John Deere Classic, Round 1: Leaderboard, tee times, TV times

AUGUSTA, Georgia – Tiger Woods was always told he was the chosen one but only now does he fully believe he’s a walking miracle. Less than a year after back fusion surgery finally released him from years of pain – Woods is not only back at Augusta National for the first time since 2015 – he’s firmly in the mix to win. That is according to all of his peers and the majority of pundits. Woods is the favorite in many circles. “He’s got a great chance. Look at how he’s played the last few weeks. He’s had four wins here. He’s very comfortable around this golf course, and his game is right there,â€� Rory McIlroy said. “Any time Tiger Woods is healthy and in this sort of form, he’s dangerous at any golf tournament. But given his history here, I think even more so.â€� In his last two starts on the PGA TOUR Woods was runner up and T5 – he felt the cauldron of contention in both. But can he claim PGA TOUR win number 80 on the major championship stage? With his swing speed at near unbelievable levels … anything is possible. It is easily the most amazing aspect of this version of his comeback – the force in which he’s been able to swing the club again. Woods has the fastest recorded swing on TOUR this season at 129.2 miles per hour and his average club head speed of 121.9 miles per hour is fourth on TOUR. It has some players joking with Woods that they need to go under the knife to fuse their own backs for more distance. “The reason why I say I’m a walking miracle is that I don’t know if anyone who has had a lower back fusion that can swing the club as fast as I can swing it,â€� Woods said. “That’s incredible. I went from a person who really had a hard time getting up, walking around, sitting down, anything, to now swinging the club 129. That is a miracle, isn’t it?â€� Woods admits he never expected this sort of result. He thought he’d have a nice comfortable life but was resigned to not being able to generate his old speeds. A year ago he could barely sit at the Champions Dinner. He was trying cortisone shots, epidurals … but in his own words his back was fried. “But all of a sudden I have this pop and my body and my speed’s back and my timing. I’m hitting speeds that I hit in my prime,â€� he continued. “That’s what’s the shocking thing, is I didn’t think I would ever reach north of 120, and I’m cruising at 120. “So that part is very exciting because I know that if I can maintain this, I can play out here for a very long time and be able to have the length to get around pretty much any of the golf courses.â€� This week’s course has always been kind to Woods. With wins in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005 and seven top-6 results in nine starts since his last triumph Augusta National is certainly a place he could rekindle the old magic and claim TOUR win number 80. Woods likened the hype to that in 2001 when he came to the Masters with three straight major wins and in search of the famous “Tiger Slamâ€�. “I have four rounds to play, so let’s just kind of slow down,â€� Woods smiled. “I got to go play and then let the chips fall where they may, and hopefully I end up on top. But I got a lot of work to do between now and then.â€�

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ORLANDO, Fla. – Tim O’Neal and Marcus Manley each shot a four-under 66 on Monday to share the lead after the first round of the Advocates of Professional Golf Association’s (APGA) Orlando tournament at historic Dubsdread Golf Course. O’Neal, who won the APGA’s Farmers Insurance Open in January and finished third at last week’s event at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida, was bogey-free during his round, finishing with birdies at the par-4 17th and par-5 18th to highlight his round. MORE ON APGA TOUR: Suri hangs on to win APGA Tour event at Slammer & Squire | Dent following in father’s footsteps | College star sees APGA as key to next level Manley, meanwhile, made the turn at 3-under and had two more birdies on the back nine, but a bogey at the par-3 15th cost him a chance at the first-round outright lead. “Today’s round was solid,” Manley said. “I haven’t been playing well as of late, so to be able to fire a good number felt great.” The duo are being chased by Kamaiu Johnson and Nyasha Mauchaza. They each shot a 3-under 67. The final round takes place Tuesday at Dubsdread. “I’m looking forward to playing in the final group to test my game under some pressure,” added Manley, who will be paired with O’Neal and Mauchaza on Tuesday. “I think if I stick to my game plan and stay in control of my emotions, I’ll have a good chance of getting the job done.” The APGA Tour Presented by Lexus is a nonprofit organization with the mission of bringing greater diversity to the game of golf. Now in its 11th year, the tour consists of nine events offering more than $250,000 in prize money. The tournament was conducted under social-distancing and health/safety guidelines in conjunction with regional authorities.

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Round 1 of Bermuda Championship begins Thursday. Here’s how to follow the action. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Saturday, 12 p.m.-3 p.m. ET; Sunday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ET; Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). FEATURED GROUPS Stewart Cink, Pat Perez, Henrik Stenson Keith Mitchell, Hudson Swafford, Aaron Wise Jason Dufner, Brendon Todd, Danny Willett Max Homa, Kevin Tway, Will Zalatoris MUST READS Power Rankings Expert Picks Todd returns to life-changing Bermuda Championship The First Look TPC Sawgrass turns 40

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