Two teams share Zurich Classic of New Orleans lead

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods might not be ready for TOUR-level golf. He can still deliver quite a show. In a remarkable return from a car crash ten months ago that badly damaged his right leg, Woods and 12-year-old son Charlie set a tournament record with eleven straight birdies and pushed John Daly and his college son all the way to the finish Sunday in the PNC Championship. Daly and John Daly II, a freshman at Arkansas, won by two shots. It might have been the widest Woods ever smiled after a runner-up finish. “The fact that I’m able to have this opportunity this year — even a couple weeks ago we didn’t really know whether or not I would be doing this,” Woods said. “But here we are. And we had just best time ever.” The birdie streak ended on the final hole, allowing Team Daly room for error they didn’t need. Daly birdied the 16th hole to regain the lead and they stayed in front when Woods and his son both chipped too strong on the par-5 closing hole and missed 8-foot birdie putts. Daly and John Daly II two-putted for birdie on the 18th for a 57 and set the record that mattered. They finished at 27-under par, breaking by one the tournament mark set by Davis Love III and his son three years ago. The most popular offseason event that pairs major champions and a family member suddenly felt tense on a warm Florida afternoon, all because of Woods and everything that led to him playing again. Woods suffered multiple injuries to his right leg on Feb. 23 when his SUV traveling about 85 mph crashed through a median and down a hill in the Los Angeles suburbs. He said amputation was a possibility. It took three months for him to get on his feet with help of crutches. And he ended the year in a Sunday red shirt, holing birdie putts and delivering short irons that led to one birdie after another and a chase that felt like old times. This wasn’t just about Woods. His son, playing this event for the second straight year, delivered the goods down the stretch, particularly a 5-iron to 4 feet on the par-3 17th that gave them a tie for the lead going to the 18th. Team Daly was two groups behind and held it steady. It was only one month ago when Woods first posted a three-second video showing him hitting a short iron with the message, “Making progress.” He was hitting balls at the back of the range at Albany in the Bahamas two weeks ago. He was able to ride a cart at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando, which helped him get by in the 36-hole event. And he kept insisting that TOUR-level golf is still a long way and a lot of work ahead of him. But there was no shortage of birdies, big shots and loads of hopes for a fairy tale end. “The competitive juices, they are never going to go away. This is my environment,” Woods said. “This is what I’ve done my entire life. I’m just so thankful to be able to have this opportunity to do it again.”

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BLAINE, Minn. – When Bryson DeChambeau got his first look at TPC Twin Cities on Tuesday, he thought 14 or 15 under might end up being the winning score at the inaugural 3M Open. Turns out, he only needed two rounds to get there, though. Not four. So DeChambeau has to readjust his goals now after Friday’s course-record-tying 62 left him at 14 under and leading by four. The bogey-free round of 9 under matched Scott Piercy’s number on Thursday, a performance that DeChambeau said “opened the floodgates a little bit.â€� It was also the lowest score the 25-year-old has ever shot on the PGA TOUR. “Certainly, me doing that today inspires me to even do better over the weekend,â€� DeChambeau said. “I know I can do it. I know I still left a couple out there, lipped out a couple short putts. Although I made a lot of putts, I’m not going to take that for granted.â€� Charles Howell III, who played with DeChambeau and Keegan Bradley in the first two rounds, finished with a 66 that included a pair of eagles, one of which came courtesy of a wedge from 80 yards on the par-4 seventh that sucked back into the hole. As good as his own round was, though, Howell came away impressed. “Well, playing with Bryson, it was ‑‑ it was a good round,â€� Howell said when asked about his 5-under tally. “Not great. It was great playing with a guy going low out there, especially coming to a new venue where you quite don’t know what to expect. “You see these guys keep pressing and pressing like he was doing. He kind of drug Keegan and I along with him.â€� Bradley couldn’t quite keep pace with DeChambeau and Howell, shooting a 68 that left him 4 under for 36 holes. But he added to the highlight reel when he drained an improbable 61-footer at the second hole, his fourth birdie in the last five holes. Howell said seeing DeChambeau play so well set the tone for the round. “Bryson was obviously, he had two great days of putting, so it’s nice as a golfer to see balls going in the hole and see guys going low and doing well,â€� Howell said. “Yeah, and whatever you may want to call that, drafting, whatever it may be, it matters I think, yes.â€� DeChambeau has not made a bogey this week. He’s finding fairways, nine in each of the first two rounds, and was spot-on with the putter on Friday, making five birdie putts of more than 19 feet. “Whenever I can roll a couple putts in from 20 feet or more, that gives you a lot of confidence for the game,â€� DeChambeau said. “And when you’re striking it well and driving it where you’re looking, that’s obviously very positive. “I know it’s cliche to say that, but it’s just what it is unfortunately. Kind of get into a rhythm a little bit, the zone, and it just feels good sometimes.â€� 

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