Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - PGA TOUR - WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN, TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona - The annual party in the desert is this week in Scottsdale as the PGA Tour heads to the TPC Scottsdale for the Waste Management Phoenix Open, where the normally big crowds will be bigger than ever this week. Minus last years champion Kevin Stadler, the tournament gets a huge boost from the return of Tiger Woods. Returning to the tour for his first official event since the PGA Championship, Woods is teeing it up at this tournament for the first time since 2001. The par-3 16th is far and away the most raucous hole in golf, and it was never louder than when Woods aced the hole in 1997. Woods raised the roof as beers and debris showered down on the tee box. The 16th has never been the same since. Bleachers and corporate sky boxes surround the hole, housing 20,000 fans, or more, at any given time. Last year, Stadler closed with a 3-under 68 and rallied past Bubba Watson for the win. The victory was Stadlers first on the PGA Tour. However, he will not defend as he is battling a hand injury. Woods wont be the only star on site this week. Phil Mickelson, who won this tournament as an amateur while he attended Arizona State, will tee it up at this event for the 26th time. Also teeing it up this week will be Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar and Bill Haas, who beat Kuchar and four other players by one stroke to win the Humana Challenge on Sunday. Golf Channel will have coverage all four days. Their coverage on Saturday and Sunday will be early, before they hand off to CBS for the first time this year. The PGA Tour returns to California next week for the Farmers Insurance Open, where Scott Stallings will defend his title against a field that includes Woods, Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, who returns to the tour for the first time since last years Canadian Open. EUROPEAN TOUR OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC, Emirates Golf Club (Majlis Course), Dubai, United Arab Emirates - While many of the top PGA Tour players will be in the Arizona desert this week, several top European Tour stalwarts will tee it up in Dubai. World No. 1 Rory McIlroy will headline the field at Emirates Golf Club this week. In his last 11 worldwide starts, McIlroy has been outside the top-8 just once. McIlroy has finished second or tied for second in each of his last four official starts. McIlroy trailed third-round leader Stephen Gallacher by two strokes entering the final round last year, but stumbled to a 2-over 74 and slid into a share of ninth place. Gallacher fired a 63 in round three to grab the lead, and he closed with an even-par 72, which was enough to give him a 1-stroke win over Emiliano Grillo, who tied for fifth last week in Qatar. The victory for Gallacher was his second straight at this event, and third on the European Tour. He was the first player to successfully defend a title in the 25-year history of the tournament. Among those in the field with McIlroy and Gallacher will be world No. 2 Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Lee Westwood and last weeks winner, Branden Grace. Golf Channel has early morning coverage of all four rounds this week. The European Tour heads to Asia next week for the Maybank Malaysian Open, where Westwood cruised to a 7-stroke win over three players last April. LPGA TOUR COATES GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP, Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club, Ocala, Florida - The LPGA Tour kicks off its 2015 schedule in Florida this week with a new event. For a first-year event, the field is full of stars. Sixteen of the top-20 players in the world are in the field this week. That group includes Inbee Park, Lydia Ko and Stacy Lewis, the top-3 players in the world, along with reigning U.S. Womens Open Champion Michelle Wie and Lexi Thompson, who won the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship. Former major winners Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and Karrie Webb are in the field as well. Tiger Woods niece, Cheyenne, was one of the two sponsor invites to the event. Golf Channel will have coverage of all four rounds of the event, that runs from Wednesday to Saturday. The tour heads to Atlantis next week for the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, where Jessica Korda closed with a 66 last year to hold off Lewis. WEB.COM TOUR PANAMA CLARO CHAMPIONSHIP, Panama Golf Club, Panama City, Panama - Like the LPGA, the Web.com Tour kicks off its season this week. The Web.com Tour starts with five straight events outside the United States. First up is the Panama Claro Championship, where Carlos Ortiz cruised to a 4- stroke win last year. The win for Ortiz was his first of three on the season, and that earned him a trip to the PGA Tour. Ortiz was just 2-under par after 36 holes, but he played the final 36 holes in 10-under par en route to a 4-shot win over Jason Gore. Thanks to his promotion to the PGA Tour, Ortiz will not be on hand, but there are some familiar names in the field like Carlos Franco, Frank Lickliter, Jamie Lovemark, Ryuji Imada, Rod Pampling and Vaughn Taylor. There is no television coverage this week. The Web.com Tour heads to Bogota next week for the Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship, where Alex Cejka carded a 63 in the third round and was awarded the victory after rain washed out play for the fourth straight day. Jose Quintana Jersey . Though the 26-year-old said he was able to participate, coach Dwane Casey kept Johnson out as a precaution. Ernie Banks Jersey . Pinch-hitter Tommy Medica singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Padres beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in their first home game since Gwynn died of cancer Monday. http://www.thecubsteamshop.com/Cubs-Fergie-Jenkins-Kids-Jersey/ . -- Ben Bishop had a milestone game against one of the NHLs greatest goalies. Mike Montgomery Jersey . Miralem Pjanic dribbled through the defence to score an extraordinary goal in the 43rd minute at the Stadio Olimpico and Gervinho added another from a rebound in the 65th for Romas ninth straight victory — ending Milans five-match winning streak. Ryne Sandberg Jersey . PAUL, Minn.Waco, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Baylor was tested Monday, but the 22nd- ranked Bears survived with a 70-66 win over the visiting Southern Jaguars. Johnathan Motley led Baylor (10-1) with 19 points, and Rico Gathers added 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Southern (3-10) remained winless against D-I opponents this season. Adrian Rodgers paced the Jaguars with 26 points, making 9-of-17 shots from the field. Trelun Banks contributed 13 points and had seven assists. The opportunistic Jaguars stayed in the game by taking advantage of Bears turnovers. Baylor committed 13 turnovers, and Southern converted them into 18 points. It appeared that Baylor was going to put Southern away with 3 1/2 minutes remaining in the game when four straight free throws extended its lead to a game-high 11 points. Even though the Bears did not hit a shot from the floor in the final six minutes, they sealed the win at the foul line by missing just one of 112 attempts down the stretch.dddddddddddd Without Rodgers, Southern may have let the game get away in the second half. He scored 15 of its final 18 points of the contest on 6-of-9 shooting after the break. The rest of the team combined to shoot 5-of-18. The Jaguars got back in the game when Banks hit a pair of triples to start a 12-0 run that gave Southern its first lead of the game with a minute left in the first half. It wound up being its only lead of the game. Baylor used four free throws from Motley to take a 34-31 lead at the break. Game Notes Baylor is 7-0 against Southern, but this was the only meeting decided by fewer than 11 points ... This is the first time this season an opponent has scored more than 65 points against the Bears ... Baylor is 10-0 when scoring 60 or more points ... The Bears take the court next on Dec. 30 against Norfolk State, while Southerns next game is on Dec. 29 at Hawaii. ' ' '