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Sometimes the biggest golf news comes courtesy of tennis. Such was the case at the U.S. Open on Wednesday night as Tiger Woods cheered on Serena Williams. The 23-time major champion Williams has announced her intention to “evolve” away from professional tennis but on this night defeated No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit 7-6, 2-6, 6-2. The cameras caught Woods clapping and throwing uppercuts with every thunderous winner, and afterward he wrote on social media, “It was a privilege to watch greatness.” Williams and Woods have been friends for a while, and when Woods came back from injuries to win the 2019 Masters, it was Williams who cheered him on, posting congratulations on social media. Now, though, the spotlight is on Williams, with Woods doing the cheering. That she is even playing at all owes partly to the 82-time PGA TOUR winner. In a first-person essay that ran in Vogue early last month, Williams announced she was headed toward retirement. “I don’t want it to be over,” she wrote, “but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next.” She also cited Woods’ influence in her decision to return to the game last spring: “He’s Tiger, and he was adamant that I be a beast the same way he is!” Williams, 40, helped break a night-session record with 29,959 fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium to catch her second-round match. In addition to Woods, celebrities in attendance included Zendaya, Spike Lee, Gladys Knight, Seal, Anthony Anderson, and Anna Wintour. It was Williams’ 103rd win at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the most of any player. She and her sister Venus are scheduled to play doubles Thursday night before Serena takes on Ajla Tomljanovic in a third-round singles match Friday.
Austin Cook and Talor Gooch shared the lead after the first round in Humble, Texas. See who makes a move on Day 2 … and who misses the cut.
FORT WORTH, Texas — The quiet of Colonial made Xander Schauffele feel as though he were back home in San Diego playing with his friends. In this case, his buddies happen to be some of the biggest stars in golf. Schauffele made a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Saturday to break out of a six-way share of the lead with a 4-under 66, giving him one-shot lead over an all-star cast going into a final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge. RELATED: Leaderboard | ‘Who’s who’ leaderboard heading into weekend at Colonial Jordan Spieth took only 10 putts on the front nine and had the lead until he didn’t hit the 15th green from 81 yards away, leading to bogey. He had a 68 and was in a chasing pack that featured Justin Thomas, U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland, Collin Morikawa and Branden Grace. The PGA TOUR returned after three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it didn’t take long to show its fan base just what it was missing. Fourteen players were separated by three shots, including Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Patrick Reed, who made the cut with one shot to spare and shot 63 to give him a chance. Golf fans should be in for a treat — in front of the TV, anyway. Colonial is the first of five tournaments in the return to golf that doesn’t allow spectators. Players have had three days to adjust to the lack of sound. Sunday is different, everyone trying to generate their own momentum without the energy typically delivered from outside the ropes. Schauffele was at 13-under 197. Woodland birdied his last two holes for a 66 and will play with his Presidents Cup teammate in the final group. Right behind will be Thomas, the former PGA champion and world No. 1, who went 11 holes without making a birdie in good scoring condition until two over the final five holes in a 66 that put him right in the mix. He played alongside Grace, who also had a 66. Spieth passed a big test. Stuck in a slump, he had five tournaments last season when he started with two rounds in the 60s and was left behind when he couldn’t break par on Saturday. There were a few anxious moments for him, such as an iron off the fifth tee that would have finished on the practice range if not for a fence in place for the tournament. He got up-and-down from short of the green to escape with birdie. His next tee shot was right and banged off a cart — one the loudest sounds of the day — leaving him blocked by a tree. He punched it low into a back bunker and saved par. But he didn’t make a birdie over the final nine holes, and the 15th cost him when his lob wedge came up short. No matter. He was one off the lead, and his tie for second is his best 54-hole position since the Colonial last year. He shot 72 in the final round and tied for eighth. Harold Varner III, still looking for his first PGA TOUR victory, started with a one-shot lead and birdied the opening hole. That was his last birdie. Varner couldn’t get putts to fall, including two birdie chances inside 8 feet toward the end. He had to settle for a 70, but was still only two shots behind. Looking up at Schauffele is not the issue. It’s looking around at everyone else. McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau, were among the players who went into Sunday with a realistic chance. The field was the strongest Colonial has seen, not surprising because so many players stuck at home for the last three months were eager for competition. And this week has made clear that so many of them came to play.
