The 36th annual Players Championship kicks off this week at TPC Sawgrass.  The top ten players in the world are all scheduled to be at this weeks tournament.

The TPC Sawgrass is typically referred to as the unofficial 5th major.  As such, it has a bit more at stake compared to other tournaments.  The winner gets 600 FedEx Cup points.  Only 5 events on tour offer that many points to the champion.  The other 4 are the Masters, the US Open, the British Open and the PGA Championship.

Despite the points that are on the line, 3 of Europe’s biggest stars have decided to skip the event.  Ryder Cup stars Lee Westwood  and Miguel Angel Jiminez are taking some time off and Alvaro Quiros has opted to play in the Italian Open instead.

The British Open will return to Muirfield in 2013, the links course on the eastern shores of Scotland where golf’s oldest championship has been played for centuries.  Murifield last hosted the Open in 2002, when Ernie Els won in a four man play-off and Tiger Woods shot an 81 in the third round.

This will be the 16th time the Open has been played at Murifield and the 11 year gap between hosting is the longest since it was without an Open between 1948 and 19s, 59.

For the first time in 15 years, the British Open will be played at the Turnberry Resort in Scotland.  And to celebrate the return of the Open, the good people of Turnberry have lengthened the course by 247 yards (135 of which comes on the last 3 holes).

The new layout features 6 new tees, including a 200 yard drive over the bay near the famous Lighthouse hole on the 10th.  The changes have been made gradually over the years and were announced on Tuesday at a news conference at the course.  The overall length is now 7,204 yards, up from 6,957.

The British Open will be played at Turnberry July 16-19.

The PGA of America and US Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin announced the last weeks Masters launched the point system that will determine who gains a spot on the 2010 Ryder Cup team.  The US point system will determine the top 8 players and Pavin will have 4 selections at a later date to fill out the team.  Colin Montgomerie will lead the European team.

Points are based on the following:

- Prize money earned in the 2009 major championships (Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship): One point is awarded for every $1,000 earned; all U.S. players making the cut will earn points.

- Prize money earned in 2010 “Official” events from Jan. 1 through Aug.15: One point is awarded for every $1,000 earned, excluding the major championships, events played opposite major championships and events played opposite World Golf Championships; all U.S. players making the cut will earn points.

- Prize money earned for the 2010 major championships: (Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and the PGA Championship). Two points are awarded for every $1,000 earned; all U.S. players making the cut will earn points.

- Prize money earned in 2010 events played opposite the major championships and opposite World Golf Championship events between Jan. 1 and the PGA Championship, Aug. 16 – one-half point will be awarded for every $1,000 earned; all U.S. players making the cut will earn points.