With that in mind, Woods� 2003 US itinerary should be as follows�

Tiger usually adds a couple of European events to his schedule. In the past, Woods has also played in the Canadian Open, but that event is now held immediately after three heavyweight events (PGA, NEC, Deutschbank). In fact, don�t be surprised if Tiger decides not to play the Buick Open (although that�s one of his major sponsors) the week before the PGA.

Not counting the Match Play tournament, that gives Tiger a possible 18 US events for the season, probably appearing in 15-16 of those.

Now how about those people playing the Yahoo Fantasy Golf game (begins 2/6), which allows that no player be used in more than ten events. How does one burn their ten Tiger�s. I would use Woods in the following�

Bay Hill (three time defending champion), Masters (three-time winner), Memorial, US Open, PGA, NEC (limited field + Tiger is lethal at Firestone), WGC Championship (limited field), DisneyWorld (literally in his back yard), and the Tour Championship (limited to top 30 money winners).

That would make nine Tournaments where Tiger is �must-have� in my opinion. Tiger�s usually a good bet at Torrey Pines, but that will be his first event after his layoff � so his game may not be totally there. LA Open is a possibility, but does not have a great record there. TW is the 2001 Players champion, but the TPC is one course that actually gives him trouble. Byron Nelson is a good event, but Tiger usually uses that one just to keep fresh between the Masters and US Open. British Open is always a threat being a major, but as evidenced last year, the weather is capable of even making TW a mere mortal on any given day. The DeutschBank Championship is a new big-money tournament scheduled for Labor Day weekend, and Tiger�s as good a choice as any to be the first winner of that � I would make that the tenth event.

And what about if you�re playing something like CDM�s �One and Done� game, where you use one golfer per week, who cannot be used again for the duration of the season. I know we�re talking a ton of self discipline, but the November Tour Championship season finale may actually be the best bet, with a huge purse and a field limited to 30. The only risk were if something were to cause Tiger to decide to end his season early. If you simply can�t wait till Novemeber (or deal with afore-mentioned risk), then you probably can�t go wrong using Tiger at the Masters or NEC Championship neither.

• Mercedes Championship (1/9) � Limited to 2002 Tour Winners, site of Sergio Garcia�s last win.
• Hawaiian Open (1/16) � Usually an average field at best, Jerry Kelly is the defending champ.
• Phoenix Open (1/23) � Site of one the PGA�s wildest galleries usually with a strong field. Chris DiMarco and Rocco Mediate are among the contenders. Final round worth watching as a Super Bowl Appetizer.
• Bob Hope Classic (1/29) � Five rounds beginning on Wednesday, diluted field usually burns the four courses used alive. Phil Mickelson and Jesper Parnevik are recent winners.
• Pebble Beach (2/6) � Three different courses are used, with a golf tournament finally breaking out on Sunday after taking back seat to the celebs during the first three rounds. Weather often a huge factor as well. There's no cut until after the third round, a sound strategy would be to go with players not playing on the Pebble Beach course from Thursday through Saturday. Also, players not paired with a high-profile celebrity tend to fare well. Journeyman Matt Gogel has always done well here, and took advantage of a collapse by rookie Pat Perez to win last year.
• Torrey Pines (2/13) � Jose Maria Olazabal won last year, hometown boy Phil Mickelson is usually the best bet.
• Nissan Open (2/20) � Riveria Country Club in LA caps three weeks of star-studded fields. Len Mattiace won last years event, outlasting the likes of Brad Faxon, Chris DeMarco, Charles Howell III, and Freddie Funk. This is also one of the few events Freddie Couples enters and actually does well in.
• Match Play Championship (2/27) � Top 64 players in the world get invites to Carlsbad, and most accept. Stay away from the top players in the One and Done game, since the 18-hole match-play elimination format often turns the event into a crapshoot.
• Tucson Open (2/27) � Picks up the leftovers not eligible for Match Play.
• Doral Open (3/6) � The Blue Monster starts the Florida portion of the schedule. Tiger Woods fell just short of catching Ernie Els in a classic final round in �02. Rich Beem and Craig Perks also gave hints of things to come with a top-five finishes. A helicopter also drops off Greg Norman, as this is his home course and one of the few events he�s still strong in.
• Honda Classic (3/13) � At a new locale this year, and the least prestigious of the Florida tournaments. Phenom Matt Kuchar became a Tour winner at this event last year.
• Bay Hill (3/20) � A.K.A Arnold Palmer�s tournament, put the house on three-time winner Tiger Woods.
• Tour Championship (3/27) � Outside of Phoenix, the Tour�s biggest party among fans is at the tee box of the 17th �Island Hole�. Craig Perks scored a major upset last year, and Tiger Woods outlasted Vijay Singh (including Singh turning the clubface on a wedge backwards for one difficult shot) in a classic duel in �01.
• Bell South Classic (4/3) � Unless SBC got their mitts all over Bell South as well. Retief Goosen won this Masters tune-up last year, outlasting Phil Mickelson and Jesper Parnevik.
• Masters (4/10) � The Hootie Johnson/Martha Burke grudge match reaches it�s climax. Despite the call for boycotts, look for all the game�s stars to show up at Augusta.
• Heritage (Hilton Head) (4/17) � A classic tournament for Phil Mickelson to take, as he�s one of the few top-flight players to make the trip from Augusta. Justin Leonard held off Mick to win last year.
• Houston Open (4/24) � Vijay Singh torched the TPC Woodlands course to the tune of �22 and a six stroke victory over Ireland�s Darren Clarke to win last year�s event.
• New Orleans Classic (5/1) � K.J Choi won his first tour event last year, outlasting a field including John Cook, Chris DiMarco, Nick Price, and Phil Mickelson.
• Wachovia Championship (5/8) � New event on the schedule to be held in Charlotte, NC.
• Byron Nelson (5/15) � Always one of the signature events on tour with a heavyweight field. Shigeki Maruyama won last year�s edition with Tiger Woods placing third. 2001 event featured an epic playoff involving Mickelson, Parnevik, and Davis Love.
• Colonial (5/22) � Many don�t make the short trip from the Byron Nelson over to the other Dallas area event. Nick Price cruised to a five-stroke victory last year.
• Memorial (5/29) � Another of the heavyweight non-majors. David Duval had one of his few strong tournaments here last year, placing fourth behind Jim Furyk, John Cook, and David Peoples.
• Kemper Open (6/5) � Challenging course, unfortunately most don�t show up � especially this year with the US Open looming the week after. Rich Beem is a past champion and finished second behind Bob Estes last year.
• US Open (6/12) � The USGA always strives to make the course the most difficult in the history of mankind, and anyone breaking par is automatically a candidate to win. This year to be held at Olympia Fields CC just outside of Chicago.
• Buick Classic (Westchester, NY) (6/19) � Usually a lacklaster field, although Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen, and Phil Mickelson did play last year. But that was with the US Open not far away at Bethpage Black.
• St. Jude Classic (6/26) � If the Memphis Summer heat doesn�t scorch the coach, then the players do for sure. Len Mattiace scored his second win of the year last year, with Notah Begay making a rare appearance in third.
• Western Open (7/3) � Perennially the strongest field between the US and British Opens. Jerry Kelly held off Davis Love to win last year�s edition.
• Greater Milwaukee Open (7/10) � Jerry Kelly is also a strong bet to win here in his home area. Jeff Sluman is a perennial contender here and won last year. Course is tailor-made for accurate (not long) hitters such as Sluman. Steve Lowery also began his strong second-half run here in �01.
• British Open (7/17) � You know the drill here, links style, bump-n-run golf, with hundreds of land-mines known as �pot-bunkers�. Nice spot to take a run with one of the lesser-known European stars.
• Greater Hartford Open (7/24) � Replaces the John Deere Classic as the post British Open event this year, which may make the field even weaker than usual. Phil Mickelson is the two-time defending champion.
• Buick Open (MI) (7/31) � The meat of the summer schedule begins here, Tiger Woods will be defending yet another crown.
• International (8/7) � This is in Colorado with the modified Stableford scoring system. Last year�s event easily the greatest in this tournament�s history as Rich Beem somehow held off Steve Lowery, who made an Eagle (five points), and Double Eagle (eight points) in the waning holes.
• PGA Championship (8/14) � This year�s venue is the Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, NY.
• NEC Championship (8/21) � After being held last year near Seattle, event returns to the Firestone Country Club in Akron this year, which makes Tiger Woods a lock, although Phil Mickelson will also be somewhere in the distance.
• Deutsche Bank Championship (8/29) � With the Air Canada (Vancouver) championship meeting this demise, this event moves over from Germany to be held Labor Day Weekend (Friday through Monday) just outside of Boston.
• Canadian Open (9/4) � Tournament starting to move to other courses outside of it�s traditional venues near Toronto and Montreal. John Rollins capped a strong weeks-long run by taking advantage of a Neal Lancaster final hole/sudden death meltdown to score his first career victory last year. Many of the lesser-likes start their campaign to keep their tour cards here.
• John Deere Classic (9/11) � Moves from it�s former week after British Open slot on the schedule, but will still have one the year�s weakest fields. Kind of a shame, considering event is held on a state-of-the-art TPC course.
• Pennsylvania Classic (9/18) � This year�s event to be held in the western (Farmington) part of the state, maybe the most remote event on the docket with the former Buick Classic in rural Georgia out of business.
• Texas Open (9/25) � Ancient Loren Roberts scored his eighth career win last year, outlasting the likes of Fred Couples and Fred Funk in the process.
• WGC Championship (10/2) � Held in Ireland last year, this year�s event is finally scheduled in the US for the first time, with Woodstock, GA being the venue.
• Las Vegas Invitational (10/8) � Five-round event held over three different courses. Like most fall events has a weak field, with the most suspense usually being how much money John Daly wins or loses at the casinos.
• Greensboro Open (10/16) � Moves from it�s traditional Spring date to the fall this year. Rocco Mediate outlasted Mark Calcavecchia to win last year�s tournament.
• Disney World Classic (10/23) � The big guns return for this high-profile event. Tiger Woods closed with a 63 last year, but could not catch Bob Burns and Chris DiMarco, who placed one-two.
• Chrysler Championship (10/30) � Second year tournament played in September last year as the Tampa Bay Classic, as K.J Choi won his second tournament of the season. This will be the last shot for many to pry their ways into the Tour Championship field.
• Tour Championship (11/6) � The top-30 money winners meet at the Champions Golf Club in Houston.

The President�s cup, a Ryder Cup-style competition matching the top golfers from the United States v. the top stars from the rest of the world (outside of Europe). This year�s event (not held since 2000) will be held in South Africa two weeks after the Tour Championship, thence will not dilute the field of any late-season tour events.

The tournament entry lists usually come up the weekend before the scheduled events. Be sure to check that list again the night before the tournament, as several players pull out of events at the last minute each week...

Now a look at some of players to watch�

Retief Goosen � Best player in the World not named Tiger, made 14 of 15 US cuts in �02, with five top ten finishes along with a win and second place showings at the Masters and WGC Championships. Bulk of US schedule usually involves tournaments leading up to majors. However be advised the wife's due in March, so don't look for him in some of the pre-Masters tune-ups.

Phil Mickelson � OK, he's fat and doesn�t win the big ones. But most on tour could only dream of his credentials, which in �02 included 23 of 26 cuts made, along with 12 top tens, eight top three�s, along with two wins.

Vijay Singh � Tall, lumbering workaholic probably the third best player on tour, outside of Woods and Mickelson. Has 11 tour victories on his resume.

Ernie Els � International star most dangerous at the British Open, which he won in �02. Made 17 of 18 cuts in PGA events, placing in the top ten seven times.

Sergio Garcia � Game seemed to suffer after his grips and regrips became a world issue. Still made 19 of 21 cuts along with nine top ten�s. Also keep in mind he's still only 23.

David Duval � 2001 British Open champ fell off the map last year, with only two top tens in 24 events. Jury is out on whether he can bounce back.

Davis Love III � DL3 struggled most of the season, but came on late with his final five finishes being all 17th or better.

David Toms � �Ground Control to David Toms�, and the career of the 2001 PGA champ has indeed gone into orbit, placing fourth in the �02 money rankings, making 25 of 27 cuts, with 12 top tens along with three second place finishes.

Jesper Parnevik � Another star who struggled in �02, missing the cut in nine of 26 events.

Rich Beem � Enjoyed a career season, and wisely cashed in on participating in the lucrative �Silly Season� events. Now lets see if the notorious partyer is for real or a John Daly �flash in the sky�.

Steve Lowery � 42 year-old was on fire in mid-season, with five top-tens and three seconds out of six events in July and August.

Chris DiMarco � Joined games elite by making 27 of 29 cuts while finishing 11th on the money list.

Fred Funk � Another veteran who went nuts during the summer, placing in the top five in five out of eight events.

Jerry Kelly � They call him a �grinder� in the business, one who participates in many events. Kelly had his best year in �02 with eight top tens and two wins, placing sixth on the money list.

Shigeki Maruyama � Inconsistent at times, but made cuts in 20 of 24 events, along with five top tens and a win. Gutty fifth place finish at the British Open proved he can do it on the big stage.

Justin Leonard � Texan got past the cut in 23 of 26 tournaments en route to a top-ten money list finish. Got a home-town win in the Colonial and is especially dangerous in the British Open.

Charles Howell III � 155 pounder was a star-in-waiting before finally exploding in the late season, highlighted by a win in the final Micholob Championship at Kingsville, and following up with a second-place showing at the Tour Championship. Is from Augusta, GA, making him a fan-favorite dark horse for the Masters.

• YAHOO CLASS 'A' PLAYERS - includes Tiger, David Toms, Justin Leonard, Goosen, Els, Singh, Sergio, Chuck Howell, Kelly, Beem, Parnevik, Craig Perks, Pat Perez
• YAHOO CLASS 'B' PLAYERS - Chris DiMarco, Allenby, Maruyama, Choi, Nick Price, Funk, Len Mattiace, Duval, Matt Kuchar, John Daly
• YAHOO CLASS 'C' PLAYERS - Chris Riley, Matt Gogel, Loren Roberts, Davis Love, Mediate, Lowery, Couples, Janzen, Steve Flesch, Steve Elkington, Calcavecchia, Neal Lancaster, Dudley Hart