Phil among 11 from LIV to file suit vs. PGA Tour

AVONDALE, La. — Sergio Garcia has committed to play in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event in April. Tournament chief Steve Worthy, who made the announcement on Tuesday, says Garcia’s partner will be Zurich Classic newcomer Rafa Cabrera Bello, who is ranked 21st in the world and 26th in the FedExCup standings. Garcia last played the tournament, held at the TPC Louisiana, in 2010. Worthy says this year’s field also will include 2011 Zurich Classic winner and Bubba Watson, but with a new partner, Matt Kuchar. Last year, Watson played with J.B. Holmes. This marks the second year of the team format at the Zurich, won last year by Swede Jonas Blixt and Australian Cameron Smith. The tournament runs from April 26-29.

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MEXICO CITY – What a difference a day makes. One day after he was lucky to escape his first-ever hole in Mexico with a double-bogey, Tiger Woods moved up the leaderboard with a second-round 66 at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec. “I had that one three-wiggle there at 17,� he said, “but overall it was a pretty good day. I felt like I got a lot out of the round and plotted my way around the golf course nicely and never really got out of position.� Making his third start of the season after a couple of top-20 finishes at the Farmers Insurance Open and Genesis Open, Woods hit 11 of 14 fairways, hit 13 greens in regulation and took just 26 putts. He also made 108 feet of putts. Those numbers would have been even better had his last birdie try, from just over 11 feet, not taken a hard lip-out. The performance moved him well up the leaderboard, from a tie for 25th place to tie for 7th when he signed his card. “Just keep plodding along,� he said of his plans for the weekend. “I think that the winning score here really hasn’t been all that low.� Woods was injured for the first edition of the WGC-Mexico Championship in 2017, and didn’t qualify to play last year, when he was just starting to play his way back into form. He captured his 80th PGA TOUR title at the TOUR Championship to culminate his comeback season. Even in a field that boasts 46 of the top 50 ranked players in the world, his presence has thrilled galleries here, who have been grateful and at times deliriously excited to see him in person for the first time. Even the first-tee announcer got into the act as his wild introduction of the main attraction Thursday was more boxing or soccer than golf, and cracked up Woods. “Yeah, because he said my name three times,� Woods said with a smile. It was right after his wild intro that he hooked a 5-wood out of bounds with his first swing. There were no such problems Friday. “The ball wasn’t flying as far today,� he said. “It wasn’t as warm, wasn’t as windy, so it was a little bit easier to do the calculations, and with my feels. Yesterday was tough; today was easier, and I hit a lot of shots pin-high today.�

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GREENSBORO, N.C. – Jordan Spieth went into the third round 9-under par and just four off the lead at the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club. Three double bogeys, a bogey and no birdies later, he signed for a 7-over 77 and missed the 54-hole cut – the last 54-hole cut on the PGA TOUR before a new policy takes effect. “Yeah, it was just a bad day,â€� Spieth said, addressing a small scrum of reporters outside the scoring area. “Overall, just didn’t play well.â€� Although fans might have hoped that the 2015 FedExCup champion was finally emerging from a long slump, it all came crashing down in one round, starting with a double-bogey 6 on the first hole. Spieth, who is a work in progress with his long game but made 225 feet of putts the first two days, hit just four of 14 fairways, and took 32 putts – nine more than Thursday and Friday. It was a very long, hot day. “On the front nine I actually had decent looks at birdie on a lot of holes,â€� Spieth said. “And then No. 10, when I hit that one out of bounds, it was like, man, I don’t know what’s going on. “Yeah, I mean, I putted my ass off for two days to be able to be where I was at,â€� he continued, “and you can’t exactly fix your ball-striking in a day from being a negative three or something Strokes Gained to trying to gain positive. It’s just too much to try and force it.â€� He is 2 under and will be one of the last players to miss the second cut on TOUR. Instead of going home to Dallas, he said he would most likely stay in Greensboro before flying to the New York/New Jersey area for next week’s FedExCup Playoffs opener, THE NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National. “This extra day could serve me really well through the Playoffs,â€� Spieth said before signing autographs.

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