Eye of the storm: Golf courses brace for Florence

Tiger Woods was at Southern Hills on Thursday, scouting out the site of the upcoming PGA Championship. Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis confirmed the news that was reported earlier in the day by the @TWLegion Twitter account. Lewis wrote that Woods played an 18-hole practice round, walking the course with Southern Hills’ head professional, Cary Cozby, on the bag. This visit came three days after the PGA Championship released its field with Woods included on the list. Videos posted to Twitter showed Woods playing Thursday’s practice round in a gray shirt and black shorts, a compression sleeve covering the right leg that was badly injured in last year’s accident. He also appeared to be wearing the FootJoy shoes that caused a stir at Augusta National. Woods has played two majors at the Tulsa, Oklahoma course. He won the 2007 PGA – the 13th of his 15 major triumphs – and finished T12 at the 2001 U.S. Open, his first major after completing the Tiger Slam at that year’s Masters. Woods’ PGA win included a record-tying 63 in the second round, after a brutal lip-out on his final hole denied him the first 62 in major history. Woods also played the 1996 TOUR Championship at Southern Hills, finishing 21st in the 30-man field. He qualified for the elite field by winning two of his first seven PGA TOUR starts as a pro. He struggled at the season finale, shooting a second-round 78 after his father was hospitalized with chest pains early that Friday morning. The course has undergone a dramatic Gil Hanse renovation since Woods last played there. Woods made his return to competitive golf at the Masters earlier this month, opening with an inspiring 71 in his first round since his single-car accident February 2021 before fading to a 47th-place finish. He described himself as “thankful” for the opportunity to compete again but could only commit to The Open at St. Andrews, saying his status for the next two majors was yet to be determined. The PGA Championship will be held May 19-22.

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – There’s not much additional inspiration necessary this week for Spain’s Jon Rahm, who can become the world’s top-ranked golfer for the first time with a win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. But just in case the current world No. 3 needs a little boost, he can draw upon his memorable pro-am pairing Wednesday at TPC Scottsdale. Rahm played alongside another of the world’s best, as 28-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps joined him in the pro-am. The former competitive swimmer got an up-close look at the red-hot Rahm, who enters the week fresh off a solo second at the Farmers Insurance Open. “The guy is unbelievable to watch,â€� Phelps said. “He has got a ton of power, and he putted the ball great today. It’s always fun when you get to watch someone getting the putter hot. It’s a special treat. It was great to watch him roll a couple in and get ready for this week. “He is a possible No. 1. There are so many talented players out there. It just depends on who is going to want it bad enough.â€� Related: Amy paying it forward one year later | Insider: Woodland putting in work to reach new heights   Phelps, of course, is best known for his record 23 gold medals, including an incredible 13 in individual events. Rahm, meanwhile, is still waiting on his first. He will get the chance to change that this summer at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. “I never grew up with that being a goal of mine because golf wasn’t in the Olympics,â€� Rahm said. “ … To be an athlete and have a gold medal, I don’t think there’s anything better than that. There are not many things that you can say that would be a better feeling than to say you have a good medal from the Olympics. “It’s a very select group of people that can say that in human history. So it’s definitely a goal and I hope it can be there in Tokyo and fight for it.â€� Rahm was not in Rio de Janeiro four years ago when golf returned to the Olympics after a 112-year absence. Both Spanish players who did participate finished in the top 10 – Rafa Cabrera Bello was T5 and Sergio Garcia was T8. As for the Rahm-Phelps pairing on Wednesday … they’re actually quite familiar with one another, as they’re members of the same Scottsdale golf course. That should provide Phelps more than enough time to offer any sage Olympics advice he may have. Rahm will eagerly soak it in. “To be at that level at every single one of those events and to be able to win every single one of the events one year, it’s absolutely mind-blowing,â€� said Rahm, who played collegiately at Arizona State. “I don’t think a lot of times people appreciate some of what these Olympians accomplish because we only hear about it every four years. If he’s not the greatest Olympian of all time, I don’t know who is. I’ve got to say. Really, the discussion of greatest athlete of all-time could not be had without him.â€�

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OK, so Tiger is five back heading into the final round. Still, every spot matters if he wants to make the U.S. Olympic team. Plus, what Sunday could mean for Rory, Jon Rahm and more.

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