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Tiger wins No. 82, ties Snead for most wins in PGA TOUR history

Tiger Woods has completed a historic performance at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. Woods tied Sam Snead’s record for most PGA TOUR victories by winning the first TOUR event to be held in Japan. The victory in Japan was the 82nd victory of Woods’ storied career. RELATED: Chasing 82 | Visual Stories: Tiger’s Top 10 shots | Final leaderboard “On behalf of the PGA TOUR, I would like to congratulate Tiger Woods for tying Sam Snead’s all-time PGA TOUR victories record of 82 at the inaugural ZOZO Championship,â€� said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Today, we celebrate both Tiger and Sam Snead as they share a record that, given how difficult it is to win just once on the PGA TOUR, should sit squarely alongside the greatest accomplishments in sporting history. Tiger has inspired us throughout his career with his talent, passion and the ability to shine in big moments, and he continues to defy even the most outsized expectations with performances like we saw this week. Our fans certainly have a lot to look forward to in the coming season as Tiger sets his sights on win No. 83 – and more, I would suspect — competing against many of the players he helped inspire along the way.â€� Woods held off home favorite Hideki Matsuyama to win his first start of the season and first since having arthroscopic knee surgery in August. Woods has now won three of his past 14 starts. Woods became the first person in the ShotLink era (since 2003) to win after making bogey on his first three holes. He birdied nine of his next 15 holes to shoot 64 and share the first-round lead with Gary Woodland. After Friday’s play was washed away by torrential rains, Woods shot a second consecutive 64 to take the halfway lead. A third-round 66 gave Woods a three-shot lead after 54 holes. Woods has never lost when leading by three or more shots after 54 holes, winning all 25 times he’s been in that position. His 194 total was the third-lowest 54-hole score of his career. Woods still had a three-shot lead when play was called Sunday evening because of darkness. He had to complete seven holes Monday morning It was worth the wait. SUNDAY’S HOLE-BY-HOLE BREAKDOWN No. 12 (par 4, 490 yards) After a relaxed warm-up, Tiger Woods struts out on the course looking ominous in black and red. First he had to pay courtesy and watch playing partner Gary Woodland finish up on the 11th green. He looks more than ready to navigate these last seven holes to make it an incredible 82 PGA TOUR wins which will have him join Sam Snead with the most of all time. Woods is still three shots ahead of Hideki Matsuyama, likely the only player who has any chance to play spoiler. His famous final-round red shirt is there under a black vest. Woods warmed up in a long sleeve sweater to stay as warm as possibl (you can never be too careful with a fused back.). Yesterday Woods talked about how it will be tough to start on such a tough hole. “Starting off on the 12th hole is not easy. It’s one of the hardest par 4s on the hole golf course, it’s 490 yards,â€� Woods said. “It’s going to be cool tomorrow morning, so the hole’s going to play really long, so it’s important that I get off to a good start. It’s a hard pin tomorrow over in the top right. I’ve got to do my job starting out.â€� Finally it’s time to rumble. Woods takes driver to kick things off and it is leaking left. After a bounce in the rough it kicks back to the fairway. Nice bounce there to start play. Perhaps the golf gods are keenly aware of this historic chase. His second shot comes from 211 yards out and he hates it. Comes out heavy and it will fall short of the green and into a bunker. Club slides under the fresh sand a little and while the ball finds the green it catches a ridge and funnels away from the hole leaving a lengthy par putt that needs to go up a ridge. Gives it a fair whack but it just runs out of pace and dives under the hole. Taps in for bogey. Score: Bogey. Note: Two-shot lead over Hideki Matsuyama who is through 13 holes No. 13 (par 3, 141 yards) From a tough starting hole to a very getable short par-3, Woods is looking to rebound and steady the ship. He takes dead aim with a 9-iron and is rewarded for his efforts. Looking at 10-feet straight up the hill for birdie. A statement shot there for sure. Woods is making sure he sees all angles on this putt. He’s making sure to give it full attention. Back and through but he hasn’t quite given it enough speed and it dies to the right leaving him to settle for a mildly annoying par. Score: Par Note: Two-shot lead over Hideki Matsuyama,  who is through 13 holes. No. 14 (par 5, 608 yards) Time for driver on this par 5. Woods pumps one down the middle and is quickly walking after it as he knows it is perfect. He will be happy with that after his miss on the last green. He might not be happy with the fact Matsuyama is now up on the putting surface ahead with a very short look at birdie to cut the lead to one. But the local star has shoved his putt a little right and lips out the 3-footer to settle for par. Woods looks to position his second shot in a good spot but it has squirted to the right and has found the rough … and sat down. It doesn’t pose a problem though for this legend of the game and he chops it out and onto the green to leave a reasonable look at birdie. From about 20 feet, Woods sends the ball on the way and WALKS. IT. IN. Great birdie. Leads by three and has just four holes left. Score: Birdie Note: Three-shot lead over Hideki Matsuyama who is through 14 holes No. 15 (par 4, 425 yards) Driver again here for Woods and he is pumped up now. It leaks just a little to the right into the first cut but he is strutting now. Chest is out and rightfully so. Just 102 yards left for his second shot and it is a beauty. Another close look at birdie coming up for Woods who barely reacts to his effort … acting like he’s been here before … which of course he has been … many times. Even the most ardent Woods fan cannot have foreshadowed this dominance after his recent form and the fact this is a first tournament in nine weeks after knee surgery. Remember this is the same guy who started the tournament on Thursday with three straight bogeys! His birdie try here seems simple enough but it breaks a little left and burns the edge. Woods can’t believe it. Has another look at the read after cleaning up par. It should not matter … although Matsuyama just coaxed in a long birdie on the 16th. Score: Par Note: Two-shot lead over Hideki Matsuyama who is through 16 holes. No. 16 (par 3, 183 yards) Having noticed Matsuyama birdie the hole ahead of him Woods, knows he must deliver on this par 3. He takes 7-iron out and hits another beautiful iron shot. It lands softly like a butterfly with sore feet and once again leaves Woods with a decent look at birdie. Another chance from about 20 feet and he’s very careful with this one speed wise. It is too far out to the left though and won’t come back from there. A tap in par is enough to maintain the two shot lead with two to play. Score: Par Note: Two-shot lead over Hideki Matsuyama who is through 16 holes No. 17 (par 4, 491 yards) The tougher of the two holes left in this historic chase. Tiger takes driver again and just rips it beautifully down the left side of the fairway. If there are nerves in there you’d never know. Woods just keeps chewing his gum like he’s playing a round with a few buddies in a $5 Nassau rather than creating even more history. Up ahead Matsuyama cannot get his birdie try to drop and that might be the end of his attempt to win in his home country. He will really rue the missed 3-footer on the 14th. Woods would love to stick a dagger in here with his approach. Plays a knock down shot that doesn’t cut like he wanted so while it finds the green he has a lengthy birdie putt to come. While it never looks like going in it is a great lag and par is secured. The final hole is a par-5 so big swings are possible but his two-shot lead looks very safe, particularly as Matsuyama drove his tee shot on the last into a bunker. Score: Par Note: Two-shot lead over Hideki Matsuyama who is through 17 holes. No. 18 (par 5, 562 yards) It’s a bit of a wait on the tee here at No. 18 as Matsuyama knows he needs a hero shot on approach to have any chance and is trying to figure out just how that might be possible from the fairway bunker. He can’t go until the green clears. The steely stare is there in Woods eyes as he stands up on the final tee box surveying what’s going on ahead. It’s amazing to think Woods has won 81 times on the PGA TOUR prior to this moment. Snead was 52 when he got his 82nd and last win. Woods is 43. The first for Woods came way back at the 1996 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas. If he closes this out it will make his record 44 of 46 when leading outright after 54 holes. That is insane. Matsuyama has decided to try to cut a 3-wood out of the bunker and it is a pretty good strike but just won’t turn enough. He finds the greenside bunker. Probably needs to hole that for a chance. Woods goes less than driver off the tee here. He knows he doesn’t need to do anything stupid. Wow, it is just precision stuff. Right down the middle. Matsuyama has to force the issue now up ahead. Woah… he has got way too much ball it seems and flares it up over the pin and to the back of the green. Baring a miracle that will be it. One more decent approach shot from Woods and he can pace up the 18th fairway and soak in the moment. Matsuyama tries for birdie from 40-feet and it is a great effort but just falls short. Great effort in front of his home fans this week but his par means Woods can make bogey and still win outright. From 281 yards, Woods lets it fly with a 5-wood and it looks good in the air for a moment before coming down in the right greenside bunker. His walk to the green is met with generous applause but Woods is yet to blink out of his steely focus. He refuses to get ahead of himself despite the fact he’s got this well in hand. The ball is close to the lip but nothing dangerous and he has a lot of green to work with. It’s a lovely shot from the sand and it leaves a nice look at birdie from maybe 12-feet or so. Could three-putt and still win. But he only needs one putt! Raises the putter as the ball dives into the cup for birdie and a three-shot win! Epic stuff. “This is big. Hideki made it tight. It was a lot closer than people maybe thought,â€� Woods said. “It is just crazy. It is a lot. I have been able to be consistent most of my career and have put myself up there with a chance to win on a number of occasions, there was plenty of times I didn’t but today was one of those days where I was able to pull it out. It was definitely  stressful.â€� Score: Birdie Note: Three-shot WIN over Hideki Matsuyama. Joins Sam Snead with 82 PGA TOUR wins. Most of all-time.

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Turkish Airlines Open
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Martin Couvra+200
Haotong Li+400
Wilco Nienaber+650
Yannik Paul+1400
Joost Luiten+1600
Todd Clements+1800
Jorge Campillo+2000
Ewen Ferguson+2200
Guido Migliozzi+2200
Robin Williams+2800
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Angel Ayora-110
Edoardo Molinari+120
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - F. Lacroix vs A. Wilson
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Frederic Lacroix-125
Andrew Wilson+135
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - B. Robinson-Thompson vs D. Erickson
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Brandon Robinson-Thompson-140
Dan Erickson+150
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - R. Johnston vs J. Luiten
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Joost Luiten-150
Ryggs Johnston+160
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - E. Ferguson vs M. Lindberg
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Ewen Ferguson-150
Mikael Lindberg+160
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - G. Migliozzi vs J. Campillo
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Jorge Campillo+100
Guido Migliozzi+110
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - C. Sordet vs T. Christensen
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Clement Sordet-140
Tiger Christensen+150
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - T. Clements vs Y. Paul
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Yannik Paul-110
Todd Clements+120
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - R. Williams vs H. Li
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Haotong Li-190
Robin Williams+200
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - W. Nienaber vs M. Couvra
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Martin Couvra-105
Wilco Nienaber+115
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - M. Kim / J. Rose
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Justin Rose+105
Michael Kim+105
Tie+750
Shane Lowry
Type: Shane Lowry - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish-250
Top 10 Finish-700
Top 20 Finish-3500
Keith Mitchell
Type: Keith Mitchell - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish-225
Top 10 Finish-550
Top 20 Finish-3500
Rory McIlroy
Type: Rory McIlroy - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish-150
Top 10 Finish-400
Top 20 Finish-1600
Sepp Straka
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Top 5 Finish-150
Top 10 Finish-400
Top 20 Finish-1600
Collin Morikawa
Type: Collin Morikawa - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+140
Top 10 Finish-200
Top 20 Finish-700
Justin Thomas
Type: Justin Thomas - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+170
Top 10 Finish-175
Top 20 Finish-550
Patrick Cantlay
Type: Patrick Cantlay - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+180
Top 10 Finish-160
Top 20 Finish-500
Si Woo Kim
Type: Si Woo Kim - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+320
Top 10 Finish+110
Top 20 Finish-275
Akshay Bhatia
Type: Akshay Bhatia - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+350
Top 10 Finish+140
Top 20 Finish-250
Xander Schauffele
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Top 5 Finish+600
Top 10 Finish+210
Top 20 Finish-160
Sungjae Im
Type: Sungjae Im - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+700
Top 10 Finish+240
Top 20 Finish-135
3rd Round 2-Balls - W. Clark / L. Glover
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Lucas Glover+110
Wyndham Clark+100
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - C. Kirk / W. Zalatoris
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Chris Kirk+120
Will Zalatoris-110
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - M. Pavon / T. Hoge
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Matthieu Pavon+130
Tom Hoge-120
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - S. Theegala / M. Greyserman
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Max Greyserman+110
Sahith Theegala+100
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - R. Gerard / A. Hadwin
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Adam Hadwin+120
Ryan Gerard-110
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - B. Harman / A. Eckroat
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Austin Eckroat+125
Brian Harman-115
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - B. Campbell / P. Rodgers
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Brian Campbell+135
Patrick Rodgers-125
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - R. Henley / V. Hovland
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Russell Henley+110
Viktor Hovland+100
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Ups - X. Schauffele vs V. Hovland
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Xander Schauffele-135
Viktor Hovland+115
3rd Round 2-Balls - B. Hun An / C. Davis
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Byeong Hun An-110
Cam Davis+120
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - C. Conners / A. Scott
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Adam Scott+145
Corey Conners-130
Tie+750
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Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Jacob Bridgeman-120
Joe Highsmith+130
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - N. Dunlap / G. Higgo
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Garrick Higgo-120
Nick Dunlap+130
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - M. Fitzpatrick / C. Bezuidenhout
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Christiaan Bezuidenhout+120
Matt Fitzpatrick-110
Tie+750
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Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Jordan Spieth-145
Michael Thorbjornsen+160
Tie+750
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Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Andrew Novak+105
J J Spaun+105
Tie+750
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Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Maverick McNealy-116
Andrew Novak-105
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Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Aaron Rai+105
Davis Thompson+105
Tie+750
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Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Daniel Berger-115
Robert MacIntyre+125
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Ups - D. Berger vs T. Fleetwood
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Daniel Berger-110
Tommy Fleetwood-110
3rd Round 2-Balls - L. Aberg / H. Matsuyama
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Hideki Matsuyama+130
Ludvig Aberg-120
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - M.W. Lee / M. McNealy
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Maverick McNealy+110
Min Woo Lee+100
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Ups - M.W. Lee vs K. Bradley
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Min Woo Lee-115
Keegan Bradley-105
3rd Round 2-Balls - C. Young / E. Cole
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Cameron Young+120
Eric Cole-110
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - R. Hojgaard / B. Griffin
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Ben Griffin+100
Rasmus Hojgaard+110
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Ups - B. Griffin vs S. Jaeger
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Stephan Jaeger-115
Ben Griffin-105
3rd Round 2-Balls - X. Schauffele / T. Pendrith
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Taylor Pendrith+150
Xander Schauffele-135
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Ups - D. McCarthy vs T. Pendrith
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Denny McCarthy-110
Taylor Pendrith-110
3rd Round 2-Balls - K. Bradley / T. Fleetwood
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Keegan Bradley+130
Tommy Fleetwood-120
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - N. Taylor / E. Van Rooyen
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Nick Taylor-105
Erik Van Rooyen+115
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - S. Burns / J.T. Poston
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
J.T. Poston+110
Sam Burns+100
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Ups - S. Burns vs S. Im
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Sungjae Im-115
Sam Burns-105
3rd Round Match-Ups - S. Stevens vs J.T. Poston
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
J.T. Poston-115
Sam Stevens-105
3rd Round 2-Balls - S. Im / A. Noren
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Alex Noren+130
Sungjae Im-120
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - S. Stevens / D. McCarthy
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Denny McCarthy+100
Sam Stevens+110
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - T. Finau / H. English
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Harris English+110
Tony Finau+100
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Ups - A. Bhatia vs T. Finau
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Tony Finau-115
Akshay Bhatia-105
3rd Round 2-Balls - R. Fowler / G. Woodland
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Gary Woodland+100
Rickie Fowler+110
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - T. Detry / S. Jaeger
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Stephan Jaeger+105
Thomas Detry+105
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Ups - M. Homa / T. Detry
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Max Homa-110
Thomas Detry-110
3rd Round 2-Balls - P. Cantlay / M. Homa
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Max Homa+170
Patrick Cantlay-155
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Ups - P. Cantlay vs J. Thomas
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Justin Thomas-115
Patrick Cantlay-105
3rd Round 2-Balls - A. Bhatia / S.W. Kim
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Akshay Bhatia+115
Si Woo Kim-105
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Ups - S.W. Kim vs K. Mitchell
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Si Woo Kim-115
Keith Mitchell-105
3rd Round 2-Balls - R. McIIroy / C. Morikawa
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Collin Morikawa+140
Rory McIlroy-125
Tie+750
3rd Round 2-Balls - S. Straka / J. Thomas
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Justin Thomas-120
Sepp Straka+130
Tie+750
3rd Round Match-Ups - S. Lowry vs S. Straka
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Shane Lowry-115
Sepp Straka-105
3rd Round 2-Balls - K. Mitchell / S. Lowry
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN
Keith Mitchell+130
Shane Lowry-120
Tie+750
Major Specials 2025
Type: To Win A Major 2025 - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler+160
Bryson DeChambeau+350
Xander Schauffele+350
Ludvig Aberg+400
Collin Morikawa+450
Jon Rahm+450
Justin Thomas+550
Brooks Koepka+700
Viktor Hovland+700
Hideki Matsuyama+800
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PGA Championship 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy+450
Scottie Scheffler+450
Bryson DeChambeau+1200
Ludvig Aberg+1600
Xander Schauffele+1800
Justin Thomas+2000
Collin Morikawa+2200
Jon Rahm+2200
Joaquin Niemann+3000
Viktor Hovland+3500
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US Open 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy+500
Scottie Scheffler+500
Bryson DeChambeau+1200
Xander Schauffele+1200
Jon Rahm+1400
Ludvig Aberg+1400
Collin Morikawa+1600
Brooks Koepka+1800
Justin Thomas+2000
Viktor Hovland+2000
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The Open 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy+500
Scottie Scheffler+550
Xander Schauffele+1100
Ludvig Aberg+1400
Collin Morikawa+1600
Jon Rahm+1600
Bryson DeChambeau+2000
Shane Lowry+2500
Tommy Fleetwood+2500
Tyrrell Hatton+2500
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Ryder Cup 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
USA-150
Europe+140
Tie+1200

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Tony Finau parts ways with caddie, shoots first-round 65 at the 3M OpenTony Finau parts ways with caddie, shoots first-round 65 at the 3M Open

BLAINE, Minn. – It wasn’t an easy decision, but Tony Finau knew the time had come. So, after last week’s Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, he parted ways with Greg Bodine, who had caddied for him since his rookie campaign in 2014-15. “We were together for six years and it’s a tough thing, you know,” Finau said on Thursday. “On a personal level I love the guy and on a business level I felt it was time for a change in my situation and something just different.” Something different – for this week only at the 3M Open – is Finau’s long-time friend and teacher, Boyd Summerhays. And the transition appeared seamless as the PGA TOUR veteran fired a 65 to tie with Ryan Moore, Xinjun Zhang and Nick Watney, one stroke off the lead. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Dustin Johnson withdraws from 3M Open citing back injury “It was good, a really solid round, really clean,” FInau said. “I think I only missed one green and just hit it nicely, gave myself a lot of looks and I think that’s what you’ve got to do around this place. It’s soft enough to hit them close and I was able to do that enough today and make some putts.” Finau had done the same last week at Muirfield Village, which was a decidedly different challenge, playing firm and fast and hard. He held at least a share of the lead through two-and-a-half rounds before things started to unravel as Finau played the final seven holes on Saturday in 4 over and saw Jon Rahm surge ahead. Jack Nicklaus’ signature layout was as unforgiving as any major championship venue on Sunday when Finau limped in with a 78 that left him a distant seven strokes off the pace in eighth. So, a week that had begun with so much promise ended in disappointment and a long-time player-caddie relationship in disarray. And the Memorial wasn’t the only tournament this year where Finau seemingly had a prime chance to pick up a second career PGA TOUR victory that so many say is harder won than the first, either. He held the 54-hole lead at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and was two strokes up with two remaining only to lose in a playoff to Webb Simpson. In fact, Finau has had six runner-up finishes since that win at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open. Finau thrived with Summerhays on the bag on Thursday at TPC Twin Cities, though, making seven birdies and just two bogeys on a golf course that demands the leaders go low. He ranked first in Proximity to the Hole and Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, third in Approach The Green and fifth in Off the Tee. Summerhays has caddied for Finau in the past so it was a comfortable solution. Finau thinks it’s good for the instructor to get a glimpse of his game inside the ropes, and on Thursday, the student put on quite the show. “We’re very close,” Finau said. “No hard feelings no matter what, I think that’s a good dynamic to have when you’re out there. I didn’t have him say too much. I know I’m playing well and for the most part just bring him in when I want him.” That final-round 78 notwithstanding, Finau said he left Muirfield Village – which featured a major-championship caliber field — feeling good about his game. The fast start on Thursday in Minnesota only added to his resolve. “To be able to build up a lead I had on Saturday, that gives a guy some confidence,” Finau said. “I don’t think it really matters how I finished the tournament, at least that’s the positive I take from it is in that field on that golf course, I was able to play really clean, really nice golf. “I think it takes a lot of skill to do that, just to put yourself in that position. So that’s kind of what I took away from that week and kind of looking to do some of the same this week.”

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Equipment Roundup: A weird week for golf equipmentEquipment Roundup: A weird week for golf equipment

Although major OEMs are expected to release new golf clubs sometime soon – and equipment fans are eagerly anticipating spotting the unreleased gear on TOUR – it was unexpected equipment stories, from some unlikely names, that owned golf headlines this past week. Here’s a recap of everything noteworthy you may have missed. Iron Covers To win the Hong Kong Open, Aaron Rai used equipment typically reserved for amateur golfers at the butt-end of a joke: iron covers. Rai’s TaylorMade P770 (2 and 3) and Tour Preferred MB (4-9) irons got protection from old school TaylorMade iron covers at Hong Kong Golf Club. Sure, social media made its jokes, but it was a big win for Aaron Rai – his first European Tour victory – and a big win for iron cover nation. Additionally, Rai had a Frankenstein head cover protecting his TaylorMade M4 driver, and a putter cover that’s seen better years on his Heavy Putter BM-3. He also wears two Glenmuir MacWet gloves, on his left and right hand. A broken shaft John Senden made equipment news in the worst way at the Australian PGA Championship when his driver shaft snapped mid-swing, causing him to miss the ball entirely. Not only did the incident jam his finger and leave him without a driver with 10 more holes to play, but the rules officials said the stroke counts! With “intent to hit the ball,� according to the officials, Senden had to count the stroke and play his next shot from the teeing ground – he used an iron for his “second� shot. He went onto bogey the hole and shoot even par with 13 clubs. Bubba switches Ping drivers, but it’s not what you think With the entire equipment world waiting to see new product from major OEMs, Bubba Watson made a driver switch … from his longtime Ping G400 LST driver to a G400. In the age of chasing lower spin on drives to maximize distance, Bubba switched to a driver that offered him more backspin off the tee. I asked a Ping representative for more answers on the specs, and why Bubba made the switch. Here’s what Ping had to say: Bubba did, however, give equipment fans something new to look at it… kind of. Back in October, Bubba unveiled an unreleased Ping “Blueprint� iron to his social media followers, and he finally put those irons in play this week at the Hero. While we’ve seen the irons before, Ping has yet to speak on the designs of the new irons. Woodland plays Wilson prototypes As an equipment free agent, Woodland can test and play with any irons he chooses. This week at the Hero World Challenge, Woodland decided to play unreleased Wilson Staff prototype blade irons. Our Mike McAllister caught up with Woodland to get the full scoop on why he switched. No big switches yet Disappointingly, there were no other huge debuts or switches at the Hero World Challenge. Tiger didn’t change into a new driver. Justin Rose, amid rumors of a switch to Honma, came to the Bahamas with a bag full of TaylorMade equipment. When, if at all, will Rose make a switch? When will we see TOUR players using new OEM releases? Stay tuned.   PGA TOUR SUPERSTORE: Buy equipment here

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