Season Starts with No Guarantees

At this time a year ago, Woods had gone 15 months without a stroke-play victory and was a distant second to Singh in the world ranking. The hype was the Big Five -- Woods, Singh, Mickelson, Els and Goosen -- and who would emerge as the best player in golf.
 
By year end, Woods had six victories, two majors and an overwhelming margin at No. 1.
 
The new season gets under way at Thursday with the attention already shifting to several storylines for 2006, from the return to traditional major championship sites like Winged Foot (U.S. Open) and Medinah (PGA Championship), to who makes the Ryder Cup team, to whether Els can bounce back and the 42-year-old Singh can hang on.
 
The immediate question is whether Stuart Appleby can become the first player in 50 years to win this elite tournament three straight times. The only other player was Gene Littler, from 1955-57, when it was played at Desert Inn Country Club in Las Vegas and appropriately called the Tournament of Champions.
 
"I know what I have to do," Appleby said. "I know how to play, I know what sort of golf is required to win here. Having Phil and Tiger not here, Retief, is a good thing for me. Maybe they're a little scared."
 
Despite his success, Appleby will have to get used to the new greens on the Plantation course, with grass that stands taller so it can be cut shorter. They are smoother than ever, and capable of being faster than ever, although they still have the severe breaks toward the island of Molokai on the horizon.
 
Among the injured are Faxon and Bryant, both coming off knee surgeries.
 
Faxon's was more severe, as he had torn ligaments in his left knee repaired in September. Faxon was supposed to be out until at least Pebble Beach, but when a player loves Kapalua like he does, and when he goes four years without winning, the motivation to return is a little stronger.
 
And he already is looking ahead.
 
"When you're here, you want to be here the next year," Faxon said.
 
It all begins to unfold Thursday morning on a course perched atop the hills overlooking the Pacific, where it is not unusual to see humpback whales breeching below, sharing the blue waters with surfers.
 
The Mercedes Championship doesn't have Woods or Mickelson or Goosen -- in fact, only three of the top 10 in the world ranking are at Kapalua -- but it has 28 guys hungry to start the year off right, and guaranteeing a spot next year.
 
"This is where you want to start out," said Mark Calcavecchia, back at Kapalua for the first time in four years. "Everybody here won a tournament. That's a big thing nowadays."
 
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