Tiger Woods is back — here’s how he spends his millions and lives his life off the course

AUSTIN, Texas – The bracket has been released for this week’s World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, which will start Wednesday at Austin (Texas) Country Club. Among the intriguing matchups in the 16 four-man pools are the impending match between world No. 1 Jon Rahm and match-play specialist Patrick Reed. Former FedExCup champ Justin Thomas may face the toughest road out of pool play, while Bryson DeChambeau’s return to competition will include a rematch against Lee Westwood, with whom DeChambeau dueled in last year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. RELATED: Click here to sign up and play the Bracket Challenge The 64-man field is divided into 16 four-man pools. Players face each member of their pool once, with the player with the best record advancing to single-elimination rounds starting Saturday. Ties in pool play will be broken by sudden-death playoffs. Two rounds apiece will be played Saturday and Sunday to crown a champion. Billy Horschel is the defending champion after beating Scottie Scheffler, the current leader of the FedExCup, in the final match. Thomas, fresh off a T3 finish at the Valspar Championship, finds himself in the same pool as his good friend and noted match-play specialist Kevin Kisner, as well as Presidents Cup stalwart Marc Leishman and Luke List, who won this year’s Farmers Insurance Open. Kisner, who has a runner-up (2018) and victory (2019) in the Dell Technologies Match Play, and Thomas often trash talk when their alma maters, Georgia and Alabama, clash in college football. Thomas has advanced out of pool play just once in five appearances in this event. The former Alabama standout holds an 8-10-1 record in the tournament, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in 2018. Coincidentally, he opened that run by facing List, as he will on Wednesday, before getting the chance to exact revenge on Kisner. Kisner, the 2019 champion, beat Thomas, 2 and 1, in group play a year ago to curtail his chances. Kisner will first need to take on Leishman in what shapes as the perfect audition for his Presidents Cup claims. Leishman is 8-10-3 in the event but has never lost a Singles match at the Presidents Cup. Horschel finds himself in Group 12 with Belgium’s Thomas Pieters, recent AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner Tom Hoge and Australia’s exciting young prospect, Min Woo Lee, who is the brother of LPGA star Minjee Lee. Horschel also won the DP World Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship, during his successful 2021. He is 31st in this season’s FedExCup. Hoge has been one of the TOUR’s strongest players this year, ranking fifth in the FedExCup. Lee won a Rolex Series event, the Genesis Scottish Open, last year, while Pieters picked up a Rolex Series win of his own at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January. It was his second win on the DP World Tour in a span of three starts. Rahm will need to get past Sebastian Munoz of Colombia and rookie Cameron Young, a rising star who has two runners-up this season and ranks 15th in the FedExCup, before getting a shot at Reed, who went 6-0 in match play in leading Augusta State to consecutive NCAA Championships before burnishing his match-play reputation at the Ryder and Presidents cups. Rahm was runner-up to Dustin Johnson at Austin Country Club in 2017 and returned to the quarterfinals last year before losing to Scheffler. Reed has made it to the Round of 16 twice (2016, 2018) but failed to advance any further. Scheffler, who has won twice on TOUR in his last four starts, is grouped with three Englishmen in Group 5. Scheffler, who famously dispatched Rahm in Singles at last year’s Ryder Cup, faces another player known for Ryder Cup success in Ian Poulter. Scheffler will then face world No. 46 Tommy Fleetwood and world No. 25 Matt Fitzpatrick, a former U.S. Amateur champion who has four top-10s in five starts in 2022. Jordan Spieth, who like Scheffler attended the nearby University of Texas, finds himself with three fellow major champions in Group 11: Keegan Bradley, Justin Rose and Adam Scott. Mackenzie Hughes of Canada will get his chance to impress International Presidents Cup captain Trevor Immelman when he takes on three Americans in Group 8. Hughes will face 2020 FedExCup champ Dustin Johnson, a past winner of this event; three-time TOUR winner Max Homa and young star Matthew Wolff. Collin Morikawa, who was a disappointing 0-2-1 in his tournament debut last year, headlines Group 2 along with Jason Kokrak, who’s won three times in the past two seasons, match-play specialist Sergio Garcia and Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre. Norway’s Viktor Hovland highlights Group 3. He’ll face another European, Honda Classic champion Sepp Straka of Austria, and a pair of Americans in Cameron Tringale and Will Zalatoris. Tringale enters the week ranked 51st in the world and is seeking his first Masters invitation in seven years by cracking the top 50 at week’s end. Zalatoris is 25th in this season’s FedExCup standings. Further Presidents Cup auditions can be seen in Group 7 where Xander Schauffele, the Olympic gold medalist, and Tony Finau are clustered with Australian Lucas Herbert and Japan’s Takumi Kanaya. Herbert earned his first win at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in the fall, while Kanaya, who was once the world’s top-ranked amateur, is a three-time winner on the Japan Tour. FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay finds himself in Group 4 with South Korea’s Sungjae Im, winner of this season’s Shriners Children’s Open, Ireland’s Seamus Power and Keith Mitchell, who’s coming off a solid Florida Swing. DeChambeau, who’s playing on the PGA TOUR for the first time since January, has a rematch with Westwood on the schedule. The two tussled for two weeks in Florida last year, at both Bay Hill and THE PLAYERS. Talor Gooch, who earned his first PGA TOUR win this season, and 49-year-old Englishman Richard Bland also are in this group. Group 10 pits South African Louis Oosthuizen with England’s Paul Casey, who has advanced to at least the Round of 16 in seven of his 15 appearances in this event, Corey Conners of Canada and Sweden’s Alex Noren, who made the quarterfinals in 2017 and finished third in 2018. Group 13 features England’s Tyrrell Hatton, Daniel Berger, former PLAYERS champ Si Woo Kim and South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout. Joaquin Niemann, who won The Genesis Invitational in impressive fashion, is in a pool with the last man in the field, Maverick McNealy, as well as Russell Henley and Kevin Na. McNealy got in the field when Sam Burns withdrew after winning the Valspar Championship on Sunday. Mexico’s Abraham Ancer, one of the stars of the most recent Presidents Cup, faces Webb Simpson, who lives on the venue for this year’s Presidents Cup, Quail Hollow. Brian Harman and former Match Play winner Bubba Watson also highlight this group. Watson and Simpson are often teammates in international team matches, but they’ll be opponents this week, while Watson and Harman are both former Georgia Bulldogs. Major winners Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry are in Group 16 along with Harold Varner III, who’s coming off a sixth-place finish at THE PLAYERS, and South Africa’s Erik Van Rooyen, who won his first TOUR title (Barracuda) and made his first TOUR Championship last year. A closer look at the groups (players’ seeding in parentheses): Group 1 Jon Rahm (1) Patrick Reed (23) Cameron Young (40) Sebastian Munoz (58) Group 2 Collin Morikawa (2) Jason Kokrak (22) Sergio Garcia (43) Robert MacIntyre (61) Group 3 Viktor Hovland (3) Will Zalatoris (24) Cameron Tringale (45) Sepp Straka (63) Group 4 Patrick Cantlay (4) Sungjae Im (21) Seamus Power (42) Keith Mitchell (62) Group 5 Scottie Scheffler (5) Matt Fitzpatrick (20) Tommy Fleetwood (41) Ian Poulter (59) Group 6 Justin Thomas (6) Kevin Kisner (29) Marc Leishman (37) Luke List (53) Group 7 Xander Schauffele (7) Tony Finau (18) Lucas Herbert (39) Takumi Kanaya (56) Group 8 Dustin Johnson (8) Max Homa (30) Matthew Wolff (38) Mackenzie Hughes (51) Group 9 Bryson DeChambeau (9) Talor Gooch (27) Lee Westwood (47) Richard Bland (54) Group 10 Louis Oosthuizen (10) Paul Casey (19) Corey Conners (36) Alex Noren (50) Group 11 Jordan Spieth (11) Adam Scott (32) Justin Rose (46) Keegan Bradley (60) Group 12 Billy Horschel (12) Thomas Pieters (26) Tom Hoge (33) Min Woo Lee (49) Group 13 Tyrrell Hatton (13) Daniel Berger (17) Si Woo Kim (48) Christiaan Bezuidenhout (52) Group 14 Joaquin Niemann (14) Kevin Na (25) Russell Henley (34) Maverick McNealy (64) Group 15 Abraham Ancer (15) Webb Simpson (31) Brian Harman (44) Bubba Watson (57) Group 16 Brooks Koepka (16) Shane Lowry (28) Harold Varner III (35) Erik van Rooyen (55)

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Rickie Fowler returned to the spotlight Saturday in the foothills above Las Vegas with his best round in three years, a 9-under 63 that gave him a two-shot lead over Rory McIlroy going into the final round of the CJ Cup at Summit.

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Titleist had a singular goal in mind during the creation of its new TS drivers and fairway woods: Build a product that was not only markedly better than its predecessor but focused specifically on increasing club head and ball speed. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the TS stands for “Titleist Speed.” “We wanted to get rid of the slow, spinney label that had been placed on Titleist drivers in recent years,” said Josh Talge, Titleist’s VP of golf club marketing. “We measured every little thing to get better results, with the goal of creating a club that’s considerably faster than anything we’ve created in the past.” MORE: See photo gallery below Titleist believes the new TS2 and TS3 drivers check all the boxes when it comes to speed. In fact, they were so good during prototype testing that Justin Thomas and Rafa Cabrera Bello — Cabrera Bello picked up more than 15 yards — pushed to get the driver in the bag ahead of the usual TOUR launch at Quicken Loans National. Constant pressure from the Tour staff led Titleist to move the launch date to U.S. Open week, where 17 players put the new drivers in play, including Thomas, Jimmy Walker and Adam Scott. Thomas wound up recording the longest drive of his career that week (422 yards) with a 9.5-degree TS3. “It was very easy to transition, as it always is,” Thomas said. “The new TS driver was instantly faster off the club and I was able to get a few more yards carry when needed. More importantly for me, my spin numbers were more consistent therefore it has helped me drive the ball much better. The fairway metal too has gone up in spin to give me control and can easily fly it 280-285 off the tee if needed. Which is such a great asset and club to have.” TS DRIVERS Most of the newfound speed comes the company’s Speed Chassis, which is comprised of four different technologies. Titleist engineers began by significantly thinning out the Radial VFT face, getting it to .35 millimeters in some regions. In previous years, the face thickness on a Titleist driver was somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.5 to 2.8 millimeters. With a paper-thin face, Titleist was forced to get creative with the score lines and laser them on, as opposed to etching them into the face as they’ve done with prior generations. The new face design yielded a weight savings of six grams that was repositioned low and back in the head to create the deepest center of gravity (CG) position ever in a Titleist driver for a higher launch angle and lower spin, as well as a 12 percent increase in Moment of Inertia. Titleist also plans to 100 percent inspect each face that comes off the line to ensure every driver, regardless if it’s going to a TOUR winner or a recreational golfer, has the maximum allowable speed. “We don’t want the guys on TOUR to get something special and the rest of us to get something that’s not as warm,” said Talge. “We’re always going to be within the rules of golf, but we want to give people something that says, ‘We’re going to be legal here, but we’re not going to be so slow that you’re going to be giving something up.'” An ultra-thin titanium crown, the lightest in the industry, and new streamlined shape round out the new Speed Chassis package. Titleist toyed with the idea of adding bumped or raised areas to the crown to improve airflow efficiency but opted for a sleeker, more aerodynamic shape that reduces drag by up to 20 percent for more speed through the hitting area.  “What we found during testing was that there was no real competitive advantage, so we really wanted to provide a very classic, clean look,” said Stephanie Luttrell, Titleist’s director of metalwood development. “We don’t think it stands out from a shape perspective, but we really think it makes a difference.” Due to the new CG position and weight savings that was gained from the crown and face, Titleist removed the Active Recoil Channel (ARC) from the sole, believing it no longer served a purpose. Luttrell was quick to point out that with ARC no longer in the picture, players should notice a more pleasing sound at impact. Player feedback also led to a return of the classic, high-gloss black crown that was last featured on the 915 Series. Both drivers come in at 460cc with the high launch, low spin TS2 being the “pure distance” model in the lineup. Instead of adding a SureFit CG cartridge to the sole, Titleist kept the profile simple, focusing on forgiveness across the entire face. The mid launch, low spin TS3, which has the same forgiveness as 917D2, will continue to house the SureFit CG cartridge in the sole that makes it possible to alter center of gravity, via a cylindrical cartridge, to produce a fade or draw. The Surefit hosel can be found on both drivers and offers 16 independent loft and lie settings. A multitude of premium aftermarket shafts (45.5 inches stock length) are available as well, including Mitsubishi’s Kuro Kage Black Dual Core 50 (high launch, moderate spin), Tensei AV Series Blue 55 (mid launch, spin), Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 60 (low to mid launch, spin) and Even Flow T1100 White 65 (low launch and spin). From a usage standpoint on TOUR, Titleist currently has a near split between the TS2 and TS3 worldwide. The percentage differs greatly from what it’s seen in recent years with 917 and 915, where 917D2 and 915D3 were the runaway favorites. TS FAIRWAY WOODS Titleist’s TS2 and TS3 fairway woods take a page from the thinner, lighter TS driver playbook with a Speed Chassis that’s designed to reduce weight in the crown by 27 percent. Discretionary weight from the .4 millimeter crown was placed low and back to produce a higher launch, more spin and 11 percent higher MOI than 917 for additional stability. An optimized aerodynamic shape and thinner VFT face boost ball speeds and clubhead speed, and work in tandem with a third-generation Active Recoil Channel that’s taller than its predecessor — producing even more flexibility for consistent face deflection and speed across the face. “We still had a need for ARC in the fairway woods,” Luttrell said. “Players will be using these clubs a lot off the turf, which means the bottom of the face is a crucial area for ball speed retention.” Similar to the drivers, the TS2 fairway wood no longer includes then SureFit CG cartridge in an effort to focus on forgiveness and speed. The 175cc head is designed with a more playable, modern shape for a high launch and mid spin. The TS3 is also 175cc but features more traditional shaping and the company’s SureFit CG. For players who require more adjustability with a mid launch and low spin, TS3 should be a consideration during product testing. Titleist has seen a similar TOUR adoption to the TS fairway woods with more than 75 put in play since they were introduced at Quicken Loans National. Jordan Spieth (15 degrees) and Bill Haas (15 and 18 degrees) are currently playing the TS2, while Justin Thomas (15 degrees) and Jimmy Walker (13.5 degrees) opted for TS3. Mitsubishi’s Kuro Kage Black Dual Core 55, Tensei AV Series Blue 65 (mid launch, spin), Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70 (low to mid launch, spin) and Even Flow T1100 White 75 (low launch and spin) are the stock aftermarket shaft offerings. Each shaft will be making its debut with the TS fairway woods. PRICING AND RETAIL DATE Titleist’s TS2 (8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 11.5 degrees) and TS3 (8.5, 9.5 and 10.5 degrees) drivers retail for $500 and will be available Sept. 28. The TS2 (13.5, 15, 16.5, 18 and 21 degrees) and TS3 (13.5, 15, 16.5 and 18 degrees) fairway woods are offered for $300 per club.

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