Tiger Woods returns: Why a little hope isn’t a terrible thing

JACKSON, Miss. – As the son of 21-time PGA TOUR winner Davis Love III, Dru Love grew up on golf courses, surrounded by TV cameras. “I’m used to having cameras around,� Dru Love said. “But to have them on you because you’re in the lead – that’s different.� That first occurred during Friday’s second round of the rain-delayed Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson, when the younger Love birdied seven of his first 12 holes to vault his name to the top of the leaderboard at 8 under par. The cameras from the Golf Channel showed up, along with a few more spectators. His swing quickened, and he gave two shots back on the way in. Still, he shot 5-under 67 and sits at 6 under par going into the weekend, four shots behind clubhouse leader Ryan Armour. It’s the first time in six PGA TOUR starts he has been this high on the leaderboard after 36 holes, and another step, he hopes, in his journey to earn playing status on the PGA TOUR or the Web.com Tour. He’s playing on a sponsor’s exemption here this week, and is scheduled to play at Web.com Tour Q-School in two weeks. A top-10 finish here would get him a spot in next week’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas and a chance to earn more money towards playing his way onto the TOUR. Of course, a win here would earn him a two-year exemption on TOUR. All of that will be on his mind when he tees it up during Saturday’s third round. “I’m definitely happy about getting into contention,� said Dru Love, 23. “But you can’t just be complacent. You have to get better (Saturday) and improve on the things you did wrong. I didn’t do much wrong today, but I do know what I have to work on, and a lot of that involves staying focused with all the cameras and the people showing up. I got a little out of my routine, got a little quick on those last couple of holes, and I’ll learn from that and do better (Saturday) if I get in that same position.� Dru might have one big-name golfer in his gallery Saturday – his father. Davis Love III shot 72 Friday and is at even-par after 36 holes, one shot off the projected cut of 1 under. OBSERVATIONS Armour followed his first-round 66 with a 4-under 68 Friday and leads at 10 under, one shot clear of Tyrone Van Aswegen, who made 10 birdies and shot Friday’s low round of 65. Thirty players had not finished their second rounds when play was stopped for the day because of rain and lightning. The second round will restart at 7:50 a.m. (Central) Saturday morning, with the cutline projected at 1 under par. After the second round is finished, the players will be re-paired and the third round will begin at 9:20 a.m. When that happens, Armour will likely find himself in a pretty unfamiliar position – leading going into the third round of a PGA TOUR event. The 41-year-old journeyman, who is playing in his 105th TOUR event, has held the lead after two rounds just once before, three months ago in the 2017 Wyndham Championship, where he shot a sizzling 9-under 61 in the second round and eventually finished T-4 for his second-best TOUR finish (a solo fourth in the 2007 OHL Classic at Mayakoba is his best finish). What he’ll face Saturday, in addition to normal final-pairing nerves, will be blustery cold weather, with lots of wind, and temperatures in the 40s and 50s. It will make the Country Club of Jackson a decidedly different venue than it was in the first two rounds, when it was breezy but very warm. Asked if he’s a good cold-weather player, Armour said: “I grew up in Ohio, where it’s not exactly warm, but I’m spoiled now, living in South Florida, so I haven’t been around it. “The hardest part about cold weather is starting. Once you’re out there, in the mix, it kind of goes away. You have to adjust, the ball’s not going to carry as far. You might be hitting one or two more clubs into some holes. … but we’ll adjust. My caddie’s good at gauging the wind, so I’ll lean on him.� Seamus Power, who shot 68 Thursday, will be in a position to catch Armour at the top when he resumes his second round Saturday. Power is at 8 under with two holes to play. Van Aswegen is one shot back on the leaderboard, but he is the birdie leader through two rounds with 16. His 7-under 65 on Friday included a career-best 10 birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey, and his opening round included six birdies and four bogeys. The birdie binge has surprised the South African native. “I’m usually more of a steady kind of golfer,� he said. “But when you’re playing well, and feeling good you make more, I guess.� Two of his birdies were chip-ins, and he took just 22 putts in the round. Keep an eye on Vaughn Taylor this weekend. The three-time TOUR winner, who last won in 2016 in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, shot a bogey-free 66 Friday to get to 8 under and right in the hunt. Defending champion Cody Gribble improved on his opening-round 75 with a 3-under 69, but it was not enough to make the projected cut. Peter Malnati, the 2015 champion here, struggled to a 74 Friday after a first-round 67, but at 3 under he should be around for the final two rounds. Former U.S. Open and Masters champion Angel Cabrera (70-72) is expected to make the cut. Other major winners who probably won’t be playing on the weekend include Davis Love III (72-72), Retief Goosen (74-71), and Shaun Micheel (80-69). It wasn’t recorded as a putt in the official TOUR statistics because he putted from the fringe and not the surface of the green, but the longest shot made with a putter on Friday was likely the 60-footer for birdie Matt Every drained on No. 18. QUOTABLES “It’s a complete guessing game. 150 yards is a perfect pitching wedge, but sometimes it will go 170 and sometimes it will go 130. That’s what happened on No. 8. I had a perfect number for a pitching wedge and I hit it, and it just came out dead. That’s what happens in this rough here. You’ve just got to hit the fairways.� – Dru Love, on hitting from the Bermuda rough at Country Club of Jackson “I feel better at 41 than I did at 31. The way we take care of ourselves is a lot different than when when I first turned pro at age 23. We thought we could burn the midnight oil. You don’t do that anymore. With nutrition and fitness, it’s definitely different.� – Leader Ryan Armour, on how he competes at 41 with the younger players “I hit a bad shot and then an even worse shot after that. Just like that, you have a double.� - Tyrone Van Aswegen, explaining his double-bogey 6 on the 16th hole Friday – and just about every other double-bogey ever made by any golfer anywhere. SUPERLATIVES Low Round – 65, by Tyrone Van Aswegen, who made 10 birdies, a bogey and a double. Longest Drive – 410 yards by Monday qualifier Scott Strohmeyer on hole No. 5. Longest Putt – 50 feet, 1 inch, by Daniel Summerhays, for par on No. 16. Toughest Hole – For the second straight round, the par-4 16th played as the most difficult, with a 4.373 average. It yielded nine birdies, but there were also five double-bogeys and two ‘others’ made there during the yet-to-be-completed second round. Easiest Hole – The par-5 11th played to a 4.504 average, with five eagles, 61 birdies and only seven bogeys. Interestingly, one of those bogeys was made by Van Aswegen, who is one shot off the lead. CALL OF THE DAY SHOT OF THE DAY BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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The 20th of 24 contributing events for PGA TOUR Champions One & Done presented by SERVPRO is this week’s Shaw Charity Classic. It begins on Friday. Scroll for tournament notes, 16 notables and four wild cards from the field of 78 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Bryson DeChambeau is everything but a scrappy middle infielder just happy to be on the roster, but when he goes two months without doing any damage, sending him to the plate at THE NORTHERN TRUST and asking him to clear the wall was everything we want when we target swinging for the fences. However, his victory – by four strokes at that – also isn’t what we can expect. DeChambeau slotted 25th overall with an ownership percentage of just 0.90 at Ridgewood, so the apathy was evident. Gotta love golf and you gotta love the timing of the crack of the bat. With 2,000 FedExCup points rewarded to each of the four winners in the Playoffs, it’s so, so, sweet when one goes yard. A relatively unfamiliar track like Ridgewood figures to yield that outcome more than, say, TPC Boston. As stated in my Power Rankings on Monday, since the inaugural edition of the Dell Technologies Championship won by Adam Scott in 2003, only Phil Mickelson (2007) has prevailed in a first appearance. Despite your best arguments, that fact rules out the likes of percolating Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Alex Noren, Beau Hossler, Peter Uihlein and 13 others; that is, if all you’re chasing is the trophy. If that goal sounds obvious, then you’re new here. My objective in every tournament is a top 10. Top fives are bonuses and victories are worthy of celebration. Even some contenders late in the season don’t need a win events for league championships. Webb Simpson, McIlroy (twice), Henrik Stenson and Justin Thomas all have emerged victorious at TPC Boston since Mickelson. All are short-listers who will have your attention this week, but only McIlroy and Thomas deserve it. Simpson has been on fire but only in the context of this season. Since 2015 at the DTC, he’s gone T44-MC-T75. That positions him similarly to the previously scuffling DeChambeau, but I’d rather ride Simpson on courses like Aronimink and East Lake where his tee-to-green proficiency enhances his chances. Stenson is still nursing a sore left elbow. He’s an easy pass. Same goes for Wyndham champ Brandt Snedeker, who sat out last week with back spasms. And it was warm at Ridgewood. McIlroy is healthy but he’s getting in his own way, so to speak. As a two-time winner and all-time earnings leader of this tournament, we have to expect a renewal of comfort as he reconnects with conviction and confidence. As stated in this space last week, he’s perfect for chasers. Front-runners can empty the chamber. Course history is your ally. Thomas defends with Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau, Adam Scott and Patrick Reed also standing by waiting for the call. Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm and Paul Casey are secondary selections for various reasons and all have delivered at TPC Boston at least once before. Do not hesitate regardless of recent form, good or indifferent. When Justin Rose misses a cut at a joint like Ridgewood, you know the course is fair, but his leash is one of the longest. The only issue is that he’s warranted restraint at TPC Boston throughout his career. He’ll regain our attention (and devotion) in earnest at Aronimink where he’s won before. Two-man gamers should focus on surging Billy Horschel and Cameron Smith, the pair at T3 at Ridgewood. A little deeper, the likes of Charley Hoffman and Keegan Bradley should contribute. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2017-18. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Paul Casey … Dell Technologies (2); TOUR Championship (3) Kevin Chappell … Dell Technologies (3) Jason Day … Dell Technologies (5) Jason Dufner … TOUR Championship (7) Billy Horschel … TOUR Championship (4) Dustin Johnson … Dell Technologies (11); TOUR Championship (6) Zach Johnson … TOUR Championship (8) Russell Knox … Dell Technologies (7) Rory McIlroy … Dell Technologies (5); TOUR Championship (3) Ryan Moore … TOUR Championship (6) Louis Oosthuizen … Dell Technologies (3) Patrick Reed … Dell Technologies (2) Justin Rose … TOUR Championship (2) Adam Scott … Dell Technologies (9); TOUR Championship (6) Jordan Spieth … TOUR Championship (4) Henrik Stenson … Dell Technologies (9); TOUR Championship (2) Justin Thomas … Dell Technologies (6; defending); TOUR Championship (3) Jimmy Walker … Dell Technologies (7) Bubba Watson … TOUR Championship (4) CHAMPIONS ONE & DONE Shaw Charity Classic Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club in Calgary, Alberta, hosts the sixth edition of the tournament. It’s a par 70 with five par 3s and three par 5s. Scott McCarron is back to defend a one-stroke victory over Miguel Angel Jiménez. McCarron converted three eagles and 15 birdies against five bogeys en route to 16-under 194. The $2.35-million purse is the largest of the last five tournaments. The winner will pocket $352,500. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2018. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Stephen Ames … Shaw (7) Fred Couples … Usable everywhere. Joe Durant … Shaw (11); PURE (3); SAS (13) David Frost … Shaw (8); PURE (1) Doug Garwood … SAS (1) Miguel Angel Jiménez … Shaw (7); SAS (12) Jerry Kelly … Shaw (5); PURE (2); SAS (4) Bernhard Langer … Usable everywhere. Defending five titles. Jeff Maggert … Shaw (5) Billy Mayfair … PURE (1) Scott McCarron … Shaw (5; defending); PURE (8) Colin Montgomerie … Shaw (4); PURE (7); SAS (3; defending) Tom Pernice, Jr. … Shaw (3); SAS (5) Vijay Singh … Shaw (5); SAS (1) Kirk Triplett … Shaw (4) Duffy Waldorf … Shaw (5) WILD CARDS (short list of golfers not included above but on the rise or still building portfolios after recently turning 50): Steve Flesch; Scott Parel; Tim Petrovic; Wes Short, Jr.

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The latest Tiger Woods news is just plain sad

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