So, the PGA Tour starts off not with a bang, but with a whimper. Actually, it doesn’t seem that much time has passed before the end of the 2005 season. Maybe Tim Finchem’s new schedule will help that.

In any case, the watered-down Mercedes Championship is more notable for who isn’t there than who is. Tiger Woods, Phil Michelson, Retief Goosen and Paddy Harrington, the nucleus of the world’s top layers, all took passes. Nor is Ernie Els, who didn’t win on the tour last year because of a serious injury, playing. I liked the way ESPN highlighted its coverage of the missing in action, with Ian Baker Finch scolding them.

Others hobbled into the tourney: Brad Faxon, Bart Bryant and Peter Lonard all coming off knee surgeries. One interesting sidebar already is Sergio Garcia, who claimed he’ll give up his Ryder Cup team membership if he’s not playing well. I, for one, don’t believe him. If this guy had a putter, he’d be in top three and maybe even challenge Tiger.

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