PGA Tour rookies to watch in 2018 — one sits third in FedEx Cup points

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Tiger Woods shot the lowest score of his comeback Saturday at The Honda Classic. And it could have been even lower. Woods continued to display the controlled ball-striking that he has all week at a breezy PGA National, hitting a season-best nine fairways and 13 greens in Saturday’s 1-under 69. He’s even-par through three rounds, close enough that the leaders may have to keep one eye on him in the final round. “I’ve got a shot,� he said. It was six years ago that Woods, looking for his first victory in three years, shot a final-round 62 here to nearly chase down Rory McIlroy. Now it’s been five years since his most recent win. Even if it doesn’t come this week, Woods has proven that he’s capable of winning in 2018. He ranks second this week in proximity to the hole and 13th in both Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green and Strokes Gained: Putting. On Saturday, he hit 10 of his first 11 approach shots within 25 feet of the hole. He only converted one for birdie, though. “It probably was the highest I could have shot today,� he said after his three-birdie round. Woods made a 6-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole to pull within three shots of the lead. His putter, and PGA National’s bumpy greens, kept him from getting any closer. He missed birdie putts of 14, 16 and 11 feet on the next three holes before burying a 17-footer for par after driving into a fairway bunker. He missed another 15-footer for birdie on 13 before once again struggling on the back-nine’s water-lined par-3s. One day after blocking it into the water at No. 15, he pulled his tee shot onto the grassy downslope left of the bunker. His flop shot stayed in the rough, inches from rolling close to the hole. He yanked his tee shot left of the greenside bunker on 17, as well. This flop shot found the green, but he missed the lengthy par putt. Those were his only two bogeys Saturday. Woods birdied the last hole after nearly chipping in for eagle. It’s his first round in the 60s in an official PGA TOUR event since a third-round 68 in the 2015 Wyndham Championship. Jason Dufner, who played alongside Woods, said his play resembled what he’d seen in casual rounds before Woods’ return at Torrey Pines. “The stuff I saw at home was a little bit better than what I saw in San Diego and L.A., but I think he’s starting to get the wheels going a little bit and figuring out how to play golf again,� Dufner said. “There’s a lot involved in playing the PGA TOUR, more than anybody knows, and just getting comfortable with situations. “I don’t think he’s that far away. It’s probably not going to take him that long if he’s healthy. He’s a smart guy. He’ll figure out what it takes to play good golf out here.� Woods is closer to the lead than he was six years earlier, when he shot the low final round of his PGA TOUR career. He was nine shot off the lead back then. An eagle at 18 left him two shots behind McIlroy. Woods said he doesn’t see a similar score this year. The low score thus far has been a 65 shot Saturday by Alex Noren and Justin Thomas. A victory is still within reach, though.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Nick Saban has faced plenty of formidable opponents throughout his famed career. He took on a new one Wednesday. Saban played the tricky closing trio of holes at TPC Sawgrass as part of Justin Thomas’ return to the Stadium Course for a media day before his title defense in two weeks. Thomas was surprised when his golf cart rounded a hill and he saw Saban and his University of Alabama golf bag, with ‘Coach Nick Saban’ stitched on the pocket, waiting on the tee. “I can’t believe you got this guy away from recruiting long enough to come here,” Thomas exclaimed. The timing worked out perfectly, as Wednesdays are Saban’s only off day during offseason practices and he had a speaking engagement in Atlanta, a short flight away, in the evening. “I knew something was going on out here but I didn’t know who or what was going to be standing there,” Thomas said. “I’m always glad to see Coach.” Thomas and Saban first met when the golfer visited Tuscaloosa on a recruiting trip. “He was like a shy little puppy dog sitting in my office,” Saban said Wednesday. Their relationship grew during Thomas’ time with the Tide, as the golf team’s practice facility was the rare escape for the town’s most famous resident. Saban would work on his game with Alabama’s men’s golf coach, Jay Seawell, but the players were relentless in ribbing him about his well-documented chipping woes. “The more they got on me, the worse it got because the anxiety would build up,” Saban said Wednesday. Thomas returns to campus each fall to watch a football game and visit the team in the locker room. He and Saban play during the coach’s offseason, as well. They also keep in contact via text, though it’s not Saban’s preferred method of communication. “I know things are either really good or really bad if I get a text from Coach Saban because he’s not a big texter,” Thomas said. “It’s either, ‘Hey man, I saw you haven’t been playing well and wanted you to know I’m here for you,’ or, ‘I was watching and I’m proud of you.’” On Wednesday, they had the Stadium Course to themselves – with the exception of a camera crew and a handful of spectators — as they played Nos. 16-18. They talked Alabama football while Thomas relived some of his shots from PLAYERS past and guided Saban through the treacherous stretch. Unfortunately, it got the best of him. “I love seeing JT,” Saban said. “He’s a lot of fun to be around. My expectation for today was to hit a few in the water. I didn’t disappoint.” That included two tee shots in the water on 17. His first attempt was a few feet short of land, while his second shot landed on the back of the green before bouncing into the water. Thomas took the blame after recommending that Saban hit a soft 9-iron to the Island Green instead of swinging hard with a pitching wedge. This was Thomas’ first time at TPC Sawgrass since his win at last year’s PLAYERS, where he shot 64-68 on the weekend to win by one after barely making the cut. “It’s a special place and an amazing course,” Thomas said. “I have a lot of great memories here, but just because you’re excited doesn’t mean it’s going to be handed to you. I have to put in some work and get ready to try to defend.” Thomas, 28, has 14 PGA TOUR wins but is seeking his first victory since his triumph at TPC Sawgrass. He’s 23rd in this season’s FedExCup standings thanks to four top-10s in six starts. Saban was quick to tell Thomas that defending his title should not be a concern, however. “I give him the same speech I give our team. When you win a championship they say you have to defend,” Saban said. “You don’t have to defend. No one can take away what you did last year. Just go have fun and do it again. “There’s no such thing as defending a title, in my opinion. If they took it away from you, it would be different. But you’re always going to be a PLAYERS champion and you’re always going to have that special place in the locker room, so just have fun and win it again.”

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