GOLF THIS WEEK
PGA Tour
Northern Trust Open
LPGA Thailand Site: Pattaya, Thailand. Schedule: Today-sunday. Course: Siam Country Club, Pattaya Old Course (6,477 yards, par 72). Purse: $1.5 million. Winner’s share: $225,000. Television: Golf Channel (Today-friday, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; Saturday-sunday, 2-5 p.m.).
Last year: Top-ranked Yani Tseng won the seasonopening event, beating Michelle Wie by five strokes for the third of her dozen 2011 worldwide titles.
Last week: Jessica Korda won the Women’s Australian Open at Royal Melbourne for her first LPGA Tour title.
Ace Group Classic Site: Los Angeles. Schedule: Today-sunday. Course: Riviera Country Club (7,349 yards, par 71). Purse: $6.6 million. Winner’s share: $1,188,000. Television: Golf Channel (Today, 2-5 p.m., 7:30-10:30 p.m.; Friday, 11:30-2:30 a.m., 2-5 p.m., 7:30-10:30 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30-4:30 a.m., noon-1:30 p.m., 8:30-19:30 p.m. Sunday, noon-1:30 p.m., 8:30-10:30 p.m.) and WREG Channel 3 (Saturday, 2-5 p.m.; Sunday, 2-5:30 p.m.).
Last year: Australia’s Aaron Baddeley won third PGA Tour title and first since 2007.
Last week: Phil Mickelson rallied from six shots behind to win the Pebble Beach National Pro-am for the fourth time.
LPGA Tour
Champions Tour
Site: Naples, Fla. Schedule: Friday-sunday. Course: The Twineagles Club, Talon Course (7,193 yards, par 72). Purse: $1.6 million. Winner’s share: $240,000. Television: Golf Channel (Friday, 5:30-7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m., 5:30-8:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11 p.m.t-1 a.m., 6-8:30 p.m.; Monday, 11 p.m.-1 a.m.).
Last year: Bernhard Langer won at The Quarry for the last of the German star’s 14 Champions Tour titles.
Last week: Corey Pavin won the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton for his first victory on the 50-and-over tour.
European Tour/asian Tour
Avantha Masters Site: New Delhi. Schedule: Today-sunday. Course: DLF Golf & Country Club (7,156 yards, par 72). Purse: $2.37 million. Winner’s share: $394,710. Television: Golf Channel (Today-sunday, 8-11:30 a.m.). Last year: India’s Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia closed with a 5-under 67 for a one-stroke victory over England’s Robert Coles. Chowrasia also won the European Tour’s 2008 Indian Masters at Delhi Golf Club.
Last week: Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-bello won the Dubai Desert Classic for his second European Tour title.
Nationwide Tour
Bogota Open Site: Bogota, Colombia. Schedule: Today-sunday. Course: Bogota Country Club (7,237 yards, par 71). Purse: $600,000. Winner’s share: $108,000. Television: None. Last year: Brenden Pappas won when lightning wiped out the third round, reducing the event to 36 holes.
Vanderbilt at Ole Miss
8 p.m., ESPN2, WHBQ-AM (56)
Records: Vanderbilt 17-8 overall, 6-4 in the SEC, Ole Miss 15-9, 5-5.
Hoop scoop: As crazy as it sounds, an Ole Miss win over Vanderbilt would move the Rebels into a tie for third place in the SEC standings. The Commodores are in a bit of tailspin. After winning 10 of 11 games from Dec. 19 to Jan. 28, they’ve lost three of their last four games, rather puzzling for a team that starts four seniors and a junior. Vanderbilt has the SEC’S top two scorers in John Jenkins (19.5 ppg) and Jeffery Taylor (17.6 ppg), while Festus Ezeli is at 10.2 ppg. As always, Vandy loves to shoot the 3-pointer, averaging 8.8 3s per game. Ole Miss has four starters averaging in double figures, led by forwards Terrance Henry (11.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Murphy Holloway (10.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg). The Rebels don’t need this game to turn into a run-and-gun affair, because few teams match the Commodores’ 3-point bombers.