Zach Johnson starts fast with 63 at the Travelers Championship

Click here to read the full article…

Tiger Woods’ comeback will hit another benchmark this week, regardless of the outcome. He’s playing consecutive PGA TOUR events for the first time since 2015. It’s a positive sign about his health. Now his game needs work. Woods arrives at one of the PGA TOUR’s most penal layouts on the heels of shooting 72-76 at the Genesis Open. He hit less than half his fairways and greens at Riviera. He missed the cut by four shots after shooting 39 on his final nine holes. Much of the enthusiasm that amassed after Woods scrambled his way to a top-25 finish at Torrey Pines was dampened by last week’s performance, which made it evident that Woods may be farther from contending than previously thought. He needs more “repsâ€� under tournament conditions to see how his new swing, and new body, respond under the pressure of tournament competition, he said. “I can’t create the same angles that I used to be able to create naturally, … and I’m still learning what that feels like under the gun,â€� Woods said after Wednesday’s pro-am. After taking last weekend off, he practiced Monday and Tuesday before playing the pro-am at PGA National. Woods, who isn’t working with a swing coach, didn’t change course after playing poorly last week. He worked on the same swing keys that have been his focus since his latest comeback began. “I just need to get better at (it),â€� he said. He’ll be challenged this week by a course that threatens to harshly expose the slightest miscue. Riviera and Torrey Pines aren’t easy, but they offer a more traditional test. PGA National’s Champion Course is one of those water-lined Florida courses where players can quickly rack up penalty strokes. Over the past two seasons, it had the third-most balls hit in the water (590) on the PGA TOUR. Excluding the majors, PGA National was the 12th-hardest course on TOUR in 2017. It was the second-hardest the previous year. Its infamous “Bear Trapâ€� has been the third-hardest three-hole stretch on TOUR over the past decade. “It’s a place that demands your full attention at all times,â€� said defending champion Rickie Fowler. The south Florida breezes are expected to blow all week, as well. Woods should know. Scanning the weather forecast has been one of the habits he’s resumed now that he’s back to competing on a regular basis. “I’m starting to get into that flow again,â€� he said. There have been promising signs with his short game and putting, but he has struggled with his full swing. He would rank 152nd in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green if he had enough rounds to be listed in the official stats. He’ll have to hit the ball better to have a chance this week. “It’s a ball-striker’s golf course,â€� said 2012 Honda champion Rory McIlroy. “You can’t up-and-down it around here and expect to win. You have to hit fairways. You have to hit greens and you have to just take your chances when they come along.â€� Woods first played The Honda Classic in 1993, when he was 17 years old. He played the Monday pro-am with a foursome of NFL quarterbacks: Dan Marino, Bernie Kosar, Phil Simms and Mark Rypien. Woods shot 72-78 to miss the cut. It would be 19 years until he returned, after he moved to nearby Jupiter Island. Woods played at PGA National for three consecutive years before back problems prevented him from playing. His 69.0 scoring average in limited action at PGA National is the lowest at the course since 2010 (minimum six rounds), though that won’t make this week’s task any easier. This will be his first start in this event in four years. He withdrew from the final round of the 2014 Honda Classic with a bad back. He had the first of his four back surgeries a month later. Two years earlier, Woods fired a final-round 62 to nearly earn his first victory after his personal scandal. Seeking his first win since 2009, Woods almost chased down McIlroy. Woods eagled 18 to put pressure on McIlroy, but ultimately finished two shots behind him. The 62 remains the low final round of Woods’ career. He never broke par the next year, finishing 37th. He was inside the top 20 entering 2014’s final round before walking off on the 14th green. This will be just his 20th TOUR event since. “I’m so happy I’m not in pain anymore,â€� Woods said Wednesday. Getting his game back is the next step.

Click here to read the full article…

ATLANTA – Notes and observations from the third round of the TOUR Championship, where Paul Casey holds a two-shot lead after shooting 65 on Saturday. For more from East Lake Golf Club, click here to read the Daily Wrap-Up. CASEY NOT BACKING DOWN Casey may lead the TOUR Championship, but the FedExCup’s top two players used late rallies Saturday to keep their FedExCup chances alive. Justin Thomas, who’s T4 in the TOUR Championship, is just 220 points behind Casey in the projected standings, while Jordan Spieth is just 246 points back. Spieth is T13 in the TOUR Championship. Thomas struggled for most of Saturday, but made birdie on two of his final three holes to shoot 70. He’s in a three-way tie for fourth at 7-under 203, five shots behind Casey. If Casey, who has one PGA TOUR win in 219 career TOUR starts, wins the TOUR Championship, Thomas can still win the FedExCup with a third-place finish. The last time the TOUR Championship winner didn’t also win the FedExCup? In 2009, when Phil Mickelson won the tournament and Tiger Woods claimed the FedExCup. Spieth is eight shots off the lead, but his FedExCup chances also are still alive. He birdied three of his final six holes to shoot 69 on Saturday. He’s trying to join Tiger Woods as the only players to win the FedExCup multiple times. “I was 2 over through 11 holes and I missed about a 3‑footer for birdie on the 12th and I really could be at 1 or 2 over for the tournament right now pretty easily,â€� Spieth said. “I did a great job of keeping myself in the FedExCup race and really in a solid position. I know that I’m capable of going low on this golf course.â€� If Casey wins the TOUR Championship, Spieth could still win the FedExCup with a T4 finish at East Lake. He is three shots out of fourth place. KIS CONTENDING Kevin Kisner took to Twitter on Friday night to request a helicopter ride from East Lake to Athens, Georgia, so that he could watch his beloved Georgia Bulldogs play Saturday night. He may be able to buy a helicopter come Sunday. Kisner shot Saturday’s low round, a 6-under 64, to put himself in contention for the TOUR Championship and FedExCup. He’s tied for second, two shots behind Casey.   I need a helicopter to take me to Athens tomorrow after the round to make the game. Who has one in ATL?— Kevin Kisner (@K_Kisner) September 22, 2017 Saturday’s 64 was Kisner’s low career round at East Lake by three shots. He broke par in just one of his first eight rounds at East Lake, but has shot in the 60s in all three rounds this year, shooting 68-68-64. Kisner gave the local fans something to cheer about before he cheered on Georgia in its Saturday evening game against Mississippi State. “It’s awesome being able to hear all the ‘Go Dawgs’ out there,â€� Kisner said. “There’s a lot of people I know and a lot of people that love me and like me out here, so I feel like it’s kind of a hometown event.â€� CALL OF THE DAY XANDER GOING LOW Xander Schauffele squeaked into the field at East Lake with a furious finish at the BMW Championship. Now he has a second PGA TOUR title within his reach. Schauffele shot Saturday’s second-lowest round, a 5-under 65, to pull within two shots of Casey. Schauffele already is a virtual lock for the PGA TOUR’s Rookie of the Year award. A win this week would add another accomplishment to an impressive rookie season. Schauffele got into the TOUR Championship by shooting 6 under on the final six holes of last week’s BMW Championship. He won this year’s The Greenbrier Classic and posted top-20 finishes at two majors (U.S. Open and the Open Championship), the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and two of the first three events of the FedExCup Playoffs. “It’s all surreal,â€� Schauffele said of this season’s success, “and I’m going to try and keep that mindset for tomorrow, just kind of have that nothing‑to‑lose mindset and see where it takes us.â€� SHOT OF THE DAY BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Click here to read the full article…