Frys.com Open kicks off PGA Tour 2013-14 season

SAN JOSE, United States — Sweden's Jonas Blixt returns to defend his title at the Frys.com Open, which this week marks the start of the US PGA Tour's new "wrap-around" 20132014 schedule.

For the first time, the US tour will play six tournaments of the new season before the new year.

The six will include two events in Asia -- the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur and the World Golf Championships HSBC Championship in Shanghai – and the OHL Classic in Mayakoba, Mexico.

After a break of one and a half months, the season will then resume with the event that was long the seasonopener, the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii the first week of January.

Under the revamped schedule, the US PGA Tour's autumn events will offer FedEx Cup playoff points for the first time. Although most of the game's heavy hitters will be taking a break after completing the seasonending playoffs capped by the Tour Championship followed by the President's Cup, the fall events have added spice with a Masters invitation also on offer to the winners.

Last year, Blixt fired a three-under par 68 in the final round to come from behind and claim a onestroke victory, his first US PGA Tour title.

"It was a boost to my career to win the Fry's tournament last year," Blixt said. " It bolstered my confidence and helped me play better on the tour this season."

Blixt added a second US tour title to his resume at the Greenbrier Classic in July, and finished fourth at the PGA Championship in August, when he played in the penultimate group of the final round alongside compatriot Henrik Stenson.

This week's field at CordeValle Golf Club in northern California also includes three members of last week's Presidents Cup International team: Argentina's Angel Cabrera, Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and Australian Marc Leishman.