That’s because Charlie Woods, the 14-year-old son of 15-time major champ Tiger, teed it up down the road at Riviera Country Club. And a new video of the rising star’s swing drew plenty of attention ahead of the 2023 US Open. Take a gander:

Charlie Woods' swing is __________.pic.twitter.com/kEDWCUyKcn

— Golf on CBS (@GolfonCBS) June 15, 2023

A Woods puring one off the opening tee at Riviera wearing a sweater vest? Yeah, we’ve seen that one before. What’s also pretty cool is that Tiger made his PGA Tour debut in the same exact spot as a 16-year-old 30 years ago. Anyway, looking good, Charlie! Both the swing and the sweater vest, that is.

Here was just some of the reaction on Golf Twitter:

All of the stars are in Los Angeles …

Even Charlie Woods, who teed it up at Riviera yesterday.pic.twitter.com/yWK9FpkkT7

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 14, 2023

Charlie Woods swing is ?????? pic.twitter.com/PRcnBKstVS

— JonathanYarwood (@JonathanYarwood) June 15, 2023

Charlie Woods has a better swing than you

pic.twitter.com/hj1svTrnyp

— Tour Golf (@TuorGolf) June 14, 2023

No arguments here. That’s a darn good golf swing. And if Tiger gets healthy from his most recent surgery, this year’s field at the PNC Father-Son Championship is going to be in trouble.

The post Charlie Woods tees off at Riviera, momentarily steals Golf Twitter’s attention from the US Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
Watching the world’s best players take on The Concession calls to mind the old saying “if you don’t like the weather [insert place], just wait five minutes.” At Concession, if you don’t like the leader board, just wait five minutes.

Saturday’s third round at the WGC-Workday featured more lead changes than a Big 12 football game, highlighting just how much danger lurks at every corner of the Jack Nicklaus-Tony Jacklin co-design. Of course, as Collin Morikawa showed, there are plenty of birdies to be had, too. It’s the ultimate risk-reward track, and it’s made for a highly entertaining first 54 holes.

Here are five takeaways from Day 3 at Concession.

Bad start, bad neck no match for Brooks Koepka

Last week, following a second-round 70 at Riviera, Brooks Koepka revealed he had been dealing with some neck stiffness for a month or so now. After an 11 under through 36 holes start at Concession, there was no mention of any neck stiffness.

But when he arrived at the course on Saturday morning, the four-time major winner was clearly in pain. He was favouring the left side of his neck, stretching it out in any way possible to prepare for the round. It lingered the entire day and was mentioned ad nauseam by the NBC broadcast crew.

Right from the start it did appear to be affecting his game, with Koepka badly pulling his opening tee shot, taking an unplayable and eventually making bogey. He made a mess of the second hole as well, but ended up holing a clutch six-footer for another bogey. In retrospect, it was a gritty start. He could have just as easily gone double-double and fallen off the face of the earth, but Koepka played through the pain and did not make another bogey the entire round. Four birdies and 12 pars earned him a hard-fought two-under 70, which has him only two off the lead of Morikawa. Avoid a disastrous start? Check. Still shoot under par? Check. Position himself to win twice in his last three starts? Check. Show up with no neck pain on Sunday? We’ll see about that one, but he’s still right where he needs to be, which is a scary thought for Morikawa. Speaking of …

Collin Morikawa waits on the 13th fairway during the third round of the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship. Mike Ehrmann

Sweet dreams, Collin

We see it week in, week out on the PGA Tour—guys with the 54-hole lead have trouble closing the deal. Tiger Woods spoiled us with his ability to close, making us all believe it’s easy, when it’s actually one of the most difficult things to do in the sport. Put yourself in Morikawa’s shoes for a second. He once led by five on Saturday at Concession, and within 40 minutes that margin shrunk to two. He has to somehow protect that lead on Sunday on a golf course begging you to make doubles and triples while the likes of Koepka, Billy Horschel, Webb Simpson, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed try to chase him down. Sound fun? No, it sounds like Morikawa could have trouble sleeping tonight.

Cameron Smith plays his shot from the seventh tee during the third round of the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship. Mike Ehrmann

Boy, that escalated quickly for Cam Smith

As Morikawa found out on the back nine, no lead is big enough at Concession. Just ask Cam Smith, who went two under on his first four holes to reach 12 under for the week, taking a two-shot lead in the process. At day’s end, he found himself 10 shots back. Wait, what?

The young Aussie’s troubles began at No. 5, where he snap-hooked his tee shot into the water, took his drop and laid up, and then hit his fourth shot into the water again. Incredibly, he stuffed a wedge to six feet on his sixth shot, then cleaned up one of the rare “good” triple bogeys you’ll ever see.

Smith got wet three more times on the day, once at the par-4 eighth, where he spun a wedge off the green and back into the water on his second shot. Again, at the 13th, where he found the water with his tee shot. And finally, at the par-4 16th, again with his tee shot. He finished with a five-over 77, shooting himself out of a tournament he seemingly had control of as he stood on the fifth tee.

Billy Horschel tosses his golf club on the 11th green during the third round of the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship. Mike Ehrmann

Patience prevailed for Billy Horschel on Saturday

Horschel, who has been cooking for some time now, could not buy a putt for much of the third round, playing his first 14 holes in even par despite some premium ball-striking, as per usual. A younger version of Horschel may have grown impatient, and potentially even lost his temper, but he stayed the course on Saturday. It paid off, and the former FedEx Cup winner finally capitalized on 16 and 17, where he went birdie-eagle, the latter of which came on a hole that had given previous groups absolute fits. Horschel may have hit the shot of the tournament from 260 yards out in the 17th fairway, and the eagle conversion made everyone watching collectively say “Oh, damn, Billy Horschel is really in this.”

Rory McIlroy looks on from the second green during the third round of the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship. Mike Ehrmann

We see you, Rory

Tidy little 66 from the almighty McIlroy on Saturday, which has him only four off the lead. We’d urge everyone not to get excited about it, because he’s had a knack for letting you all down in very similar situations of late. The way we see it, Sunday will go down in one of two ways—a Rory 62 to win and flag plant himself as the top-3 player in the world he is again, OR, a brutally slow start and a “late charge” where he ultimately comes up short. No in-between.

The post Despite nagging neck injury, Brooks Koepka is still in position to win for the second time in his last three starts appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
The Wells Fargo Championship returns to Charlotte following a one-year sabbatical, the tournament temporarily moving to Eagle Point to accommodate the PGA Championship’s visit to Quail Hollow. As evidenced during the PGA build-up, when a course in the PGA Tour rotation gets tabbed into a major slot, players with strong track records at the venue are touted as favourites. (Last year’s darlings, Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler, mostly fizzled out, although Fowler had a Sunday 67 for a backdoor top five.)

But is there any performance correlation between major championships and PGA Tour events at the same venue, specifically, when the tour returns to its usually-scheduled tournament the following year? We examined the last six such instances, and the symmetry, or lack thereof, should give bettors pause on backing PGA champ Justin Thomas or runner-up Patrick Reed this week. Note: Bethpage Black was considered for the 2009 U.S. Open and 2012 Barclays, but we felt the time between events was too long to warrant inclusion.

Congressional — 2011 U.S. Open to 2012 AT&T National

For those that need the reminder, this was when Rory McIlroy torched D.C. like it was 1812, shooting a U.S. Open record 16-under par for an eight-shot victory. Alas, McIlroy did not tee it up at next summer’s National (never has, actually), passing on the chance to run it back at Congressional. Similarly, the National’s champ, Tiger Woods, withdrew from the ‘11 Open with a knee injury. Not much help here.

However, the events did have some interaction, as Robert Garrigus and Jason Day finished inside the top 10 at both events, with Garrigus going T-3 at the Open and T-4 at National and Day checking in with a runner-up and T-8. Interestingly, though the major championships tend to be closer to par than their tour brethren, McIlroy’s 16 under doubled Woods’ eight-under tour winning mark.

Pebble Beach — 2010 U.S. Open to 2011 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

What’s with these U.S. Open winners not returning to their stomping grounds? Graeme McDowell, the 2010 champ, didn’t make another Pebble Beach appearance until 2014. However, Phil Mickelson, who finished T-4 at the 2010 U.S. Open, came back to Monterey Peninsula in the spring and made the most of his visit, capturing the 2011 Pebble Beach Pro-Am. But to think the Open spurred Lefty to victory is mistaken, as Mickelson had already won the Pro-Am three times.

Dustin Johnson, who entered the U.S. Open final round with a three-shot lead only to infamously fire an 82 on Sunday, was the only player to post top 10s at both tournaments. Mickelson’s winning score of 269 bettered McDowell by 15 shots.

Richard Hartog

Torrey Pines — 2008 U.S. Open to 2009 Farmers Insurance Open

Another winner, this time Woods, who didn’t return. In his defense, Tiger was sidelined at the time after, you know, winning the hardest golf tournament in the world over 91 holes on a broken leg. Nick Watney, who claimed the then-Buick Invitational in 2009, made the weekend at the 2008 U.S. Open but was mostly a non-factor, finishing T-60. Woods won the Open at 283, Watney the Buick at 277.

Only one player finished inside the top 10 at both: Camilo Villegas. That will win you a bar bet or two. Although expect odd glances for asking, “Can you name the only player to finish in the top 10 at the 2008 U.S. Open AND 2009 Buick Invitational?”

Pebble Beach — 2000 U.S. Open to 2001 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Woods makes his third appearance on the list, this time for lapping the U.S. Open field by 15 shots. Why we don’t discuss his 2000 tour de force on a weekly basis is beyond me.

Tiger teed it up at Carmel the subsequent season, not only as the reigning U.S. Open winner but the defending Pro-Am champ as well. Unfortunately for Woods, an uneven second round kept a Pebble three-peat at bay, ultimately finishing T-13. That week’s winner, Davis Love III, missed the cut at the Open. Only Vijay Singh had high finishes at both, a T-8 and runner-up at the Pro-Am.

J.D. Cuban

Riviera — 1995 PGA Championship to 1996 L.A. Open

Only two competitors played well at both, but they’re names that matter. Steve Elkington brought home the Wanamaker Trophy in 1995 after defeating Colin Montgomerie in a playoff. Elk went a tad higher than his winning 17-under 267 at next year’s L.A. Open, although his 281 was still good enough for a T-10. Craig Stadler, who owned a handful of near-misses in 20 previous Riviera starts, won the L.A. Open after placing eighth at the prior PGA. Hey, only took 20 years of turning back the clock, but we found binary links!

Southern Hills — 1994 PGA Championship to 1995 Tour Championship

Nice Price won his second consecutive major and third overall at Southern Hills, his 11-under 269 five shots better than Corey Pavin. His next go-around in Tulsa would, ahem, not be as prosperous, his four-day score 30 shots higher at the 1995 Tour Championship. (Spoiler alert: he came in last.) Billy Mayfield, who took the Tour crown, didn’t do much of note at the PGA, evidenced in a T-39.

Nevertheless, three players did make PGA and Tour Championship runs: Pavin (who finished second at both), Elkington (T-7 at PGA, T-2 with Pavin) and Greg Norman.

While the sample size is short, the findings are clear. Thomas, Reed, Hideki Matsuyama, and Louis Oosthuizen are among the favorites this week, and one of them will likely flourish. But, on the whole, history paints an ominous forecast.

The post Is there any correlation between major championships and PGA Tour events at the same venue? appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers
All eyes will be on Tiger Woods at Riviera this week, but that doesn’t mean golf fans won’t also be watching the other two players in his group on Thursday and Friday at the Genesis Open.

Woods will be paired with Rory McIlroy and reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year Justin Thomas. The star-studded threesome has combined to win 19 major championships. But crazy enough, McIlroy and Thomas were only a combined 28 years old the last time Tiger teed it up at Riviera in 2006.

Tiger has been somewhat of a mentor to both players throughout their young careers. Thomas even celebrated his PGA Championship victory last year at Woods’ restaurant. Woods and Thomas played together twice in the recent Hero World Challenge with Woods edging the young star by a shot in those two rounds.

Woods made his PGA Tour debut at Riviera when he was 16, failing to make the cut. The course is one of the few he’s played multiple times in his career without a win. Woods WD in 2006 after rounds of 69 and 74. He pulled out prior to last year’s tournament after re-injuring his back at a tournament in Dubai and wound up undergoing a fourth back surgery in April.

Woods returned to competition with a T-9 at the Hero World Challenge Nov. 31-Dec. 3. He made the first official PGA Tour start of his latest comeback two weeks ago at Torrey Pines, where he finished T-23 at the Farmers Insurance Open.

The threesome will tee off on Riviera’s 10th hole on Thursday at 10:22 ET (7.22pm UAE time) and off No. 1 at 3:02 ET on Friday  (12.2am Saturday UAE time).

The post Tiger Woods paired with Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas at Genesis Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers
Tiger Woods said he was “very pleased” with his T-23 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open following last week’s final round at Torrey Pines. After a few days of reflection, the 14-time major champ seemed just as thrilled with his performance, and equally excited about his next start.

“It felt so good to be back with the guys and compete again,” Woods wrote on his website. “Words can’t describe how much I missed it. Most importantly, I was pain-free.”

Related: Brandel Chamblee makes his boldest Tiger Woods claim yet

Woods said he’s “fired up to return to Riviera,” which is where he’ll make his next start at the Genesis Open in two weeks. After attending the event as a kid, Woods made his first PGA Tour start there in 1992 when he was 16, shooting 72-75 and missing the cut on a sponsor’s exemption. But Woods tells a story about how he almost qualified for the event the year before.

The second time I tried to qualify to play Riviera, I was 15 and we played the South Course at Los Serranos Country Club. It was a moment I will never forget. I was playing the best round of my life and was 8-under par through 17 holes, thinking I was actually going to qualify for a PGA TOUR event. The head pro came up to me and said, “I have to tell you, because I know it’s going to change how you play this last hole,” which was a par-5 with a second shot over water. “There are already two guys at 10-under and only two make it.”

I said, “What?” I had to eagle the last hole to get into a playoff and I hit my second shot in the water, made bogey and shot 65.

Woods’ TGR Live company began managing the Genesis Open in 2017, and profits from the event go to his foundation. Oddly, despite all his ties to the tournament, it’s the PGA Tour event where Tiger has arguably his poorest track record. In nine starts as a pro, he has zero wins and two runner-ups, one of which came at Valencia Country Club, where Woods lost a playoff to Billy Mayfair in 1998. Woods last played in the event in 2006.

“I’ve had several chances to win at Riviera, but just haven’t gotten it done,” Woods writes. “Obviously, it would mean a lot to me, even more now as tournament host.”

The post Tiger Woods on his PGA Tour return: “Words can’t describe how much I missed it” appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The wind wasn’t funny from the get go and when Tiger Woods, citing uncontrollable back spasms, withdrew from the $2.65m European Tour event just an hour before his second round tee time, the joke really fell flat.

To cap the craziness off, play was suspended at 2.26pm due to the high winds and, with trees falling, finally called for the day an hour later.

The second round was set to resume at 7.30am Saturday but this might yet prove a scheduling race against time for the organisers as much as a battle of attrition for the players with more wild weather forecast.

South African George Coetzee, three under through eight holes before play was suspended, will return to the 18^th hole in the lead at -9, a shot clear of overnight leader Sergio Garcia who was one under through five holes.

Fellow Spaniard Nacho Elvira (through four holes) was solo third at -6 and American David Lipsky at -5 (through seven).

Only 63 of the 129 players remaining in the field were able to complete their second rounds, among them German Martin Kaymer and Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello who carded sensational three-under 69s in the conditions to leapfrog 33 places into a share of fifth place at -4 and serious title contention.

The big news, inevitably, was Tiger’s scratching a day after he slumped to an opening 77, the worst of the his 29 competitive loops of the Majlis course by two strokes.

Sand engulfs the 8th fairway – Getty Images

The initial prognosis is optimistic with Mark Steinberg, the former world No.1’s agent, saying the lower back spasms were not connected to the three surgeries Woods has undergone, the last of them in August 2015.

Steinberg doesn’t expect the problem, which flared late Thursday night, to prevent Woods playing the Genesis Open at Riviera from February 16 but there is now clearly a huge question mark hanging over the 41-year-old’s future.

Kaymer, the co-clubhouse leader with Cabrera Bello, summed up the general feeling afterwards.

“Just sad for the golf tournament and sad for us players to see one of the best players, probably the best player in our era, it’s a shame to see,” the two-time major champion said of Tiger’s Dubai demise.

“On one hand, you want to see him play golf, and on the other hand you don’t want to see him struggling. It’s a tricky one.”

Agent Mark Steinberg fronts the media with news of Tiger Woods back injury – Photo: Clarkwin Cruz

Reigning Open champion Henrik Stenson didn’t seem surprised by Woods withdrawal.

“Well, I think with the start he had, I think he had a lot of work to do to play the rest of the week all the way,” the Swede, in a temporary share of fifth at -4 through five second round holes, said.

“Again, it’s a question of him being healthy. I mean, if he’s going to be out here playing, you’ve got to be 100 percent. Once again, he needs to take care of his injuries obviously.”

For the record, Shinkwin, captured by Getty Images’ Warren Little in the strangely poetic main picture, was +5 with nine holes of his second round to play. The projected cut was +1.

Dubai-adopted Indian amateur Rayhan Thomas, a star on day one with his 68, was even par through three holes of his second round.

The post Trees down, Woods felled: <br> A whacky Desert Classic Friday appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.