Biggest takeaways and results to ignore from a wild and longer-than-normal week at the Players

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Jordan Spieth took on a bold tee shot and pulled it off perfectly to set up birdie. He hit a poor 3-wood that went off a tree and back into the fairway that led to another. RELATED: Leaderboard | Casey contending after traveling from Middle East Whether it’s good golf or good breaks, it’s making him feel a lot better about his game at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He shot a 5-under 67 at Spyglass Hill on Friday for a one-shot lead over Daniel Berger going into the weekend. “I like where things are at,” Spieth said, referring to more than his name atop the leaderboard on the weekend for the second straight week. Winless since his Open Championship title in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, Spieth wasn’t sure if he was taking baby steps or a giant leap. But one week after relying so much on his wizardry with the wedge and putter, this was a steady diet of keeping the ball inside the tree-lined fairways of Spyglass, reducing stress and making a few putts. There was a 45-foot birdie putt he holed on the tough par-3 fifth hole. He also missed a few inside 10 feet, and his lone bogey was a three-putt from 7 feet on the par-5 first hole after he made the turn. “A little bit improved off last week, which was the goal this week, to just try and feel like I’m getting better each day,” said Spieth, whose tie for fourth in Phoenix was his best result since May 2019. “I haven’t made a ton of longer putts … which is probably a really good sign that I’m keeping the ball in front of me and striking it really nicely.” Spieth was at 12-under 132, his first 36-hole lead since Birkdale. Berger shot a 66 at Pebble Beach by going 2-3-2 along the ocean on a day filled will sunshine and a Pacific breeze. He holed 15-foot birdie putts on the par-3 fifth and par-3 seventh holes, and in between chipped in for eagle from about 20 feet on the par-5 sixth. “I didn’t make a bunch of birdies in the middle of the round and then hung in there and toward the end rattled off a couple and got myself in a good position going into Saturday,” Berger said. Henrik Norlander had a 70 at Spyglass and was at 10 under, while the group at 9-under 135 included Patrick Cantlay, whose record-tying 62 at Pebble Beach on Thursday was quickly forgotten. His opening tee shot at No. 10 on Spyglass hit a tree and was never found, sending him back to the tee. He opened with a double bogey and eventually got those two shots back until a three-putt bogey on the par-3 third and pars the rest of the way in. Five-time champion Phil Mickelson won’t be around for the weekend, but he went out in style. Mickelson hit two shots in the ocean on the 18th at Pebble Beach and took a quadruple-bogey 9 for an 80. Spieth showed his level of trust on the 17th hole, 325 yards with a sharp turn to the left. Instead of laying back with a fairway metal as he often does, he took driver to the front of the green, leaving him a flop shot to 5 feet for birdie. Cantlay in the group behind was too far right, into a bunker about 40 yards short, and made bogey. Spieth surged into the lead with a gap wedge that got the ridge perfectly on the skinny green at No. 4, and followed that with a 5-iron to 45 feet, a birdie putt helped by Rickie Fowler going first from the same line. He reached the front of the green on the par-5 seventh with a hybrid for a two-putt birdie, then figured his one miss off the tee would cost him on No. 8. “I hit the tree off the tee,” he said with a smile. “I toed a 3-wood and it came out in the fairway and I hit a 7-iron that happened to go right of the right pin, below the hole. That was a steal there, for sure.” Good breaks have been hard to find for Spieth over the last two years. He has seen his share of shots that hit the tree and carom out-of-bounds, or tee shots that bury in the rough instead of sitting up. “I’ll tell you what, it’s crazy. You go on runs of cards out here,” he said. “You get good ones and then you go on a bad run of cards. I’m now hitting it and kind of thinking it’s going to be a good break again, which is really nice. “But you don’t rely on that,” he added. “It’s just when it happens, it’s obviously really nice.” The cut was at 1-under 143 after 36 holes on Pebble Beach and Spyglass. Only two courses are being used this year because the tournament has no amateurs (or spectators) due to COVID-19 restrictions. Fowler, who played alongside Spieth and defending champion Nick Taylor (at 4-under 140), shot 75 and missed the cut for the second straight week. Fowler has gone just over a year since his last finish in the top 10.

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Tiger Woods was well and truly in the U.S. Open grind on Friday until a sloppy finish left the 81-time PGA TOUR winner facing a tough weekend assignment at Pebble Beach. Despite a handful of birdie chances across his second round, Woods only connected on one. It came early on the par-4 11th, his second hole of the morning. What followed was 14 straight pars before back-to-back bogeys left Woods to sign for a scratchy 1-over 72. He now sits even par for the championship that he won in dominant fashion at Pebble Beach in 2000. It ensures he will be at least seven shots adrift heading into the final two rounds. Despite having 11 one-putt greens on Thursday, Woods was unable to replicate the scenario again. On Friday, he needed 32 putts in his round, seven more than the day before. The 43-year-old was adamant his putter had not in fact deserted him, rather his approach game needed to be smarter.  “I’m a little hot right now,â€� Woods said afterwards. RELATED: Leaderboard | Tee times | Tiger ‘trending in right direction’ | Chase for 82 continues  | Tiger’s Jedi mind tricks in 2000 “Not a very good finish. I had a couple opportunities there. I missed a couple. But overall I kept leaving myself above the hole. And unlike yesterday, when I missed it I missed the correct spots below the hole, today I never had that many looks from below the hole. And the one I did have, I made at 11. It’s just a matter of leaving the ball in the right spots.â€� Woods did not count himself out of making a weekend run towards an 82nd TOUR win and 16th major championship as he expects the course to firm up in the afternoons. His position will ensure an early start on Saturday, allowing him to attack while the marine layer has kept things a little softer. As he has said all week, Woods will target the first seven holes to make his birdies before using his U.S. Open experience to guide him home. “Right now I’m still in the ball game. There’s so many guys with a chance to win. We’ve got a long way to go and we’ll see how it shapes up for tomorrow,â€� Woods added. “The golf course can be a little bit faster, a little bit more springy than it was today, and scores will continue to back up a little bit. They got it right where they want it. It’s just a matter of how much will it dry out from morning to afternoon. The short areas, the run-ups, man, they’re firm. So if they get the greens anywhere like that, it will be a hell of a test.â€� ROUND 2: TIGER HOLE-BY-HOLE HOLE 9 (526 yards, par 4): Tiger’s final tee shot of the day with driver is not a good one. It’s sailing left of the fairway, and Tiger hangs his head as the ball bounds into the bunker. Using 8-iron off the sand 236 yards from the pin, Tiger lays up but his ball finds the rough on the left side. With 54 yards to the pin, he hits a terrific shot that touches down on the green just past the bunker and rolls to within 7 feet. But he can’t convert the par save. A solid, if yet unspectacular, day through 16 holes ends on a couple of sour notes, leaving Woods with plenty of work to do this weekend. Fairway: Missed (11 of 14) | Green: Missed (13 of 18) | Putts: 2 (32) | Score: Bogey (1 over 72, Even for the championship through 36 holes) HOLE 8 (432 yards, par 4): Tiger’s iron off the tee finds the heart of the fairway, near Spieth’s tee ball at about the 205-yard mark No need to get it anywhere close to the cliff that’s 50 yards further up the fairway. Left with a 212-yard approach shot, Tiger is caught between the 6- and 7-irons. He opts for the 7 and comes up short, his ball finding the thick rough near the greenside bunker. He hacks out onto the green, but he’s 16 feet away from the pin. He misses the hole right, ending his bid for his first bogey-free round at the U.S. Open since his final round here at Pebble Beach in 2000 when he won by 15 strokes. It’s his first bogey in his last 30 holes. Fairway: Hit (11 of 13) | Green: Missed (13 of 17) | Putts: 2 (30) | Score: Bogey (Even for round, 1 under for the championship) HOLE 7 (116 yards, par 3): With the pin in the back left, Tiger’s tee shot hits the middle of the green and spins back just outside of 28 feet away. Someone in the crowd boos; hey, is this the 16th at TPC Scottsdale? Tiger’s birdie attempt is on a great line but runs out of steam. A tap-in par. That’s 14 straight pars in a round that remains bogey-free. Fairway: N/A (10 of 12) | Green: Hit (13 of 16) | Putts: 2 (28) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 6 (529 yards, par 5): Tiger opts for 3-wood on a tee shot that he has said is among his least favorite in major championship golf. He carves out a 260-yard drive that safely finds the fairway. With 5-wood on his second shot, he comes up just short of the green. His chip rolls to inside 10 feet, but the putter lets him down this time, as he can’t convert the birdie attempt despite some help from caddie Joe LaCava. A frustrated Woods walks off the green. Fairway: Hit (10 of 12) | Green: Hit (12 of 15) | Putts: 2 (26) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 5 (186 yards, par 3): Now to the nemesis hole from the first round, where Tiger suffered a double bogey when his wayward tee shot hit the cart path; it’s his only hole over par thus far this week. No trouble this time for Woods off the tee, as his 7-iron finds the back-left portion of the green, 30 feet away from the pin. His birdie attempt loses steam at the end and fades a little left, but it’s another stress-far par. That’s a dozen consecutive pars, one more than his 11 straight to end the first round. Fairway: N/A (9 of 11) | Green: Hit (11 of 14) | Putts: 2 (24) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 4 (334 yards, par 4): Tiger with iron off the tee on this short par 4, and he safely finds the fairway – unlike Rose, whose tee shot bounds over the edge of the fairway and nestles next to an ice plant past the hazard line. From 112 yards, Woods’ approach with a gap wedge bounces past the pin and spins back, leaving him inside 8 feet for birdie. Spieth has a longer birdie attempt along a similar line and makes it, but Tiger’s attempt clips the right edge. Yes, par again. Fairway: Hit (9 of 11) | Green: Hit (10 of 13) | Putts: 2 (22) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 3 (394 yards, par 4): Unlike Rose and Spieth, who took aggressive lines to successfully cut the corner on the dogleg-left hole, Tiger’s 3-wood is aimed right of the bunkers. He avoids them, but the ball flies into the thick rough near a couple of marshals. It’s just his second missed fairway of the round. He’ll have 159 yards to flag, compared to 85 for Rose and 106 for Spieth. Tiger’s approach with a 9-iron comes up just short of the green. He opts for putter from off the green, and his 30-foot birdie attempt comes up a bit short. Another par. Fairway: Missed (8 of 10) | Green: Missed (9 of 12) | Putts: 1 (20) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 2 (516 yards, par 4): Opting for 3-wood off the tee, Tiger cuts a shot down the left side that veers back toward the middle of the fairway and uses the slope to run out to 314 yards. That leaves him 207 yards to the pin. An excellent 6-iron lands on the front of the green and rolls toward the pin, finishing 14 feet away. Another firm putt doesn’t pick up the break, the ball skimming the left edge of the cup and leaving another short par putt that he converts. Fairway: Hit (8 of 9) | Green: Hit (9 of 11) | Putts: 2 (19) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for championship) HOLE 1 (380 yards, par 4): Time to make a move, now that Tiger has reached the scoring portion of his round with the next seven holes, including three of the easier par 4s on the course. He starts off with a solid iron shot off the tee, his low trajectory ball finding the center of the fairway. With a 9-iron from 154 yards, his approach ends up pin-high, inside 21 feet right of the flagstick. A firmly struck birdie attempt, but the ball broke too late toward the hole, and he makes the 3-foot comebacker for par. Still, he picks up a stroke on the leader Rose, who suffers bogey after his errant tee shot found the thick stuff. Fairway: Hit (7 of 8) | Green: Hit (8 of 10) | Putts: 2 (17) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 18 (543 yards, par 5): Woods takes 5-wood off the tee and slips a little on the downswing. Ball pops up a little and he’s not impressed. But it finds the middle of the fairway. Will be a three-shot hole for him given he sits 288 yards back. Clearly, he has a plan to lay up at a number he can be aggressive with thanks to the front right pin location. Leaves 125-yards and takes his wedge a little left of the flag to leave a 20-foot look at birdie. This time, he manages to keep the ball high enough, but it burns the left edge. Tap in par and it’s a 1-under 35 on this side of the course. Eight pars and one birdie could have been better, but ultimately he said he wanted to grind the back side out before making moves in the first seven holes on the front side. Rose makes birdie to extend the lead out to 8-under leaving Woods six back at the turn.  Fairway: Hit (6 of 7) | Green: Hit (7 of 9) | Putts: 2 (15) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 17 (208 yards, par 3): Spieth is first to play and goes left on the difficult par-3 heading back towards the Pacific Ocean. Rose feels he’s got his shot pure and it drops short into the sand. “Not in a million years would I think that was short,â€� he says. With that information, Woods’ caddie Joe LaCava asks if Woods wants one more club. “No, I like this,â€� he says. The 2000 U.S. Open champ then hits a sensational draw to 15 feet. Unfortunately, his birdie try grazes the low side edge of the hole and rolls out some 5 feet past. Woods steadies though and secures another par. Fairway: N/A (5 of 6) | Green: Hit (6 of 8) | Putts: 2 (13) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 16 (407 yards, par 4): Another safe iron off the tee from Woods who spends some time before the shot trying to get a better understanding of the intermittent changing winds. From 191-yards, Woods pulls his 7-iron left and it bounces off the putting surface and into the rough leaving a short-sided chip. But he makes it look easy and nestles it up to a tap in for par.  Fairway: Hit (5 of 6) | Green: Missed (5 of 7) | Putts: 1 (11) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 15 (397 yards, par 4): Playing safe off the tee with iron and it’s another fairway checked off. From 144-yards with a 9-iron, Woods tries to shape a big draw, but it hangs out to the right. Finds the putting surface, but it is some 32 feet away. The birdie try just slides under the hole and he taps in for par. Meanwhile, Rose makes a birdie and takes the lead to 7-under leaving Woods five back. Fairway: Hit (4 of 5) | Green: Hit (5 of 6) | Putts: 2 (10) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 14 (580 yards, par 5): The first par-5 of the round for Woods represents an opportunity to get some more momentum. A solid tee shot finds the fairway, but as the misty rain continues there is very little roll and Woods has some 314-yards uphill left. As such he pulls iron and hits a solid layup down the right side of the fairway to leave 124-yards. Spieth from similar range makes the big error of not getting over the false front on the front right portion of the green and says it’s a “full shot penaltyâ€�. Amazingly, Woods does the same, spinning the ball back down off the green into a tight lie that brings a tricky chip over the right edge of a bunker with very little green to work with before the flag. Plays it beautifully to 4 feet to set up a chance to save par. Yesterday, his par putt on this green produced a fist pump… this time, it’s just a polite wave as it sneaks in the right side of the cup.  Fairway: Hit (3 of 4) | Green: Missed (4 of 5) | Putts: 1 (8) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 13 (445 yards, par 4): Crisp strike off the tee and the ball gets out there some 281 yards into the middle of the fairway. From 173-yards, Woods once again finds the green and keeps the ball under the hole. It lands softly and trickles back a little on a soft ridge some 22 feet, 7 inches from the hole. Rose has a putt on the same line from further back, but he powers it through the break and as such doesn’t add much information for Woods to use. It’s a right to left swinger and Woods is unable to provide enough pace to hold the high line. It dives under the hole and leaves a little 3-foot tester. But from there he secures par. Spieth by the way makes a third birdie in four holes to join Woods at 2-under and Rose cleans up par to remain the tournament leader at 6-under.  Fairway: Hit (2 of 3) | Green: Hit (4 of 4) | Putts: 2 (7) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 12 (202 yards, par 3): Woods takes his 6-iron as some rain falls softly again. Safe shot to the front right of the green. It’s the best of the group. His birdie putt will come from 26 feet, 11 inches. After watching some nice recovery shots from playing partners Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth, Woods gives his lengthy chance a healthy stroke. It tracks towards the hole the entire way, but pulls up just a few inches short. He taps in for a safe par.  Fairway: N/A (1 of 2) | Green: Hit (3 of 3) | Putts: 2 (5) | Score: Par (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 11 (390 yards, par 4): After a tee ball finds the intermediate cut on the left side of the fairway, Woods gets aggressive with his approach shot going over the pin and sucking the ball back under the hole. It’s another great look for birdie this time from 10 feet, 10 inches and this time he pours it in with authority. He’s in the red for the round with a birdie.  Fairway: Missed (1 of 2) | Green: Hit (2 of 2) | Putts: 1 (3) | Score: Birdie (1 under for round, 2 under for the championship) HOLE 10 (495 yards, par 4): On a fresh morning at Pebble where there has been some rain to soften the course, Woods comes to his first hole of the day off a lengthy shuttle ride trying to shake out some of the cold. The 81-time PGA TOUR winner is in dark grey pants, navy sweater and blue cap. Playing with overnight leader Justin Rose, he’s acutely aware of the number to catch. Woods smokes driver down the fairway some 297 yards. His approach from 204 yards is a great one to 8 feet, 5 inches. But his putt is a little weak and trickles away from the cup on the low side. Taps in for a par.  Fairway: Hit (1 of 1) | Green: Hit (1 of 1) | Putts: 2 (2) | Score: Par (Even for round, 1 under for championship) Rd. 2 preview notes STARTING ON 10. The 493-yard par-4 10th ranked as the toughest hole on Thursday, playing to a stroke average of 4.449. With the back nine at Pebble Beach considered the tougher of the two nines, Tiger hopes to hang on for the first part of his round as he tees off on the 10th. “Right away we’ve got a tough par 4 right from the get-go,â€� Woods said. “And we have the harder side to start off on, and hopefully I can finish up on the front side and have the full seven holes where I can get it going.â€� On Thursday when he teed off on No. 1, Woods made three birdies in the first seven holes (and also suffered a double bogey at the par-3 fifth) before finishing with 11 consecutive pars. IRON PLAY. Woods ranks first on the PGA TOUR in greens in regulation, and also in proximity from 200 yards and out, but he was not happy with his irons in the opening round. “I didn’t hit my irons as crisp as I’d like,â€� Woods said. One of the keys to success at Pebble Beach, he says, is making sure his misses are in the correct spots – specifically below the pin. That’s what he’ll try to do on Friday in order to avoid having as many lengthy par putts as he faced (and converted) on Thursday. “If I happened to not feel comfortable with a number, dump the ball 30, 40 feet, move on about my business,â€� Woods said. SCORING BY ROUND. It shouldn’t be a complete surprise that Woods started off slowly on Thursday. He ranks just 68th on Round 1 scoring average on the PGA TOUR this season. The good news? He progressively gets better throughout the week. His Round 2 scoring average ranks 52nd on TOUR, his Round 3 scoring average ranks 20th, and his final round scoring average ranks 14th.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The TOUR’s elite often play a starring role at the Wells Fargo Championship. Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Rickie Fowler have won here, and Phil Mickelson is a consistent contender at Quail Hollow. Players of that ilk make the game look deceptively easy. They launch drives that burst the 300-yard barrier, lift long-irons high into the air and sink putts with more curve than the Pacific Coast Highway. They can make us forget how difficult this game is, especially when your livelihood is on the line. The leaderboard at the halfway point of this edition of the Wells Fargo Championship is a reminder that golf can humble anyone, even the professionals. There are harder ways to make a buck – this isn’t coal mining — but that doesn’t mean professional golf is easy. Just look at 36-hole leader Jason Dufner. He won a major championship and once was an annual attendee of the TOUR Championship. Now he’s struggling to make cuts. “I’m just thankful to be playing on the weekend,â€� he said after Friday’s 63. At 11-under 131, he’s one shot ahead of Max Homa, who also shot 63 on Friday, and Joel Dahmen. Homa is back on TOUR after enduring a season you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. Two years ago, he made just two cuts and was 61-over par in 16 stroke-play starts. Dahmen, who will join Dufner in Saturday’s final group, is playing his third PGA TOUR season. He served a five-year apprenticeship on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada before finally graduating to the Web.com Tour. That’s a longer tenure than most players who eventually make it to the PGA TOUR. Dufner’s day included a chip-in from 35 yards on the first hole and a 40-foot putt for birdie on 17.  Those were rare bright spots in a miserable stretch of golf. The 63 was his low round since his victory at the 2013 PGA Championship. He’s 188th in this season’s FedExCup standings, missing more than half his cuts and finishing in the top 50 just twice. He has just one top-10 in the past two years, a poor stretch that led him to make a myriad of changes. He’s used four caddies this year. He left his longtime swing coach, Chuck Cook, and started working with putting instructor Phil Kenyon. “I think I’m on my fourth or fifth putter this year, I’m on my fourth or fifth driver, my fourth or fifth golf ball, fourth or fifth lob wedge,â€� Dufner said. “I’m trying to find stuff that’s going to work.â€� He started seeing positive signs at the RBC Heritage and again at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He’s 42 years old and has never played the power game that’s become prevalent on the PGA TOUR, so he knows that he has to make the most of the next few years. “Being competitive, trying to win tournaments, is where I want to be,â€� said Dufner, who owns five PGA TOUR titles. “I’ve done everything I ever thought I could do in golf, so I want to take this last window and make the most of it.â€� Dufner didn’t start playing golf until he was 15 and was a walk-on at Auburn University. Homa, on the other hand, was one of those players who turned pro with a resume overflowing with impressive accolades. He won the NCAA Championship in 2013 and played on that year’s Walker Cup team with future PGA TOUR winners Justin Thomas and Michael Kim. Homa and Thomas both made their first PGA TOUR start as professionals at the 2013 Safeway Open. Thomas finished 72nd. Homa was ninth. They both graduated to the PGA TOUR in 2014 after one season on the Web.com Tour. But while Thomas became a FedExCup and major champion, Homa lost his way while trying to get better. He finished 163rd in the FedExCup as a rookie. His return to the Web.com Tour lasted just a single season, but his struggles were even worse in his second season on the PGA TOUR. Homa’s driver was the culprit, especially the occasional “foul ballâ€� that racks up the penalty strokes. Homa earned less than $20,000 that season. He jokes now that he made more money for appearing in the Monday pro-ams. He hit rock bottom in the last event of his PGA TOUR season, shooting 14 over (75-79) to finish last by five shots and miss the cut by 15. He estimates he hit seven provisional balls a week. Homa isn’t worried about the stray tee shot anymore. His driving has steadily improved, thanks in part to a return to his coach from his college days, Les Johnson. And Homa draws confidence from his amateur accomplishments, which confirm to him that, even though his career took a detour, he can compete on the PGA TOUR. “Obviously I know Justin is far superior, but I also know that my good golf was somewhat similar,â€� Homa said. Dufner has shown he’s capable of winning the game’s biggest titles. Even though it’s been a long time since he’s proved that, he doesn’t think he’s hoisted his last PGA TOUR trophy. “By no means do I think that this is the end of me playing good golf,â€� Dufner said. “It may have looked like that to some people … but I feel like I’ve got a lot of good golf left in me.â€� Golf can lead players to some dark places. But Dufner and Homa could prove this week that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

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