Major miracle: Tiger wins fifth Masters title

Reigning FedExCup champion Justin Rose will make his first PGA TOUR start of the 2019 calendar year and his first here since 2010 at this week’s 60th playing of the Desert Classic in La Quinta, California. Defending champion Jon Rahm, meanwhile, seeks to become the first back-to-back winner since Johnny Miller (1975-’76). Arnold Palmer won the first Desert Classic in 1960, his first of 62 TOUR titles. He also won for the last time there, in ’73, as the tournament bookended one of the most celebrated careers in the history of the game. The Desert Classic is one of four tournaments played on multiple courses, along with the Farmers Insurance Open, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and The RSM Classic. The Golf Channel will carry primetime coverage starting at 11:30 a.m. ET Thursday and Friday, running until 7 p.m. each day. Watch on Twitter from 11:30 a.m. to approximately 12:30 p.m. PGA TOUR Radio’s coverage is 1-7 p.m. in the first three rounds; 2-7 p.m. for Sunday’s final round. PGA TOUR LIVE also returns for 2019 with expanded coverage. Here’s a look at some of the Featured Groups (current FedExCup ranking in parentheses): THURSDAY Russell Knox (181) – A two-time TOUR winner, Knox is coming off a season in which he was 89th in the FedExCup. He finished T43 at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Jhonattan Vegas (128) – Pride of Venezuela broke through with his first win in the desert way back in 2011, and has since tacked on two more victories, both at the RBC Canadian Open. This will be his first start since he finished T38 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in November. Round 1 tee time at PGA WEST Stadium Course: 11:40 a.m. ET (8:40 a.m. local) Chesson Hadley (24) – He didn’t play in Hawaii, but in five starts this season he already has a T2 (CIMB Classic) and T7 (Shriners Hospitals for Children Open). Bill Haas (83) – A former FedExCup champion (2011) and Desert Classic winner (2015), Haas is one of four players in the last five years who have won this tournament and gone all the way to the season-ending TOUR Championship at East Lake. Round 1 tee time: 12:10 p.m. ET off 1 at PGA WEST Stadium Course (9:10 a.m. local) Justin Rose (40) – This will mark Rose’s fifth start in the Desert Classic, but his first since 2010, when he missed the cut. As with most other courses on TOUR, though, the Englishman has enjoyed plenty of success here: 3rd in 2007 and T10 in 2006. Zach Johnson (100) – He slipped to 58th in the FedExCup with just two top-10 finishes in 25 starts last season, and is coming off a missed cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii. The good news: He finished T7 not long ago, at The RSM Classic in the fall. Round 1 tee time at La Quinta Country Club: 11:40 a.m. ET (8:40 a.m. local) Phil Mickelson (136) – World Golf Hall of Famer and two-time Desert Classic winner is coming off a season in which he broke a lengthy win drought at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. Making his 16th start in the desert. Finished T17 at the Safeway Open last fall. Aaron Wise (60) – Rookie of the Year in 2018, when he won the AT&T Byron Nelson, Wise is making his third start in the Desert Classic. He won the NCAA individual title as a freshman at Oregon in 2016, and played the Mackenzie Tour and Web.com Tour before making it to the big TOUR. Round 1 tee time: 12:10 p.m. ET off 1 at La Quinta Country Club (9:10 a.m. local) FRIDAY Charles Howell III (5) – One of the great comeback stories of 2018, when he won The RSM Classic at the outset of the ’18-2019 TOUR season, Howell looks to keep the momentum going after finishing T8 at the Sony Open in Hawaii and T14 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Sean O’Hair (185) – Trying to get back on track after a rough start to the season with three missed cuts in five starts. Round 2 tee time: 11:40 a.m. ET off 1 at PGA WEST Stadium Course (8:40 a.m. local) Brendan Steele (116) – Three-time TOUR winner hasn’t played since a missed cut at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in the fall, but he did finish T14 at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. Jason Dufner (122) – Has played a robust early schedule with seven starts already, best among them a T21 with a final-round 64 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic last fall. Round 2 tee time: 12:10 p.m. ET off 1 at PGA WEST Stadium Course (9:10 a.m. local) Phil Mickelson/Aaron Wise Round 2 tee time: 11:40 a.m. ET off 10 at PGA WEST Nicklaus Tournament Course (8:40 a.m. local) Justin Rose/Zach Johnson Round 2 tee time: 1:20 p.m. ET off 10 at PGA WEST Nicklaus Tournament Course (10:20 a.m. local).

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SAN FRANCISCO – Tiger Woods looks set to begin the PGA Championship without the putter he has relied on for 14 of his 15 major championship victories. Woods appears likely to make a switch from his old faithful Scotty Cameron Newport II putter to a newer Newport that has added length and the ability to shift weight from heel and toe after he practiced with the new model for the second straight day on Wednesday. Woods first started using his trusty Newport in 1999 and kept it in the bag for 11 years during which he won 13 majors. While he moved to a Nike putter in 2010 and tried a few TaylorMade putters in 2018 after returning from back fusion surgery, it was a move back to the Newport that coincided with success. Woods claimed his 80th (2018 TOUR Championship), 81st (2019 Masters) and record tying 82nd (2020 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP) PGA TOUR wins with it back in the bag, but if the pre-tournament practice is any guide he will start Round 1 at TPC Harding Park with the new flat stick. “It’s basically the same putter with a little bit more flexibility. He’s able to change the weights around a little bit, but the length is the difference. He’s got a little more length on there, and that’s just so he can practice a little bit more without back pain,” friend and fellow competitor Steve Stricker said after finishing Wednesday’s practice round with Woods. “That’s what excites him the most is that he was able to put in a lot of time with this putter, and watching him putt, it looked exactly the same to me. He rolled the ball great. His game is in great shape. He’s obviously always been a great iron player, and he hit some great irons today. He’s still got some length.” Stricker has been the putting whisperer for many TOUR players over the years, including Woods. He usually deals with set up issues but he’s not been one to change equipment right before a major championship. Still the former Presidents Cup captain and current Ryder Cup captain expects Woods can make it work if he does indeed commit to the switch. Woods practiced similarly prior to the 2019 Open Championship but then failed to make the change on game day before missing the cut. “I’ve maybe changed putters in my whole career a handful of times let alone the week before a major; I’ve never done that. But he’s Tiger Woods. He’ll be just fine. He’s got a lot of talent when it comes to that short stick and he’ll do just fine,” Stricker said. “I expect good things from him if he can keep his body playable. With this weather, it’s a challenge. It’s cool, it’s damp, and so I imagine that will be probably the biggest challenge for him this week is to be able to feel like his body is 100 percent and give it a rip.”

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