Phil Mickelson’s bad day, Rory McIlroy’s good day and what comes next at the U.S. Open

Tiger makes his first competitive appearance in two months. From how to watch to what’s happening on each and every hole, we have you covered.

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A driver head and putter grip. That's all that has changed since Tiger Woods notched his record-tying 82nd victory at last year's ZOZO Championship. Tiger's bag is studied, mulled over, and marveled at more than any other player's in history —and rightly so after 82 wins, 15 majors, and thousands of jaw-dropping highlights. So, what are the things we can learn as we take another look into the bag? Well, for starters let's focus on spin/loft. Tiger loves spin wherever he can find it, preferring to have too much loft rather than not enough. If you look at his iron lofts, they are basically a club weaker than his competitors'. This is for two reasons: 1) He is very particular about carry, spin, and launch windows. These are non-negotiable. He's been hitting his irons a certain distance since he was 18. If it ain't broke… 2) Controlling dynamic loft. It has always been Tigers' preference to "de-loft" his irons to get more out of them than play with stronger lofts. It's actually an old school philosophy but who is going to argue with the guy? You can hit a predictable golf shot leaning the shaft forward. Finally, look at his pitching wedge and sand wedge. He has a seven-degree gap between the clubs, from 49 to 56 degrees. That's larger than most of his peers but Tiger knows exactly how to turn his 56 into a 52 and control spin and distance. His 56-degree wedge is now effectively three clubs in one with multiple shots built into it. Could all TOUR players do this? Probably. But with the trust and craftsmanship that Tiger does? Probably not. This is what Tiger will have in the bag this week at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD in Thousand Oaks, California. Driver: TaylorMade SIM (9 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60 TX (44.75, D3) 3-wood: TaylorMade M5 (15 at 14.25 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX (42.75, D3) 5-wood: TaylorMade M3 (19 at 18.25 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX (41.75, D3) Irons: TaylorMade P7TW (3-PW) Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 All his iron shafts are tipped 1/4 inch with wooden dowels inserted for vibration dampening and SST Pure (by Scott Garrison on tour) at exactly 130 grams. All lengths without grips. (Loft. Lie. Length. Swing Weight) • 3-iron: 22.5, 59.5, 38 13/16, D4 • 4-iron: 25.5, 60, 38 5/16, D4 • 5-iron: 29, 60.5, 37 13/16, D4 • 6-iron: 32.5, 61, 37 5/16, D4 • 7-iron: 36, 61.5, 36 7/8, D4 • 8-iron: 40.5, 62, 36 5/16, D4 • 9-iron: 45, 62.5, 35 11/16, D4 • PW: 49, 63, 35 11/16, D4 Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 TW/MT Grind (56-12, 60-11) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Putter: Scotty Cameron GSS Newport 2 Grip: Lamkin Deep Etched Pistol Cord Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord 58R (Logo Down) Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Joel Dahmen held his own playing in the final group for the first time and wound up in a three-way tie for the lead with Jason Dufner and Max Homa on a stormy Saturday at the Wells Fargo Championship. Very much in the mix was Rory McIlroy who carded a 3-under 68 on his 30th birthday and was two shots behind. Dahmen and Homa each dropped a shot over the last three holes for a 70. Dufner atoned for consecutive bogeys with consecutive birdies on the back nine for a 71. They were at 11-under 202. Pat Perez had a bogey-free 66 through two rain delays and was one shot behind.

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