This Week in the PGA: A Classic Course, Riviera in Los Angeles

After a rain-soaked weekend at Pebble Beach, which was shortened to a 54 hole tournament, won by the third round leader, Dustin Johnson, we travel to Riviera Country Club, for the Northern Trust Open.

Your defending champion, Phil Mickelson, has not exactly been on fire so far this season.

Ryo Ishikawa, the young Japanese player who actually won a world tour event as a freshman in high school at 15, makes his debut.

Tremendous Japanese media scruntiny follows this 17-year-old, dubbed the Japanese Tiger.

My fantasy team this week includes Jim Furyk, Charlie Hoffman, Lucas Glover, and Matt Kuchar.

On the bench in reserve will be Steve Flesch, Hunter Mahan, Rory Sabbatini, and Retief Goosen.

Last week, my team of K J Choi, Davis Love III, Charley Hoffman, and Matt Kuchar managed 88 points for the weekend.

On Yahoo Fantasy Golf , I stand at 46,836 and 716 points. I am below all the experts currently.

Your leader in Yahoo is Four Horseman with 1,073 points and Lefty with 1,039. These names change every week. This is very hard, trying to pick winners of golf tournaments as there are so many good players not named Tiger.

I am hoping Charley Hoffman and Matt Kuchar keep up their good consistent play of late. Furyk is a good player and always has a chance, and Steve Flesch is just a hunch.

Riviera is a beautiful, but sometimes difficult course, with dangerous rough, and some length.

In other PGA news, as stated earlier in the season, by myself, it is strongly rumoured that Tiger will return in the next few weeks, perhaps at the Accenture Match Play Championships, in Tuscon, Ariz., on Feb. 25.

Tiger excels in match play and this would be plenty of walking, which Steve Williams, his caddy, says is the only thing Tiger needs more conditioning at, his walking, which still has been difficult.

One tour player, who played with Tiger recently, stated he will be back with no noticeable effects of his surgery and long layoff. In fact, he will play as if he never missed a step.

That will be a fun tournament to keep an eye on, as well as the rest of the golfing world,if he does indeed play, in this event.

Enjoy the rest of the week, and don 't hit chip shots in the living room.

Thomas [NFL Mikee] Moreland