PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Tiger Woods has added The Players Championship to his schedule, another indication that he is getting back to a normal golf season.

Woods won The Players the last time he played in 2013. He missed last year while recovering from back surgery that forced him to miss a combined seven months in 2014. He sat out two months earlier this year to work on his game – particularly his chipping – after posting a career-high 82 in Phoenix.

Woods is No. 106 in the world ranking and did not qualify for the Match Play Championship next week in San Francisco. The Players Championship is May 7-10.

Jack Nicklaus said earlier this week that Woods told him he would be at the Memorial, which is June 4-7.

Looking forward to going back to THE PLAYERS this year, hoping for a repeat of 2013.

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 24, 2015

AVONDALE, La. – Boo Weekley solved his uncharacteristic ball-striking problems with new shafts.

A day after changing the shafts in his irons, Weekley shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for a share of the first-round lead with Brendon de Jonge.

“You go to tinkering around with clubs and you finally find a shaft, and (True Temper) finally stepped up and built me a set of clubs and they worked,” said Weekley, the three-time PGA Tour winner who missed the cuts in four of his past six tournaments. “I’ve been missing something in my game, and it was because I (haven’t) been able to control my irons. It just starts messing with you mentally.”

Weekley had an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey at rain-softened TPC Louisiana. De Jonge, from Zimbabwe, had eight birdies in a bogey-free round.

Sean O’Hair and Canada’s David Hearn shot 65 on the Pete Dye-designed layout.

Tour rookie Mark Hubbard had five consecutive birdies in the middle of his round and finished with a 66. He was tied with Erik Compton, Brian Davis, Greg Owen and Daniel Berger.

Dustin Johnson, ranked No. 7 in the world, was at 67 in a large group that included former Zurich winner K.J. Choi and Jason Day, the highest ranked player in the field at No. 6.

Weekley, from Milton, Florida, played in front of a number of family and friends. He eagled the par-5 second hole and added birdies on the fifth and eighth holes. He bogeyed the ninth, but rallied with birdies on Nos. 11-13 and closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th.

“I felt like if the putts would have fallen that I hit, I felt like it could have been a 59 easy,” Weekley said after posting his lowest score in more than two years. “I felt like I should have easily shot 8-under on the front side.”

De Jonge, starting on the back nine, birdied three consecutive holes after a par on his first hole and made the turn at 4 under. He had four straight birdies on the back, but failed to birdie the par-5 eighth.

De Jonge, who hit 12 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens, played the par 4s in 7 under but was only 1 under on the par 5s in his lowest round of the year.

“I left a couple of shots on the par 5s but made it up on the par 4s,” said de Jonge, who added he has never played well at TPC New Orleans. “The course was there for the taking. You’ve obviously got to hit the fairways, but the tour let us play (lift, clean and place), so that was the key out there today.”

O’Hair was 3 under after his first two holes, including an eagle on the first when he knocked in his second shot from 123 yards. He was 7 under through his first 11 holes, but bogeyed the 12th before closing with a birdie on the 18th.

“I kind of caught myself pressing on the back nine,” said O’Hair, who has two top 10s in his past four tournaments, including a sixth-place finishes this past week at the RBC Heritage. “Once I got to 7 (under) I was kind of pushing a little bit, forcing a little bit on the greens.”

Players were allowed to lift, clean and place their balls in anticipation of showers that arrived in mid- afternoon, suspending play for 1 hour, 18 minutes. A calm wind for much of the day along with soft greens left the course defenseless.

“Hopefully, the weather (Friday) will be good,” Day said after a round in which he hit two balls in the water on the par-3 third for a double-bogey 5 and followed with a bogey on the fourth hole. “It will be good to see the course dry out, and obviously when the weather comes in it’s no fun for anyone.”

Tiger Woods will visit Asia from April 24 – 26 to help stoke local interest in the sport of golf and inspire athletes in China and Japan.

The 14-time Major champion will make his first stop in Shanghai on April 24 before he travels to Tokyo on April 26.

“When Tiger visited Asia in 2011, his presence was absolutely electric,” said Marc Patrick, VP Global Marketing of Nike Golf. “He really connected with the young athletes and inspired so many golf enthusiasts. We believe this generated tremendous energy around the sport of golf in Asia .We look forward to continued success again this year.”

During the visit, Woods will conduct golf clinics and interact with young athletes, while sharing his insights, knowledge and love of the game with golf fans, athletes and members of the media.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Jim Furyk won his first PGA Tour event in five years, making birdies on both playoff holes to outlast Kevin Kisner at the RBC Heritage on Sunday.

Furyk was ahead by a stroke when Kisner birdied the 72nd hole to force the playoff, the fourth in the last six tournaments at Harbour Town Golf Links. On the first extra hole, Kisner rolled in a second straight birdie putt on the 18th. But Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open champion, answered with a birdie to keep the playoff going.

After Kisner missed his birdie try on No. 17, Furyk sank a 12-foot putt for his 17th career PGA Tour win. He dropped his putter and punched the air in celebration.

Furyk shot a 63 and Kisner a 64, leaving them both at 18-under 266. Third-round leader Troy Merritt was at 16 under after a 69. Defending champion Matt Kuchar (68) was at 14 under, and Masters winner Jordan Spieth (70) was eight shots back.

It was an odd tournament for Team RBC golfer Furyk, who had come close to breaking his victory drought so many times – he was 0-9 holding 54-hole leads since his last victory – including the 2014 RBC Canadian Open at Royal Montreal Golf Club.

He looked as if he’d get left behind early, making 18 pars in the first round to fall five shots back. Furyk found his game Friday with eight birdies on the way to a 64. He had a 68 Saturday, yet knew he needed to fire himself as he did Friday to have a chance.

Boy, did he ever.

Furyk had six birdies on his first nine holes, including a 48-footer on the par-4 eighth that moved him in front. A bogey on the 11th dropped Furyk into a four-way tie for first, but he responded with birdies on three of the next four holes and looked as if he’d have an easy time.

Instead, Kisner matched Furyk’s on-target irons to chase him down on the back nine. He had birdies on the 14th and 15th to move within a stroke and stuck his approach on the signature lighthouse hole at No. 18 within 7 feet for a tying birdie.

Kisner kissed his wife, Brittany, and 10-month old daughter Kathleen on the way to the scoring trailer to prepare for more golf.

Furyk is used to such grinding at Harbour Town. When he won there in 2010, Brian Davis tied him on the final hole to force a playoff – won by Furyk when Davis struck a loose impediment on his swing and called a penalty on himself.

Merritt fell to third after a third 69 this week. His other score was a course-record tying 61 in the second round Friday. Merritt couldn’t keep up with Furyk’s charge and lost his chance after hitting out of bounds on No. 12 and taking double bogey. Merritt made up for it a few holes later with an eagle-2 on No. 16.

Spieth closed an amazing five-tournament stretch. He won the Valspar Championship a month ago and followed that with seconds at the Texas and Houston opens before matching Tigers Woods’ record of 18 under at Augusta National. For Spieth, 19 of his past 20 rounds have been under par.

Spieth had a whirlwind media tour in New York on Monday and Tuesday before arriving at Hilton Head. Now the 21-year-old Texan wants to get back to Dallas in time to attend the Academy of Country Music Awards. He’ll return to golf in two weeks at the World Golf Championship Match Play event.

Nick Taylor was the lone Canadian to make the cut. The Abbotsford, B.C., golfer finihsed 74th at 4 over.

Golfers went off in groups of three on the first and 10th tees starting at 7:30 a.m. to beat expected stormy weather later in the day.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Troy Merritt felt the fear Saturday he experienced during his successful amateur career. The third-round leader at the RBC Heritage expects another healthy dose Sunday.

Merritt shot a 2-under 69 to take a three-stroke lead over defending champion Matt Kuchar, Brendon Todd and Kevin Kisner. Jim Furyk, No. 10 in the world, was four shots behind, with Masters champ Jordan Spieth another stroke back and eager to win another jacket – this one tartan.

“I was starting to feel the fear and being afraid, like I would when I was an amateur,” Merritt said. “It’s not a bad fear; it’s the fear of being caught. And I think it’s worked for me in the past. “

Merritt finished at 14-under 199, two off the 54-hole scoring record set by Justin Leonard in his 2002 victory.

Todd made the big move with a 63, the day’s lowest round. Kisner shot 67, and Kuchar 68.

Furyk led a group another stroke behind after a 68, with Spieth five shots back, also following a 68.

Brice Garnett and Branden Grace were tied with Furyk in fifth. Garnett shot 65, and Grace 66. Bo Van Pelt was 9 under along with Spieth after a 67.

The pack of seven players at 8 under included 2013 winner Graeme McDowell, past British Open champ Louis Oosthuizen and former world No. 1 Luke Donald.

All of them will have to chase down Merritt, the 54-hole leader for the first time in his career. His best finish on the PGA Tour is a second in Memphis last year.

Merritt moved to the top and built a four-shot lead Friday with his course-record tying 61 at Harbour Town Golf Links. He lost nearly all of that on the front nine Saturday before regrouping.

Merritt explained how that fear calms him and reminds him not to press and take chances to keep the edge. “You go out there, play solid golf, take care of your business and you see how the other guy is doing,” he said.

That worked in the third round after Merritt put a ball in the water on the par-4 eighth hole – “It was a spectacular splash,” he said – leading to a double bogey and reducing his lead to a stroke.

That’s when Merritt regrouped and responded, making a birdie on the ninth to regain his rhythm.

“I was going to try and get the momentum back,” he said. “And I was able to do that.”

Spieth thrilled the gallery with his bounce-back 62 on Friday and it was a full house around the first tee when the 21-year-old Texan got started. But Spieth played more like he did in Thursday’s opening 74 than in the second round, fighting to put shots close and make putts on the way to his 68.

Still, it was Spieth’s 18th time breaking par in his past 19 rounds, a monthlong run of success that included the Valspar Championship title, seconds at Texas and Houston and that record-tying Masters win from last week where he matched Tiger Woods’ mark of 18-under from 1997.

And the fans continued to celebrate that accomplishment, shouting and applauding Spieth wherever he walked. One more round and Spieth can get some rest: He’s not playing the Zurich Open next week.

Spieth isn’t counting out his chances of another round like Friday’s. “There’s a low one out there and I think it’s certainly possible” to win, he said.

Only Bernhard Langer in 1985 followed a Masters win with success at the RBC Heritage.

Kuchar overcame a double-bogey 5 after hitting a tree on the seventh hole to keep within reach of playing partner Merritt.

“There’s a tree that hangs out over the green protecting that, and it was a Dikembe Mutombo swat away from the basket,” Kuchar said. “That was tough.”

Kuchar proved tougher, bouncing back with birdies on the next two holes.

Canada’s Nick Taylor carded a 77 Saturday to drop 27 spots down the leaderboard into a tie for 75th.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Little-known Troy Merritt one-upped the Masters champion Jordan Spieth at the RBC Heritage.

Merritt shot a 10-under 61 on Friday to tie the course record at Harbour Town Golf Links only a few hours after Spieth wowed the gallery with a bounce-back 62 to match his lowest PGA Tour round.

Merritt tied David Frost’s tournament mark set in 1994 and topped the leaderboard at 12-under 130, a stroke off the 36-hole event record shared by Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson.

Merritt, who opened with a 69 on Thursday, saw Spieth’s score in the morning and knew the opportunity was there to go low.

“Anytime that you match shot for shot with the Masters champ, with the way he’s playing, it’s a pretty good feeling,” said Merritt, whose career best in four seasons on the PGA Tour is a tie for second last year at the St. Jude Classic.

Spieth looked like the headliner Friday, following a 74 on Thursday with the 62 – which tied his career low set at the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2013.

The 21-year-old Texan has been on a major role the past month, winning the Valspar Championship and finishing second in San Antonio and Houston before capturing his first major title at Augusta National last week.

Spieth birdied his final two holes at Harbour Town, electrifying the crowds already there to cheer him, to shoot the lowest tournament round in 10 years – until Merritt did him one better.

Merritt had nine birdies over his final 10 holes to surge on top and send Spieth six shots behind on a day of low, low scoring. Merritt e

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – It’s been quite some time since Jordan Spieth had to explain a performance this poor.

The Masters champion had a post-Masters letdown in the opening round Thursday, shooting 3-over 74 to end his run of 16 straight rounds under par. He blamed it all on himself – and not the two-day celebratory media tour in New York this week.

“I didn’t drive the ball well, didn’t particularly strike my irons well. My chipping and putting weren’t there,” he said. “It was just an off day.”

And the sort of performance that stands in stark contrast with how Spieth played the past month. He won the Valspar Championship, finished second at the Texas Open and lost a playoff in the Houston Open before capturing the green jacket and his first major championship at Augusta National.

It was a lot to ask of anyone to come back just as strong, let alone a 21-year-old who hadn’t gone through it before.

“No excuses, I just didn’t have it today,” he said.

He better have it on Friday if he hopes to hang around for the weekend. Spieth stands eight shots behind Graeme McDowell and Matt Every, tied for the top at 5-under 66.

“Got a good feeling about tomorrow,” Spieth said. “Feel like I got some swings in, got in somewhat of a rhythm and can at least go out and feel the shots.”

Don’t bet against the young Texan.

He got into Sea Pines Resort late Tuesday night after some 25 appearances and interviews in New York, including an appearance with David Letterman and seeing the view atop the Empire State Building. He acknowledged his preparation this week had suffered.

Spieth was greeted by a large gallery on the first tee, crowds five and six deep stretching cellphones to snap pictures and get video footage. “Way to go, Jordan,” someone shouted after his tee shot.

The applause continued throughout the round and, while Spieth appreciated the sentiment, had difficulty concentrating on his game.

“I was upset about missing the green and then there was a standing ovation walking up,” he said. “It’s like, `Thank you. I just hit a terrible shot. Thanks.’ So it was kind of tough to find the balance there.”

It was clear, though, this would not be the Spieth who tied the Masters’ scoring mark of 18-under 270 set by Tiger Woods in 1997.

He was in perfect position on the par-5 second, which played the easiest in round one, when he left his approach shot short and in the bunker. Spieth could not make an 8-footer to save birdie. He was short of the green again on the par-4 sixth hole, leading to the first of three bogeys – Spieth had just one bogey in his first 36 holes at Augusta National.

The wheels truly came off at the par-3 14th when Spieth hit into the water and watched his third shot spin back about 15 feet from the cup. He made a double-bogey 5.

He hasn’t had many days like this in 2015 – and neither had McDowell, who hadn’t shot lower than 71 in his previous 12 rounds, including all four at last week’s Masters when he tied for 52nd.

McDowell, though, found his game on the layout’s tight fairways and small greens. He had six birdies after an opening bogey to move in front.

“It was great to feel comfortable out there today, see my lines, hit my speeds and make a few putts,” said McDowell, who has not won on tour since taking this title in 2013.

It’s been a strange season for Every, who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month yet hadn’t finished better than 27th in any of his 11 other events.

He had birdies on four of his final eight holes, including a 50-foot chip in on the sixth hole and a 20-foot chip in on the seventh, to tie McDowell. Every stayed in the lead when he chipped to a foot on the eighth hole to save par.

“I’ll take it any way I can get it,” he said.

After Bae, defending champion Matt Kuchar led a group of five another stroke back at 68. Ian Poulter and former British Open winner Louis Oosthuizen were in a group of 12 at 69.

Canada’s Graham DeLaet opened with a 2-under 69 for a share of 9th spot.

Other Canadian scores included Nick Taylor’s 72 (+1); David Hearn ‘s 72 (+2); Mike Weir’s 74 (+3); and Adam Hadwin’s 75 (+4).

Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad member Corey Conners, playing in his first event as a professional, had a 77.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C.– Masters champion Jordan Spieth is back to work this week at the RBC Heritage Classic after two days celebrating his victory at Augusta National and being showered with attention.

Spieth arrived at Sea Pines Resort late Tuesday night after a media whirlwind in New York since tying Tiger Woods’ Masters record of 18-under 270 to capture the green jacket. The 21-year-old said it was a dizzying stretch with 26 appearances and interviews in 25 hours.

“It was a little crazy in New York having paparazzi know where we were going to eat dinner even though we never told anybody,” Spieth said Wednesday.

Spieth doesn’t believe the success will change him. In fact, he said he upheld his commitment to the RBC Heritage in part to chase down Rory McIlroy for world No. 1.

“I wouldn’t come to a tournament just to come to a tournament, especially with that goal still in mind,” said Spieth, who moved to No. 2 in the world rankings with the Masters’ win.

Spieth has had two victories and two runner-up finishes in his past four events. He would have liked to have had his normal pre-tournament preparations at Harbour Town Golf Links. Instead, he’ll go into his first-round tee time Thursday not having played a hole of practice on the tricky, Pete Dye-designed layout.

“I’m sure Jordan’s wiped,” said Kevin Streelman, the Par-3 contest winner at Augusta National last week who finished tied for 12th behind Spieth. “But he’s 21 years old, he can handle it.”

Spieth has had success here the previous two years, finishing ninth in 2013 and 12th last year. The RBC Heritage gave him an invite two years ago when Spieth was a rising, yet largely unknown 19 -year-old trying to make his way on tour. The top-10 finish, Spieth said, helped his confidence and status on the PGA Tour.

“This tournament helped with job security,” Spieth said. “So it’s a tournament that’s close to me and I love it here.”

Most Masters champions – and many of the game’s best players – take the next week off after a pressure-packed week at Augusta National. Spieth heads a group of five ranked in the top 20 of the world (No. 10 Jim Furyk, No. 14 Patrick Reed, No. 17 Matt Kuchar and No. 19 Billy Horschel are the others) to compete this week.

Streelman enjoys playing right after a major, knowing his game is honed in and peaking after a Grand Slam event.

“Your game is really primed and amped up,” he said. “I’m very prepared.”

Kuchar is the tournament’s defending champion, holing out from a green-side bunker on the 72nd hole to defeat Luke Donald by a stroke.

Spieth’s success has him atop the FedEx Cup standings, the youngest player ever to lead that category.

There have only been two Masters winners the past 15 years to follow up their victories by playing Harbour Town. Vijay Singh tied for third here in 2000 a week after winning the Masters while Zach Johnson was sixth in 2007.

Only Bernhard Langer is 1985 followed a Masters victory with a triumph a week later at the RBC Heritage.

Spieth believes he’ll be the same driven, focused competitor he’s always been after winning the major he dreamed of as a child. That might be difficult after this week’s spotlight. Spieth got congratulatory Tweets from stars like Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and about 200 texts and emails since the victory.

“Given some time, that will subside a little bit,” he said.

What won’t ease up, Spieth said, is his desire to achieve the very best in golf, a quest that continues at Harbour Town.

“I was very much looking forward to getting back here, getting on solid ground and taking a deep breath,” Spieth said. “I’m really looking forward to this week.”

Molson Canadian 67 and Golf Canada officially announced today the renewal of their partnership for the 2015 and 2016 golf seasons that will see Molson Canadian 67 return as the official beer of both the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open.

Molson Canadian 67 will be made available at the host courses, including on-site sampling and beer gardens. Molson Canadian 67 has been the lead beer sponsor of Golf Canada’s National Men’s and Women’s Open Golf Championships since 2011, and is renewing the partnership for the next two years.

“We are pleased to partner with Golf Canada this season, for the fifth year in a row,” says Jeff Harrop, Senior Marketing Director, Molson Coors Canada. “There is a natural synergy between Molson Canadian 67 and golf as one of our favourite summer activities with a strong social element. Golf Canada is the perfect partner to help bring this connection to life.”

As part of the partnership package, Molson Canadian 67 will be supporting Golf Canada’s two marquee events this summer as official beer sponsor, including:

RBC Canadian Open
This world-class PGA TOUR event, which is part of the Triple Crown of national golf championships, will host many of the best golfers in the world at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. from July 20-26. www.RBCCanadianOpen.com

Canadian Pacific Women’s Open
The women of the LPGA Tour will compete for a prize purse of 2.25 million USD at The Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C. from August 17-23. www.CPwomensopen.com.

“Molson Canadian has a rich history of supporting golf in Canada and continues to be a tremendous partner for Canada’s National Open Golf Championships,” says Gavin Roth, Chief Commercial Officer at Golf Canada. “Golf, summer and a cold Molson Canadian 67 go perfectly together, and with the golf season set to gear up, we’re excited to renew our partnership for 2015 and 2016.”

Molson Canadian 67 is a premium light beer with a clean, crisp, fresh taste that is specially brewed to 3% ABV and 67 calories per 341ml, and is the perfect complement to any round of golf, especially on the 19^th hole.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Michael Greller thought his Masters’ experience peaked in 2012 when he won Augusta National’s ticket lottery and he leaned over the ropes to get his picture snapped with Phil Mickelson and his caddie.

It’s time the former sixth-grade math teacher resets his expectations.

Greller now is the caddie for record-setting Masters champion Jordan Spieth, the first wire-to-wire winner since Raymond Floyd in 1976.

“I thought three years ago was the pinnacle just being out there walking around …,” Greller said Sunday. “Being here two years later, that was pretty surreal, and I think that was the best thing that probably happened to us not winning it, and certainly all that experience came into play all week, and especially today.”

Greller started tending Spieth’s bag in 2011, when the Texan played in the U.S. Junior Amateur and needed a caddie. Spieth won his second USGA title with Greller, who worked for the 21-year-old at the U.S. Open in 2012. Spieth called Greller when he turned pro that year, and he gave up his teaching job in Seattle.

That teaching experience still pays off as Greller works with someone who doesn’t turn 22 until late July.

“If he needs to let things go, I’m the person who’s going to bounce it off of him,” Greller said. “Just being able to adapt to situations I think that’s certainly something from teaching school for so long you have to do out here. You have to be able to adapt week to week, day to day, today hole by hole with the wind doing what it’s doing.”

Spieth thanked Greller during the green jacket ceremony.

He later credited his caddie for keeping him focused on the front nine, when he had a couple bogeys.

Both men had a big learning experience here a year ago. Playing with eventual champion Bubba Watson in the final group, Spieth grabbed a two-shot lead after the seventh hole before losing. Greller said he was happy to see Watson and his caddie win last year with Spieth also having a great week despite the loss.

“He was 20 years old,” Greller said of Spieth. “It was all positive.”

This time around, Greller made sure to talk all week with Carl Jackson, who caddied for two-time Masters champ Ben Crenshaw for so many years here. He also talked with another caddie, Derek Reed, and had dinner with Jim Mackay last night, the man better known as Bones – Mickelson’s caddie.

Greller said the key is knowing when to stay out of Spieth’s way.

“The first week I caddied for him, he told me he relied too much on his caddies …,” Greller said. “I’m sure there’s tons of guys that are better caddies. I still consider myself a rookie. But I have a rapport with Jordan.”

Now Spieth has his first major title and third overall. So could Greller and Spieth be the next Phil and Bones?

“No. No,” Greller said. “They have 50 more wins and a lot more majors. … But it’s certainly somebody to emulate.”