Canadian rookie Svensson leads Sony Open

LA JOLLA, Calif. – It is fitting that Tiger Woods’ first opportunity to set the PGA TOUR wins record comes at Torrey Pines. He’s won eight times at this course perched on the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean, tying his own record for most wins at a single site. The 2008 U.S. Open remains one of the most memorable performances of his career, and was his most recent major triumph until he won last year’s Masters. Even if he doesn’t win, Woods will pass one milestone this week. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks | Featured Groups, tee times | Tiger chases No. 83 He’s playing the first two rounds alongside Collin Morikawa and Jon Rahm. Morikawa was born in February 1997, after Woods had already won the first three of his 82 titles. Thursday will mark the first time Woods has played in a PGA TOUR event with a player who was born after Woods turned pro. “In order to be a good player or be considered a good player in football, maybe you can get to a decade of playing in the league. Here, we’re measured by decades,� Woods said in Tuesday’s pre-tournament press conference. “It’s a different sport but it’s neat to see the young kids come out. I’ve only seen Collin hit balls, never had a chance to play with him until this week.� This is Woods’ first official stroke-play start since winning THE ZOZO Championship in Japan to tie Sam Snead’s record of 82 victories. Woods hasn’t been seen since his impressive performance as the playing captain for the United States’ Presidents Cup team. Woods went 3-0 as the U.S. Team made a Sunday comeback at Royal Melbourne. Woods’ precise iron play on the Alister Mackenzie layout was one of the highlights of the week. He was the first playing captain since Snead 60 years earlier to go undefeated in a professional team competition and lead his team to victory. After leaving Australia, Woods didn’t pick up a club until playing on his birthday with his son, Charlie. The celebratory round was an annual tradition between Tiger and his father, Earl. “I just wanted to get away from it,� Woods said Tuesday. “I was a little bit fried physically, mentally, emotionally and just wanted to have it all end.� Woods, who turned 44 on Dec. 30, said that he now has “more bad days than I do good days� physically. Fred Couples said in a post-Presidents Cup interview that Woods sat out the third day at Royal Melbourne because his body wouldn’t allow him to compete. “It’s hard to put it together for all four days as you get older,� Woods said. “It’s just harder.� This week, he’ll face a long Torrey Pines South Course that underwent a recent renovation to prepare for next year’s U.S. Open. Woods has won this event seven times, but it’s been seven years since his last triumph at Torrey Pines. He’s finished T23 and T20 in the past two years, shooting par or better in all eight rounds. The long layout with its thick rough was a perfect venue for Woods to showcase his strength, one of his biggest assets during his prime. Woods, who ranks 18th in this season’s FedExCup, now has to rely on precision and his accurate iron play. “I don’t have the ability to hit the ball as far as I used to compared to the field. … I was one of two guys to hit the ball over 300 yards consistently when I first came out here. Now we’ve got 50-plus guys doing the same thing,� Woods said. “It’s just a different ballgame but at the end of the day it’s how many birdies and how many mistakes can you eliminate throughout a round, throughout a tournament that will lead you to a win. Hopefully that will be the case for me this week.� If it is, Woods will sit alone atop the PGA TOUR’s all-time wins list.

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Before I get to some exciting news, ShotLink is activated for the PGA Championship. It’s the only major that uses it. As a result, the array of fantasy scoring is in play for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. Given the default value on distance off the tee and what is shaping up to be a soggy Bellerive Country Club, consider tilting the balance toward length more than you would usually. After you’ve cemented your lineup for the season’s final major, be sure to keep an eye on the introduction of a new fantasy game at PGATOUR.COM. If you believe that you have a solid handle on PGA TOUR Fantasy presented by SERVPRO, your confidence is poised to be rewarded in the Perfect Lineup Challenge. The new, stand-alone contest will be announced this week. It will consist only of the events of the FedExCup Playoffs. Your objective will be to own the top-four fantasy scorers in all four tournaments. If you succeed, you’ll win $1 million. That’s $1,000,000.00. Seriously. The game will use the same fantasy scoring with which you’re familiar in PGA TOUR Fantasy presented by SERVPRO, but there will not be a limit on the number of starts per golfer. Stay tuned for more details and other prizing. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the PGA Championship (in alphabetical order): Patrick Cantlay Tony Finau Dustin Johnson Brooks Koepka Rory McIlroy Justin Thomas You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Jason Day; Tommy Fleetwood; Rickie Fowler; Marc Leishman; Phil Mickelson; Alex Noren; Jon Rahm; Patrick Reed; Justin Rose; Tiger Woods Driving: Keegan Bradley; Paul Casey; Jason Day; Tommy Fleetwood; Rickie Fowler; Francesco Molinari; Justin Rose; Adam Scott; Kyle Stanley Approach: Keegan Bradley; Rickie Fowler; Zach Johnson; Matt Kuchar; Louis Oosthuizen; Ian Poulter; Jordan Spieth; Henrik Stenson; Tiger Woods Short: Paul Casey; Jason Day; Tyrrell Hatton; Matt Kuchar; Phil Mickelson; Alex Noren; Justin Rose; Webb Simpson; Tiger Woods Returning to Competition Justin Rose … Back spasms thwarted an appearance in last week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, and he didn’t “need” to exacerbate the malady. Consider him green-lit in all formats at Bellerive. Adam Hadwin … Sat out last week’s finale at Firestone due to a sore hip. No better than T35 at Carnoustie in his last eight starts. Currently 67th in the FedExCup standings and has already acknowledged (on Twitter) that he won’t be lacing it up at Sedgefield next week. Troy Merritt … Hasn’t missed competition but still could be a tee-time decision after having surgery to remove a blood clot in his left arm since winning the Barbasol Championship. Notable WDs Graham DeLaet … On July 24, he announced plans to have microdiscectomy surgery on his L4-L5 disc. The 36-year-old is expecting to miss as much as one year of competition. While he hasn’t competed since October, 2018 hasn’t been a total loss as he was inducted into Boise State University’s Athletics Hall of Fame in April. Lee Westwood … Shortly after gaining entry via the Official World Golf Ranking, he withdrew with an undisclosed injury. It’s just the second time (2010) since he made his PGA Championship debut in 1997 that he’s missed the major. The Englishman turned 45 in April. Bernd Wiesberger … The 32-year-old Austrian would have cracked the field via the OWGR, but he remains sidelined with a wrist injury. He’s been out for three months. Power Rankings Recap – World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Dustin Johnson T3 2 Rory McIlroy T6 3 Justin Rose DNP 4 Francesco Molinari T39 5 Tiger Woods T31 6 Rickie Fowler T17 7 Paul Casey T31 8 Tommy Fleetwood T14 9 Jon Rahm T17 10 Zach Johnson T17 11 Jordan Spieth T60 12 Jason Day T10 13 Xander Schauffele 68th 14 Hideki Matsuyama T39 15 Brooks Koepka 5th 16 Justin Thomas Win 17 Thorbjørn Olesen T3 18 Tony Finau T10 19 Bubba Watson T31 20 Adam Scott T57 Wild Card Patrick Reed T28 Sleepers Recap – World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational Golfer Result Austin Cook T53 Russell Knox T48 Andrew Landry T57 Brendan Steele T60 Ryuko Tokimatsu T39 Power Rankings Recap – Barracuda Championship Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Martin Laird T15 2 Joel Dahmen T54 3 Kevin Streelman MC 4 Ryan Palmer T26 5 Andrew Putnam Win 6 Richy Werenski MC 7 Robert Garrigus MC 8 Kevin Tway T23 9 Shane Lowry T15 10 Sam Saunders T Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR August 7 … Andrew Landry (31) August 8 … Webb Simpson (33) August 9 … Brett Wetterich (45) August 10 … Jonathan Randolph (30) August 11 … Morgan Hoffmann (29) August 12 … none August 13 … Tommy Gainey (43)

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Another day, another Bryson DeChambeau controversy — though this one didn’t involve Brooks Koepka, at least. Can DeChambeau even things out in Round 2? Can Louis Oosthuizen keep this going? Is Jordan Spieth ready to win another major?

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