So ist das Leben » the toughest qualifying event on the PGA Tour.

KAPALUA, Hawaii - The opening tee shot for the first PGA Tour event of the year provides a splendid reminder of the perks for winning.Few players can appreciate it like Geoff Ogilvy.He was the two-time defending champion at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in 2011 and quickly was becoming a regular as he piled up seven wins over a six-year period, including a U.S. Open and a pair of World Golf Championships. But coming out of the water on a quiet beach below Kapalua, Ogilvy sliced open the side of his right index finger on a sharp piece of coral and had to withdraw.Four years later, he finally made it back.It didnt cause the stress, but it was the beginning of it, Ogilvy said of a drought that dramatically changed his status.He had spent nearly five years in the top 50 in the world, reaching a career-best No. 3, and plunged to as low as No. 216 last year until his fortunes changed.I was still playing well, but it was the start of a downward spiral a little bit, he said.All it took was one week in August and 27 holes in September for him to realize what he had been missing.Ogilvy won the Reno-Tahoe Open. Then, his run in the FedEx Cup playoffs appeared to be over until he started making every putt he looked at over the final 27 holes at the TPC Boston. A 65-65 finish put him in a tie for second, and it was barely enough for the 34-year-old Australian to get to the Tour Championship.He figured he would start 2015 with a normal card that would keep him out of the big events. Just like that, he was back in Hawaii to start his season with the other PGA Tour winners, and he could count on playing the four majors for the first time since 2012.Atlanta is the best reward for a good year — Augusta and the majors, he said. But this is a very close second. This is a better tournament to play in than Atlanta from an enjoyment factor of the tournament. It doesnt come with all the sidekicks that top 30 (in the FedEx Cup) does. But its more enjoyable to play in because of where you are.Included in this years lineup is Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., who won the Sanderson Farms Championship in November and became the first Canadian-born winner on the PGA Tour since Mike Weir in 2007.The 34-man field doesnt include all the winners, and while the absence of four players is glaring, it is a sign of the global times in golf.Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer, who combined to win three majors last year, are not playing. Both played deep into last season on the European Tour and start up their 2015 campaign halfway around the world in Abu Dhabi. Adam Scott isnt playing anywhere for a few months as his wife is expecting their first child. Justin Rose also is taking the week off. Thats only four absentees, though they happen to occupy the top 12 in the world ranking.That leaves the Tournament of Champions with only two players from the top 10 — Masters champion Bubba Watson and Jason Day.Missing marquee players is nothing new. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson stopped coming to Hawaii years ago, and this time they didnt have that option because neither of golfs two biggest names won a tournament.That leads to the annual question of what the PGA Tour can do to boost its season opener of the toughest qualifying event on the PGA Tour. There has been rumbling of giving a two-year exemption to Kapalua or inviting all past champions.Ogilvy, thrilled to be back, sees nothing worth fixing.There is nothing broken about this tournament, he said. If youre going to play in January, youre not going to get Kaymer, youre not getting McIlroy because theyre going to Abu Dhabi and the Middle East. You could put it at Shinnecock Hills and theyre not going to go.I think its a great tournament. Youd have to ask Hyundai whether they think theyre getting their moneys worth, but anyone here loves it, dont they?And this year was another example of why it remains elite — maybe not in the world rankings, but in what it takes to get here.Among those who didnt qualify were Rickie Fowler, who had top-five finishes in all the majors; Jordan Spieth, who overwhelmed fields in the Australian Open and the Hero World Challenge, neither of which were part of the PGA Tour; and Jim Furyk, the first player to accumulate $6 million in worldwide earnings without winning.Golf has never been stronger or deeper, and Ogilvy contends the best measure is at the bottom.Ben Hogan would have been pretty hard to beat. Hed have been just as hard to beat as Rory, Ogilvy said. But the 125th guy in Hogans era probably wasnt breaking 80. The 125th guy now is ... harder to beat. The top comes and goes — the legends — but bottom is getting closer to the top, and the gap gets narrower from best to worst. So that must make it harder to win, I guess.Ogilvy did his part. Hes back in Kapalua. Now if he can just stay out of the water. Air Jordan 1 From China . on the 15-day disabled Monday list because of a strained right hamstring. Air Jordan 1 Outlet Sale . With the results, North America claimed 2.5 of the three available points, opening up a 17.5-12.5 lead in the overall standings. A total of 60 points are available, meaning the first team to 30.5 points will win the Continental Cup. http://www.airjordan1cheap.com/. Ferrer will play Mikhail Youzhny on Sunday after he defeated Dmitry Tursunov 6-2, 6-4 in an all-Russian semifinal. "Youzhny is a good player," Ferrer said. Cheap Air Jordan 1 Shoes . "This isnt really the week you want to lose Chris Greaves," fellow lineman Glenn January said Wednesday after practice. Greaves is expected to miss several weeks after suffering a knee injury in last weeks 36-28 win over the Ottawa Redblacks. Cheap Air Jordan 1 For Sale . In a series of tweets, it is explained by the Department of Player Safety that Niederreiter makes full body contact with Burrows and although there is head contact, he does not "pick" the head in the course of making the hit.DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Roger Federer won a record sixth Dubai Championships -- and 78th career title -- by beating Tomas Berdych 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the final on Saturday. Federer, who maintains a home in Dubai, delighted a packed stadium of fans who seemed biased for the Swiss in back-to-back wins over Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and Berdych. "Things definitely went my way out here tonight," Federer said. "Ive had a lot of tough matches in the last year and a half so it was nice to get a lucky break again." The victory was hard fought as Federer lost the first serve and his serve in the second to trail 3-2. Federers win, his sixth here in the last 12 years, extends his record of winning at least one title a year to 14 consecutive years. This is Federers first tournament victory since winning in Halle, his only title of 2013, last spring. Federer improved his record over Berdych to 12-6 with the win. The last time they played, however, Berdych beat Federer in the Dubai semifinals last year. "Hes the greatest player of all time and hell never give up and give you anything for free," Berdych said. "I knew that and thought I was ready for it, but my execution wasnt good enough to hold it to the end." The loss ended Berdychs longest winning streak of his career at 11 matches. In the firstt set, the fourth-seeded Federers forehand looked shaky and he appeared a step slow.dddddddddddd After exchanging early service breaks, the third-seeded Berdych snared the go-ahead break in the sixth game. On a second break point at 30-40, Federer netted a backhand to lose serve. In the second set, there was another early exchange of breaks. From 4-4, Federer won the final eight points of the set to even the set score. "Everything happens very, very quickly and I was looking for better serving because thats what let me down the most in the beginning, getting broken three times in five, six service games," Federer said. Both players had break opportunities in the first two games of the third set -- Berdych three and Federer one -- but each held. Federer secured his way to victory when he broke Berdych on a second break point in the fourth game. The Swiss faced two break points on his serve in the seventh game but held on for 5-2. Berdych was able to save two Federer match points on his own serve in the eighth game. But the Czech couldnt stop Federer from serving out. On Federers third match point at 40-15 in the ninth game, Berdych netted a backhand return. "The match started pretty well and I had many chances," Berdych said. "Its very disappointing for me the way I handled that situation." ' ' '