Wake Forest’s Will Zalatoris forgoes final semester, turns pro

SAN FRANCISCO — Jason Day took his first step toward a return to the spotlight in the majors Thursday at the PGA Championship. Brooks Koepka never seems to leave. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Tiger looks solid in Round 1 | DeChambeau snaps driver Day took advantage of a TPC Harding Park that never felt this accommodating during the practice rounds. With only a mild breeze and a welcome appearance by the sunshine, he finished his bogey-free round of 5-under 65 with an approach to 6 feet for birdie on No. 9, the toughest hole on the course at 518 yards. That gave him a share of the lead with Brendon Todd, whose round was equally impressive. Playing in the afternoon, as the wind strengthened, Todd made seven birdies and finished with a 10-foot par putt. They were one shot ahead of nine players, a group that included major champions from years gone by, a PGA TOUR rookie and the one guy — Koepka — who shows up at every major no matter what kind of shape his game is in. Koepka is the two-time defending champion, presented the opportunity this week to become only the seventh player in the 160-year history of major championship golf to win the same major three years in a row. It was last done 64 years ago. He’s still a little annoyed that he missed a similar chance last year down the Pacific coast at Pebble Beach, when he finished runner-up in his bid for a third straight U.S. Open. Koepka hasn’t won in more than a year. His left knee has been bothering him since last August. No matter. After a slow start, he powered his way to six birdies and made a series of key putts for par — and one 12-footer for bogey — that gave him an ideal start to this major. He was at 66 with eight other players, a list that included former major winners Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer and Zach Johnson, rising star Xander Schauffele and tour rookie Scottie Scheffler. “It’s only 18 holes right now,” Koepka said. “I feel good. I feel confident. I’m excited for the next three days. I think I can definitely play a lot better. Just need to tidy a few things up, and we’ll be there come Sunday on the back nine.” Tiger Woods ran off three birdies in a four-hole stretch toward the end of his round that offset a few mistakes. He opened with a 68, a solid start for a 15-time major champion who has played just one tournament in the last six months. Woods put a new putter into play — this one is a little longer, which he says helps him practice longer without straining his surgically repaired back — and it came in handy. He made a 30-foot birdie early. He was most pleased with a 20-foot par putt on No. 18 as he made the turn. And he was thrilled with the weather. “I thought anything today in the red was going to be good,” Woods said. In this case, there was a lot of good to go around. Just under one-third of the field –47 players — broke par. That included Bryson DeChambeau, who broke his driver on the seventh hole after another vicious swing. Oddly enough, it finally gave way when he leaned on it ever so slightly while picking up his tee. He was able to replace it and challenged the lead — he was 4 under through 10 — until he slid back to a 68. Instead of the wind and chill and the thick marine layer, it was pleasant enough to make this feel like a casual round of golf. It sounded like that, too. Woods is used to tournament golf in the COVID-19 era. Spectators have not been allowed at any tournament since the PGA TOUR returned two months ago. So that was nothing new. Still, there was a starter speaking into a microphone on the first tee, and he stuck with the tradition when introducing past PGA champions. Woods has won it four times. “It still funny,” Rory McIlroy said. “You know, `99, 2000, 2006, 2007 PGA champion, Tiger Woods. And then there’s nothing. That’s pretty interesting. That’s definitely different.” McIlroy, Woods and Justin Thomas, the No. 1 player in the world, each started with a birdie on No. 10 to no applause. McIlroy overcame three straight bogeys early in his round for an even-par 70. Thomas was going along fine until a pair of double bogeys, one on the seventh hole when his ball never came down from a Monterey Cypress tree. He shot 71. The start was a good sign for Day, the former No. 1 player in the world, because he has struggled so much since his last win two years ago. His back gives him trouble. Off the course, his mother was battling lung cancer in Australia. And then he finally made a clean break from his longtime coach and lifetime mentor, Collin Swatton. But he registered three top 10s coming into the PGA Championship, and his confidence is growing. Ditto for Koepka. He missed the cut at the 3M Open in Minnesota two weeks ago, went home to Florida and during one range session was so frustrated he heaved a few clubs. But a quick video review and some technical work revealed his weight was on the wrong side. He made the adjustment and tied for second last week at a World Golf Championship. And this is a major. Big Game Brooks is at his best in these. “He seems to find his comfort zone in these tournaments, in these environments, for whatever reason that is,” McIlroy said. “I think we are all just lucky that he doesn’t find it every other week.”

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The PGA TOUR’s Return to Golf continues Saturday in Round 3 of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action. Round 3 leaderboard Round 3 tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 4 p.m.-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday 7:45 a.m.-7 p.m. (featured groups), Saturday-Sunday 7:45 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups). Saturday-Sunday 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m.-7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). Twitter Multicast: Thursday, 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET FEATURED GROUPS Pat Perez, Viktor Hovland 9:00 a.m. ET (No. 1) Jhonattan Vegas, Alex Noren 9:20 a.m. ET (No. 1) Harold Varner III, Jordan Spieth 1:10 p.m. ET (No. 1) MUST READS ‘Who’s who’ leaderboard heading into weekend at Colonial How to bounce back from a 4-putt or a triple bogey Varner III leads by one at Colonial Return cut short for big names Four changes we’re seeing with DeChambeau ‘Strange’ and ‘odd’ atmosphere as TOUR returns Lehman turns back the clock at Colonial Moment of silence speaks volumes CALL OF THE DAY

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CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – Russell Knox may have won less than two weeks ago and once ranked among the world’s top 20 players, but even he was intimidated by Thursday’s playing partner. Tiger Woods, even if he’s five years removed from his last win and hasn’t won a major in a decade, still has that effect. “I’ve won three times. I’ve played in front of loads of people for the last eight years. But, I mean, I think it’s a little different knowing who you’re playing with,� said Knox, who owns two victories on the PGA TOUR. “I think he’s the best golfer of all time. He’s definitely the person I looked up to. So getting to play with him is pretty unique. “He’s almost like a mythical figure.� Thursday was the first time Knox and Woods played together on the PGA TOUR. The Scot arrived at Carnoustie in fine form, finishing second in France and winning the Irish Open, but he was quick to admit that playing with Woods made him nervous. Knox’s two TOUR wins include a World Golf Championship (WGC-HSBC Champions), as well as the Travelers Championship. The guy who used to play Woods’ video game got to watch him shoot his best round at a major in four years. Woods had shot over-par in the opening round of his past seven majors, averaging nearly 76 strokes in those Thursdays that so quickly quashed the enthusiasm that follows him to each of golf’s Grand Slam events. The scoreboard will show that Woods is five shots behind first-round leader Kevin Kisner, but Woods’ even-par 71 was among the better ones among Thursday’s late finishers. Nobody in the last 12 groups shot under par. Chez Reavie (69) shot the only under-par score in the final 15 groups. Woods used a conservative strategy off the tee, relying almost exclusively on long-irons. His gameplan drew comparisons to the one he used to win this championship 12 years ago at Royal Liverpool. It was his third victory in The Open Championship. “I felt like I could shoot something under par today, it would be good,� Woods said. “I birdied 1 and birdied 3, and I was right there. I had an 8-iron to 6 (a par-5) and looking like I could really do something here. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite turn out that way, but (in) this afternoon wave, I was one of the lower rounds.� Woods made three bogeys and just a single birdie on the back nine. After the round, he insisted that the two pieces of black sports tape that were visible beneath Woods’ blue vest were not cause for concern, even though he did admit that his neck has been bugging him for “a while.� “Just helping me support my neck a little bit. Makes me feel a little bit more comfortable,� he said. “Everyone acts like this is the first time I’ve been bandaged up. I’ve been doing this for years, … braces and bandages. Just this time it’s actually visible.� Woods played in Thursday’s 47th game, as they’re called over here. It was past 8 p.m. when he arrived at the final fairway, and only five groups remained on the course. Woods may remain the game’s biggest draw, but it was so late that fans were headed for the exits before he finished his round. The large, navy blue grandstands that surround the 18th green were little more than half full. Seagulls were flying low over the course, their squawking filling the silence as players stood over their shots. Mark Calcavecchia, who won this championship almost three decades ago on the other side of Scotland, watched Woods’ finish from the open window of his room in the Carnoustie Golf Hotel. As soon as Woods exited the 18th green, Calcavecchia drew the blinds and closed the window to protect against the cold breeze that blew off the North Sea. Woods will get the easier morning conditions on Friday. He is scheduled to tee off at 10:20 a.m. local time, just as an expected early-morning rain is scheduled to end. The precipitation could help take some of the fire out of a firm and fast Carnoustie. If he can take advantage, he’ll be looking at his best chance to win a major since The Open in 2013. This tournament seems to refresh Woods. He loves being creative. Shaping shots energizes him. Carnoustie was his first encounter with a links course. He played the 1995 Scottish Open before heading over to St. Andrews to play in The Open as the reigning U.S. Amateur champion. “This is how the game should be played,� Woods said Thursday. “It should be creative. It should be played on the ground.� He loves links, but his affection for winning majors is greater. For the first time in a while, his hopes were not dashed on Thursday. Woods is still in this Open Championship.

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