Roundup: Tiger's Back! Looks Sharp In Hero Opening 69

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The reviews were understandably positive as Tiger opened with a 69 in his Hero World Challenge comeback from a fusion surgery some believed was career-ending.

A few shaky wedge shots that looked more rusty than yippy to me dropped the performance from an A to maybe an A-, but Woods otherwise looked like his persistent old self. The coverage noted the grinding and driving distance, regularly at 320 yards with the big stick.

Steve DiMeglio for USA Today:

On the fourth hole of his latest comeback, the Tiger Woods of old showed up when he chunked a short chip shot.

Moments later, the Tiger of old showed up again when he buried a 20-footer for par on the same hole and uncorked the first fist pump of his comeback.

While Woods called his ballyhooed return “up and down,” he produced far more roars than groans in Thursday’s first round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course. In his first start in 10 months and just his fourth in two years, the former world No. 1 didn’t have any issues with his surgically repaired back and was a physical, powerful brute with driver in hand — regularly exceeding 320 yards off the tee.

Doug Ferguson for the AP:

Unlike a year ago, when Woods ended a 15-month hiatus from his ailing back, he didn’t show any fatigue at the end of his round or make any big numbers. His only regret was playing the par 5s at Albany Golf Club in 1-over par with two bogeys that stalled his momentum.

Coming off a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eighth, Woods hit a 3-wood that rolled up on the green and then down a slope about 30 feet from the pin. It took him four shots from there, starting with a chip that didn’t reach the green and his first expletive loud enough for television to pick up.

After his best shot of the day — a pitching wedge he hit low from 95 yards that settled a foot behind the hole for birdie on No. 14 — he sent a drive well to the right into the native dunes. Woods had to take a penalty drop to get back in play and wound up making bogey.

But it was solid enough that Woods was far more interested in the leaderboard than the fact he felt strong physically.

Bob Harig for ESPN.com:

The spinal fusion surgery meant Woods had to wait six months to take full swings, and did not get back to hitting balls in earnest until mid-October, just six weeks ago.

So hitting 7 out of 13 fairways, 12 out of 18 greens and needing 28 putts was a solid performance, even on a relatively benign Albany Golf Club course that saw 15 of the 18 players break par.

The urgency and grinding-like-few-others energy that Woods brought was evident on TV, and in person, as Jeff Babineau noted in his Golfweek lede:

Tiger Woods stood over an 8-footer to save par on his final hole in his long-awaited comeback round on Thursday at the Hero World Challenge, and he never did see the majestic double rainbow that seemed to stretch across the entire island behind him.

Typical Tiger. Some parts of his game may be rusty. His penchant for grinding is not among them.

And there was the overall gratitude of Woods to be playing again, an admission made with a candor and consideration that is boosting his karma score.

From Brian Wacker's Golf World piece:

The emotion Woods felt Thursday when he woke up for the opening round of the Hero World Challenge?

“I was very thankful this morning,” he said. “I was in my head thanking all the people who have helped me in giving me a chance to come back and play this round again.

“There were a lot of people that were instrumental in my life; friends, outside people I’ve never met before, obviously my surgeon.”

Tiger’s Masters odds fell, from 66-1 to 33-1.

 

Tiger's extended first round highlights by PGA Tour Entertainment:

Video: The Stymie Is Almost Back! Berger & Reed Ready!

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I really haven't a clue what Daniel Berger was thinking not asking Patrick Reed to mark before this eagle putt, but it's great practice for when the stymie returns! Who says these guys can't handle it? #backstoppinggoneawry

 

@db_straitvibin from the other side of the island.

A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour) on Nov 30, 2017 at 10:13am PST

 

There Goes Lawrenson's Erin Hills, USGA Welcome Mats...

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In what he saw as an otherwise exciting year in golf, Derek Lawrenson hands out his best and worst from 2017.

The veteran Daily Mail correspondent gave "Worst Tournament" to the U.S. Open at Erin Hills.

Just when you think they can't possibly cock it up for a third year running, the United States Golf Association managed to debase yet another US Open. A shocking, soulless venue in the middle of nowhere and scoring so low the tournament's raison d'etre as the hardest major was lost completely. I recently had to fill in a survey from the USGA asking what I thought of them. It's fair to say they didn't score well.

Inspired By Langer And McCarron, Scott Goes Long Again

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Jimmy Emanuel reports that former Masters champion Adam Scott will be wielding the long putter, minus the now-banned practice of anchoring, as he tees it up in the Australian PGA (Golf Channel coverage starts Wednesday at 8 pm ET).

Scott says he was inspired to try after seeing the incredible results of seniors Bernhard Langer and Scott McCarron on the PGA Tour Champions. 

“… it was actually pointed out to me that this year they (Langer and McCarron) both recorded the best ever putting stats since stats have been kept. Both of them beat the old best. You know, I don't know if it's just a coincidence or if they had just a really good year, but maybe they've found the best way to putt,” Scott said.

Study: Golfers Make A Few More Putts Looking At The Hole

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Jordan Spieth does it from time to time and many instructors have advocated looking at the hole to help struggling putters.

But according to a professor Sasho Mackenzie and student Neil MacInnis at St. Francis Xavier University, their studies show looking at the hole is productive.

Thanks reader DGS for this Elizabeth McMillan CBC story on the study, that you can find here.

They held sessions over four days with 28 experienced golfers who tested the hypothesis with breaking putts — shots where the green slopes and golfers don't aim directly for the hole.

Forty per cent of the putts where golfers looked at the target line went in the hole — three per cent more than when they kept their eyes on the ball.

To put that in perspective, MacInnis said golfers typically make 33 putting strokes a round.

"It doesn't sound like it's a big difference but if you think about it in golf terms … you're going to save one stroke a round and that's actually very meaningful for golfers," he said.

Dufner Gets A Brandel Block After (Almost) Using An Obscenity

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There is nothing quite like a Pro Golfer Twitter spat and today's Brandel Chamblee v. Jason Dufner back-and-forth resulted in a conclusion just about everyone saw coming: Chamblee blocking the 2013 PGA Champion.

This outcome made Dufner's day:

Brandel explained his thinking in blocking a major winner: 

Alex Myers of GolfDigest.com explains what precipitated the manspat--a jab at Dufner instructor Chuck Cook at a seminar, followed by a side Twitter conversation where Chamblee was included against his will. Unable to get Dufner and friend to not include him, Chamblee reached for the block button.

After sharing his joy at the blockage, Dufner went on quite the re-Tweet storm, sharing the tales of other Brandel Blockees, including one who noted Brandel's liking of a profane Tweet. A few examples:

"Rory firm's $105m loss after rights write-down"

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I haven't a clue what this means, but Gordon Deegan briefly explains why Rory McIlroy's in-house management firm took a massive $105.4 million (€88.3m) write down in 2017.

The paper loss stems from a non-cash writedown of $99m in the value of McIlroy's lifetime image rights.

The Northern Ireland golfer is unlikely to be too perturbed with the loss, with 'Forbes' magazine last year estimating that he earned $42.5m in 2016 - broken down between $35m from endorsements and $7.6m in winnings.

Deegan goes on to explain the finances of McIlroy's firm which presents far-fewer jaw dropping lines as the write-down.

Rory named his ownself as manager/agent to Rory in 2013.

Gulp: Next May's Tiger Bio Is 150,000 Words

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Alan Shipnuck of Golf.com has an exclusive first insight into Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian's 150,000 word bio of Tiger Woods, set for a May 2018 release. Besides the book's length--Downton Abbey doorstop-deep--Shipnuck also notes this:

In golf circles it has long been whispered that Tiger Woods would focus on the question of whether or not the eponymous protagonist used performance-enhancing drugs, which he has always denied. Woods has been dogged by these rumors since the 2009 reveal that he was treated by Anthony Galea, the disgraced Canadian doctor who was arrested for smuggling human growth hormone into the United States. (In 2011 Galea pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of bringing mislabeled drugs into the U.S.) Benedict and Keteyian acknowledge that there is a meaty chapter in the book examining the PED question but at this moment are not at liberty to divulge any specifics.

Golf Magazine Not Part Of Time Inc. Sale To Meredith

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From Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke and Evan Clark's WWD story on The Meredith Corporation's purchase of Time Inc.:

“Time has publicly reported that they have some assets that are currently for sale, the Time U.K., Golf magazine, Sunset and Essence. And we’re going to allow Time Inc. during this — before the close period — to go for it and consummate those transactions, and we think that they’ll have those done by the end of the calendar year,” Meredith’s chief operating officer Thomas Harty said.

The all-cash transaction was announced Sunday and features financing by the private equity arm of golfers Charles and David Koch, but appears to not be on the radar of the new owners or their partners.

I've asked for confirmation of the status of the Golf sale but a Time Inc. spokesman has ignored two requests for comment.