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McIlroy To Open PGA Season At Northern Trust Open; Masters Notes

 width=Rory McIlroy sounds like he's already locked in for 2016. McIlroy will play multiple times in the Middle East before coming to the United States to play the Northern Trust Open in February.

It's a tournament he has never played before. 

McIlroy told NewsTalk in Ireland quote-"I've added an extra event in the States just because I want to go play the golf course. I've heard Riviera is a great course and I want to go play there in L.A., and I think it'll be a good course for me."

He's also doing it because he wants to be cruising heading to the Masters.

McIlroy notes some of his slow starts at the Masters might have been because he didn't have enough golf under his belt going into the first major of the year. That won't be the case in 2016.

>>Masters Field At 89

The Masters field is set. For now.

The 2015 calendar year is nearly complete, and Lee Westwood will be the last golfer to sneak into the top 50 next week to bump the Masters field to 89 heading into 2016.

 width=Golfers who win tournaments before the Masters or get into the top 50 in the weeks leading up to it will also be included.

The field has famously been under 100 golfers every year since 1966. It doesn't look like 2016's version will be any different.

There are are a number of ways to qualify for the tournament, but the one 15 golfers will use next week is being inside the top 50 of the world golf rankings at the end of the year. The only American to get into the field this way is Billy Horschel.

According to the AP, the field was at 90 at the end of 2014 and only a handful of other golfers sneaked in under the deadline after 2015 began.

The biggest question mark will obviously be Tiger Woods. There's no real indication that he's going to be anywhere close to ready.

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