BETHESDA, Md. – Tiger Woods was back on the PGA Tour for the first time in more than three months Thursday and said he felt “fantastic.”

He was talking about his back, not his game.

One day into his most recent return from injury, that’s what mattered to him.

Woods opened with two straight bogeys, made five more bogeys in a seven-hole stretch around the turn at tough Congressional and finally found his groove late in the opening round of the Quicken Loans National for a 3-over 74.

Woods was tied for 83rd – only 19 players had a higher score – and he will have to score better Friday if he wants to avoid missing the cut for the first time in two years.

“I made so many little mistakes,” Woods said. “So I played a lot better than the score indicated.”

Congressional had a lot to do with that.

Two weeks after a U.S. Open that had no rough, Congressional made it feel like one. Any shot just off the fairway was buried, making it difficult for even the powerful players to reach the green on some of the longer par 4s.

Greg Chalmers finished with three straight birdies for a 66 and a one-shot lead over Ricky Barnes and Freddie Jacobson. Defending champion Bill Haas, Patrick Reed, U.S. Open runner-up Erik Compton and Tyrone Van Aswegen shot 68. Compton birdied his last four holes.

“I didn’t think it was easy at all,” Chalmers said. “I played really well, and I think anybody who plays really well can shoot a low score. You just have to be coming out of the fairway, and I didn’t that the majority of the time today.”

Only 26 players in the 120-man field broke par.

This day, however, was all about Woods.

He has been golf’s biggest draw since he turned pro in 1996 and accumulated 79 wins on the PGA Tour and 14 majors. He won the last two times he played Congressional, in 2009 and 2012.

Even with an early start, the gallery lined the entire left side of the 218-yard 10th hole, with hundreds of others watching from the patio and veranda of the famed clubhouse at Congressional.

Two holes into Woods’ opening round, they had reason to ask: We waited three months for this?

But it wasn’t just Woods. He played with Jason Day and Jordan Spieth, and that trio of top-10 players combined for six bogeys in two holes. All three of them were in the fairway on the same hole one time the entire round – on No. 11, the hardest at Congressional, and only because Day’s tee shot ricocheted off a tree.

Day had a 73, while Spieth shot 74.

“It was cool playing the first one back,” Spieth said. “I love playing alongside Jason, as well. We are all rooting for each other, and that’s a good feeling. It was hard to root for each other because it just looked like the lid was closed on the hole. But once we all started hitting a couple fairways, it got better at the end.”

Woods looked about the same as he has all year. He gave away shots with his short game, with some ordinary chips and not making as many putts as he once did.

On his second hole, No. 11, he had a 50-foot putt from the fringe that came up 18 feet short of the hole. He missed consecutive 6-foot putts – one for birdie, one for par.

He did most of the damage to his card around the turn, failing to get up-and-down for par on the 15th, 17th and 18th holes, hitting a poor chip from the side of a bunker on the long par-3 second, pulling a pitching wedge into a bunker on No. 3 and missing a 5-foot putt.

That put him at 6 over for the round. At the time, Day was 4 over and Spieth was 5 over.

“We were all kind of looking to break 80,” Woods said. “It was a bit of a fight today for all of us, but we all hung in there.”

Woods found some rhythm from there, hitting an approach from 196 yards on the 467-yard fourth hole to 3 feet, and ending with short birdie putts on the par-3 seventh and short par-4 eighth by wisely using the slopes in the greens to feed it close to the hole.

More telling was his final hole. He thought he had a chance to end his round with a 35-foot birdie putt, and as it broke just right of the cup, he quickly dropped to a crouch and then rose up to go mark his ball. That was the best evidence there was no problem with his back.

“The back’s great,” Woods said. “I had no issues at all – no twinges, no nothing. It felt fantastic. That’s one of the reasons why I let go on those tee shots. I hit it pretty hard out there.”

Woods last played at Doral on March 9, when he closed with a 78 while coping with pain in his lower back. He had microdiscectomy surgery March 31, causing him to miss the Masters and U.S. Open.

His return this soon was a surprise, and Woods was candid in saying that he might not have played if the Quicken Loans National did not benefit his foundation’s work with children. He also made it clear he was not risking further injury by playing now.

The only issue Thursday was rust.

“We saw what happened when he found his rhythm,” Spieth said, alluding to Woods making three birdies over his last six holes, and missing only one green.

Mike Weir, the lone Canadian in the field this week, shot a 3-over 74 and was tied for 83rd after the opening round.

BETHESDA, Md. – Tiger Woods says he is without pain for the first time in two years as he embarks on his latest comeback.

Nearly three months after having back surgery to alleviate a pinched nerve, Woods returns to competition this week in the Quicken Loans National at Congressional.

Woods is the tournament host. He says he probably wouldn’t have played this week if the event did not benefit his foundation.

That’s not to suggest he is coming back too early. Woods says he has been ahead of schedule in the recovery and began taking full swings with a driver a few weeks ago. His goal all along was to be ready for the British Open.

He already has missed two majors this year.

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. (Golf Canada) – The third of three RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifiers took place Monday at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Ont. with Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont. claiming medalist honours in a playoff to earn a place in the field at the 2014 RBC Canadian Open at The Royal Montreal Golf Club, July 21-27, 2014.

Gligic, who recently moved to Kitchener, Ont. and plays out of the Whistle Bear Golf Club, fired a 5-under 67 Monday and shared the clubhouse lead with Mark Hoffman of Thornhill, Ont. through 18 holes. Gligic birdied the second playoff hole to outlast Hoffman and earn his second trip to the RBC Canadian Open after previously earning an exemption in 2012.

A member of PGA Tour Canada, Gligic previously won the 2012 ATB Financial Classic and finished second on the PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit in 2012.

A total of 143 players competed over 18 holes of stroke play at Whistle Bear Golf Club with the top-15 percent of the field and ties (next 22 competitors and ties for a total of 27 players) finishing at even-par or better to advance to the final Monday Qualifier on July 21st at Club de Golf St-Raphaël in Île-Bizard, Que.

Click here for full results.

CROMWELL, Conn. – Kevin Streelman birdied the last seven holes to win the Travelers Championship by a stroke Sunday at TPC River Highlands.

Streelman shot his second straight 6-under 64 to finish at 15-under 265. He broke the tour record for consecutive closing birdies by a winner of six set by Mike Souchak in the 1956 St. Paul Open.

The 35-year-old Streelman also won the Tampa Bay Championship last season. He missed the cuts in his previous four starts on tour.

“I didn’t have too many expectations coming here,” Streelman said.

Sergio Garcia and K.J. Choi tied for second. They each shot 67.

Aaron Baddeley was fourth at 13 under after a 69.

Streelman was 1 over for the day before starting the birdie run on No. 12. The streak reached five with a 37-foot putt at No. 16, and he capped it by hitting a wedge to 9 feet and rolling in another putt at No. 18.

Streelman said he hasn’t focus on golf exclusively lately, trying to spend more time with wife Courtney and 6-month-old daughter Sophie.

“I was thinking about her (Sophie) on those last couple of putts. I was thinking, `You know what? If these go in, great. If not, great. She’s going to love me either way and we have a nice family vacation coming up either way,'” Streelman said.

Garcia has six top-10 finishes in 10 PGA Tour starts this season, and won the European Tour’s Qatar Masters in January.

“At the end of the day he played really, really well,” Garcia said about Streelman. “I feel like I played quite nicely and it just wasn’t my time.”

For the sixth straight year at the Travelers the player who held the 54-hole lead was unable to win. Ryan Moore was one stroke ahead after three rounds, but closed with a 71 to tie for fifth at 12 under.

Second-round leader Scott Langley birdied his first three holes and briefly pulled into the lead at 14 under. He, too, finished with a 71 to tie for 11th at 10 under.

Miguel Angel Carballo became the second player to make three eagles in a round on the PGA Tour this season as part of a 63 early Saturday. He finished at 9 under.

Patrick Rodgers, the former Stanford star making his pro debut, shot a 70 to tie for 46th at 4 under.

Ken Duke, the winner last year, had a 68 to also finish at 4 under.

Canada’s Graham DeLaet tied for 51st at 3-under 277.

CROMWELL, Conn. – Ryan Moore is in contention in the Travelers Championship – again.

Moore had an eagle and two birdies Saturday in a bogey-free 4-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Aaron Baddeley into the final round.

“This is a tournament I really want to win and I know it’s a tournament I can win,” said Moore, who has four top-10 finishes in eight starts in the event.

The 31-year-old Moore had a 13-under 197 total at TPC River Highlands after opening with rounds of 63 and 68. He won the CIMB Classic in Malaysia at the start of the season in October for his third PGA Tour title.

“Today was a great examples of `It doesn’t have to be pretty’ to shoot a great golf score,” Moore said. “I honestly didn’t feel great all day hitting the ball, but drove it well enough to kind of keep myself out of trouble.”

Moore eagled the par-5 sixth, holing a 37-foot putt from just off the green, to take the lead early in the afternoon. He has made one eagle in each of his three rounds this week.

The eagle on No. 6 was something of a lucky break, Moore says, as his drive was off target.

“I hit it right off the tee, quite a bit right and straight into the trees, which is not a good place to be, and obviously walking up I did not think I was going to have a shot at all,” Moore said. “Just planned on pitching out almost sideways with the way the rough is. And apparently got a really good bounce and chased way down the cart path, and I was actually still sitting on the edge of the cart path and I was only maybe 230 yards out. So it had gotten pretty far down there.”

Moore chipped in for a birdie on No. 11 to move to 12 under and break a four-way tie for the lead.

No one who has held a share of the third-round lead has won the Travelers since Stewart Cink in 2008.

Baddeley had six birdies and a bogey in a 65.

“Around here you feel like you should birdie every hole. There are a lot of birdie holes out there,” said Baddeley, the Australian who won the last of his three PGA Tour titles in 2011. “But you have to be patient.”

Sergio Garcia, K.J. Choi, Scott Langley and Michael Putnam were tied for third at 11 under. Garcia had a 65, Choi shot 69, Langley 70 and Putnam 69.

Garcia has five top-10 finishes in nine PGA Tour starts this season, and won the European Tour’s Qatar Masters in January.

“It’s been a solid season so far,” Garcia said. “There’s no question I’d like to have played better at the Masters and last week (at the U.S. Open).”

Masters champion Bubba Watson was nine strokes back after a 67. He won in 2010 at River Highlands.

Former Stanford star Patrick Rodgers, making his pro debut, was 4 under after a 71.

Defending champion Ken Duke was 2 under after a 71.

Graham DeLaet, the sole Canadian on the field, carded 71 to go 1 under and hold a share of 67th heading into the final round.

CROMWELL, Conn. – Scott Langley is being careful not to get too far ahead of himself in the Travelers Championship. That’s the mistake he said he made three weeks ago at the Memorial Tournament when he shot a 79 in the final round to drop into a tie for 28th.

Winless in two seasons on the PGA Tour, the 25-year-old Langley took the second-round lead in the Travelers on Friday, following his opening 64 with a 65 to reach 11 under 129. He had eight birdies, a double bogey and a bogey in the second round at TPC River Highlands.

“I’ve been in contention. I played in the final group on Sunday at Memorial,” Langley said. “This weekend, I’m not going to think about possibilities. I’m not going to think about what it means to win. I’m not going to think about any of that stuff. I’m just going to keep my head down and play my game.”

Michael Putnam, Harris English and K.J. Choi were a stroke back. Putnam shot 63, matching the best round of the day. English had a 64, and Choi shot 65.

Langley was 11 under after 10 holes Friday, but an errant approach shot on the 342-yard, par-4 second hole led to a double bogey.

“I was ticked off because it was such an easy mistake, a simple wedge shot,” said Langley, trying to become the fifth straight first-time PGA Tour winner in the event.

Langley birdied the next hole.

I’ve given myself a lot of short birdie opportunities the first two days. Those are nice,” Langley said. “When you start adding up three, four and five almost tap-in birdies, that just really kind of boosts you up.”

First-round leader Brendan Steele had a 69 and to top the group at 9 under. He made three bogeys on his first nine holes, but rallied with four straight birdies on Nos. 3-6.

Patrick Rodgers, the former Stanford star making his pro debut, was 5 under after a 69. Cameron Wilson, Rodgers’ college teammate who also was making his pro debut, missed the cut with rounds of 73 and 75.

Defending champion Ken Duke was 3 under after a 72.

Masters champion Bubba Watson, the 2010 Travelers winner for his first PGA Tour title, followed his opening 67 with a 72 to make the cut by a stroke.

Putnam has finished in the top 25 once in 22 events this season. He matched his season best with a 67 in the first round and bettered it significantly Friday with the 63.

“It was a perfect day for scoring. It left myself in some good spots and made a couple putts,” Putnam said. “I actually three-putted 13 for par so it could have been even better.”

Defending champion Ken Duke was 3 under after a 72.

“I hit a lot of bad shots and I have no excuse for it, but yeah, it’s good to finish strong and be here for the weekend,” Duke said. “That’s what you always want to do.”

Erik Compton, the two-time heart transplant recipient who tied for second Sunday in the U.S. Open, missed the cut. He had a 69 in the second round to finish at 3 over.

Also missing the cut was Brad Fritsch. The Ottawa native opened with a 65 Thursday, but faltered with a 76 during round 2.

Weyburn, Sask.’s Graham DeLaet will play the weekend. He’s 2-under for a 68 on Friday.

Tiger Woods says he is rusty but ready to return to competition.

Woods announced Friday on his Facebook page that he will play next week at Congressional in the Quicken Loans National. This is the first year for a new title sponsor at the PGA Tour event that donates the charity money to the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Woods last played on March 9 at Doral, where he played with pain in his lower back and closed with a 78 to tie for 25th. He had back surgery on March 31, causing him to miss the Masters for the first time. He also missed the U.S. Open.

He says he is just starting to hit full shots and wants to play his way into competitive shape.

CROMWELL, Conn. – Brendan Steele changed his putter and ended up equaling the lowest round of his career at the Travelers Championship.

Steele shot an 8-under 62 on Thursday morning that stood up for a one-stroke lead in the first round at TPC River Highlands.

The 31-year-old Californian opened with an eagle, holing a 129-yard wedge shot in the rain. He birdied six of the next 12 holes, and closed the bogey-free round with five straight pars.

Steele went from a long to a short putter while trying to qualify for the U.S. Open and though he missed that tournament, he said the change seems to be paying off. He needed just 26 putts Thursday.

“Speed control is a lot better,” he said.

Steele finished two shots off the course record set by Patrick Cantlay in 2011 as an amateur.

“On 14, I started to think 59, which is probably why I slowed down a little bit,” Steele said.

Bud Cauley and Ryan Moore shot 63, and Chad Campbell, Joe Durant, Scott Langley, Eric Axley and Jeff Maggert followed at 64.

Former Stanford stars Patrick Rodgers and Cameron Wilson made their pro debuts, with Rodgers shooting a 66, and Wilson a 73. Rodgers won 11 college tournaments and this year’s Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus awards as the nation’s top college player. Wilson won the NCAA individual title.

Two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton, coming off a second-place tie in the U.S. Open, had a 74.

Steele and Cauley went out in a steady rain Thursday morning, but by noon the sun had broken through.

“It took the rain pretty well,” said Masters champion Bubba Watson, who shot a 67 and was among 75 players to break par. “It’s kind of soft, but not too windy, so you can score around it.”

But nobody could catch Steele, who had spent last week watching from the stands as his favorite hockey team, the Los Angeles Kings, won the Stanley Cup.

Cauley started on the back nine and got his round going on the signature 15th hole. He avoided the woods on the right and put his tee shot within 20 feet, then made the eagle putt.

“With that pin back right, if you hit it right, that’s obviously not where you want to be, and obviously there’s water left,” he said. “So I hit that right where I was trying to and rolled it up there and capitalized with the putt.”

Campbell was at 7 under until he hit it into the water on the same hole.

Moore, who has four top-10 finishes in eight starts at this tournament, credited his 63 to a decision not to practice after a poor round in the pro-am Wednesday.

“I was relaxed and comfortable and just went out and played golf today instead of overdoing it and over-thinking it, which I feel like I’ve maybe done a little lately,” Moore said. “I’ve been practicing too much.”

Trevor Immelman had the shot of the day, making a double eagle from 246 yards on the par-5 13th hole. He used a 3-wood and cleared a green-side water hazard.

“The main thing is to keep it dry,” he said. “You got to get it over there, and it came out pretty good and started rolling.”

Immelman also had three bogeys in his round of 68.

Defending champion Ken Duke opened with a 65.

Louis Oosthuizen withdrew after seven holes because of back issues.

Canada’s Brad Fitsch shot 65 to sit tied for ninth at the close of the first round, and Graham DeLaet shot even par to tie for 76th.

MONTREAL – Momentum around Canada’s National Open Golf Championships continues to build as Golf Canada and RBC announced several PGA Tour stars have confirmed their intention to compete in the 2014 RBC Canadian Open, July 21-27 at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Île-Bizard, Que including World No. 15 Dustin Johnson, World No. 21 Charl Schwartzel, World No. 41 Chris Kirk, World No. 46 Matt Every and World No. 80 Charley Hoffman.

The big-hitting Johnson, a fan favourite on the PGA Tour, is an eight-time Tour winner who currently sits 4^th on the FedEx Cup ranking. Schwartzel, who counts the 2011 Masters as his lone PGA Tour victory, is currently ranked 79^th on the FedEx Cup ranking while Hoffman is a two-time PGA Tour winner who sits 36^th on the FedEx Cup ranking.

Ranked 7^th in the FedEx Cup standings, Kirk, who recently claimed the McGladrey Classic, is one of eight in year winners confirmed for Royal Montreal including Dustin Johnson (World Golf Championship), Matt Kuchar (RBC Heritage), Matt Every (Arnold Palmer Invitational), Steve Bowditch (Valero Texas Open), Matt Jones (Shell Houston Open), Kevin Stadler (Waste Management Phoenix Open) and Chesson Hadley (Puerto Rico Open).

The field of players will include eight past champions who will challenge for Canada’s National Open title including defending champion Brandt Snedeker (2013), Scott Piercy (2012), Sean O’Hair (2011), Carl Pettersson (2010), Nathan Green (2009), Jim Furyk (2006 & 2007), Vijay Singh (2004) and John Rollins (2002).

Past major champions such as Lucas Glover, Stewart Cink, Retief Goosen and Trevor Immelman have also confirmed their intention to play at Canada’s National Open Championship.

Beon Yeong Lee of Montreal will have the benefit of a home crowd behind him after earning his spot by winning the RBC Canadian Open Quebec Regional Qualifier on Monday, June 16^th at Elm Ridge Country Club in Île-Bizard, Que.

The players announced today will join a player field of previously confirmed PGA Tour stars that includes World No. 5 Matt Kuchar; World No. 12 Jim Furyk; World No. 20 Luke Donald; World No. 22 Graeme McDowell; World No. 40 Hunter Mahan and World No. 54 Ernie Els.

Canadian notables set to compete include World No. 35 Graham DeLaet, World No. 90 David Hearn, Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Mike Weir and Stephen Ames, who will be inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame later this summer. The Canadian foursome will be joined by Adam Hadwin and Brad Fritsch and will vie to see if one of them can become the first Canuck to capture the title since Pat Fletcher won the Canadian Open in 1954.

Additional exemptions for Canadian amateur and professional golfers competing in the 2014 RBC Canadian Open will be announced in the coming weeks.

VOLUNTEERS:
Golf Canada and the Royal Montreal Golf Club are pleased to announce that a limited number of volunteer positions are still available for golf enthusiasts to be a part of the RBC Canadian Open. In all, nearly 1,400 volunteer committee positions will contribute to the success of Canada’s National Open Golf Championship and anyone interested in applying can do so at www.rbccanadianopen.com.

TICKETS:
Grounds tickets for all days of Canada’s National Open Championship as well as a limited number of premium ticket packages are still available. A full list of ticket packages and pricing, including the new Family Day package, is available online at www.rbccanadianopen.com. Golf Canada and RBC are also please to offer free admission to children 17 year and younger who are accompanied by a ticketed adult.

Click here to listen to a media conference from Wednesday, June 18th at The Royal Montreal Golf Club.

MONTREAL – From July 21 to July 27, 2014, some of the top-ranked PGA Tour players will visit Montreal for the 2014 RBC Canadian Open at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Île-Bizard. They will be doing more than just competing: they will also take time to support Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Canada, the tournament’s official charity partner for the second consecutive year.

The RBC Foundation announced last year a two-year commitment to RMHC Canada by designating it as the official charity partner for the 2013 and 2014 editions of the RBC Canadian Open. The $500,000 donation is being used to increase the support, resources and knowledge related to the mental health and well-being of the thousands of families with seriously ill children that stay at the 14 Ronald McDonald Houses across Canada each year.

It is now well-documented that the families of sick children experience substantial levels of stress and anxiety following their child’s diagnosis and hospitalization.  Thanks to this generous donation, a pilot test is in progress at two Ronald McDonald Houses, in Toronto and Montreal, to explore and evaluate activities and resources that will support the emotional health and healing of families, as well as an education program for staff and volunteers. The new program will be finalized and rolled-out nationally to all Ronald McDonald Houses in 2015.

“We sincerely appreciate the support RBC provides through the RBC Canadian Open. Last year, the tournament was a resounding success, and we are confident this year’s event in Montreal will be just as exciting,” said Cathy Loblaw, President and CEO of RMHC Canada. “RBC’s contribution will help us fulfill our mission to offer a home away from home for out of town families with sick children being treated at a nearby hospital. Oftentimes these families must travel a long way from home for treatments. Research clearly suggests that sick children recover faster when they are with their families, and it is therefore even more important that parents be able to spend time with their children.”

“I work in the business sector, and I am used to receiving requests for donations, but I never thought I would once need that help. We stayed three times at the House in the last months for my daughter Lauri-Pier’s treatments, and each time I have been amazed by the positive energy in the House. It offers affordable housing, but beyond the cost, the most precious thing is the comfort we get from other families and the fact that we are literally a few minutes from the hospital,” said Frédéric Brière, who stayed at the Montreal Ronald McDonald House when his twelve year-old daughter Lauri-Pier had an ulcerative colitis.

Activities planned in support of RMHC
On-site at the Royal Montreal Golf Course for a minimum donation of $5, golf fans will have priority access (first come first served) to enjoy bleacher seating at holes 16, 17 and 18 by purchasing a special RMHC access tag.  The RMHC access tag will also give the chance to attendees to win random prizes and other special incentives. RMHC coin collection boxes will also be available throughout the site.

RBC will also assist with RMHC fundraising, with the sale of unique water carriers that can be filled from on-site water stations.    Finally, the Wives of the PGA Tour Association are also working closely with RMHC, RBC and Golf Canada, and will coordinate and host a picnic for the families of the Ronald McDonald House in Montreal during the week of the Open.

Ronald McDonald Houses in Quebec
There are two Ronald McDonald Houses in Quebec: one in Montreal, located next to the CHU Ste-Justine, and one in Quebec City, located close to the Centre mère-enfant du CHUQ à Québec. Over the years, both Houses were forced to turn away more than 1,000 families, because they were filled to capacity every night. In 2010, the Quebec City House was renovated and expanded from 19 to 32 rooms. The following year, the Montreal House was rebuilt to increase its capacity from 35 to 50 rooms.

Click here to listen to the June 18th press conference from The Royal Montreal Golf Club.