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Tommy Gainey looks the part.

A billed lid sits atop his head with a sponsor’s logo prominently displayed.

His collared shirt reflects the same financial underwriter and his slacks and shoes allow him to blend and mingle in both the country club and touring pro sets.

But take a look at his hands and it will require a second glance, one for each glove.

Because Gainey wears not just the top hand glove, which is standard among players, but gloves his second hand as well.

Tommy Gainey is noted for wearing two golf gloves. Photo Getty Images

Word is, baseball came first for Gainey and once he migrated to golf, the two-glove habit was more than he could shake and it’s as much a part of his game as taking violent hacks with his driver.

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LA JOLLA, Calif. — It was the tournament Tiger Woods was supposed to win.

You might say it was expected.

Torrey Pines has been somewhat of a home course for Woods, whose victories here have nearly become routine.

Six times he teed it up under its former name, the Buick Invitational, and came away the winner. His last major title, the 2008 U.S. Open, was claimed on the South Course in a memorable 91-hole duel with Rocco Mediate.

As a teen, Woods picked up the habit of winning at Torrey Pines with a victory at the Junior World Championships.

Tiger Woods and caddie Stevie Williams look for answers. Photo Getty Images

So for a player, who everyone expects to turn his game around and put his career back on its historical course whenever he plays a competitive round, to fall flat is a surprise.

It’s a victory drought that now extends to the Australian Masters in November of 2009 with his last  PGA Tour title coming two months prior and Woods does not appear close to regaining his form.

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LA JOLLA, Calif. — Phil Mickelson is boring.

Just ask him.

Straight-ahead, fairways and greens, get your par and head to the next tee kind of player.

Sound about right?

No, just bunching those words together in the context of Mickelson makes as much sense as dress shoes at the beach.

Lefty is a player, a risk-taker, the guy who is hitting driver when three-iron will do. Cutting a nine to the back left pin, when a wedge to the center is the safe play.

Phil Mickelson is tied for the lead at the Farmers Insurance Open. Photo Getty Images.

He’s birdies riding on the same flight as double bogeys, but his superior talent at the sport allows him to regularly live in red figures.

So there he is, hitting shots during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open on Saturday with the management skills of Jack Nicklaus. There is Mickelson graciously accepting what the South Course of Torrey Pines gives him instead of taking what he rightfully believes is his.

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LA JOLLA, Calif. — Anthony Kim has developed a bit of a reputation.

It may not be exactly how he’d draw it up, given he plays golf for a living and many of the stories begin and end off the course, but he’s not going to lose any sleep over it.

What he figures he can do better is manage his down time — and those who see it or tweet it — while redirecting attention back to the subject of birdies and bogeys and answering the tough questions like: What did you hit on 11?

“So many things get blown out of proportion and regardless of what happens, I’ve got to do a better job of being more private about my life.”

Kim is 25 and admittedly likes to have a good time and he has an enthusiastic posse that is willing to oblige. Problem is, some have noticed and taken issue.

Anthony Kim was paired with Tiger Woods in the first two rounds of the Farmers Insurance Open. Photo Getty Images

Robert Allenby called him out at the Presidents Cup in 2009 by saying he was out all night before their singles match. What Allenby failed to mention was Kim routed him, 5-and-3, as the United States rolled over the International team.

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LA JOLLA, Calif. — The first thing you notice are the pants.

And they are hard to miss.

A pair of striped beauties that appear to be skinned from tiger offspring at the wrong end of an LSD bender.

One also might see the thundering drives which still find the outer reaches of the fairway that is reserved for the bomb-and-gougers.

But what should be noted about John Daly is that he’s here.

On a golf course and playing well, chasing the only profession he’s ever wanted and keeping up while sitting just three strokes off the pace after Thursday’s first round of the Farmers Insurance Open.

John Daly shot 67 in the first round of the 2011 Farmers Insurance Open. Photo Getty Images

It’s the tournament that used to have Andy Williams’ name attached, and Buick’s, and is still played at Torrey Pines.

Recall that it was just a year ago, on this golf course, in this tournament that Daly walked off following the second round and remarked to a reporter as he was followed to the parking lot.

“I’m done.”

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The LPGA released its schedule last week and it contained one curious twist.

Its first event on American soil will be contested for the honor of simply teeing it up.

That’s right — no money — at least none the players can take home and throw at a bill or two.

There will be “earnings” while the victory, placements and stats rendered will all count toward official tallies on the women’s tour, but any winnings at the Founders Cup will go to financing the LPGA Foundation.

Stipends will be available for caddie housing and expenses.

It may seem a bit odd to be asking its members to play for free essentially, especially for an organization that has struggled in the marketplace while losing tournaments and sponsors over the last couple of years.

The LPGA is launching the Founders Cup this season. Photo Getty Images

But the LPGA is taking the somewhat novel approach of using one of its official events as a charity vehicle in the hopes of supporting programs such as the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Program, which introduces the sport to girls 7-17.

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Golf’s offseason, the shortest in all of professional sports, is over.

Lasted about a month, give or take a week, and that’s relative to which events are deemed pertinent.

But since no one is playing for free, it’s fair to say golf breaks just long enough to trim a tree or light a candle or do whatever it is one does during the holidays.

With the Tournament of Champions on the horizon in Hawaii and 2011 tee times set for Thursday, whaddya say to a few look-ins to some dead-solid-perfect predictions for golf in the new year?

Well, they could happen …

Tiger will win.

Go ahead and groan, but did you really think anyone else can top this list? Here’s another question: Do you really think he won’t?

And this isn’t merely to say that Woods will win a tournament … at some point … eventually.

No, Tiger will win on the  PGA Tour in 2011 and more than once.

It’s hard to say if he’ll approach the six victories he posted in 2009, and likely he will not. But once he collects a check to end a drought that extends to the Australian Masters in November of  ‘09, that familiar feel will become addictive.

Tiger Woods will prevail in U.S. Open at Congressional. Photo Getty Images.

Woods’ schedule for the upcoming season remains unclear, but look for some usual suspects to get his season rolling.

The first will be San Diego at Torrey Pines, Jan. 27-30, where Tiger has won throughout his career and six times has kickstarted his season with a victory. Early favorites for a first-place finish also include the WGC Match Play, a month later, and Bay Hill, March 24-27.

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The golf season began and ended under the considerable canopy that is Tiger Woods.

But the question at the outset of the year was — will he play? — and concluded with — will he win again?

Woods answered the first query, when he teed it up at the Masters, but he will need at least one more golf season to tackle the second question.

The year of 2010 provided plenty of golf headlines. Here are the 10 that rose to the top, according to GolfLink’s esteemed panel.

1. Tiger Woods, On And Off The Course: It’s tough to knock Tiger from the top spot of any golf news category, but toss in some tabloid sizzle and it was virtually guaranteed that Woods’ name bubbled to the top.

His 2009 Thanksgiving weekend car accident unearthed sordid tales that Woods clearly wished would have remained firmly within the confines of his golf bag, but as the alleged mistresses began to queue up for their 15 minutes it was game over on many fronts.

Sponsors fled, Woods retreated to rehab and the golf world wondered and waited for his return. Ultimately that came at the Masters in April and despite an opening round 68 and eventual T-4 finish, he looked more like a talented rookie who couldn’t quite harness his game than a seasoned world champion.

Tiger Woods hits shot at 2010 U.S. Open, where he finished T-4. Photo copyright USGA/Mike Ehrmann

As the year progressed, Woods’ marriage to Elin Nordegren ended in divorce and his season ended without a victory. That was the first time as a professional that Woods did not cash the winner’s check at least once during the year.

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Golf’s silly season officially ended Sunday with the Shark Shootout in Florida.

There was nothing silly about the money, of course, as Ian Poulter and Dustin Johnson split the $750,000 winner’s share to slap one last sweet bit of tinsel to their holiday decorations. But there was nothing official to be gained with the victory other than the simple joy of winning.

The Shootout was once held on the opposite coast at Sherwood CC in California before taking up residence at Tiburon GC in Naples, Fla. about 10 years ago. Greg Norman was the host then and is again, but it’s the format that helps the tournament stand out from the year-end, pay-for-play events that have become routine.

Over three rounds of the Shootout, the two-man teams play modified alternate shot, better ball and a Sunday scramble that predictably produces low scores. Poulter and Johnson did not disappoint with a final-round 59 to win the tournament by two strokes over Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke.

It’s the right idea for a December diversion.

Ian Poulter teamed with Dustin Johnson to win Shark Shootout. Photo Getty Images.

“They kind of pushed us around,” Poulter told the Associated Press of the heat provided by McDowell and Clarke. “You know what, making the birdies they did, it was kind of good for us to see good shot after good shot, and good putts going in. It’s a lot easier to hole putts when your playing partners do.”

McDowell and Clarke also shot 59 but could not close the gap.

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Forget what you may have heard about players of the year.

Jim Furyk is tops for both the PGA Tour and the PGA of America, not to mention the winner of the absurdly rich FedEx Cup bonus, but no.

The Official World Golf Ranking crunches its numbers each week and Lee Westwood has held the pole since Halloween, but don’t believe that with any conviction either.

Tiger Woods? Exactly. Just making sure you’re paying attention.

No, the best player in golf is Graeme McDowell.

Don’t buy it? Don’t argue.

Tiger Woods and Graeme McDowell at Sherwood CC. Photo Getty Images

The guy is staring down the best players and the toughest situations the game has to offer and is making the big putts.

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