Poway Natives Return for Farmers Insurance Open

Poway Natives Return for Farmers Insurance Open

The $6 million Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament will begin play Thursday on the Torrey Pines North and South Golf Courses, with Tiger Woods about 8,000 miles away in Abu Dhabi.

Woods opted to play in the $2.7 million Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in the United Arab Emirates for the first time rather than the Farmers Insurance Open, which he has won a record six times, most recently in 2008.

"Torrey has been a golf course I have enjoyed playing since junior golf...," Woods told reporters in Abu Dhabi Tuesday. "Unfortunately just scheduling-wise, it just didn't work out."

Woods said one reason he is playing in Abu Dhabi is that tournament sponsor HSBC, a British multinational banking and financial services company, "has been a huge supporter" of his foundation.

Woods is receiving a guarantee reported to be more than $1.5 million to play in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which is part of the European Tour. Appearance fees are not allowed on the PGA Tour.

Woods said appearance fees "certainly does" influence where he decides to play.

The field for the four-round Farmers Insurance Open includes Poway natives Charley Hoffman and Bill Lunde, San Diego native and Rancho Santa Fe resident Phil Mickelson, whose three victories are second only to Woods, and defending champion Bubba Watson, who finished one stroke ahead of Mickelson last year.

Preliminary Hearing for Registered Sex Offender

A preliminary hearing was scheduled to begin Thursday for a 72-year-old registered sex offender accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl in Escondido in 2009.

Ricardo Borbon is charged with three felony charges of committing a lewd and lascivious act on a child under 14, according to jail records.

On Aug. 17, 2009, Escondido police were called to an auto shop in the 1000 block of West Mission Avenue to investigate a possible sexual assault. The young victim told police an unknown man sexually assaulted her, said EPD Lt. Craig Carter.

The next day, police received a call from a state parole officer who stated that there was a registered sex offender in the area who had cut off his GPS monitor, Carter said, noting the offender matched the description from the previous day's case.

Borbon was arrested in Mexico on Oct. 6, 2010 by Mexican authorities at the request of U.S. authorities, Carter said. He was extradited to San Diego last September.

A judge will decide at the end of the preliminary hearing whether there's enough evidence to order the defendant to stand trial.

Man Pleads Not Guilty to Puppy Beating

A Crest man accused of beating his puppy so severely that it had to be euthanized pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a felony charge of animal cruelty.

Phillip Shawn Rich, who is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail, faces up to three years in state prison if convicted.

"The District Attorney's Office takes animal cruelty cases very seriously, and this case is particularly brutal," said District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. "We follow the evidence and the law in these types of cases to file all charges that are appropriate and hold defendants accountable for their actions."

Rich, 26, brought his 4-month-old Siberian husky, "Knight," to a veterinary hospital Saturday night, said Dan DeSousa of the county Department of Animal Services.

A veterinarian determined that the dog's injuries were so severe that euthanasia was the only humane option, DeSousa said.

Finding Rich's version of what happened unconvincing, the Department of Animal Services was notified, and after being interviewed, the defendant was arrested about 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

Rich will be back in court Feb. 2 for a readiness conference and Feb. 7 for a preliminary hearing.

-City News Service