Tiger Woods' absence from the Nissan Open has not made the $5.2 million event any less attractive as eight of the world's top 10 tee off in Los Angeles on Thursday.
The world number one has opted to miss his hometown event and will instead aim for an eighth successive US Tour win at the Accenture World Match Play in Tucson next week.
Sweden's Henrik Stenson will also be missing but with Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia, David Howell, Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington all set to line up at the Rivera Country Club, it promises to be the strongest field gathered so far this season on the PGA Tour.
Defending champion Rory Sabbatini is well aware he faces a tough task to retain his crown.
"I think it's definitely going to be a week to go out there and play as hard as you can," he said. "And, obviously, 20 of the Top 25 or 28 players in the world, that speaks volumes about this tournament.
"It's obviously a very well-respected tournament. Guys are here to win it for that reason."
Els, the 1999 champion, added: "The golf course looks really good.
"It seems like we might have firm greens this year and they really got a lot of speed on them. So that should make it a bit more difficult for us."
Los Angeles native Kevin Na rubbished rumours Woods is avoiding the event to maintain his winning streak as he closes in on Byron Nelson's record of 11 successive victories.
Woods has played the event every year since turning professional apart from 2002, when he was recovering from knee surgery, but has yet to triumph after losing to Billy Mayfair in a play-off in 1998.
"I think it would be more special to keep the streak alive in the place you've never won," said Na.
"I'm sure Tiger has a great reason why he is not playing. I don't know, maybe the traffic. I was in traffic all week. It's brutal out here. I'm sure he's got a great reason. I'm sure he will come back next year and play. I'm sure he will win it."
Goosen wrote himself into Riviera folk lore in 2005 during his first appearance at the event when the South African missed his tee-time in the Pro-Am and was subsequently disqualified - PGA Tour rules state players who miss the Pro-Am are disqualified from the tournament.
"The last time I was here I only played one practice round, but I brought six alarm clocks with me this week," he said.
"So I'm not going to be sleeping so well before Wednesday and Thursday, I think."
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