With four tours (two share an event) igniting the 2012 season this weekend, it’s nice to have some quantifiable golf to follow. The PGA Tour of the USA has completed two round in its Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. The Australian Tour picked up after the holiday hiatus (remember, it’s summer over there) with the Victoria Open, while the South African and European Tours co-host the Africa Open in East London, South Africa.

I took notice that many of the events that used to comprise the Silly Season are more competitive. The Skins Games (young and old) are gone, although the Skills Challenge remains. The World Cup, the Chevron and even the Shark Shootout are examples of events wherein the players give it their best. Did Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland care in China at the World Cup? Sure…they won in a final-round comeback. Did Tiger Woods finish birdie-birdie at the Chevron, easing past Zack Johnson for the win? Of course…he wanted the pressure and the chance to win, and got both. Those events do more for the game than the traditional November-December goofies, in my focused estimation.

I’ll be following all the play at Kapalua for Fantasy Golf reasons, and the other tournaments for media purposes, over the internet. It may come as a surprise that I don’t have The Golf Channel at home, given that I listen to the PGA Tour channel on XM Radio. Consider it a move toward a healthy marriage. My lovely bride offered it to me when we moved in, but I knew well enough that the time I spent in front of the flat screen would be time away from her, and that’s no exchange. It’s not the same, you know, but internet coverage gives you video of the best shots when all is said and done. Still sometimes you wonder about things like…

how did PGATour.com miss Kevin Na’s hole-out eagle on number 17 on Saturday, the first of an eagle-eagle close?