BARWON HEADS, Australia (AP) Scotland-based American Beth Allen shot a 6-under 67 Thursday to take the first-round lead at the Vic Open, the opening event on the Ladies European Tour season.

Cheyenne Woods, niece of Tiger Woods, was a stroke behind Allen. Camilla Lennarth of Sweden shot 69 and was in third place while veteran Laura Davies shot 71.

New Zealander James Anstiss and Australian David Bransdon led a PGA of Australia Tour men’s event being held concurrently with the women’s tournament. They shot 64 and led by one stroke.

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Woods, who won the 2014 Australian Ladies Masters, was unable to fit in a practice round on either of the Beach or Creek layouts in use for the tournament after her clubs missed a connection in Los Angeles.

They did not arrive at the clubhouse until late Wednesday afternoon.

”I just took a nap and I relaxed yesterday and it was great,” said Woods. ”After such a long travel day (it) forced me to rest.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm will get the party started early Thursday in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

The former Arizona State stars will begin play with Xander Schauffele on the 10th tee at TPC Scottsdale just before 8 a.m. They will hit the rowdy par-3 16th hours before the alcohol-fueled revelry kicks into high gear at the stadium hole. No matter the time, they’ll hear plenty of ”Forks up!” and ”Go Devils!” cries from the gallery.

”Every time I go by, every hole, every single shot, I get cheers from someone from ASU,” Rahm said. ”When you miss a shot, you remember how many people you have pulling for you. And when you’re playing good, it makes it that much more fun. It just escalates everything to a whole level of joy.”

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Two-time defending champion Hideki Matsuyama will be in the group directly ahead with Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson, the players the Japanese star outlasted in playoffs the last two years.

”It’s going..

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm will get the party started early Thursday in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

The former Arizona State stars will begin play with Xander Schauffele on the 10th tee at TPC Scottsdale just before 8 a.m. They will hit the rowdy par-3 16th hours before the alcohol-fueled revelry kicks into high gear at the stadium hole. No matter the time, they’ll hear plenty of ”Forks up!” and ”Go Devils!” cries from the gallery.

”Every time I go by, every hole, every single shot, I get cheers from someone from ASU,” Rahm said. ”When you miss a shot, you remember how many people you have pulling for you. And when you’re playing good, it makes it that much more fun. It just escalates everything to a whole level of joy.”

Article continues below …

Two-time defending champion Hideki Matsuyama will be in the group directly ahead with Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson, the players the Japanese star outlasted in playoffs the last two years.

”It’s going..

The Maxim Super Bowl Party has been a celebrity destination since its debut in 2001. And like the magazine, it's loud, flashy, and unabashedly booze- and babe-centric. The game is a sideshow, a pretext for good ol' fashioned American indulgence.
But over the last six months, what's become known as the #metoo movement has foregrounded an old but all-too-often dismissed issue. We can't not address it, and this brings me to my question: Has the #metoo movement made it impossible for us to look at the Maxim Super Bowl Party (and other similar bashes) the same way?
First, to give you an idea of the party, imagine the Golden Globes crossed with a Ja Rule video. The offspring of Pit Bull and Bacardi. Dennis Rodman on DMZ. A Stefon skit. Or, probably most accurately, an issue of Maxim come to life.
Its storied history traces to 2001, when it first competed with the Playboy party for most extravagant Super Bowl event. This year you'll pay $750 for the privilege. The par..

This is the time of year when people scrap together whatever cash they have left over from Christmas to buy new TVs ahead of the Super Bowl. But it sounds like the best place to watch the big game this year might be on the Colorado Rockies' giant, new scoreboard. Behold this modern marvel:
https://twitter.com/Rockies/status/958807490509942784
OK, so watching outdoors at Coors field in February might not be the best idea (and that's actually just a rendering), but what a screen. The size (8,369 square feet) is impressive enough, but how about the design? That's state-of-the-art art right there.
According to 9News.com, the Rockies are paying for the Daktronics creation to celebrate the team's 25th anniversary season, but didn't disclose how much it costs. Considering it's the size of 784 60-inch TVs, we're betting the Rockies spent more than your entire state did at Best Buy this month.
RELATED: You won't believe what the most popular Super Bowl pr..

Golf Digest Podcast: Would Tony Finau welcome another PGA Tour event being a huge party like the Waste Management Open?

Enter the 2018 Lido Design Competition, the annual golf design contest co-sponsored by Golf Digest and the Alister MacKenzie Society, and you could win $3,000 cash. The 2018 winner will also receive an invitation to attend the MacKenzie Society annual meeting this August at Alwoodley Golf Club, plus another $2,000 cash to help defray travel costs for the journey to Great Britain.

J.B. Holmes' humble upbringing makes him different than many tour pros. But like many successful golfers, sometimes selfishness wins out over self-awareness

Rory McIlroy might be a four-time major champion, the eighth-ranked golfer in the world, and a guy in the process of upgrading out of a $13-million villa, but he is like you and me in at least one way: Starbucks baristas can't spell his name right, either.
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We feel you, Rory.
RELATED: Watch Rory McIlroy launch a 300-yard drive—wearing a space suit
On Wednesday afternoon, McIlroy—fresh off a second-place finish at the Dubai Desert Classic—took to Instagram with proof that he is, in fact, still a mortal, taking his own 'Bucks-cup indignity' on the chin for the entire internet to see.
How this barista looked at a yoked Irishman in a Nike polo and thought “definitely Rory with an i”—and how she didn't then dot that i with a heart, is beyond us—but hey, look on the brightside, Rory:
At least she didn't have to spell your last name. Hell, golf writers do that for a living, and a large handful of us still haven't gotten that down pat.

The Waste Management Phoenix Open already has the biggest crowd in golf. Another 50,000 fans could be in attendance this week