Tiger Woods birdied the first hole of Wednesday’s pro-am — and he made it look really, REALLY easy

FORT WORTH, Texas — Kelly Kraft, Derek Fathauer and PGA TOUR rookie J.T. Poston all shot 5-under 65 on Thursday to share the lead after the first round at Colonial. Jon Rahm, Scott Brown and Graeme McDowell followed at 66. Two-time Colonial champions Phil Mickelson and Zach Johnson both birdied their last three holes and were among six players with rounds of 67. Defending champion Jordan Spieth, coming off consecutive missed cuts, was tied for 34th after an even-par 70 with six birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey. Only 33 of the 121 players finished under par. Kraft and McDowell had the only bogey-free rounds. Brown had the lead outright at 6 under before a double bogey on his last hole.

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THE OVERVIEW Some players prefer to rest the week before a major championship. Phil Mickelson, on the other hand, prefers to play. “Some people feel like if they win, they’ve expended too much energy and don’t carry it over,â€� Mickelson said. “For me, I’ve actually won two of my five majors winning the week before and I think it would be momentum that I would carry over to the U.S. Open. That’s why I would love to play well and hopefully come out on top.â€� No one has played better than Mickelson in Memphis over the last five years since he added the FedEx St. Jude Classic to his schedule before the U.S. Open. Since 2013, he’s never finished worse than T11 with 15 sub-70 rounds and two runner-ups. No one will confuse TPC Southwind with Oakmont or Shinnecock, but the course setup has given Mickelson the opportunity to work on sharpening his mental game and accuracy — two things that are absolutely imperative at the U.S. Open, long considered the toughest test in professional golf. “I feel the best way for me to prepare for the U.S. Open is to get in contention and get sharp mentally and with my game,â€� Mickelson said. “That’s what playing here in Memphis does. Precision is a key factor at this course. “[TPC Southwind] doesn’t beat you up with length, you don’t have to go out and bomb it. You’ve got to be precise with every shot off the tee.â€� Mickelson will not only need to be precise off the tee this week, but at Shinnecock as well. Given his strong history in Memphis, Mickelson spent the early part of the week logging practice rounds at the Long Island course, even getting in a practice round with Villanova basketball coach Jay Wright. “I feel like all areas of your game are going to be tested and skill is going to be a huge factor, especially chipping and putting around the greens,â€� Mickelson said. “Very challenging but very fair. It’s not hack-it-out rough, it’s fairway height, but the greens are so difficult that it’s hard to get the ball close and I love the challenge.â€� While Mickelson has his sights set on Shinnecock, he isn’t looking beyond this week. Given his respect for TPC Southwind and the tournament, Mickelson admitted he’d love to somehow find a way to fill two holes in his Hall-of-Fame resume over the next two weeks. “I very much would like to win [the FedEx St. Jude Classic],â€� Mickelson said. “Winning earlier this year meant a lot to me, and I’d love to add a couple more this year and this is an ideal spot. I know I’ll be in it on Sunday, I just hope I shoot low enough to pull through.â€� THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER Phil Mickelson Very few players have a better track record at TPC Southwind than Mickelson. His last five starts include two T2s and a T3. With the U.S. Open on tap, this has turned into a perfect week to sharpen his game. Joaquín Niemann Already has Special Temporary Membership on TOUR with three top 10s in his first five starts as a pro. His ability and fearless nature were on display during the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, where he finished T6. Brooks Koepka Played the FedEx St. Jude Classic last year before going on to win the following week at the U.S. Open. Last four starts at TPC Southwind feature a T2, T3 and a scoring average of 68.56. Much of his recent success this season — he finished runner-up at the Fort Worth Invitational — can be attributed to a healthy wrist. THE FLYOVER A closer look at TPC Southwind’s finishing hole, the 453-yard par-4 18th. Last year, it played to a stroke average of 4.140, making it the sixth most difficult hole on the course, and ranked as the 15th most difficult closing hole on TOUR last season. Just like its shorter but slightly more severe cousin, the par-4 12th, the 18th’s primary defense is water. A total of 839 shots have ended up in the water since 2003, fifth most of any hole on TOUR during that span. THE LANDING ZONE The 485-yard fifth ranked as the toughest hole on the course during last season’s tournament, with a scoring average of 4.240. Finding the fairway is the biggest challenge, as the hole ranked as the second toughest to hit, with just 28 percent of the field finding the short grass off the tee during the final round. A large tree on the right side of the fairway comes into play, while the left side is lined with spectator mounds. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “High pressure will influence the weather on Thursday and Friday with mostly sunny skies and hot afternoon temperatures. Humidity levels will increase each day and by Friday the heat index will approach 100 degrees Fahrenheit. A weak front is forecast to drop down into Tennessee by Sunday and could produce a few scattered thunderstorms.â€� For the latest weather news from Memphis, Tennessee check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK I think a lot of it reminds me of the golf course that I grew up on. Bermuda green, a lot of familiar tee shots, and overall, it just feels like I’m back home. I know it’s Memphis, but it reminds me a lot Florida. BY THE NUMBERS 4 – Daniel Berger became the fourth back-to-back winner at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, joining David Toms, Lee Trevino and Dave Hill. 4,964 – Since 2003, TPC Southwind has surrendered 4,964 balls in the water. The total number of balls in the water is 1,562 more than TPC Sawgrass with 3,707. 6 – Since 2007, six of the 11 FedEx St. Jude Classic champions have qualified for the TOUR Championship. SCATTERSHOTS There’s something about TPC Southwind that prepares a player to win the U.S. Open. The last two champions (Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson) played the week prior in Memphis before going on to win their first major title. In the ShotLink era (Since 2003), six FedEx St. Jude Classic champions did not find the water at TPC Southwind en route to their respective victories and three of the last four champions at this event since 2014. Phil Mickelson is a combined 41-under par, recording 18 of 20 rounds of par or better and 90 birdies or better. Mickelson has record four top 10s in five starts at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, tied with Billy Horschel for the most top-10 finishes at this event in this stretch.

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Tiger Woods has missed the cut at the PGA Championship. It’s just his ninth missed cut in a major as a pro. RELATED: Leaderboard | Tee times | Tiger’s up-and-down Round 1 | Rethinking Tiger’s future | Tiger ‘welcomes’ playing in Olympics Expectations were high when Woods arrived on Long Island after his victory in last month’s Masters, but he made too many unforced errors on Thursday and struggled to find fairways Friday. He finished 36 holes at 5-over 145 (72-73). ROUND 2: TIGER HOLE-BY-HOLE No. 18 (par 4, 411 yards): Tiger hits his third fairway of the day but he misses the green on Bethpage Black’s short par-4 finishing hole. He gives a valiant effort on his chip but it runs by the hole and he will be going home. He makes the 5-foot par putt but it won’t be enough. He finishes 5 over and will miss the cut in a major for the ninth time as a pro. Fairway: Missed (3 of 14) Green: Missed (9 of 18) Putts: 1 (30) Score: 4 (+3, +5 overall) No. 17 (par 3, 207 yards): It’s going to come down to the last hole. Woods needs to birdie 18 to make the cut. He hit his tee shot on this 193-yard hole to 39 feet, then two-putted for par. He holed a 4-foot par putt to keep his weekend chances alive. Fairway: N/A Green: Hit (9 of 17) Putts: 29 Score: 3 (+3, +5 overall) No. 16 (par 4, 490 yards): Another par for Tiger, but that’s not what he needs right now. He’ll have to birdie one of the last two holes to make the cut. Tiger’s tee shot and approach both landed in the fringe. He two-putted from 25 feet for par.  Fairway: Missed (2 of 13) Green: Missed (8 of 16) Putts: 27 Score: 4 (+3, +5 overall) No. 15 (par 4, 484 yards): Tiger makes his first par since the eighth hole, but he needs another birdie to avoid a missed cut. He hit his second fairway of the day, then hit his 170-yard approach to 34 feet. He two-putted for par to keep his cut hopes alive. Fairway: Hit (2 of 12) Green: Hit (8 of 15) Putts: 2 (26) Score: 4 (+3, +5 overall) No. 14 (par 3, 161 yards): Tiger’s fourth three-putt of the week results in a bogey on the shortest hole on the course. A poor approach was the culprit. He hit it to 55 feet from just 160 yards. He’ll need to play the last four holes in 1 under to have a chance at the weekend. He hasn’t had a par since the eight hole, making four bogeys and two birdies in his last six holes. Fairway: N/A Green: Hit (7 of 14) Putts: 3 (24) Score: 4 (+3, +5 overall) No. 13 (par 5, 608 yards): A hard-earned birdie on the Black Course’s only par-5 on the back nine. He had to lay up after driving into a fairway bunker, but then hit his 160-yard approach to 9 feet. He’s sandwiched three bogeys between birdies on 9 and 13. Four over may be enough to make the cut but he can’t afford to drop another shot on the last five holes. Fairway: Missed (1 of 11) Green: Hit (6 of 13) Putts: 1 (21) Score: 4 (+2, +4 overall) No. 12 (par 4, 515 yards): Tiger was just inches from hitting his second fairway of the day. He hit the green from 213 yards, but three-putted for another bogey. It’s his third three-putt of the week. He needs some birdies coming in if he wants to be around for the weekend. Fairway: Missed (1 of 10) Green: Hit (5 of 12) Putts: 3 (20) Score: 5 (+3, +5 overall) No. 11 (par 4, 435 yards): Tiger is mixing things up a bit. He missed this fairway to the right. He’s still hit just one today. From 194 yards out, he tried to play a nifty shot from the rough, choking down on a fairway wood to punch it out of the rough. He squeezed his ball between the bunkers in front of the green, but it ran into the rough behind the green. A poor chip from there left Woods with a 12-foot par putt. He missed that to fall to 4 over for the first time this week. And now he’s on the wrong side of the cut line. Fairway: Missed (1 of 9) Green: Missed (4 of 11) Putts: 2 (17) Score: 5 (+2, +4 overall) No. 10 (par 4, 502 yards): Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Another miss to the left off the tee. This is becoming a theme. Just like Thursday, he has to lay up again on this long par-4. He wedges to 11 feet from 109 yards, but he misses the par putt. He’s back on the cut line with eight holes remaining.  Fairway: Miss (1 of 8) Green: Miss (4 of 10) Putts: 2 (15) Score: 5 (+1, +3 overall) No. 9 (par 4, 460 yards): A strong finish to the front nine. Tiger hit the fairway and the green and rolled in his 40-foot birdie putt. That will provide a little breathing room on the back nine as Tiger hopes to stay inside the cut line. It looks like he’s playing for a cut with his tee shots but the ball just isn’t fading. That’s why all his misses have been left. His iron play has been solid when he’s had the opportunity to hit approaches from short stuff. Fairway: Hit (1 of 7) Green: Hit (4 of 9) Putts: 1 (13) Score: 3 (E, +2 overall) No. 8 (par 3, 210 yards): A straightforward par. And that’s a good thing at this point. Tiger hit his 201-yard tee shot to 22 feet, then two-putted for par. Fairway: N/A Green: Hit (3 of 8) Putts: 2 (12) Score: 3 (+1, +3 overall) No. 7 (par 4, 524 yards): Another fairway missed. This one was left, as well. He could only hack out on this brutish par-4. He hit a strong wedge shot to 6 feet but missed the putt for his second bogey of the day. Fairway: Missed (0 for 6) Green: Missed (2 for 7) Putts: 2 (10) Score: 5 (+1, +3 overall) No. 6 (par 4, 408 yards): Left. Again. He still hasn’t hit a fairway, but he collects his first birdie of the day after hitting his 133-yard approach to 18 feet. He holed the putt from the fringe to get back to even par for the day. Fairway: Missed (0 for 5) Green: Missed (2 for 6) Putts: 0 (8) Score: 3 (E, +2 overall) No. 5 (par 4, 478 yards): Left again with the driver. He’s missed the first four fairways today. The rough is no place to be at Bethpage Black. He’s able to advance it into a greenside bunker. He blasted his ball to 9 feet and made the putt to stay on the correct side of the cut line. Fairway: Missed (0 for 4) Green: Missed (2 for 5) Putts: 1 (8) Score: 4 (+1, +3 overall) No. 4 (par 5, 517 yards): We’ll have to wait another hole for Tiger to hit his first fairway. He’s missed left both times he’s unsheathed the big stick today. That necessitates a lay-up. His spotty wedge play continued on the third shot, though, as he hit the 75-yarder to 25 feet. He two-putts for par and fails to take advantage of another hole that offers the rare birdie opportunity at Bethpage Black. Nos. 1, 2 and 4 are three of the four easiest holes on the course. He played them in 1 over. Tiger is now 13 shots behind Brooks. Fairway: Missed (0 for 3) Green: Hit (2 for 4) Putts: 2 (7) Score: 5 (+1, +3 overall) No. 3 (par 3, 230 yards): Tiger gave himself a great birdie chance after lasering a long-iron to 11 feet on this 221-yard hole. Unfortunately, it’s the second consecutive day that he’s unable to convert on a strong tee shot on the course’s toughest par-3. He missed a 9-foot birdie putt here on Friday. Tiger had to work hard for par after racing the birdie putt by, but he holed his 4-foot par putt to avoid dropping another shot. Fairway: NA Green: Hit (1 for 3) Putts: 2 (5) Score: 3 (+1, +3 overall) No. 2 (par 4, 389 yards): The second hole is the shortest par-4 at Bethpage Black but Tiger missed the fairway with an iron off the tee. He could only hack out, leaving himself a 90-yard wedge shot for his third. That shot spun back, some 20 feet short of the hole. Bethpage’s first two holes are the second- and fourth-easiest on the course, but Tiger has played them in 1 over. Another Brooks birdie means Tiger is now 12 back and, more importantly, on the cut line. Fairway: Missed (0 for 2) Green: Missed (0 for 2) Putts: 2 (3) Score: 5 (+1, +3 overall) No. 1 (par 4, 430 yards): A sloppy start. Tiger missed both the fairway and the green on Bethpage’s opening hole, but he salvaged par with a strong sand shot. He pulled his opening tee shot into the fans, which was a thrill for the New Yorkers but a headache for security. It took several minutes for the rowdy gallery members to clear out and give Tiger enough room to gouge his ball out of the thick stuff. He bounced that shot into the bunker, but he left himself plenty of green to work with. He finished it off with a 4-foot birdie putt. Brooks made an easy birdie, though, and Tiger is now 10 back. Fairway: Missed (0 for 1) Green: Missed (0 for 1) Putts: 1 (1) Score: 4 (E, +2 overall)

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