PGA Tour starts the Florida swing. LIV Golf goes to Saudi Arabia

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PGA TOUR

COGNIZANT CLASSIC IN THE PALM BEACHES

Site: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Course: PGA National (Champions). Yardage: 7,147. Par: 71.

Prize money: $9 million. Winner’s share: $1.62 million.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC).

Defending champion: Chris Kirk.

FedEx Cup leader: Matthieu Pavon.

Last week: Jake Knapp won the Mexico Open at Vidanta.

Notes: The tournament again leads off the Florida swing under a new name. Cognizant takes over as title sponsor of what previously was the Honda Classic. … Rory McIlroy is playing to beef up his pre-Masters schedule. He last played the tournament in 2018. … Six of the seven winners on the PGA Tour this year were outside the top 50 in the world ranking. The exception was Wyndham Clark, No. 10 when he won at Pebble Beach. … This is the last tournament for the leading top 10 in the FedEx Cup and the leading five players in “swing category” to earn a spot in Bay Hill next week. … Since turning pro after winning The American Express, U.S. Amateur champion Nick Dunlap finished in last place at Pebble Beach and missed the cut at Riviera. He is in the field this week. … NCAA champion Fred Biondi, who turned pro last year, received a sponsor exemption. … The field features five of the top 25 in the world ranking.

Next week: Arnold Palmer Invitational and Puerto Rico Open.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/

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LPGA TOUR

HSBC WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Singapore.

Course: Sentosa GC. Yardage: 6,749. Par: 72.

Prize money: $1.8 million. Winner’s share: $270,000.

Television: Wednesday-Saturday, 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Jin Young Ko.

Race to CME Globe leader: Lydia Ko

Last week: Patty Tavatanakit won the Honda LPGA Thailand.

Notes: This is the second of three straight weeks in Asia. The HSBC Women’s World Championship dates to 2008 and typically gets a strong field. … Jin Young Ko is going for her third straight title in Singapore. … Lorena Ochoa set the course record of 268 in 2008, the inaugural year of the tournament. … The field features eight of the top 10 in the women’s world ranking, missing only Nelly Korda and Charley Hull. … Atthaya Thitikul, No. 11 in the world, has an injured left thumb and does not plan to return until the end of March. … Former U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun is playing on a sponsor’s invitation. … Minjee Lee is in the field, playing for the first time this year on the LPGA Tour. … Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis has named Paula Creamer, Angela Stanford, Brittany Lincicome and Morgan Pressel as assistants for this year’s matches in Virginia.

Next week: Blue Bay LPGA.

Online: https://www.lpga.com/

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LIV GOLF LEAGUE

LIV GOLF JEDDAH

Site: King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia.

Course: Royal Greens Golf & CC. Yardage: 7,048. Par: 70.

Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million.

Television: Friday-Sunday, 3-8 a.m. (CW app); Saturday, 12:30-5:30 p.m. (CW Network-tape delay); Sunday, 1-6p.m. (CW Network-tape delay).

Defending champion: Brooks Koepka.

Points leader: Dustin Johnson.

Last tournament. Dustin Johnson won LIV Golf Las Vegas.

Notes: Brooks Koepka is going for his third straight LIV victory in Saudi Arabia. The tournament was played in the fall the last two seasons. … Anthony Kim is expected to make his LIV debut as an individual. Kim has not competed anywhere since May 2012 at the Wells Fargo Championship. He is now 38. … Dustin Johnson’s victory in Las Vegas makes him the first player to win in each of the three seasons of LIV Golf. Among those with a chance to match him this week are Koepka and Cameron Smith. … Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Harold Varner III and Abraham Ancer have all won in Saudi Arabia outside the LIV Golf League. … Jon Rahm’s new team is leading the standings after two events. … Joaquin Niemann was the only LIV Golf player who received a special invitation to the Masters based on his European tour performances in the offseason. … Patrick Reed is no longer among the top 100 in the world.

Next week: LIV Golf Hong Kong.

Online: https://www.livgolf.com/

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EUROPEAN TOUR AND SUNSHINE TOUR

SDC CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Course: St. Francis Links. Yardage: 7,192. Par: 72.

Prize money: $1.5 million. Winner’s share: $250,000.

Television: None.

Defending champion: Matthew Baldwin.

Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.

Last week: Darius van Driel won the Magical Kenya Open.

Notes: The tournament is co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour of South Africa. … This is the second of three straight tournaments on the African continent. … The field features only four players from the top 100 in the world. The highest-ranked player is Rikuya Hoshino, who is at No. 81. … South Africa only has five players in the top 100 in the world. Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who plays the PGA Tour, is the top-ranked South African at No. 59. … Only two players from Nos. 126-200 in the FedEx Cup last year are in the field, Matthias Schwab and Jonas Blixt. Dylan Frittelli was in that category until winning earlier this year to get full European tour membership. … Keita Nakajima, a former world No. 1 amateur, is in the field. He is eligible from winning the Japan Golf Tour money title last year. … The tournament only became part of the European tour schedule last year.

Next week: Jonsson Workwear Open.

Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/ and https://sunshinetour.com/

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KORN FERRY TOUR

VISA ARGENTINA OPEN

Site: Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Course: Olivos GC. Yardage: 6,795. Par: 70.

Prize money: $1 million. Winner’s share: $180,000.

Television: None.

Previous winner: Zack Fischer.

Points leader: Aldrich Potgieter.

Last tournament: Kevin Velo won the Astara Golf Championship in Colombia.

Next week: Astara Chile Classic.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour/

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PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

Last week: Ricardo Gonzalez won the Trophy Hassan II.

Next week: Cologuard Classic.

Charles Schwab Cup leader: Steven Alker.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions/

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OTHER TOURS

Asian Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia: New Zealand Open, Millbrook GC (Coronet and Remarkables), Arrowtown, New Zealand. Defending champion: Brendan Jones. Online: https://asiantour.com/ and https://pga.org.au/.

Japan LPGA: Daikin Orchid Ladies, Ryukyu GC, Okinawa, Japan. Defending champion: Jiyai Shin. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf