Fil-Aussie Jason Day returns to world's top 10

PARIS, France -- Former world number ones Jason Day and Rory McIlroy returned to the top 10 in the rankings on Tuesday, after the Australian's victory at Torrey Pines and McIlroy's second-placed finish in Dubai.

The 30-year-old Day jumped up four places after edging out Alex Noren in a play-off at the Farmers Insurance Open on Monday, after darkness had brought an early halt the previous day, to claim his first title since the 2016 Players Championship.

Four-time major winner McIlroy slipped out of the top 10 last year after failing to win in a season for the first time since 2008, but he moved up three spots to eighth despite losing out in a thrilling back-nine battle with Chinese youngster Li Haotong at the Dubai Desert Classic.

Li's victory at the weekend saw him become the first Chinese man to ever break the world's top 50, with a rise of 28 places to 32nd.

Spaniard Jon Rahm closed the gap on world number one Dustin Johnson, despite falling out of contention at Torrey Pines when a successful title defence would have seen him overhaul the American.

World top 20

1. Dustin Johnson (USA) 10.72 average pts

2. Jon Rahm (ESP) 9.55

3. Jordan Spieth (USA) 8.80

4. Justin Thomas (USA) 8.01

5. Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 7.40

6. Justin Rose (ENG) 7.39

7. Rickie Fowler (USA) 6.65

8. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 6.09 (+3)

9. Brooks Koepka (USA) 6.00 (-1)

10. Jason Day (AUS) 5.80 (+4)

11. Sergio Garcia (ESP) 5.66 (-2)

12. Henrik Stenson (SWE) 5.59 (-2)

13. Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) 5.43 (-1)

14. Marc Leishman (AUS) 5.19 (-1)

15. Tyrrell Hatton (ENG) 4.81 (+3)

16. Alex Noren (SWE) 4.75 (+3)

17. Paul Casey (ENG) 4.58 (-2)

18. Pat Perez (USA) 4.50 (-1)

19. Matt Kuchar (USA) 4.44 (-3)

20. Brian Harman (USA) 3.83

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Woods' first serious comeback test a success, major challenges await

LA JOLLA, California - A decade ago Tiger Woods would not have been happy to finish tied for 23rd at Torrey Pines, but after the injury woes he has endured in recent years, the former world number one could not have been more delighted with his latest performance.

Aged 42, Woods is unlikely to reach the dizzy heights he achieved in his 1997-2008 glory days, when he won 14 majors.


But at the Farmers Insurance Open he showed a doubting audience his short game and creativity are still intact.

Woods still knows how to get the ball into the hole even when his driver is not a model of consistency.

More importantly, he came through 72 holes on a tough course without any obvious signs of physical discomfort.

It was a far cry from 12 months ago when, in obvious pain, he gingerly completed 36 holes at the same venue.

The spinal fusion surgery he had last April to alleviate pain in his back and leg seems to have had the desired result. It is a serious procedure with no guarantee of success, but the gamble has paid off as he looks to resurrect his career.

Finishing joint 23rd on Sunday out of a field of 156 in only his second start since the surgery - the other being at last month's unofficial Hero World Challenge - proved that he is determined to make the comeback count.

His driving was ordinary – he hit only three fairways in each of the final three rounds – but former British Open champion Ian Baker-Finch said it was not as bad as it might have seemed to some.

NOT BAD 

“Driving is certainly in need of improvement but not as bad as stats show,” Baker-Finch, who was part of the CBS television commentary team at Torrey Pines, told Reuters.

“Tiger will miss on the side of the fairway with least trouble on intimidating, difficult driving holes.

“It’s all about the score. He wanted to play well and make the cut and play four rounds. He achieved all of those.

“His short game and putting was very good, world class in fact.”

Baker-Finch expects Woods to improve during the year, assuming the American's back does not give out again.

Woods has been stuck on 14 major titles since the 2008 U.S. Open. While his chances of matching Jack Nicklaus' record haul of 18 might be slim, it is not unthinkable to suggest he could challenge for another one or two again.

The first test will come at the Masters in April, and everything he does between now and then will form part of his preparation.

“I like what I saw,” Baker-Finch said. “He will only gain more confidence with more reps. Watch closely at Riviera (at the Genesis Open in three weeks).”

(Reporting by Andrew Both, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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Day beats Noren at sixth extra hole in playoff

LA JOLLA, California - Australian Jason Day won for the first time in 20 months when he beat Alex Noren in eerie silence in a playoff at the Farmers Insurance Open on Monday.

With the course closed to the public for logistical reasons, Day sealed victory with a birdie at the sixth extra hole after Swede Noren found a water hazard with his second shot at the par-five 18th at Torrey Pines.


It was the 11th PGA Tour triumph for Day, which lifted him from 14th in the world rankings to 10th. The 30-year-old had not won since the 2016 Players Championship when he was ranked number one.

"It's been a long time (without winning) so happy to start off the year great," said Day, who also triumphed here three years ago.

"I was close at the Australian Open last year and didn't quite get over the finish line, but it's really nice to get over the finish line here."

Day and Noren could not be separated in five extra holes on Sunday before the playoff was suspended due to darkness.

It lasted just one more hole on the resumption on Monday morning after Noren narrowly failed to clear the pond guarding the green with his second shot.

Day, who laid up after driving into the rough, punched his third shot to tap-in distance for an easy birdie, pretty much ending Noren's chances. After taking a penalty stroke, Noren had pitch in for a matching birdie, a task that proved too much.

The Swede was seeking his maiden PGA Tour victory. He has won nine times on the European Tour.

He had no regrets at going for the green from 250 yards, and was only a whisker from pulling off what would have probably set up an easy birdie. His ball landed on the bank of the pond but trickled back in.

"I thought if I hit a good one it would be back of the green," he said.

Day, meanwhile, has set his sights on returning to world number one. He dominated the game for a nearly 10-month stretch from August 2015 through May 2016, winning seven times, including his first major at the PGA Championship.

But family worries as his mother dealt with cancer, and a recurrent back problem subsequently set him back.

"The major championships always are key for me, I always want to be able to give myself a good opportunity at winning those, but this is the start of the road to get myself back to number one," said Day.

"I've got to shoot for that goal because if I don't, then I'm not working hard enough and I'm not doing the right things.

"I need to fight and have a goal for something and that's such a hard accomplishment to achieve that goal. It always keeps motivating me and going along."

(Reporting by Andrew Both, editing by Ed Osmond and Christian Radnedge) 

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Golf: Woods sneaks into weekend with closing birdie

LA JOLLA, United States – Tiger Woods birdied his final hole on Friday to make the cut on the number in his return to the US PGA Tour at the Farmers Insurance Open.

The 14-time major champion wrestled four birdies from his last nine holes on the North Course at Torrey Pines, carding a one-under par 71.

That was just enough to make the cut -- his first since the Wyndham Championship in August of 2015 where he finished tied for 10th.

Since then Woods has battled back trouble that sidelined him for all of 2016. He is playing his first official tournament since missing the cut here last year in an abortive comeback bid that ended with spinal fusion surgery in April.

Woods was one shot outside the cut line when arrived at his final hole, the par-five ninth.

He was in the right rough off the tee and his second shot left him on the edge of the green, 75 feet from the pin.

He nestled a long first putt a few feet from the cup and made that for birdie, capping a 71 for a total of 143.

"I was grinding my way around the golf course today," said Woods, who hit just three of 14 fairways and nine of 18 greens in regulation. "I didn't hit it quite as good as I would like to. I fought hard. I was trying to post a number, which I was able to do."

Woods, who opened the tournament with an even-par 72 on Thursday, struggled off the tee all day.

It was a harbinger of things to come when he sent his first tee shot at least 50 yards left. He laid up in the rough and two-putted for par from about 40 feet.

Then came a disastrous double-bogey six at the par-four 13th, his fourth hole of the day, where another tee shot went left into a scrub hazard.

He took an unplayable lie, then missed the green. His chip rolled through the putting surface.

- Solid turnaround – 

Woods responded with four birdies coming home.

He gave his massive gallery -- sent scampering several times by his errant drives -- something to cheer about for the first time all day when he rolled in a 50-foot birdie bomb at the first hole.

"It was nice to get one to fall in there and get something positive going into the back nine," Woods said.

He got back to even par with a birdie at the fifth, a short par-five, where a solid drive trickled into the first cut of rough and his second shot left him off the green. A stellar chip left him an easy birdie.

He got up and down for birdie at the seventh, but was back outside the cut line after a bogey at the par-three eighth.

"I was just trying to get under par for the day," he said of his inward push. "I thought that would be a good, solid turnaround from being two-over at the turn.

"It was tough out there," added Woods, who was 10-shots off the 36-hole lead held by American Ryan Palmer, who carded a five-under par 67 on the North Course for an 11-under total of 133.

Spain's defending champion Jon Rahm, who could seize the world number one ranking from Dustin Johnson with a victory, carded a six-under 66 and was alone in second on 134.

Woods was looking forward to testing his game under pressure over two more rounds.

"It's one thing to do it at home, it's totally another thing to do it out here," he said. "These guys are all going low and I haven't done that in a long time."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Golf: Woods' shotmaking in PGA Tour comeback impresses Reed

Tiger Woods’ return to the PGA Tour drew a positive review from fellow competitor Patrick Reed, who had just about the best view in the house as he played with the 14-times major champion in the opening round at the Farmers Insurance Open on Thursday.

Woods shot an even-par 72 on the South Course at Torrey Pines.

“For a guy who’s played one tournament in over a year, for him to play the way he did today I was pretty impressed,” Reed told reporters.

“He seemed to have command, whether he went at it (the ball) hard or went at it soft, whether he wanted to launch it up in the air or take it down low.

“He (could) hit a high draw driver, or a lot cut that goes miles. Some of the cuts he hit off the tee were insanely long. He’s got his speed back, which is awesome to see.”

Woods, 42, is making his first appearance in an official event since spinal fusion surgery last April.

His best shot came at the 188-yard, par-three 16th, a six-iron that climbed sharply into the wind and landed softly, almost going in for a hole-in-one, before settling eight inches away.

“He hit the same club (as me) and it came out like a completely different window,” Reed said. “Mine came out a normal window, his was about 30 feet higher than that. It was monstrous up in the air. Into the wind you wouldn’t think a ball would carry the ball that far.

“I imagine he’s probably jumping with joy just being out here playing golf, especially being pain free. That is huge. I hope he plays well tomorrow so we can see him on the weekend.”

Reed, a five-times PGA Tour winner, shot a 68 to trail leader Tony Finau by three strokes.

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Woods hopes to shake off rust with busy calendar

LOS ANGELES -- Tiger Woods said Monday he is confident that his battered 41-year-old body can withstand the rigors of playing in four golf tournaments over the next five weeks.

The 14-time major winner, who returned to golf in December at the Hero World Challenge following a 15-month injury layoff, has committed to a hectic schedule which will see him open his 2017 season at this week's Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego.

"I have played one time in the last 18 months," American Woods said during a news conference Monday at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. "I just need to get in some tournament golf. I am looking forward to it."

After the Farmers at the Torrey Pines course, Woods will fly off to United Arab Emirates for the Dubai Desert Classic from February 2-5, followed by the Genesis Open at Riviera on February 16-19.

He then travels home to Florida to take part in the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens (February 23-26).

The Farmers Open will be Woods' first full field tournament since undergoing back surgery in 2015.

Asked if he is physically up to the task with all the injuries he has endured the past several years, Woods said: "That is a concern but I am looking forward to it. I feel I am strong enough to handle the workload.

   
- Ready for the Masters -

"I sat out long enough. I have been on the sidelines so long."

Woods admitted Monday that he once doubted whether he would ever return to golf.

"There was a time when I didn't know if I could ever swing a golf club again and play with my kids," he said.

The former world number one Woods may be far from his top form, but he says he still has his sights set on competing in the majors and his first order of business is the Masters in April.

"I am hoping to get everything right so I can play," he said. "I am thinking about it (Masters) now."

Woods has won the PGA Tour's Torrey Pines tournament seven times in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013.

"It was the first PGA tournament I went to," Woods said. "So I got exposed to pro golf there."

Woods last won a major title at the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines by beating Rocco Mediate in an epic 19-hole playoff despite playing with a gimpy left knee that later required surgery.

His last PGA title was at the 2013 WGC event in Akron, Ohio.

When he tees it up at historic Riviera in just over three weeks it will be his first appearance in the event in 11 years.

"I have always loved playing this course. I just never played it well," Woods said. "I played here as a junior, an amateur and a professional. It is special place."

Last month, Tiger Woods played golf with then-President-elect Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Club in Florida.

Woods described Trump as a big hitter and said the 70-year-old was able to walk the entire 18 holes with him.

"For a person who is 70 he hits it hard," said Woods. "He keeps himself in pretty good shape. We walked all 18 holes and had a great time."

Asked if Trump could shoot a score of under 80 at the Riviera course, Woods paused, smiled and said, "Not today. It is too wet out there."

In addition to finding his form, Woods will be facing in 2017 a new crop of rising young stars such as top ranked Aussie Jason Day, Japanese ace Hideki Matsuyama, four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, eight-time PGA Tour winner Jordan Spieth and the hottest player on the Tour Justin Thomas, who has won three tournaments so far this season.

Woods says he hasn't lost the fire and passion for the game that made him one of the best of all-time.

"I am very excited about getting the season started. I miss playing and competing," said Woods, whose 14 major titles is second to only Jack Nicklaus' record of 18.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

English takes charge as Mickelson exits Torrey Pines

LA JOLLA - Local favourite Phil Mickelson has joined Tiger Woods as a weekend casualty as the five-time major winner failed to make the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Friday.

Mickelson backed up his 74 on the South course from round one with an even-par 72 on the easier North Course on Friday to be left at two-over and headed for the exit door Woods went through on Thursday with a back injury.

The San Diego native was 12 shots off the pace of fellow American Harris English, who put together a six-under 66 on the North course to push out to 10-under 134 and a two-shot lead late in the second round.

"I take a lot of positives from today. I hit the ball well, made some really good putts and hit some good wedge shots," English said.

He is bogey free through two rounds, the first time a player has accomplished the feat at the tournament in four years.

"I was very excited about that yesterday," Harris said. "Especially coming out this morning and having to finish some holes (from the first round) kind of in the cold and it's good to make some of those six-footers coming out for par."

American Nick Watney put together a 65 on the North and Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas a solid 69 to move to eight-under and a share of second with Briton Martin Laird (68).

But for Mickelson it was a day to forget with two bogeys in his first five holes.

He pegged them back with back-to-back birdies on the 16th and 17th, his seventh and eighth holes, and gave fans hope with a birdie on the second, his 11th.

But he played the last seven holes one over, joining Woods, world number five Justin Rose, the returning Dustin Johnson, Luke Donald and Jordan Spieth as high profile casualties.

"It's very frustrating for me right now," Mickelson said. "I felt really ready to start the year and these first few weeks have been very poor.

"I feel like I'm hitting the ball tee to green quite well, really well, but my putting is beyond pathetic and if I can't get back to the levels of 2013, I'm not sure what I'm going to do, because this is very frustrating."

Johnson, who spent six-months on a voluntary leave of absence for personal rehabilitation, missed the cut by a shot.

"I was just a little bit off but I still played pretty well," Johnson said.

"I had a lots of putts that could have gone in, but didn't. But I hung in there and fought pretty hard. Just a little rusty that's all." (Editing by Gene Cherry/Nick Mulvenney)

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Thompson tops Torrey as wounded Tiger quits again

LA JOLLA - Former world number one Tiger Woods withdrew after 11 holes of his opening round at the Farmers Insurance Open on Thursday because of a back complaint, with American compatriot Nicholas Thompson leading the way at Torrey Pines.

Woods, coming off his worst score as a professional at the Phoenix Open last week, had been favouring his back throughout his round after being forced to sit and wait out a lengthy fog delay.

The 14-times major winner, who continued to struggle with his swing and short game, was two-over-par on the North course when he decided to pull out, his third withdrawal in his last nine tournaments.

Thompson headed the field with an eight-under-par 64 on the North course, good enough for a one shot lead over Michael Thompson, who shot 65 on the same layout. Forty two players failed to finish their round before darkness fell.

Phoenix Open winner Brooks Koepka and Cameron Tringale shared third at six-under on the North, while Columbian Jhonattan Vegas had arguably the best round of the day as the only one of six players at five-under who played the South course.

Woods was due on the tee after an already lengthy delay before more Thursday fog rolled over the coastal course, causing another suspension.

"When we had that break. It just never loosened back up again. And when we went back out, it just got progressively tighter," Woods told reporters.

"It's frustrating that it started shutting down like that. I was ready to go. I had a good warm-up session the first time around.

"Then we stood out here and I got cold, and everything started deactivating again. And it's frustrating that I just can't stay activated."

FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel, who was playing with Woods, noticed something was wrong early in the round and even started picking up tees for him.

"If I didn't see it on 10 (their first hole), I saw it on 11," Horschel said.

"Then I asked him when I walked off 12 tee, I said: 'back hurting you again?' He said: 'Spasms'. It was unfortunate.

"He's a fighter. He wants to get the reps in, he wants to play well, and he kept trying to play through it, hoping that it would loosen up and I think it was getting there.

"It was real tough to see him walk and even make swings."

The 39-year-old Woods now has six withdrawals in 304 PGA tournament starts but all of them have come in the last five years. (benjamin.everill@gmail.com)

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