Tiger and other big names chasing Stenson

NASSAU, Bahamas — Tiger Woods looked a lot better in his return to golf than when he left. Playing for the first time since his fourth back surgery, Woods returned from a 10-month layoff with a 3-under 69 on a breezy Thursday in the Bahamas and was three shots behind Tommy Fleetwood after the opening round of the Hero World Challenge. Unlike a year ago, Woods didn’t show any fatigue at the end of his round. His only regret was playing the par 5s at Albany Golf Club in 1-over par. That included a bogey on the par-5 ninth when he took four shots from about 30 feet, starting with a chip that didn’t reach the green. He made five birdies, had a two fist pumps and even a few choice words.

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FORT WORTH, Texas – Phil Mickelson stared down at his ball for several seconds. He switched clubs. A difficult shot from the deep bunker guarding Colonial’s 18th green would decide if his victory lap at the Charles Schwab Challenge would last two more days. The shot landed gently but rolled 10 feet below the hole. Mickelson needed to make that par putt to make the cut. His ball started left of his intended target and broke just below the hole, coming close enough that Mickelson jerked his knees straight and swung his putter between his legs as the ball burnt the edge. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Could Tiger and Phil both be at the Ryder Cup? A miss of mere millimeters sent Mickelson home early from the Charles Schwab Challenge, a tournament he has won two times. “I love this tournament and am sad I won’t be here for two more days,” Mickelson said. He shot 69 on Friday, four shots better than his score in a windy opening round. After his emotional win at last week’s PGA Championship, Mickelson was paired at Colonial alongside local favorite Jordan Spieth and defending champion Daniel Berger. It was Mickelson who received the largest cheers on many holes, even though Spieth played well enough to hold the 36-hole lead. Next up for Mickelson is an extended preparation for the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Club in his hometown of San Diego. Mickelson isn’t playing the next two weeks so he can spend extra time preparing for the one major that stands between him and the career Grand Slam. Last week’s win in the PGA Championship was his sixth major title, but none of those wins have come at the U.S. Open. He has a record six runner-up finishes in the one major that has eluded him. The same short game that helped Mickelson win at Kiawah Island almost carried him across the cutline Friday. He hit just eight greens Friday but saved par several times to keep his weekend hopes alive. After making a bogey on his first hole, he made four birdies and no bogeys over his next 14 holes. That final birdie, at the par-4 15th, put him 3 under for the day and one inside the cut line. He failed to get up-and-down from greenside bunkers on both 16 and 18, however, and missed a 12-foot birdie putt on 17. Other players to miss the cut include Patrick Reed (68-74), Sungjae Im (71-71), Texas alum Scottie Scheffler (70-73), Lee Westwood (75-69), Cameron Champ (75-70) and Michael Visacki (77-72), the Monday qualifier who went viral at the Valspar Championship. He competed this week on a sponsor exemption.

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Editor’s note: The PGA of America, which owns and operates the PGA Championship, controls all digital streaming and broadcast rights to this event. PGA TOUR LIVE coverage will resume next week at the Charles Schwab Challenge Tiger Woods is scheduled to compete and has won the PGA Championship four times. He has also finished runner-up three times – as recently as 2019. FedExCup leader Scottie Scheffler will look to win his second major championship title of the year. Jordan Spieth is coming off a solo-second finish at the AT&T Byron Nelson and his game appears to be on point. Brooks Koepka, a two-time PGA Championship winner, withdrew from the AT&T Byron Nelson but is set to compete at Southern Hills. Rory McIlroy is looking to keep some major momentum going at Southern Hills. McIlroy shot an 8-under 64 in the final round of the Masters – tied for the lowest final-round score in tournament history. The winner will earn a whopping 600 FedExCup points. Leaderboard Tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m.-8 p.m. ET (ESPN). Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. ET (ESPN), 2 p.m.-7 p.m. (CBS) Bonus: Thursday: ESPN+ broadcast 8 a.m.-2 p.m., 8 p.m.-finish. Featured Groups: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Featured Holes: 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Joe Buck/Michael Collins ESPN broadcast 1 p.m.-2 p.m.. Joe Buck/Michael Collins ESPN2 broadcast: 2 p.m.-5 p.m. Friday: ESPN+ broadcast 8 a.m.-2 p.m., 8 p.m.-finish. Featured Holes: 8:15 a.m.-7 p.m. Featured Groups: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Joe Buck/Michael Collins ESPN broadcast: 1 p.m.-2 p.m. Joe Buck/Michael Collins ESPN2 broadcast: 2 p.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday: ESPN+ broadcast 8 a.m.-10 a.m. Featured Groups: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Joe Buck/Michael Collins ESPN broadcast: 9 a.m.-10 a.m. Joe Buck/Michael Collins ESPN+ broadcast: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Featured Holes: 12 p.m.-7 p.m. For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR MUST READS The First Look Inside the Field Sungjae Im withdraws from PGA Championship due to COVID-19 positive test Jordan Spieth poised for major run at PGA Championship Nine Things to Know: Southern Hills Inside Tiger Woods’ 10 best rounds in majors

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