The Latest: Woods struggles to 7-over 78

The Masters Tournament rescheduled for November will take place without spectators or guests, due to the coronavirus pandemic that saw the event postponed from its original date.

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DUBLIN, Ohio – It’s safe to say the members at Ledgeview Golf and Country Club in Abbotsford, British Columbia, have quite the rooting interest in this week’s Workday Charity Open. Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor – who played their junior golf at Ledgeview – have put themselves squarely in the mix with rounds of 66 and 67, respectively, on Thursday. They’re chasing Collin Morikawa, who leads the tournament after a bogey-free 65 in the first round at Muirfield Village. RELATED: Full leaderboard | How to give Muirfield Village a second identity The 32-year-old Canadians – Taylor is the elder by six months – often roomed together on the road during their early years on the PGA TOUR. Each is married now, and both became fathers in the last year: Taylor’s son was born last October while Hadwin’s daughter arrived in January. For Hadwin, who tied for fourth at last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, Thursday’s round was his eighth straight in the 60s and tied his lowest at Muirfield Village, a course that hasn’t been very kind to him in the past. He’s played here five times previously and finished in the top 20 just once. “Obviously had a good week last week and kind of took that momentum into the round,” said Hadwin, who bogeyed his first hole Thursday but more than made amends with seven birdies. “Staying patient. It’s a golf course where you get too aggressive, it’ll sneak up on you pretty quick. “Even with softer conditions than what we’re used to, things aren’t running through fairways and greens are spinning and holding. You can be aggressive, but you get yourself on the wrong side of the hole, even though it’s sort of a tamer Muirfield Village than we may be used to, still a lot of slope on those greens. Just hitting good shots, quality shots to the right side.” Hadwin said his solid play has been building for a while even though he didn’t finish higher than a tie for 41st in his first two starts. Last week at Detroit Golf Club, he didn’t make the kind of rusty mistakes – balls hit out of bounds or in the water – that had marked his first two weeks back in action. “I felt like there were times where last week where I probably could have gotten a few more shots, but I really didn’t have any risk,” Hadwin said. “It was kind of a free-flowing, easy-type round and just not a lot of stress. When you can do that through multiple weeks, it helps a lot.” Hadwin’s buddy Taylor, though, didn’t know quite what to expect when he teed it up at Jack Nicklaus’ signature layout. He’s only played Muirfield Village twice and broken par just twice in six rounds. More to the point, though, the Workday Charity Open, which was essentially organized in a month after the John Deere Classic was canceled in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, marks Taylor’s first start since the TOUR resumed competition five weeks ago. “Obviously the break was great timing for a lot of reasons but have a bit of a cushion, take some more time off, I just really enjoyed being home,” said Taylor, who was grateful for the extra time with young Charlie. “… Yeah, I’m excited to get back out here and play, but it was nice to be home.” Taylor had picked up his second PGA TOUR win prior to the COVID-19 break, going wire-to-wire at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. He played twice more and got in one round at THE PLAYERS Championship before the TOUR’s showcase event – and the season – was shut down. “I didn’t have a lot of expectations,” Taylor said, thinking about his five-month break. “I’ve played a lot of golf the last month, month and a half, so I felt ready in the sense of playing, in that playing mode. My coach has been here, so I’ve been able to tweak a few things, but I feel pretty good. “I know competitive rust is definitely a thing I’ve had to struggle with in the past, but I’ve felt that I’ve played enough, so I felt good there, and I had no expectations, which is a good thing. So, everything is going well.” Taylor, who is tied with Zach Johnson, Aaron Wise and Hideki Matsuyama, didn’t make a bogey on Thursday. He shot a relatively quiet 35 on the front nine, then drained a 33-footer for birdie at No. 10 and a mere 3-footer for eagle at the 11th to get into the mix. He finished with a flourish, making a 3-footer for a final birdie at No. 18. “I drove it really, really well,” said Taylor, who hit 11 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation. “… I felt like I put myself in play, which is keeping me out here not being a bomber. … I putted solid, and just overall everything was great.”

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• COURSE: TPC River Highlands, 6,841 yards, par 70. Golf has been played across this bluff overlooking the Connecticut River dating back to 1928, with River Highlands serving as the third layout over the property. Pete Dye embarked upon a complete overhaul of the property in 1982, and Bobby Weed added an upgrade seven years later in consultation with former PGA TOUR pros Howard Twitty and Roger Maltbie. Nos. 15-17 play around a four-acre lake, helping create a finish considered among the most thrilling on TOUR. Last year, it became the site of the TOUR’s historic first 58, when Jim Furyk reeled off 10 birdies and holed out for eagle at the par-4 No.3. • FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. • CHARITY: New England Charities, which has designated the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp as its primary beneficiary. Founded by actor Paul Newman in 1988, the camp hosts more than 25,000 seriously ill children and family members annually for a week of outdoor activities. Since the tournament’s start in 1952, it has generated more than $36 million for more than 160 charities. • FIELD WATCH: World No.2 Rory McIlroy and No.3 Jason Day, both of whom took early U.S. Open exits, join Furyk and defending champion Russell Knox at the top of the River Highlands lineup. … Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Paul Casey give the tournament five of the top 15 players in the latest world rankings. Casey lost a playoff to Bubba Watson in 2015. … Padraig Harrington, who withdrew from the FedEx St. Jude Classic after getting clipped on the elbow by an amateur he was coaching at a clinic, is set for a return to action. … Wyndham Clark, part of Oregon’s NCAA runner-up squad last month after transferring in from Oklahoma State, makes his professional debut on a sponsor exemption. • 72-HOLE RECORD: 258, Kenny Perry (2009). • 18-HOLE RECORD: 58, Jim Furyk (4th round, 2016). • LAST YEAR: Russell Knox held off hometown favorite Jerry Kelly’s late charge to post his second PGA TOUR victory, though that finish wound up as second billing behind Furyk’s history-making 58 hours earlier. Furyk used six birdies and an eagle to fire a front-nine 27, then started his back nine with three more birdies before cooling off just slightly. One more birdie at the par-3 16th put him in line for history, and two more pars completed the task. Knox began his day three shots off Daniel Berger’s lead, moving in front when Berger began his back nine with four straight bogeys. Kelly used an eagle at No.13 to pull within a shot, with a chance at a playoff as Knox faced a 12-foot par save at No.18. The Scotsman made the putt, though, flinging his cap when it hit bottom. • STORYLINES: McIlroy and Day seek to bounce back after a rough two days at Erin Hills, where neither recovered after opening rounds of 78 and 79. McIlroy makes just his eighth start of 2017, having sat out two stretches with rib problems. … River Highlands is set to feature 47 players who teed it up at Erin Hills for this week’s U.S. Open. … Six of the past 11 Travelers winners have made it their first on TOUR, including four in a row from Watson’s 2010 triumph to Ken Duke in 2013. … Just four New Englanders have won in Hartford, though two came back-to-back in 2005 (Brad Faxon) and 2006 (J.J. Henry). The others are Paul Azinger (1987, ’89) and Bob Toski (1953). • SHORT CHIPS: With the Travelers back in its usual post-U.S. Open slot following last year’s Olympic shuffle, three of the six winners before Knox did not play the Open a week earlier. … In the event’s 64-year history, only Phil Mickelson (2001-02) has managed to win it back-to-back. … “Today� show host Matt Lauer, ESPN’s Chris Berman and UConn basketball coaches past (Jim Calhoun) and present (Geno Aureimma) top the marquee for the Wednesday celebrity pro-am. The lineup also includes former Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and comedian Kevin Nealon. • TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). • PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (featured groups), 3:30-6:30 p.m. (featured holes). Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes). • RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com). For more on all the courses in the TPC network, visit TPC.com.  Play where the pros play. To book your tee time at TPC River Highlands, visit TeeOff.com.

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