ON TOUR This week's golf events

WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPSAccenture Match Play ChampionshipCarlsbad, Calif.
Schedule: Thursday-SundayCourse: La Costa Resort and Spa (7,247 yards, par 72)Purse: $7.5 million. Winner's share: $1.3 millionTelevision: ESPN (Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.), ABC (Saturday, 3-7 p.m.; Sunday, 2-6 p.m.) and ESPN2 (Sunday, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.)Last year: Tiger Woods successfully defended his title for his lone 2004 PGA Tour victory, beating Davis Love III 3 and 2 in the 36-hole final. Woods also beat John Rollins, Trevor Immelman, Fredrik Jacobson and Padraig HarringtonNotes: Woods beat David Toms 2 and 1 in the 2003 final. Woods also reached the final in 2000, losing 4 and 3 to Darren Clarke. In 2001, Woods was eliminated in the first round, falling 2 and 1 to Peter O'Malley. ... Top-ranked Vijay Singh will open against Shingo Katayama, and the second-seeded Woods will face Nick Price in the first round. ... Ernie Els, third in the world ranking, is skipping the tournament for the second straight year. ... The first-round losers will receive $35,000. ... La Costa was the site of the Tournament of Champions from 1969-98, with Woods winning in 1997 and Phil Mickelson taking the 1994 and 1998 titles.
PGA TOURChrysler Classic of TucsonTucson, Ariz.
Schedule: Thursday-SundayCourse: Omni Tucson National Golf Resort & amp; Spa (7,109 yards, par 72)Purse: $3 million. Winner's share: $540,000Television: USA (Thursday-Friday, 6-8 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 11 p.m.-1 a.m.)Last year: Heath Slocum won his first PGA Tour title, closing with a 7-under 65 to beat Australia's Aaron Baddeley by a stroke.Notes: David Duval is making his first start in Tucson since winning the 1998 event. A year after his victory, the Match Play Championship began opposite the Tucson tournament on the schedule. ... Four-time champion Johnny Miller shot a course-record 61 in the final round of his 1975 victory. ... Canada's Ian Leggatt won the 2002 tournament for his first tour title. ... The four-week Florida swing begins next week with the Ford Championship at Doral.
LPGA TOURSBS Open at Turtle BayKahuku, Hawaii
Schedule: Thursday-SaturdayCourse: Turtle Bay Resort, Palmer Course (6,520 yards, par 72)Purse: $1 million. Winner's share: $150,000Television: The Golf Channel (Thursday, 6:30-9 p.m.; Friday, 3:30-5 a.m., 6:30-9 p.m.; Saturday, 3-4:30 a.m., 6-9 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30-4 a.m.)Last year: Inaugural eventNotes: Michelle Wie is making her first LPGA Tour start of the year. The 15-year-old star missed the cut in the PGA Tour's Sony Open last month, then withdrew from the Hawaii Pearl Open because of a pulled muscle in her left forearm. ... Paula Creamer is making her first tour start since turning pro after winning the LPGA Tour qualifying tournament. The 18-year-old star shared low amateur honors with Wie last year in the U.S. Women's Open, tying for 13th. ... Annika Sorenstam is skipping the tournament. ... The MasterCard Classic is next week in Mexico.
CHAMPIONS TOUROutback Steakhouse Pro-AmLutz, Fla.
Schedule: Friday-SundayCourse: TPC of Tampa Bay (6,638 yards, par 71)Purse: $1.6 million. Winner's share: $240,000Television: The Golf Channel (Friday-Sunday, 1:30-4 p.m., 9:30-11:30 p.m.; Saturday, 1:30-4 p.m., 9-11:30 p.m.)Last year: Zimbabwe's Mark McNulty became the 11th player to win in his Champions Tour debut, beating Larry Nelson by a stroke.Notes: Two-time U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange is making his second senior start. He shot 74-71-74 last week in Naples to tie for 49th, 16 strokes behind James. ... Bruce Fleisher won the 2003 tournament. ... The tour is off next week. Play will resume with the SBC Classic on March 11-13 in Valencia, Calif.
NATIONWIDE TOUR/AUSTRALASIAN PGA TOURNew Zealand PGAChristchurch, New Zealand
Schedule: Thursday-SundayCourse: Clearwater Resort (7,137 yards, par 72)Purse: $600,000. Winner's share: $108,000Television: The Golf Channel (Thursday, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; Friday-Sunday, 1-2:30 a.m., 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; Monday, 1-2:30 a.m.)Last year: Australia's Gavin Coles beat countryman Bill Lunde and Americans Brendan Jones and Bradley Hughes by three strokes.Notes: The top 20 money winners at the end of the Nationwide Tour season will earn PGA Tour cards. Three-time winners will receive an automatic promotion to the PGA Tour. ... The Nationwide Tour will open U.S. play March 24-27 with the Louisiana Open.
LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR/AUSTRALIAN LADIES TOURANZ Ladies MastersGold Coast, Australia
Schedule: Thursday-SundayCourse: Royal Pines Resort (6,397 yards, par 72)Purse: $630,000. Winner's share: $123,000Television: NoneLast year: Annika Sorenstam won the tournament for the third time, closing with a 65 to finish at 19 under. England's Karen Stupples finished second, four strokes back.Notes: Sorenstam is skipping her title defense. ... Karrie Webb swept the 1998-01 tournaments. The Australian star also has four second-place finishes. ... England's Laura Davies won in 1993, 1994 and 2003. ... The 19-year-old Miyazata, a six-time winner last season in Japan tour, is in the field. ... Australia's Katherine Hull, a former star at Pepperdine, won an Australian tour event last week at Club Pelican.
Associated Press