How to Watch: Exclusive coverage of Tiger’s round on PGA TOUR LIVE

OAKVILLE, Ontario – Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum said the 2018 RBC Canadian Open would return to Glen Abbey Golf Club at a news conference Saturday morning. “Together with our partners at RBC, we are excited to announce the RBC Canadian Open will be contested at Glen Abbey Golf Club again in 2018,â€� Applebaum said. The course first hosted the Canadian Open in 1977. Canada’s national open will return to the Jack Nicklaus-designed course for the 30th time next year. “I’m very proud of Glen Abbey,â€� Nicklaus said on Tuesday. “I think it’s contributed a lot to the game of golf in Canada.â€� Although developers are poised to convert Glen Abbey into real estate, that process is unlikely to begin for another five years or so as the Town of Oakville – about 35 minutes from downtown Toronto – continues with legal deliberations. 2018 will mark the fifth time in six years that Glen Abbey will play host to the Canadian Open – Royal Montreal Golf Course hosted the 2014 event, won by Tim Clark – while from 2010-2012 the Canadian Open visited three different courses: St. George’s Golf and Country Club (2010), Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club (2011), and Hamilton Golf and Country Club (2012). One of the hot topics of late is whether a national open should move around the country, not unlike the U.S. Open, with a rotation of courses all playing host. But Glen Abbey remains the only course in Canada that was built with the main objective of hosting the Canadian Open. “Glen Abbey has proven to be one of the world’s premier stadium courses for spectators and fan engagement,â€� explained Applebaum, who continued to say Golf Canada would be looking at a permanent site in the Greater Toronto Area to not only host future RBC Canadian Opens, but also Golf Canada’s offices and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. Nicklaus also believes the event should have a permanent home. “I think if you look at Augusta (National) and what’s happened at Augusta (National) and have one location that’s helped grow it. I think the other tournaments struggle a little bit from time to time moving from site to site,â€� he said. “I can understand it’s your national championship and wanting to move from site to site, but if you really want to grow something into something significant, I think probably the best you can do is be at one place.“

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Round 1 of The Honda Classic begins Thursday as PGA National and The Bear Trap welcome some of the PGA TOUR’s top pros. Past Honda winner Sungjae Im, Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger, Rickie Fowler, Billy Horschel and last week’s wire-to-wire champion Joaquin Niemann headline the field. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action, including Featured Groups for PGA TOUR LIVE and newly expanded and extended coverage on ESPN+. Click here for more details. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12–6 p.m. ET. Saturday, 1–6 p.m. Sunday, 1-6:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR PGA TOUR LIVE PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+ • Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course • Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group • Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups • Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes FEATURED GROUPS THURSDAY Marquee Group Joaquin Niemann, Brooks Koepka, Mackenzie Hughes Featured Groups Billy Horschel, Patrick Reed, Cameron Young Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Rogers, Harry Higgs Rickie Fowler, Keith Mitchell, Matthew Wolff Lucas Herbert, Sungjae Im, Louis Oosthuizen Daniel Berger, Matt Jones, Gary Woodland FRIDAY Marquee Group Rickie Fowler, Keith Mitchell, Matthew Wolff Featured Groups Lucas Herbert, Sungjae Im, Louis Oosthuizen Matt Jones, Daniel Berger, Gary Woodland Joaquin Niemann, Brooks Koepka, Mackenzie Hughes Billy Horschel, Patrick Reed, Cameron Young Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Rogers, Harry Higgs MUST READS Power Rankings Expert Picks Koepka’s best shoe moments Q&A: Feherty talks Tiger, World Golf Hall of Fame ceremony The First Look Inside the Field

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When Tiger Woods alters his lineup, it’s huge news in the equipment world. While he didn’t necessarily make any golf club “changes” heading into this week’s PNC Championship, he did make a number of interesting and impactful equipment “tweaks.” Even his small switch-ups are notable and can offer insight into changes in Woods’ game overall. Since our last on-site analysis of Woods’ equipment at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills, it appears he’s made slight adjustments to his driver and 3-wood, added weight to his putter head and changed his longtime putter grip. He also made a change to the one piece of equipment that he uses on every single shot. We break down each of the tweaks below. Tiger’s driver settings At this year’s PGA Championship, the 15-gram adjustable sole weight on Woods’ TaylorMade Stealth Plus 9-degree driver was placed slightly toward the draw side of the neutral setting. By placing the weight in that position, the center of gravity (CG) made the head slightly draw-biased. This week, he’s using a lighter 10-gram weight, and it’s now in the neutral position. All else equal, the driver head would be slightly lighter and comparatively less draw biased. Not all things are exactly equal, however, because Woods also switched up his hosel settings. Referencing TaylorMade’s Stealth hosel setting chart, it seems the driver now has a 58.75-degree lie angle, instead of the previous 57.25 degree lie angle. In both settings, the hosel setting creates a 3-degree open face angle compared to standard, and -1.5 degrees of loft. In general, a more upright lie angle means the driver head will release more easily through impact. Woods’ driver now has a lighter sole weight, a more neutral sole weight, and a more upright lie angle. Tiger’s 3-wood setting As with his driver, Woods also changed hosel settings in his TaylorMade SIM Titanium 15-degree 3-wood. Referencing TaylorMade’s SIM setting chart, it appears that Woods’ 3-wood is now set to be 1.5 degrees open, has -0.75 degrees of loft, and has a 59.5-degree lie angle. Previously, it was set to be 3 degrees open, had -1.5 degrees of loft, and a 58.75-degree lie angle. Since Woods is still using the same Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70TX shaft, and there are no apparent changes to the weight of the head, his 3-wood should now have slightly more spin and launch, with a draw-bias due to the upright lie angle. Tiger’s putter (and grip) changes Throughout nearly his entire career, Woods has used a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS prototype putter with a Ping PP58 putter grip, which has a notably thin and light construction. He’s had very brief stints with other putter grips, but it’s the PP58 that’s nearly always had the starting spot. Woods is using the same putter head this week, but he has switched into what looks to be a Scotty Cameron Pistolini Plus grip that has a heavier 77–80-gram weight, according to Scotty Cameron. His previous Ping PP58 grip, as the name implies, weighs in at just 58 grams. Woods’ new Scotty Cameron grip also appears to show that the usual white lettering on the grip has been darkened, possibly with a marker or otherwise. Also, as we’ve seen Woods do amidst slower greens and windy conditions at The Open Championship, he’s added a few strips of lead tape to the back of his putter head. The lead tape will add just a few grams of weight, but it can make an impactful change to the feel and performance of the putter. Based on the wear mark on the center of his putter face, Woods hasn’t missed the center very often throughout the years, so if he’s making tweaks to the setup, it’s likely for a significant purpose. Tiger’s golf ball change For years, Woods has been using a Bridgestone Tour B XS TW Edition golf ball, which he co-designed with Bridgestone to achieve increased spin on approach shots and a soft feel. This week, Woods is using a Bridgestone Tour B X model, which has a relatively lower-spinning design. This should allow Woods to pick up more distance on longer shots, while making a small sacrifice to workability and stopping power.

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