Tiger Woods reinvented

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Notes and observations from Thursday’s first round of the Wells Fargo Championship at Eagle Point Golf Club, where Italy’s Francesco Molinari chipped in on the 18th hole for a 6-under 66 and a one-shot lead over Sweden’s Alex Noren among the early finishers. DJ PLEASED WITH OPENING ROUND Dustin Johnson hasn’t played much golf lately, but the rust didn’t show as he made four birdies and signed for a 2-under 70. That tied him with 53-year-old playing partner Davis Love III, and gave Johnson a solid start as he tries to play his way back into the winner’s circle for the fourth time in his last four starts.    “I’m happy with the way I played,” Johnson said. “I didn’t score that great, didn’t really hole that many putts, but other than that, yeah, I played really well.” Johnson got right back to his usual game Thursday. He averaged 312.7 yards off the tee, and hit 8 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens. (He leads the TOUR in both driving distance and greens in regulation.) The only thing that hampered his play: He took 32 putts. All in all, he said, it was a good day, especially considering this was his first competitive round since he closed out Jon Rahm to win the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play on March 26. “I thought I drove it nicely,” Johnson said, “Hit a lot of good iron shots. You know, I’m happy with the way I played, for sure.” The long break wasn’t part of the plan, of course. Johnson went to Augusta National for the Masters four weeks ago, but pulled out at the 11th hour with a lower back injury suffered while falling down a short flight of stairs in his rental house. In a way, Johnson said after his opening-round 70 at Eagle Point, it felt like nothing had changed since before the injury. He said he feels 100 percent physically, and the statistics backed him up: His longest measured drive in Round 1 was an impressive 340 yards. Johnson’s win streak goes all the way back to the Genesis Open in Los Angeles in February. Should he prevail at the Wells Fargo for his fourth straight victory it would mark the longest winning streak on TOUR since Tiger Woods won five straight tournaments in 2007-2008. “All in all,” Johnson said, “I’m very pleased with the day.” MOLINARI HEATS UP WITH PUTTER Francesco Molinari was having qualified success this season already, what with a T7 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard, a T33 at the Masters, and a T22 finish at the RBC Heritage. But something was holding him back: putting. That changed in the first round of the Wells Fargo, as Molinari chipped in twice and needed just 25 putts on his way to a 66 for the first-round lead. “Yeah, I had lots of good rounds this year,” said Molinari, who is ranked 69th in strokes gained: putting. “I think I had something like eight top 25s in 11 tournaments, so I’ve been playing really well. Obviously today I made a few more putts than maybe the last couple of months, which is always nice. … I worked on the putting a lot the last couple weeks and it paid off today.” Molinari said he took pleasure in not just seeing the ball go in the hole Thursday, but also in his older brother Edoardo picking up his third European Tour victory last month. “He’s had a pretty tough time the last few seasons,” Francesco said. WILLY WILCOX ‘TRYING TO FIND THE GAME’ Amid the players’ rush to familiarize themselves with Eagle Point, Willy Wilcox was so far down the alternate list to get into the Wells Fargo he didn’t play any practice rounds. He walked the back nine Wednesday, leaving his caddie Kevin Ensor to tour all 18. But that was it. Still, in his first time seeing Eagle Point with a club in his hands, Wilcox shot 3 under on the front nine Thursday morning, briefly sharing the lead. The 30-year-old with the unconventional swing dropped two shots on the back nine and signed for a 1-under 71. “Just trying to find the game,” said Wilcox, who is coming off his best result this season, a T14 with partner Freddie Jacobson at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. “It’s nice to see some good stuff. It was nice to birdie the last. It got a little squirrely on the back so we’ll go to the range and figure it out. We got a great draw with the weather.” Most fans know Wilcox for his ace at THE PLAYERS Championship last year, which was the first at the island 17th hole since 2002. He is not qualified to return to TPC Sawgrass next week, but remains grateful for the moment. He got messages from all around the world, all of which obscured the fact that he didn’t have a great season, missing 11 cuts and finishing 138th in the FedExCup standings. In December, he decided to shake things up. He was kicking back and having a few beers with his agent when he decided to change his name from Will to Willy, since everybody calls him that, anyway. “I wish I was going back,” Wilcox said of THE PLAYERS. “I mean, I guess I still kind of have a chance. It’s amazing how many people know about it. I got emails and Facebook messages, Twitter messages, my family was there. It was as cool as it could possibly get. Everybody back home was really excited. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, you had a bad year.’ People were like, ‘You had a hole-in-one! Dude, you should just retire now!’” He’s not about to retire, Wilcox added with a laugh. For one thing, the former University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazer — his mom Kim is the women’s golf coach — still has three more rounds to go at the Wells Fargo. His 71 puts him five behind the leader Molinari, which means a return trip to THE PLAYERS, while still a longshot, is still within reach.

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PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Jordan Spieth played 12 holes on Thursday, then six more on Friday morning. Despite the staggered schedule, it was a productive two days at Riviera, as he carded a bogey-free 7-under 64 to walk off the course with the lead midway through the first round of the Genesis Open. The rest of his Friday? Some light work, then a much-needed nap. He won’t start his second round until Saturday morning, which means he’ll need to cram 54 holes into the weekend. Time to conserve his energy for a long two days. “Be prepared for 27 to 30 holes tomorrow and potentially another 27ish on Sunday,â€� Spieth said. “I think less is more at this point. Try and get some really good, solid, quick work in and then lay around all day.â€� After storms dumped more than two inches of rain on the course and forced a seven-hour delay to the start of Thursday’s first round, players on both sides of the draw now face an arduous schedule in hopes of completing the tournament Sunday afternoon. For players in the early/late wave, such as Spieth and Tony Finau (tied for second in the clubhouse at 5 under with Patrick Rodgers and Kramer Hickok), it meant two early wake-up calls and now a challenging long weekend. Like Spieth, Finau walked off the course Friday morning with one objective: rest. “I think we deserve some chill time after a couple 4 a.m. wake‑up calls,â€� said Finau, adding that “emotionally we were kind of prepared for it. I saw the weather forecast for the week and knew it could be something similar to the AT&T last week at Pebble Beach, so mentally and emotionally you’ve got to prepare.â€� The final round of Sunday’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was delayed one hour by rain, then nearly 2-1/2 additional hours after a hailstorm hit the area. The final group of Phil Mickelson and Paul Casey had to play two holes on Monday morning, with Mickelson winning by three shots. Mickelson and Casey are both in the field this week and completed their first rounds Friday morning. Mickelson, a two-time Genesis Open champ, shot a 1-over 72 in which he failed to post a single birdie-or-better. Casey opened with a 70. For players in the late/early wave, who were unable to tee off Thursday, the prospects of a long Friday loom. Their wave teed off before 8 a.m., and after completing their first round, they will immediately start their second round in hopes of getting in 36 holes (or as many as possible) before darkness stops play. MUST READS: Round 1, Genesis Open Round 1 scores reset at Genesis Open due to weather Tiger, Phil keep pushing each other Cameron Champ’s grandfather helped pave the way Those players include the threesome of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas. Woods, who has never won the Genesis Open in 12 career starts, suffered two bogeys in his first seven holes. Although Riviera hasn’t always been kind to Tiger, it should be fairly welcoming to the field. “This afternoon wave’s getting a soft golf course with the tees up and some pretty benign conditions,â€� Spieth said, “so even if you’re pushing to the lead of the morning wave, it’s likely that somebody’s going to shoot 7, 8, 9 under even though it’s Riviera. It’s as gettable as it can possibly be right now.â€� Perhaps that will make up for the 36-hole day that the afternoon wave faces Friday. “The way I look at it is — it’s going to be one very long round,â€� said Jon Rahm, who started his first round Friday morning in a group that includes Bryson DeChambeau and Matt Kuchar. “If you get hot, you don’t have to wait a whole day [to play again]. You can just keep going. And if you start off on the wrong foot, maybe a couple over through nine or something, you can think, ‘I’ve got 27 holes to make that up.’ Either way, you’ve got a lot of time to make it up or a lot of time to make birdies.â€� Harris English took time out from his practice session Thursday to watch how players were attacking the 10th hole, especially with the pin position on the right side. He’s not worried about playing 36 holes; he’s had to do it during U.S. Open qualifying. “It’s more of a mental test than a physical test,â€� said English. “It’s staying focused. Obviously, your body is going to be tired and you’re going to make some tired swings but you’ve got to keep your head in it as much as possible and try to not make any dumb mental mistakes. That can happen – especially on a tough course like this.â€� Just how tough Riviera actually is remains to be seen. And just which side of the draw has the advantage also remains in doubt. The one thing that’s assured is the at least one marathon session awaits each player. “I’ve had to play 30 holes, 36 holes in a day a couple years ago and it can be very taxing here,â€� Spieth said. “It’s tough, it’s spongy ground, it will wear on you a bit if you’re not careful. So it’s all about trying to save as much energy as possible more than anything else.â€�

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DETROIT – Absorbed in its entirety, Cameron Champ’s round of 7-under 65 Friday morning would provide ample explanation for his 36-hole lead at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. But upon further review, you could look at the torrid 8-under 28 going out on Detroit Golf Club’s front nine, then measure it against the inward 1-over 37 and wonder, why such a stark contrast in performance? Champ could, in turn, smile, and suggest you widen the lens if you want to really study the roller-coaster of this, his rookie season. To wit: In his first seven tournaments there was a win, four other top-15 finishes, and 592 FedExCup points, but since the Farmers Insurance Open in late January, Champ has missed eight cuts, withdrawn once, had a best finish of T-28, and earned a mere 39 FEC points. All of which – the 28-37 in Round 2, the fact that he went four months on the PGA TOUR without breaking 70 with Thursday’s opening 66, and a return to contention after months of early exits – he is most happy to explain. “You know, I’m still young,� said Champ, who signed his card and headed home at 13-under 131, at the time two better than Ryan Armour (69) with the entire afternoon wave on the golf course. “I just turned 24, so I had a lot coming at me and distractions. I had to just really adjust and prioritize.� As explosive as Champ’s power is, it is another commodity he possesses that likely will maintain the much-needed balance in his game. “He’s a good kid, a gentle soul,� said Jeff Camp, Cameron’s father, who walked Friday’s round as his son put up back-to-back scores in the 60s for the first time since the Sony Open in Hawaii, way back in January. “He knows he has to just grind.� On his first nine Friday, though, it was not a grind. It was Champ at his very best, flashing the sort of incomparable power that would make you wonder how anyone can beat him. He hit six of seven fairways, reached both par-5s in two, was on in regulation at all nine greens, and required but 12 putts. For a sampling of the unmatched power Champ can unleash, consider the par-5 seventh, set up at 545 yards. J.B. Holmes, hardly a singles hitter, was dead center, out there a robust 327 yards. Yet, Champ was 38 yards beyond him, and provided with the opportunity to hit just a 177-yard second shot to 8 feet. He made that eagle, which coming on the heels of five birdies in a row went a long reason in explaining the sprint to the turn in 28. “One of those nines, kind of everything went my way,� said Champ, who also drove it 368 yards at the 635-yard, par-5 fourth and reached in two to set up a two-putt birdie. True enough, that, because a ticklish 15-footer straight downhill at the par-4 wasn’t one he expected to make but did. And at the par-3 ninth, his 20-footer found the hole, too. But Cameron Champ lets those words of his greatest mentor in life – his grandfather, Mack Champ – constantly echo in his head. “It’s not where you start that matters, it is where you finish.� So, the six birdies and one eagle on his first nine didn’t matter; it was the bogey on the par-4 13th and the bogey at the par-4 18th that offset the only inward birdie, at the par-5 17th, that Cameron Champ digested after his round and will use as motivation for Saturday’s third round. It’s not dissimilar to how he maintained composure these past few months. “Just embracing failure,� he said. In other words, he has put the early-season success behind him and learned much from that stretch where he failed to play on the weekend of six straight tournaments. “I think it has, personally,� said Champ, when asked if the rough stretch was in some ways better for his career than the win at Sanderson Farms last October and the string of high finishes that stopped at the Sony. “At times, I can definitely be tough on myself. But I’m learning, especially the last month-and-a-half (has been good for me). It’s sent me back to the drawing board and to think back to how I play good golf, how I think around the course.�

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