Notebook: Adam Scott enjoys rare fast start at 83rd Masters Tournament

TONY FINAU WINS 3M OPEN FOR THIRD PGA TOUR TITLE Wednesday afternoon, Tony Finau read an article that listed him as the betting favorite for the 3M Open, also noting he was the world’s highest ranked player in the field at TPC Twin Cities. Finau channeled that pressure into a sparkling performance, carding a four-round total of 17-under for a three-stroke victory over Sungjae Im and Emiliano Grillo, his third career PGA TOUR title. The 32-year-old father of five trailed 54-hole leader Scott Piercy by five strokes heading into Sunday in Minnesota but caught fire with three consecutive birdies on Nos. 14-16 Sunday, as Piercy stumbled to a back-nine 41 that included a triple bogey on No. 14. Ever the sportsman, Piercy made a beeline for Finau post-round to provide congratulations – the two go back to the Ultimate Game in 2007, a high-stakes competition in Las Vegas where Piercy won $2 million; Finau was just 17 years old at the time. “He was genuinely happy for me,” Finau said, “which I think makes our game so great.” Also on hand in Minnesota were Finau’s wife and five kids, marking the first time the entire family was able to celebrate a TOUR title together in real-time. Finau accrues 500 FedExCup points for his victory and moves to No. 17 on the season-long standings. He also moves to No. 7 on the United States President Cup standings, as he strives to secure a spot at Quail Hollow in September. BLASTING OFF TO ROCKET MORTGAGE CLASSIC The Rocket Mortgage Classic is the penultimate event of the PGA TOUR’s Regular Season before the FedExCup Playoffs begin. The field is full of stars and those looking to either get into the Playoffs or improve their standings. Reigning FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay leads the field in Detroit as the PGA TOUR inches closer to crowning the champion of this season’s FedExCup. Rookie of the Year frontrunner Cameron Young, who’s 13th in the FedExCup, returns to action after his runner-up at The Open. Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala are also among the up-and-coming stars in the field who have been knocking on the door as they seek their first PGA TOUR victory. Tony Finau, Max Homa, Kevin Kisner, Harris English and Rickie Fowler are also in the field; the latter two are looking to lock up FedExCup Playoffs berths. There are 11 major champions in the field, and the winner receives 500 FedExCup points. VIDEO OF THE WEEK MIC CHECK “I knew it was going to be an honor if I had the chance of playing in it.” – Jake Olson, 25, who competed in the inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open last week at Pinehurst No. 6. Olson was the only completely blind golfer in the field. Check out Olson’s story of resilience here, and about the time he got to spend with Tiger Woods. BY THE NUMBERS 28 – Under-par total for David Kocher on the week at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper on the Korn Ferry Tour. The 26-year-old Maryland graduate won by six shots. 69 – Final-round score for Darren Clarke in the final round of The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex, good enough for a one-shot victory over Padraig Harrington at Gleneagles in Scotland. 87 – Length in feet that C.T. Pan made on a putt on the par-5 18th hole on Sunday at the 3M Open. It was the second-longest putt made by anyone on the PGA TOUR this season. COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.

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Tiger Woods won two of his three Open Championships at St. Andrews, finishing a combined 13 shots ahead of the field in 2000 and 2005. This week, he’s back at the Old Course for what may be his final opportunity to add another victory at the course that he says is his unrivaled favorite in the game. He’s pulling out all the stops to try and win one last time at St. Andrews. That includes four tweaks to his equipment setup before play gets underway Thursday. RELATED: Is it one last dance for Tiger Woods and St. Andrews? In Woods’ last tournament, the PGA Championship in May, he was using a 9-degree TaylorMade Stealth Plus driver equipped with a Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60TX shaft. He’d been using that shaft since 2018, but he has a new one in his driver this week. On Tuesday, Woods was using a Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X shaft in his TaylorMade Stealth Plus driver. Woods also has a new shaft in his P770 3-iron, switching from True Temper’s new Dynamic Gold MID Tour Issue X100 shafts. The MID shaft was launched in 2022 and is designed for slightly higher spin and launch angles compared to the True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts he uses in his TaylorMade P-7TW irons (4-PW). On Tuesday, Woods had a TaylorMade M3 5-wood and a P770 3-iron in the bag, opting for the fairway wood over a 2-iron. The P770 3-iron, however, is now equipped with a True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft. According to a TaylorMade representative, Woods changed shafts in the driving iron because the MID version was “going too high.” Woods has also made adjustment to his short-game setup to deal with the unique characteristics of links golf. St. Andrews is playing firm and fast but the greens are slower than American players are accustomed to. In fact, the fairways may be running faster than St. Andrews’ large, sloping putting surfaces. If they get too fast, then there’s the threat of play being delayed because balls can’t remain still on the putting surface. Woods was using two TaylorMade Milled Grind 3 Raw wedges, a 56- and 60-degree. The MG3 Raws are newer models of the MG2 TW-Grind wedges he used at the Masters. This week, it appears Woods is playing a combination of the two wedge setups. Taking a closer look at photos taken by GolfWRX on Tuesday, it appears Woods is using an MG2 56-degree wedge (which has a raw face but a chrome finish on the rest of the head), and an MG3 Raw 60-degree wedge (which doesn’t have a finish at all). As for his putter, Woods has added lead tape to the back cavity of his Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS at The Open. This change is common for Woods when he plays in the Open Championship, as the extra weight helps induce a heavier strike on the typically slower greens overseas, and it can also help add face awareness and stability in the wind. See below for Woods’ expected equipment setup for this week at the Old Course: Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X 3-wood: TaylorMade SIM Titanium (15 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70T X 5-wood: TaylorMade M3 (19 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3-iron), TaylorMade P-7TW (4-PW) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 (56 degrees), TaylorMade MG3 Raw (60 degrees) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS prototype Ball: 2022 Bridgestone Tour B XS Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

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Round 2 of the Valero Texas Open takes place Friday. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action. Live leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1-3:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3:30-6 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2:30-6 p.m. (NBC). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 8:15 a.m.- 7 p.m. (Featured Groups). Saturday, 8:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3:30 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes). Sunday, 8:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Featured Groups), 2:30 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). TOURCast: Get shot-by-shot info in real time with shot tracks and video with TOURCast. TOUR Pulse: Get the PGA TOUR app to utilize TOUR Pulse, which provides users the ability to experience a mix of content, such as video highlights, written hole summaries and stat graphics on every player after every hole they complete. FEATURED GROUPS Gary Woodland, Rickie Fowler, Scottie Scheffler Jordan Spieth, Ryan Palmer, Corey Conners Tony Finau, Cameron Champ, Joel Dahmen Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Hideki Matsuyama For more, read the Featured Groups roundtable. MUST READS Camilo Villegas leads by two at Valero Texas Open Jordan Spieth starts strong at TPC San Antonio Cut prediction: Valero Texas Open How the Valero Texas Open changed Corey Conners’ career CALL OF THE DAY

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