Return to action for a couple of veterans

When the field was released for the Valero Texas Open, now the PGA Tour's tune-up for the Masters, Jeff Gove's name was there. Gove has struggled to make it into fields this week due to his lack of earnings to start the year, and he is getting to the point where he needs to take advantage of his opportunities if he wishes to stick around later in the year.

Gove did play in and make the cut in last month's Puerto Rico Open, an opposite-field event to the World Golf Championship event at Doral, but this is his first start in the Tour's 'premier' event for the week since early February in Pebble Beach. In Puerto Rico, Gove easily made the cut thanks to a sizzling 65 in the second round, but leveled off with a pair of 71's on a low-scoring weekend to finish in a tie for 57th.

Aside from Gove, Kevin Johnson will make his first start of the year this week on the Web.com circuit, in the Tour's event in Brazil. KJ was in the field in Chile but withdrew early in the week, likely not feeling that the lengthy trip would be worth it. As of now, he appears ready to tee it up in Brazil, with a 7:10 a.m. (local time) tee time on Thursday with Andrew Putnam and Joe Bramlett.