Updates on Tiger Woods from Thursday at The Open

Sungjae Im earned his first PGA TOUR victory at The Honda Classic. Here’s a look inside his bag. RELATED: Final leaderboard Driver: Titleist TS3 (9.5) Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 7 3-wood: Titleist TS2 (13.5) Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 8 Hybrid: Titleist 818H2 (19 degrees) Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 105 Irons: T100 (4-9) irons Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (52.08F), (56.08M), SM7 (60.04L) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 6S Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

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SANDWICH, England – Adam Scott walked off from a practice round late Tuesday evening at Royal St. George’s with a satisfied grin. “She’s way fairer than she used to be,” the Aussie beamed. She – in this case – was Royal St. George’s. The Open Championship course Scott battled away on in 2003 and 2011 brings a unique challenge. Call them mounds, moguls, humps or bumps – whatever you prefer. But they litter the fairways on this links course and can send a good shot into a not so good place. It is one of the reasons why Scott’s idol Greg Norman’s then-record final round 64 in 1993 was lauded as one of the greatest in major history. Norman was the first Open champion with four rounds in the 60s (four others have since joined him) and his 267 was the lowest winning total in Open history (Henrik Stenson’ 264 and final round 63 from 2016 are now records). Gene Sarazen, who was 91 when he witnessed Norman’s round, called it, “the greatest championship in all my 70 years in golf.” Sarazen is one of five men to complete the career Grand Slam. Trawl through old interviews and you can find a plethora of players referencing the luck needed at Royal St. George’s. It helps one better understand why long-shots Ben Curtis (2003) and Darren Clarke (2011) triumphed here. “This course certainly puts a demand on trying to get the right bounce, that’s for sure. These fairways are very difficult to try and hit, especially with all the mounding in them. And anytime the wind blows it makes it even more difficult,” Tiger Woods said pre-2003. While it has hosted the fourth-most Opens, and most in England, Royal St. George’s has rarely been called anyone’s favorite, most likely because – as Justin Rose put it in 2011 – it’s “almost like playing on the surface of the moon.” Scotland’s Sandy Lyle, winner of the 1985 Open, put Royal St. George’s in a class with Carnoustie and Royal Birkdale as “the beasts” of the Open rota. A combined seven players have finished under par in the past two Opens at St. George’s. “There are no adjoining fairways like a lot of links courses,” Lyle told ESPN. “You get deeper and deeper into the rubbish. You have to be very accurate in places and it’s not a very friendly course if it is breezy.” And Norman himself prior to his domination in 1993 said, “I’d swear the Royal Air Force used a couple of the fairways for bombing runs.” But in 2021, Scott is among many who believe the disproportionate bad luck of the past should be tempered this time around. One such fan is 2014 champion Rory McIlroy who was not a happy chap coming off with a T25 in 2011, but after early reconnaissance work this week he felt differently. “I walked away from the golf course on Saturday and Sunday thinking, this is a much better golf course than I remember it being, and I think that’s just because of the way it’s playing right now,” said McIlroy, a two-time FedExCup champion. “It’s certainly not as penal or unfair as it has been in previous years. 2011, it was a little bit like that, but looking back to ’03, for example, it looked really burnt and crispy then, and it looked like a bit of a pinball machine out there. But that’s not going to be the case this week. It’s a lot more lush. It’s a lot more green. “I think it’s perfect, and as the days go on with a little bit of wind and sunshine, by the weekend it should just be absolutely perfect. It should be playing the way it should play.” Home country hero Lee Westwood believes officials will look to keep the fairways in check to further avoid the bad luck bounce. The veteran faces his 88th major start and should he not win, he will own the longest streak without a victory. “The fairways are softer than they were last time. I spoke to Martin Slumbers on Monday evening, and he said they’re probably going to water some of the fairways to stop that happening, as well,” Westwood revealed. “You can’t have really bouncy fairways carrying it off into rough that’s this high that you’re hacking out of, undulating fairways. “This course was laid down with the fairways like that and undulating, designed to go into the rough where you’d have a shot but it would be a flying lie and you’d have to judge that. It wasn’t designed to land in the fairways and go into rough where you’re hacking out with lob wedge. I think they’re probably trying to get more into that.” Marc Leishman is facing his first Open Championship on the course. He has three top-6 finishes previously in this major and is regarded by some as a links golf specialist. The six-time TOUR winner says it’s not the bad bounces that will matter – it’s your response to them. “That’s the beauty of links golf sometimes,” Leishman said. “You know you’ll get the odd quirky bounce here and there and it might be frustrating but you have to be able to let it go and move on. “I try to see each shot I’m asked to play as an opportunity to use my creativity or golf brain so to speak. When you embrace the different questions links golf asks you and be prepared to accept there might be a few answers that would not normally be the case, then good things can happen.” Good things won’t happen to those players who spray the ball wide off the tee though. The thick luscious rough Westwood referenced awaits – the type where escaping can feel near impossible. Woods lost his first ball in pro golf on his first tee shot in 2003. Jerry Kelly made an 11 on the same hole without losing a ball. So while there may be less carnage, there will still be enough to satisfy those who enjoy watching that sort of thing.

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Adam Hadwin ... As understandable as it is to accept that he went six months post-shutdown without a top 25 because his first child was born very early in 2020, it's also reason to elevate the expectations again now. After taking time to celebrate his daughter's first birthday a few weeks ago, he returned to competition with a T32 at PGA WEST and a T18 at Torrey Pines. Not only did the latter end the top-25 drought, it also was a personal-best finish of six appearances. The 33-year-old Canuck carries that momentum into TPC Scottsdale where he's been a fixture since his rookie season of 2014-15. Dating back to a T17 in his second start in 2016, he's 5-for-5 with a pair of top 20s. Patton Kizzire ... With his 35th birthday a month away (on March 3), his recent performances align with being in his prime. He's strung together eight consecutive paydays, four of which for a top 25. The latest was a T7 at Waialae where he prevailed three years ago. He's also 4-for-5 at TPC Scottsdale but he's still in pursuit of his first top 30. If his play upon arrival isn't enough to convince that he'll record a personal best this week, consider that he's currently T18 on TOUR in total driving, 43rd in greens hit, 22nd in Strokes Gained: Putting and 20th in adjusted scoring. Keith Mitchell ... The 29-year-old has been enduring the learning curve since a successful rookie season of 2017-18 and breakthrough victory at The Honda Classic in 2019. Only a chosen few are immune from its gravitational pull. For those who survive it, it should be referred to instead as the rite of passage. He had been mostly quiet since a T5 at Bay Hill in the week before the pandemic wiped away three months of competition in 2020. Then, as unpredictable as golf can be, he went off for respective middle rounds of 62 and 63 at Waialae three weeks ago and finish T14. If that indicates that he's "close" - and why shouldn't it? - perhaps he can find some of the same magic at TPC Scottsdale where he led the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and total driving en route to a T16 last year. Nate Lashley ... Among the throng of Scottsdale residents sleeping in their own beds this week. While it can be a distraction seemingly as often as it's beneficial, he proved the latter in his debut last year. After withdrawing from his previous start at PGA WEST with an injured wrist two weeks prior, he went on to connect four sub-70s for a three-way tie for third place with consistently strong approach play taking the pressure off his putter and allowing it to do work. It's the kind of formula that defines local knowledge even in a tournament debut. Furthermore, there wasn't much in advance to suggest that a reversal of form was on tap. It's a narrative that could be repeated in his return. Since the podium finish at TPC Scottsdale, he's recorded only one top-35 finish, that a solo fourth at Corales in September. Bo Hoag ... The PGA TOUR sophomore isn't taking his card for granted after squeaking into the 2020 FedExCup Playoffs as the last man inside the top-125 bubble. He's 5-for-11 this season with three top 25s and sits 97th in points. After stumbling out of the gate in the fall, he's signed for 16 red numbers following 18 rounds, including both on the South Course at Torrey Pines on the weekend where he finished T18 for his second top 20 in as many weeks. Now he descends on TPC Scottsdale for the first time with a solid blend of precision on approach and confidence with the putter. He ranks 12th in conversation percentage inside 10 feet. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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