NEW JERSEY: Newly-divorced Tiger Woods fired his lowest round since his sex scandal erupted nine months ago, a six-under 65 this morning that gave him a share of the first-round lead at The Barclays. Three days after ending his nearly six-year marriage to Elin Nordegren, the world's No 1 golfer fired seven birdies against a lone bogey to match fellow American Vaughn Taylor for the lead. Asked if he felt a weight lifted from him, Woods said: "I can't really say that's the case. As far as golf-wise, it was nice to put it together."

WINNIPEG: Japan' s Ai Miyazato, fresh off a victory in Portland, Oregon, heads into the Canadian Women's Open here tomorrow clinging to the top spot in the world rankings of women's golf. Ai has little room for error if she wants to stay atop the rankings, with American Cristie Kerr, Suzanne Pettersen of Norway, Korean Shin Jiyai and Taiwan's Yani Tseng in hot pursuit.

NORTH CAROLINA: Arjun Atwal became the first player born in India to win on the US PGA Tour by shooting a final round three-under par 67 to capture the Wyndham Championship this morning. The 37-year-old Atwal finished at 20-under-par 260 to beat American David Toms (64) by one stroke. In Oregon, Japan's Ai Miyazato posted her fifth win of the year and reclaimed the world No 1 ranking by capturing the LPGA Safeway Classic.

OREGON: Cristie Kerr, who won June's LPGA Championship by 12 strokes to become the first US world No 1 in women's golf, will try to secure her grip atop the rankings at the LPGA Safeway Classic. The US$1.5 million (RM4.7m), 54-hole event starts on Friday at Pumpkin Ridge and marks the LPGA's first event on US soil since US veteran Paula Creamer won the US Women's Open on July 11.

NORTH CAROLINA: Defending US PGA playoff champion Tiger Woods could fail to qualify for this year's title-deciding events but is likely to keep his spot after this week's Wyndham Championship. The final PGA regular-season event opens on Friday with Woods ranked 108th in the season-long points chase that decides 125 players for the first playoff event, The Barclays next week. Woods, who is not playing this week, could slide as low as 132nd and miss out on a chance for his third playoff crown in the four years of the system, but such a plunge is unlikely.

WISCONSIN: When the PGA Championship returns in five years to Whistling Straits the rules on playing the countless bunkers may still be in place.

WISCONSIN: US Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin said this morning that Tiger Woods is "high on my list" of possible captain's picks, but still would not say for certain the world No 1 would be chosen.

WISCONSIN: Germany's Martin Kaymer beat American Bubba Watson in a playoff to win the 92nd PGA Championship this morning after a controversial penalty prevented Dustin Johnson from joining them.

WISCONSIN: There was no hiding the disappointment for Tiger Woods after he trudged off the final hole at the US PGA Championship this morning. A final round 73 left him well out of contention and without a Major title for the second year in succession. His last victory at a Major was at the 2008 US Open and he has now gone 10 Majors without a win, matching his longest losing streak. The world No 1 has not won any titles this year and admitted his failure to add to his collection of 14 Major titles was worrying.

WISCONSIN: Italian Francesco Molinari fired a four-under 68 to seize a share of the lead with American Bubba Watson in the first round of the weather-hit PGA Championship this morning.

WISCONSIN: Tiger Woods wasted little time shaking off the most miserable performance of his career. The 14-time Major championship winner shot a one-under 71 after starting his opening round of the 92nd PGA Championship with three birdies on the first four holes.

WISCONSIN: Yang Yong-eun's shocking upset over Tiger Woods in the 2009 PGA Championship made him the first Asian to win a Major title and elevated him to rock star status in his native South Korea. Case in point is the reception he received when he returned to his hometown on Jeju Island where he had to have a half-dozen bodyguards to protect him from fans wanting to get a piece of him.

WISCONSIN: Corey Pavin said Tiger Woods would receive no special favours and that the world No 1 was going to have to earn his way onto the US Ryder Cup team like everybody else. "There's nobody that's promised any picks right now," said the US captain this morning. "It would be disrespectful to everybody that's trying to make the team. "I've got quite a few people I am looking at. I would not disrespect any of the players that are potential players on the team."

WISCONSIN: The hullabaloo surrounding the Tiger Woods' sex scandal appears to be subsiding but now it seems things have taken a turn for the worse on the golf course as well as off it. The 14-time Major championship winner heads into the 92nd PGA Championship with his game in disarray after coming off the worst performance of his career at last week's World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational.

WISCONSIN: If any extra proof was needed that this week's US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits is wide open for the taking, then look no further than the winners of the last two Majors.

MILWAUKEE: The US PGA Championship has thrown up some surprise winners and produced some stunning upsets over the ages but few can match last year's drama. For some players, such as David Toms, Rich Beem and Wayne Grady, the PGA Championship was their lone Major title.

AKRON: American Hunter Mahan jumped out of the pack Sunday to win the US$8.5 million (RM26.7m) World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational by two strokes while top-ranked Tiger Woods hit a new low in golf. Mahan, who began the final round three strokes off the pace, made a sizzling start with five front-nine birdies on his way to a bogey-free six-under 66 at Firestone Country Club.

AKRON: Bubba Watson (pic) is one of the longest hitters on tour, but it was his putter that propelled him to the first-round lead at the US$ 8.5 million (RM26.8m) Bridgestone Invitational this morning. Watson, in his first appearance at the World Golf Championships event, needed just 22 putts at Firestone, capping off his day in style by sinking a 35-footer at the last.

AKRON: Defending champion Tiger Woods (pic) has plenty at stake as he goes for his first win of 2010 at the US$8.5 million (RM27m) Bridgestone Invitational starting here tomorrow. Woods has never gone through the first seven months of the year without posting a victory, but this has been no ordinary season.

AKRON: Louis Oosthuizen (pic) knew winning the British Open was a big deal. The South African just didn't realise quite how big. "I think you've got this picture in your mind of what it's going to be like after a Major win, and it was 10 times what I expected," Oosthuizen said ahead of the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational.

ORLANDO: World No 1 Tiger Woods announced on his website this morning that he will compete at the 2011 Dubai Desert Classic, hoping to claim his third title in the European PGA Tour event. Woods won in 2006 and 2008 and has never fared worse than fifth in five appearances at the €1.9 million (RM7.9m) tournament at Emirates Golf Club. "The level of competition has always been extremely high, so I know I'll have to play my best golf if I'm going to regain my title," Woods said.

ORLANDO: World No 1 Tiger Woods has committed to defend his title at the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational next week at Firestone Country Club, where he has won seven times. Woods announced on his website that he will make the US$8.5 million (RM27.2m) event his eighth start of a comeback season in the wake of a sex scandal. Woods is off to his worst career start of a campaign, having yet to win a 2010 event.

SOUTHPORT: Taiwan's Yani Tseng, a two-time Major winner, and Australia's Katherine Hull both eagled the final hole to share the lead after the first round of the Women's British Open at Birkdale. The pair carded four-under 68 to finish one ahead of two South Koreans, Yang Amy and Yoo Sun-young, American Brittany Lincicome and Anne-Lise Caudal of France. Michelle Wie was another to finish birdie, par and shot 70, while world No 1 Shin Jiyai raised her hopes of repeating her 2008 win at Sunningdale with a 71.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH: Paula Creamer still plays with a bandage. What she no longer plays with is a burden. Even though Paula won't turn 24 until a week from Thursday, after she returns from Royal Birkdale and the final LPGA Tour Major of the year, few other players so young have received so much scrutiny for failing to win a Major.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS: Shin Jiyai became the first South Korean to win the Evian Masters this morning, a victory made more remarkable coming just six weeks after she underwent emergency surgery.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS: Morgan Pressel (pic) and Melissa Reid were joined at the top of the first-round leaderboard at the Evian Masters this morning as Ahn Sun-ju of South Korea birdied the last hole for a six-under 66 . Morgan started the first round with birdies on the opening three holes, but the American also bogeyed the 13th.

NEW YORK: Tiger Woods' estimated endorsements for 2010 are worth US$22 million (RM70.8m) less than in 2009, Sports Illustrated reported in its yearly analysis of the top-earning US sports figures. Woods is still No 1 on the list, as he has been for the rankings' seven years. But his estimated total earnings of more than US$90 million are down 30 per cent from nearly US$128 million two years ago. Golfer Phil Mickelson is again second with total earnings of more than US$61 million.

EVIAN-LES-BAIN: Ai Miyazato (pic) will be looking to hammer home her new world No 1 ranking with a successful defense of her Evian Masters title starting here today. The Japanese golfer won her first LPGA title at Evian last year — she has since added four more on the LPGA Tour.

ST ANDREWS: British Open winner Louis Oosthuizen has come a long way since his father refused to take him or his brother on to a golf course.

ST ANDREWS: The image of Gary Player running the gauntlet of hostile American fans on the way to a first US Masters triumph almost 50 years ago helped to spur Louis Oosthuizen to victory in the British Open. Player, who in 1961 secured the first of three Augusta green jackets, phoned his fellow countryman on Sunday morning ahead of the final round at St Andrews.

ST ANDREWS: John Daly finally has some competition for worst outfit. Rickie Fowler did his best imitation of a giant pumpkin in the final round of the British Open, decked out in hazard-cone orange from head to toe. Shoes, pants, belt, necklace, cap — even his Rolex had orange accents. "I went to Oklahoma State," Fowler said, explaining the reason for his Day-Glo outfit.