Padraig Harrington is just warming up this season but should have no problem getting ready to play at the Honda Classic.
The defending champion, Harrington headlines the field at the $5.5 million event, which starts Thursday and is in its last year at the Country Club at Mirasol's Sunrise Course.
The tournament will move to PGA National Resort & Spa's Champion Course next season.
Last year, Harrington closed with a 9-under 63 - the lowest closing round by a winner in the history of the tournament - for his first PGA Tour victory. He erased a seven-stroke deficit for the largest come-from-behind win in Honda Classic history.
With only one of the top-10 players in the world in the field - eighth-ranked David Toms - Harrington should have a decent shot at becoming just the second player to defend his title here.
Jack Nicklaus is the only player to repeat, defeating Grier Jones by one stroke in 1978 after posting a five-stroke victory in 1977 over Gary Player.
A native of Ireland, Harrington took another long winter break and is playing in just his third PGA event of the season. He finished fifth at the Match Play and tied for 26th last week at Doral. Being paired with Toms, one of the tournament favorites, should help to motivate him.
A little less than four months after undergoing heart surgery, Toms has started the 2006 season with a bang. He was runner-up to Woods at the Ford Championship on Sunday and is third on the PGA Tour money list thanks in part to his Sony Open win in January. In five events this season, Toms has finished no worse than 19th.
Australian Geoff Ogilvy, the surprise winner of the Match Play, returns to action in a field that also includes Davis Love III, Lee Westwood, Fred Couples and John Daly.
Love has made the cut in all 11 career starts in this event and has five top-10 finishes, including back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2003 and 2004.
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