Tiger Woods undergoes fifth back surgery

Brooks Koepka did not have many details to share regarding his upcoming post-Thanksgiving showdown with long-hitting Bryson DeChambeau – the newest addition to Capital One’s The Match series that will air Nov. 26 on TNT. Asked when conversations for such a mano-a-mano television event even began, Koepka smiled and answered, “You can ask Bryson.” But on the eve of competing in the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas, Koepka did convey considerable respect for DeChambeau’s significant transformations, and had praise for DeChambeau’s surprising performance at last week’s Professional Long Drivers Association’s World Championship. DeChambeau made it through to the quarterflnals at the Long Drive, falling just shy of the four-man finale. DeChambeau achieved a swing speed of 219 mph and his longest drive on the grid was 412 yards. Kyle Berkshire eventually would win his second title (his winning drive measured 422 yards). A few of DeChambeau’s peers on the PGA TOUR could not help but take notice of his spirited march through the competition. Koepka said Wednesday that adding length has become a huge theme on the PGA TOUR, and will continue to have a big impact as younger players make their way out to the game’s top level. “I think you kind of saw it maybe coming out of COVID,” Koepka said at TPC Summerlin after playing nine holes in a pro-am. “I think you saw even other guys (other than DeChambeau) trying to hit it further. Swing a little harder, trying to maximize their distance. I think it’s going to change the game of golf forever, personally. If you’re going to hit it that far and you find a couple fairways, it’s tough to beat. It does get very difficult when you got wedge into hole where guys got 6-iron. Your odds are going to be in your favor. “That’s what he (DeChambeau) has done. It’s impressive to be able to actually change a body, change the way you swing, and yet still compete out here. I think that’s probably the most impressive thing. It’s one thing to do it and then just kind of mess around with it at home but not bring it to an actual tournament. So the fact he’s able to do that, the fact he did at the Long Drive, I don’t think anybody really thought he was going to get that far. The fact he did was quite impressive.” This new PGA TOUR season is but a few events old, but the driving average on TOUR thus far is 304.7 yards. A year ago, the average distance TOUR players hit their drives was 296.2. DeChambeau led all players in distance last season, averaging a record 323.7 yards through 83 rounds. Koepka doesn’t exactly bunt it off the tee; he averaged 310.7 yards and ranked 12th. Scottie Scheffler partnered with DeChambeau in two Four-ball matches at the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits two weeks ago, and knew DeChambeau was as excited about the Long Drive as he was about the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. “He was definitely pretty interested in it last week,” Scheffler said. ”We had a great time playing together. He’s a great (Four-ball) partner and he’s a great alternate-shot player as well because he’s such a talented player. We had a great time in the team room. “His performance in the Long Drive was pretty cool. I think he told us his goal for the Long Drive was to make it to the final 16, I think he said that would have been a really big accomplishment for him. … I’m sure he’s feeling really good about his performance. It was pretty fun to watch.” Koepka, 31, is playing for the sixth time at Shriners (he was a runner-up in 2017), and will play next week at THE CJ CUP @ Summit, a second event in Vegas. Koepka said his 2020-21 season, which was slowed by knee and wrist injuries, was a disappointment, and that this season he’d like to not only win multiple events, but stay healthy throughout. One aspect of his game that held him back last season: Green-reading. He said he has worked on integrating AimPoint into his routine to better read breaks on the greens, which hopefully will lead to better results with the putter. “I’ve fallen off, to be completely honest,” said Koepka, an eight-time TOUR winner and four-time major champion now ranked ninth in the Official World Golf Ranking. “I’ve fallen off going to World No. 1, injuries, all this stuff, and I haven’t been where I expected myself to be. I think that’s been the disappointing part, so I was kind of kicking myself and trying to figure out how to get better, and that (AimPoint) was just one of the ways. “… There’s some things where you’ve got to keep improving year after year. You look at it, traditionally, 30 or 35 is when guys have their prime out here, and I’m just kind of starting that prime at 31. So hopefully that holds true. But you got to find a way.” Koepka and DeChambeau, who bantered through social media through much of 2021, will partake in a 12-hole match on Nov. 26 at the Wynn Golf Course at Wynn Las Vegas. DeChambeau, ranked seventh in the world, was part of a previous version of The Match, joining NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers in taking down the tandem of Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady. Koepka and DeChambeau were teammates on the winning U.S. Ryder Cup team two weeks ago, and, at the behest of U.S. team member Justin Thomas, even embraced in a playful embrace following the team’s final media session. As for more details on The Match? We’ll have to wait for those. “I think we’re excited,” Koepka said. “It’s going to be good. You’ll see it.”

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Padraig Harrington has been chosen as captain of the Europe team for the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.

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The global swing of the PGA TOUR continues as we find ourselves in China with a star-studded field set to do battle at Sheshan International Golf Club. It’s the first of four World Golf Championship events for the season, which brings with it an increased purse and of course a solid 550 FedExCup points to the winner. The 72-hole stroke-play tournament features a 78-player field, with no cut. Highlighting the field are defending champion Hideki Matsuyama – who became the first player from Asia to win a World Golf Championship event at last year’s HSBC Champions and followed by winning the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational later in the season – and world No. 1 Dustin Johnson – who won the Mexico Championship and the Dell Technologies Match Play. Between them, the two players hold all four of the current World Golf Championships titles. For the first time in history, the PGA TOUR also welcomes players from China as members in the field. Zecheng Dou and Xinjun Zhang are rookies in 2017-18 after graduating from the Web.com Tour. They are part of a seven-man Chinese tilt. Here are the featured groups. China is 12 hours ahead. All tee times are Eastern Time. Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Jon Rahm The two players who hold all four WGC trophies in Matsuyama and Johnson are joined by the powerful Jon Rahm, who many predict will finish his career with a boatload of titles. Matsuyama finessed his way to a brilliant win last season and will be hoping to do so again, while Johnson starts his season looking to reassert his position as the world’s best now that the likes of Justin Thomas are coming for his mantle. Tee times: Wednesday 10:50 p.m. (ET) off 10 tee; Thursday 9:40 p.m. off 1st tee Matt Kuchar, Justin Rose, Paul Casey Eventually, Paul Casey is going to turn one of these perennial contention weeks into a victory – so why not this week as he has two top-10 finishes in the tournament prior to it taking official WGC status. Rose also had a top-10 finish in his past at the venue and will be looking to kick-start the new season in style. Kuchar will be inspired to play well in the land of ping pong – where he’s already putting his considerable skills to the test against the locals. Tee times: Wednesday 10:40 p.m. (ET) off 10 tee; Thursday 9:30 p.m. off 1st tee   Tyrrell Hatton, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Haotong Li Hatton is the hot hand, having won the last two European Tour events he entered at the Dunhill Links and Italian Open, while Fitzpatrick is also a recent trophy hoister having claimed the European Masters. They are joined by one the locals big hopes in Li who is no stranger to big event pressure having finished third at The Open Championship last season. Tee times: Wednesday 10:30 p.m. (ET) off 10th tee; Thursday 9:20 p.m. off 1st tee   Jason Day, Henrik Stenson, Brooks Koepka Day started his season last week in reasonable form with a T11 finish in Korea but the key was the return of his putting. With some rust shaken off in his tee and iron play he could be a huge factor. Stenson was tied for second last season in China and T11 the year before … his pure striking is suited for success. And of course the reigning U.S. Open champion will be hoping to start his season with a serious bang as he kicks off his 2017-18 campaign. Tee times: Wednesday 9:50 p.m. (ET) off 10th tee; Thursday 10:50 p.m. off 1st tee

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