BETHESDA, Md.— Tiger Woods still doesn’t know when he’ll return. For a while, he didn’t know whether he would return at all.

Woods said Monday his back injury became so debilitating this year it caused him to doubt his ability to play golf again.

“Forget about playing golf at the highest level. I couldn’t get out of bed,” Woods said. “I was certainly doubtful at that point. What’s it going to feel like? Am I going to be pain free? Am I going to be able to actually do this again, where I can to get out of bed, and go out there and play with my kids and play golf? All those things were up in the air.”

Woods said the doubt was erased after microdiscectomy surgery March 31. He said the procedure, which relieved pain from a pinched nerve, provided immediate relief, although he said there’s still “no timetable” for his return to golf – or even for taking a full swing. As of now, he remains limited to chipping and putting.

“It’s not going to be up to me whether I play or not, it’s going to be up to my docs,” Woods said. “Obviously, I want to play now.”

Speaking at Congressional Country Club in his role as host of next month’s Quicken Loans National, Woods even joked that he wished he could join reporters on the course for their media day rounds – “even though I don’t like to play with you guys.”

But he offered no hint that he might be anything more than an onlooker for the Quicken Loans tournament on June 26-29 – or at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst two weeks earlier. He’s already missed the Masters for the first time.

To hear Woods, known for unyielding resolve, give voice to doubts is certainly unusual. But this injury is different from those he has endured before. He said rehab has been tedious and it’s a challenge simply not to join in when his children want to play sports.

“I’ll tell you what,” he said, “I am damn good at video games.”

When Woods does return, he’ll resume his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major victories. Woods, 38, sounded as if the surgery has given him a new lease to keep playing for a good while.

“I would like to, as all athletes, go out on my own terms,” Woods said. “And ultimately I want to continue playing at an elite level as long as I deem I want to do it. For some guys it’s in their 60s and 70s, and other guys it’s in their 40s and 50s.

“But prior to the surgery, I didn’t think I would have much of a playing career if I felt like this. … Now that I’ve had the procedure, I’m excited about what the prospects hold, and if I’m able to feel this way, I’m excited about my career. I’m able to do what I want to do for as long as I want to.”

IRVING, Texas – Brendon Todd was shocked when he saw his ball settled at the base of a tree by the 13th green in the final round of the Byron Nelson Championship.

As good as he is with his short game, it wasn’t natural for the slender 6-foot-3 Todd to set up left-handed and hit the ball with the back side of a 4-iron.

“Definitely, without a doubt,” Todd said when asked if it was his most unique shot in a competitive round.

And it came in his first PGA Tour victory, a two-stroke win Sunday over Mike Weir.

Todd saved par at the 185-yard 13th hole after knocking the ball to 7 feet, part of a bogey-free 4-under 66. He finished at 14-under 266.

It was the 77th career PGA Tour event for Todd, who twice in the past five years had to go back to back to the Web.com Tour to regain full playing privileges. He earned $1,242,000, a PGA Tour exemption through the 2015-16 season and a spot next year in the Masters.

“I’m excited about the relief like I finally have a chance to play the PGA Tour for multiple years,” Todd said. “No. 1, going to Augusta for the Masters is a dream come true.”

Todd, who took the lead for good with birdies at Nos. 9 and 10, is the fifth former University of Georgia player to win on the PGA Tour this season. He joined Masters champion Bubba Watson, Harris English, Russell Henley and Chris Kirk. Todd also is the eighth first-time winner this season.

Weir, the 2003 Masters champion who won the last of his eight PGA Tour titles in 2007, finished with a 67. Charles Howell III and Marc Leishman tied for third at 10 under. Weir wasn’t the only Canadian to fare well in Texas. Graham DeLaet tied for 7th at 8-under 272.

After Todd hit his tee shot at the 195-yard second into a greenside bunker, his shot from the sand landed on the green and rolled in for a birdie. When he knocked in a 14-foot birdie putt at the 181-yard fifth, he tied Weir – who made a bogey on No. 6 – for the lead at 12 under.

Weir had his best tournament since finishing second behind Dustin Johnson at Pebble Beach in 2009. The 44-year-old Canadian left-hander hadn’t had a top-25 finish since 2010, the same year he suffered a partial ligament tear in his right elbow before a stretch when he missed 17 cuts in a row – including all 14 tournaments he started in 2012.

“Best golf I played in a long time. I was happy with the way I played,” Weir said. ” I was definitely determined to try to win today, but I can feel good about the way I handled things out there.”

Howell shot a 67 with a three-putt bogey on the final hole, while Leishman had three bogeys in a five-hole stretch on the back nine for a 68.

Weir had birdies on four of the first five holes. He was 13 under and ahead of Todd by two strokes when his tee shot at No. 5 settled 1 1/2 feet from the cup. That came after Weir blindly hit out of a fairway bunker to 3 feet at No. 4.

But Weir missed the fairway and green for a bogey at the 431-yard sixth hole. At the same time Todd, who played the last 31 holes at TPC Four Seasons without a bogey, was tapping in at the fifth.

Todd rolled in a 17-foot par-saver at No. 17, keeping a two-stroke lead going to the final hole. He needed only 99 putts in the four rounds.

“It was a dream week for me on the golf course,” Todd said. “Felt like I absolutely scored my pants off. It was just a short game display. I have a great short game, and even I’ll say it was special this week.”

Boo Weekley (68) was 9 under to tie for fifth with James Hahn (70). Weekley is the defending champion at Colonial, about 30 miles away and the next tournament.

Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open in the final group with Todd, had already slipped four strokes back at the turn before bogeys at Nos. 10-11. The 2010 British Open champion shot 74, 10 strokes worse than Saturday, to tie for 11th at 6 under.

Martin Kaymer won The Players Championship last weekend and opened at the Nelson with consecutive 67s. But he shot 71 Saturday before a bogey-birdie-bogey start Sunday on way to a 72 and tied for 29th at 3 under.

That was a stroke better than Jimmy Walker, who will remain No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings.

Jordan Spieth, the 20-year-old Dallas native ranked eighth in the world, had a closing 68 to finish 2-under and tied for 37th at the tournament where he made the cut as an amateur at ages 16 and 17. He finished two strokes behind 17-year-old Scott Scheffler, the top junior golfer from Dallas who played on a sponsor exemption.

IRVING, Texas – Louis Oosthuizen is still looking for a remedy for his recurring back issues.

A victory at the Byron Nelson Championship would sure make him feel much better.

“The last year and a half was really frustrating,” he said.

Oosthuizen birdied four of the last five holes for a 6-under 64 on Saturday and a share of the third-round lead with Brendon Todd. The 2010 British Open champion had the low round of the day after recovering from bogeys on two of the first four holes.

“I made a nice birdie on 5, and just really made some good putts,” Oosthuizen said. “Every opportunity I had for birdie I actually made. My eye was good today, and I hit a lot of them really close.”

Todd who made 12 consecutive pars before holing a 4-foot birdie at No. 18 for a 68 to match Oosthuizen at 10-under 200.

On the morning of the Nelson’s final round last year, Oosthuizen withdrew because of a neck issue. He missed extended time last season, and is still bothered by the back even though he won at home in South Africa in January.

Mike Weir, James Hahn and Gary Woodland were a stroke back.

“That’s what I’ve been working toward the last few years, to get myself back here in this position, and looking forward to the challenge,” said Weir, the 44-year-old left-hander.

Weir, the 2003 Masters champion who hasn’t a top-25 finish since 2010 when the Canadian had an elbow injury, shot 67 while missing 4-foot putts on Nos. 15 and 16. Hahn’s 65 included five birdies in a row on the back nine, and Woodland shot 66 with a double bogey at No. 7.

Morgan Hoffmann twice fell out of the lead after hitting drives left into the water and making double bogey, at Nos. 11 and 18. He finished with a 68 and was tied for sixth at 8 under with three-time major champion Padraig Harrington, Marc Leishman and Graham DeLaet.

Todd’s only bogey was at the 420-yard fourth hole, when his approach went over the green and he two-putted from 8 1/2 feet. But that was sandwiched by long birdies.

After beginning the day with a two-stroke lead, Todd had to make a 4-foot birdie on No. 18 to regain a share of the lead.

“I wanted to get one more birdie under my belt so I could be that much closer to shooting the score I need to win Sunday,” Todd said.

Oosthuizen was 2 under and well off the pace after his bogey at No. 4, when he hit his second and third shots from the rough and then was in a greenside bunker. The South African blasted to about 10 feet and had to make that putt for bogey, then made three birdies in a row.

He made an 8-foot birdie putt at the par-3 fifth, and followed that with an approach to 6 feet at No. 6 and a two-putt from 58 feet at the par-5 seventh. There was another string of three consecutive birdies at Nos. 14-16 before a closing 4 1/2-footer at No. 18.

“It’s always nice finishing a round on a high,” Oosthuizen said. “You sort of feed off that the next day, and that keeps you going.”

Hoffmann was at 10 under and alone in the lead when he hit his drive into the water to the left at the 320-yard 11th hole, with Weir was just ahead on the green.

Weir sank a 2-footer for his fourth consecutive birdie to get to 10 under. Hoffmann then hit another drive after his penalty and wound up with a double bogey. But Weir missed putts from about 5 feet on both Nos. 15 and 16, the latter lipping the cup.

Hoffmann was again 10 under after birdies at Nos. 15-16, but hit his drive at No. 18 into the water and then hit twice out of the same greenside bunker.

Scott Scheffler, a 17-year-old top junior from Dallas playing on a sponsor exemption, made a hole-in-one using a 5-iron on the 218-yard second hole. He is the fourth amateur since 1983 with an ace in a PGA Tour event. That was part of his 69 that also included five bogeys and four birdies to get to 2 under for the tournament.

Dallas native Jordan Spieth, now 20 and ranked eighth in the world, made the Nelson cut as an amateur at ages 16 and 17. Spieth shot 73 on Saturday and was even par overall.

Brad Fritsch was 2 over after a 71 Saturday. He’s tied for 69th.

IRVING, Texas – Canadian Mike Weir hasn’t had a top-25 finish since 2010. After the second round of the Byron Nelson Championship Friday, he’s closer to breaking that drought.

Weir, of Brights Grove, Ont., and fellow Canadian Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., are part of an eight-player group tied at 6-under 134, two strokes behind leader Brendon Todd, heading into Saturday’s third round.

“The work I’ve been doing over the years is to get back into this position, and now I’ve got to see if I can handle it and get momentum going and play well on the weekend,” said the 44-year-old Weir. “It’s been difficult to play and not be in contention.”

Also at 6 under after Friday were Martin Kaymer _ five days after winning The Players Championship _ Paul Casey, who finished near the top of the leaderboard after a record back nine, Morgan Hoffmann, who had had bogey-free 66s, Tim Herron (66), Charles Howell III (66) and Marc Leishman (68).

Casey was over par Friday before matching the PGA Tour record for the best score on a back nine, an 8-under 27 with six birdies and an eagle. That was part of his 7-under 63 that was the low round of the day, though he could never remember such a good nine.

“On par-3 courses, I think,” Casey said. “I like to think I would be good at shooting low rounds of golf through the past, but certainly nothing like that.”

When Casey made the turn, he was coming off a three-putt at No. 9, his third bogey of the day. The 36-year-old Englishman, whose only PGA Tour victory was five years ago, was then 2 over for the tournament, even after making a 9-foot eagle putt on the par-5 seventh hole.

“I think it’s easier when your back is up against the wall, like I was today” Casey said. “I was backed into a corner and had to do something. A little shift in, let’s say, attitude, and a little shift in goals.”

Kaymer had his second consecutive 67, and has been in the 60s for all six of his rounds at TPC Four Seasons. The German won at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday.

“If you had a good week, obviously you can take a lot into the next week. You play a little bit more free, a little bit more relaxed,” Kaymer said. “It’s a new week, and I want to do as good as possible here.”

For the second time in five years, Todd is back on the PGA Tour after getting his card back through the Web.com Tour. He ended his round with back-to-back birdies to wrap up a round of 64 in which he needed only 22 putts. That included the 6-footer at the par-3 17th after his tee shot rolled just past the hole.

“It’s nice to put two under-par rounds together before the cut. That’s been a challenge for me this year,” Todd said. “I was patient today.”

Todd, who started with six consecutiveF pars before four birdies in a five-hole stretch, first got to 7 under with a 12-foot birdie at the par-3 13th hole, but gave that stroke back at the par-4 15th when he hit his first two shots into the rough and had his only bogey.

Peter Hanson was leading after a first-round 65, but was eight strokes worse Friday and dropped back to a tie for 25th at 2 under.

David Duval, only a stroke off the lead after an opening 66 that included birdies on four of his last five holes, shot a 76 Friday and missed the cut by a stroke at 2-over 142. The former No. 1 player, now 890th in the world 15 years later, had six bogeys over his last 11 holes and had only one birdie during his second round.

Casey made a 6 1/2-foot birdie putt at No. 10. His drive at the short par-4 11th was short of the greenside bunker, and from an awkward stance hit his approach over the pin onto the fringe before making a 24-foot birdie. He also had birdies at Nos. 13-15, a 32-foot putt for an eagle-3 at the 16th, and closed with another birdie.

The overall nine-hole scoring record is Corey Pavin’s 8-under 26 on the front nine in the first round of the 2006 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee in 2006. Seven others have had 27s on nine holes, the last Nick Watney in the third round of the 2011 AT&T National.

Scottie Scheffler, a 17-year-old amateur from Dallas, shot a 68 with six birdies and four bogeys to make the cut at 1-under 139.

Jordan Spieth, now 20 and the eighth-ranked player in the world, made the Nelson cut at ages 16 and 17 when he too was a top-ranked junior player from Dallas playing on a sponsor exemption. Spieth was 3 under after a 67 Friday.

Defending Nelson champion Sang-Moon Bae missed the cut after rounds of 73 and 74.

Stephen Ames had quite an interesting Friday in Texas. The Calgary native spun one back from 58 yards out on the par five 16th hole for eagle, but was later disqualified for an incorrect scorecard.

Stephen Ames DQ’d from @hpbnc, signed for a 4 but made a 5 at the fifth hole. #PGATOUR

— PGA TOUR Media (@PGATOURmedia) May 17, 2014

IRVING, Texas – Peter Hanson made his only back-nine birdie with a 6-foot putt at the 18th hole Thursday, closing out a 5-under 65 for a one-stroke lead over David Duval and two others after the first round of the Byron Nelson Championship.

Duval, ranked 890th in the world 15 years after being No. 1, birdied his last three holes – Nos. 7-9 – after pitching in from 57 feet for another birdie at the fifth hole.

Marc Leishman and Tim Wilkinson matched Duval at 66.

The 42-year-old Duval almost withdrew before the round because of a muscle issue in his right elbow that made it painful to hit balls and practice this week. About a half-hour before teeing off, he still wasn’t sure that he was going to play because his arm was hurting again.

“I’m just glad I chose to tee off today, because I was seriously considering not,” Duval said.

Martin Kaymer, The Players Championship winner Sunday, was among eight players at 67.

Hanson made the turn at 5 under after shooting 30 on the front side. The Swede couldn’t keep up the pace on the back nine at TPC Four Seasons that he hadn’t played before Thursday because of travel issues and a sore back.

All six of Hanson’s birdie putts were inside 10 feet.

While Hanson, Duval and Wilkinson played afternoon rounds, Leishman was in one of the first groups out in the morning. He had a tap-in birdie putt at the par-3 second hole.

Leishman’s only bogey, at the 431-yard fourth hole after missing the green, was sandwiched by a pair of birdies. The Australian hit 13 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens in regulation in a round he described as “fairly stress-free for the most part.”

It was Leishman’s best-scoring round since an opening 66 at Torrey Pines in January when he was the runner-up with his second consecutive top-five finish. In eight tournaments since, he missed three cuts and his only finish in the top 30 was a tie for 23th at The Players.

When Duval finished his round, he had a share of the lead – until Hanson sank his final putt. Hanson didn’t arrive in Texas until Tuesday after a canceled fight and has also been bothered by a sore back.

Duval hasn’t led the end of any round on the PGA Tour since the fourth of five rounds at Las Vegas in 2002. That was a year the last of his 13 PGA Tour wins at the 2001 British Open. He is playing his first Colonial since 2003 as a past champion on tour, a status that provides only limited playing opportunities.

After his bogey on his 12th hole, the 528-yard third hole, Duval was even par for his round. He had the long pitch on No. 5, and a similar shot from 43 feet at the par-5 seventh hole started his closing birdie stretch. He sank putts of 3 1/2 and 17 feet to finish.

Canada’s Graham DeLaet and Mike Weir opened with matching 2-under 68s and hold a share of 13th spot.

Stephen Ames was at even-par after his round Thursday. Brad Fritsch took 72 swings to get around TPC Four Seasons Resort.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Martin Kaymer produced one of the most unlikely pars on the 17th green at the TPC Sawgrass without ever going in the water. It carried him to a one-shot victory Sunday in The Players Championship that was emotional in so many ways.

Kaymer nearly blew a three-shot lead after a 90-minute rain delay until he holed a 30-foot par putt on the famous island green. He got up-and-down with his putter from short of the 18th green for one last par and a 1-under 71.

Furyk closed with a 66 – he had to wait after the rain delay to rap in a 3-foot par putt – and it looked as though it might be enough to force a playoff, or even win outright when the 29-year-old German began to crumble. Furyk had to settle for a runner-up finish for the second straight week.

Jordan Spieth, tied with Kaymer going into the final round, made his first bogey of the tournament on the fifth hole, and plenty more followed. He closed with a 74.

The typical stress that Sawgrass brings on Sunday was contained to the final hour, and it was almost more than Kaymer could take. The German made double bogey from an aggressive play behind a pine tree on the 15th. He nervously chose putter from a collection area on the par-5 16th that cost him a chance at birdie.

Nothing could top the 17th hole, the most exciting on the Stadium Course.

Kaymer had a one-shot lead. His tee shot cleared the water and landed on a mound just over the bunker, but it mysteriously spun hard back toward the front of the green and looked as if it might go into the water until it settled into the clumpy collar a foot from the bulkhead. His chip was weak, and he still had 30 feet down a ridge with a sharp swing to the right. He made the putt, pumping his fist in a rare show of emotion.

His putt from the fairway on 18 settled 3 feet behind the hole, and Kaymer was as much relieved as excited when he knocked it in.

A former world No. 1 and major champion, Kaymer nearly choked up when asked about winning on Mother’s Day. His mother, Rina, died of cancer in 2008 shortly after Kaymer won the BMW International Open in Germany.

He has a sunflower – her favorite flower – on his golf bag.

“My mother was always there to be affectionate and show us love,” Kaymer said in a taped interview with NBC Sports. “When my mom passed away, that stopped. We had enough when we were younger. Mother’s Day is always a nice day. I hope a lot of kids show their mothers we love them.”

Interviewed on the 18th green, so dark that the clubhouse was glowing from the outdoor lights, Kaymer said brother Phillip sent him a text that morning which he described as “very emotional.”

“It’s a good day for all of us,” he said.

Kaymer finished at 13-under 275 and joined an elite group by winning the biggest event on golf’s strongest tour. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott are the only other players to win a major, a World Golf Championship and The Players Championship.

Sergio Garcia made a strong run until he hit into the water on the par-5 11th and lost momentum by missing too many putts. He closed with a 70 to finish alone in third at 11 under.

For the 20-year-old Spieth, it was another lost opportunity. He went 58 consecutive holes without a bogey at Sawgrass until dropping a shot at No. 5. Spieth still was tied for the lead approaching the turn when Kaymer pulled away.

Spieth made bogey on No. 8. Kaymer got up-and-down from a bunker for birdie on No. 9. Spieth made another bogey on No. 10 when his wedge bounced over the green, and Kaymer made another superb bunker shot on the par-5 11th for birdie.

He was humming along until the horn sounded to stop play. When he returned, it all started to go wrong. But he held his nerve – he spoke earlier in the week about trying not to be a “wimp” – and produced an important win.

It was the 14th victory worldwide for Kaymer, ended an 0-for-29 drought. His last win was at the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa at the end of 2012, right after he delivered the crucial point for Europe in its Ryder Cup comeback. Kaymer was No. 1 in the world in February 2011 until he wanted to retool his swing to be able to hit a greater variety of shots. He needed all of them Sunday.

David Hearn tied for sixth, just four shots back of champion Kaymer. The Brantford, Ont. native climbed two spots Sunday after a 2-under par 70. He finished at 279 with four others including Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Francesco Molinari and Jimmy Walker.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA Tour has rescinded the two-shot penalty given to Justin Rose at The Players Championship.

Rose was penalized Saturday evening after the third round when he addressed a chip shot off the 18th green and it was deemed his ball moved ever so slightly. Rose didn’t think it did and played the shot. It took viewing of three television shots for the tour to assess the penalty under Rule 18-2b.

An hour before his 12:35 p.m. EST tee time, the tour rescinded the penalty.

The third-round score became a 71, and Rose teed off only five shots behind the leaders.

The penalty was lifted under Rule 18-4, which limits how players can be penalized based on video evidence from HD cameras. Rose was informed of the decision about an hour before his

“I was good with the way everything played out; I want to play by the rules,” Rose told PGATOUR.COM before teeing off in the final round. “But I was reading an article in the evening and the rule states — and I’m paraphrasing — but if a player can’t discern whether the ball moved or not, it’s deemed not to have moved. I sort of scratched my head and said that’s exactly what happened to me and yet I was docked two.

“But obviously all the governing bodies all got together overnight to talk about it.”

Instead of a 73 in the third round Rose was credited with a 71 and enters the final round at TPC Sawgrass five shots back of the lead.

“It was thought that Decision 18-4 was not applicable because the review of the footage shown in the telecast showed that the ball may have moved in a way that was discernable to the naked eye and when viewing the incident with Rose in the television compound, it was confirmed that the ball did in fact move very slightly,” the PGA Tour said in a statement. “Thus, at the time, the Rules Committee deemed that the ball had moved in a manner that was reasonably discernable to the naked eye. The Committee, therefore, assessed the general penalty under Rule 18 of two strokes.

“Overnight, given the fact that Decision 18-4 had been implemented in January of 2014, yet had not been utilized in PGA Tour competition, the Rules Committee reopened the incident and focused on how much the use of sophisticated technology played a part in making the original ruling. After that review, it was determined that the only way to confirm whether and how much the ball had in fact changed position, was to utilize sophisticated technology.

“This morning, after consulting with the governing bodies and PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, it was determined that without the use of sophisticated technology, it was not reasonably discernable to the naked eye that the ball had left its original position and had come to rest in its original place.”

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Jordan Spieth repeatedly pumped his fist when his 12-foot par putt dropped into cup on the final hole, a clutch moment worthy of celebration for two reasons. It gave him a third straight bogey-free round at The Players Championship and a share of the lead Saturday with Martin Kaymer.

Spieth was even more impressive when he got into trouble off the tee late in a demanding round. The 20-year-old Texan missed his last four fairways and saved par each time, giving him a 1-under 71 in increasingly tougher conditions at the TPC Sawgrass.

Not since Greg Norman won The Players in 1994 has anyone played the opening three rounds without a bogey.

Kaymer held his own for much of the warm, blustery afternoon. He had a two-shot lead at the turn, but failed to take advantage of the par 5s on the back nine. He missed a par putt from just inside 10 feet on the 18th hole for an even-par 72.

They were at 12-under 204, three shots ahead of former Players winner Sergio Garcia (69) and John Senden (68).

The final twosome of Spieth and Kaymer combined for two bogeys, three birdies and 31 pars, not the kind of golf one expects to see on a course that provides so much theater. In firmer conditions, it was a solid brand of golf by both.

Spieth has shown no letdown since his runner-up finish at the Masters a month ago. He will have a chance to become the youngest winner of The Players, and it won’t be unfamiliar territory. Along with his strong play at Augusta National, he has been in the hunt at three other tournaments this year.

But the final hour was the most challenging for him.

Spieth was so far right on the 14th hole that he was closer to the 12th fairway. Unable to see the last 200 yards of the 14th hole, he ripped a hybrid off a slope and sprinted up the hill to find it about pin-high in a bunker. He feared for the worse when his wedge sailed over the green on the par-5 16th, but it bounced softly enough that it didn’t go in the water, and he hit a superb chip to about 4 feet.

And on the 18th, he punched out of the rough between two trees to about 55 yards, played a pitch that ran through the green and just onto the fringe, and holed it for par.

“I was all over the place,” Spieth said. “In order to win, I’m going to have to drive the ball better. Today I got the breaks, got the bounces, and made the 3- and 4-footers to stay alive. I’m not going to be able to keep doing that.”

Kaymer three-putted from the fringe on No. 4 on a difficult putt from 30 feet. He bounced back with a 15-foot birdie on No. 7 and an up-and-down from the back bunker to a back pin on the par-5 ninth to build a two-shot lead.

But the 29-year-old German missed two birdie chances on the par 5s. He was on the back of the green, 80 feet away, for eagle on No. 11 and left his putt some 10 feet short. He three-putted for par. From a collection area just left of the 16th green, he tried a full flop shot over a pot bunker and it came out too soft and into the shaggy grass framing the sand. Kaymer did well to save par.

Even so, he was tied for the lead. For a former world No. 1 who has gone winless for more than two years, the view wasn’t too bad.

Sizing up Sunday, he figured it would be important to take advantage of the par 5s “and then stay cool and calm on 17 and 18th.”

“It’s very important that you enjoy the day,” Kaymer said. “It’s a rare opportunity that you’re in the leading group one of the biggest tournaments we play all year.”

At stake is a $1.8 million payoff, a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a three-year exemption to the Masters and British Open.

This course gets tougher on the weekend, though, especially on Sunday. And there were still plenty of players poised to either make a run or be waiting if either of the leaders slip up.

Included in the list of players with striking distance is David Hearn. The Brantford, Ont. native carded a 4-under 68 Saturday to climb 17 spots up the leaderboard. Hearn finished at 7-under, tied for 8th with Lee Westwood and Francesco Molinari.

Justin Rose was in the group at 7-under 209 until it was determined after his round that his ball moved slightly before he chipped it on the 18th. That turned his par into a double bogey and he wound up seven shots behind, tied for 13th.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – So much for that Masters hangover for Jordan Spieth.

One month after the 20-year-old Texan tied for second at Augusta National, Spieth had another bogey-free round at The Players Championship on Friday and shot a 6-under 66 to trail Martin Kaymer by one shot going into the weekend.

Kaymer opened with a course record-tying 63 and followed with a solid round of 69. He was at 12-under 132.

Spieth was swinging so well he had a tap-in birdie on the 14th, the hardest hole at TPC Sawgrass on Friday. He had a chance to catch Kaymer until a three-putt par from just off the green on the par-5 16th.

Russell Henley had a 71 and was four shots behind. Jim Furyk was part of a large group at 6-under 138.

David Hearn shot a 1-under 71 to climb four spots up the leaderboard from a share of 29th into a tie for 25th. The Brantford, Ont. native is sitting at 3-under 141.

Graham DeLaet struggled to a 5-over 77 Friday and missed the 36-hole cut. It was just the third missed cut of the season, with the last one coming last month. at The Masters.