Kaymer tied atop Memorial; Mickelson, Rory out

Tiger Woods doesn’t have to look far to find a hot player for one of his four captain’s picks for the U.S. Presidents Cup Team that will play the Internationals at Royal Melbourne in December. Gary Woodland, the guy right next to him atop the leaderboard at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. RELATED: Leaderboard | Woods rebounds from slow start to share lead “I mean, obviously, I’m off next week, so I can think about that next week,� said Woodland, the reigning U.S. Open champion, who shot one of just two bogey-free rounds in tricky winds at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan. “Right now I’m just trying to continue the golf tournament, give myself a chance on Sunday. “He knows how much I want to be on that team,� Woodland added. “I’ve talked to him about it. So for me, I’ll just go out and play well and everything will take care of itself.� Woods will make his four captain’s picks, as will International Captain Ernie Els, on Nov. 4. Woodland hasn’t made much noise since he won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in June, but there were bigger things in play. After experiencing complications and tragically losing one of their two twins in 2017, his wife, Gabby, gave birth to identical twin girls in August. The U.S. Open champ narrowly missed qualifying for the Presidents Cup on points, and finished a lackluster T55 at his season-opening start at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas. Tee-to-green issues lingered after creeping into his game for the latter half of last season. Still, it was assumed that the 35-year-old Kansan was a favorite for one of Woods’ picks. (As is Woods himself.) At 7,041-yard, par-70 Accordia in the first round, Woodland only strengthened his case. He led the field with a 1.39 putting average, and he and Woods shot identical 64s on a day when the field average was over par (71.155). Several big names struggled. Reigning FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy, making his first start of the new season, shot 72. Jason Day came in with 73, as did countryman Adam Scott. Jordan Spieth shot 74. Justin Thomas, coming off a victory at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, shot 1-under 70. Woodland, encouraged by his 65-66 weekend and T3 finish at THE CJ CUP, kept right on going. His lackluster tee-to-green play after the U.S. Open now seems to be a thing of the past. “I worked so hard on short game I kind of lost ball-striking a little bit,� he said. “After Vegas, I put a lot of work in; the ball-striking’s coming back where I want it. I’ve got to rely on that, and when I putt it well, good things will happen.�

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The players are heading to Texas this week as the Houston Open gets underway. Here’s everything you need to follow the action. Round 1 leaderboard Round 1 tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 4 p.m.-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 8:15 a.m.- 7 p.m. ET (Featured Groups) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m.-7 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 2 p.m.-7 p.m. ET (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). FEATURED GROUPS (ALL TIMES CENTRAL) Daniel Berger, Kevin Chappell, Keegan Bradley Thursday: Thursday: 12:45 p.m. (No. 1 tee); Friday: 7:55 a.m. (No. 10 tee)   Sebastian Munoz, Andrew Landry, Pat Perez Thursday: 12:35 p.m. (No. 1 tee); Friday: 7:45 a.m. (No. 10 tee)    Cameron Champ, Jason Dufner, Henrik Stenson Thursday: 7:55 a.m. (No. 10 tee); Friday: 12:45 p.m. (No. 1 tee) Jim Herman, D.A. Points, Jhonattan Vegas Thursday: 7:45 a.m. (No. 10 tee); Friday: 12:35 p.m. (No. 1 tee) MUST READS Quick look at the Houston Open When will it be Hammer’s time to turn pro? Stenson says goodbye to 3-wood Featured Groups, tee times Power Rankings Expert Picks Houston Astros put baseball spin on golf The First Look: Notes on the Houston Open Monday qualifiers Top 10 rookies to watch What to expect during the fall schedule Sign-up and play Fantasy Golf

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Tiger Woods makes his 2018 debut at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. He shot an up-and-down 70 (-2) in Round 3 and looks to improve in his trademark Sunday red. Alex Noren leads Ryan Palmer by one stroke at -11 heading into the final round. Jason Day, Justin Rose and Tony Finau are lurking within striking range. Round 4 tee times Round 4 leaderboard HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN TELEVISION: 1-2:45 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 3-6:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports) PGA TOUR LIVE: Friday, 11:45 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups), 3-7 p.m. (featured holes). Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. (featured holes). Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (featured holes/featured groups). RADIO: 1-7 p.m. ET. NOTABLE PAIRINGS (All times Eastern) Alex Noren, Ryan Palmer, J.B. Holmes 1:05 p.m. off the first tee, South Course  C.T. Pan, Justin Rose, Jason Day 12:45 p.m. off the first tee, South Course Tony Finau, Luke List, Marc Leishman 12:35 p.m. off the first tee, South Course Tiger Woods, Francesco Molinari, Hideki Matsuyama 11:15 a.m. off the 10th tee, South Course

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