Rahm pulls out of Tiger-Rory tech golf league

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Not every golfer loves a home game. Often there are tickets to procure, houseguests to entertain, and many other distractions that can separate a player from his normal tournament routine. RELATED: Leaderboard You won’t hear Daniel Berger complain. Berger loves every second of playing close to home. On Thursday morning, he was breezing around his neighborhood on his bike before his afternoon tee time. His commute to the course takes 15 minutes by car. And, of course, there is the biggest bonus of all: home cooking that his mother provides. Daniel is no dummy. Asked to name the favorite dish that his mom makes, he shrugs and answers, “Everything.” Nadia Berger’s son, meanwhile, has been busy serving up birdies through two days of The Honda Classic at PGA National’s Champion Course. There have been 11 in all, six of those against one bogey early Friday as he stepped into the lead of his hometown PGA TOUR stop. Berger’s 65-65 on the par-70 Champion was a sight to behold. When fellow competitor Gary Woodland stood over a putt for birdie on their 17th hole of the morning, he was 2 under and tied for 11th place. And a full eight shots behind Berger, who played offense as many played defense against a penal Champion Course at PGA National. Comparing the two 65s as if they were paintings in a gallery, he said there might have been more quality in Friday’s version, when he teed off on the back nine, grabbed momentum early, and never really let it go. Whenever he seemed to be even slightly out of sorts – such as the par-4 12th, where he went from one bunker to another with his first two shots – there was recovery and hope. At the 12th, it arrived in the form of a 12-foot par save. Onward and upward from there. “Just one of those days when I kept the momentum going,” said Berger, 28, a four-time PGA TOUR winner who was a runner-up at Honda as a PGA TOUR rookie in 2015. He closed with 64, then lost a two-hole playoff to veteran Padraig Harrington. Berger tied for fourth two years ago, and last year missed the tournament due to a rib injury. It destroyed him not to be here, competing on a course he knows so well. Berger’s best attribute through 36 holes this week? Patience. “I hit a lot of quality shots, even though they don’t look like they’re 5 feet from the hole, or 10 feet from the hole,” he said. “I know that they’re so difficult, that to hit it to 20 feet is a good shot. “And that’s the challenge for this golf course is the pins are tucked, the greens are firm, wind’s up, so you have to be really on point with where you’re going to miss.” Berger hasn’t missed very often. He wondered aloud if 10 under might not be a winning score late on Sunday should the wind blow a little harder this weekend, if the greens get a little firmer, and if the Bear Trap rears its head. Berger says PGA National, the way it is set up, feels like a major sort of test. “You look at hole No. 5 (measuring 195 yards on Friday), the pin is four (paces) from the left, and the wind is off the left … I mean it’s almost impossible to hit it close. So sometimes a 30-footer right of the flag is a great shot. And so that’s what I’m looking forward to on the weekend, where that’s going to be a big part of the game plan.” That’s exactly how Berger approached the par-3 seventh, which was his 16th hole of the day. The flagstick was tucked right, behind a daunting bunker, and Berger, who likes to move the ball left to right, played smartly left, his ball trundling to the back of the green. He was 38 feet away from the hole, and was in full stride walking when it took one last wiggle to the right and tumbled in. Birdie. Brooks Koepka, a four-time major champion and more famous golfer from the area, has known Berger forever. They both came up through events in the area, and both played at Florida State, where Berger was a little behind the older Koepka. “He’s fiery. I like it,” is how Koepka described his former teammate at last autumn’s Ryder Cup. “I think he’s maybe not on the outside, doesn’t show it, but maybe more so behind closed doors and knowing him personally, he’s definitely very competitive. He’s funny. And I just like the fact that he’s always ready to go. Doesn’t matter, ping-pong, chess, I mean, it doesn’t matter. He’s ready to go, and he’s ready to kick your butt, which I think is awesome.” For two days at the Honda, nobody has played more soundly, has been more dominant, or has kicked more butts. The best part for Berger? There’s a terrific home-cooked meal awaiting only 15 minutes away. No reservation required.

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Can Tiger Woods keep it going? Which big name is in trouble? Our experts weigh in on what to expect from Round 2 at Augusta National.

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In 1996, Tiger Woods and his father, Earl, shared a vision. The vision was to build a foundation, built on the family motto of "share and care", that focused on positive youth development, junior golf initiatives and supporting educational programs. As father and son, they planned out their mission and goals, dreaming of what TGR Foundation could look like. Twenty-five years ago, while planning the future of the foundation, if one were to tell Tiger that they would have surpassed over 2 million students reached, they may not have believed it. Now, celebrating milestones of 25 years and 2 million students reached in person and digitally, Woods' desire to help underserved youth find their path in life through education has become more than a reality. With TGR Foundation benefiting from the charitable funds raised by TGR Live events, including The Genesis Invitational, the foundation has been able to initiate several programs furthering the impact of student participants. "The milestone of reaching 2 million students represents the work our team has done over the last 25 years to provide holistic support and quality resources that prepare students for success in school and in life," said Gordon McNeill, President and CEO of TGR Foundation. "We're proud of that milestone, and we know that there are still so many students that need the programs we provide." TGR Learning Lab Just 10 years after TGR Foundation had launched, the TGR Learning Lab opened in Anaheim, CA. The Learning Lab was created for students from under-resourced communities to learn STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and to help students in their college readiness and career preparation. Through the TGR Learning Lab, more than 50 courses are offered across five locations, helping to provide education that can be difficult to come by in those communities. Earl Woods Scholar Program The TGR Learning Lab was just the start of the developing signature programs for TGR Foundation. Just one year later, the Earl Woods Scholar Program was put into motion. The program helps serve those who are primarily first-generation students attending college. The scholars are supported through college financially along with internship placement and one-on-one mentoring with a professional. To date, more than 250 students have been supported by the Earl Woods Scholar Program - including Sammy Mohammed, a third-year Computer Science major at Stanford University. Attending Stanford had been a dream of Mohammed's and, with the help of the Earl Woods Scholar Program, this dream came true. "Personally, TGR Foundation has given me the opportunity to fully pursue my passions. I had the opportunity to take summer classes at the TGR Learning Lab as a child," said Mohammed. "These courses nurtured a passion for technology and the sciences, and without them, I'm not sure I'd be studying computer science today. It's incredible how so many people at the foundation are invested in your success. From when I first visited as a child to my time in the Earl Woods Scholar Program as a college scholar, the people at the foundation are incredible, and I'm a better person having met them." Mohammed, whose co-mentor is Woods, feels he wouldn't be where he was today without the influence and support of the foundation. "I think that if there's one thing to know, it's that the people at the foundation genuinely care about your success and will dedicate their time and energy to help you," said Mohammed. "Having people invested in you and your success is invaluable, and the TGR Foundation has some of the kindest and most supportive people I've ever met." Pathways Forward Now, 25 years later, TGR Foundation has launched Pathways Forward - a new initiative to enhance its current education programs while expanding resources to reach additional students on their path to college and career success. The ability to continue the launch of Pathways Forward, even through the pandemic, has been an accomplishment worth celebrating. "Our programs had already begun to provide digital learning programs through TGREDUExplore.org before COVID-19, and the pandemic only accelerated the need and our digital efforts," said McNeill. "We responded immediately, pushing out the offerings that were already available while providing new learning resources and support for students, educators and families as they transitioned to distance learning. By moving all of our programs to a virtual format, we were able to support more students across the country during this time of need." Since the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020, the programs team of TGR Foundation has created more than 85 free online resources in English and Spanish to support remote learning for students, families and educators. With more than a hundred resources offered in total, the foundation has also partnered with Discovery Education to host TGR EDU: Explore - a robust online learning platform for students and educators worldwide. "I know that education and teachers are a huge part of The Genesis Invitational and TGR Foundation. We've seen it become more important for parents during this time," said Max Homa, PGA TOUR player. "It's nice that Tiger and the TGR Foundation do this, especially now more than ever because people are appreciating more and more of what [teachers] do." Additionally, The Genesis Invitational co-hosted a careers in tech panel with the foundation for students as part of tournament week. For educators, meanwhile, the TGR Foundation has expanded its professional development program to provide teachers primarily from under-resourced schools with the tools, resources, confidence and support to transform their teaching practices and prepare students for present and future careers. The foundation also held a virtual educator training workshop - free to all educators in Southern California - as part of the tournament's community outreach earlier this month. While TGR Foundation is celebrating these successes and the milestone of 2 million students reached, there's still a long road ahead as it works toward its mission to empower worldwide youth through education. They're taking it in stride, however, ready for the challenge of reaching the next 2 million students. "The Pathways Forward initiative will allow us to expand our programs and reach more students through inspiring learning spaces, innovative offerings and accessible career pathways," said McNeill. For more information, visit TGRFoundation.org/PathwaysForward.

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