Follow live: Tiger in contention at Valspar Championship

“It’s always sad when one of the trusties has to retire,â€� Stenson told PGATOUR.COM on Tuesday at the Country Club of Houston. Stenson’s Callaway Diablo Octane Tour 3-wood, initially released to the public in 2011, was famously equipped with a Grafalloy Blue shaft that came out in 2003  — and  Stenson hit rockets with it. Having dropped to 207th in the world at the end of 2011 after a difficult year, Stenson regained the kind of form he previously showed in winning the 2009 PLAYERS Championship. By the end of 2013, he was world No. 3. In 2016, he was forced to change into a backup version of the club due to wear and tear. He then had to give up that backup in 2017 for the same reason but stuck with the same model. Finally, while playing on the European Tour in his most recent start, Stenson had to give up on the club altogether. On the Wednesday before the 2019 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club in Surrey, England, Stenson noticed the face of his newest Callaway Diablo Octane Tour 3-wood had caved in, and that it was no longer playable. Seeing the writing on the wall, Stenson put the Diablo Octane Tour into retirement. “I knew long before I gave up on it that the new technology was better and more efficient,â€� Stenson said Tuesday. “When the other one broke in 2017, in February, I was out at a tournament in Dubai and I had to put [a new fairway wood] in; that thing that I put in for that week was much hotter.â€� For Stenson, despite knowing that newer technology may produce greater distance or forgiveness, the familiarity he had with the older model was more important. “If you’re standing there on the 72nd hole and you’ve got to hit a shot to position yourself to win the tournament, you don’t want to have something you picked up two days ago,â€� Stenson said. “You want to have something you hit 5,000 shots with.â€� While Stenson said he’s still testing fairway woods to replace his old model, he’s favoring a 13.5-degree Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero, equipped with a Project X HZRDUS Yellow prototype shaft, which is similar to his familiar shaft. It even has a custom blue paint job. “I think the efficiency of this new one will probably be better than the one I had been using,â€� Stenson said. “… The old stuff is out and the new stuff is in.â€� HOUSTON – Henrik Stenson and his Callaway Diablo Octane Tour 3-wood, one of the most recognizable and lethal player-club duos in golf, are no longer together. Stenson has put his trusty club into retirement and is currently testing new 3-woods to put into play at this week’s Houston Open, his first start in the 2019-20 PGA TOUR season. The Callaway Diablo Octane Tour 3-wood served him well, as Stenson won the 2013 FedExCup title, the 2016 Open Championship, the silver medal at the 2016 Olympics and ranked as high as No. 2 in the world while leaning heavily on his prowess with that model.

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How it works: Each week, our experts from PGATOUR.COM will make their selections in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. Each lineup consists of four starters and two bench players that can be rotated after each round. Adding to the challenge is that every golfer can be used only three time per each of four Segments. The first fantasy golf game to utilize live ShotLink data, PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO allows you to see scores update live during competition. Aside from the experts below, Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton breaks down the field at this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational in his edition of the Power Rankings. THINK YOU’RE BETTER THAN OUR EXPERTS? The PGA TOUR Experts league is once again open to the public. You can play our free fantasy game and see how you measure up against our experts below. Joining the league is simple. Just click here to sign up or log in. Once you create your team, click the “Leagues” tab and search for “PGA TOUR Experts.” After that? Pick your players and start talking smack. SEGMENT 1 SEGMENT 2

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AKRON, Ohio – It was just like old times as Tiger Woods put himself into contention at the World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational. Woods looked every bit an eight-time winner at Firestone Country Club’s South Course as he managed to post a solid 4-under 66 in the opening round despite not having his best stuff. His experience was a key factor as the 79-time PGA TOUR winner ground out a workable score at the same time he blew off some rust. Following The Open Championship, Woods took some family vacation time and didn’t pick up a club until yesterday’s nine-hole practice round. “It’s nice to put together rounds where I may not feel the best but I’m able to post a score.  That’s how you win golf tournaments,â€� Woods said after his five birdie, one bogey effort. “You’re not going to have your best all four days and it’s a matter of that bad day being two, three under par instead of being two, three over par.â€� At the time he signed his card Woods sat just three shots back of Kyle Stanley’s clubhouse lead (63). This was despite hitting just half his fairways and 13 of 18 greens. The good news for Woods – only twice in his eight victories did he open with a better round than 66. Like he said on Wednesday … he’s trending. Playing partner Jason Day, who bested Woods by a shot with a bogey-free 65, can see it’s only a matter of time before the 14-time major champion puts it all together. He noted Woods was grinding like the Tiger of old over every putt and was determined as ever. “He’s not too far away from going on a pretty big tear here,â€� Day said. “We just hopefully stay out in front of him. He’s hitting his irons really nicely. If he straightens that driver a little bit, give himself a few more opportunities … “You can see how well he’s moving. He’s got a lot of speed. It’s not like he’s limping around like he was when he played a couple years ago. “When you have speed and when everything’s balanced in his life and he can focus on golf … obviously he’s close to tearing it up. “More so than ever, we have to work harder and try and better our skills. He’s out there and he’s focused.â€� With enormous support from the galleries Woods was hopeful of making his presence felt one last time at Firestone and then beyond. He is shaping up to play five of the next six weeks as he looks to claim a third FedExCup title. “I’ve had so many great memories here. Hopefully, I can have one more,â€� Woods, who ranks 47th in the current FedExCup standings, added. “I’m back to the grind here with a lot of tournament golf coming up. And they’re all big events, they’re all either World Golf Championships, majors or Playoffs. “They’re a big deal on the back end, and hopefully I’ll be playing in Paris as well.â€�

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