Mercedes win keeps Chopra on a roll

Daniel Chopra played more than 130 PGA Tour events before he won last fall, but with his victory in the Mercedes-Benz Championship he has won two of his last three starts.

His victory in Hawaii is the most important because it qualified him for The Masters in April. The first was in the Ginn sur Mer Classic, one of the Tour’s Fall Series events.

The Masters reinstituted its policy of giving PGA Tour winners an exemption, but it only applies to events in the FedExCup because they have the strongest fields.

Changes

Rory Sabbatini walked away from Tiger Woods’ golf tournament, the Target World Challenge, in December and now has walked away from Nike, which makes Woods’ golf equipment.

Nike and Adams Golf, which Sabbatini will represent, say there is no connection between his withdrawal from Woods’ tournament before the final round and his switch to Adams, a company that is smaller than Nike but interested in having a presence on the PGA Tour.

“We had been negotiating with Rory and his agent before the Target,” said Chip Brewer, CEO of Adams Golf. “Rory had an attractive offer from Nike, but he chose us because he likes our product.”

Sabbatini has four victories on the PGA Tour, but he’s best known for his competitive attitude toward Woods. He has never beaten Woods head to head, but he has said repeatedly that golf’s No. 1 player can be beaten.