January 25 2011 Last updated at 02:05 PM ET
Martin Kaymer -- The German dominated a strong field in Abu Dhabi by shooting a new record low. Kaymer topped last year's record-tying 21-under by three strokes. The 26-year-old torched his self-proclaimed "home course" to the tune of 25 birdies and only one bogey. With the 8-stroke victory over Rory McIlroy, Kaymer passes Tiger Woods and now finds himself No. 2 in the world. You should expect last year's PGA Champion to reach No. 1 at some point this season, likely before the year's first major.
Jhonattan Vegas -- Another 26-year-old picked up the win at the Bob Hope Classic but this one was much more improbable. Just three weeks into the new PGA season, the rookie picked up his first tournament victory and made history by becoming the first Venezuelan to win on Tour. Vegas' final-round 69 was his worst of the week but good enough to land him in a playoff with Gary Woodland and Bill Haas, where a second hole par secured the win. The former Texas Longhorn jumped 101 spots to 86th in the world rankings in just his fourth year as a professional golfer.
European Tour -- This week showed us again that the gap between the top two golf tours in the world continues to close. The European Tour hosted the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship while the PGA Tour set up in California for the Bob Hope Classic. While the PGA had a prize pool twice that of the European tour, the field of players didn't reflect the payout. With Phil Mickelson making his 2011 debut at Abu Dhabi, that tournament boasted all four current major winners as well as four of the world's top five.
Consistency -- What do Matt Kuchar and Charles Schwartzel have in common? If you answered future major winners, you might be proven correct soon, but for now, neither has finished outside of the top 10 this season. Kuchar finished T7 at the Bob Hope Classic for his third straight top 10 and currently sits 7th in the FedEx Cup Standings. Schwartzel, who will be debuting on the PGA Tour this season, leads the European Tour's Race to Dubai after his 5th top 10 in five events in 2011.
Ryder Cup Captains -- The American and European Ryder Cup teams both officially named their team captains this week. Davis Love III will lead the U.S. while Jose Maria Olazabal will try to keep the Cup in Europe for a seventh time in nine matchups. Both men have a Ryder Cup history already. Love's first three career matches in the Ryder Cup took place against Olazabal and Seve Ballesteros. Love won the first but never beat Olazabal again. Vice Captains won't be named for a while but Fred Couples and Sergio Garcia are two favorites.
TV Viewers -- Juli Inkster had an opportunity for an LPGA win taken away last August. It happened two weeks ago to Camilo Villegas at the PGA Tour opener. This week, Padraig Harrington closed out the trifecta on the European Tour. All three players were disqualified because of television viewers contacting the tour after seeing a rule violation while watching the event. The latest occurred at Abu Dhabi when Harrington's ball moved slightly when he was replacing his mark on the green. Golf will always be a game based around sportsmanship and self-regulation, but if fellow competitors or rules officials don't see a penalty during the course of play, it shouldn't be enforced retroactively.
Elliot Saltman -- The European Tour also had to deal with rules infractions on its Challenge Tour, which is the equivalent to the PGA's Nationwide Tour. The difference with Saltman was that he was accused of intentionally marking his ball closer to the hole at least five times during a tournament last September. After attending a disciplinary hearing in Abu Dhabi, the tour decided to suspend him for three months from all European and Challenge Tour-sanctioned events. It's been nearly 20 years since the last player was banned.
Tiger Woods -- Forget No. 1. Woods now has to get back to No. 2. Two months after falling from the world's top spot, Woods has been passed by Kaymer and now sits at No. 3. And things might get worse before they get better. Winless in 2010, Woods has a number of top finishes that will get erased if he doesn't play well. His first shot at a comeback will happen this week at Torrey Pines, a course Woods has dominated.
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