Last year at this time, I wrote a post titled "Is the Bob Hope Classic doomed?" There's still hope for the Hope - it survived another year - but the outlook is still gloomy: There remains no sponsor; all the top golfers are skipping it; even the star-power of the celebrities in the pro-am has dropped.
Meanwhile, in Abu Dhabi, the European Tour presents the highest-quality field playing this week. Included are Geoff Ogilvy, Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Camilo Villegas and Anthony Kim.
The Champions Tour might even compete for attention with the Hope this week in its first tournament of the year (OK, technically the senior circuit started last week with its Skins Game) because of the senior debuts of Corey Pavin and Fred Couples at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.
With the shorter Champions Tour layouts, Pavin - the American Ryder Cup captain in 2010 - should be very competitive. But it's Couples who brings a little star power - some much-needed star power - to the Champions Tour.
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