Questions abound as '09 PGA TOUR season looms

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Illustration by Molly Goings/Turner Sports

What will happen for the TOUR's biggest stars in 2009?

The 2008 season dawned with Tiger Woods saying that the calendar year Grand Slam was "easily within reason."

And who were we to doubt the game's No. 1 player? Then Trevor Immelman beat him at the Masters and Woods was sidelined for the rest of the year after that awe-inspiring victory at the U.S. Open taxed his left knee to the limit.

So as 2009 begins, golf fans are far more concerned with grand entrances than Grand Slams. And it's anyone's guess when Woods will make his much-anticipated season's debut -- but it can't come soon enough.

PGATOUR.COM decided to tackle that question, as well as eight others that might have you thinking as you anticipate the opening drives of the season at this week's Mercedes-Benz Championship.

When will Tiger return?
If he wanted to write a Cinderella ending, Tiger would make a grand return at Torrey Pines, the scene of his one-legged U.S. Open victory over Rocco Mediate -- not to mention, six other wins in the Buick Invitational. Reality, however, will undoubtedly dictate a later date. Woods just started hitting full shots in December, which admittedly was ahead of schedule, but he doesn't plan to rush that surgically repaired ACL into action. And make no mistake about it -- Tiger won't play until he feels he can contend. Then there's that not-so-little matter of the impending birth of his second child in February. So the more likely possibilities are the World Golf Championships-CA Championship or the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, which is a home game for the defending champion. Both are in March and contested on venues where he has previously won. Most importantly, though, either -- or both -- would offer Woods a chance to test his game in competition before the Masters, which is the prize he most covets.

Who will win the FedExCup?
It's hard to bet against a healthy Woods. The FedExCup will be more wide open, though, after format changes that include quintuple points in the Playoffs and a reset made after the third event rather than before the first. In that case, look to players who've had success at East Lake Golf Club and THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Hmmm, well, in that case, bet on Woods -- who has one win and three runner-up finishes. Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh are two other former winners who always seem to contend.

AND THEY'RE OFF

This week's field
Inside the Course: Kapalua
Stevens: Who'lll improve in '09?
Auclair: Five happy guys
Maginnes: New year, new stuff
Spander: Rough start for some
Fantasy Insider: 2009 season

Is a "Paddy Slam" on the horizon?
Stranger things have happened. Padraig Harrington has now won three of the last six majors, including the last two in a row. Next up is the Masters, where Harrington tied for fifth last year. The Irishman is nothing if not focused and his pressure putting rivals that Tiger fella. Granted, Woods wasn't in the field at Royal Birkdale or Oakland Hills, but Harrington was impressive as he turned back the likes of a resurgent Greg Norman and the man who is fast becoming the Dubliner's foil, Sergio Garcia. He'll be rested and revitalized as he comes to Augusta National, and he just might be able to slip in under the radar -- where the quiet Harrington is most comfortable -- should Woods be in the field.

Will the young guns like Anthony Kim and Camilo Villegas continue their surge?
Most definitely. Kim has discovered the value of the kind of hard work Villegas has been putting in every day. Both have the style to go with that substance and each captured the imagination of the fans last year.

Can Greg Norman exorcise the demons at Augusta National?
It's hard to imagine a player who has such a love-hate relationship with a single course. Whether beaten by Jack Nicklaus' storybook comeback, Larry Mize's pitch-and-run or his own foibles as he lost a six-shot lead in 1996, Norman's legacy will irrevocably be linked to Bobby Jones' palatial playground. The Shark accepted each with grace, and he was the better for it. The 53-year-old is supremely happy now, married to tennis great Chris Evert, and the Masters invitation comes courtesy of that improbable second-place tie at Royal Birkdale. And we thought winning the Open Championship would have been special.

Will Sergio Garcia finally bag that elusive first major?
The energetic Spaniard is too good not to win one sometime. Victory at THE PLAYERS Championship had to give him confidence, and Garcia did everything but win again in his final five starts of the year -- tying for second at the PGA Championship and losing two of the four Playoff events in sudden death. The Open Championship, where he has six top-10s, fits his creativity but Garcia has top-three finishes in two of the last three PGAs. Now, if he could just figure out a way to ambush Harrington.

Which rookies have the best chance of a breakthrough season in 2009 like Dustin Johnson, Andres Romero, Marc Turnesa and Chez Reavie?
Colt Knost is one possibility. The Southern Methodist grad won twice on the Nationwide Tour last year, after capturing the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Amateur Public Links in 2007. He finished sixth on the Nationwide Tour money list with more than $300,000 in earnings. Another candidate is Webb Simpson, who was Knost's teammate on the victorious U.S. Walker Cup team. The Raleigh, N.C., native, who graduated from Wake Forest in June, finished seventh in his first trip to q-school. Simpson played in six PGA TOUR events this year and eight more on the Nationwide Tour where he had two runner-up finishes.

Given Steve Williams' highly publicized remarks, what will the atmosphere be like the next time Woods and Phil Mickelson are paired together?
Don't expect Jim (Bones) Mackay to be wearing any "Tiger Who?" caps like Vijay Singh's caddy famously did during a Presidents Cup match years ago. Bones is too classy for that, and his boss wouldn't stand for it, either. Suffice it to say that Mickelson and Woods have made their peace over the remarks, although it's doubtful Lefty and Williams will be breaking bread together anytime soon.

Will there be another Aqua-Man at The Presidents Cup?
There's plenty of water around Harding Park Golf Club in San Francisco but Woody Austin, who currently stands 20th, needs to play well to make Fred Couples' U.S. Team. Regardless of whom makes the American and International teams, though, look for a hard-fought match. The last two have been decided by three and five points, respectively, after that historic tie in South Africa. As intense as the competition will certainly be, Norman and Couples are sure to make it fun for their teams, too.