Korda, Salas pull away, share Women’s PGA lead

THE OVERVIEW He hasn’t won a PGA TOUR event in five years and hasn’t won a major in nearly 10 years. In the last 28 months, he’s made just four starts worldwide, as back injuries have kept him sidelined while conjecture about his future reached a crescendo. We haven’t seen him compete at a TOUR event in a year. And yet Tiger Woods is the dominant storyline entering this week’s Farmers Insurance Open. It’s easy to understand why. “He’s the most compelling story in golf – maybe in sports,â€� CBS analyst Nick Faldo said this week. The network is beginning its 49th year of PGA TOUR coverage at the Farmers, the first of 21 TOUR events it will broadcast in 2018. Just like a year ago, when Woods last played on TOUR, CBS will offer a heavy dose of all things Tiger. (In addition, PGA TOUR LIVE will also have extensive coverage of Woods – click here for the complete schedule).  The fascination with Woods – the 79-time TOUR winner with 14 majors – may never go away. Although he’s far removed from his last appearance in the winner’s circle (the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational in early August of 2013), he’s never really drifted from the consciousness of golf fans. The curiosity factor of whether he can successfully come back from his plethora of back injuries is the focal point now. “The world superstar sometimes doesn’t do justice to the superior superstars,â€� said CBS anchor Jim Nantz said when asked why we remain so drawn to Tiger. “There’s a level there that’s reserved for just a few – [Tom] Brady, [Michael] Jordan, Woods. I’m talking about contemporary superstars. Megastars. “Imagine if Tom Brady had taken a step away from the game and we didn’t really see him compete for five years. And I know it hasn’t been five years for Tiger, but it’s been five years since he won. And all of the sudden Tom Brady is going to go and throw the jersey on and No 12’s on the field again. What is that going to look like this Sunday? Man, I’m watching. “Like Jordan decides to come out of retirement after all these years and he’s going to play a real game again, not an exhibition. What will that look like? I gotta see that. My day is going to be scheduled around that. “That’s kind of where we’re at with Tiger.â€� Nantz, who has been a part of CBS’ golf coverage for more than three decades, said he has “not given upâ€� on Tiger making a successful comeback. But he has tempered expectations this week, saying that simply making the cut “would be for him a good start.â€� Faldo, meanwhile, not only will be focused on how Tiger navigates the Torrey Pines fairways – Woods missed eight consecutive fairways to end last year’s first round – but also wonders about the 42-year-old’s fatigue factor. Faldo said playing in the heat of TOUR competition is much different than the relaxed atmosphere at last month’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, when Tiger showed some encouraging signs. “Does he have the stamina for a tournament week, the consistency, because you’ve got to keep out of that lovely 4-inch rough,â€� Faldo said. However it turns out, Nantz and Faldo will be there to describe the action – and the rest of us no doubt will be captivated by Tiger’s latest return. A winner here last year. His last three worldwide starts: two wins and a runner-up. Hottest player in golf unless it’s … What’s he done since the last time we saw him on U.S. soil? Three wins and three more top 10s in seven starts. In terrific form but Torrey Pines hasn’t been kind to him lately – three MCs and a T61 in his last four appearances. PLAYER COMMENT THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER THE FLYOVER When Tom Weiskopf renovated Torrey Pines North prior to last year’s tournament, he reversed the nines, thus making the old 6th and 7th holes (with ocean views) the new 15th and 16th holes. In addition, Weiskopf improved both holes. He reduced the green slope at the par-3 15th, and now thinks it can compete with the South course’s No. 3 hole as one of the most memorable at Torrey Pines. “No, I think it’s better than that one,â€� he told media members during a course preview. As for the par-4 16th, he lowered the green by 10-12 feet to create a bowl effect so that that approach shots might bounce their way onto the putting surface. “It was not a good hole in my estimation,â€� Weiskopf said. “We made it much better.â€�  THE LANDING ZONE Long and into the wind — that pretty much sums up the 504-yard par-4 12th at Torrey Pines South. No wonder it ranked as the toughest hole on the course last year and the fifth toughest of the 900 holes played on the PGA TOUR last season, with a stroke average of 4.435. Bunkers guard both the landing area and the green. Just 52 percent of all drives found the fairway last year, while 41 percent of all approach shots found the green. Here’s a look at where all drives landed in 2017. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “A weak cold front will move across S. California on Thursday that will bring a strong on-shore flow. This will likely produce some low clouds and patchy marine layer fog Thursday morning before lifting for the afternoon. Can’t rule out a few sprinkles, but most areas should remain dry. It will be much cooler with highs in the upper 50s. High pressure returns Friday into the weekend providing moderate off-shore flow. This will lead to warmer temperatures Saturday and Sunday.â€� For the latest weather news from San Diego, California, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK The more attention you guys have on Tiger, the better for me, quite frankly … Hopefully I keep playing good and give you guys something to talk about, but it’s not bad that the attention’s on Tiger. It’s good for golf, it’s good for all of us. BY THE NUMBERS 7,698 – Scorecard yardage at Torrey Pines South, which made it the second-longest course on the PGA TOUR last season (behind Erin Hills/U.S. Open at 7,741 yards). 50.5 – Percentage of fairways hit at Torrey Pines North last season. Just three other courses had tougher fairways to hit. 8 – Wins by Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines – seven in the Farmers Insurance Open, along with his 2008 U.S. Open win. That ties for most wins by Tiger on any course on the PGA TOUR (also eight each at Bay Hill and Firestone). SCATTERSHOTS We’re now 10 weeks into the 40-week regular season of the FedExCup race.  Of the top 10 players entering this week, just four were in the top 10 at this time a year ago – Jon Rahm, Pat Perez, Brendan Steele and eventual champ Justin Thomas. Rahm, No. 2 in FedExCup points, is the highest ranked player in the field this week. … San Diego native Xander Schauffele made his PGA TOUR debut at the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open and also played in 2017, each time failing to make the cut. But now he’s a two-time TOUR winner and the reigning Rookie of the Year. “I’ve yet to play the weekend, so small goals set first,â€� Schauffele said about this week. “Can’t win a tournament unless you play Saturday, Sunday, so we’re looking forward to having a good week.â€� … Another player with San Diego ties is Charley Hoffman, who was born nearby. Hoffman is making his 21st start in the Farmers; he has two top-10 finishes and 11 made cuts. He’ll be one of Woods’ partners in the first two rounds along with Patrick Reed. … The first four times Rickie Fowler played the Farmers, he was a cumulative 33 under with 13 rounds under par and a best finish of T5 (in 2010). The last four times he’s played here, he’s a cumulative 10 over with 3 rounds under par and a best finish of T61.

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USGA on the firing line at Erin Hills

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Daniel Berger used to think he didn’t really love golf… he just happened to be really good at it. But the two-time PGA TOUR winner has upgraded his love of the game over the last 18 months after a persistent injury took him away from the little white-dimpled ball he took for granted. Berger falls into the classic category of “You don’t know how much you love something till it’s gone.� Coming off a sixth-place finish at the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock, where he was part of the 54-hole lead, Berger was hitting a shot at the Travelers Championship when he felt some discomfort in the index finger on his right hand. It lingered. Berger battled through the pain and suited up for six more events that season and even forged top-15 finishes in the PGA Championship and THE NORTHERN TRUST. But the discomfort was stopping him doing his usual preparations and forced him to pull out of the BMW Championship before it began, ending his FedExCup run. The pain was now giving him issues down to the wrist. Inflammation meant only one thing could be done. Rest. RELATED:  What you need to know for The American Express | Power Rankings “I just couldn’t practice. I’d get to a golf tournament and hit just 50 golf balls the whole week and I just didn’t feel like I could do the preparation to where I would feel ready to go,� Berger explained. “At home I couldn’t go hit 500 balls if I wanted to. I never was able to do the things that in the past I was able to do.� Initially, a rest didn’t sound so bad to a young man who had been around elite athletes his whole life and had been working his tail off to become one himself since before he can remember. Berger’s father Jay played top-level tennis, winning three ATP singles titles and getting as high as seventh in the world. He played in the Davis Cup for the United States and then moved to coaching, working with the U.S. Davis Cup and Olympic tennis teams and also was a director of tennis for the USTA. Amongst this environment, young Daniel Berger thrived. “I knew since I was a young boy I would be a professional athlete. I just didn’t know what sport yet,� Berger said. His father, and Berger himself, are believers in the 10,000-hour rule. That being you need to get to 10,000 hours of dedicated practice in something to master it. So Berger’s life has been about putting in the work, and then doing more. So the idea of a break was something of a novelty. Maybe he could enjoy some down time and a more “normal� life for a while. The 2015 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year was excited about getting in the water on his boat and doing other recreational activities that wouldn’t hamper his injury. And he did have fun … until he started to miss his previous way of life. “In the beginning I thought it was amazing. I got to do other things,� Berger said. “But the reality is my whole life all I’ve ever known is hit balls, go to a golf tournament, compete … and suddenly you are unable to do those things you are so passionate about and it sucks. “I have always been a firm believer of the harder you work the better you perform and prior to that I had never had a time in my career where I wasn’t able to do the things I felt like I needed to do. That was the most frustrating part. You know what you need to accomplish but physically you are unable to do that and it just eats you up.� The frustration and annoyance got the better of the 26-year-old. And he came back to competition in 2019 despite things not being 100%. A runner-up finish at the Puerto Rico Open in late February gave him a bit of false confidence that he could battle through things a little. But the entire season he couldn’t quite trust things and his practice time remained well down on his usual standards. He fell to 131st in the FedExCup without a top-10 after Puerto Rico and missed the FedExCup Playoffs. Now though, Berger says he is 100%. The last few months he has returned his practice to the hours he is accustomed to. And in his five starts this season Berger has three top-25 finishes to be currently 79th in the FedExCup. The results might not yet show significant improvement, but Berger knows his ball-striking is returning toward its best. At the Sony Open last week, he was 10th in the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and 11th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. And he had his first positive mark of the season in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green. “I have put a lot of work in that I wasn’t able to do before. And that has already been the big difference in the five events I have played this season. I just need to continue to put the work in,� he said prior to The American Express this week in California. “It’s been a blessing to come back and do what I love. I used to always say I never really liked golf; I was just good at it. But when you take some time off, I realized I really like golf a lot. My main goal now is to put myself in contention to win. It is tough out here, so you’ve got to continue to get better. I feel like this offseason I did a lot of good things and I am hitting the ball way better than I have in a long time.� Berger is trying to get those feelings from the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons where he was Rookie of the Year and won back-to-back FedEx St. Jude Classics. He’s even reverted to the old TaylorMade irons he used coming through the ranks and says it helps him “just feel more like me.� As one of the famed Class of 2011, Berger has also drawn motivation from what Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth have already achieved in the game, knowing he’s always been able to compete on their level. It makes the idea of winning a FedExCup and major championships even more attainable. And watching the recent Presidents Cup on television – two years after he secured the clinching point for the U.S. Team at Liberty National – also put a fire in his belly. “I watched every single shot … and I never watch golf. But I love team sports and I love rooting for anything that’s American,� Berger said. “It is disappointing not to be there but obviously I didn’t deserve to be. To see those guys go out there and play the way they did was impressive and it is certainly motivating. “There are a lot of young guys making a name for themselves and I think you will see 10 or 15 guys playing on the teams for the next 10 or 15 years just like you saw with the Phil’s and Tiger’s. I want to be part of that.� Now that he’s back fit and healthy, there’s a good chance he will be.

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