The PGA Tour thought it finally found a permanent home for its annual awards presentation. It was held the last two years during the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, a perfect place with so many corporate executives on site.

Now, the tour is trying to arrange a new site for the fifth time in the last six years.

While Pebble Beach typically has strong media coverage and corporate presence from all the CEOs playing in the pro-am, it doesn’t make sense to present the Player of the Year award when the player of the year isn’t around.

There are growing indications that Tiger Woods will skip Pebble Beach for the first time since he turned pro in 1996.

Woods has had mixed success at Pebble.

While most people recall his spectacular 63-64 weekend in 1997 to finish second, and his stunning comeback in 2000 seven strokes behind with seven holes to play those were his only two top-10 finishes in six tries at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

His cut streak dates to Pebble in 1998, when he withdrew rather than return seven months later to complete the tournament in August.

A year later, Woods shot 78 in the third round, narrowly making the cut.

Woods hasn’t announced his plans for Pebble, but the tour already is looking at alternative sites. Officials are meeting this week, and Torrey Pines (Buick Invitational) is the likely place for the 2002 awards presentation.

A lesson from Martha: It was only a matter of time before Martha’s name came up during a PGA Tour meeting about protecting the image of golf.

Only it wasn’t Martha Burk and her campaign against all-male Augusta National.

During a players meeting at the Buick Challenge, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem used Martha Stewart as an example of how actions can lead to consequences that destroy even the most squeaky-clean reputations.

“It was about how a brand can turn very quickly,” Finchem said.

Stewart’s conglomerate has suffered since accusations of insider trading.

Finchem often talks to players about their behavior on and off the course, although he said his role in preserving golf’s image is “overstated.”

“The sport takes care of that,” Finchem said. “I try to enforce to our players that they need to make sure we’re not doing anything to tarnish it.”

Tiresome questions: There may be a day when no one questions Phil Mickelson about his aggressive style of play.

He’s not holding his breath.

“I would think that after 10 years, after 25 tournaments a year, four rounds a week you’ve seen me play roughly 1,000 competitive rounds, and every single one of them I play aggressive and attacking,” Mickelson said. “I would think we would just come to accept it, because I certainly have.”

Augusta bound: The record number of first-time winners on the PGA Tour has translated to a high number of first-timers at Augusta National.

PGA champion Rich Beem, K.J. Choi, Chris Riley, John Rollins, Phil Tataurangi and Jonathan Byrd each earned their first trip to the Masters by finishing in the top 40 on the money list. Joining them will be Pat Perez, who finished 40th by $38,613 over Peter Lonard.

Divots: Sponsorship problems also are creeping into the silly season. Gaylord Event Television is looking for a new title sponsor for the Team Matches previously sponsored by Diners Club and Hyundai. A TaylorMade Firesole driver found in the rubble of the World Trade Center collapse has been donated to the U.S. Golf Association for its display honoring victims of the attack. Former President Clinton plans to play in the Nov. 15 pro-am for the Hyundai Team Matches in Dana Point, Calif.