On Tuesday, Tiger Woods said "there was a lot of trepidation and times where I thought ... was it realistic?" about returning to competitive golf.
The Americans put red on the board at the Presidents Cup early Thursday, and it stayed there as they dominated the opening session to build a 4-1 lead.
Tiger Woods made it to the weekend with ease, and while he is 12 shots behind Jordan Spieth, Woods' 3-under 69 on Friday during the second round at Augusta National was a positive step forward.
One possibility to earn a bid to the Masters remains: winning the Shell Houston Open. Two other opportunities passed on Sunday at the Valero Texas Open, where Jimmy Walker -- who was already in the Masters field -- won his fifth PGA Tour event.
Phil Mickelson's candid and blunt assessment of U.S. Ryder Cup fortunes was in response to, among other things, captain Tom Watson's approach to what was supposed to be a Saturday night team-bonding session that turned ugly, sources told ESPN.com.
For the first time in 10 appearances, Phil Mickelson spent an entire day at the Ryder Cup without hitting a single shot.
