A lot of pressure rests on first tourney back

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DUBLIN, Ohio – He’s won this tournament five times, and now he’s playing for the first time since 2015. Tiger Woods is back; cue the highlight reel. “A nice run since I turned pro,� Woods said when he won the most recent of those five titles at Muirfield Village, in 2012, to tie tournament host Jack Nicklaus with his 73rd career PGA TOUR victory. Woods is on a nice run this year, too, having gone from 656th to 83rd in the Official World Golf Ranking. “I obviously haven’t played in a few years, and a lot of great memories here,� Woods said in his press conference here Wednesday. “I’ve always enjoyed playing Jack’s place, and this year is no different. It’s in perfect shape. Hopefully the rain holds out a little bit, because this golf course is going to be tough. It’s fun.� Players have been commenting on the thicker rough this week at Muirfield Village, where the tournament will honor two-time Memorial champion Hale Irwin, plus golf writer Larry Dorman, whose career included a long stretch at The New York Times. There’s also a new ticket option this year called The Millenial Ticket, which is $60 for a one-day grounds pass, which includes two tokens for Memorial’s 19th Hole and participating Bridge Park establishments, as well as free parking and shuttle service from Bridge Park to the tournament. The biggest news-maker this year, though, is the return of Woods. Although he came from four behind in his last two wins at Muirfield Village, he has won every which way there. The Nicklaus/Desmond Muirhead suits him to a T(W), and would seem a likely venue for him to break a winless streak that goes all the way back to the 2013 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. “I’ve been on runs where it just came pretty easy, getting Ws,� Woods said. “And other stretches where it was very difficult. This is, to me this is a little bit different because I’m coming back off of not really playing for a while.� Indeed, much of the 79-time TOUR winner’s drought goes back to injuries, particularly back injuries. But after career-threatening fusion surgery last year he’s finally healthy again, and you can’t argue with the results. Last we saw him in action, Woods was going 65-69 on the weekend at THE PLAYERS Championship, part of an electrifying week that saw him finish T11 but also wonder aloud what might have been. Showing flashes of the man who won THE PLAYERS in 2001 and 2013, Woods made six birdies in his first 13 holes to get within four of eventual winner Webb Simpson. Alas, Woods went 3 over the rest of the way. He now has a runner-up finish (Valspar Championship), a T5 (Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard), a T11 (PLAYERS), and a 12th (The Honda Classic). He has 548 FedExCup points (54th), with a 69.988 scoring average. Woods is knocking on the door; is this the week he picks up his elusive 80th win? “I remember the feelings when I was at Valspar,� he said. “… It really felt comfortable. The last few times that I’ve had a chance, I’ve been up there on the board, I’ve felt very comfortable. Hopefully I can just shoot the low round when I need it.� Tournament host Nicklaus said earlier this week that he may simply have to remember how to win again, and that Muirfield Village could be the perfect place to bring back all those good feelings. “I think that if Tiger can just play reasonably well tee to green, with his short game, he will be in contention,� Nicklaus said. Woods, who is seventh in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green this season, got an early start Wednesday, hitting balls at 6:30 a.m. in anticipation of his 7 o’clock pro-am time with, among others, former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning. After a three-years hiatus, the 7,392-yard, par-72 course looked a little different for the five-time Memorial winner. “I believe there’s over 500 trees that are gone since the last time I played it,� Woods said. “They added 500 yards to it. So it’s quite significant.� Three Players to Ponder Matt Kuchar Certain things in life are a given, and one is that Kuchar thrives at the Memorial. He won the tournament in 2013, and is coming off back-to-back T4 finishes at Jack’s place. Rickie Fowler Finished T2 last year, and solo second after a final-round 73 in first Memorial appearance in 2010. Played with winner Woods in the final round in 2012, but shot 84. Anirban Lahiri Final-round 65 and T2 finish last year kick-started his season, highlighted by memorable performance for Nick Price’s International Presidents Cup Team. The Flyover The 529-yard, par-5 15th hole bisects a virtual forest full of trees, and rewards accuracy off the tee. Jason Dufner hit the fairway all four days and birdied the hole all four days last year. Simple, right? Well, not exactly. There are also some disasters lurking on 15; although 42 percent of the field there made birdie, 2 percent of the field made double-bogey or worse. The key is to crest the hill with your drive, from where you can have a crack at reaching the green in two. Left or right misses will be punished, as overhanging trees await, and the green is protected by a steep bank in front and deep bunkers left and right. There’s also a meandering creek that cuts across the fairway and will catch any miss-hit second shots. The hole played to a 4.664 stroke average last year. Weather Check From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “Tropical moisture will combine with upper level disturbances to keep the chance for showers and t-storms in the forecast Thursday. An approaching cold front will provide another round of showers and t-storms again on Friday before conditions finally settle down Friday night. Cooler and less humid conditions return for the weekend. Partly cloudy skies can be expected each day with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the 50’s.� For the latest weather news from Dublin, Ohio check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. Sound Check I think I’ve had three of the top five weeks of my career, putting-wise, have been here at the Memorial.First two days were extraordinary, probably some of the best golf I’ve played in my  career. Saturday was pretty forgettable.  By the Numbers 5 – Number of two-time winners on TOUR so far this year after 2010 Memorial Tournament champion Justin Rose won the Fort Worth Invitational last weekend. Jason Day, Patton Kizzire, Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson are the others. 4.240 – Average score at 484-yard, par-4 18th hole from 1976 to 2017, when it ranked the toughest at Muirfield Village. It was second toughest (4.279) last year. +10.682 – Strokes gained: approach-the-green by winner Dufner last year. Scattershots Cleveland-born Dufner was the first and only Ohioan to win the Memorial since Jack Nicklaus in 1984. Dufner said he wasn’t even sure he liked Muirfield Village until he played in the 2013 Presidents Cup and realized he liked it very much. No winner on the PGA TOUR, non-major division, had shot worse than Dufner’s third-round 77 since Kenny Knox signed for a third-round 80 and won The Honda Classic in 1986. Roger Maltbie shot a final-round 76 and beat Hale Irwin in a playoff at the first Memorial in 1976. Nick Faldo shot a third-round 77 in winning the 1989 Masters.

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The 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational features some of the best golfers in the world, including 2018 champ Rory McIlroy, who has the second-best odds in the field.

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