Leaderboard: Weather halts Round 2 of RBC

Tiger Woods will make his 2019 calendar debut at next week’s Farmers Insurance Open, an event he’s won seven times. The tournament made the official announcement Wednesday. Woods also committed to playing in the Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles on February 14-17 where he doubles as the tournament host. Woods’ last PGA TOUR appearance was the memorable TOUR Championship in September when he walked up the 18th fairway en route to victory through a crowd of fans. That win was the 80th of his TOUR career, putting him just two shy of Sam Snead’s all-time record. The last time Woods played competitively was the week after Thanksgiving at his Hero World Challenge, a non-TOUR event in the Bahamas. Woods did not fare well that week, finishing 17th in the 18-man field. Still, the thought of a healthy Woods for a full season will be a huge storyline this season. A year ago when Woods played at Torrey Pines, he was still unsure how much he could play after enduring four back surgeries. After being limited to just two tournaments in the span of more than two full calendar years, Woods made his comeback in 2018, starting at Torrey Pines. He played 18 tournaments, securing 12 top-25 finishes and seven top-10s – including a pair of runner-up placings and his TOUR Championship win, his first victory in more than five years. He finished T6 or better in The Open Championship and the PGA Championship and earned more than $5 million for just the second time in nine seasons. Woods won the Farmers in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2013, and earned his most recent major championship victory in a 19-hole playoff at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in 2008. In addition to his seven victories, Woods has finished in the top 10 six other times in 16 appearances. He is the tournament’s all-time leading money winner, with $6,915,700. “We couldn’t be happier to have Tiger back in our field,â€� said Century Club of San Diego CEO Peter Ripa. “He really launched his fairytale comeback season right here last January, and he has enjoyed incredible success at Torrey Pines Golf Course and in our tournament over the years. It will be exciting to see him alongside many of the game’s other top players Jan. 24-27.â€� Until last year, Woods hadn’t played four complete rounds in the Farmers since his last victory here in 2013. After missing the cut during an abbreviated comeback in 2017, he advanced to the weekend last year by making birdie on his 18th hole Friday to make the cut on the number. Rounds of 70 and 72 Saturday and Sunday left him tied for 23rd. He would go on to secure top-10 finishes in the Valspar Championship, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Quicken Loans National, The Open Championship, the PGA Championship and the BMW Championship before his season-ending victory at East Lake. “This year as a whole was probably the most rewarding, because there was a point where I just didn’t know if I would ever do this again,â€� Woods said before the Hero World Challenge. “The expectations are much different this upcoming year. Now I know that I can do it, now it’s just about managing and making sure I’m fresh for events, because I know I can win tournaments again.â€� Twenty years ago, Woods captured his first title at the Farmers Insurance Open. It was his eighth victory on the PGA TOUR but carried extra significance because of the golf course on which he did it. Woods joins a strong list of early commitments that includes defending champion Jason Day; defending FedExCup champion Justin Rose; San Diego native Xander Schauffele; 2017 Farmers Insurance Open winner Jon Rahm; along with world top-30 players Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed, Marc Leishman, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay, Alex Noren, Gary Woodland and Hideki Matsuyama. Joining Fowler and Schauffele among San Diego products committed to the Farmers Insurance Open are Torrey Pines High School graduates Pat Perez and Jamie Lovemark, Poway product Charley Hoffman and San Diego State University alum J.J. Spaun. Joining Woods and Rahm as past tournament champions who have committed are Day (2018, 2015), Brandt Snedeker (2016, 2012), Scott Stallings (2014), Ben Crane (2010) and Nick Watney (2009). Young up-and-coming players to watch who have committed include PGA TOUR rookie and long-bomber Cameron Champ and 19-year-old Chilean sensation Joaquin Niemann. Woods will look to better last year’s performance at Riviera in February. In his first appearance at the event since 2006 Woods missed the cut, just one of two (U.S. Open) missed weekends all season. Prior to that he had eight top-20 finishes at Riviera, including runner up finishes in 1998 and 1999. The Riviera Country Club was the site of Woods’ first PGA TOUR event in 1992, competing on a sponsor’s exemption as an amateur. Woods’ TGR Live manages the Genesis Open and proceeds from the tournament benefit his TGR Foundation. “I’m looking forward to being back in Los Angeles for the Genesis Open,â€� Woods said. “It’s always great to be able to play at Riviera and I am very proud of the impact the Genesis Open has been able to make on education through my foundation.â€�

Click here to read the full article…

He’s tried this before. But that failure didn’t stop Michael Collins. He’s back to tell you everything you’ll see in golf in 2020 before you actually see it.

Click here to read the full article…

NASSAU, Bahamas – Tournament host Tiger Woods did not win the Hero World Challenge, his final-round 69 leaving him solo fourth, four back of winner Henrik Stenson at Albany Golf Club. Woods just wasn’t sharp with his irons, he said. “I wish I could have hit the ball a little bit closer,â€� he said. “I had a few 9‑irons on down I normally would hit in there a little bit closer than I did this week. If I would have given myself a few more looks, this might have been a different story, but I just didn’t.â€� RELATED: U.S. Team rookies an accomplished group | Els to go with gut on Woods singles matchup Still, before hopping on the U.S. Team charter to spend “23 hours in a tin can,â€� bound for Australia, he pronounced it a “solid week.â€� Overall, his game was similar to what it was in winning The ZOZO Championship in Japan, he said, and he is ready to be the first playing captain since 1994 at the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne starting Thursday. He was also pleased with the performance of his 10 teammates in the field at the Hero. “I’m very happy with most of the team,â€� Woods said. “The fact that 11 out of 12 guys played this week, some played well, some didn’t, but at least they were able to knock off some rust, get some feel.â€� Patrick Reed was the top finisher for the Americans, his final-round 66 leaving him in solo third, two back. Then came Woods and playing partner Justin Thomas (70, T5). Gary Woodland, the 54-hole leader, struggled to a final-round 73 to finish T7, six back. Rickie Fowler, who hadn’t competed on the PGA TOUR since August, shot 68 to finish ninth.  “Rickie hasn’t played since the TOUR Championship; it was nice to see him get four rounds in,â€� Woods said. “Get the feeling back in his hands and his body and hitting shots again. It’s so different playing at home for cash versus playing out here with a scorecard, so it was nice to see.â€�   Xander Schauffele (68) and Webb Simpson (69) had a quiet week, finishing T10 with teammate Tony Finau (65), whose week was anything but quiet.  Having pledged to donate $2,000 per birdie and $5,000 per eagle to the ONE Bahamas Fund after Hurricane Dorian devastated Abaco and Grand Bahama, Finau opened with a 79 and decamped for the driving range. He was 14 under from there, closing with a 65 to finish T10, 11 back, and on Twitter called it the ultimate “not how you start but how you finish week.â€� Matt Kuchar (73, 14th) struggled in the final round, while Bryson DeChambeau (opening 76, closing 68, 15th place) was up and down. Patrick Cantlay (71, 17th place) never broke 70. Dustin Johnson, the final member of the American squad, did not play the Hero, instead choosing to give himself one last week of rehabilitation for his knee. He was set to join his teammates in Nassau for the long plane ride to the Presidents Cup. “Hopefully Dustin’s feeling a little bit better,â€� Woods said. “Hopefully swelling stays down over the next 23 hours because it’s a long flight down there. The guys will be ready.â€�

Click here to read the full article…