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Haas, Hoffman share early lead in Houston

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Low scores were plentiful Thursday in the Lone Star State, as more than half the field broke par in the opening round of the Shell Houston Open. Here’s how things look heading into Round 2 at the Golf Club of Houston, where Bill Haas and Charley Hoffman share the early lead:

Leaderboard: Bill Haas (-7), Charley Hoffman (-7), Matt Kuchar (-6), Keegan Bradley (-6), J.B. Holmes (-6), Erik Compton (-6)

What it means: The leaderboard is stacked with big names as the Masters looms, but they’re all chasing Haas and Hoffman. Kuchar and Bradley set the early pace, but birdies abounded throughout the day as 37 players opened with 68 or better.

Round of the day: Haas got off to a slow start, but caught fire on the front nine, his inward half. The former FedEx Cup champ eagled the par-5 fourth hole and added three straight birdies from Nos. 6-8 to briefly grab sole possession of the lead. As it is, he’s tied at the top as he looks to win for the first time since the Quicken Loans National last summer.

Best of the rest: Hoffman has quietly been playing some good golf, and that stretch continued Thursday in Texas. Hoffman made seven birdies and didn’t drop a shot, joining Haas atop the standings. After a 65, he’s in position for his fourth top-25 finish in as many starts.

Biggest disappointment: Dustin Johnson entered this week among the Masters favorites, but his opener in Houston went about as poorly as possible. DJ was 9 over after just six holes, including a quadruple-bogey 8 on No. 6, and he sat in last place after an opening 80. Shortly thereafter, he withdrew from the event without offering a reason, and will now head to Augusta with a bit less momentum than he had 24 hours ago.

Main storyline heading into Friday: With soft conditions, low scores are likely again in the second round. Kuchar and Bradley are among the hotter players who might emerge from the chase pack, but a number of top names got off to a solid if unspectacular start, as the group at -2 includes Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Graham DeLaet, Lee Westwood and Rickie Fowler.

Quote of the day: “I feel terrific. In a matter of five days or so, it has healed up.” – Phil Mickelson, who opened with a bogey-free 68 after withdrawing from the Valero Texas Open last week because of a strained oblique muscle.

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McIlroy: Golf ready for a 'dominant player' to step up

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HUMBLE, Texas – The game’s No. 1-ranked player is sidelined with injury.

Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy are winless.

Each of the four winners on the Florida swing was ranked outside the top 40 in the world.

“Golf in general is very wide open at the moment,” McIlroy said Wednesday at the Shell Houston Open.

But with Tiger Woods out indefinitely after back surgery, the PGA Tour could use a boost of star power. Many consider McIlroy, with two majors at age 24, to be the heir apparent, and he said Wednesday that a few players – himself included – need to assume the throne in Woods’ absence.   

“It’s almost like golf is waiting for someone to stamp their authority on the game and be that dominant player,” he said. “ … I think a few guys need to put their hand up and try and be the dominant players in this game because that’s what people like to see. It’s great for the sport to have people who are up there week-in, week-out that win tournaments, and then that creates rivalries, and that’s something we haven’t really had in golf for a couple of years.”

Shell Houston Open: Articles, videos and photos

“It would be nice to see someone sort of break away,” he continued, before adding with a smile: “I hope it’s me.”

Next week’s Masters will be the first without Woods since 1994. McIlroy said his absence will “definitely affect the sport.”

“Golf is always better when Tiger Woods is in the conversation,” McIlroy said. 

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Featured groups: Shell Houston Open

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New Masters favorite Rory McIlroy will begin his final tune-up for Augusta alongside Dustin Johnson and Luke Donald at the Shell Houston Open. 

The threesome will go off at 1:40 p.m. ET Thursday at the Golf Club of Houston.

McIlroy hasn’t fared particularly well here in the past, finishing no better than 19th in three previous appearances. The world No. 7 is making his first start since a T-25 at Doral.

Other intriguing groups to watch this week: 

8:40 a.m. ET off 10: Padraig Harrington, Ryo Ishikawa, Nicolas Colsaerts. All three players need to win to gain entry into the year’s first major.

8:50 a.m. off 10: Webb Simpson, Phil Mickelson, Keegan Bradley. Mickelson is still questionable to play after withdrawing from last week’s tournament because of a pulled oblique muscle.

9 a.m. off 10: Jimmy Walker, Henrik Stenson, Matt Kuchar. Stenson, the world No. 3, finished second here a year ago to kick-start the best season of his career. 

1:50 p.m. off 1: Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia, Steve Stricker. Stricker, 47, is making just his third start of the season, following a first-round exit at the Match Play and a 57th-place finish at Doral. 

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Without Woods, McIlroy new Masters betting favorite

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With Tiger Woods missing the Masters next week following successful back surgery, oddsmakers have tabbed Rory McIlroy as the favorite to take home the green jacket.

Entering this week, many shops had Woods, McIlroy and Adam Scott as nearly equal co-favorites. With Woods now out of the field for the first time since 1994, McIlroy’s odds were trimmed from 10/1 to 8/1 at the LVH Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Scott, meanwhile, remained at 10/1 and is now joined at those odds by Jason Day, who hasn’t teed it up since winning the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in February.

Skybet, which operates out of the U.K., now lists McIlroy as a 7/1 favorite, followed by Scott at 9/1 and Phil Mickelson at 14/1. Here’s a look at the revised odds for some of the Masters favorites following Woods’ withdrawal:

Player
LVH odds
Skybet odds
Rory McIlroy
8/1
7/1
Adam Scott
10/1
9/1
Phil Mickelson
15/1
14/1
Jason Day
10/1
16/1
Dustin Johnson
15/1
18/1
Henrik Stenson
20/1
22/1
Bubba Watson
20/1
22/1
Matt Kuchar
20/1
25/1
Justin Rose
25/1
25/1
Zach Johnson
25/1
33/1

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