FBR Preview & More

Phil's 2009 Debut; AK & Camilo Are Back

I honestly like Pat Perez and Steve Stricker, but must say that I am quite pleased that they are NOT the top stories at the FBR Open this week in Scottsdale.

Phil Mickelson's 2009 debut earns top billing, as we all wonder what to expect from Lefty coming off of a modest year (by his standards). It's also always fun to anticipate Phil's bra size for '09. The (less) Hefty Lefty shed a few pounds for 2008, so it will be interesting to see if he kept up his commitment to fitness for this year. If Phil shows up "in shape" and decides to listen to ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that Dave Pelz recommends, I think he could have a great year. Phil has always played well at the FBR, was runner-up last year, and a winner in '96 and '05.

Anthony Kim and Camilo Villegas are both in the field this week, after AK withdrew last week with a bum shoulder and Villegas took some time off. They are both looking to continue to take their games to the next level and I look for them to both be lurking at the top of the leaderboard.

Geoff Ogilvy and Zach Johnson, our first two winners of the year, will both be in the field this week after skipping the snooze-fest known as the Bob Hope. Both men are off to great starts to the year and will contend any week that their putters heat up.

Steve Stricker will be looking to redeem himself, after losing 7 strokes to par on two holes and shooting a 77 in Sunday's final round at the Blah Hope. The stroke average for the event was 68.5 or so, and an even-par-72 would have left Stricker tied for the lead and heading to a playoff. Obviously, it's always easier-said-than-done, but I hope Strix doesn't dwell on Sunday, instead remembering the recording setting 61-62 he shot on Friday & Saturday.

Pat Perez will be in the field as well and is sure to be hovering somewhere around the cut line...

All in all, we have seven of the top 25 players in the world in the field this week. It's an improvement over last week, however, the European Tour's Dubai Desert Classic, where Tiger will be unable to defend his title, features nine of the top 25. I would say this looks to be our best week of golf to date in '09, and things are just starting to heat up!

Look for the Dubai preview tomorrow...