Inside The Field: Dean & Deluca Invitational

Everything Jordan Spieth touched turned out so well. Then the slump hit. Now, everything is being analyzed and criticized. Can he find his way back?

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ORLANDO, Fla. – Want to plug 100,000 watts into a 220-volt outlet? Get Tiger Woods on a birdie run. After a slow start to the opening round of the PNC Championship at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Team Woods – Tiger and his 13-year-old son, Charlie – caught some fire, bringing a burst of energy to the year-end event. Despite a stretch where the birdie train would stall midway through the back nine, Tiger and Charlie managed to shoot 13-under 59, and trail 2020 champions Justin and Mike Thomas, their Florida neighbors, by two shots heading to Sunday’s final round. (The event is 36 holes, with a Scramble format.) The Woods and Thomas teams played alongside one another on Saturday, making for plenty of laughs along the way, and will play alongside each other on Sunday as well, a request that PGA TOUR officials said was made by television. The last group tees off at 11:05 a.m. (Vijay Singh and his son, Qass, were first to the clubhouse at 13 under.) The Thomases and Woodses are a close bunch, and the barbs were plentiful across 18 holes. Charlie was wearing a Snoopy hat, so Mike Thomas, the elder statesman in the group and a PGA club professional who has helped to coach Charlie, called him “Snoopy” all day. Charlie had struggled early, but came through big at the par-4 seventh hole when he rolled in a putt from 18 feet. As he walked to the next tee, Justin Thomas saddled up alongside and said, “Welcome to the Father-Son, Charlie.” It’s a family affair all around, with Joe LaCava on Tiger’s bag and his son, Joe Jr., on Charlie’s bag. Jani Thomas, Mike’s wife and Justin’s mom, is caddying for Mike. And hey, Charlie didn’t want to leave out Justin’s caddie, Jim “Bones” Mackay, in naming who is part of the family. For the players, the needle stays out, constantly. “Before we even got out here, the texts were flying,” Tiger Woods said. Charlie rolled his left ankle earlier this week, and at times on Saturday he walked with a more pronounced limp than his ailing dad, who has been dealing with plantar fasciitis on top of the right leg and ankle injuries that have slowed him since his 2021 SUV crash in Los Angeles. Both played out of a cart for most of the day. After his tee shot at the third, Charlie immediately grabbed for the back of his ankle. A few holes later, at No. 5, he hit a tee shot and went to the ground. Charlie even has tried wearing different shoes to help. “On some shots,” Charlie said, “it hurt a lot. Walking was tough … it was all right. It wasn’t that bad.” His father, who once won a U.S. Open on a broken leg, can tell his son a little something about pain, having endured multiple back, knee, leg and ankle surgeries just to keep playing. On Saturday, the best pain reliever was the fun the two were having being together on the golf course. The crowd loved it, too. For Tiger, just being here after a year in which he played only nine official rounds always was going to be a bonus. “It’s about us having an opportunity to bond,” Tiger said. “We do this at home all the time, and you know, you guys are now seeing what we do all the time at home. We just have fun. We needle each other. We encourage each other. It goes back and forth. “It’s just an amazing relationship, and it just deepens the bond between father and son.” Like his dad sometimes has to do, Charlie hung in there on Saturday without having his best stuff. Some holes, Charlie would hop on one foot after his drives – he ripped one on the par-4 ninth long enough that his dad never even needed a tee ball – and on others he came up with different swings and followthroughs to help ease the pain. Charlie made his best contribution with the putter, No worries, especially when your partner happens to be the GOAT. Once Tiger chipped in for eagle from just off the back of the green at the par-5 fifth, Team Woods – or “Team Ice Pack,” as Tiger jokingly referred to them after the round – was off and flying. Charlie, who joined his dad on the interview stand for the first time Saturday evening, was impressed by his dad’s play. “I mean, he played great today,” Charlie said. “He had to carry me all day.” A year ago, Team Woods shot 15-under 57 on Sunday, finishing runner-up to John Daly and his son, John II. In many ways, despite making birdie on only one of their first three holes, this day felt very similar to where they’d left off. “We just got rolling,” Tiger said. “I had a little bit of a chip-in (for eagle at 5) and all of a sudden a couple putts fell, and we were just trying to give ourselves as many opportunities getting in the fairway, iron shots and putts, and we just got rolling.” From the par-3 fourth hole, where Tiger made a 30-footer up the hill for birdie, through the par-4 11th, Team Woods played eight holes in 9 under. Team Thomas pulled back ahead with their second eagle of the day at the 14th, and the cushion stayed at two shots when both teams birdied the closing, par-5 18th, where Team Woods missed a long look for eagle. Two years ago, after Team Thomas won the PNC in their debut, Justin and Mike playfully made their way over to Tiger’s house on Christmas wearing the wide Willie Park belts that are awarded the tournament champions. So one might say there is a little extra motivation for Team Woods on Sunday to try to catch them. After all, Tiger Woods has a short memory.

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DETROIT — Nate Lashley shot a 5-under 67 on Friday to top the Rocket Mortgage Classic leaderboard for the second straight day. Lashley had a 14-under 130 total at Detroit Golf Club. Cameron Champ was a stroke back after a 65. He played the front nine in 8-under 28, matching the lowest nine-hole score on the PGA TOUR this season. Champ was under par for six straight holes, matching a mark this season on the TOUR, after opening with a par. He cooled off on a steamy day at Detroit Golf Club with a 1-over 37 on the back nine. Charles Howell III (67) was two shots back. J.T. Poston (63) and Ryan Armour (69) were another stroke back. Dustin Johnson and U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland finished at 2 under to miss the cut by two strokes. Chez Reavie, who won the Travelers Championship last week, and Bubba Watson also failed to make it to the weekend. Reavie was tied for fourth entering the day and was 6 under on his 13th hole of the second round. He closed with a bogey, double bogey and triple bogey to plummet to 1-under 143. Watson shot a 75 to tie with Reavie toward the bottom of the 156-player field. The 36-year-old Lashley slipped into the tournament as an alternate Wednesday and has taken full advantage. His only top-10 finish during his two-year PGA TOUR career was in February, when he tied for eighth at the Puerto Rico Open.

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