MIAMI, March 10 (Reuters) – Colombian Camilo Villegas isthe fans’ favourite at Doral this week but he is keen to keephis focus on the course and not on the legions of Spanishspeaking supporters who follow him.

Villegas heads into Thursday’s WGC-CA Championship,featuring an elite 30-man field, in excellent shape aftervictory in last week’s Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens.

At that triumph he was, as always in Florida, accompaniedby fans decked out in the Colombian colours of yellow, red andblue and he expects the large Hispanic community in Miami to bevocal in their support of him.

“It’s awesome to see the Colombian flags and the guys withthe shirts and all that good stuff, but you’ve got to becareful because it can distract you a little bit,” he toldreporters on Wednesday.

“You know they are there. You know they are supporting you.But it’s one shot at a time. You’ve got to be focused, lookforward, and just focus on playing good golf.

“If you play good golf, they are going to have a good time,and it will be a win/win situation.”

Villegas, never shy to express pride in his origins, hasbeen in particularly patriotic mood of late having beeninvolved in bringing last week’s Nationwide Tour event toBogota.

The Bogota Open was the first time a PGA endorsedtournament has been held in Villegas’ homeland and has beenkeen to get feedback on the event.

“I had a chance to talk with a lot of the American playersand the guys that organised the tournament, caddies andeverything, and I haven’t heard anything bad yet,” he said.

“They seemed to really enjoy it. The golf course was ingood shape. The people were very friendly and they had a goodtime down there.

“That’s the main thing, to get people down there, to showthem reality, and just like every country in the world, we haveour own problems.

“But it’s a great place. I love it.”

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury; To query or comment on thisstory email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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“The thing about golf,” Pavin said this week during a relaxing round at Malibu Country Club in Southern California, “is that it comes and goes and we don’t know why sometimes. If we knew why, it would never go.”

From 1997 through 2009, Pavin, the 1995 U.S. Open champion, teed it about 25 times per year. Not once did he register more than three top 10s in a season. He won only once, in 2006, at Milwaukee. He got into some bad habits which affected his confidence. He went through different teachers. Nothing worked.

More From Michael Arkush Living his life where it lies Mar 5, 2010 Meet the Press with Tiger Woods Feb 24, 2010

Which is why, watching him stroll the fairways in Malibu, it’s impossible not to feel good that there is a game which provides second chances to its athletes years past their prime. At 50, as a rookie on the Champions Tour, Pavin has earned $103,260 in only three starts. If he performs well, he could easily make over $1 million.

It sure is nice to be young again.

Yet, before Pavin can spend the rest of his playing days in the less-stressful atmosphere of senior golf, he has one more job to finish in the spotlight: Lead the United States to its first back-to-back Ryder Cup win since 1993.

Captain Pavin, who lives in Los Angeles and Dallas, is back in a competition where he belongs. Prior to his slump, he was a Ryder Cup fixture, and hero. Most memorable is the Saturday four-ball match he and Loren Roberts played against European standouts Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer in 1995 at Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y.

The match was all square coming to 18. With Faldo facing a 15-foot birdie putt, Pavin chipped first from the fringe, 18 feet away.

Pavin’s ball circled the cup before it fell in, leading to a critical point after Faldo missed his attempt to halve the match. Pavin beat Langer 3 & 2 in singles the next day, but the Americans were unable to retain the Cup.

It was his last Ryder Cup as a player. He was only 35. If he had been on his game, Pavin would have played in perhaps three or four more Cups. It hurt him that he didn’t.

No wonder he was so excited when he got the official word from the PGA of America in the winter of 2008.

“I couldn’t get the smile off my face all day,” said Pavin, who was an assistant to captain Tom Lehman in the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club in Ireland.

He doesn’t seem the least bit apprehensive about the task ahead. That’s not who Pavin is. Especially at 50, the father of a 2-year-old girl, a man content with where he has been and where he wants to go.

With plenty of help from his wife, Lisa, Pavin is having a great time as captain. And the real fun hasn’t even begun.

But it’s about a lot more than having fun. He will be intense when the time comes. Book it.

“You want to do your best,” he said, “but you want to win.”

Pavin is paying more attention than ever to each week’s tournament, being careful not to rule out anyone and that includes 60-year-old Tom Watson who, due to his second-place finish in last year’s British Open at Turnberry, ranks 20th in the current Ryder Cup standings.

“I need him to play in some regular tour events,” Pavin said. “Hopefully, he’ll give me something to think about.”

Whoever he decides will be his four captain’s picks on September 7, Pavin won’t get stressed out about it.

“I’m a pretty laid-back person,” he said. “I think about things, and am somewhat methodical, but once I’ve made up my mind, I never look back.”

He won’t go completely by the numbers. His gut may trump the stats. How he feels a player is likely to deal with adversity will factor into the picks. The competition, after all, will be waged on enemy territory.

Pavin, however, is not concerned that the fans at Celtic Manor in Wales will go over the line. He and European captain Colin Montgomerie “are on the same page … [Montgomerie] would be the first one to denounce it.”

Still, the Ryder Cup is seven months away. For now, the focus is on his own game. He’ll tee off about 15 times on the Champions Tour this year. Known as a short hitter, Pavin says he’s been striking the ball well, but the putts haven’t been going in consistently enough.

Even on this recreational round in Malibu, many slipped by the edge.

Pavin is not panicking.

“They’re going to go in eventually,” said Pavin, who won 15 tour events.

He is grateful for the opportunities he’s receiving on the Champions Tour which weren’t available in his latter years on the regular circuit. He was hitting too many five woods and four irons for his approaches. He is hitting a lot of six irons and seven irons into the greens these days.

“It’s nice to get clubs in there I can score with,” Pavin said.

Not surprisingly, he puts his Milwaukee victory high on his list of achievements. He proved to his doubters that he was capable of winning again. He always believed he could do it.

Sure he was disappointed he couldn’t prevail more often after the Open win. Who wouldn’t be after what he had accomplished?

But Pavin is no victim. Not even close. He is very blessed and he knows it.

“I’ve been so lucky,” Pavin said, “to be able to play golf professionally and have a very successful career. It’s been a good life.”

Michael Arkush is an editor for Yahoo! Sports. Send Michael a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Tiger Woods is the center photo. He’s the only one watching this week.

His presence, even after all this time away from the game, remainsprominent.

It’s hard to walk more than a few yards on the practice range at the CAChampionship without hearing chatter about Woods. Players say very littlepublicly when asked about the absence of the world’s No. 1 player, some choosingtheir words carefully, most saying they have enough to worry about with theirown games.

Camilo Villegas, left, of Colo… AP – Mar 10, 1:46 pm EST Alvaro Quiros of Spain, reacts… AP – Mar 10, 1:20 pm EST YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index = 1; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_lazy_images = [http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100310/capt.5701628930ce4addb1b4b723d914f8f6.ca_championship_golf_flls102.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=306&hc=340&q=70&sig=J4cglKc.xfPzwUzKLV3reA--]; YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(window,load,YAHOO.Sports.articleLazyLoadCarousel.init); 1 of 2 Golf Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init();

Privately, they speculate and share the latest inside gossip on his returnjust as much as anyone else.

But as golf moves closer to the first major of the year—the Masters is amonth away—Woods became a topic Wednesday as much for his standard of golf asthe reason why he’s not at Doral.

The season began two months ago with speculation on who might fill the voidleft by Woods, with most of the focus on Phil Mickelson.

Instead, he has been replaced by committee.

Ten tournaments into the PGA Tour season, there have been 10 winners. SteveStricker is the only player who was in the top 10 at the start of the year tohave won anywhere in the world, his victory coming at Riviera.

“I think it’s just a coincidence,” Stricker said. “It always comes backto the depth of the tour, just how good these guys are, and how tough it is towin. How many multiple winners were there last year?”

He wasn’t trying to make a point, only ask a question. The answer is seven—Woods, Mickelson, Stricker, Geoff Ogilvy, Zach Johnson, Kenny Perry and BrianGay. Mickelson was the only player to win multiple times when Woods was in thefield.

When he won at Riviera, it was Stricker’s fourth victory in his last 15starts, which computes to winning 27 percent of his starts. Good stuff, until herealizes that it’s still lower than Woods’ winning rate of 30 percent for hiscareer.

Asked if he would like to see the streak continue of different winners eachweek, Stricker smiled as he tried to think of a clever answer, before settlingon a simple “No.”

He was among the favorites in the 68-man field at Doral, comprised ofplayers from the top 50 in the world ranking and top players from the moneylists on six major tours around the world.

“It’s still a world-class field, and it will take a strong winner,” LeeWestwood said. “You still have to be on top of your game to win.”

Take himself out of the mix and Stricker would favor Mickelson, thedefending champion at Doral. A year ago, Mickelson battled through dehydrationbrought on by food poisoning to hold off Nick Watney in the final round andcapture his first WGC event.

Mickelson has yet to win this year, which most likely has more to do withhis struggle at home as his wife recovers from breast cancer than any technicalaspect of his game. Without a pro-am this week, Mickelson was not due to arriveat Doral until Wednesday evening.

Camilo Villegas is coming off a victory in the Honda Classic last week andmight be the hottest player in golf. In five tournaments, the only time hefailed to finish in the top 10 was his season debut in Abu Dhabi, where he tiedfor 19th.

“Obviously, I’ve had a good start for the year,” Villegas said. “But it’snot the way I think. Just try to keep going. I’ve had a great attitude all year,and I came pretty close in Match Play and I had a chance there at Phoenix. Buttomorrow is Thursday, and trust me, every Thursday, we start from zero. It’stime to forget what happened the previous week.”

Ian Poulter is three weeks removed from his first victory in America at theMatch Play Championship, while Ogilvy is a past WGC winner at Doral who openedthe year with a victory in Kapalua.

The other winners on the PGA Tour are Ryan Palmer, Bill Haas, Ben Crane,Dustin Johnson, Cameron Beckman and Hunter Mahan.

“It’s not an oddity or a coincidence. It’s only an oddity when you have 25winners in 25 tournaments,” British Open champion Stewart Cink said. Then headded with a wink and a smile, “Besides, I’m winning the next two.”

Stricker began his PGA Tour career when it was a big deal for any player towin more than four times in one season. Nick Price (six wins in 1994) was theonly player to do that in the 15 years before Woods showed up. Since then, Woodshas gone only three seasons when he didn’t win at least four times, one of thoseas a rookie in 1996 when he played only eight tournaments (and won two).

“He makes it look easy, but it’s not,” Stricker said. “But it’s good forthe game when we get both—a variety of winners, and it’s good when we get guyswho continuously win. Everyone loves David against Goliath. It’s good to havetop guys going down the stretch against a guy who doesn’t win as much.”

Two months into Woods’ infidelity break, it has been hard to identify thetop guys who win all the time.

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By Simon Evans

MIAMI, March 10 (Reuters) – Colombian Camilo Villegas isthe fans’ favourite at Doral this week but he is keen to keephis focus on the course and not on the legions of Spanishspeaking supporters who follow him.

Villegas heads into Thursday’s WGC-CA Championship,featuring an elite 30-man field, in excellent shape aftervictory in last week’s Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens.

At that triumph he was, as always in Florida, accompaniedby fans decked out in the Colombian colours of yellow, red andblue and he expects the large Hispanic community in Miami to bevocal in their support of him.

“It’s awesome to see the Colombian flags and the guys withthe shirts and all that good stuff, but you’ve got to becareful because it can distract you a little bit,” he toldreporters on Wednesday.

“You know they are there. You know they are supporting you.But it’s one shot at a time. You’ve got to be focused, lookforward, and just focus on playing good golf.

“If you play good golf, they are going to have a good time,and it will be a win/win situation.”

Villegas, never shy to express pride in his origins, hasbeen in particularly patriotic mood of late having beeninvolved in bringing last week’s Nationwide Tour event toBogota.

The Bogota Open was the first time a PGA endorsedtournament has been held in Villegas’ homeland and has beenkeen to get feedback on the event.

“I had a chance to talk with a lot of the American playersand the guys that organised the tournament, caddies andeverything, and I haven’t heard anything bad yet,” he said.

“They seemed to really enjoy it. The golf course was ingood shape. The people were very friendly and they had a goodtime down there.

“That’s the main thing, to get people down there, to showthem reality, and just like every country in the world, we haveour own problems.

“But it’s a great place. I love it.”

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury; To query or comment on thisstory email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Villegas will be easy to find at Doral during the CA Championship, whichstarts Thursday. Just look for the people wearing “Colombia” across the chestsof their yellow, blue and red T-shirts, carrying their country’s flag, andshouting at him in Spanish after just about every shot.

He was born 1,100 miles away in Medellin, but this week, Villegas may aswell be a Miami native son. Whenever he plays Doral, his countrymen come out towatch.

“It’s awesome to see the Colombian flags and the guys with the shirts andall that good stuff, but you’ve got to be careful,” Villegas said. “I mean,you’ve got to be careful because it can distract you a little bit. So you knowthey’re there. You know they’re supporting you. But it’s one shot at a time.You’ve got to be focused, look forward, and just focus on playing good golf.”

In other words, do what he did last week at the Honda Classic.

Villegas started last week in Colombia, helping kick off the celebration ofthe first Nationwide Tour event ever played there, and the overloaded schedulehe had to keep meant he didn’t even get to PGA National in time for a practiceround. No matter—he won with ease, by five shots over Anthony Kim, shooting 68or better in every round.

He made it through last week on adrenaline, and on Tuesday, the fatiguefinally kicked in.

“Last week I felt fine,” Villegas said. “I kind of had a good feelinglast week. Everything seemed to be going the right way and I was excited, and Ididn’t really feel tired. Then Monday, I did a couple hard workouts, and then(Tuesday) I was just beat. I was like, ‘Man, I need to relax.”’

He played only nine holes Tuesday, then nine more Wednesday.

“Try and recover and be fresh,” Villegas said.

WATNEY WAITS: Nick Watney did everything right a year ago at Doral.

Played his way into the final group of the tournament with Phil Mickelson.Chipped in from behind the ninth green on Sunday, then eagled the next hole topull into a tie for the lead and make Mickelson—who spent the previous nightfighting off dehydration—sweat a bit more. Had a 30-footer on the 18th greento force a playoff.

It stopped one revolution short of dropping.

Watney settled for second, taking a check for $820,000 for his effort. Hequickly pointed out that he beat 78 of the world’s best players that week, andwould like to think he can do one better when this year’s CA Championship opensThursday at Doral.

“When you win, you know, some lucky things always happen,” Watney saidWednesday. “I would have liked to be sitting here and said that was the turningpoint for getting the victory, but as it stands, it was fun just to be able tocompete and play at a high level like that when it mattered like that and I hopeI get a chance to do that again soon.”

Watney’s off to a solid start in 2010, with two top-10s in six events (bycomparison, he had only one top-10 in 27 starts in 2008), including a trip tothe round of 16 at Match Play.

He tied for fifth last year at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, another WorldGolf Championships event where he played with Mickelson.

Like at Doral, Mickelson won there, too.

“I think I owe him one,” Watney said.

BIRDIE WATCH: Chances are, someone’s going to go low to win the CAChampionship.

That tends to happen at Doral.

Phil Mickelson shot 19-under 269 to prevail last year, and in the 2000s, thewinning score was 271 or better every year but one. Tiger Woods shot 278 to winin 2007, a year marked by plenty of rain and wind.

And rain could be on the way this time.

Forecasters say there’s a chance of thunderstorms starting aroundmidafternoon Thursday, when every player is scheduled to be on the course. Morerain is forecast for Friday.

HARRINGTON’S RANKING: Padraig Harrington knew he was slipping in the worldrankings. That’s why he stopped looking at the world rankings.

And when he was told how far he slipped Wednesday—he’s now No. 13—Harrington feigned outrage.

“Thirteen? Now I know why I don’t look,” he said.

Harrington is used to relatively slow starts, and this year isn’t much of anexception. His best result in 2010 is a tie for 16th at Pebble Beach, and hetied for 40th last week at the Honda.

Plenty of time left, the Irishman said, to turn it around.

“As I said, you don’t look as you are going backwards, but you generallyhave a feel that a couple of wins will get you back up to certainly insidetop-five, and then you know, another couple of weeks on top of that, and you’rechallenging second place,” Harrington said. “I think it’s about 10 wins I needbefore I’ll be challenging first place.”

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After a slow start to the season, Phil Mickelson has a chance to change his fortune around this week as he defends his title in the WGC-CA Championship at Doral. The Blue Monster is known for its dramatic finishes. What’s in store this week? Doral PGA Head Professional Marc Barcelo shares some perspective.

PGA.com: Aside from the fact that the CA Championship is a World Golf Championships event, what is it about Doral that brings out the stars year in and year out? Even before the Doral event officially became a WGC, its field was always one of the best non-major fields of the year.

Barcelo: I would have to say probably the fact that it’s in the city of Miami. It’s a very diverse city, there’s a lot of culture and a lot to do. There are beautiful—and famous—beaches, a great night life and plenty of family entertainment. A lot of guys bring their families. All those factors combined with perfect weather and a sweet $8.5 million purse all make for a pretty nice reason to come here to play.

PGA.com: Over the years there have been incredible finishes at Doral. Just off the top of my head, I can think of Craig Parry holing out from the fairway for eagle on the first playoff hole to defeat Scott Verplank; Tiger narrowly outdueling Phil Mickelson; and just last year, a great battle between Phil and Nick Watney, where Phil just barely snuck away with the victory. What is it about Doral that makes for such a drama-filled finish?

Barcelo: Probably because there are a lot of birdies to be had out there. There’s a good combination of hard holes and easy holes. It’s who can make the most birdies. At Doral there’s no demand on one specific part of the game. You don’t need to be long and you can spray it a bit without much penalty. It’s a shoot out down to the end. No. 18 is a great par-4 finishing hole and can provide a lot of drama, which, as you’ve pointed out, we see quite often here.

PGA.com: What’s your most memorable experience thus far as the Head Professional at Doral? Is it something you’ve done personally, or something you’ve seen?

Barcelo: The most memorable experience for me, or the thing I most look forward to, is being part of a tour event. Not a lot of professionals can say they’ve been able to run a tour event. Being able to manage the player clubhouse during the CA Championship is a big notch on my belt. I get to see those guys up close day in and day out during the tournament and talk with them and be a part of that whole atmosphere. It’s a lot of fun.

PGA.com: This year, Tiger Woods will not be making it to Doral. Does that in any way impact the quality of the tournament in your eyes?

Barcelo: In my eyes, no, it won’t impact the quality of the tournament. That’s because you’ve got the next 67 best players in the world here. The best 67 in the world minus one isn’t that big of a deal to me. As far as impact of the tournament and in the fans eyes, it’s a different story for sure. It’s going to affect ticket sales—it has affected ticket sales. However, we still have one of the best fields in golf and because of that I don’t think it takes away from quality of tournament at all.

PGA.com: If someone is attending the CA Championship for the first time, where’s one spot on the course you would tell them not to miss?

Barcelo: The driving range. Seeing guys hit balls and seeing how they prepare, their routine, it’s pretty cool. If you’re going to be in any one spot, that’s what I’d say. I’d sit at the range, especially as a golf enthusiast. It’s a treat to watch how those guys hit balls to targets so consistently and see how they control each club. Watching how they rehearse and applying it to your game can be very beneficial to anyone who loves to play.

Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10

After a slow start to the season, Phil Mickelson has a chance to change his fortune around this week as he defends his title in the WGC-CA Championship at Doral. The Blue Monster is known for its dramatic finishes. What’s in store this week? Doral PGA Head Professional Marc Barcelo shares some perspective.

PGA.com: Aside from the fact that the CA Championship is a World Golf Championships event, what is it about Doral that brings out the stars year in and year out? Even before the Doral event officially became a WGC, its field was always one of the best non-major fields of the year.

Barcelo: I would have to say probably the fact that it’s in the city of Miami. It’s a very diverse city, there’s a lot of culture and a lot to do. There are beautiful—and famous—beaches, a great night life and plenty of family entertainment. A lot of guys bring their families. All those factors combined with perfect weather and a sweet $8.5 million purse all make for a pretty nice reason to come here to play.

PGA.com: Over the years there have been incredible finishes at Doral. Just off the top of my head, I can think of Craig Parry holing out from the fairway for eagle on the first playoff hole to defeat Scott Verplank; Tiger narrowly outdueling Phil Mickelson; and just last year, a great battle between Phil and Nick Watney, where Phil just barely snuck away with the victory. What is it about Doral that makes for such a drama-filled finish?

Barcelo: Probably because there are a lot of birdies to be had out there. There’s a good combination of hard holes and easy holes. It’s who can make the most birdies. At Doral there’s no demand on one specific part of the game. You don’t need to be long and you can spray it a bit without much penalty. It’s a shoot out down to the end. No. 18 is a great par-4 finishing hole and can provide a lot of drama, which, as you’ve pointed out, we see quite often here.

PGA.com: What’s your most memorable experience thus far as the Head Professional at Doral? Is it something you’ve done personally, or something you’ve seen?

Barcelo: The most memorable experience for me, or the thing I most look forward to, is being part of a tour event. Not a lot of professionals can say they’ve been able to run a tour event. Being able to manage the player clubhouse during the CA Championship is a big notch on my belt. I get to see those guys up close day in and day out during the tournament and talk with them and be a part of that whole atmosphere. It’s a lot of fun.

PGA.com: This year, Tiger Woods will not be making it to Doral. Does that in any way impact the quality of the tournament in your eyes?

Barcelo: In my eyes, no, it won’t impact the quality of the tournament. That’s because you’ve got the next 67 best players in the world here. The best 67 in the world minus one isn’t that big of a deal to me. As far as impact of the tournament and in the fans eyes, it’s a different story for sure. It’s going to affect ticket sales—it has affected ticket sales. However, we still have one of the best fields in golf and because of that I don’t think it takes away from quality of tournament at all.

PGA.com: If someone is attending the CA Championship for the first time, where’s one spot on the course you would tell them not to miss?

Barcelo: The driving range. Seeing guys hit balls and seeing how they prepare, their routine, it’s pretty cool. If you’re going to be in any one spot, that’s what I’d say. I’d sit at the range, especially as a golf enthusiast. It’s a treat to watch how those guys hit balls to targets so consistently and see how they control each club. Watching how they rehearse and applying it to your game can be very beneficial to anyone who loves to play.

Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10

After a slow start to the season, Phil Mickelson has a chance to change his fortune around this week as he defends his title in the WGC-CA Championship at Doral. The Blue Monster is known for its dramatic finishes. What’s in store this week? Doral PGA Head Professional Marc Barcelo shares some perspective.

PGA.com: Aside from the fact that the CA Championship is a World Golf Championships event, what is it about Doral that brings out the stars year in and year out? Even before the Doral event officially became a WGC, its field was always one of the best non-major fields of the year.

Barcelo: I would have to say probably the fact that it’s in the city of Miami. It’s a very diverse city, there’s a lot of culture and a lot to do. There are beautiful—and famous—beaches, a great night life and plenty of family entertainment. A lot of guys bring their families. All those factors combined with perfect weather and a sweet $8.5 million purse all make for a pretty nice reason to come here to play.

PGA.com: Over the years there have been incredible finishes at Doral. Just off the top of my head, I can think of Craig Parry holing out from the fairway for eagle on the first playoff hole to defeat Scott Verplank; Tiger narrowly outdueling Phil Mickelson; and just last year, a great battle between Phil and Nick Watney, where Phil just barely snuck away with the victory. What is it about Doral that makes for such a drama-filled finish?

Barcelo: Probably because there are a lot of birdies to be had out there. There’s a good combination of hard holes and easy holes. It’s who can make the most birdies. At Doral there’s no demand on one specific part of the game. You don’t need to be long and you can spray it a bit without much penalty. It’s a shoot out down to the end. No. 18 is a great par-4 finishing hole and can provide a lot of drama, which, as you’ve pointed out, we see quite often here.

PGA.com: What’s your most memorable experience thus far as the Head Professional at Doral? Is it something you’ve done personally, or something you’ve seen?

Barcelo: The most memorable experience for me, or the thing I most look forward to, is being part of a tour event. Not a lot of professionals can say they’ve been able to run a tour event. Being able to manage the player clubhouse during the CA Championship is a big notch on my belt. I get to see those guys up close day in and day out during the tournament and talk with them and be a part of that whole atmosphere. It’s a lot of fun.

PGA.com: This year, Tiger Woods will not be making it to Doral. Does that in any way impact the quality of the tournament in your eyes?

Barcelo: In my eyes, no, it won’t impact the quality of the tournament. That’s because you’ve got the next 67 best players in the world here. The best 67 in the world minus one isn’t that big of a deal to me. As far as impact of the tournament and in the fans eyes, it’s a different story for sure. It’s going to affect ticket sales—it has affected ticket sales. However, we still have one of the best fields in golf and because of that I don’t think it takes away from quality of tournament at all.

PGA.com: If someone is attending the CA Championship for the first time, where’s one spot on the course you would tell them not to miss?

Barcelo: The driving range. Seeing guys hit balls and seeing how they prepare, their routine, it’s pretty cool. If you’re going to be in any one spot, that’s what I’d say. I’d sit at the range, especially as a golf enthusiast. It’s a treat to watch how those guys hit balls to targets so consistently and see how they control each club. Watching how they rehearse and applying it to your game can be very beneficial to anyone who loves to play.

Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10

After a slow start to the season, Phil Mickelson has a chance to change his fortune around this week as he defends his title in the WGC-CA Championship at Doral. The Blue Monster is known for its dramatic finishes. What’s in store this week? Doral PGA Head Professional Marc Barcelo shares some perspective.

PGA.com: Aside from the fact that the CA Championship is a World Golf Championships event, what is it about Doral that brings out the stars year in and year out? Even before the Doral event officially became a WGC, its field was always one of the best non-major fields of the year.

Barcelo: I would have to say probably the fact that it’s in the city of Miami. It’s a very diverse city, there’s a lot of culture and a lot to do. There are beautiful—and famous—beaches, a great night life and plenty of family entertainment. A lot of guys bring their families. All those factors combined with perfect weather and a sweet $8.5 million purse all make for a pretty nice reason to come here to play.

PGA.com: Over the years there have been incredible finishes at Doral. Just off the top of my head, I can think of Craig Parry holing out from the fairway for eagle on the first playoff hole to defeat Scott Verplank; Tiger narrowly outdueling Phil Mickelson; and just last year, a great battle between Phil and Nick Watney, where Phil just barely snuck away with the victory. What is it about Doral that makes for such a drama-filled finish?

Barcelo: Probably because there are a lot of birdies to be had out there. There’s a good combination of hard holes and easy holes. It’s who can make the most birdies. At Doral there’s no demand on one specific part of the game. You don’t need to be long and you can spray it a bit without much penalty. It’s a shoot out down to the end. No. 18 is a great par-4 finishing hole and can provide a lot of drama, which, as you’ve pointed out, we see quite often here.

PGA.com: What’s your most memorable experience thus far as the Head Professional at Doral? Is it something you’ve done personally, or something you’ve seen?

Barcelo: The most memorable experience for me, or the thing I most look forward to, is being part of a tour event. Not a lot of professionals can say they’ve been able to run a tour event. Being able to manage the player clubhouse during the CA Championship is a big notch on my belt. I get to see those guys up close day in and day out during the tournament and talk with them and be a part of that whole atmosphere. It’s a lot of fun.

PGA.com: This year, Tiger Woods will not be making it to Doral. Does that in any way impact the quality of the tournament in your eyes?

Barcelo: In my eyes, no, it won’t impact the quality of the tournament. That’s because you’ve got the next 67 best players in the world here. The best 67 in the world minus one isn’t that big of a deal to me. As far as impact of the tournament and in the fans eyes, it’s a different story for sure. It’s going to affect ticket sales—it has affected ticket sales. However, we still have one of the best fields in golf and because of that I don’t think it takes away from quality of tournament at all.

PGA.com: If someone is attending the CA Championship for the first time, where’s one spot on the course you would tell them not to miss?

Barcelo: The driving range. Seeing guys hit balls and seeing how they prepare, their routine, it’s pretty cool. If you’re going to be in any one spot, that’s what I’d say. I’d sit at the range, especially as a golf enthusiast. It’s a treat to watch how those guys hit balls to targets so consistently and see how they control each club. Watching how they rehearse and applying it to your game can be very beneficial to anyone who loves to play.

Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10

After a slow start to the season, Phil Mickelson has a chance to change his fortune around this week as he defends his title in the WGC-CA Championship at Doral. The Blue Monster is known for its dramatic finishes. What’s in store this week? Doral PGA Head Professional Marc Barcelo shares some perspective.

PGA.com: Aside from the fact that the CA Championship is a World Golf Championships event, what is it about Doral that brings out the stars year in and year out? Even before the Doral event officially became a WGC, its field was always one of the best non-major fields of the year.

Barcelo: I would have to say probably the fact that it’s in the city of Miami. It’s a very diverse city, there’s a lot of culture and a lot to do. There are beautiful—and famous—beaches, a great night life and plenty of family entertainment. A lot of guys bring their families. All those factors combined with perfect weather and a sweet $8.5 million purse all make for a pretty nice reason to come here to play.

PGA.com: Over the years there have been incredible finishes at Doral. Just off the top of my head, I can think of Craig Parry holing out from the fairway for eagle on the first playoff hole to defeat Scott Verplank; Tiger narrowly outdueling Phil Mickelson; and just last year, a great battle between Phil and Nick Watney, where Phil just barely snuck away with the victory. What is it about Doral that makes for such a drama-filled finish?

Barcelo: Probably because there are a lot of birdies to be had out there. There’s a good combination of hard holes and easy holes. It’s who can make the most birdies. At Doral there’s no demand on one specific part of the game. You don’t need to be long and you can spray it a bit without much penalty. It’s a shoot out down to the end. No. 18 is a great par-4 finishing hole and can provide a lot of drama, which, as you’ve pointed out, we see quite often here.

PGA.com: What’s your most memorable experience thus far as the Head Professional at Doral? Is it something you’ve done personally, or something you’ve seen?

Barcelo: The most memorable experience for me, or the thing I most look forward to, is being part of a tour event. Not a lot of professionals can say they’ve been able to run a tour event. Being able to manage the player clubhouse during the CA Championship is a big notch on my belt. I get to see those guys up close day in and day out during the tournament and talk with them and be a part of that whole atmosphere. It’s a lot of fun.

PGA.com: This year, Tiger Woods will not be making it to Doral. Does that in any way impact the quality of the tournament in your eyes?

Barcelo: In my eyes, no, it won’t impact the quality of the tournament. That’s because you’ve got the next 67 best players in the world here. The best 67 in the world minus one isn’t that big of a deal to me. As far as impact of the tournament and in the fans eyes, it’s a different story for sure. It’s going to affect ticket sales—it has affected ticket sales. However, we still have one of the best fields in golf and because of that I don’t think it takes away from quality of tournament at all.

PGA.com: If someone is attending the CA Championship for the first time, where’s one spot on the course you would tell them not to miss?

Barcelo: The driving range. Seeing guys hit balls and seeing how they prepare, their routine, it’s pretty cool. If you’re going to be in any one spot, that’s what I’d say. I’d sit at the range, especially as a golf enthusiast. It’s a treat to watch how those guys hit balls to targets so consistently and see how they control each club. Watching how they rehearse and applying it to your game can be very beneficial to anyone who loves to play.

Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10