Tiger Woods has work to do at the PGA Championship, and here is how it is going

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Phil Mickelson and his sublime short game delivered more entertainment than all the athletes and celebrities for the Saturday show at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Mickelson made the impossible look easy from a bunker behind the par-3 seventh green at Pebble Beach. He holed out from a bunker for birdie on the 13th, and chipped in from 90 feet for birdie on the next hole. Related: Leaderboard | Mickelson’s lucky silver dollar When he ran in one last birdie, Mickelson had a 5-under 67 and trailed Nick Taylor of Canada by one shot going into the final round. Mickelson will be going for a record sixth title at Pebble Beach, and his first PGA TOUR victory since he won this tournament last year. Taylor had a cold and relatively quiet day, away from all the hits and giggles around the celebrity rotation at Pebble. He teed off at tough Spyglass Hill with a beanie and hand warmers because of heavy marine layer, warmed up as the sun broke through and made a 25-foot eagle putt late in his round for a 69. Taylor was at 17-under 198 as he goes for his second PGA TOUR victory, and first since he won the Sanderson Farms Championship in his fourth start as a TOUR rookie. Mickelson hit a flop shot over the bunker on the par-5 18th to pull within one shot. They will be in the final group, along with their amateur partners. Mickelson has former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young, while Taylor has Golf Digest editor-in-chief Jerry Tarde. Taylor and Mickelson have never played together. “It’s going to be a new experience for that reason, if I am playing with him,” Taylor said. “Obviously, if he makes a putt or great shot, the crowd’s going to go wild. I’ve just got to do my own thing, try to block all that out. Easier said than done, without having to do it before, but I’ll do the best I can.” This is a two-man show; however, Jason Day posted a 70 at Spyglass Hill and was only three shots behind at 14-under 201. For others, it was a wasted opportunity. Pebble Beach had more wind than earlier in the week, but still gentle enough that low scores were available. Dustin Johnson, a two-time winner at Pebble, was in striking range and could manage only a 72, leaving him eight shots back. Patrick Cantlay played the final six holes in 2 over for a 72 and was nine shots back. Mickelson started with a pair of birdies. He took a share of the lead with a birdie on the par-5 sixth. And then the fun began. His wedge on the 110-yard seventh hole that drops down into the Pacific went long and plugged in the back bunker, impossible because of the back pin and a fast green that slopes toward the front. He splashed out so perfectly that it took a few hops in the rough before reaching the green, slow enough to stop 2 feet away for a tap-in par. Even for Mickelson, it rates among his best. Then, his 50-foot bunker shot on the tough eighth rolled inches from the cup on No. 8. More trouble supposedly awaited on the 13th when his approach peeled into the left bunker. He raised both arms when that dropped. And on the par-5 14th, he made a mistake by not hitting his punch wedge hard enough. It rolled down the slope, off the green and back into the fairway. Mickelson’s long chip from 90 feet banged into the pin and dropped for birdie. Mickelson missed two birdie putts from inside 10 feet. And while he hit only nine greens in regulation, he usually had a reasonable angle to the pin to save par — or make birdie, as was the case twice for him. That leaves a Sunday with plenty at stake for the leading three players. Mickelson said earlier in the week he would not accept a special exemption for the U.S. Open if he needed one. A victory at Pebble — the 45th of his career — would go a long way toward solving that. Taylor can validate his first win since his rookie season, an opposite-field event at the time. The Canadian has never been to the Masters and has played in only four majors, two as an amateur. Day, meanwhile spent most of last year injured and frustrated. He has gone nearly two years since his last win, and was in danger of falling out of range for World Golf Championships events if he didn’t starting getting better results.

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BLAINE, Minn. – Matthew Wolff was a very interested spectator, waiting back in the 18th fairway on Sunday afternoon, as Bryson DeChambeau stood over an eagle putt that would give him the lead in the 3M Open. He saw the 7-footer drop and watched DeChambeau celebrate, clenching his fists and posing like the Incredible Hulk. Then Wolff, who was playing in the day’s final group, had to compose himself and hit across that gaping lake to the same green. He needed a birdie to tie and an eagle to win. Heady stuff, to be sure. Particularly for a 20-year-old with that unique, herky-jerky swing who was making just his third PGA TOUR as a professional, and fourth overall. Related: What’s in Wolff’s bag? | George Gankas breaks down Wolff’s unique swing | How Wolff is a ‘disruptor’ on TOUR “It was kind of a delay actually from the crowd roar to when I saw him throw the fist pump,â€� Wolff recalled later. “So, it was great playing by Bryson. He’s obviously one of the best players in the world and he’s proven himself.  To be able to have a chance against him is awesome. “But my mindset was kind of the same with that shot. I knew I was going to go for it… And when he did that, I kind of told myself … it would be pretty special to roll in an eagle and finish this deal off on 18. Kind of that little adrenaline boost, I guess kind of motivated me.â€� And Steve Lohmeyer, the caddie who just started working for Wolff this week, knew just what to say to his new boss. “You’re the best long iron player here this week,â€� Lohmeyer told Wolff. “Let’s show these people what you can do. We could see everything. It was actually really cool – we could see (DeChambeau) make it, and then I said, let’s just hit this golf shot.â€� Now, the 5-iron wasn’t perfect. It didn’t cut quite like Wolff had hoped. But it settled up against the collar off the green, and there was just 26 feet of real estate standing between him and what would be a life-changing victory. Wolff later admitted he was shaking a little as he surveyed the putt. Lohmeyer liked the read, though, and stepped away as Wolff took several deep breaths. Finally, he hit the ball and watched intently until it got about a foot from the hole. He knew it was in. Wolff stepped forward, pumped his fist and yelled “come on,â€� just like he had when he won the NCAA’s individual title in May. It was his time.  “I’ve been told so many times before that I was born for moments like these, I live for moments like these,â€� Wolff said. “It doesn’t get better than this. “I had a blast out there, and to make that putt was everything. You know, for me it was just kind of staying calm, doing what I do. And not a lot of putts were dropping today. I kind of told myself, you know, this wouldn’t be a bad time for one to go my way. … “It was the most excited I’ve ever been. I’m usually not an emotional guy at all, but tears definitely came to my eyes when I stepped off and picked that ball up out of the hole.â€� Tears flowed again after Collin Morikawa, Wolff’s long-time friend and Sunday’s playing partner, missed a 25-footer for an eagle of his own that could have forced a playoff. Wolff hugged Lohmeyer, burying his face in his caddie’s shoulder, and both men cried. “He was just telling me how proud of me he was,â€� Wolff said. “And it’s something that we talked about since the beginning of the week just being myself and I didn’t really say much because I was crying. “But just all the work that he’s done has been really helpful and I really appreciate everything … and I’m looking to a great future with him.â€� And that future has changed dramatically for Wolff, who now has his PGA TOUR card until the end of the 2020-21 season and a ticket to the FedExCup Playoffs. As recently as last week when he missed the cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the Californian remembers sitting in his hotel room wondering if he’d made the right decision leaving Oklahoma State after his sophomore season to turn pro. He didn’t feel comfortable with his game. Everyone was shooting 20, 25-under and he wondered if he was good enough. Wolff even saw a tweet earlier this week where someone had taken a picture of his TOUR finishes, implying he was overrated. Tied for 50th at the Waste Management Phoenix Open when he was still an amateur. Tied for 80th at the Travelers Championship in his pro debut and last week’s missed cut. Instead of getting mad, though, Wolff used the slight to his advantage. “There’s always people who are going to go out there and put you down a notch,â€� he said. “There’s always people who will go out there and tell you you’re the best player in the world. “I think that kind of motivated me a little bit, but at the end of the day it’s all talk and what you believe is the most important thing and who you have around you is the most important.â€� One of those people is OSU assistant coach Donnie Darr, who texted Wolff on Saturday night after he seized a share of the lead with Morikawa and DeChambeau. Darr reminded Wolff that he won six tournaments last year – more than anyone in the field at the 3M Open — and to draw on that experience in the final round. “He was pretty much telling me, he goes, ‘You can do it.  Your winning is no different at any level, it’s about being in that moment, it’s about handling it, staying calm, staying present,’â€� Wolff remembered. “That kind of hit with me.  You know, I know how to win, I know how to seal the deal and I live for moments like that putt or those clutch moments where you have to step up to the stage.  And that’s what I did. “It was awesome.â€�

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