Live leaderboard: Can DJ hold on to lead?

TULSA, Okla. – Tiger Woods produced the worst PGA Championship round of his storied career, battling away to a 9-over 79 on Saturday morning at Southern Hills. In cold, wet, and blustery conditions, Woods and his surgically repaired body could not muster the charge up the leaderboard he had hoped for, instead freefalling to near the back of the pack with just one round to play. It is yet to be seen if Woods will indeed return for Sunday’s final round, such is the vigorous recovery process he endures just to tee it up. He will juggle the pride of seeing a contest through to its conclusion over the wear and tear of a body that still hopes to take part in the U.S. Open in June and the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews in July. “Well, I’m sore. I know that for a fact. We’ll do some work and see how it goes,” Woods said of the prospect of a final round appearance. On Saturday the 82-time PGA TOUR winning veteran had seven bogeys, a triple bogey and just a lone birdie marking the worst of his now 79 rounds at the PGA Championship, a major he’s claimed four times including in 2007 at Southern Hills. Woods eclipsed the 77 he shot in the opening round of the 2011 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club as his low point in the tournament but did manage to keep under his worst major round of all-time – an 81 from the 2002 Open Championship. He made a 5-foot putt for par on the final hole to ensure his TOUR rounds in the 80s as a professional remain at just four. “I just didn’t play well. I didn’t hit the ball very well and got off to not the start I needed to get off to. I thought I hit a good tee shot down 2 and ended up in the water, and just never really got any kind of momentum on my side,” Woods lamented after finishing at 12-over for the tournament. “I couldn’t get off the bogey train there… I didn’t do anything right. I didn’t hit many good shots. Consequently, I ended up with a pretty high score.” The PGA Championship is just the second tournament of the year for the 15-time major winner as he continues his comeback from serious leg fractures suffered in a 2021 car accident. While Woods continues to compete to win, just making the cut in April’s Masters (47th place) and at Southern Hills this week is seen as a massive achievement by others, especially given the obvious pain he goes through to play. After an opening 74 Woods had showed great resilience to shoot 69 in round two. “Incredibly resilient and mentally tough,” playing partner from the opening two rounds Rory McIlroy said. “He’s feeling it… he’s feeling it on every swing… (but) he’s the ultimate pro.” “Looking at him yesterday, if that would have been me, I would have been considering pulling out and just going home, but Tiger is different and he’s proved he’s different… it was just a monumental effort.” Woods opened his third round with a nice 13-foot par save but lost his tee shot on the par-4 2nd hole into a creek that resulted in his first bogey. A run of three pars followed before disaster struck on the par-3 6th. After pulling his tee shot into another water hazard Woods missed the green from the drop zone and then failed to find the putting surface with his first chip. Unfortunately, the triple bogey was just a precursor of more to come. A bogey on the par-4 7th was followed by another on the par-4 9th when Woods hit the lip of the fairway bunker he was trying to escape and advanced the ball just four yards into the rough, leaving him with a 6-over 41 at the turn. Four straight bogeys on the back side of the course brought the specter of unwanted records into focus. But just as it appeared Woods would go without a birdie in a major championship round for the first time since the opener of the 2010 U.S. Open, the veteran poured in a 36-footer on the par-4 15th to give the hardy fans following a reason to cheer. Three pars to finish showed the fight hadn’t left the veteran despite the rough outing and he wasn’t alone as tricky winds saw others like Sepp Straka (79), Patton Kizzire (78), Maverick McNealy (78) and fellow former FedExCup champion Billy Horschel (77) also struggle.

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At the end of the day, PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Sungjae Im says he might just need a touch of luck to take the final step to victory. The South Korean young star, still just 21, has once again shown why many believe he will become a regular winner on the PGA TOUR with a solid 6-under 66 to open the World Golf Championships–HSBC Champions. It left Im just two shots off the lead behind local favorite Haotong Li and in a tie for third place. A win was the only thing missing from Im’s impressive rookie season in 2018-19. He notched seven top-10s from an incredible 35 starts and was the only rookie to make it to the TOUR Championship, where he would finish 19th in the FedExCup. In five starts during his sophomore season, he’s already been runner-up after losing a playoff at the Sanderson Farms Championship and finished last week’s ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP tied for third. But rather than show frustration due to other young stars such Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa having already won, Im chooses to focus on his constant ability to contend. He’s missed just one cut – at the Open Championship – in 16 starts since June. “The feeling is consistency, it’s pretty good to be top-10,â€� Im countered when asked what was missing in his chase for a trophy. “If my putting is helping me out, and also my luck comes to me, maybe I can win.â€� Im won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour so he is no stranger to closing out tournaments. This week also represents the last week for Presidents Cup hopefuls to state their case for captain’s picks. Im is already considered a favorite to get a call from International Team captain Ernie Els but is looking to leave no doubt whatsoever in his readiness.

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NOTE: If you play PGA TOUR Champions One & Done presented by SERVPRO, The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex begins on Thursday. It’s the last of five majors on the circuit and there is a 36-hole cut. See the possibilities at the bottom of the page to assist you in determining your pick. Part of our purpose as a sevensome of “experts” is to enjoy publicly battling in our little league, but we take seriously our positions of suggesting golfers you should consider for yours. Whether you’re chasing your own league title or gunning for the season-long prizes at PGATOUR.COM, we understand that you count on us to present options and sensible opinion if for no other reason than you simply don’t have the time to commit to the same. Jonathan and Chris are cognizant of the fact that you may have followed their lead, if possible, and selected Jordan Spieth and Grayson Murray for last week’s Open Championship and Barbasol Championship, respectively. Spieth was the fourth-most owned at Royal Birkdale at 6.4 percent, but Murray ranked 24th at just 0.4 percent in ownership percentage. As the steward of the weekly recaps on Thursdays, I’ve gleaned a sense for our influence over time, so I’m certain that Chris’ call for the PGA TOUR rookie in particular was heard out there. It’s decisions like Junior’s that can determine league championships, but no such guesswork is needed at the RBC Canadian Open. Matt Kuchar strolls and smiles into Glen Abbey checking all of the boxes. Sure, the runner-up finish at Royal Birkdale hurt like no other defeat in his career, but we also know that he takes too much pride in himself and his profession to mail it in anywhere, but especially at a tournament where he’s appeared every year since 2010. He’s not only finished T2, T7 and T9 in the last three editions of the event at Glen Abbey, he’s also an RBC ambassador, so there are all kinds of positive vibes assisting in taking his mind off what was effectively a Jordan Spieth victory and not a Matt Kuchar loss at The Open. In two appearances at Glen Abbey, Dustin Johnson has been beaten by only the winners in 2013 (Brandt Snedeker) and 2016 (Jhonattan Vegas). Skeptical gamers would like to see a reversal in his form, but gamers in earnings-based formats and chasing should plug him in. It’s in weeks like this one when so many of the game’s best talents are resting or competing elsewhere when DJ’s value is multiplied. Tony Finau sets up as a timely bridge in PGA TOUR One & Done presented by SERVPRO, but he’s worthy of a primary slot in two-man formats. He continues to impress as a special breed who retains above-average consistency while maintaining a busy schedule. If you’ve yet to burn Charley Hoffman, this is your last logical spot to invest. Do it with confidence. Chad Campbell, Scott Stallings, Daniel Summerhays and Sung Kang are dandy complements to two-man gamers. If you wanted to go all-in on having some fun with an all-Maple Leaf lineup, consider the duo of Adam Hadwin and Mackenzie Hughes. They’ve already lifted PGA TOUR hardware this season. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2016-17. All are pending golfer commitment. Keegan Bradley … WGC-Bridgestone; Dell Technologies Kevin Chappell … Dell Technologies Jim Furyk … Canadian; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Charley Hoffman … Canadian Dustin Johnson … Canadian; TOUR Championship Matt Kuchar … Canadian; WGC-Bridgestone Graeme McDowell … WGC-Bridgestone; Wyndham William McGirt … Wyndham Scott Piercy … BMW Bubba Watson … WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Gary Woodland … Barracuda (already eligible for concurrent WGC-Bridgestone); PGA Championship; Dell Technologies; TOUR Championship CHAMPIONS ONE & DONE POSSIBILITIES The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex Royal Porthcawl in Wales hosts for the second time (2014). It’s a par 35-36=71 with three par 5s and tips at 7,010 yards. As one of only three tournaments (all majors) with a 36-hole cut and with one of the lowest purses of the season (~$1.75 million), it’s a decent week to holster a notable if you can’t go the distance without searching on the fringe. Golfers listed alphabetically. Rob’s serious considerations in bold. Billy Andrade … Top 20s in his only previous appearances, but hasn’t played Royal Porthcawl in competition. Just one top-45 finish in his last four events upon arrival. Tommy Armour III … T9s in two of his last three starts but a non-factor in his last two Senior Opens. Paul Broadhurst … Defending champion (at Carnoustie) and 2016 Rookie of the Year. Missed the cut by two last week at Royal Birkdale. Top 25s in last three PGA TOUR Champions starts. Fred Couples … The 2012 champ placed T13 here in 2014 despite a closing 78. Returned from injury with a victory in Wisconsin a month ago. T4 at the SENIOR PLAYERS. Seven top sixes in 2017. Scott Dunlap … Really ideal is you’re front-running and are out of short-range options. Top 20s in all three Senior Opens (T6 in 2014) and fresh off a T14 at the SENIOR PLAYERS. Joe Durant … No matter the venue, he’s performed exceptionally well at the SENIOR PLAYERS (T6-T3-T2-T6), but has just four top 10s in 13 starts in the other majors combined. Save him. Steve Flesch … Intriguing fit with a pair of fifth-place finishes in five starts since turning 50 in May. Alas, his record in The Open Championship is pedestrian at best (3-for-5 with one top 50). Fred Funk … Somewhat tempting coming off a T6 at the SENIOR PLAYERS, but it’s been six years since his last top 25 in the Senior Open. T29 here in 2014 is the best in the interim. Miguel Angel Jiménez … Major breakthrough is imminent. An automatic if you’ve yet to pull the trigger. Solo fourth at Caves Valley and a T8-4th-T3 run in the Senior Open starting here in 2014. Jerry Kelly … As a first-timer, it’s relevant to comp to his record in The Open Championship, and it was forgettable. He went 5-for-11 with zero top 25s. Bernhard Langer … The 2014 champ and by 13 strokes! He’s had a week to recover from the stunning collapse late at Caves Valley, so if you haven’t yet burned him, ignore the reduced purse. Tom Lehman … By comparison, his worst major. Best finish in seven tries was a T10 in 2012. He’s either won or finished second at least once in each of the other four. Scott McCarron … So valuable as one of the most predictable when there are four par 5s. They are his moneymakers. Runner-up last year at Carnoustie but wasn’t yet eligible here in 2014. Colin Montgomerie … The 2014 runner-up and fresh off a T6 at the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS, which ended his drought without a top 15 at six starts. Tom Pernice, Jr. … Tied for third here in 2014, but has only one top-30 finish in the last 10 majors. Gene Sauers … Too inconsistent even as a bridge. Also making his debut at Royal Porthcawl. Target the Boeing Classic in late August instead. Jeff Sluman … Six top 25s in nine Opens, including in each of the last four (T16 at Royal Porthcawl in 2014), so he’s a fair surrogate during what has been a nice season at age 59. Duffy Waldorf … Didn’t compete here in 2014, but once again, save him for one of the remaining eight non-majors. In fact, pencil him in for the Shaw Charity Classic on Labor Day weekend. Tom Watson … It wouldn’t be an Open discussion without this guy. Tied for 10th here in 2014. Perfect if you’ve never rostered him ever before and you’re entirely about having a good time.

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