Tiger Woods and the fight with his body, his game and his motivation

THE PLAYERS Championship winner Webb Simpson and fast-rising Cameron Champ headline the roster as Georgia’s Golden Isles once again serve as the backdrop to hand out one more trophy – and Sentry Tournament of Champions invitation – before the season enters its holiday break. Tournament host Davis Love III, elder statesman among pros who call St. Simon’s Island home, again leads a local lineup at least a dozen strong. Residents have yet to cheer a “true� home winner, though two of the Classic’s eight previous champions had significant ties to the island. FIELD NOTES: Patton Kizzire, the only St. Simon’s Island pro to reach the FedExCup finale at East Lake, and Zach Johnson also will fly the island’s banner along with former PGA TOUR winners Brian Harman, Harris English, Hudson Swafford and Jonathan Byrd. … Retief Goosen, set for entry into the World Golf Hall of Fame next year, makes his second start since receiving the news. That makes it a trio with Hall of Fame credentials, along with Love and Ernie Els. … U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk makes his third consecutive start since bringing his clubs out of hibernation. … Invitations were given to LSU freshman standout Garrett Barber, who won last February’s Jones Cup at Sea Island, along with Love’s son Dru. It’ll be Dru’s third chance to tee it up on home soil. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES: The race remains on to become the first man to keep the RSM Classic trophy on the island. Though Chris Kirk lived there 6 ½ years, he relocated to Atlanta months before his 2013 victory. Two years later, Kisner won while in temporary housing as his South Carolina home underwent remodeling. The closest a fulltimer has come is a pair of fourths – Love in 2012 and Harman last year. … It’s the final chance for someone to punch his ticket to Kapalua in January, a timely perk for each of the Classic’s first eight winners. … Champ, winner of the Sanderson Farms Championship, makes his first visit to Sea Island as a PGA TOUR pro. The Texas A&M alum is plenty familiar with the place, though, with the SEC Championship making an annual stop. … Champ and Sam Ryder, with a pair of top-4 finishes in the new season, are among a handful with a chance to displace Xander Schauffele atop the FedExCup standings before the holiday break. Schauffele is taking the week off. … When Austin Cook won by four last year, it was just the second time in eight editions that the winner finished more than one shot clear. Kisner holds the record with a six-shot romp in 2015. COURSE: Sea Island GC (Seaside), 7,005 yards, par 70. Framed against tidal creeks, dunes and salt marshes, the layout at the southern tip of St. Simons Island got its start as a nine-hole track built in 1929 by English architects Harry Colt and Charles Alison. Bobby Jones once described Seaside as among the best nine holes he’d ever seen. Joe Lee created the “Marshside Nine� in 1973, and Tom Fazio was commissioned to bring the two together in 1999. Seaside places a premium on shot selection and sound course management. Entrants also play one of their first two rounds at the par-72 Plantation course, which joined the format three years ago after Rees Jones fused two other nine-hole layouts into an 18-hole test. • 72-HOLE RECORD: 260, Kevin Kisner (2015). • 18-HOLE RECORD: 60, Tommy Gainey (4th round, 2012). • LAST YEAR: Cook fired a second-day 62 and held off any late threats with three birdies in his last four holes, pulling away on a windy afternoon to a four-shot romp for his first PGA TOUR victory. The Arkansas pro took a three-shot lead into the final day, but saw it reduced to one over J.J. Spaun as winds made things increasingly difficult on the Seaside layout. A bogey by Spaun at No.16 allowed Cook to enjoy a little more cushion, and Cook drained a 4-foot birdie at No.15 to start his closing flourish. Cook, who finished with a 67, broke into the winner’s column in just his 14th TOUR start and fourth of his official rookie season, becoming the fifth player to win the Classic in his first pro visit to Sea Island. Brian Gay was another stroke back in third. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Sunday, 1:30-4:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). PGA TOUR LIVE: None. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, noon-4:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).  

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No detail is overlooked. Sometimes he doesn’t even watch the ball, instead just listening. Most times, he can explain the details before the computer has a chance. This is testing with Tiger

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The man in the arena at the Puerto Rico Open qualifier was medalist Christian Salzer, who rebounded from a three-putt bogey at the opening hole to card 7-under 64, earning his first career PGA TOUR start. The 23-year-old who turned professional last June had made just one start in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event, missing the cut at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard in early February. The North Carolina State alum has mostly tested his game on mini-tours. In his professional debut, he finished T3 at the 2021 Mimosa Open on the GProTour after carding rounds of 64-65-68. He felt like his game had been solid all year, he said, but hadn’t really cashed in until Monday. “Whole lot different than college golf,” Salzer told PGA TOUR Digital after the round. “Pars are good in college, but they don’t cut it in professional golf no matter what level you are. Mini-tours teach you to keep your foot on the gas and keep making birdies.” Salzer, who chalked up eight birdies on Monday, always believed he had the talent to compete on the PGA TOUR. But it has taken time and veteran advice from former North Carolina State golfer and 2010 PLAYERS Championship winner Tim Clark to propel Salzer’s game. “Tim told me something once when we were at his house for a college tournament,” Salzer said. “He said that the club and the golf ball don’t know what the shot is for, or how much it means, or what could go wrong. It resonated with me and put things in perspective. Golf doesn’t change or get harder. No matter the situation, only the player can put the pressure on and make it harder.” Salzer will look to channel that newfound perspective this week as he makes his PGA TOUR debut at the Puerto Rico Open. Patrick Flavin qualified for his second PGA TOUR event of the season after posting a 6-under 65. Flavin’s T17 finish at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship was tied for best for a Monday qualifier this year until Martin Contini’s finish at The Honda Classic last week. Alejandro Tosti tied Flavin at 6-under and will make his PGA TOUR debut at the Puerto Rico Open. Tosti becomes the third Argentinian in the last two weeks to qualify for a PGA TOUR event. The 4-for-1 playoff to decide the last qualifier for the Puerto Rico Open ended on the fourth extra hole when veteran Brett Stegmaier made birdie. His most recent PGA TOUR start came at the 2018 Wyndham Championship, finishing T11. Drew Nesbitt, Brian Carlson and Brian Richey fell just shy of Puerto Rico Open entry via the 4-for-1 playoff. It marked the second consecutive week in which Richey lost in a Monday qualifier playoff, after he competed in last week’s 16-for-1 playoff at The Honda Classic qualifier. Here’s a capsule look at the four Puerto Rico Open qualifiers … Christian Salzer (7-under 64) Age: 23 College: North Carolina State Turned pro: 2021 PGA TOUR starts: 0 Notes: Will make PGA TOUR debut at the Puerto Rico Open … Made Korn Ferry Tour debut at the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard, resulting in missed cut … Played four years of college golf at North Carolina State … Finished senior year with 71.57 scoring average, which was 12th lowest in program history … Prior to North Carolina State, Salzar ranked as the No. 2 junior in the state of South Carolina … Won the 2015 South Carolina Junior Championship … Represented the United States at the 2015 Can – Am Championship. Alejandro Tosti (6-under 65) Age: 25 College: University of Florida Turned pro: 2018 PGA TOUR starts: 0 Notes: Will make his PGA TOUR debut at the Puerto Rico Open … Has two top-25 finishes in three starts on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica this season … Currently No. 18 on Totalplay Cup… Finished inside the top-10 three times in eight events on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica in 2019 … Won the 2019 Termas de Rio Hando Invitational on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica … Turned pro in 2018 … Had already recorded two finishes inside the top-20 on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica as an amateur … Played collegiately at the University of Florida … Was 2017 Golfweek First Team All-America and First Team All-SEC … Made the 2015 SEC All-Freshman Team … Won individual portion of the 2017 SEC Championship at Sea Island, Georgia … Won first and last event while playing for the University of Florida … Represented Argentina at the 2014 World Amateur Team Championship in Japan … Finished T2 with Lucas Herbert in the 2014 Eisenhower Trophy for individual play, three strokes shy of winner Jon Rahm. Patrick Flavin (6-under 65) Age: 26 College: Miami (Ohio) Turned pro: 2018 PGA TOUR starts: 2 Cuts made: 1 Notes: Will make second start of the 2021-22 PGA TOUR season at the Puerto Rico Open … Qualified for the 2021 Butterfield Bermuda Championship and finished T17 … Has made two cuts in three events on the 2021-22 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica … Best finish was 18th at the 115 VISA Argentine Open presented by Macro … Played five events on the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, recording one finish inside the top-10 at the 61 Abierto Mexicano de Golf … Played 13 events on the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour, finishing T5 at the Evans Scholars Invitational presented by First Midwest Bank and T10 at the Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics … Finished T5 in the Forme Open at TPC River’s Bend and T7 at the Forme Tour Championship on the 2021 Forme Tour … Played 16 events on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica in 2019, winning the Bupa Match Play and finishing inside the top five in two other events (Shell Championship; 66 JHSF Aberto De Brasil) … Two-time Miami (Ohio) Athlete of the Year … Stands No. 658 on the Official World Golf Ranking. Brett Stegmaier (5-under 66; birdie on fourth hole of 4-for-1 playoff) Age: 38 College: University of Florida Turned pro: 2006 PGA TOUR starts: 80 Cuts made: 40 Notes: Puerto Rico Open will be Stegmaier’s first PGA TOUR event since the 2017-18 PGA TOUR season … Played 34 events on the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour … T11 at Live and Work in Maine Open was best result … Opened 2019 Korn Ferry Tour season with back-to-back finishes inside the top-10 in the Bahamas … Best Korn Ferry Tour finish was second at the 2014 Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by MISTRAS … Played on the PGA TOUR from 2015-16 to 2017-18 … Best finish was T2 at the 2015 Shriners Children’s Open … Stands No. 915 on the Official World Golf Ranking. Notables to fall short of qualifying: Brian Richey, Chase Koepka, Tom Lovelady, M.J. Maguire, Erik Compton, Mickey DeMorat, Jamie Lovemark, Max Sear, Daniel Wetterich, Ben Silverman, Kyle Reifers, Marcelo Rozo, Andrew Svoboda, Andrew Loupe, Nicholas Thompson, Stephen Stallings Jr., Mark Baldwin This week’s Puerto Rico Open qualifiers will aim to build on the momentum cultivated at The Honda Classic last week. Three of The Honda Classic’s four open qualifiers survived the cut. Argentinian Martin Contini was T7 heading into the final round at PGA National (Champion) before finishing T16. It was the best finish by a Monday qualifier so far in 2022. Rick Lamb, who qualified last Tuesday morning after making eagle on the first hole of a 16-for-1 playoff, carried his quality play to PGA National and finished T30. It was his best finish on the PGA TOUR since the 2017 Wyndham Championship. Sam Stevens, medalist at The Honda Classic qualifier, was T19 heading into the final round before carding 4-over 74 and finishing T55. 2021-22 Monday qualifier statistics Top-25s: Martin Contini (T16, The Honda Classic); Grant Hirschman (T17, Sanderson Farms Championship); Patrick Flavin (T17, Butterfield Bermuda Championship) Best finish: Martin Contini (T16, The Honda Classic) Most times qualified: Patrick Flavin (2); Kyle Wilshire (2); Ben Silverman (2) Last event’s qualifier results (The Honda Classic): Martin Contini (T16); Rick Lamb (T30); Sam Stevens (T55); Fabián Gómez (MC) Next PGA TOUR qualifier: Valspar Championship; Southern Hills Plantation Club, March 14

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