Donald sets pace at stormy Sun City

SUN CITY, South Africa - Former world number one Luke Donald made a blistering start to the Nedbank Golf Challenge on Thursday but the first round was cut short by thunderstorms.

Five-under-par after 11 holes, England's Donald held a two-shot lead over Jamie Donaldson of Wales, Dane Thomas Bjorn and Zimbabwean Brendon de Jonge at the Gary Player Country Club.

Play was halted just after midday because of the threat of lightning from a storm that arrived quickly over the course and forced the 30-man field off for just under three hours.

They returned for another hour's play before being warned off again by a dramatic blast of the siren and play was eventually suspended. The first round will be completed on Friday morning.

Donald birdied the opening hole and eagled the long second to race to three under par. Four straight pars kept the 35-year-old on three under when forced off the course but the long delay did not deter the leader who picked up further strokes at the eighth and ninth.

De Jonge moved into contention with an eagle at the ninth where he holed out with a wedge.

Donaldson was three under after 12 but Bjorn is still back on the sixth with the prospect of 30 holes to play on Friday in order to complete the first and second rounds.

Defending champion Martin Kaymer went to two under par as the elite field set off to compete for a prize fund of $6.5 million.

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Johnson takes early control at Tiger's event

THOUSAND OAKS, California - Zach Johnson, with his renowned wedge game in sparkling order, soared to the top of the leaderboard with a five-under-par 67 in Thursday's opening round at the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge.

Twice a runner-up in the elite 18-player event hosted by world number one Tiger Woods, American Johnson mixed seven birdies with two bogeys to take control on a sun-splashed but chilly day at Sherwood Country Club.

Compatriot Matt Kuchar, a double winner on the 2013 PGA Tour, was alone in second after a 68 while five-times champion Woods had to settle for a 71 after missing a three-foot birdie putt at the last.

Johnson, who finished second at the 2011 World Challenge, was delighted with his opening round after the scheduled start of play was delayed by frost for an hour.

"I did everything decent, drove it well for the most part with the exception of probably the last hole," Johnson, a 10-times champion on the PGA Tour, told reporters. "I wedged it really good.

"Any time I had a wedge in my hand, I seemed to be hitting my lines and my yardages, which is certainly key. I putted it great. Just a real solid day all around.

"I kept the course in front of me, I was aggressive when I needed to be aggressive and I was conservative when I needed to be conservative. But it's nothing more than a decent start."

BIRDIE BLITZ

Johnson was especially pleased that he managed to birdie four of the five par-five holes on the heavily undulating, Jack Nicklaus-designed layout.

"I hit it close," the 37-year-old said. "I hit it close on two, I hit it close on 11, 13, and I hit it close on 16. I had good shots in there with the proper spin, nothing more than that.

"But you've got to take advantage of them (the par-fives). You've got five of them."

Despite a perfectly manicured layout and very little wind, only five players in the field of 18 dipped under par in the opening round but Johnson was not at all surprised.

"First of all, there's some tough pins," he said. "Second, it's that time of year where some guys are trying to shake rust off. That may be part of it.

Woods, who won the most recent of his five titles here in 2011, was a little frustrated with his score after missing short putts on both his first and last holes.

"I made a few mistakes today, I also hit a couple of good shots that ended up in some interesting spots," the 14-time major champion said. "That can happen out here. Maybe I could have gotten one or two more (shots) out of it.

"There's some tough pins out there. You miss them on the wrong spots, you're going to pay a price, and I think that's kind of what's signified in the scoring. No one is running away with it. Nobody went low today."

Defending champion Graeme McDowell, who also triumphed here in 2010, opened with a 72 while fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy carded a 73, just four days after winning his first title of the year at the Australian Open.

"My (putting) speed was a little clumsy, and it showed today on the greens," McDowell said after offsetting four birdies with four bogeys. "But generally I was quite happy the way I hit the ball."

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Woods eyes emotional Sherwood farewell

THOUSAND OAKS, California - Tiger Woods has prepared for an emotional Sunday when his World Challenge golf tournament, which has raised over $25 million for his foundation, will end a successful run of 14 years in California.

Every December, an elite field has assembled at the picturesque Sherwood Country Club, nestled in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, to compete in the Woods-hosted event which will relocate to Florida for next year.

"Fourteen years here and it's been absolutely incredible," world number one Woods told Reuters as he reflected on the tournament's run in California after the inaugural edition was staged at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1999.

"The members, the board and all the volunteers have come out over the years through rain and wind, we've even had sleet here before, as well as perfect sunshine.

"And all the players who have supported it over the years, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to design and develop our learning centers without this event. It is going to be an emotional Sunday for sure."

Asked why the event was shifting next year to Isleworth Country Club outside Orlando in Florida, Woods replied: "The global golf schedule has changed so dramatically with the FedExCup, the Race to Dubai and guys playing pretty late in the year, they are worn out and they don't want to travel any more.

"A lot of the Aussie players go down to support Oz and it's hard to get a lot of South Africans to come up and play in this event as they support their own tour at this time of the year.

"A lot of the guys at this event here are based in Florida, so it just makes it a little bit easier for us to draw fields like we have now. With the guys who are based in Florida, you're not asking them to fly across the country."

Regardless of where the World Challenge is held, Woods is passionate about the event's role in raising money for Tiger Woods Foundation projects and the six learning centers he has set up in the United States.

More than 100,000 scholars have gone through the various learning centers since the first of them was opened in Anaheim, California in 2006.

"It's so important, what we have been able to do and how we have been able to transform kids' lives and allow them the opportunity to go to college and provide them with mentors and internships," Woods said.

"A lot of these kids live in tough neighbourhoods where there are gangs, violence and drugs. A lot of them grew up in single-parent homes or were raised by grandparents or were adopted.

"We try to bring in an environment for them that is safe and stimulating. We're trying to provide them with an eye-opening experience. We give them hope but more importantly we give them a skill-set and the support to go ahead."

'BEHIND THE EIGHT-BALL'

Woods, who created the Tiger Woods Foundation with his father Earl shortly after he turned professional in 1996, has set his sights on helping disadvantaged scholars who began life "behind the eight-ball."

His various learning centers provide a state-of-the-art haven where children can develop life skills and get to grips with subjects as diverse as forensic science, robotics, business entrepreneurship and rocket design.

"I don't think that they should be stuck behind the eight-ball," said Woods. "We provide them with an opportunity to get out in front of that."

For all of his remarkable achievements on the golf course, ranging from his 14 major titles to his 79 career victories on the PGA Tour, Woods has long hoped that his legacy will focus instead on his contributions to society.

"Whether I get to 19 (majors) and beyond or 82 (PGA Tour career wins) and beyond, that's all me, that only impacts me," said Woods.

"Hitting a high draw and a high fade, making a couple of putts here and there and winning a few tournaments, that only impacts me. What we are doing with the Foundation is impacting thousands of kids' lives.

"That's far more important than what I am doing on the golf course. We have been able to impact hundreds of thousands of kids already and in the near future it will be millions. And eventually it will not only be domestic but international."

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Watch one of the best, and most creative, golf shots you’ll ever see

To be a good golfer you need plenty of tools, but one of the things that really talented golfers are the best at is recovering from a bad golf shot. Tiger Woods has made a career out of getting out of trouble when he hits a bad drive or finds himself in a precarious situation, as has Phil Mickelson and some of the other big names in the game.

It's a skill just like putting and chipping, and it's what makes some of the professional golfers we watch week in and week out so amazing.

Introduce Matt Wheatcroft, a gentleman who was playing in the British Par-3 Championship a few months back. Wheatcroft found himself almost out of bounds on the short fourth hole, just inches away from a post that basically gave him no swing at all. The logical play here would be to take an unplayable lie, try to make your bogey and move to the next hole.

Wheatcroft had a different idea. He decided to go Roy McAvoy against the outhouse and bank it off the post, hoping to get a good bounce and get the ball somewhere on the green.

His result was Bill Haas out of the water at East Lake, ending up just inches away from the hole for a tap-in par and what a lot of us think is one of the greatest recovery shots we've ever seen.

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Donald leads, lightning halts play in Sun City

SUN CITY, South Africa -- Lightning halted the first round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge and Luke Donald's rapid start at the 30-man invitational on Thursday.

Donald opened with a birdie and an eagle on his first two holes and was 5 under after 11 when a second interruption for lightning caused players to come off the course for good.

The former top-ranked Englishman is two ahead of Jamie Donaldson and Thomas Bjorn. Donaldson played 12 holes, while Bjorn was 3 under with three birdies in six holes.

Playing for the first time since ending last season with the FedEx Cup and European money list titles, Henrik Stenson was 1 under after seven, with six straight pars after a birdie on No. 1.

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Golf deeper than ever, and most are at Sherwood

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Tiger Woods believes it's harder than ever to win on the PGA Tour because of the increasing depth of talent of the players.

And most of them are at his tournament this week.

The World Challenge gets underway Thursday, held at Sherwood Country Club for the last time, and the field is so strong that the entire 18-man field is in the top 30 in the world ranking. That's what makes it difficult to win trophies.

And what's why Woods laughs at using the phrase "pretty good" to describe a year in which he won five times on the PGA Tour.

"I think it's deeper now than it ever has been," Woods said. "There is more young talent. There are more guys winning golf tournaments for the first time. If you look at the major championships, how long did we go from basically Phil winning and Phil winning?"

He was referring to the 13 majors played between Phil Mickelson winning the 2010 Masters and the British Open this year. Eleven of those champions had never won a major, the exceptions being Ernie Els and Rory McIlroy.

Of those 11 first-time major champions, only Darren Clarke has fallen lower than No. 40 in the world.

"It's more difficult to win events now," Woods said.

He pointed to advancements in equipment, particularly from wood drivers and wound golf balls. Woods says the younger players who hit the ball high "are shocked to see the ball get moved by the wind."

"For a lot of us who grew up playing balata balls, you wanted to get that thing down. You didn't want it up in that wind because it got pushed around like you wouldn't believe," he said. "It's a totally different game. Guys have evolved, and I think they've become much more aggressive now than they ever used to be because of equipment."

Separating the best players is getting more difficult.

Graeme McDowell set a target to get back into the top five in the world at the start of the season. He wanted a certain amount of world ranking points that he figured would do the trick, and he about reached that level. Little did he know that so many other players also raised the level of their game.

"It's fun to be part of it," McDowell said.

Woods dominated the PGA Tour with five wins against five tough fields, which also gave him another Vardon Trophy and money title. Henrik Stenson became the first player to win the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour and the Race to Dubai on the European Tour.

Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson had multiple wins around the world that included historic majors — Scott was the first Australian in a green jacket at Augusta National, Mickelson won a British Open that not even he thought he could ever win.

Jordan Spieth finished No. 7 in the FedEx Cup even though he didn't have status on the PGA Tour at the start of the year. Hideki Matsuyama became the first rookie to win the Japan Golf Tour money title, and he didn't even turn pro until April.

And this list of characters doesn't include McIlroy, who began the year at No. 1 and is just now starting to emerge from a slump.

"You've got to play really well to win," McIlroy said. "I think that's why you see so many first-time winners, because the field is so deep, and it is tough to win out here. But I think golf is in great shape."

Comparing eras is never easy, though Woods detected a big difference from a generation ago.

At the end of the 1990s and early in the 2000s, golf was strong at the top — Woods, David Duval, Mickelson, Els, Vijay Singh. But there was a reasonable gap between the biggest stars and the next level. From 1999 through 2002, there was a massive gap between Woods and the other stars.

Woods said a player now has to be consistent to be among the best.

The World Challenge is the end of the year for the majority of the field — a few players are headed to Thailand next week — and it should set the table for a fascinating season in 2014. Stenson and Scott will try to sustain their excellence, along with a newcomer such as Spieth.

Woods said that he still looks at the way players hit the ball to determine who has game, though the direction is different. When he first joined the tour in 1996, it was players who could work the ball both ways. Now he looks at the players who can maneuver the trajectory.

"You don't see shot-makers like you used to. The ball doesn't curve like it used to," Woods said. "It just doesn't move as much. But you look at the guys who are pretty good players at the top. They cannot really shape the golf ball necessarily, but they can move their trajectory up and down. I think that's where the shape has changed. They don't shape it as much from right to left, but more in altitude."

After this year, the tournament is going through a change in latitude.

This is the 14th year the World Challenge is held at Sherwood, a Jack Nicklaus design with emerald fairways set against the brown foothills of the Santa Monica mountains. The Tiger Woods Foundation announced last month that it is moving to Isleworth outside Orlando.

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Northwestern Mutual World Challenge first round scores

First round scores from the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge at the par-72 Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks

California on Thursday (U.S. unless stated):

Zach Johnson	67
Matt Kuchar	68
Hunter Mahan	70
Bubba Watson	70
Tiger Woods	71
Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland)	72
Jim Furyk	72
Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)	73
Bill Haas	73
Webb Simpson	73
Lee Westwood (England)	74
Dustin Johnson	74
Jason Dufner	74
Steve Stricker	75
Keegan Bradley	75
Ian Poulter (England)	76
Jason Day (Australia)	76
Jordan Spieth	77

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Tiger motivated by Snead, Nicklaus and kids

THOUSAND OAKS, California, - As Tiger Woods eyes the twilight of a remarkable career, he has his sights on records posted by Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead and a growing pleasure that his children are starting to understand what he does on the course.

World number one Woods, comfortably the greatest player of his generation, has long targeted the 18 major titles claimed by fellow American Nicklaus and the 82 career victories piled up on the PGA Tour by the sweet-swinging Snead.

Woods, who celebrates his 38th birthday at the end of this month, trails Nicklaus's record mark by four and Snead's milestone by three.

Yet just as significant for Woods as he contemplates his 'bucket list' of future golfing achievements is the burgeoning knowledge of his two children, daughter Sam and son Charlie, for what he does for a living.

"It's exciting for me to have my two kids now starting to understand what Daddy does," Woods told Reuters on Wednesday as he prepared for Thursday's opening round of the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge, which he hosts.

"It was cool for me this year for the first time to have Charlie there to watch me win. He understood it for the first time, that Daddy is always in the gym lifting weights to be able to get the ball out of the rough and out the trees.

"Or that's how he explains it," Woods added with a flash of his trademark smile.

Charlie was on site at Firestone Country Club in August when his father eased to a seven-shot victory at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, earning his 79th win on the PGA Tour.

"He gets it now," Woods said of his son. "He is excited about the game and he has even told me he wants to caddie for me one day. But that was never a reality until that event (at Firestone).

"So that gives me a little extra incentive to continue playing and continue working because they get so much enjoyment out of watching me on TV and playing."

While Snead's target is well within reach, the four majors Woods needs to draw level with Nicklaus represent a tally achieved by very few golfers in an entire career.

"Certainly the easier goal is going to be to get to Sam's record," Woods said, speaking on the balcony of the imposing clubhouse at Sherwood Country Club which hosts the World Challenge this week for a 14th and final time.

SIGNIFICANT MILESTONES

"You can get there basically from playing your first three events of the year and winning three in a row. But major championships, they're spread out a little bit. It's certainly much harder to get to Jack's number than Sam's.

"But both of them I regard as significant milestones and hopefully one day in my career I will surpass both of them. Certainly I'd like to continue winning for a long period of time. That's important to me."

Winning was a familiar habit for Woods during 2013 as he racked up a season-high five titles on the PGA Tour on the way to being voted Player of the Year, though he was unable to add to his career tally of 14 majors.

"I think it was a fantastic year, unfortunately I didn't win a major championship," said the 37-year-old who has come up empty in golf's blue riband events since his remarkable playoff victory at the 2008 U.S. Open.

"I was close at the Masters (tied for fourth) and the British (Open where he shared sixth place). A couple of little swings here and there and it might have been a different story.

"But I won the Players (Championship) at a venue where I have struggled over the years, so to be able to put that together there was quite a good feeling. To win five times, and get Player of the Year again, that feels pretty good."

This week, Woods is especially excited to be back at the World Challenge, an event he has won five times and which raises money for Tiger Woods Foundation projects and the six learning centers he has set up in the United States.

More than 100,000 scholars have gone through the various learning centers since the first of them was opened in Anaheim, California in 2006.

"It's so important, what we have been to do and how we have been able to transform kids' lives and allow them the opportunity to go to college and provide them with mentors and internships," Woods said.

"And it's all because of this event, starting 15 years ago at Grayhawk (Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona) and now here.

"Sherwood has been an incredible venue over the years and without this event we quite frankly wouldn't have a learning center here in Orange County, we wouldn't have had the ability to create other learning centers around the country."

The tournament moves to Florida next year.

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A farewell to Sherwood at World Challenge

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.  — Graeme McDowell is going to miss Sherwood Country Club.

The World Challenge that Tiger Woods hosts each December begins Thursday, played for the last time at this Jack Nicklaus course in the foothills of the Santa Monica mountains. It will move next year to Isleworth Country Club outside Orlando, Fla.

McDowell's good vibe from this event dates to 2009, the year Woods withdrew in the midst of his personal life collapsing around him. McDowell was a last-minute alternate and was runner-up. That was the first year the tournament was awarded world ranking points, and McDowell moved up to No. 38.

That put him into the Masters the next year, and those ranking points enabled him to be exempt from U.S. Open qualifying. McDowell won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, a victory that assured him a spot on the Ryder Cup team. And in the Ryder Cup, he won the final match on the course in Wales to clinch the cup for Europe.

And then he won at Sherwood two months later. And he won again last year, which could well have been a springboard of confidence to his three-win season this year.

So, yes, he's sorry to see it go.

"It's always been a week I've enjoyed, win, lose or draw," McDowell said. "I've always enjoyed the hospitality here. It's always been a great place to end the year."

He's not opposed to Isleworth, which is only a short drive across Orlando from his place at Lake Nona. Then again, McDowell has three wins in California and has often joked about buying a second home in the Golden State.

"California has been pretty good to me," he said. "Maybe not as good to me as it has been to the host of the tournament. Tiger Woods has had a Hall of Fame career here in the state of California. I've had an OK run."

Woods has 19 wins in his home state — eight at Torrey Pines (including a U.S. Open), two at Pebble Beach (including a U.S. Open), three at La Costa Resort (two at the Match Play, one at the Tournament of Champions), one at Harding Park (World Golf Championship) and five at Sherwood.

This will be the 14th straight year at Sherwood, which Woods said was a good run. He attributed the move to a combination of players' global schedule, a central location and sponsorship dollars "not exactly easy to come by in these economic times."

"It was certainly not an easy decision, but there are a lot of players that are based there in Florida," Woods said. "It will be a little easier for the guys ... instead of coming all the way out here, to stay right there in Florida."

Half of the 18-man field Woods assembled this week live in Florida.

And this is quite a field. The World Challenge has 12 of the top 20 in the world, and the lowest-ranked player is Hunter Mahan at No. 30. It's a reminder to Woods how difficult it is to win these days, and why his five PGA Tour wins — even without a major — was a strong effort.

A generation ago, golf was top-heavy with Woods, David Duval, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh.

"I think it's deeper now than it ever has been," Woods said. "There is more young talent. There are more guys winning golf tournaments for the first time. If you look at the major championships, how long did we go from basically Phil winning and Phil winning?

He was referring to the 13 majors played between Mickelson winning the 2010 Masters and the British Open this year. Eleven of those champions had never won a major, the exceptions being Els and Rory McIlroy.

Of those 11 first-time major champions, only Darren Clarke has fallen lower than No. 40 in the world.

"It's more difficult to win events now," Woods said.

He pointed to advancements in equipment, particularly from wood drivers and wound golf balls. Woods says the younger players who hit the ball high "are shocked to see the ball get moved by the wind."

"For a lot of us who grew up playing balata balls, you wanted to get that thing down. You didn't want it up in that wind because it got pushed around like you wouldn't believe," he said. "It's a totally different game. Guys have evolved, and I think they've become much more aggressive now than they ever used to be because of equipment."

Separating the best players is getting more difficult.

McDowell set a target to get back into the top five in the world at the start of the season. He wanted a certain amount of world ranking points that he figured would do the trick, and he about reached that level. Little did he know that so many other players also raised the level of their games.

"It's fun to be part of it," McDowell said.

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Zach Johnson takes lead in Sherwood swan song

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Zach Johnson already is looking ahead to next year, and one of his priorities is to score better on the par 5s. He got started on that Thursday in the World Challenge.

Johnson birdied four of the five par 5s on a chilly afternoon at Sherwood Country Club, sending him to a 5-under 67 and a one-shot lead over Matt Kuchar. They were among only five players in the elite 18-man field who broke par.

One of them was tournament host Tiger Woods, who had a new driver in the bag and missed only two fairways. The problem was his putter. Woods opened his round by missing a short par putt, and he finished it by missing a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th. He wound up with a 71.

Kuchar played with Woods - they were partners at the Presidents Cup - and hit his approach into 2 feet for birdie on the final hole.

Hunter Mahan and Bubba Watson were at 70. They are among seven players who have yet to win a tournament anywhere in the world this year, even though all 18 players in the World Challenge are in the top 30 in the world ranking.

The tournament counts toward the ranking, though everything else about it is unofficial. For some players, it's a time to shake off some rust and test new equipment. For others, it's the end of a long year.

Johnson had his annual ''summit'' with his team of coaches at the start of the week. They go over the year, crunch statistics and lay out goals for where to improve in 2014. One of the areas was par-5 scoring.

''A highlight that we're looking into next year is trying to play those holes a little bit better,'' Johnson said. ''I don't know what I did that today. I hit it close. I had good shots in there with the proper spin, nothing more than that. But you've got to take advantage of them. You've got five of them. The thing is ... one errant shot, you're staring a 6 right in the face, if not more. There's a lot of penal areas.''

There was plenty of punishment for some players in the field.

Steve Stricker was among those under par until a bogey-bogey-double bogey finish put him at 75. Jordan Spieth, coming off a sensational rookie season and playing for the first time since the HSBC Champions in Shanghai a month ago, had a 77 and was last in the field. Jason Day, who won the individual and team title at the World Cup two weeks ago at Royal Melbourne, had a 76.

Rory McIlroy, with girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki following him, was hopeful of building momentum from his first win of the year last week in the Australian Open. He missed a few short putts, found the water on the par-3 15th and had a 73. He played with defending champion Graeme McDowell, who had a 72.

McDowell saw a note that his last eight rounds at Sherwood were in the 60s. That streak ended Thursday, though for good reason.

''The course hasn't been this tough in a couple years,'' McDowell said. ''The scoring reflects that. The greens are much firmer. The speed of them caught me by surprise a little bit today. My speed was a little clumsy, and it showed today on the greens.''

This is the final year the tournament is being played at Sherwood. It moves to Isleworth just outside Orlando, Fla., next year.

Woods has played only one tournament since the Presidents Cup, and that was a tie for third in the Turkish Open. He said he struggled with his irons - even though he missed only two fairways, he hit only 12 greens - and couldn't get enough putts to fall.

''I made a few mistakes today,'' Woods said. ''I also hit a couple of good shots that ended up in some interesting spots. That can happen out there. I shot about the score ... maybe could have gotten one or two more out of it.''

Johnson had few complaints. He opened with two birdies, and then surged ahead on the back nine with five birdies in a seven-hole stretch, three of them on the par 5s. Johnson has a pair of runner-up finishes at this event, and with the tournament moving, this is his last shot at Sherwood.

''I did everything decent,'' he said. ''Just a real solid day all around. I was aggressive when I needed to be aggressive, and I was conservative when I needed to be conservative. It's nothing more than a decent start.''

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Tiger Woods shoots 71 in first round of NW Mutual World Challenge

Tiger Woods teed it up in the United States for the first time since the Presidents Cup on Thursday and played pretty well other than an opening-hole bogey.

He had an opportunity at No. 18, after sticking an iron to six feet, to get in at 2 under but lipped the putt out and had to settle for a 1-under 71. He trails leader Zach Johnson by four but there are only three other golfers in between them.

Here are the five golfers under par (of the 18-man field):

Zach Johnson: 5 under

Matt Kucahr: 4 under

Hunter Mahan: 2 under

Bubba Watson: 2 under

Tiger Woods: 1 under

Here's a look at Woods' scorecard:

Woods spoke to Steve Sands of Golf Channel after his round and said he was pretty pleased with how he played.

"I made a few mistakes today. Just my feel. Obviously on the very first hole I missed a short one."

He almost had another birdie at No. 9 after nearly chipping in from a greenside bunker. 

All things considered it was a good day for Woods who has only finished outside the top five at this tournament one time.

It's an elite field -- which is awesome for fans -- and they put on a show on Thursday. I expect more of the same from Woods and Co. on Friday.

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Jason Dufner puts a massive rock in Keegan Bradley's golf bag

How hilarious is this? That's Jason Dufner grabbing a monstrous rock out of a sand trap at the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club and putting it in Keegan Bradley's golf bag.

The two buddies are known for pulling pranks on each other but isn't this kind of a prank on Bradley's caddie, Steve Hale?

I wonder if Dufner laughs to himself really hard on the inside given how little emotion he shows on the outside.

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Mark O'Meara says Tiger Woods will be different in majors in 2014

Mark O'Meara played in the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge pro-am on Wednesday and Robert Lusetich of Fox Sports caught up with him afterwards to talk about what everyone wants to talk about.

Tiger Woods.

"He won five times this year, played OK in the majors for him, but I know he's all about the majors," said O'Meara. "I know his desire to win those events, and he didn't do it."

However, O'Meara says 2014 bodes well for the 14-time major winner.

"Pinehurst he always plays well, Valahalla he won at, and [at] Hoylake we saw what he did last time the Open Championship was played there (in 2006).

"When you win on a course, you have good, fond memories of the place, and that counts for something, it really does. So, yes, I think next year's a big year for him, for sure."

Then he said something that it feels like everybody says at the end of almost every single season.

"I think he's going to be a different player at the majors next year."

Maybe O'Meara has a point.

Here's how Woods finished last time majors were held at the 2014 venues:

Masters (Augusta)	Fourth in 2013
US Open (Pinehurst)	Second in 2005
British Open (Royal Liverpool)	First in 2006
PGA Championship (Valhalla)	First in 2000

That does elicit hope for Woods in 2014.

Lusetich finishd with a great quote from the two-time major winner O'Meara.

"I asked O'Meara if he thought Woods would win a major in 2014.

'I think he could win two,' he said.

Why?

'Because he's got a gift,' he said. 'He's got such a great gift.'"

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Geoff Ogilvy gives thoughtful take on Woods and Chamblee

Leave it to an actual golfer to write the best piece I've seen so far on the Tiger Woods-Brandel Chamblee rift.

Geoff Ogilvy wrote a piece in GolfDigest on Wednesday about what he thought regarding their sort-of-fight and what the media could do better in general.

He kicked it off by noting that he's played with Tiger on multiple occasions and not once thought of him as a cheater.

"He can be accused of playing with "blinders" on during tournaments. But I have never -- not once -- seen him attempt to gain any unfair or dubious advantage. And that fact has me convinced there was neither ulterior motive nor inappropriate intent lurking beneath his involvement in various rules incidents this year."

I tend to agree with this though maybe we're all underestimating the egos of those we cover. Either way, Ogilvy went on to say that he thought Chamblee kind of got the short end of the stick in the fallout to his piece about Woods being a cheater.

"The resulting backlash against Brandel was also unfair. While he used language that was, in places, too hyperbolic for my taste, the principle of him being able to share with us his expert assessment is too important to be abused."

This is true, but really, what did we expect the reaction to be in a piece about the most famous athlete in the world cheating?

Ogilvy went on to challenge the current structure of how golf is covered and say that golfers need to be a little less sensitive but that writers also need to be more objective in the way they cover the sport.

"Maybe tour players are just too spoiled. Because we are pampered in so many areas of our lives, we perhaps have unrealistic expectations when it comes to the media.

"Journalists and broadcasters should not be mere cheerleaders. There's too much of that in golf right now, to be honest."

"Good things happen on tour every day -- and bad things too -- which is how it should all be reported. I have to believe that's what most people want, an accurate representation of events and issues. Anything else is an insult to our collective intelligence."

The last part might have also been the most interesting. Ogilvy noted that Woods is just not amenable in interviews and that hurts -- not helps -- the problem.

"It works both ways though. Much of what went on between Tiger and Brandel could have been avoided if Tiger would give open answers to questions -- "real" interviews, not just "nothing" interviews."

Great take from somebody who knows the situation as well as, or better than, any of us.

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Northwestern Mutual World Challenge

The last big golf event of the calendar year takes place this weekend at Sherwood Country Club.

Let's do a little Q&A on what to expect from this event.

What is it?

Northwestern Mutual World Challenge -- A tournament hosted by Tiger Woods to benefit the Tiger Woods Foundatin.

Where is it?

Sherwood Country Club -- A Jack Nicklaus course in Thousand Oaks, Cali.

Is Tiger Woods playing?

Well, of course.

When is it?

Dec. 5-8

What is the purse?

$3.5 million, $1 million to the winner.

Wait, that's not a big purse

It is when you consider there are only 18 golfers playing.

How can I watch it?

Golf Channel from 1:30-4 p.m. Eastern on Thursday and Friday.

Golf Channel from 10 a.m.-Noon and NBC from Noon-3 p.m. Eastern on Saturday and Sunday.

Who's playing?

Ah yes, this is the fun part.

Tiger, Keegan Bradley, Bubba Watson, Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk, Jordan Spieth, Graeme McDowell, Bill Haas, Jason Day, Webb Simpson, Matt Kuchar, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy,Steve Stricker, Jason Dufner, Dustin Johnson, Ian Poulter, and Hunter Mahan.

This is going to be awesome, isn't it?

It's pretty much the nine pairings we want to see in the final round of every tournament.

Who are the former champions?

2012 -- Graeme McDowell
2011 -- Tiger Woods
2010 -- Graeme McDowell
2009 -- Jim Furyk
2008 -- Vijay Singh
2007 -- Tiger Woods
2006 -- Tiger Woods
2005 -- Luke Donald
2004 -- Tiger Woods
2003 -- Davis Love III

So who are you picking?

I'm glad you asked. Here are my picks for the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge:
Winner
Rory McIlroy (6-1) -- He's back! Fine, that narrative is stupid, but he is playing well again. In his only appearance here he finished fourth (2010).
He doesn't have great value at 6-1 but I'll take "on" Rory against "on" anybody else in the world not named after an animal. I feel like the best in the world bring out his best so it'll be fun to see what he does this weekend.
Lock for top five
Tiger Woods (9-4) -- Woods has only finished outside the top five once (one!) in the history of this event and he's won it five times.
That's why he's the 9-4 favorite and why he's an easy bet to finish in the top five once again. All bets are off, however, if we see him fire up Air Tiger One on Saturday night for a quick hop over to the Stanford-Arizona State Pac-12 title game.
Sleeper
Hunter Mahan (20-1) -- There are no "sleepers" in this event but I guess Mahan qualifies at 20-1. Only Watson and Haas have higher odds. I have no reason for this pick other than "he's awesome at golf."
Ok, actually I do. His last four finishes here are T9, T4, T5, and T3. He'll be in the mix.

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Rafael Nadal hosts pro-am with Jose Maria Olazabal

Rafael Nadal played golf with Jose Maria Olazabal in Spain last week in a charity pro-am event called the Olazabal & Nadal Invitational Pro-Am.

The event took place in Mallorca with Olazabal's Sport Mundi and the Foundation Rafa Nadal being the beneficiaries.

Nadal notoriously takes the game very seriously. He once told Telegraph that he puts "human feelings on hold" when playing.

"This means that when I go out on the golf course with my friends everyday human feelings are put on hold. I have a phrase I use before a game to set the boundary between our enmity on the course and our affection off it. I look hard at my golfing pals and say: 'Hostile match, right?'I know they laugh at me behind my back about this, but I am not going to change. 

"I am decidedly unfriendly during a golf game, from the first hole to the last. It's true that you don't need the same intensity of concentration as in tennis, where, if your mind wanders for three or four minutes, you can lose three or four games."

Tiger Woods thinks Nadal might take the game too seriously!

Speaking of Tiger, Nadal says he looks up to him when he plays.

"I take my cue from Tiger Woods. From start to finish, I barely say a word to my rivals; I certainly don't compliment them on a good shot. They complain, they get angry with me, curse me for my rudeness. 

"They say I'm more aggressive even than I am on the tennis court. The difference between me and my friends, some of whom are much better golfers than I am (I have a handicap of 11), is that I just don't see the point of playing a sport unless you're giving it your all."

It's a pro-am, Rafa. Settle down!

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