Jon Rahm: Injury ‘was blown out of proportion like crazy’

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Sean O’Hair/Steve Stricker Sean O’Hair and Steve Stricker birdied seven of their first eight holes en route to a 15-under 57. On the inward nine, the duo made birdies at Nos. 10, 11, 13, 14, 15 and 18. The team made eagle at the par-5 17th and Stricker chipped in from just off the green for the final birdie at the par-4 18th hole. O’Hair is making his seventh appearance in the QBE Shootout, having won with Kenny Perry in 2012. Stricker is playing for a 10th consecutive time and was a part of the 2009 winning team with Jerry Kelly. Stricker and Kelly finished second in last year’s QBE Shootout. O’Hair, a 4-time winner on the PGA TOUR, collected four top-10 finishes in the 2016-17 PGA TOUR Season. In his only 2017-18 start, he missed the cut at The RSM Classic. Stricker claimed six top-25 finishes in 13 starts in the 2016-17 season. With a 16-under 56 in round one last year, Stricker and Jerry Kelly led by a stroke over Harris English and Matt Kuchar. The first-round lead/co-lead at the QBE Shootout has held up 14 times. The last 18-hole leaders/co-leaders to hold on for the win was Jason Day and Cameron Tringale in 2014. Keegan Bradley/Brendan Steele 2011 QBE Shootout champions Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele played their first eight holes in eight under, highlighted by an eagle-three at the first hole. On the inward nine, the pair birdied Nos. 11 and 13-17, good for a 14-under 58. Bradley and Steele have each won three events on the PGA TOUR. Most recently, Steele successfully defended his title at the Safeway Open in the 2017-18 PGA TOUR Season’s first event. Bradley is making his fourth start in the QBE Shootout, while Steele is making his third start in Naples. Matt Kuchar/Harris English 2013 and 2016 QBE Shootout champions Harris English and Matt Kuchar opened with a 9-under 63 in round one’s Scramble format. After round one last year, the pair was a stroke off the lead at 15-under 57. Since 2013, when the two first played together, their highest score was a 5-under 67 in round two of 2015. In 2013, the team won with a 34-under 182. Last year, they posted a 28-under 188 to beat Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker by a stroke. With a win this week, defending champions Matt Kuchar and Harris English would become the first team to win the QBE Shootout three times (2013, 2016). Miscellaneous Notes Founded by World Golf Hal of Fame Member Greg Norman in 1989, this week’s QBE Shootout marks the 29th playing of the event. Tiburon Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Resort in Naples, Fla. has now been home to the QBE Shootout for 17 consecutive years (2001).     The 2017 event marks the first under the title sponsorship of QBE Insurance Group, an industry leader in general insurance and reinsurance and headquartered in Sydney, Australia. The 12 two-person teams were selected on the following criteria: – Defending champions – The top 12 available players from the 2016-17 FedExCup points list – Ten special exemptions (a minimum of four come from the top 40 on the PGA TOUR career money list) Competitors in the 2017 QBE Shootout have combined for 104 victories (95 on the PGA TOUR and nine by Lexi Thompson on the LPGA Tour). Fifteen of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking are in this week’s QBE Shootout, highlighted by No. 15, Matt Kuchar. Two former FedExCup champions are among the 24-player field: Brandt Snedeker (2012) and Billy Horschel (2014). Paired this year with QBE Shootout rookie Tony Finau, Lexi Thompson is just the second woman to compete in the QBE Shootout. Annika Sorenstam teamed with Fred Couples in 2006. In round one, the team posted a 9-under 63.  The distinction for most individual top-5 finishes in the QBE Shootout (nine) is a three-way tie between tournament founder Greg Norman, Kenny Perry and Mark O’Meara. The team with the most top-five finishes in tournament history is Mark O’Meara and Curtis Strange. The pair collected five such finishes between 1989 and 1996, including a victory in the inaugural Shootout of 1989. There are six players making their first start in the QBE Shootout this week: Tony Finau, Brian Harman, Pat Perez, Russell Henley, Kyle Stanley and Shane Lowry. Eleven players have won the QBE Shootout in their first attempt: Mark O’Meara (1989), Curtis Strange (1989), Fred Couples (1990), Scott McCarron (1997), Hank Kuehne (2003), Rod Pampling (2006), Woody Austin (2007), Keegan Bradley (2011), Brendan Steele (2011), Harris English (2013) and Cameron Tringale (2014). 

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PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Tiger Woods is still looking for a solution off the tee after the 79-time PGA TOUR winner opened the Genesis Open with a grinding 1-over 72. Having hit just 19 fairways over four rounds at Torrey Pines a few weeks ago, Woods was hoping for better accuracy in his first start at Riviera Country Club since 2006. And while the stat line of eight of 14 fairways reads reasonably – only four of those hit were with his driver. Unlike at Torrey – where he recovered to hit plenty of greens – Woods managed just seven of 18 on Thursday. It meant way too many holes grinding for pars than trying to make birdies. Making just his third tournament start since undergoing spinal fusion surgery last April, Woods chose to look at the glass half full. “It was a lot better today. The shaft is a little more stout, and the times I lost it to the right, a lot of the times I was just trying to smooth it out there,â€� Woods explained. “I can go ahead and hit this thing, I can be aggressive, and I can take out one side of the golf course, which is great.â€� The side he didn’t take out was the right. After opening with a birdie on the 10th hole at Riviera, Woods sent his first attempt with the driver right into the trees. A towering eucalyptus promptly swallowed his ball and had him hitting 3 from the tee. He had a handful of other wild misses to the right including on the par-4 ninth – his final hole – where he ended up in a bunker – on the 10th. “I guess he’s gone to a driver that’s a little longer, a little more loft, so that’s good. I said to him, ‘Make it as easy as possible for yourself, don’t try and complicate things,’â€� playing partner Rory McIlroy said of Woods’ driver. “But it looks OK. He hit some great drives coming in, he drove it much better … saw some good signs, just a better rhythm, a little bit better tempo from the top.â€� McIlroy pointed out the 7:22am tee time and crisp morning temperatures may have contributed. “It was cold and if you don’t quite release it that much, it can get away from you pretty easily. I had a couple get away from me and didn’t feel like I hit that bad,â€� he said. And the Northern Irishman is a firm believer that over time and more reps Woods will be a serious factor. “It doesn’t feel like five years ago that he won five tournaments and was the Player of the Year,â€� McIlroy said. “He remembers how to do this and his body’s allowing him to do this, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll make a little bit of noise this year.â€� Sitting five back of the early clubhouse lead, Woods certainly didn’t feel out of the event he’s failed to win in 10 previous tries including his PGA TOUR debut as a 16-year-old in 1992. He did after all post five birdies, and a couple of his mistakes were basic errors – like hitting into long Kikuyu grass with an iron off the tee on the par-4 fifth hole and missing the par-4 seventh green with a wedge from just 137 yards. Needing just 25 putts was promising so if he eliminates the mistakes he could certainly press toward the weekend. “I’m not that far off to really putting some good numbers out there,â€� Woods said. “I’ve got to clean up my card … I made too many bogeys. If I can just clean that up, I can start making my way up the board.â€�

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