pga tour

Tiger Woods ran off five birdies in a six-hole stretch at Pebble Beach to charge up the leaderboard. It was only enough to make up a little ground on Charlie Wi, who looked steady while going for his first PGA Tour win.

With the British Open approaching, the golf season has hit the turn. Gary Van Sickle reviews the year's first half, from the best major to the biggest letdown to the most valuable golfer.

The crowd of contenders for the PGA Tour's richest title did little to separate themselves Saturday.

Tiger Woods has been saying since he first showed up on the PGA Tour that he plays only to win. Lately, he has been making just as many headlines when he loses.

In the 268 official tournaments that Woods has played around the world as a pro, he has never gone three consecutive events without winning when he held at least a share of the 36-hole lead.

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem says its highly unlikely that golf will make it through the end of next year without losing corporate sponsors and possibly some tournaments.

Finchem said Wednesday that marketing budgets remain small even as the economy is showing signs of a recovery.

The tour has about a dozen sponsors that have contracts through 2010, and negotiations are ongoing.

Tiger Woods has entered The Barclays next week, an indication that the world's No. 1 player plans to compete in all four FedEx Cup playoff events for the first time.

Woods is assured of being the No. 1 seed when the PGA Tour playoffs begin Thursday. A new points system means players can lose more ground if they take a week off.

Tiger Woods has said he was not fined by the PGA Tour for his critical remarks about a rules official putting the last group on the clock at Firestone.

A PGA Tour official told The Associated Press on Monday that the world's No. 1 player would be fined for his comment.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because the tour does not publicize fines.

Phil Mickelson plans a brief return to the PGA Tour in time for the U.S. Open. He has not played since announcing that his wife, Amy, has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Recent tests have given them hope the cancer has been caught early, with more testing over the next month. Mickelson intends to play the St.

John Daly's suspension on the PGA Tour is over, and the two-time major champion plans to return in three weeks for the St.

Jude Championship and U.S. Open qualifying. Daly was suspended for six months in November after a series of off-course incidents that brought negative publicity, the most recent a photo of him in an orange jail suit with his eyes half-closed after being locked up overnight in...