Forrest Fezler passes away at age 69

Here are nine tidbits from the first round of The Honda Classic that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Know Thy Enemy These were the top-10 picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. People’s Choice No champion has defended at the Champion Course at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida but that didn’t stop you all from making the 2017 champ the No. 1 selection above. Usually posting 71 on a par-70 layout in round one isn’t anything to write home about. With the wind blowing and the greens a bit crusty, T36 with a round OVER par isn’t the end of the world (T36). There were only 20 players in red figures in round one. Morning Show Another week, another Alex Noren sighting as the Swede is having little trouble adapting to TOUR courses. His 66 (-4) in the morning wave included five birdies against only one bogey. After the round he suggested on television that the key was an “iron paradise”. He’s fifth in strokes-gained: approach-the-green and was also fourth in strokes-gained: putting. Nice combo.   Afternoon Edition Webb Simpson matched Noren’s score, total birdies and bogeys in the afternoon wave as they share the lead after 18 holes on 66 (-4). Simpson is making his first appearance here since 2011 and had only one previous round of eight in red figures (67). He leads the tournament in strokes-gained: putting. Wood(s)land Tiger Woods ground out a round of even-par in the early wave. I’m not sure what’s going on here as gamers made him only the 17th-most selected player in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO after he was the 13th-most selected last week. I guess the MC scared a few off but today’s round of even-par should rekindle some interest. If he’s on your bench, you have a very difficult decision for tomorrow afternoon but the way he hit it tee-to-green today has the arrows pointing up! … Gary Woodland has never missed in five tries including cashing T2 last year and T6 in 2011. Of his previous 19 rounds entering the week, 10 were par or better. He sits T69 (+3) but hit 10 of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 GIR so I’m sticking around for round 2. Worry? Who Me? If the wind blows all day again like it did on Thursday, I’m going to suggest that +3 should find the weekend comfortably. The forecast suggests even breezier conditions for Friday morning with a slight decrease later in the afternoon. Remember, since 2013 only three players have posted all four rounds in the 60’s so don’t let one in the black get you down. Morgan Hoffmann, who shot 67 in round one (T3) did it last year as he tied second. Justin Thomas, who also shot 67, performed the feat two years ago as he took home T3 cash. Ryan Palmer’s quartet of 60’s saw him enter a playoff quartet in 2014 that was eventually won by Russell Henley.   Collateral Damage Rory McIlroy, who made a double-bogey seven on his final hole to drop from T21 to T56, gave some interesting thoughts last week at Riviera regarding playing with Woods. He suggested the “circus” which surrounds him in the gallery each time he plays is a “two-shot disadvantage”. The Twitter-verse suggested today that the galleries following today were larger than both Torrey Pines and Riviera. Woods was even today but his playing partners, Brandt Snedeker and Patton Kizzire, both carded 74 (+4).   The “Nappy Factor” Conundrum Mac Hughes opened with 69 last year and eventually collected for T66 in his first appearance. This year his opening round 67 included a run of six birdies in seven holes on the front nine after firing two-over-par on his first nine, the back nine. He bogeyed his last hole to sit one behind the leaders. Hughes, whose wife gave birth to their first child in late October, entered the week without a paycheck in eight events this season. There’s always an exception to any rule! Study Hall There were only two, bogey-free rounds on the day as Daniel Berger (T3) and Adam Schenk (T12) shared that honor. … Bud Cauley posted 80 and WD as he cited a bothersome wrist … Martin Kaymer also cited a wrist issue as he hung it up after his 75. According to Kaymer’s Twitter feed, this is his first in-tournament WD in his career. At No. 82 in the OWGR we won’t have to worry about whether or not he’s playing in the WGC-Mexico Championship next week. … Danny Lee walked off the course with three holes remaining as he told officials he was dealing with a family issue. Thoughts and prayers for the Lee family at this time.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson simply peaked too early. Their best moments came in the days leading up to the first round of THE PLAYERS Championship. Their strong performances in the interview room didn’t carry over to the first tee, unfortunately. They traded barbs in their pre-tournament press conferences but didn’t trade birdies in the first round at TPC Sawgrass. On a day when low scores were plentiful at the Stadium Course, no one in the first round’s premiere pairing broke par. Mickelson shot 79, while Woods was the threesome’s low man after an even-par 72. Rickie Fowler shot 74. The trio of former PLAYERS champions was 9 over par on a day when the scoring average was 72.0. With his focus squarely on Sunday’s result, Woods said he wasn’t thinking about beating his playing partners. Everyone else was, though. Even if it was a Thursday, there were high hopes for the sort of mano-a-mano showdown that was a rarity during their primes. Both players had been playing well enough to make that seem feasible. Mickelson had won earlier this year and was coming off a fifth-place finish at last week’s Wells Fargo Championship. Woods is showing his best form in five years after fusion surgery. Woods saw the plethora of low scores before he teed off Thursday at TPC Sawgrass. Red numbers seemed easy to come by on a hot day that allowed the ball to fly far and made the Stadium Course play short. “We had to go out there and tear this place apart,� Woods said. He couldn’t, but plenty of players did. He will start Friday six shots behind the half-dozen players who shot 66: Webb Simpson, Dustin Johnson, Alex Noren, Chesson Hadley, Matt Kuchar and Patrick Cantlay. In light of the struggles from this star-studded threesome, it may have been Mickelson’s attire that made the biggest news. He played Thursday in a button-down shirt similar to the one he wore during his Masters practice round with Woods. “I think nobody does kind of slightly overweight middle-aged guy better than me, and this says exactly who I am,� Mickelson said. But fans were hoping Woods and Mickelson could turn back the clock. This was their first time playing together in four years. The last time they played at the Stadium Course, it was one of the most historic days in the tournament’s history. They were paired in 2001’s third round, when Woods produced the “Better Than Most� putt. Previous generations were treated to memorable showdowns between the top players. Arnie and Jack were forever linked after Oakmont. Nicklaus and Watson had the Duel In The Sun. The Hall of Fame careers of Woods and Mickelson overlapped for decades, but there weren’t many memorable meetings. They were often paired on opposite ends of the draw on the weekdays and Woods was simply too dominant on the weekends. “If you grew up in my generation, that was the closest thing I ever saw in a rivalry in golf, but we didn’t see that pairing often,� said Charles Howell III. Time has leveled the playing field between Woods and Mickelson, though. Age has introduced a warmer relationship between the two longtime competitors. There is a mutual admiration instead of an obsession with beating the other. There was the post-victory hug at the Presidents Cup and their pre-Masters practice round, two events that once seemed as likely as airborne swine. The prelude to THE PLAYERS Championship was a more jocular version of the pre-fight banter between two heavyweights. Mickelson recommended a high-stakes match between the them, sending golf fans’ imaginations into hyperdrive. “Now, I don’t know if he wants a piece of me,� Mickelson joked. Woods silenced Mickelson with a quick reference to the history books. But they stung like butterflies and floated like bees once they stepped into the ring at the Stadium Course on Thursday afternoon. There were momentary highlights, but they were quickly erased by Pete Dye’s penal course. Woods made eagle at the ninth hole to return to even par with the easier back nine ahead. He could only manage two birdies and two bogeys on that side, though. Mickelson was even par after birdies at 11 and 12, but he played Nos. 14-17 in 7 over par after rinsing shots at both 16 and 17. Fowler was even par when he joined Mickelson by hitting into the pond surrounding the island green. “I was worried about energy this week, and I just kind of ran out at the end,� Mickelson said. Woods, Mickelson and Fowler should have even easier conditions when they tee off at 8:27 a.m. Friday morning, but it’s likely too late for Mickelson, who needs a minor miracle just to make the cut. Woods will start the second round on the cut line and will need a low number to enter the weekend in contention. This was Mickelson’s third-highest score in 81 rounds at TPC Sawgrass. He shot a final-round 82 in 1999, then opened the 2000 PLAYERS with an 83. He shot a third-round 78 in last year’s PLAYERS. He only beat two players Thursday. The Woods-Mickelson matchup must wait for another week.

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SAN DIEGO — Justin Rose had three big mistakes and still kept a three-shot lead Saturday with a 3-under 69 at the Farmers Insurance Open. Rose had six birdies and an eagle on another pristine day along the Pacific, and he stretched his lead to six shots at one point along the back nine of the South course. But he made his second double bogey of the round on No. 14, and then went for the green on the par-5 18th from the first cut of rough and went into the water to close with a bogey. That dropped his lead to three shots over Adam Scott (65). Rose tied the 54-hole tournament record at 18-under 198. Tiger Woods could only manage a 71 and was 13 shots back.

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