The International President’s Cup team is also set. Which makes this the perfect time to attempt handicapping this event. The top 20 golfers in the world, plus four choices by the captains, will compete for pride and posterity in November, which makes this one of the premier events in golf.

The President’s Cup is much like the Ryder’s Cup and this year’s captain, Fred Couples, has already reserved one of his choices for Tiger Woods. The No. 1 American golfer, Matt Kuchar, will lead an all-star cast of American golfers including Steve Stricker, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson.

There will be five Americans making their first appearances in the President’s Cup including: Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, Nick Watney and Bubba Watson. The younger and less experienced Americans will have their work cut out for them against the more experienced International team.

The International team, led by Jason Day, who has been one of the hottest golfers in the world, especially with the spotlight on him. The International team is hurt by an injury to Tim Clark but they have some of the strongest players in years.

Final Verdict: The Americans are in a perfect position to score the upset this year and bring home the President’s Cup. Youth will be served in this event and the stars will be Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson and Hunter Mahan for the Amercans and Jason Day for the Internationals.

Golf Odds for this tournament have not yet been posted.

Last year’s winner Steve Stricker will return to defend his title and look to score another cool million dollar win. Last year Stricker’s toughest opposition came from Luke Donald and Dustin Johnson. Stricker, Donald and Johnson all set up well for the Riviera Country Club and will once again be favorites heading into the tournament.

Also a favorite that must be considered for this year’s event will be Phil Mickelson. Mickelson won the two Northern Trust Opens before Stricker and has returned to form as a great ball striker. Mickelson has shown he knows the intricacies of playing the thinking mans course at the Riviera.

Tiger Woods will return to the site of his first PGA event ever. Tiger played in the event as a 16 year old and believe it or not, he missed the cut after shooting a 72 and a 75. Woods will be looking to get on track for the 2011 season and he can do some damage on this Riviera course.

Fred Couples is the dark horse to win the Northern Trust Open. Couples plays well at Riviera and his third place finish in 2009 can be attributed to his superior ball striking in the tournament. Look for Couples to on the leader board on Sunday.

In every major tournament that he has played, he has seen some sort of success, mustering at least a top 10 finish in each one at some point during his career. To this point in his career, the British Open in specific has produced 2 top 10 finishes.

Stricker has been on the tour, there have been many years that he has simply not played in the British Open. As he lost his PGA Tour card, from 2004-2006 he did not play. Even before losing his PGA Tour card, he had never seen much success at the British Open.

He finished 22nd in the field in 1996, which would end up being his best performance at the British Open until 2007. He missed two cuts and only finished about the top 50 in the field one time, between 1996 and 2007. The British Open simply was not treating him well.

His success improved dramatically at the British Open, after regaining his card. For 3 years consecutively now, he has played in the Open and has finished in the top 10 twice. Last year was disappointing for him with just a 52nd place finish, but that was still one of the better finishes of his career at the tournament. at the British Open, time will tell what 2010 will bring from Stricker.

Mickelson will be joined by world #2 Steve Stricker, Lee Westwood, and Paul Casey. Ian Poulter, who won the years first WGC event is also entered. Poulter likes the course and is looking for another big victory.

The course will set up for the best players in the world. The Blue Monster will play at just over 7,200 yards for the week, and Stephen Ames holds the course record with a 61 in 2000. The Blue Monster features the toughest finishing hole on the PGA Tour. No lead is safe coming into 18, the hole yields many more bogeys and double bogeys than birdies.

Past winners here beside Mickelson include Mike Weir, Ernie Els, Geoff Ogilvy, and of course Tiger Woods. Tiger has not played a tournament in 2010 yet, and he is not entered in the CA Championship. Tiger has six previous victories in the CA Championship, and he will be missed by the fans, players, and officials at Doral. With Tiger not in the field, it’s wide open for anyone to win. Look for one or more of the under 25 year olds to break through and win this title and check out the prop bets for this event.

The favorite to win the championship this year is Steve Stricker. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the World Golf Championship rankings and #1 in the Power rankings. He is arguably the best golfer in the world without a major. He is facing stiff competition from both Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood.

Although Tiger Woods won’t participate in this tournament, there are still big names playing this year to draw excitement and the crowds. However, many analysts and experts say that there is a chance Tiger Woods might decide to play as he is still eligible to compete in the tournament.

With names like Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, and Paul Casey attending, this tournament is sure to be an outstanding one for any golf lovers. Golf tournaments are known for upsets and amazing come backs and this might not disappoint in that category.

Will he or won’t he is the question many are asking. If Tiger Woods plays, and that’s a big if he will be 4-1 odds.

There is a big group right behind Tiger that will go off at 8-1 odds. In this group will be Phil Mickelson, Kenny Perry, and the defending champ Angel Cabrera. Will Cabrera be able to find the magic this year, and can Kenny Perry get back into contention?

Going off at 12-1 odds will be Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, and Geoff Ogilvy.

Maybe worth a shot at 20-1 odds, you can consider giving Chad Campbell, Stephen Ames, and Paul Casey a look. Longer odds fall with Anthony Kim, Padraig Harrington, and Henrik Stenson.

Still a couple months to go before all the greats tee it up at Augusta. One thing is for sure, everyone will be trying to spot a Tiger. If he isn’t there, it’s anyone’s guess who will be the favorite.