With the U.S. Open looming, Tiger Woods is still looking for his game

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ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Scottie Scheffler was rewarded Sunday for his strong start to his first PGA TOUR season. Scheffler, who will enter the new year ranked 20th in the FedExCup, won the RSM Birdies Fore Love competition for making the most birdies and eagles in the fall portion of the 2020 schedule. Scheffler finished with 139 birdies and eagles, one more than Lanto Griffin. “It’s awesome. It’s great for RSM to put that up,â€� said Scheffler, the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year. “It’s really them doing all the work, I was just lucky enough to make enough birdies. I’m looking forward to seeing what I’m going to do with it.â€� For winning the RSM Birdies Fore Love competition, Scheffler earned $300,000 for the charity of his choice. He finished fifth in The RSM Classic after shooting 15-under 267. It was his fifth top-25 in seven starts this fall, and third top-10. Griffin, the Houston Open champion, started the week with the lead in Birdies Fore Love, but shot a first-round 74. He rallied with a second-round 65 but fell one shot short of the cut. He could only watch as Scheffler shot 63-68 on the weekend at Sea Island’s Seaside Course. Scheffler made eight birdies Saturday but didn’t have one on his front nine Sunday. He made four on the back nine to squeak by Griffin. Griffin earned $150,000 for the charity of his choice for finishing second in the Birdies Fore Love competition, while Denny McCarthy earned $50,000 for finishing third.

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – He raised his putter in the air on No. 9 as his 24-foot birdie putt rolled in the hole. Two holes later, he swung his fist after a grinding par. Tiger Woods was only two shots off the lead as he toured PGA National’s trying back nine, much to the delight of the boisterous fans who’d enjoyed some beverages to survive the hot South Florida sun. The question – “Is Tiger back?â€� – has been asked so often amidst his countless comebacks that it has become cliché, but on this afternoon it was difficult for fans to remember that they were watching a man who had undergone four back surgeries. Woods sits at 1-over 141 through two rounds, four shots behind co-leaders Luke List and Jamie Lovemark. “I’m right there in the ballgame,â€� he said. The enthusiasm was dampened when Woods rinsed his tee shot at the par-3 15th and followed with a three-putt bogey on the next hole, but he inched back toward the leaders with some masterful play on the most difficult hole of the day, the par-3 17th. He hit a cut 5-iron within 12 feet of the hole to make one of the nine birdies there in the second round. Woods almost ended one victory drought here. In search of his first win after his personal scandal, he shot a final-round 62 to finish second to Rory McIlroy in 2012. Now Woods is seeking his first victory since his Player of the Year season in 2013, and it’s not implausible that it could come this week. The cross-country trip from Pacific Palisades to Palm Beach Gardens seemed to serve Woods well. A week ago, he looked lost as he struggled to a back-nine 39 at Riviera to miss the cut by four. Now he’s four shots from the lead. “I love Riviera. I just don’t play well there,â€� Woods said Friday. “We’re back at a golf course I know and I play well here. I felt like I hit a lot of good golf shots, especially in this wind.â€� He’s passing the toughest test of the season. The average score on PGA National’s par-70 Champion Course has been just a touch under 73. Woods is 29th in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green and 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting this week. He’s hit more than half his fairways (15 of 28) and 21 of 36 greens. He’s third in proximity to the hole (30 feet, 4 inches). “I’m getting there. I feel like I’ve made some nice tweaks,â€� Woods said. “I’m hitting the ball flush, and on top of that, I’m really controlling the (trajectory).â€� A difficult weekend awaits, but Woods’ game is moving in the right direction.

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