Holy s#*%! Tiger Woods won the Masters!

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Brandt Snedeker has felt like he’s been playing well, but the results haven’t shown it. Now, finally, they are. Snedeker, the 2011 RBC Heritage champion, heated up with a second-round 64 at Harbour Town and is just two off the lead, his best showing through 36 holes since missing much of 2017 with a sternum injury. Bryson DeChambeau saved par on 18 to shoot 64 and leads alone at 10-under, while Si Woo Kim (65) and Ian Poulter (64) were tied for second just one shot back. “About as frustrating as it’s ever been in my career,â€� Snedeker said of his uncharacteristic play this season, which has seen him miss putts, miss cuts, and miss the Masters for the first time since 2010. He came into this week languishing at 131st in the FedExCup. “It’s been tough,â€� Snedeker added. “I feel like I’m working hard or harder than I ever have in my career. I feel like I’m doing all the stuff right.â€� In making eight birdies and one bogey, Snedeker, 37, looked less like the guy who has struggled this season and more like the eight-time PGA TOUR winner who lifted the TOUR Championship and FedExCup trophies in 2012. He’s the same guy, but with a whole new appreciation for the game that was off limits to him, and some changes to his team. After a 2017 season marred by a sternum injury that sidelined him for five months, Snedeker parted with his caddie of 12 years, Scott Vail, and hired Matt Hauser, who’d been with Johnson Wagner. Healthy again, Snedeker vowed to make the most of the new partnership and his new start. “You don’t realize how much you love the game until you don’t play it for a while,â€� he said from the unofficial QBE Shootout last December, when he and Bubba Watson finished seventh of 12 teams. “I had 14 weeks pretty much away from the game of golf, eight weeks not even swinging a golf club.â€� Now Snedeker is not only swinging a club, but he’s knocking the last bit of rust off at a course he loves. “It’s fun to be where you feel like you belong,â€� he said. OBSERVATIONS DECHAMBEAU HEATS UP WITH PUTTER Bryson DeChambeau once felt so frustrated with his putting that he tried going side-saddle. Not anymore. He took just 23 putts, including a par save of just under 13 feet on the 18th hole, for a career-low 64. “My putting has progressed over time,â€� said DeChambeau, who was fourth in the field in strokes gained: putting (+3.399) on Friday. “It’s taken time to understand a lot of these variables that were unknown to me in college, unknown to me in junior and amateur golf.â€� Although he speaks of having to be patient, it’s worth remembering that DeChambeau, who picked up his first TOUR win at the John Deere Classic last summer, is still only 24. “It just takes time, being comfortable out here,â€� he said. “It just does. And it has taken a little bit longer than I expected, but I’m comparing myself to Jordan Spieth.â€�     POULTER PLAYS THROUGH FATIGUE Ian Poulter doesn’t often play six weeks in a row. It’s just worked out that way. So far, so good, though, as Poulter shot a bogey-free 64 Friday to go into the weekend just one back. His secret so far: going to bed “exceptionally earlyâ€� and staying there. “Six weeks in a row is unusual,â€� said Poulter, who won the recent Houston Open to play his way into the Masters, where he finished T44. “That’s more golf than I’m used to playing. I’m looking forward to having a glass of champagne next week, relax for a few days, and then back on the horse.â€� After taking next week off, Poulter will play in the two-man team event, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, with Graeme McDowell.  KIM SHOOTS 65 WITH A TRIPLE Si Woo Kim, who will defend his title at THE PLAYERS Championship next month, is one off the lead after one of the more unusual rounds of his young career. He could not remember posting such a low score with a triple-bogey, and especially not a triple with two penalty shots. He hit his tee shot into a greenside bunker at the 192-yard, par-3 14th hole, splashed out, and found himself on the fringe and with a skiff of sand between his ball and the hole. He wiped away the sand with his hands, which PGA TOUR rules official Mark Dusbabek informed him on the 15th tee would draw a two-stroke penalty. “I honestly didn’t know,â€� Kim said through a translator. He birdied seven of his next nine holes, finishing with his ninth birdie at the short, par-4 ninth. “This might be the first time that I’ve played so well with a triple-bogey,â€� he said. “But I’m having great feel around the greens and I feel really confident around the greens. I’m looking forward to the weekend.â€� Kim is third in the field in strokes gained: putting.       KRAFT GETS FREAKISH BAD BREAK Kelly Kraft teed off at the par-3 14th only to watch his ball hit a “giant, black birdâ€� and plop into the water hazard. The bird flew away, but Kraft’s score was grievously injured as he took a double-bogey and wound up missing the cut by a shot. “There was a helping wind, and I hit a 7-iron, caught it perfect,â€� Kraft said. “It was probably 30 yards off the tee box and this giant, black bird swooped in front of it and hit it and the ball fell 20 yards short in the water.â€� Kraft was told that while the so-called cancel-and-replay rule is invoked if a ball hits a permanent, elevated power line, the same doesn’t hold true for a bird strike. “The big difference is a bird is a God-made object,â€� said Dillard Pruitt, a PGA TOUR rules official on site. “Whereas a telephone wire is man-made.â€� For more on Kraft’s unlucky shot, click here. MAGGERT ENJOYS RARE TOUR START Jeff Maggert, 54, was the oldest player in the field despite the presence of fellow PGA TOUR Champions-eligible players Glen Day, 52, and Davis Love III, who turned 54 on Friday. But Maggert (76-72), making his first PGA TOUR start in almost two years, still knows how to play and might have made the cut were it not for a triple-bogey in the first round and a double in the second. “They had an extra sponsor’s invitation,â€� he said. “And I wanted to give my son Jake a chance to caddie in a TOUR event. He did good. He’s a good caddie.â€� A father of five, Maggert has a home in Sea Pines and brings his family here from Houston in the summers. Although Harbour Town is an easy walk, he also gave Jake, 13, a break in using only a lightweight carry bag, not a staff bag. “This is my style of course,â€� said Maggert, the consummate control player who won three times on the PGA TOUR. “If they played courses like this every week, I might come out here and give it a go again.â€� Next week he will return to the PGA TOUR Champions and the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge, where his partner, for the first time, will be Jesper Parnevik. “This was fun, but it’s hard to come out for one week,â€� Maggert said. “I had two crappy holes. Other than that, I felt like I could have made a run and finished under par.â€� NOTABLES DUSTIN JOHNSON – Making his first start here since 2009, the World No. 1 and South Carolina native shot his second straight 69 and was at 4-under for the tournament. WESLEY BRYAN – Defending champ and Palmetto State favorite missed a two-and-a-half-foot par putt at the 17th hole, but birdied the tough finishing hole for a 71 to remain 2-under. DAVIS LOVE III – Five-time winner celebrated his 54th birthday with a 5-under 66, but was still 1-over and outside the cut line after an opening-round 77. LUKE DONALD – Five-time runner-up here bounced back with a 67, but missed a birdie putt of just inside five feet at the ninth hole, his last of the day, to finish 1-over, a shot outside the cut. JIM FURYK – The two-time RBC champion (2010, 2015) shot his second 70 to make the cut. QUOTABLES “Sit. Sit. Sit. Go.â€�“This has got to be more unusual than a hole-in-one.â€�“I was kicked in the teeth.â€�”Everything.” SUPERLATIVES Low round: 8-under 63 by Satoshi Kodaira of Japan, who made 124 feet, 4 inches worth of putts and was first in shots gained: putting (+5.207). He shot an opening-round 73 and is T13, four back. Longest drive: 347 yds (Bryson DeChambeau/No. 9) Longest putt: 46’ 11â€� (Austin Cook/No. 12) Toughest hole: The par-3 4th (3.298)

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ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Rory McIlroy again put himself in contention to win an event where he has had so many near misses, shooting an 8-under 64 Thursday in the first round of the season-opening Abu Dhabi Championship. In 10 appearances in Abu Dhabi, McIlroy has finished second on four occasions and third three times. Apart from one missed cut, he has only one finish outside the top 10 — tied for 11th place in 2008 in his first appearance. The four-time major champion endured the third winless season of his professional career in 2020, but shrugged off a fog delay of almost three hours to start 2021 with eight birdies. "It feels good," McIlroy said after surpassing his previous best score in Abu Dhabi. "I knew 65 is the best I've shot here and I've shot it a few times, so I thought let's try to go one better on the next nine and I was able to do that." McIlroy has a one-shot lead over Tyrrell Hatton (65), with later starters unable to finish their first round. "You can't win the tournament today or through to Saturday, but obviously it's a nice start," Hatton said. Hatton made a spectacular start with an eagle on the 10th, his opening hole, and also eagled the par-five 18th. Defending champion Lee Westwood (69) is five shots off the lead. The Abu Dhabi Championship begins a run of three events in the "Gulf Swing" — the Dubai Desert Classic and the Saudi International come next.

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What is old is new again as historic Winged Foot Golf Club is hosting the 2020 United States Open. The West Course, located in Mamaroneck, N.Y., will be the challenge for the sixth time in history but the first since 2006 in determining our national champion. Oddly enough it will also decide the first major champion of the 2020-21 season, the first of SIX to be crowned. The Par-70 will stretch to 7,469 yards and provide an unbelievable test of all 14 clubs and especially the six inches between the ears. There will be bogeys and doubles bogeys. There will be three and four putts. As with any big ballpark, those who can give it a knock off the tee will have the advantage. Finding the short grass as frequently as possible will create scoring chances but pars will be excellent this week. As Geoff Ogilvy famously remarked, the only safe place at Winged Foot is in the clubhouse. A.W. Tillinghast made his mark in this part of the county (Bethpage Black) and Winged Foot is considered by many the perfect challenge for determining the finest golfer in all of the land. Designed and opened in the early 1920s, the winners at Winged Foot have included Bobby Jones, Billy Casper, Fuzzy Zoeller, Geoff Ogilvy and the survivor of the “Massacre at Winged Foot” Hale Irwin, who won by posting seven-over, 287. Davis Love III also won the 1997 PGA Championship on this track. The West Course is known for its incredible green complexes and diabolical rough and both of those will be front-and-center this week. Gil Hanse has brought the greens back to their original sizes, adding more pin placements in theory, which won’t favor anyone. The massive complexes of bent and poa will test the 144 players on speed, read and creativity. Running upwards of 13 feet on the Stimpmeter being above the hole or even pin-high in certain spots will create problems. Only one creek pops up and the trees lining the rough will only affect those far enough off the beaten path. Missing large greens won’t come with a reward this week so players who can grind out pars will feel like they’ve made birdies. Accuracy is rewarded both off the tee and into the greens, as it should be. Hanse also removed plenty of trees to help the routing visually. Social media suggested Monday that the notorious rough was getting its last haircut of the week. Yes, Monday. Upwards of five inches in the thickest spots, the graduated cut doesn’t allow the big miss to avoid penalty. Remember, with no galleries this week there won’t be any matted-down areas from foot traffic to provide any relief for the extremely errant strikes from the tee box or attacking the greens. Last year Gary Woodland collected $2.25 million from a $12.5 million purse so that will give gamers an idea of what’s a stake this week. The official prize money, as of Tuesday morning, has not been released yet. The top 60 and ties play the final 36 holes. If there is a playoff required, it will be a two-hole aggregate followed by sudden death. 2006 U.S. Open (entered this week) 2 Phil Mickelson 6 Steve Stricker 12 Ian Poulter 12 Paul Casey 21 Adam Scott 26 Henrik Stenson 32 Scott Hend 37 Charles Howell III 48 Graeme McDowell MC Rory Sabbatini Zach Johnson Lucas Glover Tiger Woods Billy Horschel Matt Kuchar Sergio Garcia Last 10 U.S. Open Winners 2019: Gary Woodland (Pebble Beach) 2018: Brooks Koepka (Shinnecock Hills) 2017: Brooks Koepka (Erin Hills) 2016: Dustin Johnson (Oakmont) 2015: Jordan Spieth (Chambers Bay) 2014: Martin Kaymer (Pinerhurst No. 2) 2013: Justin Rose (Merion) 2012: Webb Simpson (Olympic Club) 2011: Rory McIlroy (Congressional Country Club) 2010: Graeme McDowell (Pebble Beach) 2006 Recap Geoff Ogilvy (+5) The Aussie posted first and watched as those behind him couldn’t make par down the stretch. Getting up and down from everywhere, including his impossible chip-in par at No. 17, Ogilvy holed a five-footer at the last for par to post 72 and five-over. Did not have one round in the 60s. Notables: Phil Mickelson doubled the last to miss the playoff by a shot. Wayward tee shots (two fairways on Sunday, zero on the back nine) put tons of pressure on his short game. … Colin Montgomery, a legend in the ball-striking department, missed the green from No. 18 fairway from 171 yards and made double, missing the playoff by a shot. Montgomery was the only player to post a red number, 69, on Sunday. … Jim Furyk (70) also had six feet to force a Monday playoff but his par putt slide by. … Steve Stricker, another who is more accurate than long, claimed T6. Key stat leaders Top golfers in each statistic on the 2019-2020 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (* – previous top 10 at U.S. Open since 2015 or past champion) 1 *Justin Thomas 2 *Hideki Matsuyama 3 *Jon Rahm 4 *Sergio Garcia 5 Collin Morikawa 6 *Rory McIlroy 7 *Xander Schauffele 9 *Dustin Johnson 11 *Tony Finau 12 Patrick Cantlay 13 *Tyrrell Hatton 15 *Daniel Berger 16 Corey Conners 16 *Webb Simpson 18 Harris English 19 Bryson DeChambeau 20 Viktor Hovland 21 Paul Casey 23 Joaquin Niemann 26 *Patrick Reed Strokes Gained: Putting 2 *Matthew Fitzpatrick 5 *Kevin Na 6 *Ian Poulter 6 Matt Kuchar 8 Mackenzie Hughes 10 Bryson DeChambeau 12 *Patrick Reed 13 *Webb Simpson 14 JT Poston 15 Kevin Kisner 17 *Daniel Berger 18 Harris English 20 Brendon Todd 21 Richy Werenski 22 *Jon Rahm 23 Troy Merritt 26 *Tommy Fleetwood Scrambling 1 *Daniel Berger 2 *Xander Schauffele 3 Brendon Todd 4 *Kevin Na 6 Harris English 9 *Brian Harman 10 Abraham Ancer 11 *Jon Rahm 12 *Webb Simpson 16 Kevin Kisner 17 Bryson DeChambeau 19 *Hideki Matsuyama 20 Alex Noren 21 *Patrick Reed 23 Lanto Griffin 25 *Justin Thomas 26 Brandt Snedeker 28 *Jason Day 29 Carlos Ortiz Most US Open Appearances (thru 2019) Phil Mickelson (28) Steve Stricker (21) Tiger Woods (21) Sergio Garcia (20) Adam Scott (18) Lee Westwood (18) Matt Kuchar (17) Paul Casey (16) Zach Johnson (16) Major Champions in the field Tiger Woods (15) Phil Mickelson (5) Rory McIlroy (4) Jordan Spieth (3) Zach Johnson (2) Martin Kaymer (2) Bubba Watson (2) Collin Morikawa Shane Lowry Gary Woodland Patrick Reed Justin Thomas Sergio Garcia Henrik Stenson Dustin Johnson Jimmy Walker Danny Willett Jason Day Justin Rose Adam Scott Webb Simpson Keegan Bradley Louis Oosthuizen Graeme McDowell Lucas Glover

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