Will home-course advantage help Rory win Open?

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Tiger Woods arrived at the Farmers Insurance Open this week with two drivers and two 3-woods in the bag. It wasn’t an innovative bag setup aimed at tackling both Torrey Pines courses, however. Rather, the 15-time major champion was testing TaylorMade’s new SIM driver and SIM Max Rocket 3-wood. Eternally discerning with his equipment, Woods was mulling over the switch from the TaylorMade M5 models of each club he played last year. We’re including the specs for all the clubs pictured in Woods’ bag, but we can report it’s the SIM driver and M5 3-wood that Woods put into play in Thursday’s first round as he chases his record-breaking 83rd PGA TOUR victory. Following his round – a 3-under 69 on the North course – Woods was asked if he was pleased with his new equipment. “Yeah, I was,â€� replied Woods, who averaged 293 yards off the tee while hitting 57.18% of his fairways. “I felt like the start lines were a little bit tighter, which was nice. Felt like I shaped the ball well off the tees. I didn’t quite get as many fairways as I needed to today, but overall all my misses were in good spots.â€� Woods also was asked about the new Bridgestone Tour B XS ball that he put into play. “I felt like I picked up maybe probably a quarter of a club in my irons, which was nice, without sacrificing any spin around the greens,â€� Woods said. “I think it’s a little bit better in the wind, into the wind. I don’t feel like I have to flight the ball as much as I did with my other ball, I don’t have to lean on it as much, so technology certainly helps.â€� All photos below are courtesy of GolfWRX. Driver: TaylorMade SIM (9 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White 60 TX Driver: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White 60 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade M5 (15 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade SIM Max Rocket 3 (14 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White 70 TX 5-wood: TaylorMade M3 (19 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White 80 TX Irons: TaylorMade P7TW (3-PW) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Wedges: TaylorMade MG 2 “Tiger MT Grind” (56-12, 60-11 degrees) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS Grip: Ping PP58 Blackout Golf ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord More Tiger photos from his bag can be found at GolfWRX’s official site.

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With the Charles Schwab Challenge, scheduled for June 11-14 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, the PGA TOUR is set to lead the way as professional sports begin to emerge from a nearly three-month quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic. As to how it will do that, the answer is very carefully. “It’s really a layered approach that we’ve taken, and the heart of it is social distancing,â€� the TOUR’s Senior Vice President and Chief of Operations Tyler Dennis told reporters Wednesday on a call that also included Chief Tournaments and Competitions Officer Andy Pazder and Senior Vice President of Tournament Administration Andy Levinson. That layered approach will include plenty of testing. Players and caddies will be expected to comply with medical questionnaires, thermal (temperature) readings and RT-PCR nasal swabs. It will start before they travel to tournaments and continue when they arrive. “We’re excited about how the PGA TOUR can play a role here in the world’s return, if you will, to enjoying things we love and doing so in a responsible manner,â€� Dennis said. Pazder concurred, calling this moment “a unique opportunityâ€� to lead the way. Players such as Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy and Brendon Todd have said they’re in and will do whatever is needed to return to competition. All three will be in action at Colonial, and McIlroy has said he’ll play the first three tournaments back, which will also include the RBC Heritage (South Carolina) and Travelers Championship (Connecticut). (For more on McIlroy’s schedule, click here.) Asked this week if he had any reservations, McIlroy said, “I don’t think so. If you take necessary precautions … face cover … washing hands … practicing social distancing, I really do think it is possible. If everyone follows guidelines, I don’t see why it’s not possible. Will be comfortable with logistics. I feel comfortable getting back out there.â€� Specifics were outlined in a document sent to players Tuesday. The plan was two months in the making and formed with input from PGA TOUR medical adviser Dr. Tom Hospel and the Federal Coronavirus Task Force, plus other specialists and laboratory directors, and in consultation with other professional sports leagues. The TOUR will provide masks and sanitizer at tournament sites, part of a significantly enhanced disinfectant and hygiene program. The number of people allowed inside any structure concurrently will be monitored and restricted. Most important will be a comprehensive testing and screening program that seeks to protect all involved. “For the player and caddie group,â€� Levinson said, “we are going to be providing that group with a pre‑travel testing program, and the purpose of this is really for those individuals to understand whether or not they have the virus before they travel to a tournament market. “And then upon arrival,â€� he added, “everyone will report to a testing area, likely at a designated hotel, where they will undergo all three screening methods: The questionnaire, thermal reading, and a PCR test. … Everybody who comes on‑site at our events will have to go through a questionnaire and thermal screening before entering the property, and participation is a condition of competition.â€� Although the results of PCR tests can take up to three days or longer, Levinson said the TOUR is working with local laboratories in an effort to shave that waiting time down to “a matter of hours instead of a matter of days.â€� One caveat: It must be done without taking resources away from local communities. “We’re actually studying this very carefully,â€� Dennis said, “and everything we’ve designed is being done in a way that does not do that.â€� Anyone who presents with an elevated temperature will consult with a tournament physician, and in certain cases go from there to COVID-19 testing. “In the event we have a positive test,â€� Levinson said, “we will comply with all local health authorities as well as CDC guidelines, and that would include isolating that individual and may require a period of isolation or an extended time.â€� The TOUR will support players with specialized medical care and supplies throughout the isolation period, he said, “and any player or caddie who were to test positive during an event would receive a stipend associated with the cost of that isolation period.â€� Healthy players and caddies will have access to chartered jets between tournament sites. With the TOUR’s relaunch a month away, it’s all about minimizing risk. Levinson freely admits there is no way to eradicate that risk completely, not yet, but as the players and caddies know best, with the toughest recovery shots there never is.

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