🏌🏻 Phil Mickelson Calls For Peace

Good morning. The 2024 season got underway with an action-packed opening day at the Sentry. Take a look at the key talking points from Day 1. Meanwhile, PGA and LIV golfers seem to be bridging the gap - a merger is likely to happen sooner or later.

Tiger Woods has found a new caddie for the season - read on to know more about his veteran bagman.

That, and tips on how you can become a better putter, in today’s edition of Golf Reporter.

⛳ This day in history: On this date, in 1969, Shaun Michael was born in Florida. He won the 2003 PGA Championship. He is that rare major winner whose only tour victory was the major. Michael is currently an active player on the PGA Champions Tour.

ALBATROS
Sahith, Morikawa, Day Making Headlines At The Sentry

Sahith Theegala leads after Round 1 of The Sentry. Five other golfers - Collin Morikawa, Camilo Villegas, Im Sung-jae, Jason Day and Viktor Hovland are tied for the second spot.

What made news during an action-packed opening day - let's find out.

Sahith Theegala Leads

Theegala recorded the most birdies in a PGA Tour round in what was his 250th career round on Tour. He made ten birdies and shot 9-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead after Round 1.

Morikawa Making Birdies For Hawaii Relief

Collin Morikawa is donating $2,000 for every birdie and $4,000 for every eagle. Morikawa has family roots in Maui - the venue of the event. A series of wildfires caused devastation in Maui earlier in August.

Day's Back-Nine Birdie Binge

Jason Day made a strong comeback during the second half of Round 1. He scored seven birdies and an eagle to sit T2 at the end of the day.

Villegas Returns After Nine-Year Absence

Camilo Villegas shot an 8-under 65 on his return to Kapalua. Villegas, 41, has become the oldest player to open with a 65 or lower at The Sentry since Jack Nicklaus (43) in 1983.

Highlights Of Round 1

TWEET
Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
Phil Mickelson Extends Olive Branch, Backs Rory McIlroy

LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson has come out in support of Rory McIlroy, taking on the role of a peacemaker calling for a resolution to the 'unnecessary animosity' between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, following the PGA Tour star's U-turn on LIV.

Mickelson has also credited John Rahm for being the 'bridge' between PGA and LIV.

McIlroy had earlier apologized for his harsh stance on LIV golfers and welcomed the Saudi-backed league as 'a part of the Sport'. Mickelson took to X to laud McIlroy's change of opinion.

With both sides softening their stance, it seems to be a matter of time before the PGA-LIV merger talks materialize. A fruitful decision is expected before the Masters in April.

LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news

Scottie Scheffler: World No.1 Scottie Scheffler has signed a new multi-year contract with TaylorMade. He has been using Taylor Made's equipment since 2020 and became a full Team TaylorMade staffer in 2022.

Greg Norman: LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has 'thanked' Rory McIlroy for reversing his stance on LIV. Norman believes that 'this is a significant turning point for everybody'.

Viktor Hovland: Tiger Woods' 15-year old record could be matched by Viktor Hovland if the Norwegian manages to win The Sentry. If he wins the event, he will become the fourth player to win three consecutive PGA Tour starts after Woods (2008), McIlroy (2014) and Dustin Johnson (2017). Hovland won the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba in 2022 and the Memorial Tournament in 2023.

BIRDIE
Who Is Tiger Woods' New Potential Caddie, John Wood?

Tiger Woods has reportedly hired John Wood as his new caddie. John has more than 20 years of experience as a bagman. He also played collegiate golf at UC Berkeley.

Tiger previously had his daughter as the caddie for the PNC Championship 2023 and best friend Rob McNamara for the Hero World Challenge. He is likely to play more tournaments this year and definitely needs a more seasoned bagman.

John previously worked for various PGA Tour golfers like Hunter Mahan, Chris Riley, and Mark Calcavecchia. He also served as Matt Kuchar's caddie from 2015 to 2020 before joining NBC Sports' golf coverage team as a commentator.

DRIVING RANGE
Tips To Become A Better Putter

In this video, Todd Kolb reveals three invaluable tips that will transform your putting game completely. From those twitchy short putts to those uncontrolled long ones, these tips will help you conquer every challenge on the green.