Golf: Rahm seizes three-shot lead at Riviera, where Woods impresses

LOS ANGELES -- World number three Jon Rahm fired a bogey-free six-under par 65 on Saturday to grab a three-shot lead at Riviera, where Tiger Woods thrilled fans with a four-under par 67.

Rahm, who can return to number one with a victory, hit just five of 14 fairways but moved past overnight leader Max Homa, putting himself in position to capture a third US PGA Tour title of 2023.

His 15-under par total of 198 put him three clear of Homa, whose two-under par 69 for 201 kept him one in front of Keith Mitchell, who also posted a 69.

"It's a great round of golf," Rahm said. "Really proud of today, heck of a round of golf."

Rahm opened his round with a birdie at the first, just missing a 12-foot eagle attempt. He rolled in birdie putts from inside eight feet at the fourth, eighth and ninth.

He rolled in a two-foot birdie at the 11th, to take the solo lead at 14-under.

Homa, who started the day with a one-shot lead, kept the pressure on. He drained a 19-foot birdie putt at the third and added a five-foot birdie at the sixth. He tied Rahm's lead with a birdie at the 10th and tied him again with a seven-foot birdie at the 13th.

Homa faltered, however, with back-to-back bogeys at the 15th and 16th, and Rahm closed his round with a final flourish -- draining a 23-foot birdie putt at 18.

"The only thing I was worried about was getting that ball to the hole," Rahm said. "I've hit that putt a million times, I've seen that putt hit a million times and we all leave it just a couple, a couple rolls short, so I just wanted to get it there. Felt good obviously making it, it's a huge bonus, right?"

Rahm is seeking a third title of the year after victories at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii and at La Quinta, California, in his next event.

His hot start followed a strong autumn in Europe, where he won a third Spanish Open title in October and the DP World Tour Championship in November.

It all has him in position to grab the number one spot from American Scottie Scheffler, who supplanted Rory McIlroy with his Phoenix Open win last Sunday.

While Rahm arrived at Riviera as perhaps the hottest golfer on tour, Woods was a mystery coming into his first event since he missed the cut at the Open Championship in July.

Still severely limited by the right leg injuries he suffered in a February 2021 car accident, Woods had barely made the halfway cut.

But he equaled the third-best round of the day behind Denny McCarthy's 64 -- which pulled the American into a share of seventh, and Rahm's 65.

- Woods's best -

Woods has played just three tour-level tournaments since the crash, finishing 47th at the Masters last April, withdrawing from the PGA Championship after three rounds and missing the cut at St. Andrews.

"It's the best I've played," he said of Saturday's effort, which featured an eagle at the par-five first -- where his approach from just off the fairway looked like it might yield an albatross before leaving him a three-footer for the eagle.

Woods said there wasn't that much difference between Friday and Saturday, apart from the putts falling

"I've driven it well the last three days, my iron play has been good," he said. "I made a few adjustments today and some of the putts went in."

Woods is the host of the tournament, which features 19 of the world's top 20 all chasing a $3.6 million winner's prize from a purse of $20 million.

That prize money is bumped up thanks to the tournament's status as one of the tour's new designated events, designed to bring the best players together more often.

But even with the wealth of talent on view, Woods was the undisputed star attraction, provoking roars throughout the day from his legion of followers.

"You're fully aware where Tiger is," Rahm said.

Agence France-Presse

Golf: Scheffler leads Rahm and Taylor by two at Phoenix Open

PHOENIX -- American Scottie Scheffler takes a two-shot lead over Jon Rahm and Nick Taylor into the final round of the Phoenix Open, where he's in search of a title repeat and a chance to regain the world number one ranking.

Scheffler, who started the round tied for the lead with Canadian Adam Hadwin, had four birdies in a three-under par 68 for a 13-under par total of 200 at TPC Scottsdale.

That was two clear of third-ranked Spaniard Jon Rahm, who also carded a 68, and Canada's Taylor, who posted a 67.

Rahm, like Scheffler, can overtake Rory McIlroy atop the world rankings on Sunday, the Northern Ireland star looking unlikely to challenge the leaders after a third-round 70 that left him tied for 28th, 10 shots off the lead.

Scheffler kickstarted his round with a 47-foot birdie putt at the second hole and picked up another stroke with a 15-footer at the fourth. After his lone bogey of the round at the 13th he fired out of the rough to four feet at the 14th for another birdie.

He'd add one more at the par-four 17th, where his second shot raced up the side of the green, looking scarily close to rolling into the water before it settled just off the putting surface. He rolled in an 11-foot birdie putt from there.

"Feel good," Scheffler said. "I didn't hit it as well today as I hoped to. But still got around in three-under. Kept the ball in play for the most part. Just kept plugging along.

"Only one bogey was good today," he added.

Scheffler posted his first PGA Tour win in Phoenix last year and went on to win at Bay Hill and The Masters before reaching number one in the world with a victory at the WGC Match Play.

He's since seen McIlroy return to the top, while Rahm has been a dominant figure this year with victories in successive starts at the Tournament of Champions and in La Quinta, California.

The Spaniard, who was two back to start the round, shook off an opening bogey with a birdie at the third.

- Chaos going on -

He added three more coming in at 13, 14 and 16, thrilling the crowd at the par-three 16th -- where the grandstands hold 20,000 spectators -- by curling in a 40-foot putt.

His three-under effort left him on 11-under 202 and he and Taylor were one stroke in front of Hadwin (71) and American Jordan Spieth (69).

The crowd at 16 was fired up even before Rahm made his birdie putt, thanks to playing partner Adam Hadwin's tee shot that landed just two feet from the pin.

"We felt the chaos going on," Rahm said after fans threw drink cups and other objects on the green.

"I just thought it was best to not give it too much time. I didn't want to give the crowd too much time to think about throwing anything else. So even through my routine somebody threw a bottle and I just went up and hit it. The break is not going to change.

"It was one of those things that luckily it went in and I got to enjoy that moment," he said.

Agence France-Presse

Golf: Rahm, McIlroy face tension and drama at unique US Open

BROOKLINE -- A hotly anticipated US Open starts Thursday that will test the world's top golfers over a formidable layout at a historic setting with a splash of controversy as well.

Defending champion Jon Rahm, four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, top-ranked Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and two-time major winners Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa lead fan and oddsmakers favorites at The Country Club.

"You've got to have all aspects of your game ready to play some good golf," reigning British Open champion Morikawa said.

In addition to creating dense rough and lightning-fast greens, the US Golf Association ensured drama by allowing players from the upstart Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series to compete rather ban them as the US PGA Tour did.

As a result, US stars Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau are among the LIV Golf rebels teeing off in a unique sub-plot to the quest for a major title -- the first LIV-PGA showdown.

"Who knew we loved all this drama?" Morikawa said. "It becomes a distraction and you don't want to be focused on this or that. We're here to win the US Open."

Mickelson, who turns 52 on Thursday, would complete a career Grand Slam with a victory after a record six runner-up efforts, and break his own mark as the oldest major winner.

"I'm excited to be back in this incredible championship that has eluded me," Mickelson said. 

Boston fans famously heckled Europe in a 1999 US Ryder Cup fightback victory and could offer more barbs.

"Whether it's positive or negative towards me directly, I think it's going to provide an incredible atmosphere," Mickelson said.

Tiger Woods, making a comeback after severe leg injuries suffered in a car crash 16 months ago, skipped the US Open to better prepare for next month's British Open at St. Andrews.

A field of 156 will compete at the same club where 20-year-old hometown hero Francis Ouimet became the first amateur to win the US Open back in 1913.

"What's so good about golf is the history and tradition and these stories," McIlroy said. "The fact he grew up just off the 17th hole and we're still talking about it to this day over 100 years on, that's so cool."

Third-ranked McIlroy won his 21st US PGA title on Sunday at the Canadian Open

"It certainly puts a pep in your step," McIlroy said. "It gives you a lot of confidence.

"Everything is certainly trending in the right direction and I'm happy with where the game is at."

McIlroy, 33, is the most recent player to win a tour event and a major title in back-to-back weeks, taking a WGC title at Akron before his 2014 PGA Championship victory at Valhalla, his most recent major triumph.

"I'm feeling a lot more comfortable with my game and at the biggest and toughest tests in the world," said McIlroy. "I feel confident going to these golf courses that are set up more difficult knowing I have the game and mentality to succeed on them."

- Scrambling for momentum -

Second-ranked Rahm will try to repeat as Brooks Koepka did in 2017-2018. The 27-year-old Spaniard won his first major title last year at Torrey Pines.

"A lot of the pressure I used to put on myself is not really there," Rahm said. "I can enjoy it a little bit more and know you don't need to do anything special to get it done."

Rahm won his first title since last year's US Open last month at the US PGA Mexico Open and practiced Tuesday with Mickelson.

"Second shots into the green are going to be important," Rahm said. "Rough around the greens is about as healthy as I've seen in a while."

Scheffler, assured of topping next week's rankings, will try to match Woods -- the only reigning world number one to win a US Open.

"I like the challenge," Scheffler said. "This style of golf really suits how I play."

Thomas, who won May's PGA Championship, likes the difficult test on offer.

"US Open is a grind. That's why I love it," Thomas said. "Driving the ball is going to be very important. Scrambling and salvaging and making those putts for par can be the momentum builders."

Agence France-Presse

Golf: Jon Rahm holds razor thin No. 1 margin over Collin Morikawa

Jon Rahm retained his spot atop the Official World Golf Ranking this week, but the Spaniard's grip on No. 1 is precariously thin.

Collin Morikawa entered The Genesis Invitational with his third opportunity to claim the top spot for the first time in his career. Morikawa, who also had mathematical chances to claim No. 1 at the Hero World Challenge and the Tournament of Champions, needed to win on Sunday and have Rahm finish worse than solo fourth.

Rahm, who made the cut on the number, rallied to tie for 21st at Riviera Country Club. That still left the door open for Morikawa, who made a spirited Sunday run before settling for a T2.

Morikawa is now just 0.3398 points behind Rahm for the top spot. Patrick Cantlay, who entered the week with the same equation to wrest No. 1 away from Rahm, scuffled to a T33 after also making the cut on the number.

Cantlay remains No. 3, followed by Norwegian Viktor Hovland and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy. Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas each climbed a spot with top-10 finishes at the Genesis, with Xander Schauffele, Dustin Johnson and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama rounding out the top 10.

Chilean Joaquin Niemann vaulted 12 positions to a career-best No. 20 with his second PGA Tour victory. Australian Adam Scott also surged 12 spots to No. 34 with his T4, while PGA Tour rookie Cameron Young shot up 60 places to No. 53 with his T2.

Morikawa, who admitted in January that becoming No. 1 in the world rankings is a "dream" of his, entered Sunday eight shots off Niemann's lead. He shot a 4-under 32 on the back nine to tie Rahm for the low round of the day with a 65 but ultimately was unable to catch the Chilean who led wire-to-wire.

"I just had to put together a few better rounds and make a few less mistakes," Morikawa said Sunday. "But overall I'm happy with the way things kind of played out."

-reuters