Tiger Woods’ round had ups, downs and a Kobe moment

Pebble Beach doesn’t favor the big hitters. But that didn’t stop our experts from going all-in on Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson.

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He’s back! That’s right, golf fans. Viktor Hovland has returned to defend his title at the Hero World Challenge. Oh, you were thinking about Tiger Woods, huh? Well, he was scheduled to be back, too, but he withdrew on Monday due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He alerted followers on Twitter that he remains committed to his remaining pair of scheduled starts in his last month as a 46-year-old. RELATED: The First Look The entire field of 20 committed to the 72-hole competition at Albany in The Bahamas is ranked below. More on the construct of the week overall can be found with additional scrolling or swiping. POWER RANKINGS: HERO WORLD CHALLENGE The Hero World Challenge has been an unofficial event throughout the entirety of its existence (2000-present). However, like many of its kind, real prize money is distributed to all who qualify and compete. The total purse is $3.5 million of which $1 million is reserved for the champion and just in time for holiday shopping. Albany has hosted the competition since 2015, although the 2020 edition was canceled due to the pandemic. It’s situated in the western reaches of New Providence Island. In an amusing coincidence for golf fans who play golf with something on the line in their weekly games, Nassau is the island’s most recognizable destination, albeit in the opposite corner. The par 72 boasts a quintet of par 3s and par 5s each. It can extend to 7,414 yards, but even when it played 105 longer in 2021 than it tested the previous three editions, scoring was commensurate with its history at 69.475. After all, this is a heavyweight field. Now, the differences of the scores between the highs and the lows for every round last year ranged from nine strokes (in R1) to a dozen (in both R3 and R4), and that was in relatively light winds compared to what’s in store this week. Sustained breezes no calmer than 15 mph are forecast throughout, but they’re going to intensify to as strong at 30 mph at times in the middle rounds. The TifEagle bermuda greens typically are prepped to measure 12 feet on the Stimpmeter, but as all tournaments profess, that is subject to the magnitude of the invisible challenge. The targets average just 4,500 square feet, so that fields check in at least a couple of digits under par almost every year prove their quality. There is no cut and Official World Golf Ranking points piggyback the bank deposit, so adopting the marathon approach across four rounds has merit. En route to the title in his debut appearance a year ago, Hovland prevailed by one at 18-under 270, thus becoming the fourth winner to land on that aggregate in the last five years. (There’s never been a playoff at Albany.) Hovland converted four eagles, three of which on the 307-yard, par-4 14th where “only” six were recorded by the entire field all week. NOTE: Although PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf is off until the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Jan. 5-8, we will publish our Expert Picks for the Hero World Challenge on Tuesday, Nov. 29.

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NORTON, Mass. – Tiger Woods was left to rue a golden opportunity missed in the third round of the Dell Technologies Championship. Woods is eyeing an unprecedented third FedExCup title this season but he has to first make it to East Lake and the TOUR Championship to keep that dream alive. Starting this week at TPC Boston in 25th on the FedExCup standings Woods is not yet secure of staying in the top 30 after next week’s BMW Championship. But a high finish this week could secure that mark, taking the pressure off next week in Philadelphia. His third round 3-under 68 at TPC Boston moved him to 7 under and a tie for 16th… but it could have been so much better. Woods had been putting the ball well over the first two rounds but lost his mojo in Sunday’s third round, missing four putts inside eight feet he felt were makeable. He currently projects to 26th in the standings but had he made just two of those four close misses he’d be projecting to 19th with a round to play to go even deeper. As it stands Woods is now six shots off the lead held by Abraham Ancer. “I have to play well in order to make it to East Lake. I think before I teed off I looked at the board I’d already fallen six spots, and hadn’t teed off yet,â€� Woods said. “I did give myself quite a few looks today. And I pulled two putts that I can recall off the top of my head right now. That’s about it. “My speed was a little bit off. I was trying to be a little more aggressive today on the greens and trying to make sure that I gave it a good hit. I didn’t want to leave anything dying on the low side.â€� The 79-time PGA TOUR winner and FedExCup Champion in 2007 and 2009 will use Sunday to make up for the missed opportunity. His sights are still set on a comeback win, but the tournament within the tournament is also on his radar. “The points are very volatile,â€� Woods said. “You have a quick six or seven, if not nine holes of a good run, you can vault anywhere between 10 and 20 spots, it’s not that hard to do. “You get on one of those runs and move up the board. I’ve got to make a bunch of birdies, get off to a quick start and just get rolling early.â€� ANCER, HATTON EYE HUGE MOVES: Abraham Ancer figured he had nothing to lose at TPC Boston. Sitting 92nd in the FedExCup the only way into the top 70 to survive to the BMW Championship was with great golf. Fire up and play well or kiss the season goodbye. And fire up he has. The Mexican national will take a one-shot lead into the final round, with a win projecting him all the way to fifth place in the FedExCup. “I knew I had to play good this week, if not I was going to go home and relax. Either way is not a bad option,â€� Ancer said. “Obviously I want to keep on playing next week and obviously in Atlanta. But I don’t try to put much pressure on, more than I already have. So I just have to play good. I just go about my game plan and that’s it.â€� Sitting just one shot back in a tie for second is England’s Tyrrell Hatton. He started the week outside the bubble to advance to next week in 71st. Now he projects to 15th. SPIETH EYES TROPHY AND EAST LAKE: Sneaking up on the leaderboard is 2015 FedExCup champion Jordan Spieth. Having started the week at 33rd in the FedExCup standings his place in the BMW Championship is secured, but the TOUR Championship – where he has a win and a runner up finish – is not yet in the bag. A third round 3-under 68 moved Spieth to 9 under and a tie for eighth place. He sits just four back of Abraham Ancer in the chase for his first win this season. Right now he projects to 27th spot in the standings but Spieth is eyeing a much deeper move. “I’m not comfortable unless I’m inside the top-10 going to East Lake,â€� Spieth said. “The idea isn’t to get to East Lake, it’s to win the FedExCup. And I finally feel like my game is getting in a position where I can win and potentially claim the FedExCup.â€� PROJECTED IN / OUT After the third round at the Dell Technologies Championship, the following players are projected to surge their way from outside the top 70 into the survival zone for next week’s BMW Championship. Abraham Ancer (1): From 92nd to 5th Tyrrell Hatton (T2): From 71st to 15th C.T. Pan (T16): From 72nd to 60th Matt Kuchar (T16): From 74th to 62nd Brice Garnett (T12): From 81st to 63rd Keith Mitchell (T16): From 78th to 64th J.B. Holmes (T7): From 80th to 67th “Puts me in a great position to make it. I will glance at the projections, I won’t shy away from them. I’m looking forward to the chance tomorrow.â€� – Brice Garnett “I have a chance now tomorrow to move on. The goal is not just to make the BMW Championship, the goal is to make it all the way to Atlanta and make a run at the FedExCup.â€� – Matt Kuchar “I love the golf course next week and you always want to make the next round of the Playoffs to give yourself another chance. Hopefully I can go out there and continue to play well. No sense looking at the standings, all it will do is make you think about it more which isn’t good.â€� – J.B. Holmes. Those projecting to drop from the safe zone to an exit from the Playoffs: Ted Potter Jr. (T70): From 62nd to 71st Whee Kim (75): From 61st to 72nd Louis Oosthuizen (T40): From 69th to 74th Jason Kokrak (T50): From 66th to 75th Nick Watney (T60): From 67th to 76th Jimmy Walker (74): From 68th to 77th Kevin Streelman (MC): From 70th to 78th BIGGEST MOVERS Biggest projected movers through two rounds at TPC Boston Up 87 spots – Abraham Ancer (92 to 5) Up 56 spots – Tyrrell Hatton (71 to 15) Up 19 spots – Emiliano Grillo (48 to 29) BUBBLE BOYS Kevin Streelman is not officially eliminated, but it may just be a matter of time before his season ends. He started the week 70th in FedExCup points but missed the cut. Consequently, he’s opened the door for someone outside the top 70 to replace him. Currently, Ryan Moore is projected to finish 70th after starting the week in 60th. TOP 5 WATCH The top five players in FedExCup points after the BMW Championship will control their own destiny entering the TOUR Championship. A win at East Lake would guarantee any of the top five the FedExCup title. Here’s how the current Top Five fared in the third round of the Dell Technologies Championship. 1. Bryson DeChambeau (projected 1st) – Shot a blistering 8-under 63 to move to 12 under and just one off the lead chasing back-to-back wins. 2. Dustin Johnson (projected 2nd) – Shot a 1-over 72 to move to 4 under and a tie for 33rd. World No.1 spot under threat. 3. Justin Thomas (projected 4th) – Shot a 1-under 70 to move to 1 under and tie for 60th. 4. Tony Finau (projected 3rd) – Shot a 4-under 67 to move to 9 under and T8. Chasing a 10th Top-10 but first win. 5. Brooks Koepka (projected 6th) – Shot a 3-under 68 to move to 7 under, T16. Potential move to world No.1 on horizon. NOTE: Third-round leader Abraham Ancer is projected to move to No. 5. He started the week ranked a lowly 92.

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