PGA TOUR's Houston Open

Site: Humble, Texas.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Redstone Golf Club, Tournament Course (7,457 yards, par 72).

Purse: $5.7 million. Winner’s share: $1,026,000.

Television (all times PDT): Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, noon-3 p.m., 5:30-8:30 p.m.) and NBC (Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sunday, noon-3 p.m.).

Last year: Johnson Wagner won his first tour title, finishing with a 1-under 70 for a two-stroke victory over Chad Campbell and Geoff Ogilvy.

Last week: Tiger Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his first victory since last June when he won the U.S. Open and had reconstructive surgery on his left knee a week later. He made a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole to beat Sean O’Hair by a stroke and match his largest PGA Tour comeback. Five strokes behind O’Hair entering the final round, Woods shot a 3-under 67. It was his third win at Bay Hill with a birdie putt on the 18th hole. Last year, he made a 25-footer to win by one.

Notes: The Masters is next week at Augusta National. … Woods is skipping the tournament that has attracted eight of the top 10 players in the world ranking — No. 2 Phil Mickelson, No. 3 Sergio Garcia, No. 4 Geoff Ogilvy, No. 5 Padraig Harrington, No. 6 Vijay Singh, No. 7 Robert Karlsson, No. 8 Camilo Villegas and No. 10 Henrik Stenson. Ernie Els also is in the field along with Anthony Kim, Darren Clarke, Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Presidents Cup captains Greg Norman and Fred Couples, a former University of Houston star and the 2003 winner. … Mickelson is coming off a victory three weeks ago in the CA Championship. He also won at Riviera. … Ogilvy also is a two-time winner this year, taking the Mercedes-Benz and Accenture Match Play. … Singh won in 2002, ’04 and ’05. … Davis Love III needs a win to play in the Masters, as does Puyallup's Ryan Moore. … Rees Jones designed the course. David Toms served as the player consultant.

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This week: Nationwide Tour's Chitimacha Louisiana Open, Thursday through Sunday, Le Triomphe Country Club, Broussard, La.

Fourth-round score: Even-par 71.

Position: Putnam (1-under 283) finished in a group at 53rd, nine strokes behind winner Bubba Dickerson – a good friend of Putnam's.

Recap: The Tacoma golfer had a few issues with his driver, and finished with his worst outing hitting fairways (6-of-14). He had four bogeys in a seven-hole stretch, but finished with birdies at Nos. 12 and 17 to shoot an even-par round.

Next: Stonebrae Classic at TPC San Francisco starting Thursday in Hayward, Calif.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Chitimacha Louisiana Open, Thursday through Sunday, Le Triomphe Country Club, Broussard, La.

Third-round score: Even-par 71.

Position: Putnam (1-under 212) is tied for 54th, eight strokes behind co-leaders Bubba Dickerson and Scott Sterling (204).

Recap: The Tacoma golfer made a move with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 7 and 8, but the hole that continues to bite Putnam is the par-5 12th. He bogeyed it Saturday after making a double bogey in the first round Thursday. This one really halted a charge up the leaderboard.

Tee time Sunday: 7:13 a.m. PDT with Josh Broadway.

This week: PGA Tour's Arnold Palmer Invitational, Thursday through Sunday, Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Orlando, Fla.

Second-round score: 7-over-par 77.

Position: Stanley (9-over 149) missed the cut. Sean O'Hair leads at 8-under 132.

Recap: One hole really doomed the Gig Harbor product. On the dogleg left par-5 sixth, Stanley failed to carry the pond twice with his tee shots. In fact, he spent 15 minutes on the tee, until he landed in the fairway with his fifth shot, and went on to make a quadruple bogey. The Clemson junior did manage three back-nine birdies, including a final one on the difficult par-4 finishing hole, making a 33-foot putt. Stanley has now missed the cut in three PGA Tour appearances.

Next: Stanley and his Clemson squad will play in this week's The Hootie college tournament in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. The NCAA championships are May 25-30 in Toledo, Ohio.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Chitimacha Louisiana Open, Thursday through Sunday, Le Triomphe Country Club, Broussard, La.

Second-round score: 5-under-par 66.

Position: Putnam (1-under 141) is tied for 57th, seven strokes behind leader Drew Laning (134).

Recap: The Tacoma golfer easily had his best ball-striking round of the season – he hit 12 of 14 fairways, and 15 of 18 greens in regulation. The result? His first bogey-free round of 2009, with five birdies coming in the first 10 holes. The All-American from Pepperdine made his third cut in five Nationwide Tour starts.

This week: PGA Tour's Arnold Palmer Invitational, Thursday through Sunday, Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Orlando, Fla.

First-round score: 2-over-par 72.

Position: Stanley is tied for 58th, seven strokes behind leader Jason Gore (65).

Recap: It might end up being an insignificant achievement in what could end up being a fruitful career, but for the first time – even for a brief moment – the Gig Harbor product held a share of the lead during a round of a PGA Tour event. After birdies on Nos. 12 and 14, the Clemson junior was in front at 2-under. It disappeared after he had to lay up on the para-4 16th from the rough, and hit his third shot in the greenside rough, leading to a double bogey. Late bogeys at Nos. 7 and 8 pushed him down the leaderboard. Still, Stanley's start was three strokes better than his birdie-less 75 at the 2007 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Tee time Friday: 11:04 a.m. PDT off the first tee.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Chitimacha Louisiana Open, Thursday through Sunday, Le Triomphe Country Club, Broussard, La.

World ranking: 681st.

2009 earnings: $6,679 (63rd on the Nationwide Tour).

Last tournament: The Tacoma golfer capped the tour's brutal four-tournament, two-country swing through Australia and New Zealand with a tied-for-39th finish at the Michael Hill New Zealand Open on March 15 – a tournament in which he was in the top 10 until a final-round 74 (won by Spokane's Alex Prugh). After a week off, the circuit makes its continental debut on one of the tightest and hardest courses the golfers will see. Putnam finished in a group at 50th in last year's tournament.

Tee time Thursday: 11:30 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee with Trevor Dodds and Casey Wittenberg.

PGA TOUR's Arnold Palmer Invitational

Site: Orlando, Fla.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Bay Hill Club and Lodge (7,162 yards, par 70).

Purse: $6 million. Winner’s share: $1.08 million.

Television (all times PDT): Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, noon-3 p.m., 5:30-8:30 p.m.) and NBC (Saturday-Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.).

Last year: Tiger Woods made a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory, his fifth consecutive PGA Tour victory and fifth Bay Hill win.

Last week: South Africa’s Retief Goosen won the Transitions Championship for his first PGA Tour win in nearly four years. Goosen beat Charles Howell III and Brett Quigley by a stroke on Innisbrook’s Copperhead course.

Notes: Woods is making his third start since returning from a left knee injury that sidelined him eight months. He opened in the Accenture Match Play, beating Brendan Jones and losing to Tim Clark, then tied for ninth two weeks ago in the CA Championship at Doral. After sweeping the 2000-03 Bay Hill titles, winning by a tournament-record 11 strokes in 2003, Woods tied for 20th, 23rd, 46th and 22nd in his next four starts before winning last year. He also won the 1991 U.S. Junior winner at Bay Hill. … Phil Mickelson, the 1997 champion, is coming off a victory at Doral. He also won at Riviera. … Gig Harbor's Kyle Stanley, a junior at Clemson, is in the field by way of his Southern Amateur victory last summer. He is playing on a sponsor's exemption. … Tournament host Arnold Palmer is 79. … British Open and PGA winner Padraig Harrington is making his first Bay Hill start since 2000. … Davis Love III is 47th in the world ranking, putting him in position to qualify for the Masters. The top 50 after the week will earn spots at Augusta National. … Ryo Ishikawa and Erik Compton are in the field. The 17-year-old Ishikawa, a two-time winner on the Japanese tour, was 71st last week at Innisbrook in his second PGA Tour start. Compton is playing his fourth tour event since having his second heart transplant in May 2008. … The Houston Open is next week.

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By way of his summer triumph at the Southern Amateur, Gig Harbor's Kyle Stanley received a sponsor's exemption to play in this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Golf Club.

No, it had nothing to do with the fact Stanley plays on the same Clemson men's squad as Palmer's grandson, Sam Saunders.

Stanley, a junior, has already announced he's turning professional sometime after the NCAA Division I men's championships in April.

Currently Stanley, who graduated from Bellarmine Prep in 2006, leads Clemson with his 71.44-stroke average. He won the season-opening Carpet Capital Classic in Dalton, Ga. at 8-under 208. For his career, he has 16 top-10 finishes in 28 tournaments.

In the latest Golfweek college ratings, Stanley is ranked No. 7.

Stanley played in the 2007 Arnold Palmer Invitational, shooting rounds of 75 and 74 and missing the cut.

Only Chris Patton has played more PGA Tour events than Stanley's three (played in last year's U.S. Open in San Diego) while at Clemson. In four tries, Patton made the cut once – at the 1990 Masters.

This week: PGA Tour's Transitions Championship, Thursday through Sunday, Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Golf Course, Tampa Bay, Fla.

Fourth-round score: 1-under-par 70.

Position: Moore (1-under 283) tied for 19th, seven strokes behind winner Retief Goosen (276).

Recap: The Puyallup golfer was one of the few to make a big move early Sunday, making four birdies in the first seven holes to get to 4-under. He reached that juncture again when he stuck a wedge from 115 yards out close on the par-4 10th, and made his final birdie. But like many in the field, Moore struggled during the difficult closing stretch with back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 16 (punched out from right rough after his tee shot on the par-4) and 17 (couldn't get up-and-down from right rough on the par-3). His 16 total birdies were fourth-most of any golfer.

Next: Moore is skipping next week's Arnold Palmer Invitational (where Gig Harbor's Kyle Stanley will be in the field as an amateur), but is scheduled to play at the Houston Open starting April 2nd.

This week: PGA Tour's Transitions Championship, Thursday through Sunday, Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Golf Course, Tampa Bay, Fla.

Third-round score: Even-par 71.

Position: Moore (even-par 213) is tied for 32nd, eight strokes behind leader Tom Lehman (205).

Recap: This course – and tournament – has a reputation of playing like a major championship, and the Puyallup golfer has followed suit by lurking at even par. In fact, only 30 of the 74 golfers shot par or better Saturday. The UNLV All-American had four birdies in a six-hole stretch to reach 1-under for the tournament. After hitting his drive in the rough, he made a bogey on the par-4 18th on back-to-back days. Moore's 11 birdies through three rounds are tied for 10th in the field

Tee time Sunday: 8:31 a.m. PDT with John Mallinger.

TRACKING RYAN MOORE

This week: PGA Tour's Transitions Championship, Thursday through Sunday, Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course, Tampa Bay, Fla.

Second-round score: 1-over-par 72.

Position: Moore (even-par 142) is is a group at 39th, six strokes behind co-leaders Steve Stricker and Nick Watney (136).

Recap: Scores skyrocketed under swirling afternoon winds, and greens gaining speed. Considering that, Moore's 72 – and losing six spots in the leaderboard – isn't all that bad. The Puyallup golfer ripped off three consecutive birdies (Nos. 10-12) to get to 2-under for the tournament before falling back with ending bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18. He made 25 putts, and is tied for fifth in the field (27.0-putt average).

Tee time Saturday: 7:10 a.m. PDT with Brad Adamonis.

This week: PGA Tour's Transitions Championship, Thursday through Sunday, Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Golf Course, Palm Harbor, Fla.

World ranking: 175th.

2009 earnings: $216,088 (90th on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: The Puyallup product and Cascade Christian graduate made the cut at last week's Puerto Rico Open 93-under 285), tying for 44th. He may not be challenging any scoring records, but Moore has shot a score of par or better in each of his past five rounds – after shooting a round of 77 in each of his previous three tournaments. He has worked on a few swing and set-up modifications to alter the way he strikes his irons. Last week was a little bit of a breakthrough as he was tops in the field in hitting greens in regulation (57-of-72). The All-American from UNLV is up-in-the-air about playing next week's Arnold Palmer Invitational, but is scheduled to play at the Houston Open as a last-chance effort to get into the Masters.

Tee time Thursday: 4:56 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee with Corey Pavin and John Senden.

PGA TOUR's Transitions Championship

Site: Palm Harbor, Fla.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, Copperhead Course (7,340 yards, par 71).

Purse: $5.4 million. Winner’s share: $972,000.

Television (all times PDT): Golf Channel (Thursday, noon-3 p.m., 5:30-8:30 p.m.; Friday, 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., noon-3 p.m., 5:30-8:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9 p.m.-midnight) and NBC (Saturday-Sunday, noon-3 p.m.).

Last year: Sean O’Hair took advantage of Stewart Cink’s collapse to win his second PGA Tour title. O’Hair closed with a 2-under 69 for a two-stroke victory over Cink and five other players. Cink finished with a 74.

Last week: Phil Mickelson won the World Golf Championships-CA Championship at Doral to move to No. 2 in the world, as close to Tiger Woods as he has ever been. Taken to a hospital on the eve of the final round because of heat exhaustion and dehydration, Mickelson beat Nick Watney by a stroke for his second victory in three starts. Woods tied for ninth in his first stroke-play event since returning from a knee injury. … Michael Bradley won the Puerto Rico Open for his first PGA Tour title in 11 years, holing an 11-foot birdie putt for a one-stroke victory over Jason Day and Brett Quigley. The 42-year-old has three career victories.

Notes: Woods is expected to return to the tour next week for his title defense in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando. … Past champions K.J. Choi (2002 and 2006), Retief Goosen (2003), and Mark Calcavecchia (2007) top the field along with Watney, Jim Furyk, Adam Scott, Masters champion Trevor Immelman, Kenny Perry, Steve Stricker, Boo Weekley, Zach Johnson and Honda Classic winner Y.E. Yang. … Puyallup's Ryan Moore is playing a third week in a row, and is in the field. … Japanese teen star Ryo Ishikawa received a sponsor exemption. The 17-year-old Ishikawa missed the cut at Riviera last month in his PGA Tour debut. He has two Japanese tour wins, the first in 2007 at 15. … The Houston Open is April 2-5, followed by the Masters.

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This week: PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open, Thursday through Sunday, Trump International Golf Club, Rio Grande.

Fourth-round score: 2-under-par 70.

Position: Moore (3-under 285) finished tied for 44th, 11 strokes behind the winning score of journeyman Michael Bradley (274).

Recap: Another stellar ball-striking round by the Puyallup golfer, who hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation under windy conditions. Moore finished tied for first by hitting 57 of the 72 greens in regulation for the tournament. He birdied the last two holes to shoot 70, and earned a paycheck of $9,363 for his finish.

Next: Transitions Championship starting Thursday at Innisbrook Resort's Coppherhead Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Fla.

Here is the story filed by PGATour.com staff from the Nationwide Tour stop on Alex Prugh's victory Sunday (late Saturday in Washington):

ARROWTOWN, New Zealand -- Washington's Alex Prugh felt right at home amid the mountains and lakes of New Zealand and his relaxed nature helped him earn his first career win Sunday. Prugh's blistering back-nine 30 contributed to an 8-under 64 that pushed him to a three-stroke win at the Michael Hill New Zealand Open.

Prugh, a 24-year old from Spokane, raced past the international field to finish at 19-under 269 and lead the American contingent to a 1-2-3 sweep on the Nationwide Tour's final stop of a three-tourney swing Down Under.

"If anything, this builds a lot of confidence for me," said Prugh, who collected $108,000 for the win. "The last time I felt nerves like that might have been at the Pacific Coast Amateur in 2005 but there were no leader boards there and we were playing in front of 30 people, not the thousands we had out here. I definitely thought I'd be more nervous coming down the stretch."

The second-year pro becomes the first American to win the New Zealand Open Championship since Corey Pavin, who captured back-to-back titles in 1984-85. The tournament dates back to 1907 but this was the first time it was a co-sanctioned event between the Australasian and Nationwide Tours.

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With the top of the leaderboard stocked with big names from the Northwest, it was only fitting Spokane's Alex Prugh broke through to get a win.

Prugh, the University of Washington product in just his second season on the Nationwide Tour, closed with an 8-under-par 64 to win the New Zealand Open title at The Hills Golf Club.

Prugh (19-under 269) won by three strokes over third-round leader Martin Piller.

Tacoma's Michael Putnam closed with a 74, and finished tied for 39th at 282.

Prugh made two eagles during his round, starting with one on the par-4 eighth, and played the final 11 holes in 8-under.

He hit 86.1 percent of the greens in regulation, which was tops in the field.

This week: PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open, Thursday through Sunday, Trump International Golf Club, Rio Grande.

Third-round score: Even-par 72.

Position: Moore (1-under 215) is tied for 58th, 11 strokes behind co-leaders Michael Bradley and Jason Day (204).

Recap: If there is something to be taken from this week, it's the improvement in his iron play. Moore is hitting greens in regulation at a 79.6-percent clip, his best in a tournament this season, and is tied for second in the field. On Saturday, he was tops for the week, hitting 15 of 18 greens in regulation. The Puyallup product got off to a hot start, making birdies in three of his first six holes. After that, his putter let him down again (33 putts).

Tee time Sunday: 4:51 a.m. PDT with Robin Freeman.

This week: PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open, Thursday through Sunday, Trump International Golf Club, Rio Grande.

Second-round score: 1-under-par 71.

Position: Moore (141) is tied for 65th, nine strokes behind co-leaders Jason Day and Matt Jones (132).

Recap: The Cascade Christian graduate made the cut by one stroke – and will cash his third paycheck in seven PGA Tour starts. Moore had it to 2-under at one point on the back nine Friday, but stumbled with a bogey on the par-4 14th. Again, he hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation, but couldn't get anything going on the green (30 putts).

Tee time Saturday: 4:31 a.m. PDT with Carlos Franco.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Michael Hill New Zealand Open, Thursday through Sunday, The Hills Golf Club, Queenstown, N.Z.

Second-round score: 6-under-par 66.

Position: Putnam (7-under 137) is tied for seventh, three strokes behind Seattle's Jeff Gove, a co-leader with Jason Norris (10-under 134).

Recap: The Northwest brigade certainly fared well with Gove, Spokane and University of Washington product Alex Prugh (8-under 136) and Putnam all in the top 10. This was easily the Tacoma golfer's best round of the season (seven birdies, one bogey) as he hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation. He's only made a pair of bogeys in two rounds.

Tee time Saturday: 1 p.m. local time with Drew Laning.

This week: PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open, Thursday through Sunday, Trump International Golf Club, Rio Grande.

First-round score: Even-par 72.

Position: Moore is tied for 74th, six strokes behind co-leaders Jason Day and Derek Lamely.

Recap: It being a new course to learn, the Puyallup product struggled to get a feel on the greens Thursday (32 putts). A rough start (three bogeys in the first five holes) turned into a smooth finish as Moore made the turn, and birdied Nos. 2, 3 and 5. He hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation.

Tee time Friday: 4:50 a.m. PDT off the first tee.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Michael Hill New Zealand Open, Thursday through Sunday, The Hills Golf Club, Queenstown, New Zealand.

First-round score: 1-under-par 71.

Position: Putnam is inside the top 40. Todd Demsey and Josh Teater are co-leaders (65).

Recap: This is more like it for the Tacoma golfer – 15 pars, two birdies and one bogey. Before Thursday, Putnam had a double bogey in half of his eight rounds so far this season.

This week: PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open, Thursday through Sunday, Trump International Golf Club, Rio Grande.

World ranking: 168th.

2009 earnings: $206,724 (101st on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: Since his tied-for-sixth at the FBR Open in early February, the Puyallup golfer has been reeling. He's missed three cuts in his past four tournaments, including last week's Honda Classic in Florida (8-over 148). Only two of his 11-rounds during that span have been under-par – and on the flip side, he's record four rounds of 77 or higher. One aspect that needs drastic improvement in his greens hit in regulation – his 60.2-percent clip is 169th on tour. It's the same thing he struggled with in 2008. This is the second time Moore has played an event opposite a World Golf Championship tournament (he played in the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open last August opposite the WGC Bridgestone event at Firestone).

Tee time Thursday: 9:25 a.m. PDT with Carlos Franco and Mike Hulbert.

This week: PGA Tour's Honda Classic, Thursday through Sunday, PGA National Resort and Spa's Champion Course, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Second-round score: 1-over-par 71.

Position: Moore (8-over 148) tied for 120th, and missed the cut by five strokes. Y.E. Yang leads at 7-under 133.

Recap: The Puyallup resident just never made enough birdies to recover from his slow start Thursday. He was 1-under on his round before taking on the "Bear Trap" stretch – and again came away with back-to-back bogeys. They came at the 16th and 17th holes where he did not get up-and-down from greenside bunkers. Moore made putts (23 total in second round), but was sub-par hitting greens in regulation (seven of 18).

Next: Puerto Rico Open starting Thursday at Trump International Golf Club in Rio Grande.

This week: Nationwide Tour's HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship, Thursday through Sunday, Clearwater Country Club, Harewood, Christwood, New Zealand.

Second-round score: 5-over-par 77.

Position: Putnam (1-over 145) missed the cut by four strokes. Gareth Paddison and Josh Teater are co-leaders (135).

Recap: A bogey-bogey-double bogey start was hard to overcome for the Tacoma golfer on a day when scores were low. It was Putnam's second missed cut in three tournaments.

Next: Michael Hill New Zealand Open starting Thursday at The Hills Golf Club in Arrowtown, N.Z.

This week: PGA Tour's Honda Classic, Thursday through Sunday, PGA National Resort and Spa's Champion Course, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

First-round score: 7-over-par 77.

Position: Moore is tied for 129th, and trails leader Robert Allenby (66) by 11 strokes.

Recap: Challenging course under difficult conditions – only 27 golfers broke par. And it was the famed "Bear Trap" stretch (Nos. 15-17) that sent Moore reeling Thursday. It started when his tee shot on the 179-yard, par-3 15th against the wind fell short, and into a greenside lake. He made double bogey. The pond collected another one of his golf balls on the next par-4 when his approach from a sand trip went right of the green. He made another double bogey. He did make a 14-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th for his lone birdie of the day. Moore's 326-yard driving average was sixth in the field.

Tee time Friday: 9:52 a.m. PST off the first tee.

This week: Nationwide Tour's HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship, Thursday through Sunday, Clearwater Country Club, Harewood, Christchurch, N.Z.

First-round score: 4-under-par 68.

Position: Putnam is tied for sixth early in the round, and should hover around the top 10. Kurt Barnes leads at 8-under.

Recap: A real solid day for the Tacoma native, who made five birdies and one bogey. Two of those birdies came on his starting nine holes (Nos. 10 thru 18).

Tee time Friday: Afternoon round off the first tee, local time.

This week: PGA Tour's Honda Classic, Thursday through Sunday, PGA National Resort and Spa's Champion Course, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

World ranking: 162nd.

2009 earnings: $206,724 (69th on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: The Cascade Christian graduate placed 71st (3-over 287) at the Northern Trust Open two weeks ago in Los Angeles. It was his second made cut in five tournaments. He's had issues with third-round scoring (72.25-stroke average ranks 145th on tour), and that was true at the Northern Trust where he shot a 77 to fall out of contention. As long as he feels able physically, Moore is scheduled to play most of the events on the Florida swing.

Tee time Thursday: 5:12 a.m. PST off the 10th tee with Steve Elkington and Harrison Frazar.

PGA TOUR's Honda Classic

Site: Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: PGA National Resort and Spa, Champion Course (7,241 yards, par 70).

Purse: $5.6 million. Winner’s share: $1,008,000.

Television (all times PST): Golf Channel (Thursday, noon-3 p.m., 5:30-8:30 p.m.; Friday, 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., noon-3 p.m., 5:30-8:30 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.) and NBC (Saturday-Sunday, noon-3 p.m.).

Last year: Ernie Els ended a nearly four-year PGA Tour victory drought, beating 2007 winner Luke Donald by a stroke. The South African star pushed his PGA Tour victory total to 14 with his first win since the 2004 American Express Championship.

Last week: Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy won the Accenture Match Play Championship for the second time in four years, beating England’s Paul Casey, 4-and-3, in the 36-hole final. Ogilvy also won the season-opening event at Kapalua. … Mark Wilson won the Mayakoba Golf Classic for his second PGA Tour title, beating J.J. Henry by two strokes.

Notes: Els, 14th in the world ranking, is coming off a quarterfinal loss to Stewart Cink at Dove Mountain. Puyallup's Ryan Moore is back after his one week off, and is feeling good enough physically, he could play most of the Florida swing. … Erik Compton received a sponsor exemption. Ten months removed from his second heart transplant, he’s playing his first event since daughter Petra’s birth Feb. 22. … Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia also are in the field along with Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas, Boo Weekley, Fred Couples, Davis Love III, 19-year-old Irishman Rory Mcllory and Hawaii teen Tadd Fujikawa. … Harrington won the 2005 event for his first PGA Tour title. … In 1992 at Weston Hills, Corey Pavin holed out from 136 yards for eagle to force a playoff with Couples, then won with a birdie on the second extra hole. … The Champion Course was the site of the 1983 Ryder Cup and 1987 PGA Championship. … The World Golf Championships-CA Championship is next week at Doral. The Puerto Rico Open also is next week.

On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com

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