Frys.com Open 2012 preview: Ernie Els, John Daly highlight field at CordeValle

The PGA Tour's Fall Series moves to California this week with the Frys.com Open.

CordeValle Golf Club hosts the tournament, which has seen its fair share of drama in recent years. In 2010, it was Rocco Mediate holing out on four straight days, the last of which secured a one-shot win down the stretch. Last year, Bryce Molder broke though for his first career win, beating out a field that included Tiger Woods. This season, some renowned veterans and up-and-coming talents are in attendance in San Martin.

While there's no Tiger this year, the field does feature a four-time Major winner in Ernie Els. The Big Easy is probably the biggest name in the field, and he's also the only player in attendance who went the distance in the FedExCup. He had a strong summer on Tour, and has to be one of the favorites entering the week.

Vijay Singh and John Daly are two other familiar names who will try to pick up a fall win. Singh, the game's ultimate grinder, continues to play a demanding schedule despite his hefty career earnings. He has not missed a cut in 10 starts, but fell off on the weekend at the Shriners Open.

Daly shot his lowest score since the 2007 Frys.com open when he fired a second-round 63 last week in Vegas. In typical Daly fashion, however, he backed that up with an 86 the very next day. He's aggressively pursuing a full-time card for next year, so he'll look to find some of the 2007 magic he had in this event. But it will always be about stringing together four straight rounds with the fan favorite. Davis Love III and Angel Cabrera are two other veteran Major winners who will be on hand.

Some of the talented youngsters playing this week include Bud Cauley, Patrick Cantlay, Gary Woodland, and John Peterson. The fall events always provide opportunities for the up-and-comers to pick up a first career win that propels them to future greatness. Cauley, in particular, has a great shot to be on the first page of the leaderboard come Sunday.