Scott Brown in front at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Scott Brown shot a 4-under 68 at Spyglass Hill on Friday and leads the Pebble Beach Invitational by one stroke over Jason Kokrak after two rounds.

Brown had two bogeys and six birdies, all within 10 feet. He is at 10-under 134 for the tournament.

"It was nothing too crazy," said Brown, who earned first PGA Tour win last season at the Puerto Rico Open. "I hit a few shots and made a few putts. It was just a good vibe day."

Kokrak, who opened with a 67 at Pebble Beach, had a 68 at Del Monte. Kokrak also had six birdies and two bogeys.

Morgan Hoffmann, who opened with a bogey-free 65 at Spyglass for a one-shot lead over four players, shot a 71 at Pebble Beach. Hoffmann had four bogeys and five birdies and is third at 136.

Starting on the back nine at Spyglass, Brown opened with two birdies and followed with two bogeys. He then had four birdies and no bogeys the rest of the round.

"I am really not doing anything differently," said Brown, now early in his third PGA Tour season. "I just feel a lot more comfortable out there then I did a few years ago. Not doing anything too crazy is good."

Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, who has played in the event several times since her LPGA retirement in 2008, had a 71 at Del Monte en route to a 141 total.

Defending champion Tommy Gainey, Chesson Hadley, Ted Potter, Jr. and Brown trailed by one after 18 holes. But Gainey stumbled to a 13-stroke swing with a 78 at Spyglass Hill.

Gainey is grouped among seven players at par 144. Hadley carded a 73 at Spyglass and is grouped with seven players at 139. Potter, Jr., shot 71 and is tied with four other players at 137.

John Cook, who had a 70 at Del Monte, and Kirk Triplett are among five players at 139 and the low scorers among nine Champions Tour players.

The 42nd event includes 80 professionals from the PGA, LPGA, Champions and Web.com Tours competing for the same prize money. The winner earns $60,000 of the $300,000 purse.

Caddie Williams to reduce schedule

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Adam Scott's caddie Steve Williams plans to cut down on his schedule after next year, slowly putting to an end a 35-year career carrying the golf bags of Raymond Floyd, Greg Norman and most successfully, Tiger Woods.

Williams, who turns 50 in late December, said Saturday at Royal Melbourne -- where Scott is playing in the World Cup -- that 2014 will be his last full season with this year's Masters winner.

Beginning in 2015, he'll work six or seven months of the year, basically from the Florida swing in March on the PGA Tour through to the Tour Championship in September. That will enable him to concentrate on his other love of car racing in his native New Zealand.

Williams caddied for Woods for 12 years, winning 13 majors with the man who fired him in 2011.

"It's one of the greatest jobs if you like golf, but it's not something I feel I want to do my whole life," Williams told The Associated Press in an interview.

"I certainly enjoy working with Adam, and I hope we can have more success together. If I enjoy doing the half-season, I will do it for five more years. If I don't enjoy it, I will have to think about it."

Instead, he'll devote more time to car racing -- super saloon and saloon cars in New Zealand, referred to as late model in North America.

"I've always been passionate about my racing, and to be fair, I've probably only got four or five years left at the top level," Williams said.

"I had one season when Tiger was out for whatever reason he wasn't playing, and that was one of my most successful seasons."

Williams is still fit as he approaches 50 and works out every day.

"I travel a lot because I go back to New Zealand on my weeks off," he said. "I race speedway, so you've got to be fit and sharp to be driving against guys who are mostly younger than me."

Williams may be golf's best-known caddie, mostly for his partnership with Woods. But it ended badly, and along the way Williams picked up a fair amount of notoriety.

At an awards night for caddies in Shanghai in November 2011, Williams received an award for best TV interview -- when Williams said after his new employer Scott won at the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone that it was "the best win of my life."

When he received the mock award, Williams made a racial comment directed at Woods, a slur he apologized for when he saw Woods the following week at the Australian Open.

Woods and Williams remain distant, something Williams would like to try to change.

"I think Tiger and I need to sit down and have a conversation," Williams said Saturday. "That opportunity hasn't arisen yet, but that's something I'd like to do."

Williams, who played as a young teenager off a 2 handicap and caddied for five-time British Open winner Peter Thomson as a 13-year-old at the New Zealand Open, says he's pleased with his success over more than three decades in golf.

"I'm very proud that I've worked at length with several players, and the success I've had with every player I've caddied for," Williams said.

2013 World Cup of Golf: day three updates

Australia’s Jason Day has taken the outright lead late in the third round of golf’s World Cup at Royal Melbourne.

Day, who started the round on four under par, has picked up four shots in 15 holes on Saturday to climb to eight under.

Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn, who led the tournament on eight under at the start of the day, has fallen to seven under and second spot with three holes left in his round.

Day hit the front with birdies on the par 4 13th and par 5 15th holes. Earlier, Adam Scott shot a three-under par round of 68 to move to two under overall, six shots behind his fellow Australian.

2.10pm: Team Australia is making their move at the World Cup at Royal Melbourne. Rock-solid rounds starts on day three from Jason Day and Adam Scott have catapulted the hosts to within just two shots of the overnight

leader in the traditional team's event, United States duo Matt Kuchar and Kevin Streelman.

While he might have left his run too late in the race for the individual crown, Scott's effort in going three under through 15 holes on Saturday has helped push Australia's combined score to seven under, two behind the Americans at nine under.

Day has also kept him his end of the bargain, notching two birdies - and a bogey - to be one under through his first seven holes.

The United States went the third round seven shots ahead of the Australia in the $1 million team's event, but an early-round meltdown from Streelman has cost them.

Streelman, also runner-up in the individual event overnight at seven under, has had two bogeys and a double bogey to slip back to be three over for the day and four under overall.

Kuchar, though, has managed to hold his round together, sliding in two birdies in his first eight holes to be two under on the day and five under overall.

Overnight leader Thomas Bjorn from Denmark still leads the $7 million individual event at nine under (one under through six holes on day three) ahead of five players on five under, including Day, Kuchar and the bolter of the third round, Italian star Francesco Molinari (-5 through 13 holes).

1.40pm: Australia's Adam Scott is still nine shots off the lead during the third round of the golf World Cup at Royal Melbourne. Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, who is about to start his round, is in the lead on eight under par, with American Kevin Streelman on seven under and Australian Jason Day equal third on four under.

Scott is still one over par, having had a birdie and a bogey in his first eight holes today.

11.50am: Australia's Adam Scott is failing to make any ground early in his third round of golf's World Cup at Royal Melbourne.

Scott started the day on one over par, nine shots behind Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, and he's still nine shots behind the leader after parring the first three holes.

Australia's other entrant Jason Day, who is on four under par, will tee off just before 1pm (AEDT) in the second-last group.

Day claims World Cup of Golf lead

Melbourne, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) - Jason Day birdied three of his last six holes on Saturday to close out a 5-under 66 and claim a 1-stroke lead at the World Cup of Golf.

Day, who is seeking his first win since the 2010 Byron Nelson Championship, finished three rounds at Royal Melbourne Golf Club at 9-under-par 204.

"The green speed wasn't as fast as yesterday, especially through 16, 17 and 18," Day said in a televised interview. "I liked how the course was set up. I think the guys did a good job doing that and very excited how I played today."

Second-round leader Thomas Bjorn managed just an even-par 71 during his third round to sit in second place at 8-under 205.

Matt Kuchar (68) is in third at 6-under, while Francesco Molinari (66) owns fourth at minus-5 and Kevin Streelman (74) is fifth at 4-under.

Graeme McDowell (67) and Hideto Tanihara (71) share sixth place at 3-under 210.

Day's move to the top of the leaderboard caused Australia to jump ahead of the United States for the lead in the team portion of the competition with a combined score of 11-under-par 415. TheAmerican team of Streelman and Kuchar sit a shot back at 10-under.

Bjorn entered the day with a 1-stroke lead over Streelman and quickly added to his advantage with a birdie at the first, moving him to 9-under.

Stuart Manley then joined Streelman in second as he opened his round with back-to-back birdies at the first and second before recording a hole-in-one at the third.

Manley, however, followed that fast start with an 11 at the par-4 fourth to fall all the way to even-par and hand Day, who birdied the first and second to reach minus-6, second place. Streelman had bogeyed the second and fourth around a double-bogey 5 at the third to lose his share of second.

Day would bogey the fifth to drop to minus-5 and into a tie with Molinari, Kuchar, Tanihara and Ricardo Santos, handing Bjorn a 4-stroke lead.

Bjorn then dropped a shot at the seventh to cut his advantage to three before Day pulled ahead of the pack with a birdie at the ninth to claim sole possession of second place.

Day later moved within a stroke of the lead with a birdie at the 13th, and was handed a share of first place when Bjorn bogeyed the par-3 14th after finding a greenside bunker with his tee shot.

Day briefly pulled ahead with a birdie at the 15th from about 15 feet, but Bjorn answered with a lengthy birdie putt of his own at the 16th to meet the Australian at 8-under.

The tie was shortlived, however, as Day regained the outright lead with a birdie at the 17th. He would 2-putt for par at the last to finish at 9-under.

"I got off to a good start with two birdies, but during the middle of my round it started to get away a little bit," said Day. "I just stayed patient, just let it happen and coming home I holed a lot of good putts."

Bjorn followed with the final group of the day and found trouble when his second shot came up short of the green and landed in a bunker, but he nearly holed his next shot and tapped in for par to remain a shot off the pace.

NOTES: Day is teamed with Adam Scott, who shot 68 on Saturday and sits in a tie for eighth place at 2-under-par 211 ... The tournament consists of 60 players representing 34 different countries based on the Official World Golf Ranking. The top two players from each country are teamed up and their scores are combined to account for their team score ... Kuchar won the team event with Gary Woodland the last time this tournament was contested in 2011 ... The last time the World Cup was won by the host country's team as in 1996 when the South African team of Ernie Els and Wayne Westner when the event was held in Cape Town, South Africa ... A victory in the team competition would be the fifth by Australia.

Day, Scott still well down at World Cup

Australia's Jason Day is proud to have held himself together on a day in which he and Adam Scott played well but made no ground in golf's World Cup.

Day started Friday's second round at Royal Melbourne two shots off the lead, Scott was nine off the pace and as a team, they were six shots behind.

By day's end, Day was four off the lead, Scott still nine adrift and their hopes of winning the Cup for Australia had slipped further, as they fell seven shots behind leaders the United States.

Day is still well in contention for individual honours, equal third after shooting a one-under-par 70 to take him to four-under.

Denmark's Thomas Bjorn leads on eight-under, with American Kevin Streelman a shot back in second.

But Day could have been much closer.

After his only bogey of the day on the par-4 11th, birdie putts lipped out on the 12th and 13th holes.

On the 17th, his approach rolled over the hole and his birdie putt of less than three metres then teetered on the edge, but wouldn't drop.

"This course can make you want to snap your clubs over your knees," Day said.

"It's really hard to control that frustration sometimes.

Strong crowd support and calming words from caddie Col Swatton helped.

"This is a kind of course that will frustrate you and make you make mental errors and you just can't let that happen," Day said.

Scott, who shot a four-over 75 on Thursday, also had his frustrating moments despite carding 68 on Friday to reach one-over.

But while the world No.2 had five birdies, he also lipped out for eagle after a brilliant drive on the 285m par-4 sixth and then lipped out again with his birdie putt from a little over a metre.

He also lost ground with a double-bogey on the par 4 11th, when he reached a greenside bunker in one, but needed two bunker shots and three putts.

Scott hasn't given up on individual or team honours.

"It would be nice if I could play my way up there to the top few individually tomorrow and tee off around Jason (on Sunday) as well," Scott said.

"We both just have to play well over the weekend, but the teams competition is well within our reach.

"(Seven) shots between two people can change very quickly."

Jason Day leads Australia's World Cup golf challenge

 

Already fighting a mental battle to play while grieving, Jason Day has also assumed the added pressure of leading the host nation's challenge at this week's World Cup.

 

On a day on which hot favourite Adam Scott finally had a letdown, his teammate Day emerged as a contender for the individual crown, firing a three-under-par 68 on day one of the event to sit sixth behind joint leaders Kevin Streelman (United States) and Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) at five under.

 

Day is playing at Royal Melbourne despite losing eight relatives in the typhoon that has devastated the Philippines.

Bjorn moves ahead at World Cup of Golf

Melbourne, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) - Thomas Bjorn carded a 3-under 68 on Friday to claim a 1-stroke lead at the halfway point of the World Cup of Golf.

Bjorn, who is a 14-time winner on the European Tour but is seeking his first PGA Tour victory, completed two rounds at Royal Melbourne Golf Club at 8- under-par 134.

"I played really solid today," said Bjorn in a televised interview. "It got very windy and it was a bit tricky, but I love this golf course. It's just the way I love playing golf. It suits my eye and I just played solid for two days. If I can keep doing more of the same, then I'm in good shape."

Kevin Streelman held a share of the first-round lead with Bjorn, but posted a 2-under 69 to sit in second place at 7-under 135.

Jason Day (70) and Ricardo Santos (69) shared third at 4-under, while Matt Kuchar (68), Martin Laird (72), Hideto Tanihara (67) and Stuart Manley (72) are tied for fifth at minus-3.

The tournament consists of 60 players representing 34 different countries based on the Official World Golf Ranking and includes both an individual and team competition. The top two players from each country are teamed up and their scores are combined to account for their team score.

The United States' duo of Streelman and Kuchar currently holds the team lead at 10-under. Denmark sits in second at 7-under thanks to Bjorn's two-day total.

Streelman was the first of the first-round co-leaders to take the course and quickly pulled ahead by opening his round with four straight birdies, including about a 20-foot putt at the third, to move to 9-under.

"It was a heck of a start," Streelman said. "I just kind of put the ball where I needed to and then made some great putts."

A bogey at the eighth dropped him back to minus-8, and he followed that with a double-bogey 6 at the ninth to drop his lead to just a stroke over K.J. Choi, who had birdied the second to move to 5-under.

Laird birdied the second to meet Choi in second before Choi tripped to a double bogey at the fourth to drop three shots off the pace.

Choi was replaced in second by Bjorn, as he bounced back from an opening bogey with a birdie at the second to get back to 5-under.

Bjorn then made it two in a row with another gain at the third to meet Streelman in first at 6-under.

Bjorn later birdied the sixth to move a stroke clear of Streelman and claim the outright lead. Streelman, however, answered with a birdie at the par-5 15th to join Bjorn atop the leaderboard.

Streelman parred his final three holes to head into the clubhouse at 7-under.

"I kind of had two rough holes there in the middle, but I was able to get it back together and then finish with a relatively good round," stated Streelman.

Bjorn, meanwhile, followed his birdie at the sixth with six straight pars before rolling in a birdie at the 13th to claim the outright lead at 8-under.

He briefly pulled further away with a short birdie putt at the 17th, but he closed with a 3-putt bogey at the last to end at 8-under.

NOTES: Bjorn is teamed with Thorbjorn Olesen, who is tied for 21st place at 1- over-par 143 ... Choi posted a 3-over 74 in his second round to fall into a share of ninth place at 1-under 141 ... Kuchar won the team event with Gary Woodland the last time this tournament was contested in 2011.