Woods releases statement amid nationwide unrest

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Satoshi Kodaira had just added to his wardrobe and verbally accepted PGA TOUR membership when he was asked a question few thought he would have to answer. How did he like his new plaid jacket? Kodaira looked down at the traditional winner’s coat, then out at his audience. “I will probably not wear it regularly,� he said through an interpreter, sending a burst of laughter through the winner’s press conference. “But this is special.� Japan’s Kodaira, 28, overcame strong winds and Si Woo Kim of Korea for his first TOUR win at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town. After coming from six shots back at the start of the day, the winner rolled in a birdie putt of 24 feet, 6 inches at the par-3 17th hole, the third hole of a sudden-death playoff, and watched as Kim failed to match him with a long birdie attempt of his own. “I wasn’t really thinking about winning,� Kodaira said of his thoughts early Sunday, when he teed off almost an hour before the final threesome of Kim, Ian Poulter and Luke List. List, who lost a playoff to Justin Thomas in The Honda Classic, had a chance to join the playoff but missed a birdie putt from just outside 10 feet on the last hole of regulation. He and 36-hole leader Bryson DeChambeau (66) tied for third at 11-under. Kim, who will defend his title at THE PLAYERS Championship next month, had a chance to end the tournament in regulation after knocking his approach shot 6 feet, 4 inches from the pin on the 72nd hole, but his birdie effort grazed the lip and stayed out. “I tried my best,� he said, “and the putts didn’t drop. It is what it is.� When his last birdie try came up short, a tournament that featured a third-round flyover by a Singapore Airlines Boeing 787, and the most accomplished male pro from Korea, had been won by perhaps the second most famous player from Japan. (Hideki Matsuyama being the first.) “I’ve not talked to Hideki,� Kodaira said. “But I’ve been watching him on TV, and it gives me confidence and inspiration to play on the PGA TOUR.� Sunday was always going to be a battle of attrition. With stiff winds and thunderstorms in the forecast, tournament officials moved the starting times up to 7-9 a.m. and sent the field off split tees. Although there were some good scores, lowest among them a 65 by Harris English, the leaders were left to make a few early birdies and then hang on for dear life. Third-round leader Poulter shot a back-nine 40. List bogeyed four of his last eight holes, with just one birdie at the par-5 15th to offset the damage. Kim, after seizing the lead with a 3-under 33 on the front nine, shot a 3-over 38 on the back. The last five winners of the RBC Heritage had trailed by at least three shots after 54 holes. Kodaira, who came into Sunday six off the lead, stayed on the offensive throughout. After scorching Harbour Town with a tournament-best 63 in easier conditions Saturday, he began the final round with three straight birdies and finished with seven of them overall. Given the tougher conditions Sunday, he said his 5-under 66 was the more impressive of the two rounds. The two playoff combatants made pars on the first two extra holes, both at the par-4 18th, the most tenuous moment being Kodaira’s clutch up-and-down for par from behind the green the second time through. He made a five-footer to stay alive before his winning birdie on 17. “I wasn’t that nervous on the last putt,� he said, “compared to the first two putts on 18.� After finishing T28 at the Masters the week before, the Japan Golf Tour member had earned a spot in next season’s Sentry Tournament of Champions (among other tournaments); and his best-ever result on TOUR; and had become the first player from Japan to win since Matsuyama captured the 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. “This is a stage I’ve been dreaming about,� Kodaira said. “And having this opportunity to play [the PGA TOUR] fulltime is a dream come true.� OBSERVATIONS LIST SUFFERS ANOTHER NEAR-MISS. By his own admission, Luke List didn’t have it in the final round. He hit just eight of 14 fairways, and 10 greens in regulation. Still, he gave himself a chance on 18, knocking his approach shot to just outside 10 feet before missing the putt that would have gotten him into the Kodaira/Kim playoff. List signed for a final-round 72. “I hit a good putt,� he said. “I just didn’t hit very many fairways. Honestly, that really put me behind the 8-ball. I wasn’t able to play as consistent as I did the first three days. It was unfortunate that the swing wasn’t there today, but I hung in there and had a great attitude, and I had a chance at the end there.� Better news still: There’s a lot of golf left to be played this season, and List is starting to believe his first TOUR win is coming soon. “Hopefully next week,� he said. “I’m getting better each opportunity, and I feel like my game has risen to the point where I expect to contend every week. So it’s going to happen.� D.J. SOLID IN RBC RETURN. Dustin Johnson hadn’t played Harbour Town since missing back-to-back cuts here in 2008 and 2009, but as he said before the tournament, that was long ago. He wasn’t the No. 1 player in the world, hadn’t won a major. Proving he is a different, more complete player, Johnson battled a balky putter to not only make the cut this time, he shot a final-round 67 to finish 7-under (T16). “I like the golf course,� he said. “I really do. It actually sets up really well for me.� He had just two caveats: He wasn’t crazy about the short par-4 ninth hole or the dogleg-left par-4 11th, which he played in a cumulative 5-over for the week. After his round Sunday, Johnson was set to begin a three-week break, and was bound for the Bahamas. He knows what to work on upon his return: putting. After struggling on the greens at the Masters (T10), Johnson averaged 29 putts per round at Harbour Town, where he said he had trouble reading the breaks. “I’ve got a few weeks to work on it,� he said. “I’ll be ready for THE PLAYERS.� REDMAN TO TURN PRO AFTER NCAAs. One week after he missed the cut at the Masters, Clemson sophomore and reigning U.S. Amateur champion Doc Redman shot 72 to finish 1-under. He said he will turn professional before his next PGA TOUR start, the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, but for now is excited to rejoin his college teammates for the ACC Championship, April 20-22. “I’ve missed the last three events we’ve played, which has been tough,� said Redman, who also played in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, where he finished 71st. “We lost to Duke last year, so we want to win ACCs pretty bad.� NCAA Regionals are set for May 14-16, followed by the National Championship, May 25-29. After all that, Redman will go pro in time for his next TOUR start, at the Memorial. He’s also lined up to play in the U.S. Open, The National outside Washington, D.C., and the Open Championship, and hopes to make enough money to skip Q school and go directly to Web.com Tour Finals. “It’s definitely possible,� said Redman, who hopes to sprinkle in a few more TOUR starts this summer. “I’ve just got to play well. I sat down with my family and coaches to talk about turning pro. I’m just trying to strike while the iron is hot.� NOTABLES IAN POULTER – Third-round leader finally ran out of gas in his sixth straight week of competition. Going for his second victory in three weeks, the winner of the recent Houston Open never looked sharp, got on a back-nine bogey train and signed for a 75 to finish T7. BRYSON DECHAMBEAU – Rebounding from a third round that saw him card a triple-bogey and two doubles, DeChambeau chased a third-round 75 with a 66 to finish T3, a shot out of the playoff. KEVIN KISNER – Gave himself a chance to win for the second straight year, but the South Carolinian shot a final-round 72 to finish 9-under and three out of the playoff, in a tie for seventh. WESLEY BRYAN – Defending champ shot 70 (T42). Three players have successfully defended at the RBC: Payne Stewart (1989-’90), Davis Love III (1991-’92) and Boo Weekley (2007-’08). DAVIS LOVE III – After making the cut on the number, five-time winner shot 74-73 on the weekend to finish T74. Dru Love, his son, missed the cut by one (77-66) on Friday. JIM FURYK – The two-time RBC champion (2010, 2015) shot a second straight 73 to finish T70. QUOTABLES I’ve never seen so many putts left short for me today. I had a chance on the front to shoot 3- or 4-under, but never got it going.The conditions are really tough, starting with my snap into the water on No. 10, my first hole.This course is very similar to the courses in Japan: a little bit shorter, and a shaped course. SUPERLATIVES Low round: 65 by Harris English, who went from T69 to T32. Longest drive: 352 yards (Ryan Palmer/No. 9) Longest putt: 51’ 1� (Harris English/No. 13) Toughest hole: The par-3 14th (3.325)

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DUBLIN, Ohio – On the tee, Tiger Woods. Usually those five words bring with it raucous applause and cheers on the PGA TOUR. The 82-time winner brings the noise unlike any other. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Finau leads by one | ‘Totally different’ Muirfield Village this week But when those five words were uttered Thursday before Woods went out for his first round at the Memorial Tournament Presented by Nationwide there was a surreal silence. Playing in his first event on TOUR in five months Woods got his initial taste of COVID-19 pandemic golf that is played sans on-site spectators. The five-time Memorial champion carded a solid 1-under 71 to sit in a tie for 18th on a day where whipping winds and tough conditions made scoring difficult. It was a praiseworthy round by a legend of the game. But on the first tee … crickets. That’s not to say no one was watching. In fact around 50 or so media, tournament staff, security guards, police and volunteers were socially distanced around the area. A bunch of them would follow the entire 18 holes. Other TOUR pros waiting for their tee time on the nearby putting green took a look. But the lack of noise meant a few others didn’t even realize Woods was off and running – something unheard of in pre pandemic times. There was a concern Woods – who is used to galleries in the thousands – might not be able to muster the same competitive fire without that external boost. But the man himself said otherwise. “The energy wasn’t the same without the fans. That certainly was noticeable, mostly different,” Woods said afterwards. “(But no) I definitely didn’t have any issue with (personal) energy and not having the fans’ reactions out there. I still felt the same eagerness, edginess, nerviness starting out, and it was good. It was a good feel. I haven’t felt this in a while.” And besides … it wasn’t all silence. Some fans made sure Woods knew they cared from outside the property lines. As he and his group of FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy and two-time PGA TOUR Player of the Year Brooks Koepka walked down the opening hole a few fans on the fence line called out in support. Up by the green, in their backyard, a family of four stood against their fence to catch a glimpse. Their brown labradoodle rested in the shade, oblivious to the Big Cat walking past, while the two young girls enjoyed their FunDip candy while shouting “Go Tiger” as he coaxed in an opening hole birdie. The father joked to tournament officials about the value of his house going up this week. The second hole saw a couple standing on step ladders to get a look over the fence line. And a bunch of young children were running along the hole as Woods walked past, desperately trying to get as close as they could and perhaps naively expected the 44-year-old to race them. A hole later a large group had gathered behind the perimeter fencing and they erupted when Woods hit a superb approach shot that scared the hole for eagle but resulted in a tap in birdie. It was the biggest cheer he received but as the round wore on a scattering of fans were found in houses along the course and also on holes that skirted the property lines. On the sixth, three teenage boys filmed Woods’ par putt that skirted by the hole and were disappointed it missed. They resolved to still post it to Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok though. A quartet of young kids on the 11th hole were particularly vocal. They needed to stand on the very top of chairs leant against the fence to see over and three of them had painted their faces in tiger stripes. Brandishing a sign reading “Tiger’s Cub House” they chanted “Go Tiger!” over and over and got a big smile and a wave from Woods. “Cute, isn’t it,” Woods said further up the hole. As Woods left the 13th tee box fans yelled, “Thanks for still being here! We will be back for you next year!” from outside the property which produced another Woods smile. So too did the children who had run from a nearby swimming pool, still dripping wet in their swimsuits, to call out to their idol. Despite all of these efforts the final hole of his round continued to highlight the stark differences from the past. The natural amphitheater around Muirfield Village’s 18th green would usually be packed tight with fans and the 14-foot birdie Woods made would have sent them into raptures. Instead he settled for a nod and “good putt” from his playing partners before heading off to sign his card. “Certainly it’s a different feel, one that’s a new reality, and we’re going to have to get used to it,” Woods said of the vibe he played in. Atmosphere aside Woods had four birdies and three bogeys in his first start since the Genesis Invitational in February. He found eight of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens while taking 29 putts. “It felt good. I was a little bit rusty but felt like overall it was a good start. It’s been a while since I’ve played. Got off to almost an ideal start and got a feel for the round early. I just didn’t make anything today. I had looks at birdies, but I really didn’t make much,” he added. “I was very pleased the way I drove it, my feel for my irons. I just didn’t quite hit the putts hard enough. Most of my putts were dying, didn’t quite have enough oomph to it.” Now the question is whether Woods can shake off any fatigue and front up early Friday to go again with the same energy and perhaps adjust to the greens which are expected to only get faster. “I’ve felt good about my training over the last few months, and I’ve gotten ready for this,” he said. Adjusting to the silence might take a little longer.

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Playing with a four-shot lead but with the weight of history and haunting missed chances, Rickie Fowler overcomes a bad break and a tough ruling with a pair of clutch birdies to finally win the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Welcome to the Monday Finish, where Fowler broke a nearly two-year win drought, qualified for the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and vanquished his demons at TPC Scottsdale. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. Mental toughness told the story. Golf is always about resilience, but Fowler’s triple-bogey at the 11th hole was one-of-a-kind. How did he survive it? It wasn’t easy. After a bogey at the 12th, and with Branden Grace climbing fast up the leaderboard, Fowler had gone from a five-shot lead to one behind. “It would have been really easy at that point to say, ‘This just isn’t my day,’â€� said Fowler’s friend Aaron Baddeley, who for the third time in the last four years hung around the scoring area (he lives five minutes away) hoping to congratulate Fowler on the victory. This time, it worked out. For the winner, it was all about keeping the past in the past. As they stood on the 14th tee, Fowler’s caddie, Joe Skovron, said, “Hey, you would have taken this at the beginning of the week, tied five holes to play. Let’s go win a golf tournament.â€� Fowler did. “You kind of just have to put the first 67 holes behind you and go play five holes,â€� he said. 2. TPC Scottsdale was brutal. Players woke up to rain and cooler temperatures Sunday, restoring the bite to a TPC Scottsdale track that Fowler had tamed to the tune of 64-65-64 (20-under) in the first three rounds. The grass was wet, and the ball was flying every which way, Fowler finding the native area at the third hole, where he made a 30 1/2-foot par putt to steady himself. That was hardly his only brush with danger. He got out of position two holes later, smacking his ball around more native area before finally rolling in a 4 1/2-foot putt for double-bogey. Then came the chaos at the 11th, where drained a long putt for a triple-bogey 7. Justin Thomas shot 72 to finish third. Matt Kuchar, who was trying to extend a perfect streak of 19 straight rounds of par or better this season, and win for the third time in three starts, shot 75 to finish T4. They made up the last threesome and shot a combined 8-over. “I’ve never been in a group that had worse momentum,â€� Thomas said. 3. Grace got a lot out of the week. Coming off a missed cut, South Africa’s Branden Grace was making his first start at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and wasn’t sure what to expect. He shot a final-round 69 for a runner-up finish, his only regret being the tee shot he hooked in the water at the driveable par-4 17th hole, leading to a bogey. “It was great,â€� Grace said of his overall experience. “I really enjoyed it. Obviously being in the final group (Saturday) with Rickie and them was awesome. This place was nuts. It’s everything and more than what I expected and what a fun week it was. I can’t take anything for granted and I had to dig deep today and I did that, it’s just unfortunately one bad shot.â€� In search of his second TOUR win (2016 RBC Heritage), Grace recorded his first runner-up finish in 104 TOUR starts and moved to 31st in the FedExCup. 4. Thomas fought hard without his A-game. Despite slogging through a flat weekend, and an especially difficult course in wet, cool conditions Sunday, Thomas hung around for a 1-over 72 and a third-place finish. It was his best result in five WMPO starts. The only downside was that the 1-over 72 marked his first over-par final-round score since the 2018 Travelers Championship. “I didn’t think I had on a great chance to start the day, or knew I needed to do something special,â€� Thomas said. “And the weather got pretty tough out there and I can’t believe if I would have shot 2-under, I would have been in a playoff. And, yeah, I mean for myself I just didn’t–I couldn’t make the putts.â€� He was 28th for the week in Strokes Gained: Putting. 5. Kuchar battled despite a rare, left miss. Attempting to win for the third time in three starts, Kuchar could have given Fowler something to think about but for a couple of surprising hooks that hurt him at the 15th and 17th holes. “I knew I didn’t have my A game,â€� said Kuchar, 40, who still finished T4 with Chez Reavie (68) and Bubba Watson (71). “Conditions were hard. I was kind of trying to steer it around and then hit a couple good shots. Made the birdie on 13. And then 15 you’ve got four exciting holes to play and I was right there. Any time I struggle with missing left, I struggle. “I missed one left there, missed one left on 17,â€� he added. “Those are typically just not misses I have. And when I’m doing that it, I know it’s going to be a tough day for me and unfortunately it came out at a bad time.â€� His final-round 75 was his first over-par score this season, in his 20th round. FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Fowler led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting (+2.385) and is the first since 1983 to win despite a double bogey and a triple bogey or worse in the final round. He has posted an over-par score in each of his seven 54-hole leads/co-leads, winning twice. It was his fifth victory in 220 TOUR starts, and his first win at the WMPO in 11 starts. 2. It wasn’t just the players in the final group who struggled. The wet, long course really was harder in the rain and cooler weather. TPC Scottsdale, which already had the tees back, felt longer in the elements and played to a 71.575 stroke average in the fourth round, highest of the week by almost a full shot. The second round (70.634) was the second hardest day. 3. Branden Grace, who was seven shots back at the start of the day, was attempting to author the second-biggest WMPO comeback. Kyle Stanley came from eight behind to win in 2012. Grace was also trying to become the 10th player to win the event in his first appearance, and the first since Brooks Koepka in 2015. Grace tied for third in distance of putts made (367’ 7’’).  4. Chez Reavie, who lost in a playoff to Gary Woodland last year, didn’t make a bogey and shot 64-68 on the weekend to finish T4. Something has clicked. Before last year, Reavie had six missed cuts at TPC Scottsdale, with a career best finish of T41 in 2011. 5. Former Arizona State star Jon Rahm (T10) has finished no worse than T16 in four WMPO starts and has four straight top-10s on TOUR this season. In his TOUR debut, Oklahoma State sophomore Matthew Wolff shot 72 to finish T50. Bubba Watson’s T4, in his 300th TOUR start, was his first top-10 since the 2018 Dell Technologies Championship. WYNDHAM REWARDS The Wyndham Rewards Top 10 is in its first season and adds another layer of excitement to the FedExCup Regular Season. The top 10 players at the end of the FedExCup Regular Season will earn bonus payouts from the Wyndham Rewards Top 10. There were no changes in the top six players after the Waste Management Phoenix Open, with Xander Schauffele hanging onto the top spot with a T10 finish. In battling through adversity, WMPO champion Rickie Fowler was the week’s biggest mover, going from 65th to 7th.

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