Steele takes lead with 61 to get another chance in Sony Open

ALBANY, Bahamas (AP) – A tropical breeze replaced the raging wind and made golf a lot easier for Patrick Reed, Tiger Woods and just about everyone else Thursday in the Hero World Challenge. Reed took advantage of the back nine at Albany Golf Club for the second straight day. He was tied for the lead until making six birdies over his last 10 holes for a 6-under 66 that gave him a three-shot lead over Gary Woodland. “It’s one of those golf courses that when the wind lays down, it gives you opportunities to make birdies,” Reed said. “But when the wind starts blowing, the golf course can get really challenging. You need to give yourself as many opportunities as you can.” Reed was at 12-under 132. Related: Leaderboard | Hero World Challenge pairings give Presidents Cup hints Woods, playing for the first time since he won the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP for his record-tying 82nd career victory on the PGA TOUR, kept a clean card to match Reed’s 66 and remain six shots behind. Unlike the opening round, when Woods started poorly and ended even worse to wipe out a good back nine, he played bogey-free and made up ground on the back nine. It started with a 6-iron that hopped onto the green at the par-5 11th and rolled 7 feet away for an eagle. He followed with a 7-iron to 8 feet for another birdie. He didn’t make up any ground on Reed, but he at least cut down on the number of players ahead of him as he tries to win his holiday event for the first time since 2011. “I just think it was less windy,” Woods said. “It was a little bit easier today.” Once he got through the front nine, where he spent much of the time scrambling for pars outside of a lone birdie, Woods didn’t miss too many shots coming in. A week before he heads over to Australia as the playing captain for the U.S. Team in the Presidents Cup, the game looked to be in order. Woods attributed that to the minor knee surgery in late August to repair cartilage damage. “I can drive the ball a little better because I can rotate, and I can putt the ball better because I can get down and read putts again,” Woods said. “Toward the end of the year, I couldn’t do that.” Woodland, who makes his Presidents Cup debut next week, lost ground with consecutive bogeys that left him six shots behind at one point. He fixed that by finishing with three straight birdies for a 69 and will be paired with Reed again on Friday for the third round. The tournament ends Saturday so the American team can board a charter to Melbourne, arriving on Monday. Dustin Johnson, who withdrew from the Bahamas to have one more week for his knee to recover, plans to fly in on Saturday to join the rest of the Americans on the charter. Defending champion Jon Rahm also had a 66 to match the low round of the day, leaving him four shots behind with Henrik Stenson, who had a 67. Woods was in the group at 6-under 138 along with Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas, who each shot 69. Fowler, who got married during his offseason and then missed a tournament recovering from food poisoning, is playing for the first time since the TOUR Championship on Aug. 25. All but three players broke par, and the high score belonged to Bubba Watson and Chez Reavie at 73. Reed is playing this week with a set of prototype irons he has been working on, and he’s keeping it private until the new year. They appear to be working, especially at the end. Coming off a bogey, Reed drilled his approach from 201 yards into 3 feet on the final hole for a birdie to stretch his lead. Woodland was happy to be within three, getting a bad break on the 14th and letting it bother him during another bogey. The closing three birdies changed his outlook. “It was huge. I needed that,” he said. “Got me back in the golf tournament and gave me a chance for this week.”

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR and Massage Envy have announced a four-year partnership designating Massage Envy as an Official Sponsor of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions along with being the Official Total Body Care Sponsor of the Player Performance Centers, the TOUR’s mobile training and wellness trailers. The agreement marks Massage Envy’s first major sports partnership and is the PGA TOUR’s first agreement with a brand in the massage and skin care services categories. The new relationship coincides with the introduction of Massage Envy’s new assisted stretching service called Total Body Stretch. Performed by a trained service provider, the company’s proprietary Streto Method is built around a sequence of 10, targeted stretches performed top down and designed to increase flexibility, mobility and performance.  An award-winning chiropractor, massage therapist and ergonomist developed the proprietary Streto Method for Massage Envy. Beginning in July, Total Body Stretch will be available to members and guests of the company’s more than 1,150 franchise locations across the country, including most cities that host PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions tournaments. “As the recognized leader in the massage and body care industry, Massage Envy is an ideal partner for the Player Performance Center unit that primarily focuses on therapeutic and injury-prevention services for our PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions members,� said Brian Oliver, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President of Sponsorship and Partnership. “We are excited to welcome Massage Envy to the TOUR as a sponsor and look forward to having its team collaborate with the Player Performance Centers’ highly skilled staff to integrate some of their services into the player program, including their new stretching program.� The PGA TOUR’s professional staff of the Player Performance Center will be certified in the Streto Method and beginning this week at the Travelers Championship, the Massage Envy logo will be prominently displayed on one of the two trailers that are available each week on both tours to support player performance and wellness with fitness training, physical therapy and chiropractic services. They are staffed with professional therapists and when fully deployed, are 16.5 feet wide, over 14 feet high and 60 feet long.  “We can’t think of better partners than this team of professional athletes and the PGA TOUR, especially as we launch Total Body Stretch,� said Joe Magnacca, Massage Envy CEO. “The PGA TOUR and its players have a deep appreciation for body care and how it can boost performance. Massage Envy is proud of making massage an integral part of so many people’s lives and now, we are bringing Total Body Stretch and our Streto Method not just to professional golfers, but to everyone as part of their wellness routine.� To activate the partnership, Massage Envy also has built relationships with the following 10 PGA TOUR members: • Jonas Blixt  • Patrick Cantlay • Bud Cauley • Tony Finau  • Smylie Kaufman  • Jamie Lovemark  • Patrick Rodgers • Brandt Snedeker • Henrik Stenson • Justin Thomas “It’s impossible to compete at this level if you aren’t taking care of your body, and assisted stretching is a big part of my training,� says Justin Thomas. “Being flexible and having a wide range of motion gives me an edge, especially against bigger guys who naturally get more power behind their swing, and it also helps me stay healthy over the course of the season.� “We’re excited about our new relationships with these tremendous athletes, who will help us tell the story of how proactive body care services, such as massage and assisted stretching, can boost performance and maintain the bodies of all athletes – from the professional to the weekend warrior – so they can do more of what they love to do,� said Derek Detenber, Massage Envy’s Senior Vice President of Marketing.

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