Welcome to a kinder, gentler Royal St. George’s. Will it stay that way?

Justin Waters took full advantage of his early start time to shoot an 8-under 64 Thursday in the first round of the rain-affected UK Championship, giving him a three-shot clubhouse lead. Four players were tied for second, three shots behind Waters – including Benjamin Hebert of France and Bernd Wiesberger of Austria. Two-time major winner Martin Kaymer was among eight players another shot back at the Belfry, which is hosting a European Tour event for the first time in 12 years.

Still feeling the effects of an awkward shot in the opening round, the defending Honda Classic champion said he was dealing with “a dead arm” Friday as he battled his way through a topsy-turvy 4-over 74 in the second round at PGA National. That left Thomas at 2 over for the tournament, right on what became the cut line. “My mind is just all over the place,” said Thomas, the world’s third-ranked player who is trying to become the first player since Jack Nicklaus in the late 1970s to win the Honda in consecutive years.

Course setups at the U.S. Open are usually controversial, to put it lightly, never more so than two years ago, at Chambers Bay. The 2015 U.S. Open looked downright unplayable at times, and the course was so dry and bumpy that runner-up Dustin Johnson, who famously missed a short putt to tie on the final hole, later blamed the greens for his stumble. Take that one with a grain of salt, but DJ wasn’t the only player to complain about the course. Far from it. There was a chorus of critics, and none louder than Gary Player. Here’s what he said about the course at the time: “The worst golf course I might’ve ever seen in the 63 years as a professional golfer… The USGA, who I admire and have chosen