Doug Ferguson

HONOLULU -- Luke Donald took to Twitter to vent about a contentious issue on the PGA Tour. If nothing else, it was refreshing to see golf with a No. 1 player who was willing to express his opinion freely and publicly.

As for that issue that stirred Donald from his holiday in Barbados?

KAPALUA, Hawaii -- The mere mention of the 2002 Ryder Cup made NBC Sports anchor Dan Hicks smile, only it wasn't anything that happened on the golf course.

Nick Faldo was doing some commentary for Sky Sports that week when NBC executive producer Tommy Roy thought it might be interesting to have the six-time major champion from England join Johnny Miller in the broadcast booth. If nothing else, he might offer some European perspective.

"Instant sparks," Hicks recalled. "And instant entertainment."

They reunite this week for the Tournament of Champions.

Golf Channel is broadcasting the PGA Tour's season opener from the Plantation Course at Kapalua. Faldo is the lead analyst for CBS Sports, but he also works for Golf Channel for weekday coverage. Miller has been the lead analyst for NBC since 1990. NBC and Golf Channel now are both owned by Comcast.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Rod Pampling had a few nervous moments while watching parts of the final PGA Tour event on TV, though it ended well for him. After starting the year with only limited status as a past champion, he regained his full card at No. 124 on the money list with $2,033 to spare.

Pampling spent the next month trying to contact every tournament director who gave him a sponsor exemption, thanking them for helping him get his card again. In some cases, Pampling wound up earning his way into tournaments and didn't need the exemption. The way he saw it, the offer of an exemption at least gave him something to fall back on, so it still meant a lot.

"I've been doing this 25 years. I'm not saying I've never had a guy call me and thank me for doing that, but it's the first in a long time," AT&T National tournament director Greg McLaughlin said. "It's very rare. All the other guys are thankful and appreciative. But rarely do I get one after the season when a guy gets his card and calls you to thank you.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Ernie Els and Retief Goosen enter the 2012 season without any assurances of playing in the Masters.

The field for the Masters took shape Monday after the final official week of golf tournaments around the world. Among the criteria for an invitation is to be among the top 50 in the world ranking at the end of the season.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- The Presidents Cup ended on a sour note for the International team when it lost at Royal Melbourne. It deteriorated a week later when Robert Allenby and Geoff Ogilvy, both Melbourne natives who were partners in a foursomes loss, exchanged heated words in the hotel restaurant.

Allenby spent a week answering questions about his 0-4 record as a captain's pick, in which he explained that his partners also contributed to the loss. He mentioned Ogilvy's tee shots into the trees and Retief Goosen missing his share of putts.

Ogilvy said on Twitter last week when Allenby got into contention at the PGA Championship, "Warms the heart to see Robert playing so well this week." He later told the media the tweet was genuine, though Allenby interpreted it as being sarcastic.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- The text message from David Duval arrived just as the Americans began to seize control for good in the Presidents Cup. The last time it was held at Royal Melbourne, he was the top qualifier for the U.S. team.

On this day, Duval was headed home from a place he never wanted to be.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Tiger Woods hasn't looked this good on the golf course in back-to-back weeks since he left Australia two years ago with his 82nd title and the indisputable No. 1 ranking.

OK, it's a small sample.

The Australian Open and the Presidents Cup marked only the sixth time since the end of 2009 that Woods has even competed in consecutive weeks.