On a day when Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy grinded out level par, unlikely Woodland — who snapped a five-year PGA victory drought by winning in February at Phoenix — unleashed the best putting round of his career at Bellerive Country Club.

“When I see putts go in, that just gets me going,” Woodland said. “It’s really starting to click. I thought I was putting well. It was nice to see them go in.”

World number 44 Woodland, whose best major finishes have been shares of 12th at the 2011 PGA and 2016 British Open, sank seven birdie putts in 10 holes to pass Fowler, who matched the best major round of his career with a 65.

Ninth-ranked Fowler, twice a top-five finisher in every major, is without a win to show for it, having finished second at the Masters in April.

“I always have hope. It’s not something I necessarily worry about,” Fowler said. “Keep putting ourselves in position, get in contention. We’ll just keep beating down that door.”

Woodland, 34, opened with a bogey but closed the front nine with back-to-back birdies then sank a 44-foot birdie putt at the par-4 11th and added 23-foot birdie putts at 12 and the par-3 16th.

“You work so hard and you want to see results to back up the work you’ve done,” Woodland said. “Today was just a step in the right direction.”

At the par-5 17th, Woodland dropped his approach three feet from the cup and tapped in for a birdie to seize the lead, then closed with a par.

“It was nice to get the jitters over early,” Woodland said. “I really settled in. I played great all day.”

Woods, a 14-time major champion making a comeback after spinal fusion surgery, battled back all day to overcome a bogey-double bogey start.

“It kept me in the golf tournament,” Woods said. “I could have easily gone the other way, but I hung in there and turned it around.”

The 42-year-old American battled back with birdie putts from four feet at 18, nine feet at the first and eight feet at the par-5 eighth.

“Just hung in there. I was trying to chip away at it, pick away at it,” Woods said. “I was able to grind out a score today.”

Woods briefly led in the final round of last month’s British Open, but he hasn’t won a major since the 2008 US Open or any title since 2013.

Four-time major champion McIlroy found a bunker at 10 and made bogey, then sank birdie putts at 11 13, but made bogey at 18 and parred in from there.

“It wasn’t that easy out there,” said McIlroy. “I gave myself a few chances. I finished off with nine pars. It could have been a little better.”

Fowler, a back-nine starter, found 11 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens in regulation. He birdied 14 but landed in a bunker at the par-3 16th and made bogey, then bounced back with a 12-foot birdie putt at the par-5 17th, a 14-footer at the first and six-footer at the third.

Fowler followed with a 31-foot birdie putt at the par-4 seventh hole and blasted from a bunker to eight feet to birdie the par-5 eighth.

“I’m definitely happy about the start and we’ll see if we can keep that rolling,” Fowler said. “I kept it very stress free. Just played within myself.”

– Stone, Johnson in third –

South African Brandon Stone, who won July’s Scottish Open, shot 66 to share third with US two-time major winner Zach Johnson.

“The game felt really good,” Stone said. “Just tried to stay calm and I made a few great putts.”

Johnson saved par at 17 from a bunker and dropped his 155-yard approach two feet from the cup to set up a closing birdie.

“That was big at 17 and then I had the right distance at 18,” Johnson said.

– Thomas finds positives –

Woods and McIlroy played in a feature group alongside second-ranked defending champion Justin Thomas, who shot 69.

Thomas, who won last week’s WGC event, could join Woods as the only men since 1937 to win consecutive PGAs.

“Definitely a lot more positives to take the negatives,” Thomas said. “I’m in a good position for Thursday.”

The series will start with the Singha Ultra Trail run from October 19 to 21, the Singha-Bangkok Airways Road Classic (cycling) on November 11, the Singha Obstacle Run on December 8, the Singha Mountain Bike Thailand Open on December 9 and the cycling Tour of Chiang Rai from December 13to 16.

Boon Rawd Senior Vice President Rungsrid Luxitanond said his company had underlined its policy to promote tourism in Chiang Rai through sport as far back as 2011.

Indeed, the park has been used as the venue for several major activities, including the Farm Festival on the Hill and International Balloon Fiesta competitions, which have become highlights of the calendar in the northern town.

All five events will take place in the park. Defending champion Chantharaboon Angkard has confirmed he will compete in the Singha Ultra Trail ,which features four categories: 122km (cut-off time at 60 hours), 66km (36 hours), 38km (10 hours) and 20 km (6 hours).

“The routes will be even more challenging this year,” said Pongrat Luangthamrongcharoen, Singha Park Chiang Rai Managing Director.

For further details on the Ultra Trail race, visit http://singhapark.com/index.php/event-calendar/singha-ultra-trail-chiang-rai-2018.html

Kepa’s arrival at Stamford Bridge came shortly after Chelsea had agreed to sell Belgian international ‘keeper Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid for a reported fee of 35 million euros.

The 23-year-old has signed a seven-year contract with the English giants.

“It’s a very important decision for me, for my career, and also for my personal life,” Kepa told Chelsea’s website.

“So many things attracted me to the club, all the titles the club has won, the other players, the city, the English Premier League. It’s an accumulation of things, and I am very glad Chelsea has decided to trust me and to take me in as well.”

Chelsea were forced to look for a replacement for Courtois ahead of Thursday’s transfer deadline for Premier League clubs after he failed to report back to training following his fine World Cup performances on Monday.

Courtois had just one year left on his contract and made clear his desire to return to Madrid, where he spent three seasons on loan with Atletico, to be closer to his two children.

Chelsea’s lack of forward planning for the new season has been much criticised as Antonio Conte’s departure as manager and the appointment of Maurizio Sarri as his successor was delayed until just a month before the new campaign.

Just seven months ago, Kepa’s buyout clause was just 20 million euros and it was he who looked set to join Real Madrid in January.

However, after that move collapsed due to former Real boss Zinedine Zidane’s wishes not to make mid-season changes, Kepa signed a new seven-year deal with the Basque side that dramatically increased his release clause and has cost Chelsea dear.

“Kepa is a talent we have admired for a long time and we are extremely excited about his arrival,” insisted Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia.

“He has already demonstrated fantastic quality and consistency and will be a big part of any success Chelsea have in the coming years.

“His long-term contract reflects the belief we have in him and we look ahead to the coming seasons with an enormous sense of optimism.”

As part of the deal taking Courtois to Madrid, Croatian midfielder Matteo Kovacic will join Chelsea on a season-long loan deal from Real.

Just weeks after Liverpool broke the record transfer fee for a goalkeeper in a deal worth up to 72.5 million euros for Brazilian international Alisson Becker, the inexperienced Kepa, 23, now inherits the title of the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.

Earlier on Wednesday, Bilbao confirmed that Kepa had paid his buyout clause at the league’s headquarters in Madrid to free him from his contract with Athletic.

He has played 53 times in La Liga for Bilbao over the last two seasons, and made his international debut in a 5-0 friendly win over Costa Rica in November 2017.

He was also in the Spain squad for the World Cup in Russia as back-up to David De Gea, but has yet to make his competitive debut for Spain or play in the Champions League.

Mourinho has repeatedly called for more backing in the transfer market if United are to close the record 19-point gap they trailed Manchester City by last season despite finishing second in the table.

Instead, the Portuguese’s mood has been further soured by seeing another fierce rival Liverpool steal a march with a £170-million ($220 million) splurge on new signings.

“If we don’t make our team better it will be a difficult season for us,” Mourinho warned earlier this week, so far to no avail ahead of Thursday’s transfer deadline.

After securing the signatures of Brazilian international midfielder Fred and Portuguese teenage full-back Diogo Dalot early in the window, strengthening his centre-back options has been Mourinho’s priority.

Yet, United could end up facing one of Mourinho’s top targets in Harry Maguire at Old Trafford, with Leicester reportedly holding out for a world-record fee for a defender to land one of England’s heroes from a run to the World Cup semi-finals.

Maguire and Leicester’s main goal threat, Jamie Vardy, may not start having just returned to pre-season training this week after their exertions in Russia.

– United shorthanded –

But United are even more shorthanded by the quick turnaround between the World Cup and the start of the new season.

Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford, Phil Jones and Victor Lindelof were all praised by Mourinho for cutting short their holidays to return to training and be in the frame to play a part on Friday.

Paul Pogba did not follow suit as the French World Cup winner’s frosty relationship with Mourinho has sparked interest from Barcelona.

But Mourinho must finally get the best from his star midfielder and Alexis Sanchez to avoid his third season in charge turning sour as it did in his second spell at Chelsea and Real Madrid.

Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea in December 2015 with the then-Premier League champions languishing in 16th, just one point above the relegation places.

Likewise in his final campaign in the Spanish capital in 2012/13, Mourinho clashed with a number of senior players in a trophyless season.

The ingredients appear to be in place for another Mourinho meltdown should United get off to a bad start and he believes even the scheduling of his side’s opening fixture has made his task even harder.

“I want to say a nice word, we were unlucky to get the Friday match as we could get the Sunday,” he bemoaned at opening the campaign.

“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (to prepare) is not enough.”

One of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants Nemanja Matic will miss the start of the season due to surgery on an abdominal injury, while Eric Bailly and Ander Herrera are also doubts after picking up knocks in United’s final pre-season friendly defeat by Bayern Munich.

When 98 of the world’s 100 top players tee off Thursday in the 100th PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club, there will be more than a few who hope to live out a boyhood dream and battle the 14-time major champion for glory on Sunday.

“He’s still Tiger,” said Britain’s 27-year-old Tommy Fleetwood. “For guys from my generation that would have grown up with Tiger in his prime, how many people get the chance to be in contention or play against Tiger Woods on a final day of a major when he was the guy you watched. He was the hero.”

Woods is only eight months into his comeback from spinal fusion surgery after missing most of the past two seasons with severe back pain that had him wondering if he might ever play again.

“Just for me to be able to have this opportunity again is a dream come true,” Woods said. “I didn’t know if I could do this again, and lo and behold, here I am.

“So just coming back and being able to play at this level and compete, I’ve had my share of chances to win this year as well, hopefully I’ll get it done this week.”

Woods, ranked 51st, has not won a major title since the 2008 US Open and has not won any event since the 2013 WGC Bridgestone Invitational.

Woods briefly led the British Open on Sunday but shared sixth last month at Carnoustie, while Fleetwood shared 12th.

“It’s something very special for quite a large number of players at the moment that he’s had his comeback and he’s playing well and we have that chance really, we could eventually be playing with Tiger on a Sunday coming down the stretch,” Fleetwood said.

New British Open champion Francesco Molinari of Italy, who played alongside Woods in the final round at Carnoustie, remains impressed with the former world number one and his impact on so many careers.

“He has changed the game for our generation,” Molinari said. “Being a teenager growing up playing golf, in my generation we were all looking up to him, especially around 2000, 2001, 2002. He was doing unbelievable things.

“He has been a model and an idol for me growing up and it’s nice to see him back playing good golf. Hopefully we’ll be paired together late on Sunday again this week.”

– Late struggles for Tiger –

Doubters say Woods gets tired late in his rounds and point to scoring averages a full stroke higher on his back nines than his starting sides.

“I wish I could figure that out. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know why I haven’t played the back nine as well as I have in the past,” Woods said. “If I had an answer to it, I would give it to you, but I really don’t know.”

To Rory McIlroy, a four-time major winner who plays alongside Woods and defending champion Justin Thomas in the first two rounds, Woods has already achieved a great deal just being back.

“There’s a lot of different layers to what Tiger has to go through to win again,” McIlroy said. “He has put himself in position. He had to learn how to move again. He had to learn how to swing. I mean, 18 months ago the guy couldn’t walk. He was in bed.”

Experience only goes so far, McIlroy said, noting he hasn’t won a major since the 2014 PGA.

“Even though he’s won 14 of these things, if you haven’t done it for awhile, you still have to re-learn a few things, and I think he’s going through that stage. But as we saw a few weeks ago, he’s right there, which is an unbelievable achievement.”

– ‘A fantastic test’ –

Thomas expects a frenzied atmosphere with throngs of spectators watching Woods and his group.

“It will be cool for him to be back and he obviously has a lot of great success in this tournament,” Thomas said. “But once we get out there, like most weeks, it will be business.”

US star Jordan Spieth would complete a Career Grand Slam with a victory. he expects a short-game shootout.

“You’ll see some hole outs by the look of this golf course,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with that at all. It’s still a fantastic test of golf.”

“It breaks my heart to tell everyone that Jarrod is no longer with us,” she said in a statement.

The former US PGA Tour player, who had children aged six and two, passed away on Wednesday evening surrounded by family and friends.

“Lusi, Jemma and I are filled with grief and now must confront our lives without the greatest husband and father we could ever have wished for,” added his wife.

Lyle moved into palliative care last week to see out his final days, saying his body could not “take anymore” after acute myeloid leukaemia returned for a third time.

His plight touched fans and players around the world, with goodwill messages pouring in from across the globe.

“Jarrod was able to take in many of the unbelievably kind and generous acts and words in his final few days and was overwhelmed by the emotional outpouring,” said Briony.

“He asked that I provide a simple message: ‘Thanks for your support, it meant the world. My time was short, but if I’ve helped people think and act on behalf of those families who suffer through cancer, hopefully it wasn’t wasted.”

Lyle overcame leukaemia as a 17-year-old before suffering a recurrence in 2012.

He won that battle and made his return to professional golf at the Australian Masters in November 2013. But his health deteriorated again in recent months.

Lyle joined the PGA Tour in 2007 and managed a handful of top 10 finishes.

 The 15-year-old girl, who won the “Low Amateur” trophy at the British Open on Sunday, will carry the burden of the nation’s hopes as she sets out to win the women’s individual event in Indonesia.

With an already-stunning portfolio, including the LET Thailand Championship title last year – at 14, she was the youngest winner ever – and the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific Championship in February, the teenager is one of the favourites to achieve further success but isn’t fazed.

“I will instead turn all the pressure into a thrust to perform well, especially to help defend the women’s team gold medal,” said Atthaya, who is currently in Jakarta with teammates Kan Bunnabodi and Kulthida Pramohun checking out the course ahead of the competition, which runs from August 23 to 26.

“I have practised at the course a couple of times. It has narrow fairways, thick roughs and difficult lies on the greens. But after this trip to Indonesia we should have more information about the course. There shouldn’t be any problems,” the teenager said.

In fact Atthaya admits that her confidence deserted her game recently, explaining why she finished 64th and last of the weekend players on 12-over-par.

“I was so happy to make the cut because I was not that confident with my game before the Open,” added Atthaya, who was also the Low Amateur at another of the LPGA tour’s major events, the ANA Inspiration in California in April.

“I was having a bit of a problem with my swing. But after I made the cut I felt relieved. I felt more confident.

“Winning titles as an amateur will really mean a lot to me in the future when I turn professional. But I think I still have a lot to improve before I leave the amateur level,” added Atthaya, who is planning to delay turning pro for a few years yet.

Thailand Golf Association president Rungsrid Luxitanonda has set the Thai team a target of one gold medal in the team event and one gold in the individual.

Four years ago, in Incheon, Thailand won one gold (women’s team), one silver (women’s individual) and two bronzes (men’s team and women’s individual).

“I will resign effective today,” the 78-year-old Yamane told reporters. “I made this decision after consulting with my wife, as I was asked by the board members [to decide whether to resign]. As chairman, I am sorry that these problems [involving the scandals] existed.”

At an extraordinary board meeting Tuesday, the federation left the decision whether to resign up to Yamane. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, however, he did not say whether he would remain in the federation as a board member.

In response to 12 specific allegations made by senior officials of prefectural federations, Yamane acknowledged his personal involvement in the mishandling of ¥2.4 million in subsidies provided by the Japan Sport Council to a boxer who competed in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

The funds were allegedly shared with two other boxers so the three would receive the same amount of grant money. Yamane has previously said that he ordered the the misappropriation.

The chairman has also admitted his relationship with a person involved in a boryokudan gangster organization, saying, “I hung around [with that person] due to certain circumstances.”

This comment was criticized by Japan Sports Agency Commissioner Daichi Suzuki. “It’s questionable for a sports organization to be chaired by a person who had shadowy relationships,” he said.

Yamane became chairman in 2011 after serving in such posts as chairman of the Nara prefectural federation and coaching the Japanese national boxing team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He had recently called himself “chairman for life.”

Assistant team manager Worapoj Yasadatt said good nutrition, self- discipline and plenty of rest were the priorities for his players, whose first game in Indonesia is against Qatar on August 14.

“We will shut all opportunities that will make players lose their concentration or prevent them from having enough rest,” said Worapoj during the final edition of the “Meet the Press” in Bangkok on Tuesday.

He said the players had agreed to comply by the rules and would have their phones returned after each match.

“As they are professional enough, they are willing to let us take care of their phones,” added Worapoj. “They know they need to stay away from the phones as they can become addicted to social media and games.”

The men’s national team is entirely made up of under-23 players as older stars like Chanathip Songkrasin, Teerasil Dangda and Teerathon Bunmathan are all committed to their J-League competitions.

Thailand’s best finished in the Games were three semi-finals: Bangkok (1998), Busan (2002) and Incheon (2014).

Worapoj also candidly admitted it would be a daunting task to qualify for the semis again, with Thailand widely regarded as underdogs in a group containing Asian powerhouses Qatar, Uzbekistan and Bangladesh.

Meanwhile women’s team manager Nualphan Lamsam hopes to settle score with Vietnam to ensure a place in the knock-out stages.

Thailand lost 2-1 to their neighbours2 in the quarter-finals four years ago and in the upcoming Asiad, the Kingdom are placed in Group C with Vietnam and Japan.

The top two nations in each group qualify for the quarter-finals.

“As Japan are too powerful, we need to beat Vietnam to move ahead. Whenever we play Vietnam, they always put up a fierce fight,” said Nualphan, who predicted her team, would meet either Indonesia or Taiwan in the last eight, if it can finish runners-up in the group.

CHAROUCK ARIRACHAKARAN

Meanwhile Olympic Committee of Thailand secretary general Charouck Arirachakaran is advising the team managers of each sport to pay special attention to organising the transportation from the athletes village to competition venues, due to heavy traffic congestion in Jakarta.

Charouck also predicted Thailand would win a maximum 17 golds at the Games, while the Sport Writers and Photographers Association of Thailand is slightly more optimistic. It is forecasting 20 champions for the Kingdom.

About 300,000 athletes, staff members, volunteers and reporters will be required to use their ID card and be verified with the facial recognition system to access venues.

The security overhaul will prevent fraudulent entry by people borrowing, stealing or faking an ID card, said electronics giant NEC, which developed the technology.

It will be rolled out across all facilities — including the 43 competition venues, athlete lodgings and media centres — but would not be used for spectators, organisers said.

“It is the first time facial recognition will be deployed for all people involved in the Olympics at all venues,” Olympic security chief Tsuyoshi Iwashita told reporters.

“Higher security is needed for people involved in Olympics as they enter important areas. They also go in and out of venues so we decided to introduce the system for smooth entry,” he added.

This will be especially practical for the Tokyo Olympics as the venues are scattered widely around the massive Japanese capital, Iwashita added.

The technology takes only 0.3 seconds to match up a face with a pre-registered photo, said Masaaki Suganuma, an official at NEC, which claims this is the world’s fastest such system.

In an experiment conducted last year, access using an ID card and facial recognition was 2.5 times faster than using barcodes and visual checks as at previous Olympics.