Follow live: Spieth, Stenson begin challenge at The Open

SAN DIEGO – Even the greatest can four-putt.  Tiger Woods has owned most of Torrey Pines for the majority of his career, winning eight times at the iconic coastal course. But the opening hole of the South Course has had his number of late.  RELATED: Leaderboard | Morales relishes the time he took down Tiger at Torrey Pines Woods appeared to have his demons under control on the 456-yard par-4 opener when he split the fairway and hit a nice approach to inside 25-feet to open round two of the Farmers Insurance Open.  In his last 22 rounds on the course prior, Woods had notched up four double bogeys and a stroke average of 4.36 on the hole. But as he lined up a birdie effort it appeared he would help out that average. Four putts later he had made his fifth double there since 2008 and actually pushed the average out to 4.43 in his last 23 rounds. It was a huge blow for the 82-time PGA TOUR winner but Woods would ultimately claw his way to a 1-under 71 to move to 4 under for the tournament.  It leaves him six shots off the pace set by Ryan Palmer in a tie for 17th place with two rounds on the South Course still to play as he vies to become the leader in all-time PGA TOUR wins on his own. He currently shares top place with Sam Snead. Woods opening putt from 24-feet, nine inches was pulled to the left and would ultimately settle two feet, six inches from the hole. He walked up and without marking  went to knock in his par putt with force to take out any break. It caught the left edge and jetted past some five feet, six inches.  After taking his time with his bogey effort Woods once again pulled the ball offline and was left to tap in for his six. It was a shock to the system after his round of 69 on Thursday at the North Course had put him in good shape. Woods explained post round that poa annua greens can often trip people up if you’re not careful. They tend to get a little uneven with foot traffic.  “It’s just poa. I tried to ram it in the hole and it bounced, and hit obviously a terrible third putt, pulled it,â€� Woods would explain post round.  “The second putt, it’s just what happens on poa. I tried to take the break out and it just bounced. When you get on poa, it’s just a matter of the ball’s bouncing in or bouncing out. I felt like I did a really good job of leaving the ball below the hole for the middle part of my round and I made those putts.â€� It was the 13th time Woods has four-putted in his career but first time at Torrey Pines. His last four-putt came at the 2019 World Golf Championships – Mexico Championship. Woods has one just once in a tournament where he four-putted – the 2005 Masters.  Three of his previous doubles on the opening hole at Torrey Pines South came in the 2008 U.S. Open. Woods won that event.  “It’s just the way it goes, just one of those things. In ’08 I got off to a bad start but ended up winning the tournament,â€� Woods said. “Hopefully that’s the case this year.â€� Woods has eight wins in 72-hole events when trailing by six or more shots after 36 holes, with three of those coming at the Farmers Insurance Open. He still fancies his chances after fighting back, at one point making four birdies in a five-hole stretch.  “That’s what happened in ’99. I shot 62‑65 on the weekend. If you make the cut on the number here, anything can happen on the South Course, especially the way it’s playing now. It’s so much more difficult and I think so much more volatile because of the fact that if you shoot a good round out here on the South, you’ll move up the board.â€�

Click here to read the full article…

WILMINGTON, N.C. — Brian Harman made a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win the Wells Fargo Championship and deny Dustin Johnson a fourth straight victory. Harman hit a heavy chip from behind the green on the par-5 18th that barely got onto the putting surface. It appeared certain there would be at least a three-man playoff with Johnson and Pat Perez until Harman holed the putt and broke into a wild celebration. He closed with a 4-under 68 for his second PGA TOUR victory. Johnson, in his return from a freak back injury that knocked him out of the Masters Tournament, went from making the cut on the number to a 67-67 weekend and had the lead until Harman birdied the last two holes. Perez birdied the 18th for a 68.

Click here to read the full article…

IRVING, Texas – For just the second time since 2002, John Senden is not in the AT&T Byron Nelson field, a tournament that’s generally a fixture on his playing schedule. The reason is heartbreaking: Senden is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the PGA TOUR after announcing three weeks ago that his 13-year-old son Jacob has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Shortly after the announcement, Senden’s good friend and fellow Aussie Steven Bowditch – who lives close to the TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas and won this event in 2015 – came up with an idea for TOUR pros to show their support. During Thursday’s first round, players wore on their caps a patch resembling a Rubik’s Cube, which happens to be Jacob’s favorite toy. While Senden is not here in person, the family – and especially Jacob – is in the thoughts of Bowditch and his fellow competitors. “We’re all thinking of him all the time,� Bowditch said. “Anything we can do to try and put a smile on his face and help him get through this. We just all hope he can punch on through.� Another Aussie, Cameron Percy, was on the practice green at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans when he heard that Bowditch and his partner Rod Pampling had withdrawn in the team event. Soon after, he was informed of the reason. “I had a tear in my eye,� Percy recalled Thursday. “Everyone felt the same way – just devastated. We had played a practice round in San Antonio the previous week, had dinner twice and we spoke that Friday night. I had no idea. Neither did he. “There couldn’t be two nicer people than John and (wife) Jackie. It’s not fair, is it?� Ernie Els had not been aware of the development until he showed up at the course Thursday at TPC Four Seasons and saw the patches of support. Nine years ago, Els announced that his son Ben was autistic, and since then, the South African and his wife Liezl have been instrumental in raising awareness for the disorder. Many TOUR pros have donated their time and participated in Els’ charitable functions for his foundation. “It just makes you think,� Els said. “We’re chasing birdies and pars out here, but when you hear something like this, we pull together as a TOUR, as a friendship, as a unit. We’ve done it with me. We’ve done it with other guys. We’re going to do it for John and his family now.� Jason Day has dealt with his own family’s cancer issues lately, his mother Dening having been diagnosed in Australia with terminal lung cancer. Day brought his mother to the United States, where further tests were done. Surgery was recently performed that resulted in a much more encouraging diagnosis, and Dening is now back in Australia with an improved outlook. “I know exactly what he’s feeling like in regard to that,� Day said. Day and his wife Ellie have two young children. Day said he “could never fathom thinking about going through something like that. It breaks my heart for him and I’m just hoping and praying for the best for him and his family because it is a difficult time for him.� And now the fight begins. Bowditch reports that Jacob had his first treatment last weekend. “I’m sure he’ll pull through and come out the other side,� Bowditch said. “He’s a strong kid, a great kid with a great family.�

Click here to read the full article…