Sleeper Picks: PGA Championship

ORLANDO, Fla. — Defending champion Francesco Molinari withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard on Thursday because of a back injury. Molinari shot 64 in the final round last year at Bay Hill for a two-shot victory, his eighth title worldwide. He reached the semifinals of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play a few weeks later, and then had a two-shot lead with seven holes to play in the Masters when he twice hit into the water and Tiger Woods rallied to win. The Italian has not won since Bay Hill, and he has said on more than one occasion that the Masters took a lot out of him. Molinari was scheduled to play Thursday morning with Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose. He was replaced in the 120-man field by Kyoung-Hoon Lee. Lee and his wife were involved in a minor car accident on Wednesday. While he is battling soreness, he teed it up for his first Arnold Palmer Invitational start.

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CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – You, watching back home on your hi-def 65-inch TV screen, go ahead and dream. You, having just paid 10 pounds for a nice fish-and-chips lunch in the spectator village, go ahead and dream. You, salivating in the media center about the possibility of the biggest golf story in a decade (this century?), go ahead and dream. Tiger Woods will not. He will not yet dream about winning his first major in 10 years. He will not project where it might rank in the pantheon of his major victories, currently in a holding pattern at 14. He will not get ahead of himself, even though his third-round 66 at The Open Championship secured a spot among the contenders heading into Sunday’s decisive round at Carnoustie. “We’re not there yet,” he said. “I know what you’re trying to say in asking but let me try and get there first. “Then ask me again.” He may not get there on a Sunday that promises to be full of drama and notable names, each anxious to produce his own winning story. He’ll start the final round at 5 under and in a tie for sixth, four shots off the lead shared by Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Kevin Kisner. Two other players are between Woods and the leaders — Kevin Chappell at 7 under and Francesco Molinari at 6 under. But Tiger is closer than he’s been in quite some time, certainly closer to the major form that hasn’t really been on display since four back surgeries left him wondering if he could even continue playing. Of course, he’s famously never won a major when he didn’t hold the 54-hole lead, and it’s a tall order asking him to do it now while he’s still in the midst of his comeback. Dreamers will dream, but the reality of the situation is that Woods may need another super-low round just to have a chance. At least Tiger has that chance. His 66 — his lowest score at any major since the 2012 PGA Championship, and his lowest at The Open since winning in 2006 at Royal Liverpool — was the product of consistent swings, off-the-tee accuracy and a few longer putts, including a 50-footer at the ninth hole that was his longest made putt of the PGA TOUR season. Even before he teed off Saturday, he saw that players were taking advantage of great scoring conditions, especially on Carnoustie’s first 14 holes. That meant the green light was on. “There were a bunch of guys that were putting up great scores, and the golf course was gettable,” Woods said. “I didn’t want to be too far back if the guys got to 10-under par today. I had to stay within reach. “And 5 [under] is definitely within reach.” At one point, Woods even had a share of the lead. That came after a two-putt birdie at the par-5 14th moved him to 6 under. Zach Johnson and Kevin Kisner – the 54-hole co-leaders who started the day at 6 under — had just teed off. It lasted less than 30 minutes until Kisner birdied the third hole. But the buzz was clearly evident – even if Tiger himself never realized he was the co-leader. “I didn’t know I was tied for the lead,â€� he said. “I knew I was within one. But I was right there. After I birdied 14, I still had some work to do. I’ve got four more holes to go. “I was just concentrating on trying to play the last four holes under par. As I said, not to try and let these guys get too far out of reach if they got to double digits.â€� Even if he doesn’t get it done Sunday, the signs are encouraging. Woods leads the field in driving accuracy – he’s missed just nine of 45 fairways this week — and his only wayward tee shot in the third round came with iron on the 18th hole. His drive hit just inches from the Barry Burn but bounced a few yards away into the rough. Woods had to pitch out to the fairway, but his wedge from 83 yards stopped just left of the pin for a tap-in par. He said the feeling on Saturday was similar to how he felt in May at THE PLAYERS Championship when he shot a third-round 65 that included eight birdies in his first 12 holes. Woods backed that up with a final-round 69 that left him tied for 11th at TPC Sawgrass. “In a major? I haven’t played too many,â€� Woods said when asked when the last time he felt this good. “I played pretty similar to this at THE PLAYERS Championship. Obviously the fifth major, possibly, but not like this in one of the big four events.â€� His last major victory was the 2008 U.S. Open, which he won by playing 91 holes on essentially one leg. It was a heroic performance as he grimaced every time he had to bend his left knee. Two days later, he underwent surgery and was out for the season. If and when he wins another major, it will be a different path but a similar sensation. A once- improbable achievement given his health two years ago. Now it’s a possibility. Maybe not on Sunday, but the Tiger of old is showing signs of awakening. “I’ve shown that I’ve been there close enough with a chance to win this year,â€� said Woods. “Given what happened the last few years, I didn’t know if that would ever happen again. But here I am with a chance coming Sunday in a major championship. “It’s going to be fun.â€�

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Each day at THE PLAYERS Championship, PGATOUR.COM’s staff writers will dive into the big issues and questions everyone is discussing. Spoiler alert — we don’t always agree. Dustin Johnson has never had a top-10 finish at THE PLAYERS. Will he remain in contention after his co-leading 6-under 66? Mike McAllister (Managing Editor) – Difficult to think the world No. 1 won’t stay in the hunt but consider me skeptical. Track record’s just not there. But if he shoots another 66 on Friday… Sean Martin (Senior Editor) – I think so. He’s the No. 1 player in the world, so there’s no reason to think that he won’t. He just has to remain disciplined and stick to his game plan. Ben Everill (Staff Writer) – Contention… Yes. Will he win? No. I don’t think his putting will stay as solid over the next three rounds. Cameron Morfit (Staff Writer) – It seems likely. He believes he’s found something with his putting with the new putter and his new use of the Aimpoint system of green-reading. And that self-belief should carry him through to some more solid rounds. What kind of odds would you give Si Woo Kim to repeat after his opening 67? McAllister – Still not good, but he continues to impress me at the TOUR’s signature course. Hit 12 fairways and 14 greens on Thursday. Martin – No one has ever repeated at this event, so history is against him. This course is so penal, and field so strong, that it’s no surprise that no one has gone back-to-back. Everill – I’ll offer 30-1. Si Woo certainly loves this place and is an almost robotic talent at times but history and the quality of others who also started well are against him. Morfit – Around here I’d say maybe 5-10 percent. No one has ever repeated. Kim played well enough to win at RBC Heritage, and he looks imminently comfortable at TPC Sawgrass, but we were reminded how quickly the course can strike back when he made those back-to-back bogeys on 7 and 8. In 10 words or less, describe the Tiger-Phil-Rickie performance. McAllister – Misconceive, underachieve and long sleeves. Martin – Underwhelming. Everill – A tough day at the office. Morfit – A mild letdown, but the afternoon conditions were tougher. Biggest surprise of the opening round? McAllister – The kneejerk reaction is Steve Stricker but he talked me off the ledge after his 67. “I’m not surprised,â€� he said. “I feel like I’m capable of putting up a round like this.â€� Gotta love the last-man-in shoots 67 story. Nice job, Keith Mitchell. Martin – Phil’s 79 is definitely up there, but I think that Keith Mitchell’s 67 deserves this honor. The rookie was the last man in the field. He didn’t get in the event until Wednesday. Nice debut. Everill – The obvious one is Keith Mitchell but to be honest Adam Scott’s 69 surprised me a bunch given his recent lack of form. The former PLAYERS champ is free-falling down the world rankings but now has a chance to arrest the slide. Hope he does. Morfit – Given the fact that Dustin Johnson had no top-10 finishes in nine starts here, his 66 was pretty surprising. Funny how quickly we forgot about the world No. 1. Keith Mitchell’s 67 was unexpected, as well. Biggest non-surprise of the opening round? McAllister – Matt Kuchar off to a strong start. He’s won here before, and though he denies it, I suspect he wanted to make amends for his last trip around TPC Sawgrass (an 81 in third round last year). Martin – Sergio Garcia’s 68. Playing the final three holes in 3 over par was a surprise, but the guy is a perennial contender at TPC Sawgrass. Everill – That Phil Mickelson struggled while wearing his new button-down office shirt. I just can’t get used to it. Morfit – This is a tie between past champions Sergio Garcia (68) and Matt Kuchar (66). They love TPC Sawgrass, and they showed it yet again.

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