Just a reminder that Madison residents Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly make their 2009 PGA Tour debuts today at the Sony Open in Honolulu.

Stricker, an Edgerton native, carded six top-10 finishes and took 14th in the FedEx Cup standings last season.

Kelly, who won the 2002 Sony Open, carded four top-10s and finished 51st in the standings a year ago.

Stricker and Kelly both have morning tee times.

Overall, should be an interesting year for the PGA Tour.

Here are some story lines:

No Tiger: Tiger Woods doesn't return until at least March. How will his knee hold up following surgery?

Woods, who had reconstructive ACL surgery on his left knee last summer, recently announced on his Web site that he can now take full swing shots.

"As I had hoped, after Jan. 1, I started hitting longer irons and my driver," Woods said. "I'm not swinging as hard as I can, but I'm working towards that goal."

Tough economy: While the New York Yankees appear to be exempt from tough times, expect the PGA Tour to have struggles more along the lines of NASCAR. Expect to see smaller crowds -- especially once the Tour leaves its California and Florida swings starting this spring.

John Daly: Will this guy make it through the summer? And I'm not talking about golf. He needs help. Big time help. We all know the Hooters episode by now. Daly will likely be playing in Europe until his six-month PGA Tour suspenion is lifted. ... Which come to think of it expires around the time of the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. ... Paging Dan Croak...

For more story lines, here's a good read by AP golf guru Doug Ferguson.

Parting shot: Interesting stat of the week, that Ferguson dug up:

---------The PGA Tour had 41 players who made more money last year than Arnold Palmer earned in his career.