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: Eagles lift Koepka to PGA Phoenix Open victory

LOS ANGELES -- Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka grabbed two eagles -- including a chip-in at the 17th hole -- to win the Phoenix Open for his first US PGA Tour title since 2019.

Koepka returned to the winner's circle at the same TPC Scottsdale course where he won the first of his eight US PGA Tour titles back in 2015, posting a six-under par 65 for a 19-under total of 265.

He finished one stroke in front of South Korean Lee Kyoung-hoon, who carded a 68, and American Xander Schauffele, who shared the overnight lead but settled for an even-par 71 and his eighth runner-up finish since his last win in January of 2019.

Koepka, who rose to number one in the world on the strength of four major titles over 2017, 2018 and 2019, battled through a 2020 season disrupted not only by the coronavirus pandemic but als by nagging knee and hip injuries that prevented him from playing the PGA Tour playoffs and the delayed US Open at Winged Foot in September.

"It has been a wild ride for the last year and a half and very frustrating," said Koepka, an often taciturn competitor who acknowledged he'd had some "dark moments."

"I've had moments where I didn't know if I was going to be the same, if I could even come back," he said.

Although he hadn't scored well in two prior 2021 starts, Koepka said he felt his game was coming around.

He put himself in striking distance of 54-hole leaders Schauffele and Jordan Spieth with four birdies to close his third round, and bounced back from a bogey at the 12th on Sunday with his first eagle of the day -- a 24-footer at the third.

Birdies at 13, 14 and 15 put him in a tie for the lead at 17-under.

And he leaped to the top of the board with his eagle at the short par-four 17th, where his chip from 97 feet out took a couple of hops and rolled into the center of the cup.

"I felt like the chip, if I just caught it right in the fringe it was going to check up on me, and it did perfectly.

"Took a nice little right kick for me, and didn't look anywhere else but the hole.

"Hell of a week," added Koepka, who like all in the field relished the presence of 5,000 fans a day -- the most at a PGA Tour event since the coronavirus pandemic exploded.

It was a far cry from the norm for a tournament that usually attracts some 700,000 over the course of the week, but it was enough for Koepka to enjoy a rousing cheer when his eagle landed at 17.

"I've missed fans," Koepka said. "Just being around fans is something else. I love it."

- Lee learned a lot -

Lee had four birdies with one bogey in his three-under round, but left himself a 33-footer at 18 to try to match Koepka and force a playoff.

He couldn't get it to drop, but said he'll take away plenty of positives from his week.

"I learned a lot of things this week," he said. "Hopefully another week when I get a chance I will win after that."

Spieth and Schauffele started the day sharing a three-shot lead but neither could end his dry spell.

Schauffele had two bogeys before his first birdie at the ninth. He birdied 15 and 16 but found the water at 17 on the way to a bogey so his closing birdie left him one back.

Spieth, who hasn't won since capturing his third major title at the 2017 British Open, couldn't match the third-round 61 that thrust him to the top of the leaderboard.

He carded a one-over 72 that left him sharing fourth on 17-under with Mexico's Carlos Ortiz and US Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker, who at 53 was trying to break Sam Snead's record as the oldest player to win a PGA Tour title.

Agence France-Presse

Woods says he’ll return when his game is ready

PEBBLE BEACH, California — Tiger Woods said Wednesday his game is “not acceptable” to compete in tournaments and he will return when he thinks it is.

Hopeful of having injuries behind him, Woods made a horrific start to the new year. He shot a career-high 82 in the second round of the Phoenix Open to miss the cut by 12 shots. And then he withdrew after 11 holes of ordinary golf at Torrey Pines because of tightness in his back from a fog delay.

Woods said on his website the last two weeks have been disappointing, especially at Torrey Pines, where he is an eight-time winner. He said he never wants to withdraw, but recent injuries have allowed that to happen too often.

Woods said his latest injury was not related to the back surgery he had last spring, and that he is feeling better every day with physical therapy.

“Right now, I need a lot of work on my game, and to still spend time with the people that are important to me,” Woods said. “My play, and scores, are not acceptable for tournament golf. Like I’ve said, I enter a tournament to compete at the highest level, and when I think I’m ready, I’ll be back.”

Woods is not playing Pebble Beach or Riviera, and said he would practice next week at his home and at The Medalist “getting ready for the rest of the year.”

He said he wants to play the Honda Classic, which starts Feb. 26, but he won’t be there unless his game is tournament ready.

“That’s not fair to anyone,” Woods said. “I do, however, expect to be playing again very soon.”

Ernie Els, who has known Woods longer than any other active PGA Tour player, heard about his woes while playing in Dubai and later saw highlights.

“As competitive as we are, we don’t want to see anyone suffer like that,” said Els, who has finished second to Woods more than any other player. “We’ve got to do our stuff in public. I don’t care if you’re Tiger Woods, Ernie Els or whoever. If you have some error in your game, you get exposed.”

Woods, the winner of 79 PGA Tour events and 14 majors, has never looked this bad on the golf course. He had back surgery to relieve a pinched nerve a week before the Masters and missed three months (including the first two majors), and then he took four months off at the end of last year to regain strength and get his back fully healed.

He also hired a new swing consultant and embarked on the fifth swing change of his career.

His chipping was bad at the 18-man Hero World Challenge at Isleworth in December, when he tied for last. His chipping looked even worse at the Phoenix Open, a collection of shots that he either flubbed short or bladed across the green.

Woods is at No. 62 in the world, his worst ranking since before he won his first PGA Tour event in 1996. He is not eligible for the World Golf Championship at Doral.

“I am committed to getting back to the pinnacle of my game,” Wood said.

source: sports.inquirer.net