Tiger Woods the butt of player prank as US Ryder Cup team lighten the mood

The winner of The Open this month will earn more than $2 million for the first time as part of a total prize fund of $11.5 million.

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MEXICO CITY — Bryson DeChambeau kept making so many birdies in the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship that when he rolled in his ninth one from 45 feet, all he could do was throw his hands in the air in pure wonder. Related: Leaderboard | Bubba Golf enjoying mini-revival in 2020 | Erik van Rooyen has first PLAYERS in sights after record-tying 62 He wasn’t alone Friday in making birdies, although Rory McIlroy would like to have joined the party. DeChambeau made seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch at Chapultepec Golf Club for an 8-under 63, giving him a one-shot lead over Erik van Rooyen of South Africa and Patrick Reed at the halfway point of this World Golf Championships event. DeChambeau was at 11-under 131. van Rooyen, who played college golf at Minnesota, celebrated his 30th birthday by making nine birdies to tie the course record with a 62. Reed made five birdies on the back nine for a 63 Justin Thomas ran off four straight birdies to end the back nine, and then holed a 35-foot eagle putt to build a three-shot lead through 10 holes. That was gone in a matter of four holes as player after player kept rolling in putts on a day with much less wind and far better scoring. The average score 70.28, more than two shots better than Thursday. Hideki Matusyama was 9 under for his round through 15 holes and had a 20-footer birdie attempt from the fringe on the par-3 seventh. He missed that 3 feet to the left, then missed the next one. He bogeyed the next hole, too, and had to settle for a 64. That left him at 9-under 133, along with Thomas, who had to settle for a 66. McIlroy wasn’t so fortunate. Staked to a two-shot lead at the start of the day, he opened with eight straight pars, didn’t make a birdie until his 12th hole and fell six shots behind at one point. Two birdies at the end gave him a 69 and was only three shots behind. “I made eight pars in a row, and then it’s like, `OK, you’re either going to make a birdie or a bogey. What’s going to come first?’ And I ended up making bogey,” McIlroy said. “There’s a long way to go.” DeChambeau can use all the science he wants with calculations for altitude and air density. The difference for him on this day wasn’t that difficult to figure out. “I just made a lot of putts today,” he said. His big run began on the 18th hole with a 15-foot birdie putt. He got up-and-down from short of the green on the reachable par-4 first hole, made a 15-footer on the net hole, added a few birdies inside 6 feet, and then made a 25-foot birdie. That apparently wasn’t enough. His tee shot on the 223-yard seventh hole with a green fronted by water went toward the back of the putting surface, leaving DeChambeau a downhill putt that is tough to lag. His putt was perfect pace, and a perfect line, as it turned out. “I just threw my hands up in the air. I mean, come on. Who thinks I’m going to make this one?” DeChambeau said. “Matt (Fitzpatrick) just looked at me and he was like, `What are you doing? Go get a lottery ticket or something.'” Reed seems to play his best with a chip on his shoulder. “I’m not going to lie, just the whole thing on the outside distracts us from our ultimate goal, and that’s to go out and play great golf and continue to try to improve every day on and off the golf course,” Reed said. “As long as you’re doing that, then you’re living the right way. So at the end of the day, you can’t please everybody, and I feel like I’m doing everything I need to be doing to continue to strive in the game of golf, hopefully on and off the golf course.” Most intriguing of the lot is van Rooyen, who finished the year among the top 50 to earn his first trip to The Masters. Now it’s about building a schedule on the road to Augusta. He has a sponsor exemption to the Honda Classic — van Rooyen moved to the area last summer — and needs to be in the top 50 each of the next two weeks to get into the Arnold Palmer Invitational and THE PLAYERS Championship. He currently is at No. 52. “I think at a tournament like this and a field like this, if you can play well, you can play well anywhere,” van Rooyen said. “So if I continue the way I’m going, it’ll be a big confidence booster.” Defending champion Dustin Johnson continued to struggle. A two-time winner in Mexico, Johnson has made only three birdies in two days. He shot 71 on Friday and was 16 shots behind.

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Update on March 16: Tiger Woods is back at home in Florida to continue his recovery from leg injuries suffered in a single car accident in Los Angeles last month. The 82-time PGA TOUR winner wrote on social media that he had been released from hospital care in California and was back in his state of residence on the East Coast. He used the opportunity to thank those helping him through the process of healing from the comminuted open fractures in both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula, and extensive damage to his ankle, suffered when his vehicle rolled over. "Happy to report that I am back home and continuing my recovery. I am so grateful for the outpouring of support and encouragement that I have received over the past few weeks," Woods said in his statement. "Thank you to the incredible surgeons, doctors, nurses and staff at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. You have all taken such great care of me and I cannot thank you enough." Woods gave no update on the progress of his recovery other than to say, "I will be recovering at home and working on getting stronger every day." Update on March 10: Speaking ahead of his title defense at THE PLAYERS Championship, Rory McIlroy revealed Tiger Woods is hopeful of returning home to Florida in the near future. Joining Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show”, McIlroy revealed the 82-time PGA TOUR winner has been talking about making the move from his hospital bed in Los Angeles back to Florida to continue his recovery from the accident. "I've spoken to him a little bit," McIlroy said. "He's doing better. I think all the guys have reached out to him. Hopefully if things go well over the next week or so, he might be able to get home and start recovery at home, which would be great for him. See his kids, see his family. But yeah, he's doing better. And I think all of us are wishing him a speedy recovery at this point." McIlroy also revealed Woods' trademark humor and ribbing hasn't diminished since he suffered multiple leg fractures in the single-vehicle accident. The Northern Irishman received texts during and after the final round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard where he was in contention before fading to a T10 finish. "He texted me some words of encouragement before the final round of Bay Hill on Sunday," McIlroy added. "And things didn't quite go to plan, and he was the first one to text me and be like, ‘What's going on here?' So even from the hospital bed, he's still giving me some heat." Update on February 28: Golfers from the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, LPGA Tour and even the maintenance staff at the Puerto Rico Open wore red and black on Sunday to support Tiger Woods. Woods shared his appreciation for the gesture on Twitter. Update on February 26: LOS ANGELES - Tiger Woods is "recovering and in good spirits" after receiving further procedures on the injuries he suffered in a single-car accident earlier this week. Woods underwent unspecified follow-up procedures at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after being transported from the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center on Wednesday night. Cedars-Sinai has catered to professional athletes on numerous occasions due to a renowned Sports Medicine Institute and a rehabilitation program for sports-related and orthopedic injuries. "Tiger has moved to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and received follow-up procedures on his injuries this morning. The procedures were successful, and he is now recovering and in good spirits," a statement on Woods' twitter account said. "Tiger and his family want to thank you all for the wonderful support and messages they have received over the past few days. We will not have any further updates at this time. Thank you for your continued privacy." RELATED: TOUR players, sports world, celebrities wish Woods well Update on February 24: Tiger Woods suffered significant injuries to his right leg and remains hospitalized after a single-car accident in Rancho Palos Verdes on Tuesday morning. The 82-time PGA TOUR winner underwent surgery after suffering comminuted open fractures to the upper and lower sections of his right leg along with significant trauma to his ankle. "As previously communicated, Tiger was involved in a single-car accident earlier (Tuesday) morning in California. He has undergone a long surgical procedure on his lower right leg and ankle after being brought to the hospital," a statement on Woods' Twitter account from the TGR foundation team read, before passing on an update on his condition from the hospital. "Mr. Woods suffered significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery by Orthopedic trauma specialists at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a level one trauma center," Dr. Anish Mahajan, Chief Medical Officer & Interim CEO at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center added. "Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia. Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle was stabilized with a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscle and soft tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling." The statement closed by confirming Woods is in recovery. "He’s currently awake, responsive, and recovering in his hospital room. Thank you to the wonderful doctors and hospital staff at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department and the Fire Department. Your support and assistance has been outstanding. "There are no further updates at this time and we continue to thank you for your well-wishes and privacy for him and his family." Woods, who was in town to host The Genesis Invitational last week, was driving alone in an SUV when his vehicle rolled over while traveling northbound on Hawthorne Boulevard, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said via statement earlier Tuesday. "On February 23, 2021, at approximately 7:12 AM LASD responded to a single vehicle roll-over traffic collision on the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes. The vehicle was traveling northbound on Hawthorne Boulevard at Blackhorse Road, when it crashed. The vehicle sustained major damage," the statement read in part. "The driver and sole occupant was identified as PGA (TOUR) golfer Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods. Mr. Woods was extricated from the wreck ... then transported to a local hospital by ambulance for his injuries." The Sheriff's Department said Woods was conscious when first responders reached his side and was calm and lucid. He was extricated with the help of a Halligan tube (pry bar) and an axe to get him through the front windshield before being transported to the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. "He was alive, and he was conscious. There was no evidence of impairment at the scene," Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, the first to respond to the scene, confirmed Woods was wearing his seatbelt. "The fact that he was wearing his seatbelt, I would say, it greatly increased the likelihood it saved his life." Gonzalez said. PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan said the entire TOUR community had Woods' well-being in their thoughts. "We have been made aware of Tiger Woods' car accident today. We are awaiting further information when he comes out of surgery. On behalf of the PGA TOUR and our players, Tiger is in our prayers and will have our full support as he recovers," Monahan said via statement. The 45-year-old Woods stayed back after the tournament to film GOLFTV content that included giving celebrities golf lessons - actors David Spade and Jada Pinkett Smith were among those who tweeted about their encounters on Monday prior to the accident. On Sunday Woods told the CBS broadcast he was unsure of when he would return from his recent back surgery, a fifth such procedure since April 2017. The last time he played competitive golf was with his son Charlie in December's PNC Championship. "I’m feeling fine," Woods said Sunday. "I’m a little bit stiff. I have one more MRI scheduled so that we’ll see if the annulus (fibrosus) is scarred over finally and see if I can start doing more activities. But still in the gym, still doing the mundane stuff that you have to do for rehab, the little things before I can start gravitating towards something a little more.”

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