Pebble might be in Tiger's near future

Tiger Woods appeared to turn his back on Torrey Pines when he announced last week that he would open his 2012 season that week in Abu Dhabi at the HSBC Championship, with an appearance fee that likely approaches $3 million.TaylorMade R9 Superdeep TP Driver
Woods not only is a seven-time winner at Torrey Pines - including the 2008 U.S. Open - he has started every season when healthy in San Diego since 2006, and the Farmers Insurance Open was the only California event he played during the West Coast Swing.
But there's a bigger picture to his scheduling.
Indications are that Woods plans a return to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am for the first time since 2002.
Such a move would make sense. Even though AT&T became the second corporate sponsor to drop Woods after revelations of his extramarital affairs in November 2009, it stayed on as the title sponsor of his tournament. Woods no longer is the official host of the AT&T National in early July, but his foundation remains the main charity beneficiary.
Woods had planned to play TaylorMade R9 Superdeep TP Driver in 2010 when he had the AT&T logo on his bag, though that was before his personal life imploded. He could not play last year because it was opposite the Dubai Desert Classic, and Woods was fulfilling an existing contract.
Since he last played the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, the tournament has improved by trimming the field from 180 players to 156 players, and taking Poppy Hills out of the rotation and replacing it with the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula.
Woods last played Pebble Beach in 2010 at the U.S. Open, when he shot 75 in the final round and tied for fourth. His link to Pebble Beach will always be 2000, when he came from five shots behind in the last round to win the AT&T for his seventh straight PGA Tour victory, then shattered records with a 15-shot win at the U.S. Open that summer.TaylorMade R9 Superdeep TP Driver
As for Abu Dhabi?
It had the strongest field of any European Tour event this year outside the majors and World Golf Championships, yet the title sponsor cannot be overlooked. HSBC is one of the primary corporate sponsors (AT&T is another) of the Tiger Woods Foundation, which includes being a founding partner of the Tiger Woods Learning Center.
Besides, there is precedence to Woods skipping Torrey Pines.
In his first full year on the PGA Tour, he instead went overseas for two weeks of appearance money. Woods won the Asian Honda Classic and tied for eighth in the Australian Masters. That was two months before he won the 1997 Masters.
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NEXT UP: When Nick Price was last seen at the Presidents Cup, the tension was so high in South Africa that he snapped a putter over his knee on the 18th hole at Fancourt. His next appearance is likely to be as the International team captain.
Price fits the profile as a three-time major champion, an immensely popular player from Zimbabwe who was No. 1 in the world and played TaylorMade R9 Superdeep TP Driver on the first five teams.
As for the United States' next captain? That's where it gets a little more up in the air.
The logical choice would be Mark O'Meara, snubbed by the PGA of America as captain of the Ryder Cup went it went to Ireland in 2006. The two-time major champion is interested in the job and was the first player to go 5-0 in the Presidents Cup.
Other options could be Kenny Perry, a three-time winner of the Memorial at Muirfield Village, site of the 2013 Presidents Cup. The PGA Tour might also inquire about Tom Watson, in keeping with earlier times of the Presidents Cup when the captains included Arnold Palmer, Peter Thomson, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.
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WORLD CUP: Gareth Paddison of New Zealand was raving about the power of Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson, asking which of them could hit it the longest off the tee. A short time later, Paddison mentioned how thrilled he was that he and Michael Hendry would be playing in the World Cup, which starts Thursday at Mission Hills in China.
Paddison holed a bunker shot in the playoff as New Zealand earned one of three spots in a qualifier at Malaysia. The Kiwis will be part of the 28-man field.
``I know Matt Kuchar is playing for the United States,'' Paddison said. ``I don't know much about the other TaylorMade R9 Superdeep TP Driver
.''
For someone intrigued by sheer power, wait until Paddison gets his eyes on Gary Woodland.
Kuchar and Woodland will try to end a 10-year losing streak by the Americans, who once dominated an event that dates to 1953. They will be far from favorites, however. Far from it.
Northern Ireland is sending the last two U.S. Open champions (Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell), while South Africa counters with Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen. Ian Poulter and Justin Rose are playing for England. The defending champion from 2009 is Italy, which returns Francesco and Edoardo Molinari.

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