🏌🏻 Tiger's Rusty Round 1

Good morning. It's a fresh day and a fresh edition of Golf Reporter, your go-to source for everything golf.

Today, we're excited to bring you updates from the latest PGA Tour championship - Hero World Challenge with Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth making news, updates on the Australia Open Golf 2023 and how to keep your drills going on indoors in winters.

If you’re enjoying what you’re reading, please share with a golf friend or two. Every reader counts!

So, grab your morning brew, and let's tee off into today's golf news and tips!

ALBATROS
Round 1 Leaderboard: Hero World Challenge

How did Tiger do? Tiger Woods shot 3-over 75 in Round 1 of the 2023 Hero World Challenge, but that was hardly the story. In his first round since withdrawing from the Masters in April, Woods -- following a subtalar fusion procedure earlier after that Masters -- looked more physically fit and capable with both his swing and his game than he has over the last few years. Woods described his game as "rusty".

Spieth’s Wild Round. Jordan Spieth made two eagles, six birdies, five pars, four bogeys and a double and is somehow just one shot behind opening leaders Tony Finau and Brian Harman. His lone back-nine par came at the closing 18th hole.

Watch the Round 1 Highlights here:

TWEETS
Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
Cameron Smith Flops; Teen Rachel Lee Snatches Lead: Australian Open 2023

For all his optimism, Cameron Smith may need to throw caution to the wind to avoid the humiliation of missing consecutive cuts at the two flagship tournaments of the Australian summer.

After flopping at last week’s PGA Championship in front of his beloved Brisbane home fans, Smith is again playing catch-up following a ho-hum first round at the Australian Open in Sydney.

The 2022 British Open champion, the highest-ranked player in the 156-strong men’s field, is eight shots behind fellow PGA Tour star Cam Davis after Thursday’s one-under 71 start at The Lakes.

Teenage amateur Rachel Lee was almost late to the first tee but finished the first round of the Australian Open in a tie for the lead with American Jenny Shin.

The 16-year-old Lee had to hurry to start her round Thursday after getting the times confused, and she carried momentum to a 6-under 67 at The Lakes Golf Club in a tournament that has men’s and women’s fields and a two-venue format.

LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news

• LIV Golf announced the field for the inaugural LIV Golf Promotions at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from December 8-10. Former PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner will highlight the field for LIV Golf’s promotions event.

• She just won $2 million at the LPGA's Tour Championship. Now Amy Yang is caddieing at Q School.

• Tickets for 50th Players Championship go on sale. The 2024 Players Championship will be March 12-17 at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.

• Former Trump golf club worker was sexually harassed by supervisor, then conned into signing illegal NDA, lawsuit says.

• Long known for its comfortable loungewear, Lululemon is expanding its golf offerings for both men and women.

• Tiger Woods fan creates mural of the player using 25,000 golf tees: See the artist's stunning design.

• Ben Hogan Golf equipment is making another comeback - a little more than a year after seemingly closing down for good.

• Angel Rich-Jones and her husband, Karl Jones, have launched a non-profit partnership with J.P. Lunn, PGA member and President of PGA REACH Middle-Atlantic, to launch a signature HBCU program called 4tee Acres to provide students with access to quality golf clubs, clothes, and a variety of clinics.

• PGA Tour insider reports that Jon Rahm could be going to LIV Golf.

BIRDIE
6 PGA Tour Stars Using New Equipment

It's Hero World Challenge week on the PGA Tour and that means new gear for a number of players - as it's the first time we've seen some of them in a while and there's also new product set to be launched in early 2024 for them to test.

So, which players have new gear in the bag this week? Let's take a look...

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER
Let's start with the World No.1, as not only has he got TaylorMade's unreleased 2024 driver in the bag but also a putter from a brand that many golf fans will have never heard of.

Scheffler is using the TaylorMade Qi10 LS this week in The Bahamas in his first start since the Ryder Cup two months ago.

And with the flat stick, Scheffler has swapped out his Scotty Cameron Newport for an Olson Golf putter, which is a brand created by Californian Logan Olson.

TIGER WOODS
The 15-time Major winner, as mentioned above, is another with the Qi10 LS in the bag this week. He also has a new driver shaft fitted in it, going with a Graphite Design Tour AD-VF shaft instead of his previous Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X model.

WILL ZALATORIS
This week, the two-time Major runner-up has a completely new putting method in play in the form of the 'broomhandle'. He previously used the armlock technique but has gone for an even longer putter now, with the head model being the L.A.B. Mezz.1 Max.

Read about the rest in this article.

DRIVING RANGE
Winter Indoor Golf Swing Drills

PAR FOR THE COURSE
December 1: This Day In History

1939: Three-time USGA champion Lee Trevino was born. Trevino defeated Jack Nicklaus in 1968 and 1971 to win both of his U.S. Open titles – the latter coming in a playoff at Merion Golf Club.

1973: Jack Nicklaus finished at 13-under-par 275 to win by one stroke over Mason Rudolph at the Walt Disney World Open. The $30,000 first-place money made him the first tour player to earn more than $2 million in PGA Tour career earnings. Arnold Palmer had been the first to win $1 million career money.