PGA Tour starts the Florida swing. Masters spot on the line at South African Open

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COGNIZANT CLASSIC

Site: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Course: PGA National (Champions). Yardage: 7,223. Par: 71.

Prize money: $9.6 million. Winner's share: $1,728,000.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC).

Defending champion: Joe Highsmith.

FedEx Cup leader: Jacob Bridgeman.

Last week: Jacob Bridgeman won the Genesis Invitational.

Notes: This starts the Florida swing of four tournaments, the unofficial start of the road to the Masters. ... The 123 players in the field has only 13 currently in the Masters. ... Brooks Koepka plays for the third time since returning from LIV Golf. His appearance also means two additional players get into the field so it will be threesomes in every group. ... One of the exemptions went to 18-year-old Blades Brown, who was in the final group when Scottie Scheffler won The American Express. Brown is likely to get at least one more start before the Masters. ... The Cognizant Classic follows two straight signature events and is followed by another signature event and The Players Championship. The field has one player from the top 30, Ryan Gerard at No. 26. Ben Griffin and Jacob Bridgeman withdrew on Monday. ... Defending champion Joe Highsmith has only one top 10 since winning last year. That was a tie for eighth in the PGA Championship.

Next week: Arnold Palmer Invitational and Puerto Rico Open.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/

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HSBC WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Singapore.

Course: Sentosa GC (Tanjong). Yardage: 6,793. Par: 72.

Prize money: $3 million. Winner's share: $450,000.

Television: Wednesday-Saturday, 8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Lydia Ko.

Race to CME Globe leader: Jeeno Thitikul.

Last week: Jeeno Thitikul won the Honda LPGA Thailand.

Notes: This is the second tournament of a three-week swing through Asia, and the centerpiece of what is regarded as “Asia's major” on the LPGA schedule. ... Nelly Korda is the only player from the top 10 in the women's world ranking who is not playing. Korda has decided to skip the Asia swing again. ... Lilia Vu and Yuka Saso, who have won three of the last 15 majors on the LPGA Tour, are playing on sponsor invitations. Vu won two majors in 2023 and Saso won her second U.S. Women's Open in 2024. ... The tournament dates to 2008 when Lorena Ochoa won by 11 shots at 268. Both remain tournament records. ... Michelle Wie won her fifth and final LPGA title in the HSBC Women's World Championship in 2018. ... Shannon Tan and amateur Xingtong Chen are the two players from Singapore in the field. Tan won the Order of Merit on the Ladies European Tour last year. ... The top 10 in the women's world ranking is represented by players from eight countries.

Next week: Blue Bay LPGA.

Online: https://www.lpga.com/

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INVESTEC SOUTH AFRICAN OPEN

Site: Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Course: Stellenbosch GC. Yardage: 7,132. Par: 71.

Prize money: $1.5 million. Winner's share: $250,000.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 5:30-10:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 5:30-10 a.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 4:30-9:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Dylan Naidoo.

Race to Dubai leader: Patrick Reed.

Last week: Casey Jarvis won the Magical Kenya Open.

Notes: For the first time, the winner of the South African Open earns a spot in the Masters. ... The British Open is offering spots to the leading three players not already eligible who make the cut. ... The field is highlighted by Patrick Reed, who is playing a full European tour schedule this year after deciding to no longer play on LIV Golf. Reed already has two victories this year and leads the Race to Dubai. ... Even with a Masters invitation on the line, only two players from LIV not already set for Augusta National are in the field — Dean Burmester and Branden Grace, both from South Africa. ... Ernie Els is in the field. The four-time major champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member is a five-time winner of the South African Open, the last one in 2010. ... The South African Open began in 1903, making it the third-oldest national open. ... Jayden Schaper is in the field as he tries to move into the top 50 in the world at the end of March to earn a spot in the Masters.

Next week: Joburg Open.

Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/ and https://sunshinetour.com/

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119 VISA ARGENTINA OPEN

Site: Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Course: Jockey Club. Yardage: 6,836. Par: 70.

Prize money: $1 million. Winner's share: $180,000.

Television: None.

Defending champion: Justin Suh.

Points leader: Ian Holt.

Last tournament: James Nicholas won the Astara Golf Championship.

Next week: Astara Chile Classic.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour

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Last tournament: Anthony Kim won LIV Golf Adelaide.

Next week: LIV Golf Hong Kong.

Points leader: Jon Rahm.

Online: https://www.livgolf.com/

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Last tournament: David Toms won the Chubb Classic.

Next week: James Hardie Pro-Football Hall of Fame Invitational.

Charles Schwab Cup leader: Stewart Cink.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions

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Asian Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia: New Zealand Open, Millbrook Resort, Queenstown, New Zealand. Television: Wednesday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. (GolfChannel.com). Defending champion: Ryan Peake. Online: https://asiantour.com/ and https://golf.com.au/

Ladies European Tour: Ford Women's NSW Open, Wollongong GC, New South Wales, Australia. Television: Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. (GolfChannel.com). Defending champion: Mimi Rhodes. Online: https://ladieseuropeantour.com/

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf