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Tiger changes driver-weight settings, shoots even-par 70 at Honda Classic

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After missing the cut by four strokes at the 2018 Genesis Open last week, Tiger Woods is back at it again this week at the Honda Classic; it’s the first time he’s played in back-to-back PGA Tour events since 2015.

Opting for something other than driver off the tee much of the day, Woods made one double bogey, one bogey, and three birdies en route to an even-par 70.

It’s no secret that Woods has been struggling off the tee of late, especially with the driver. He’s hitting just 35 percent of fairways on the year, and he has already made one driver shaft change (going from a Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70TX to a Matrix Ozik TP6HDe ahead of the Genesis Open). According to photos on Thursday, it appears Woods has also changed the weight settings in his TaylorMade M3 for a bit more forgiveness and fade-bias (as pictured above). At the Genesis Open and the Farmers Insurance Open, Woods had the M3 driver weights in the forward position, which moves CG (center of gravity) forward and tends to lower spin.

On Thursday, however, Woods hit a slew of long irons and fairway woods off the tee instead of drivers at the 7,100-yard par-70 PGA National… an approach that seemed to work. Well, he hit just 50 percent of the fairways on the day, but that means he’s trending upward.

One of the shots Woods hit with the driver was so far right it was literally laughable… but he managed to make par anyway.

Actually, his double-bogey 7 on the par-5 third hole (his 12th of the day) came after hitting the fairway; he was fumbling on and around the green after hitting his third into a greenside bunker. That blunder aside, three birdies and an even-par round at the always-difficult PGA National leaves Woods currently in T19, obviously well inside the cutline.

Do you think Woods will make the cut? Do you think he can contend to win the tournament?

See the clubs Tiger Woods has in his bag this week at the 2018 Honda Classic.

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32 Comments

32 Comments

  1. J Jackson

    Mar 2, 2018 at 5:14 am

    The total attraction to woods is unbelievable. The way that television coverage centers on this one individual is abhorrent.

  2. Timmy Dearden DDS

    Feb 24, 2018 at 7:50 am

    Glad to see that Mud Shark Coal Burning anti American race traitor aka Lindsay Vonn crash and burn at the Olympics.

  3. cdj

    Feb 24, 2018 at 6:40 am

    180+ ball speed not laughable at all though…

    • JR

      Feb 25, 2018 at 12:48 am

      … but the spin axis is carrying the ball into bananaland. He should learn to hit square and straight otherwise his high speed swing will exaggerate any small mistake.
      He should first learn to swing at a slower speed and control the ball before he launches bombs into the spectator gallery on his right side…. which is a danger zone if beaned by one of his errant efforts.

  4. Chuckster

    Feb 24, 2018 at 12:07 am

    OMG! OMG! OMG! ELDRICK SHOOTS 70! HE’S BAAAAAACK! HE’S CAPTURED THE MAGIC FROM 1996-2000, THIS IS IT, THIS IS

    IT, THE SECOND COMING! HE’S GONNA WIN THE 5 MAJORS NOW, OMG! WHAT DO WE DO NOW? HYSTERIA ABOUNDS!! THE

    WORLD IS FLAT!! HAHAHAHA!! HOW DESPERATE ARE WE FOR THIS EXHAUSTING COVERAGE OF A PEDESTRIAN, HAS BEEN

    GOLF’A?

    Uhhh geez, gimme a break with all the forced hoopla already! You’da thought his group was the only one on the nmad course!!

    Edith…..where’s my beer?

  5. Robert Nadjiwan

    Feb 23, 2018 at 12:52 pm

    I like the fact that Tiger is willing to work with a few equipment tweaks to try and strengthen his game. The driver is not an easy club to hit because one has to hit it with authority to get the performance that it has to offer. As always Tiger brings something to the game that I admire and trust that he will be rewarded with favorable results. Success comes in small spurts and it’s all about time, patience and the willingness to overcome challenges.

    • george

      Feb 23, 2018 at 1:30 pm

      Gary Player says that Tiger told him that he became confused after 2000, since taking instruction from the ‘experts’

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZkxmr2wMyU

      Tiger more than any other pro has unlimited clubs and shafts to test and the time to check out all the adjustments.

      He is still confused about the golf swing. Too bad, but for his well being and health he should retire before he does permanent injury.

      • JR

        Feb 25, 2018 at 12:42 am

        Gary Player is a blowhard. He isn’t giving a golf clinic. He is giving a lecture on how everyone needs to be just like himself.
        “It takes hard work”. How many times has he said that? Does he think working in a factory is easy work?
        He spends his whole life playing a game, getting rich doing it and then claims to know something about life. What a clod.?

  6. HDTVMAN

    Feb 23, 2018 at 11:35 am

    Hit that driver at the PGA show. The M3 was OK, but preferred the Ping G400.

  7. Mike Pollard

    Feb 23, 2018 at 11:31 am

    Oh Wait……Tiger changes his shoes!!!! and his golf towel……..oh, my what will he shoot today?? Frankly, I’m kinda sick of it……ijs 🙂

    • Mark McKenzie

      Feb 23, 2018 at 12:40 pm

      Tiger who…
      He’s not worth the ink. Mac

  8. Jim Bob

    Feb 23, 2018 at 10:20 am

    Who Cares! He’s guaranteed to hit every fairway with the new “Twist Face” Technology

  9. Billy Turner DDS

    Feb 22, 2018 at 11:48 pm

    She’s a disgusting mud shark that will never marry and have off spring. It’s her fault, burn the coal, pay the toll.

    • Ogo

      Feb 23, 2018 at 2:51 am

      Blond Swedish women are inveterate coalburners… e.g. Elin

  10. dat

    Feb 22, 2018 at 9:37 pm

    It is the indian, not the arrow. Adjusting a club might get you back .001 strokes per round. Fixing your swing faults will do tenfold or more better for your scores. Tiger took his medicine and generally used woods and irons. Playing it safe and making the cut is critical now for him. If he makes the weekend, by all means let the driver loose and see what happens.

    • Simms

      Feb 22, 2018 at 10:22 pm

      Love your comment it is the Indian not the Arrow..shows every amateur golfer out there that a $500 plus driver cannot even make one the greatest golfers of all time hit a fairway…and you think it is going to work for you………….

      • Ogo

        Feb 23, 2018 at 2:11 am

        But it’s so much fun tinkering with the weights to dial out your OTT banana slice…. and besides it makes yer golffing buddies green with envy as you pull out yer big black weapon to whack the lil’ whitey ball ….. 😉

      • ~j~

        Feb 23, 2018 at 11:58 am

        True, but some absolutely perform better to dome than others. Spent a hard year with the 915 driver, going through multiple chefs and settings, and never found a good consistent flight with it . Finally traded it in for 2017 M2, and right off the shelf begin hammering fairways. Same Indian swingnit!

        Tiger needs to ditch the M3, settings and Shafts won’t help much now that it’s in his head

  11. TV

    Feb 22, 2018 at 9:30 pm

    This is why the Tour needs more OBs. Why they let these guys get away these slash swings without penalty is beyond dumb. Make them think about the trouble and force them to hit a 3w or hybrid or iron.

  12. george

    Feb 22, 2018 at 8:35 pm

    give us a break, its not the arrow.

    That swing sucks and it is continuing to damage his body, just as he has done since changing post 2000.

    IMO he will continue to miss cuts until his body gives out, again.

  13. gvogelsang

    Feb 22, 2018 at 7:19 pm

    The title of this article is surely incomplete, and perhaps totally wrong.

    Tiger shot even par by hitting irons and 3-wood off the tee. The couple of times that he driver were a disaster.

    Only on WRX. I would say fake news, but I hate the usage.

  14. Your Mom

    Feb 22, 2018 at 7:01 pm

    Tiger isn’t hitting stuff off the toe and heel that bad! He’s a ball striker. He hits everything dead center of club face. All this twist face talk is pretty stupid

  15. Ogo

    Feb 22, 2018 at 6:21 pm

    Tiger’s drive off the tee suffers from Peyronie’s disease… it jerks off to the left.

  16. Dave Hast

    Feb 22, 2018 at 6:09 pm

    Here is my thought…. Twist face allows for of center hits too be playable… That being said you grooveing a swing because you are getting away with it…….. It’s only going to get worse. The club can only do so much. Put the M2 back in play and get on with it!! I’m sure they can find a way to make the M2 look like an M3. Just my two cents

    • George

      Feb 23, 2018 at 7:08 am

      Twist face is a joke. Quickly running out of ideas is what they should call it.

      • Ross

        Feb 23, 2018 at 7:43 am

        Twist face is relate to off centre hit when the path is true, If you throw it in to out it’s going right!

  17. The dude

    Feb 22, 2018 at 5:40 pm

    Can’t work the Twist Face…..it’s a double edge sword

  18. James

    Feb 22, 2018 at 5:13 pm

    Copy Stenson and use a strong 3 wood ? Set up a poll, should Tiger copy Stensons strong 3 wood approach to driving?

  19. Kyle

    Feb 22, 2018 at 4:51 pm

    Don’t confuse correlation with causation. It wasn’t the driver that allowed him to shoot E. check out shot link on hole 12.

  20. Martien Schwencke

    Feb 22, 2018 at 4:25 pm

    The best for Tiger is an Titleist 905 with a TT metal shaft (On ebay 30 dollar)

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News

Morning 9: Wyndham Clark on back injury | DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take | Houston Open photos

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the Houston Open gets underway.

1. Wyndham Clark hurts back…still hopes to play

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…”Reigning U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark injured his back while working out at home Monday, but he hopes to play in this week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, which starts Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course.”

  • “Clark, the fourth-ranked golfer in the world, said he was lifting weights and “got caught in an awkward spot doing a lift and [his] back went.”
  • “It’s not something that happens regularly, but it happened and you live and you learn,” Clark said. “I’m trending in the right direction. I’m hitting it or feeling stronger and more mobile every day. I’m going to give it my best effort tomorrow and hopefully I can play and compete. If not, I’ve got to get ready for tournaments to come after this.”
Full piece.

2. DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking on the Subpar podcast, former PGA Tour winner and current PGA Tour Champions player Chris DiMarco said he hopes LIV buys the Champions Tour.”

  • “We’re kind of hoping that LIV buys the Champions Tour,” he said.
  • “Let’s play for a little real money out here. I mean this is kind of a joke when we’re getting $2 million. There were like seven guys last week from TPC (Sawgrass, at the $25 million PLAYERS Championship) that made more money than our purses.”
Full piece.

3. Charley Hull’s course management problem?

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Charley Hull came just short of her third LPGA Tour victory over the weekend at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship when she played her last two holes at 3 over to slip all the way to 10th on the leaderboard.”

  • “After the round, Hull was blasted by Sky Sports commentator and former LPGA Tour player Trish Johnson for her lack of golf course management.”
  • “While speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Johnson spoke harshly of Hull.”
  • “I’m probably her harshest critic, because I know how good she is. She doesn’t win anywhere near enough for her talent, and she doesn’t get involved enough, in all honestly.
  • “The thing with Charley is that you’re never going to change her. I read something the other day that said how much she loves the game and it’s her love of the game [that costs her]. She’s never going to change and she’s just going to go for every pin.
  • “In theory that’s great, but it won’t win you golf tournaments, it just won’t because she’s not that much better than anybody else.
Full piece.

4. Sahith’s interesting idea

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Which brings Theegala to his big idea: “There’s got to be something, like a fan challenge or – I think it would be awesome to see a scratch handicap go out and play like the Monday after a tournament, keep the same conditions and see what they would shoot just to put it into perspective how hard a PGA Tour golf course is.”

  • “Theegala loves the thought so much that he’d even come out and watch.”
  • “Shoot, I’d commentate on it,” Theegala added before continuing, “I have a pet peeve, sometimes when I watch golf on TV, a great example is hole 8 at Valspar last week. It’s a 230-yard par 3, the green’s 12 yards wide and someone will hit the middle of the green and, you know, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, really smart shot there.’ I’m like, ‘Well, no, he’s absolutely laced this 4-iron in the middle of the green, that’s right where he’s looking and to hit a 4-iron that straight is really, really hard.’ … Even like chipping, a lot of the stuff just looks flat on TV, but then when you get over the chip, like, oh, great, I have to land it over a mound on a downslope down grain?”
Full piece.

5. Top am Rachel Heck not going pro

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”As Rachel Heck nears the end of her college golf career, she has decided that the LPGA isn’t for her.’

  • “Heck, the 22-year-old Stanford senior who won an NCAA individual title as a freshman and has climbed as high as second in the world amateur rankings, penned a first-person essay for No Laying Up in which she explained her reasoning for remaining amateur after graduation this summer and starting an internship not in professional golf but rather private equity. Heck, a political science major, also will be pinned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.”

Read her piece on No Laying Up: https://nolayingup.com/blog/why-im-remaining-an-amateur

Full piece.

6. DJ’s new LIV signing

Golf Monthly’s Elliott Heath…”Dustin Johnson‘s LIV Golf team 4Aces GC has announced former TravisMathew CEO Chris Rosaasen as the side’s new General Manager.”

  • “Rosaasen, who is a long-time friend of Johnson, is also the founder of the team’s apparel sponsor Extracurricular and has been CEO of the Omniverse Group for the past four years.
  • “He joins with more than 20 years of “brand-building, marketing, and business leadership” according to LIV Golf, which says his “record of innovation in the golf industry will strengthen and accelerate the growth of the 4Aces GC brand.”
Full piece.

7. Photos from the Houston Open

  • Check out all of our photos from this week’s event!
Full piece.
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Four books for a springtime review

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One thing that never changes over time: snowy evenings give purpose to reading (is it the other way around?) It has been a snowy 2024 in western New York, and I’ve had ample time to tuck into an easy chair with a blanket, coffee, and a book. You’re in luck, because despite the title of this piece, I’ll share five books and their worth with you.

There is great breadth of subject matter from one to five. Golf is as complicated as life, which means that the cover of the book isn’t worth judging. The contents begin the tale, but there is so much more to each topic presented within. If you’re like me, your library grows each year. Despite the value of the virtual, the paper-printed word connects us to the past of golf and humanity. Here’s hoping that you’ll add one or more of these titles to your collection.

        

Rainmaker

Hughes Norton interviewed with Mark McCormack for 20 minutes (30 if you count the missed exit at Logan International) while driving the founder of IMG from Harvard to the airport. The lesson of taking advantage of each moment, of every dollar, because you might not get another opportunity, is the most valuable one that life offers. I say to you, be certain to read this book, because another opportunity to bend the ear of Hughes Norton may not come our way.

Hughes Norton was with Tiger Woods for waaayyy fewer years than you might guess, but they were the critical ones. Be warned: not all of the revelations in this tome are for the faint of heart. Some, in fact, will break your heart. Golf was a sleepy hamlet in the 1990s, until the 16-lane interstate called Eldrick “Tiger” Woods came into town. Everything changed, which meant that everything would change again and again, into eternity. Once the ball starts rolling, it’s impossible to stop.

My favorite aspect of this book is its candor. Hughes Norton is well into his time on Planet Earth. He has no reason to hold back, and he doesn’t. My least favorite aspect is that George Peper got the call to co-author the book (and I didn’t.) Seriously, there is no LFA for me, so this is the best that I could do.

Decision: Buy It!

The Golf Courses of Seth Raynor

Michael Wolf, James Sitar, and Jon Cavalier, in abject partnership, collaborated to produce a handsome volume on the work of gone-too-soon, engineer-turned-golf course architect. Seth Raynor was pulled into the game by Charles Blair MacDonald, the crusty godfather of American golf. Raynor played little golf across the 51 years of his life. His reason? He did not wish to corrupt his designs with the demands and failings of his own game.

Jon Cavalier began his photography career as a contributor to the Golf Club Atlas discussion group. I met him there in a virtual way (we still have yet to shake hands) and have exchanged numerous emails over the years. Despite the demands of his day job, Cavalier has blossomed into the most traveled and prolific course photographer alive today. His photography, both hand-held and drone, makes the pages pop. Michael Wolf invited me and two friends to play his home course, despite having never met any of us in person. His words, melded to those of James Sitar, are the glue that connect Cavalier’s photos.

My favorite aspect of the books is the access it gives to the private-club world of Raynor. Fewer than five of his courses are resort or public access, and knowing people on the inside is not available to all. My suggestion? Write a letter/email and see if a club will let you play. Can’t hurt to try! My one complaint about the book is its horizontal nature. Golf is wide, but I like a little vertical in my photos. It’s not much of a complaint, given the glorious contents within the covers.

Decision: Buy It!!

Big Green Book from The Golfer’s Journal

Beginning with its (over)size, and continuing through the entire contents, there is no descriptor that defines the genre of the Big Green Book. It is photography, essay, layout, poetry, graphics, and stream of consciousness. It harnesses the creative power of a lengthy masthead of today’s finest golf contributors. Quotes from Harvey Penick, verse from Billy Collins, and prose from John Updike partner with images pure and altered, to immerse you in the diverse golf spaces that define this planet.

One of my favorite aspects is the spaces between the words and photos. Have your friends and others write a few notes to you in those blank areas, to personalize your volume even more. One aspect that needs improvement: the lack of female voices. I suspect that will be remedied in future volumes.

Decision: Buy It!!!

Troublemaker and The Unplayable Lie

Books that allege discrimination and mistreatment check two boxes: potentially-salacious reads and debate over whose perspective is accurate. In the end, the presentation of salacious revelation rarely meets the expectation, and the debate over fault is seldom resolved. Lisa Cornwell spent years as a competitive junior and college golfer, before joining The Golf Channel as a reporter and program host.

Despite the dream assignments, there were clouds that covered the sun. Cornwell documents episodes of favoritism and descrimination against her, prior to her departure from The Golf Channel in 2021. Her work echoes the production of the late Marcia Chambers, who wrote for Golf Digest in the 1980s and 1990s. Chambers took issue with many of the potential and real legal issues surrounding golf and its policies of access/no access. Her research culminated in The Unplayable Lie, the first work of its kind to address issues confronted by all genders and ethnicities, and immediately predated the professional debut of Tiger Woods in 1997.

My favorite aspects of the two works, are the courage and conviction that it took to write them, and believe in them. My least favorite aspects are the consistent bias that many groups continue to face. Without awareness, there is no action. Without action, there is no change.

Decision: Buy Them!!!!

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open

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GolfWRX is on site in the Lone Star State this week for the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

General galleries from the putting green and range, WITBs — including Thorbjorn Olesen and Zac Blair — and several pull-out albums await.

As always, we’ll continue to update as more photos flow in. Check out links to all our photos from Houston below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.

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