(Sports Network) - SHARK SHOOTOUT, Tiburon Golf Club, Naples, Florida - One of the "Silly Season" events takes place this week as Greg Norman's tournament starts on Friday.

Norman created this championship 21 years ago to benefit the CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation. Other charities receive funds as well, but the Childhood Cancer group is at the heart of The Shark's generosity.

"Overall, these players are talented professionals who are generous both on and off the golf course, not to mention fun to be around," Norman said in a statement.

The issue of players has been something of a problem for Norman, starting with himself. Since the field was announced in October, Norman had to replace three players in the field, including himself. Norman had shoulder surgery and will miss his own charity tournament.

It seems the old-timers were the ones that couldn't make it.

Scott Hoch, who teamed with Kenny Perry to win last year, withdrew due to a long-time battle with a wrist injury. Fred Funk, another member of the Champions Tour, finally decided to get much-needed knee surgery and had to back out.

Norman did admirably in getting replacement talent.

Rickie Fowler is one of the best young players in the world and nearly earned his PGA Tour card in only about a month's worth of play. He's at Q-school on Monday trying to get his privileges for next year, but Norman pegged him as a replacement.

George McNeill, a local native who graduated from North Fort Myers High School, and Brad Faxon, a three-time Shark Shootout winner, rounded out the field.

Fowler will team with Chris DiMarco, McNeill with Jeff Sluman and Faxon will join Matt Kuchar.

The format leads to very low scores. On Friday, the format is modified alternate-shot, followed by better ball on Saturday and a scramble in Sunday's final round.

Perry and Hoch won last year by four shots over American Ryder Cup partners J.B. Holmes and Boo Weekley. Holmes will pair with Perry this year, while Weekley is slated to play with Graeme McDowell, who nearly won the Chevron World Challenge on Sunday.

Golf Channel has Friday's action before NBC takes over on the weekend.

This is the final PGA Tour-related event for 2009.

EUROPEAN TOUR

ALFRED DUNHILL CHAMPIONSHIP, Leopard Creek Golf Club, Mpumalanga, South Africa - It's the start of the 2010 European Tour season ... in the final weeks of 2009.

This is just how the European Tour does it. Next year's campaign begins in earnest on Thursday even though it's been mere weeks since Lee Westwood won the Race to Dubai and a week removed from the tour's Q-school.

Ernie Els is in the field this week, as is Thomas Bjorn and Edoardo Molinari, who won the World Cup a few weeks back with his younger brother, Francesco.

There's also defending champion Richard Sterne.

It was this time one year ago that Sterne emerged on top after Thomas Aiken and Len Mattiace both collapsed late in the final round.

Aiken, the third-round leader, was four-over in three holes around the turn and fell down the leaderboard. Mattiace, a Masters playoff loser to Mike Weir, had not one, but two triple-bogeys on the back nine on Sunday.

So there was Sterne to waltz into the winner's circle. All he needed was a final-round 69.

Next week is the South African Open Championship and a familiar name won that a year ago. It was Sterne, who prevailed in a playoff over Gareth Maybin with a three-foot birdie on the first extra hole.



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