’s been a lot of buzz that Tiger Woods is considering adding Pebble to his 2012 schedule. If he does show up, he’ll be the third-biggest star here, after the course and a former greenskeeper who became the pro-am champion last year.

3. Accenture World Match Play Championship, Manana, Ariz., Feb. 22-26

March Madness comes early for golf fans. Last year, Luke Donald announced his candidacy for world’s best golfer with a dominating performance. Match play always creates some compelling drama, especially in a Ryder Cup year.

4. WGC-Cadillac Championship, Miami, Fla., March 8-11

The best players in the world are all together in a stroke-play event for the first time all year. The golf season might start at Kapalua, but it gets serious at Doral.

5. Arnold Palmer Invitational, Orlando, Fla., March 22-25

The King's tour stop is one of the crown jewels of the PGA Tour: great field, great atmosphere and great history.

6. Kraft Nabisco Championship, Rancho Mirage, Calif., March 29-April 1

Do you think having the world’s most dominant athlete in any sport (Yani Tseng) and a teenage phenom who’s won twice before even becoming an official LPGA member (Lexi Thompson) could create some stirring battles at the 2012 LPGA major? Yeah, us too.

7. Wells Fargo Championship, Charlotte, N.C., May 3-6

Less than 10 years old, the Wells Fargo Championship is already one of the most important regular events on the schedule. Wells Fargo is back in the tournament name after a couple of years as the Quail Hollow Championship. Let's hope the Michael Jordan-Tiger Woods pro-am pairing returns as well.

8. The Players Championship, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., May 10-13

Forget what the doubters say -- this is still the fifth major, and the finishing holes are as recognizable as any in the game. When Rory McIlroy was at home tweeting during last year’s Players Championship, you could tell he wanted to be there. He’ll be back this year.

9. BMW PGA Championship, Surrey, England, May 24-27

The best final round of 2011 that didn't happen in Augusta, Ga., was the playoff duel between Luke Donald and Lee Westwood at the European PGA Championship with the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking on the line. We can't wait for the rematch.

10. The Barclays Championship, Farmingdale, N.Y., Aug. 23-26

The USGA doesn't sound too keen on returning the Bethpage Black any time soon, so this year's Barclays Championship will be your best chance to see America's greatest municipal golf course, unless you want to sleep in your car.

The Big Ones:

The Masters, Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga., April 5-8

U.S. Open, Olympic Club, San Francisco, Calif., June 14-17

British Open, Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Lancashire, England, July 19-22

PGA Championship, Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, S.C., Aug. 9-12

The Ryder Cup, Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Ill., Sept. 28-30

In case you hadn’t heard, Tiger Woods won for the first time in more than two years at the Chevron World Challenge on Sunday, besting 17 other players with a birdie-birdie finish that was vintage Tiger. The celebration left many of us wondering if Tiger forgot he was at Sherwood Country Club and not Augusta National, but he reportedly sent several bottles of champagne to the media center after his win, and we can all appreciate that.

Certainly the Chevron was a vital stop on Tiger’s road to redemption—he looked confident on the course, was able to shape shots, putted well and even had the stinger going. So what was the key to Tiger’s W? Maybe it was changing his putter grip. Maybe he finally got enough reps in. Or, maybe it was mashed potatoes.

This isn’t the first time the "Mashed Potato Guy" has struck Tiger. Mashed Potato Guy made himself known at the Australian Open, as well as last year’s PGA Championship. Does Mashed Potato Guy inspire Tiger? Probably not, but we're sure he will take mashed potatoes over hot dogs any day of the week.

Rory McIlroy’s U.S. Open trophy detained in China
While Tiger Woods added another piece of hardware to his collection, Rory McIlroy lost his trophy room’s star attraction. According to Bernie McGuire of Reuters, McIlroy intended to showcase his U.S. Open trophy at his final six events of the season. ISM, Rory’s former management company, shipped the trophy to Lake Maclaren Golf Club for the Shanghai Masters, but no one picked it up, McGuire reports. McIlroy’s new representation, Horizon Sports, is now trying to track down the young star’s prized possession.

“ISM shipped the trophy out in its special protective box to Shanghai and the Lake Maclaren Shanghai Masters but there was no one present at the course to receive it so it was taken back to the shipping agents depot,” said Horizon Sports Conor Ridge.

“So I then got in contact with IMG in order we could at least have the trophy on hand for the following week’s HSBC Champions event because they wanted to put the trophy on display at Sheshan as they’ve done in the past.”

In a weird twist, Chinese custom officials now have the U.S. Open trophy in their possession, but they're holding it hostage.

“I was informed that China customs said they were now not releasing the trophy, and they still won’t give it to us.”

“We’ve now got the USGA involved while IMG are working on the case and our guys at Horizon are also working with IMG trying to get the trophy released from customs.”

“We’ve tried to send someone to Shanghai so they can be handed the trophy in person but they’re just not releasing it.”

McIlroy had hinted something was amiss when asked if the U.S. Open trophy was in his possession during his stop at Hainan Island for the Omega Mission Hills World Cup.

“Well, not exactly!” was all he said.

Tiger Tweets
How big a deal was Tiger's win at the Chevron? Consider this: "Tiger Woods," "he's back," and "fist pump" were all trending on Twitter in the wake of his victory. And it wasn't just golf fans weighing in on the occasion...

At a recent press conference at his home course in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland, U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy said that he wants the tournament to come back to Royal Portrush. The last time the Open Championship was held at Portrush was 1951. That tournament -- won by Max Faulkner -- was the only time the Open Championship has been played outside of England or Scotland. Northern Ireland's tourism minister Arlene Foster said recently that she believes the course could be ready to hold a major championship as early as 2016.

Regarding the possibility of an Open Championship at Portrush, McIlroy said:

"To have an open championship in Northern Ireland would be incredible. It has been a long time since it's been here. I think the course is definitely good enough."

McIlroy favored to win British Open

Following his monumental victory at the U.S. Open, Rory McIlory has jumped to third in the Official World Golf Rankings, putting him behind only Luke Donald and Lee Westwood. It's the first time Great Britain has held all three top spots in the 25-year history of the official rankings, and McIlroy, the youngest of the bunch, chalks it up to good old competition. 

“We’ve fed off each other’s success. We’re working hard to beat one another and strive to be better than everyone else.”

Regardless of his world ranking, McIlroy is currently the betting favorite to win the British Open at Sandwich. According to The British Open Betting Lines, young Rory gets 5/1 odds to win, with Westwood at 9/1 and Tiger Woods at 12/1, despite the fact that he's yet to commit to play in the tournament. Regarding El Tigre's health and golf game, McIlroy seems to think he should get while the getting's good: 

“It’s a good time for me to win things when he’s not playing his best,” McIlroy remarked. “The first thing for Tiger is to get healthy and see what happens from there. I don’t know if anyone can answer if he’ll get back to where he was 10 years ago, but a lot of people would like to see him back on the course.”

Tweet of the Day

From UK golf writer Paul Mahoney:

In a widely expected announcement, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club has been named the site of the 2018 U.S. Open. Here's the release that went out to media Wednesday morning.

Far Hills, N.J. (June 15) - Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, in Southampton, N.Y., has been selected by the United States Golf Association as the site of the 2018 U.S. Open Championship. The dates of the championship are June 14-17, 2018.

"We are thrilled that our national championship will return to one of our country's most-storied venues," said USGA President Jim Hyler. "We are confident that Shinnecock Hills will provide a true challenge for the world's premier players, as it has for more than a century."

The 2018 championship will be the fifth U.S. Open to be hosted by the club, which is the only venue to host the championship in three centuries. In 1896, Shinnecock Hills hosted the second U.S. Open, and James Foulis won the championship by three strokes over Horace Rawlins. In 1986, Raymond Floyd shot a final-round 66 to break out of a tightly bunched field and win by two strokes over Chip Beck and Lanny Wadkins. In 1995, Corey Pavin clinched his two-stroke victory over Greg Norman with a memorable 4-wood approach to the final green. In 2004, Retief Goosen outlasted Phil Mickelson by two strokes to claim his second U.S. Open title.

"On behalf of our members, I am delighted to welcome the USGA and the U.S. Open Championship back to Shinnecock Hills in 2018," said club President Robert A. Murphy Jr. "Shinnecock Hills is very proud of our common heritage with the USGA dating back to the origins of golf in America, and we are equally excited about our strong future together. We believe that our course offers a unique venue for championship golf that stands the test of any era, and are very pleased to have the USGA as our partner in sharing the challenge of Shinnecock again in 2018."

Shinnecock Hills opened in 1891, and the present course was designed by William Flynn and opened in 1931. The 2018 championship will mark the 19th time the U.S. Open will have been played in the state of New York and the 10th time on Long Island. As of the 2011 season, New York has hosted 66 USGA championships, which ranks third among all states.

Along with The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., Newport (R.I.) Country Club, Chicago (Ill.) Golf Club and Saint Andrew's Golf Club in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., Shinnecock Hills was one of the founding clubs of the USGA in 1894. Shinnecock Hills had America's first golf clubhouse (complete with locker room, showers and grill room), which was designed by Stanford White. It was also the first 18-hole golf course on the East Coast.

Parity is the new rule in golf, which has been both good and bad for Las Vegas sportsbooks, according to Chuck Esposito, sportsbook director at the Tropicana Casino in Las Vegas.

“The betting public will look at the players playing well and see a lot of opportunity,” Esposito said of this week’s wide-open U.S. Open. “But with Tiger everyone wanted to watch. When he made that front-nine charge at the Masters, the crowd here was unbelievable.”

With Woods on the sidelines, Phil Mickelson is the favorite at 10-1, a far cry from days when Woods would be anywhere from 3 to 1 to even money to win a major.

“Now you see favorites in the range of 8 to 1, 10 to 1, and 12 to 1,” Esposito said.

Mickelson was an 8 to 1 favorite at the Masters in April, while Woods was just beneath him at 10 to 1, despite playing poorly leading up to the event. Esposito said a Mickelson win would have casino sportsbooks buzzing, but not like they do when Woods plays well.

"Mickelson does have a huge amount of fans, but with Tiger, whether you love him or hate him, everybody wants to watch," Esposito said.

However, Esposito said he does not expect too much of a drop-off in total amount wagered on the U.S. Open, which he said is in the “high six figures” industry-wide (about 15 percent less than the Masters). The reason is that the anyone-can-win feeling about this year’s U.S. Open is creating interest among the gambling public.

“They’ll be a small drop off because of Tiger, but I think it will be good handle because the tournament is wide-open,” Esposito said.

Proof that no one has settled on a favorite is in the numbers. After Mickelson at 10 to 1, the next favorites are Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood at 15 to 1, followed by Luke Donald at 18 to 1, according to Esposito. Most of the other bigger names are in the 20-50 to 1 range, including Steve Stricker at 35 to 1.

In fact, after Mickelson, the most popular bet to win this U.S. Open is the field (i.e., someone not well-known enough to be listed). Esposito said the field will be listed between 10 to 1 and 8 to 1 by Thursday.

Note: These odds are for news purposes only and are subject to change.

Did you hear about Rickie's big shot, which he holed out at a Red Bull event at an outdoor D.C. shopping mall? Check it out here: 

Looking at U.S. Open contenders

Here are the U.S. Open odds, via Ladbroke's, the UK oddsmakers, plus our take on each player's chances. Keep in mind that these are not the odds you'll see in Las Vegas, where American Phil Mickelson is the favorite at 10 to 1.

Lee Westwood: 12/1 - It would seem the world's former No. 1 would be a good bet, but he hasn't shown the putting prowess or the mental toughness to get it done. Might not be a lot of good opportunities left for him to snag a major, so this week is big. 

Luke Donald: 14/1 - The world's current No. 1 has to be this week's favorite. Playing the best golf of his career and particularly hot right now. Length will be a challenge and his lack of driving accuracy could hold him back. Regardless, this is his time. 

Phil Mickelson: 16/1 - Hard to believe he's had five second-place finishes in this tournament, but he has. Phil's about to turn 41 and there probably aren't a lot more U.S. Open charges left in him. Like Westwood, Phil needs to get it done this week.  

Rory McIlroy: 20/1 - His final round blowup in the Masters has been overblown. With the exception of Tiger, every great player struggled to overcome major pressure early in their career. McIlroy's got all the tools, but it's probably not going to happen at Congressional. 

Dustin Johnson: 25/1 - His length will be a major help, but his inability to close at last year's U.S. Open and PGA Championship won't. Congressional's long and so is its rough, and DJ's lack of accuracy off the tee will do him in. 

Martin Kaymer: 25/1 - Fantastic golf swing and great all-around player who's due to win more majors. Not playing his best at the moment, but capable of winning any tournament he enters. 

Nick Watney: 25/1 - Like Dustin Johnson, he's got plenty of length and lots of all-around game, and could very likely be a major winner some day. Unfortunately U.S. Open rough and a tough mental challenge will be too much for him this week. 

Hunter Mahan: 25/1 - Showed good resiliency by coming back from Ryder Cup disappointment quickly. Is he ready to win a major? Seems possible, but he's going to have to kick up his putting game a notch. 

Matt Kuchar: 25/1 - One of the more consistent players out there in the last couple of years, but putter has always been balky. Has as good a chance as anyone this week if his game's firing on all cylinders. 

Steve Stricker: 25/1 - One of the quietest players on Tour is also one of the best, and this is probably his best chance to win a major before it gets too late. He's been playing very well, but stumbles down the stretch at Memorial don't say a lot about his ability to close out a big event. 

KJ Choi: 33/1 - He's got what seems like the perfect game for the U.S. Open and feels comfortable at Congressional. If he's going to take the next step after winning the Players, this is the time to do it. A good bet. 

Justin Rose: 50/1 - Another very talented player who should be coming into his prime. Hasn't shown the grit to get it done in a major as of yet and probably won't this week. 

Graeme McDowell: 50/1 - Other than Curtis Strange, no player has won back-to-back U.S. Opens in more than 50 years. Given the way G-Mac's been playing, it's too much to expect another performance like he had at Pebble. 

Bubba Watson: 50/1 - Definitely has the length for one of the longest U.S. Open venues in history, but you have to question his ability to handle the pressure. Regardless, he'll be fun to watch. 

Jim Furyk: 50/1 - Can't ever count his consistency out at a U.S. Open, but Olympia Fields was a long time ago and his time for winning majors might have passed. 

Tweet of the Day

From Bubba Watson:

Rory McIlroy made the most of the U.S. Open's visit to the Northeast this week. After a few mid-week practice rounds at Congressional, a course he said he liked very much, McIlroy made his way up to New York. On Friday he visited Bayonne Golf Club for a clinic and outing hosted by Jumeirah, the Dubai-based luxury hotel and resort company that's one of his main sponsors. While there, McIlroy learned of his U.S. Open glamour grouping with Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson. He considered it briefly before declaring himself pleased with the match-up and the starting times.

From Bayonne, McIlroy was off to spend the weekend at Pine Valley, a pilgrimage he was eagerly anticipating. "I'd never really heard of it until a few years ago," he said. "But once I did, I thought, I have to check it out." McIlroy was set to stay at one of the cottages on the grounds of the southern New Jersey club, and he relished the idea of peace and play. "What I've heard about it, and what I look forward to, is that it's just pure golf."

And a pretty good way to relax and warm up for a U.S. Open.

Tiger Who?

Tiger Woods officially dropping out of the U.S. Open was certainly news, but the severity of his injuries and the poor quality of his recent play made the news somewhat predictable. After Woods's announcement was met with more shrugs than shouts, John Paul Newport of the Wall Street Journal wonders if we just don't care as much as we used to about Tiger.

The surprise is how little it seems to matter. There won’t be massive hand-wringing in Far Hills, N.J., the home of the U.S. Golf Association, which sponsors the U.S. Open. The likelihood of Woods not contending for the trophy at Congressional Country Club, whether he showed up or not, had already been factored into the price (to borrow a term from investing).

In fact,it’s a toss-up as to exactly whose non-participation at this year’s Open makes for a more intriguing story — Woods’s or Vijay Singh’s. Singh failed even to show up for his qualifying round Monday, and thus will miss his first major in 64 consecutive events (dating from 1994), the longest active streak in golf.

While Woods is still the biggest draw on Tour, it's hard to argue that both the media and the fans are going through a bit of Tiger fatigue. What remains to be seen is whether people are sick of hearing about Tiger, or just sick of hearing about Tiger not winning.

Another "American" Tour?

With golf set to join the Olympic lineup in Brazil in 2016, it's no surprise that South America is now viewed as an area of growth potential. But according to AP's Doug Ferguson, the PGA Tour might be looking to score bigger than anyone had predicted.

For the last 18 months, officials have been meeting with golf federations of several countries with hopes of starting a PGA Tour-branded circuit in South America, Latin America and the Caribbean.

It would help develop local talent and provide another avenue for any player to find his way to the big leagues. Think of it as a tour that would be one step below the Nationwide Tour.

And while there remain significant details to work out — not only finding an umbrella sponsor, but the number of tournaments and eligibility criteria — the plan is for this series to begin as early as 2012.

The most amazing part of the story: this Tour could be up and running by next year. Everything else seems to make perfect sense; as Ty Votaw points out in this piece, only 14 of the top 500 players in the world are from South America, so the area presents an abundance of untapped talent. The golfers are likely already there, the only question is, are the fans?

Worst...Week...Ever.

You may have heard about Scotland's Richie Ramsay's troubles last week, when he qualified for a playoff at a U.S. Open qualifier at Walton Heath, only to miss his chance because he left early to catch a flight to his friend's wedding. Ryan Ballengee reports that Richie Ramsay described himself as "suicidal" over his mistake ... but little did he know that his emotional roller coaster was just beginning.

On Tuesday, Ramsay was able to turn that frown upside-down – for a little while. And here’s where the story gets weirder.

In the morning, a report came out saying Ramsay got into the US Open after all by virtue of being first alternate from that qualifier. This afternoon, though, Doug Ferguson reports that was an error.

"USGA spokesman Pete Kowalski had said Tuesday morning that two extra spots were given to qualifying sites in England and Japan, and Ramsay would be going to Congressional for the U.S. Open next week. Kowalski later clarified that those spots already had been awarded, and Ramsay remains first alternate out of the England sectional qualifier. The extra spot already had been awarded to Andreas Harto of Denmark."

Well, he’s in, he’s out. Sounds like a guy at a wedding with cold feet.

Ramsay's still got a chance to get into the Open, so for the moment this is just a gut check, but the young Scot must be wondering what ladder he accidentally walked under last week.

Tweet of the Day

Courtesy of the always-amusing Luke Donald:

Not sure wives loves surprises Arnie!!

IRVING, Texas - Hold the obits on Sergio Garcia's major championship streak.

Garcia, who has played in every major championship since the 1999 British Open, has fallen out of the top 50 in the World Ranking and is in danger of missing the U.S. Open and the British Open. He withdrew from Monday's British Open qualifier because of an infected fingernail and had said he would not play sectional qualifying for next month's U.S. Open at Congressional.

But after an opening-round 66 at the Byron Nelson Championship, Garcia seems to have changed his mind. He said Thursday he will play sectional qualifying, provided he doesn't win this week's HP Byron Nelson Championship or next week's Memorial Tournament.

"I'm going to give it my best shot and like I said, if we get it, we get into the tournament, it will be great," Garcia said. "I love playing in the U.S. Open. If not, then we'll go back to Europe and just watch it on TV." - Art Stricklin

If it weren't for Tiger's fall from grace, not to mention the number one spot in the world rankings, the biggest story in golf might be the plight of Sergio Garcia. Undoubtedly one of the most talented players the game has seen in recent years, El Nino has gone from being the second ranked player in the world in '09 to currently sitting at 73rd, a spot that fails to qualify him for the upcoming U.S. Open at Congressional. If he misses the event it will break his current streak of 47 majors in-a-row, which began at the Open Championship at Carnoustie in 1999.

Garcia, who hasn't won a PGA Tour event in three years and failed to make the 2010 European Ryder Cup team, must make it into the top 50 in the world rankings by June 13th or be in the top 10 on the PGA Tour money list by May 23rd if he wants to avoid playing in a 36-hole U.S. Open qualifier. According to the Spaniard, slogging through one of the toughest tests in golf in an attempt to earn a spot at Congressional is unlikely.

"I don't think so," he said. "If I don't qualify [through the rankings], then I don't deserve to play."

In regard to the streak of majors played, Garcia doesn't seem overly concerned.

"I don't care about the streak," he said. "I don't care about records and things like that. I worry about enjoying it and doing what I love and doing the best I can. I'm not going to look back when I'm 55 and say I should have tried to play 100 million in a row instead of 99."

Another issue for Garcia is that he currently is not exempt for this year's British Open at Royal St. George's either. However he has indicated that he will play in a British Open qualifier on May 23rd in Texas.

Note: Sean O'Hair, who finished 12th at the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, is also not exempt for Congressional - the USGA recently changed the exemption from top 15 to top 10 finishers from the previous year.

Rory Sabbatini and Sean O'Hair apologize and move on
While replacing his swing coach and caddie are surely stressful for Sean O'Hair, at least the tension between he and fiery Rory Sabbatini seems to be over. According to O'Hair, he and Sabbatini had a phone conversation shortly after their heated on-course argument at The Zurich Classic of New Orleans and straightened things out.

"He apologized and I apologized," O'Hair said. "Life goes on."

This was the second publicized incident in which Sabbatini's behavior has caused problems in 2011 - at the Northern Trust in L.A. he reportedly used profanity while addressing a young volunteer who was helping him look for a lost ball. O'Hair declined to say what the argument was about, but did mention that it was not about slow play.

Darren Clarke eyes return to Ryder Cup
After putting an end to a three-year winless drought at The Iberdrola Open in Mallorca last weekend, Northern Irishman Darren Clarke is setting his sights on the next Ryder Cup.

"I feel there is a lot of golf left in me. I need to get the consistency back again. I would like to qualify for another Ryder Cup team and another win would take me back into the top 50. It was nice to win again but I want to be doing it more frequently."

Though Clarke has not played in a Ryder Cup since The K Club in '06 (which Europe won), his big win over up-and-coming Englishman Chris Wood apparently has him brimming with confidence.

"My swing is getting better and better. If I can get myself into contention to win, then great, and I can get up the world rankings again."

Here's a glimpse of DC's post-win press conference in Spain:

Tweet of the Day

@PGA_JohnDaly: yes, please call my table "THE FORE EX'S" RT @micknwalsh: Hi getting wed July 2 golf theme wedding Naming a table after you Any chance of a quote on marriage First thing u think of?