If you can't find a storyline at the PGA Championship this week, you're not trying. Tiger Woods is back for his second major of the season after making the cut at the Masters, ...
Tiger Woods Plays 2nd 9-hole Practice Round Ahead of 2022 PGA Championship
May 16, 2022
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - MAY 16: Tiger Woods of the United States plays a shot during a practice round prior to the start of the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club on May 16, 2022 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Ahead of this week's PGA Tournament, Tiger Woods played his second nine-hole practice round in as many days at Southern Hills Country Club.
Mark Schlabach of ESPN noted Woods played the front nine Sunday before returning to the course Monday.
When he tees off in the PGA Championship, Woods believes he'll be at a better place physically than when he competed in the Masters to signal his return to competitive golf.
"It's only going to keep getting stronger," Woods told reporters Sunday of his surgically repaired right knee. "The more I use it, the more strength it gains. Am I ever going to have full mobility? No. Never again. But I'll be able to get stronger. It's going to ache, but that's the way it's going to be."
The 15-time major champion defied expectations when he went one under in the first round of the Masters last month, putting him four shots back of tournament leader Sungjae Im. It was enough for fans to wonder whether they'd see the legend pull off another miracle at Augusta National Golf Club.
Woods steadily fell back to earth and wound up in 47th at 13 over.
That was to be expected considering the 46-year-old hadn't entered a PGA Tour event since his serious car crash in February 2021. In the immediate aftermath of the wreck, it wasn't clear whether he'd be able to continue his career at all, so seeing him simply make the cut was a welcome surprise.
The same perspective largely applies to the PGA Championship, a tournament in which Woods is +6500 to win ($100 bet wins $6,500) at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Well before the accident, Woods was clearly on the decline. The numerous injuries he had picked up over his career were adding up in a big way. His frank admission that he'll never have full mobility in his knee following the crash is a reminder of his new reality.
Woods is facing an uphill battle in pursuit of his 16th major title, and there's unlikely to be much optimism about his odds when the competition kicks off Thursday in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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Most of the betting favorites for the 2022 PGA Championship enter Southern Hills Country Club in good form...
Tiger Woods Talks Leg Injury, Says He's 'A Lot Stronger' Ahead of PGA Championship
May 16, 2022
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 10: Tiger Woods and caddie Joe LaCava shake hands on the 18th green after finishing their round during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2022 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
As he continues to prepare for this week's PGA Championship, Tiger Woods is feeling more confident in his strength since the last time he was competing.
"I've gotten a lot stronger," Woods told reporters after Sunday's practice round at Southern Hills Country Club.
Woods made his return to competition at the Masters Tournament last month, his first event since a devastating car crash in February 2021. He successfully walked all 72 holes at Augusta National, a massive accomplishment considering the serious leg injuries he had suffered just 14 months prior. After opening with a one-under 71 in the first round and making the cut, Woods finished the tournament at 13 over.
The 46-year-old said he continued to stay active immediately after the Masters, and he believes it's paid off.
"We went back to work on Tuesday [after the Masters]. Monday was awful. I did nothing and Tuesday was leg day. So, we went right back after it," Woods said. "We started ramping up a week or so ago, played a little bit more golf, and it was good. Everything is better."
A 15-time major winner, Woods trails Jack Nicklaus' all-time record by three. He will be selective with which events he plays, likely saving his strength for the most important competitions. But Woods acknowledged that playing more will only benefit him in regaining his strength and getting used to playing in his current condition.
"It's only going to keep getting stronger," Woods said of his leg. "The more I use it, the more strength it gains. Am I ever going to have full mobility? No. Never again. But I'll be able to get stronger. It's going to keep getting better. It's going to keep getting stronger. It's going to ache, but that's the way it's going to be."
AT&T Byron Nelson 2022: K.H. Lee Claims Title over Jordan Spieth with Final-Round 63
May 15, 2022
MCKINNEY, TEXAS - MAY 15: K.H. Lee of South Korea reacts to his birdie on the 12th hole during the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch on May 15, 2022 in McKinney, Texas. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
K.H. Lee entered rarefied air as he successfully defended his title in the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.
Lee joins Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead as the only golfers to win the event in back-to-back years.
K.H. Lee defends his title! 🏆🏆
The South Korean is the first in 42 years to go back-to-back @ATTByronNelson. pic.twitter.com/zPT8L5IcUP
He went nine under in the final round to end at 26 under for the tournament. Jordan Spieth finished second at 25 under, and Hideki Matsuyama and Sebastian Munoz tied for third at 24 under.
Lee's grip on the lead appeared to be slipping after his tee shot on No. 17 landed in the rough on the lip of a green-side bunker. Standing in the bunker, he had a difficult time maintaining his footing and finding the right angle with which to strike the ball.
Lee's chip came to a stop 12 feet from the hole, and he sank his par putt to remain at 25 and hold his challengers at arm's length.
Spieth was the sentimental favorite at TPC Craig Ranch. The Texan said leading up to the tournament the AT&T Byron Nelson is "obviously the one that’s starred on the calendar."
Spieth is milessssss better with driver than just a month ago—limiting the big misses and hitting it long, too. Whatever happens the rest of this round, he will take massive confidence into next week. Oh baby.
The 28-year-old's inconsistency was his undoing. He bogeyed two of his first three holes in the final round and lost another stroke on No. 10 after making the turn to the back nine. With the scoring where it was Sunday, losing any ground was costly.
Spieth had a nine-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole. Sinking that would've put him into a tie with Lee atop the leaderboard. His putt rolled to the left, though, and with the miss, his odds of walking away with a victory all but evaporated.
Xander Schauffele had a round to remember, nearly doubling his tournament score in 18 holes. He carded an 11-under 61 on Sunday.
The 28-year-old birdied No. 5 to improve to 13 under before holing out from the fairway for an eagle on No. 6. Things only got better from there.
On Friday, Schauffele wasn't even assured of making the cut. He was three over with five holes completed in the second round, and his overall score (five under) put him right on the cut line.
Sunday's performance capped off an incredible two-day stretch for the San Diego native. Still, he didn't have any misconceptions about the likelihood of his score holding up.
"I'm always optimistic, but just being realistic," Schauffele told reporters after his round ended. "I think the number's going to be anywhere from 25 to 27 or 28."
His read ultimately proved correct.
The PGA Championship is the next stop on the PGA Tour calendar. Action tees off Thursday at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are the co-favorites (+1200; bet $100 to win $1,200) at DraftKings Sportsbook. Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa follow at +1400. Based on his finish at the AT&T Byron Nelson, Spieth (+2000) might become a more trendy pick.
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Phil Mickelson Withdraws From 2022 PGA Championship; Won Tournament in 2021
May 13, 2022
AL MUROOJ, SAUDI ARABIA - FEBRUARY 05: Phil Mickelson of The USA tees off the second hole during day three of the PIF Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on February 05, 2022 in Al Murooj, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)
Phil Mickelson will not make his return to the links at next weekend's PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The PGA Championship announced Friday that Mickelson, who won the event in 2021, has withdrawn from the tournament. It's unclear when the 51-year-old will return to golf.
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 13, 2022
Mickelson, who was absent from the Masters at Augusta National last month, has not competed since the Saudi International in early February following his comments about the Saudi Arabia-backed Super Golf League.
In February, author Alan Shipnuck revealed an excerpt from his book, Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar, in which Mickelson made controversial comments about the SGL:
They're scary motherf--kers to get involved with. ... They killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.
Mickelson apologized for the comments in a statement on social media and announced that he would be taking some time away from golf "to prioritize the ones I love most and work on being the man I want to be."
Mickelson made history at the PGA Championship last year when he won at Kiawah Island. He was 50 years old at the time, making him the oldest champion ever in the majors.
The six-time major winner is just the third PGA champion to not defend his title in the tournament over the last 75 years, joining Tiger Woods, who missed the event in 2008 following knee surgery, and Ben Hogan in 1949, who was recovering after his car was hit by a bus.
Following the PGA Championship, the next major tournament is the U.S. Open in Brookline, Massachusetts, in June. It's unclear if Mickelson plans to return before then.
Phil Mickelson's Saudi Golf League Comments Led to Player Exits, per Greg Norman
May 2, 2022
AL MUROOJ, SAUDI ARABIA - FEBRUARY 01: Greg Norman, CEO of Liv Golf Investments talks to the media during a practice round prior to the PIF Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on February 01, 2022 in Al Murooj, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)
In Greg Norman's eyes, the controversial comments by Phil Mickelson largely derailed the momentum for a proposed alternate golf league financed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund had built.
"There's no question [Mickelson's comments] hurt," Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf Investments, said, per Mark Schlabach of ESPN. "It hurt a lot of aspects. It hurt the PGA Tour. It hurt us. It hurt the game of golf. It hurt Phil. So yeah, across all fronts. It wasn't just specifically to us. But it definitely created negative momentum against us."
Norman estimated that at least 30 percent of the top 50 players in the PGA Tour had committed to playing in the league prior to the comments, and there were plans in place to launch in February.
Mickelson made the comments to author Alan Shipnuck in which he called the Saudi Arabians "scary motherf--kers" but saw the league as an opportunity to make money and change golf.
"... They killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights," Mickelson said in the interview. "They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates."
He was heavily criticized and released a statement that said: "It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words."
Lefty has not participated in a tournament since January's Farmers Insurance Open and notably passed on the Masters, which he has won three times in his career.
Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley told reporters Mickelson turned down an invitation to participate in the tournament this year via text message.
As for the breakaway league, Norman said it planned on starting a 14-event schedule in late February. That has now been trimmed to eight events with total prize money of $255 million and a season-ending match-play championship at Trump National Doral in Miami in October featuring an additional $50 million in prizes.
"Quite honestly, we were ready to launch on the Tuesday or Wednesday of Genesis," Norman said. "We had enough players in our strength of field, or minimal viable product, ready to come on board. And when all of that happened, everybody got the jitters, and the PGA Tour threatened people with lifetime bans and stuff like that."
He also said Mickelson is welcome to participate in any LIV tournament even after making the comments.
Mexico Open 2022: Jon Rahm Holds on for 1-Stroke Victory; 1st Win of Season
May 1, 2022
PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO - MAY 01: Jon Rahm of Spain plays a shot on the fourth hole during the final round of the Mexico Open at Vidanta on May 01, 2022 in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
Jon Rahm entered the final round of the Mexico Open at Vidanta in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Sunday with the lead, and he held on to it to capture his first win since the U.S. Open last summer after finishing 17 under par through four rounds.
Wu, who finished tied for second place at 16 under for the tournament, carded two birdies and an eagle on the front nine in the final round before carding four more birdies on the back nine to finish the day eight under.
Finau, who also tied for second place, carded three birdies on the front nine before adding three birdies and an eagle on the back nine to finish eight under for the round too.
Both Wu and Finau moved up 15 spots in the leaderboard from Round 3.
As for Rahm, he did just enough to hold off the field. The 27-year-old carded pars on the first five holes before carding back-to-back birdies on hole Nos. 6 and 7 to move to two under for the afternoon.
Rahm then carded pars on the eighth and ninth holes before struggling on hole No. 10, carding a bogey to move to one under. However, he recovered quickly, carding pars on the next three holes before carding a birdie on hole No. 14 to move back to two under.
This is Rahm's seventh career PGA Tour victory. In addition to winning the U.S. Open and Mexico Open, he has also won the BMW Championship (2020), Memorial Tournament (2020), Zurich Classic of New Orleans (2019), CareerBuilder Challenge (2018) and Farmers Insurance Open (2017).
The victory is a significant confidence booster for Rahm as players begin to prepare for the Wells Fargo Championship, which is set to take place May 5-8, before one of the tour's biggest tournaments, the PGA Championship, from May 19 through May 22.
Masters 2022 Payout: Prize Money and Purse Breakdown for Top Golfers
Apr 11, 2022
Scottie Scheffler holds the championship trophy after winning the 86th Masters golf tournament on Sunday, April 10, 2022, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The 2022 Masters Tournament featured a record $15 million purse for the event. Of course, every golfer wants to win the event because of its prestige, but this year's winner also received $2.7 million.
It became clear early in the weekend that would be going to Scottie Scheffler. He got off to a strong start by shooting a 69 in the first round and a 67 in the second. And then he posted scores of 71 in each of the final two rounds to finish 10 under par to win the 2022 Masters.
Not only was it the 25-year-old's first Masters win, but it was also his first victory at a major tournament. He came into the event as the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world, as he ascended to the top spot last month after a strong start to the year that featured wins at the WM Phoenix Open and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Scheffler isn't the only golfer who left Augusta with a big payday, though. Here's how much each of the top-10 finishers received at Augusta National this year:
Winner: Scottie Scheffler, $2.7 million
Second: Rory McIlroy, $1.62 million
Third: Shane Lowry and Cameron Smith, $870,000 each
Fifth: Collin Morikawa, $600,000
Sixth: Will Zalatoris and Corey Conners, $521,250 each
Eighth: Justin Thomas and Sungjae Im, $450,000 each
10th: Cameron Champ and Charl Schwartzel, $390,000 each
Scheffler entered Saturday's third round with a five-stroke lead over the rest of the field. It was a great position to be in, but he couldn't coast through the final two rounds. He needed to play well throughout the weekend to hold off the rest of the field.
And there were golfers who kept things interesting. Cameron Smith shot a 68 in the third round and trailed Scheffler by only three strokes heading into Sunday. But the Australian wouldn't carry over that success, as he shot a 73 in the final round to end up tied for third.
Meanwhile, McIlroy made an impressive charge on the final day. He wasn't really a factor for the first three days, as he was tied for ninth at one over par entering the final round. Then, he shot a 64 to end up at seven under.
Although the Northern Irishman came up three strokes short of Scheffler, his impressive play made it so the eventual winner couldn't afford too many mistakes during the final round. And Scheffler mostly did that. Even though he had a double bogey on the 18th hole, it didn't matter.
"If you're going to choose a golf tournament to win, this would be the tournament," Scheffler said, per Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press. "You don't know how many chances you're going to get. And so having a chance—I had a five-shot lead on Friday and then a three-shot lead going into today—I don't know if you get better opportunities than that. You don't want to waste them."
McIlroy's second-place performance marked his best finish in 14 Masters appearances. However, he still hasn't won a major tournament since the 2014 PGA Championship, as he remains stuck at four major titles and a Masters short of a career Grand Slam.
Smith has finished in the top 10 at the Masters four times since 2018, and he's now been in the top three in two of the past three years. He's still looking for his first major title, but he clearly knows how to have success at Augusta.
Shane Lowry's third-place finish marked his best showing at a major since he won the 2019 Open Championship. And Collin Morikawa's fifth-place finish was his best performance in three career Masters appearances.
All of these golfers played well this weekend, but none as well as Scheffler. And with how quickly he has emerged as one of the top competitors on the PGA Tour, it may not be long before he wins another major. There are still three more to come in 2022, so he'll get more chances to do so soon enough.
Scottie Scheffler 'Cried Like a Baby' Ahead of Masters Final Round, Was 'Overwhelmed'
Apr 11, 2022
Scottie Scheffler holds the championship trophy after winning the 86th Masters golf tournament on Sunday, April 10, 2022, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Scottie Scheffler seemed stoic and unflappable as he clinched his Masters victory with a one-under 71 in Sunday's final round.
Turns out, that may not have been the case.
Scheffler said he "cried like a baby" and "just kind of felt overwhelmed" as he held the lead and waited for his tee time Sunday, per Stephen Hennessey of Golf Digest.
The world No. 1 golfer extended his lead to as many as six in the third round and led Cameron Smith by three heading into play Sunday. He had some breathing room and seemed primed to win the first major championship of his career.
Nerves may have been an issue when Smith birdied the first two holes to climb within a single stroke, but Scheffler responded by chipping in a birdie on No. 3. Smith bogeyed that hole and the fourth and was never able to fully seize momentum back as he struggled on the way to a one-over 73.
The closest finisher to Scheffler was Rory McIlroy, who was brilliant Sunday with a score of eight-under 64. Yet he was plus-one for the other three rounds and was never a legitimate threat for the champion.
Scheffler has now won the Masters, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, Arnold Palmer Invitational and WM Phoenix Open this year with three more majors and plenty of tournaments to go.
It is shaping up to be an incredible season, and he proved to himself he can deliver under pressure on the sport's biggest stage.
