By Bill Cooney, PGATOUR.COM Rory McIlroy is gaining confidence. It's identifiable in the inflection of his voice. It's visable by the way he's attacking the flag again. McIlroy birdied three of his final four holes for a 5-under 65 on Friday to take the outright lead at 7 under at the midway point of the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn. McIlroy hit his share of huge drives and towering iron shots, looking more like the player who won the U.S. Open last year at Congressional than the one who had missed three straight cuts. "You know, it was a really, really good round of golf out there today," said McIlroy, who also eagled the par-5 third hole after hitting his second shot to 9 feet. "I saw a lot of positive signs with my ball-striking. Hit a lot of good iron shots and drivers. So that was something that I was really working on the last couple of weeks and feels like it's coming together for me. So excited to be in this position going into the week." McIlroy held a one-shot lead over J.B. Holmes (64), first-round co-leader Jeff Maggert (68) and Kevin Stadler (65). John Merrick (69), who shared the 18-hole lead with Maggert, Chad Campbell (67) and Kevin Kisner (66) were only two shots back. Holmes carded an outward 6-under 29 and is looking for his first PGA TOUR win since 2008. He seems to be returning to form -- he had a T13 last week at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance -- after undergoing brain surgery in September. "I just kind of hit everything -- I wasn't knocking pins down, but I hit them in there pretty close," Holmes said. "Made a couple 6-footers, but I putted well. I was hitting it 15, 20 feet and making some putts." McIlroy, meanwhile, still had room for improvement. He bogeyed Nos. 12 and 13 and did miss some short putts. He missed from 3 feet for par on 13 and also missed a 3 1/2-footer for eagle on 16 after his second shot settled just past the hole. "Could have been even better," McIlroy said. "Could have made eagle on 16, but, you know, to finish strong the way I did was great and it gives me momentum going into tomorrow." McIlroy, ranked eighth in FedExCup points, tallied four top-3 finishes in his first five events on the PGA TOUR this season -- which included a victory at The Honda Classic. He then missed cuts at THE PLAYERS, BMW PGA Championship and the Memorial. But it appears those struggles are behind him -- at least this week. "It's nice to see my name on that part of the leaderboard," McIlroy said. "It's not nice when you're struggling to make the cut on a Friday afternoon. It was great. It's nice to be through to the weekend, obviously. It's obviously even nicer to be leading and have a great chance."

By Bill Cooney, PGATOUR.COM Once J.B. Holmes made the decision to have brain surgery in September, he never looked back. There was little worrying. Hardly any thought that he'd never compete again on the PGA TOUR. "I never really let it go more than just a second thinking I might never come back," Holmes said Friday, after firing a 6-under 64 in the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Classic. "I always say well, I'll be back in January and I'll be a hundred percent and I won't have these symptoms. That's really the only way I looked at it." His performance this week is proof that Holmes is feeling fine. The two-time PGA TOUR winner carded a 6-under 29 on the front nine and would finish in the lead at 6 under after the morning wave completed play. At the end of the day, Holmes was one shot behind leader Rory McIlroy. Holmes, 30, had surgery in September at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in which doctors removed a small portion of his skull in order to relieve pressure that was causing vertigo-like symptoms. About a month later, he was airlifted back to the hospital due to an allergic reaction from the glue used on the titanium plate that was initially inserted into his skull. "I knew being dizzy, having headaches and everything that I couldn't keep my card, I couldn't play out here anymore, so I had to get something done," Holmes said. "So it was almost a relief to find out that the surgery was something that could help the symptoms and everything. ... "At the end of the day, when you get down, you really sit back and realize it's not that important and you can always -- there's a tournament every week.  You can play somewhere almost every week." Holmes has been playing quite well just about every week this season. In 13 events, he's tallied two top 10s and four top 25s. He's also coming off a T13 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance. And he looks to be rounding into form for the stretch run of the season. Holmes, who hit 14 greens in regulation on Friday, would like nothing more than to finish the weekend with his first victory since 2008.  "Played really well today, hit my irons great and made a few putts on the front side and it was a good round for me," he said.

The pairings have been unveiled for this week’s PGA TOUR Matchups Game on Facebook. You can check out the Matchups for the FedEx St. Jude Classic below, or on the PGA TOUR’s Facebook page.

Participants have until 6 a.m. ET Thursday to make their picks. Log on to the PGA TOUR Facebook page and click the Matchups link to make your picks for this week, or to sign up.

GO TO FACEBOOK PAGE TO PLAY MATCHUPS GAME

Rory McIlroy vs. Graeme McDowell	These two friends have won the last two U.S. Opens
David Toms vs. Justin Leonard	Both have two wins each in this event
Harrison Frazar vs. Robert Karlsson	Can Karlsson enact revenge from his loss in 2011?
Davis Love III vs. Zach Johnson	Both veterans in good form ahead of TPC Southwind
Dustin Johnson vs. J.B. Holmes	Short hitters do well here. They must dial back.

By John Schwarb, PGATOUR.COM

Of all the corners of the golf world that exhaled with Tiger Woods winning an official PGA TOUR event for the first time in 30 months at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, perhaps the biggest exhale came from Nike headquarters.

Woods, of course, is the frontman for Nike Golf, having worn the swoosh on his clothes since joining the TOUR in 1996. He originally played Titleist golf balls in his early years as a pro, then picked up Nike’s new balls in 2000 and its clubs in 2002. Two years ago he shelved the last non-Nike product in his bag – his longtime trusty Scotty Cameron putter – for a Nike Method.

By winning at Bay Hill, Nike got a boost for its new VR Pro Blades, which feature a more precise forging process and Nike’s proprietary high-frequency grooves. What the company didn’t get as much of a boost for was its 20XI ball.

Though Woods’ hat has a 20XI logo on the side, his bag doesn’t have any of the company’s new resin-core balls. He’s still playing the ONE Tour D.

Whereas most TOUR players are quick to put the newest balls in play, Woods’ model is three years old. It’s the oldest item in his bag.

Nike ball design guru Rock Ishii told me at January’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando that he leans on Tiger every time he sees him to put a 20XI ball in play on TOUR, and that Tiger has had success with the ball in testing. But the ONE Tour D is still his choice.

Tough to argue after watching him win by five shots at the Arnold Palmer.

NEW NOME: Ping introduced the first USGA-approved adjustable-length belly putter shaft this week. Used on its Nome 405 putter, it allows a player to adjust the length within a 9-inch range (from 37.5 inches to 46.5 inches) to create his or her own custom fit.

“With the popularity of belly putters we saw a unique fitting opportunity because shaft length is so critical to performance,” Ping CEO John Solheim said. “Adjustability is key because the standard 42-inch belly putter fits a narrow range of people.”

To adjust the putter, Ping provides a tool that threads into a locking stainless-steel ring on the shaft, and when the ring is loosened, the shaft slides telescopically. Tightening the ring gets the putter ready for play again. (Like other adjustable clubs such as drivers, adjustable putters may not be changed during a round of golf, per USGA rules.) The shaft is available in Ping’s three different bends for a straight, slight arc and strong arc stroke types.

NEXT TO HEX: Callaway staff players Fredrik Jacobson and J.B. Holmes put Callaway’s new Hex Black Tour ball in play at Bay Hill for the first time, switching from the company’s older Tour i(z) model.

Jacobson also picked up fresh wedges for the upcoming Masters, moving away from the stock-soled wedges he prefers into grinds with bounces reduced and moved more toward the center of the sole. With the closely mown surfaces at Augusta National, less bounce is preferred by most players.

IMITATION: Reigning PLAYERS champion K.J. Choi visited Odyssey’s putter rep and asked for a duplicate of the White Hot XG #7H used by Luke Donald in winning the Transitions Championship. According to Callaway, he said there was something about the rails protruding off the back of the putterhead that made it far easier to swing on plane. The only modification Choi made to the putter was to add his usual Super Stroke Fatso grip.

WINNER’S BAG: Tiger Woods at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard:
Driver: Nike VR Tour (8.5 degree, Graphite Design DI 6X shaft)
Fairway wood: Nike VR Pro Limited Edition 3-wood (15 degrees); Nike SQ II 5-wood (19 degrees)
Irons: Nike VR Pro Blades (3-PW)
Wedges: Nike VR Pro (56, 60 degrees)
Putter: Nike Method 001
Ball: Nike ONE Tour D

The pairings have been unveiled for this week’s PGA TOUR Matchups Game on Facebook. You can check out the Matchups for the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard below, or on the PGA TOUR’s Facebook page.

Participants have until 6 a.m. ET Thursday to make their picks. Log on to the PGA TOUR Facebook page and click the Matchups link to make your picks for this week, or to sign up.

GO TO FACEBOOK PAGE TO PLAY MATCHUPS GAME

Phil Mickelson vs. Sergio Garcia	Mickelson won THE PLAYERS in 2007; Garcia won it the next year
Bill Haas vs. Jim Furyk	Furyk won the FedExCup in 2010; Haas won it the next year
J.B. Holmes vs. Jeff Overton	It's the Kentucky Wildcats (Holmes) vs. Indiana Hoosiers
Justin Rose vs. Hunter Mahan	The two most recent winners of a World Golf Championship
Bubba Watson vs. Graeme McDowell	Tavistock participants will do battle twice this week in Orlando

By John Schwarb, PGATOUR.COM

Bubba Watson came up just short in his bid to win the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, but that’s about the only way to get “Bubba Watson” and “short” in the same breath.

Watson is leading the PGA TOUR in driving distance through the first 10 weeks of the season, and there’s not a close second. Watson is averaging 316.1 yards per drive, nearly nine yards ahead of Robert Garrigus (check out the full list here ).

At Doral, Watson and his all-pink G20 were, well, monstrous at TPC Blue Monster, with 37 drives of 300 yards or longer and a field-leading average of 318.4 yards. For the season, more than 62 percent of Watson’s drives have sailed more than 300 yards.

Should the Florida panhandle native hold on to his top spot, it would be the first time he’s led the stat since a three-year run as the TOUR’s longest driver from 2006-08. He was second in 2009 and 2010 to Robert Garrigus, and second to J.B. Holmes last season.

BELLYING UP: Thomas Bjorn used a belly putter for the first time in his career at WGC-Cadillac, an Odyssey White Hot XG No. 1 Protype Blade. He opened with two 68s before a 75-71 weekend left him in a tie for 24th.

Darren Clarke also had a belly in competition for the first time, a TaylorMade Ghost Spider.

TWEAKS: Phil Mickelson had new shafts, Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana a’hina 70x, in his Callaway Razr Fit driver and Big Bertha Diablo 3-wood. … Noted hybrid fan Y.E. Yang had a TaylorMade RBZ 3-wood in the bag at Doral, a 13-degree model to try to stay under the strong winds. … After switching to TaylorMade’s Tour Preferred MC irons in the offseason, Dustin Johnson returned to Tour Preferred MB irons – his 2011 sticks – at WGC-Cadillac.

HOOP IT UP: Think you’ve got the NCAA Tournament figured out? Golfweek has a contest awarding golf gear like a Rickie Fowler-signed hat to the best bracket. Check it out here .

WINNERS’ BAGS: Justin Rose at the WGC-Cadillac Championship:
Driver: TaylorMade R11, 8 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade RBZ, 15 degrees
Hybrid: TaylorMade Rescue 11, 19 degrees 
Irons: TaylorMade MB 4-PW 
Wedges: TaylorMade ATV, 52, 56 degrees; Cleveland 588, 60 degrees 
Putter: TaylorMade Ghost Tour Corza
Ball: TaylorMade Penta TP5

George McNeill at the Puerto Rico Open:
Driver: Cleveland Launcher Ultralite TL 310, 9.5 degrees
Fairway woods: Titleist 906F2 3-wood, 15 degrees; 5-wood, 18 degrees
Irons: Cleveland 588 Forged MB, 3-PW 
Wedges: Cleveland 588 Forged, 54, 60 degrees 
Putter: Nike Method 001
Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. -- J.B. Holmes knew he was playing better than his scores indicated.

Particularly that disappointing 80 he shot last Saturday in the third round at Spyglass Hill last week on the way to a missed cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

"It was just kind of one of those weeks where a couple bad things happened and I didn't putt as well," Holmes said simply. "All of a sudden I put up a pretty big number out there."

Not so on a blustery Thursday during the first round of the Northern Trust Open, though.

Holmes' score finally reflected the way he felt he'd been hitting the ball when he fired a 68 that left him one shot off the lead held by Phil Mickelson. The big-hitter from Kentucky. who set the tone for the day when he birdied his first three holes, was tied with Hunter Mahan.

“I really felt pretty good this week practicing and coming up to this golf course,” Holmes said. “I really enjoy playing here.  I like the layout of this golf course. I felt like I could shoot a pretty good score today.”

Holmes, who started on the back nine, made the turn in 32 and then hung tough during an adventurous homeward stretch. He birdied the first hole, parred Nos. 3 and 4 and then went bogey-bogey-birdie-birdie-double bogey-birdie over his final six holes played in the day's most gentle breezes.

"It was blowing really hard all day," Holmes said. "You really had to be real precise with your lines, especially striking your irons going in. You had to make sure you flushed it because the wind would definitely move it around quite a bit. I started off great, and then it died down a little bit at the end, and actually when it got a little bit easier I made a few mistakes. My record was a little bit better when the wind was blowing real hard.

"Overall it was a really good day for me. It was really difficult. We got about four holes where the wind wasn't blowing. It was whipping most of the day on us.

Holmes is playing in just his fourth tournament since undergoing brain surgery last September to repair a Chiari malformation at the base of his skull. He’s not quite 100 percent but h says he's seen improvement every week.

Holmes has a good track record at Riviera, too -- sharing the first round lead a year ago on the way to a tie for 12th and finishing seventh or better the three previous years.

"It's nice to get back out here and start hitting some shots like I used to, so it's nice to put a good competitive round in on tough conditions," Holmes said. "It's just nice to be back out here, and it's always encouraging when you can play good starting off on the first round.

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. --  J.B. Holmes has had a roller-coaster ride on his second nine at Riviera on Thursday.

He was cruising along at 5 under before he made consecutive bogeys at Nos. 4 and 5. Holmes bounced back well, though, tapping in from 19 inches at the sixth hole and making another birdie from 17 feet at the next to get back into a tie with Phil Mickelson.

Holmes gave both those shots back, though, when he made double bogey at No. 8. He found the left rough off the tee and was short of the green in two, then chipped on a three-putted from 58 feet.

So Mickelson, who made three birdies in his first four holes after he made the turn, is now alone in first at 4 under. He has just bogeyed the par-3 16th, putting his tee shot just over the green and eventually missing a 7-footer to save par.

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. -- Birdies on four of his first five holes Thursday afternoon have spirited J.B. Holmes to the top of the leaderboard at the Northern Trust Open.

To see Holmes playing well at Riviera should come as no surprise, though. After all, he was one of a PGA TOUR-record nine players tied for the first-round lead here a year ago on the way to a tie for 12th.

Not to mention, the big-hitting man from Kentucky finished seventh or higher at the Northern Trust Open in each of the three previous years.

That said, though, Holmes is on the comeback trail after having surgery to repair a Chiari malformation in his brain. This is his fourth start and the results have been mixed with a pair of missed cuts and a tie for 45th in Phoenix two weeks ago.

Holmes got off to a positive start, though, when he hit his drive on the 315-yard, par-4 10th to the left of the green and chipped to 5 feet for his first birdie. He made a 6-footer at the par-5 11th and added 12-footers at Nos. 12 and 14.

He’s one stroke ahead of Jonathan Byrd, who is the clubhouse leader with a 68, and Stewart Cink, who is 3 under through his first four holes.