For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com. On Twitter: @benalberstadt

Good Friday morning, golf fans, as day two of the Hero gets underway at Albany with a four-way tie at the top.

1. Hovland part of historic tie for lead at Hero

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…“Hero World Challenge defending champion Viktor Hovland picked up where he left off, shooting 3-under 69 on Thursday at Albany Golf Club to share the opening-round lead with a trio of players. The four-way tie for the lead is the most after any round in tournament history.”

• On a warm, windswept day, Hovland continued his magic at the drivable par-4 14th, registering his fourth eagle of the hole in five attempts – and noted the one time he didn’t make eagle was a bogey.

• “That green obviously is not the biggest green, but with how soft it is, if you land it on the green, you can keep it on the green whereas if it was really firm, you kind of have to land it up in the slope and stuff,” said Hovland, who nearly aced the hole.

2. Garcia defends Norman

Golfweek’s Riley Hamel…“Add Sergio Garcia as another player coming to Norman’s rescue. During an interview with the Spanish outlet Marca, Garcia had this to say: “They (Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy) say that Greg Norman has to go; and Monahan has to stay or go? It’s very easy to say those on the other side have to go. And those on your side? There are also people who have done things wrong.”

• “You have to look at everything. Greg Norman is our CEO and we support him. We all wish we could come to an agreement. There are people who could have done wrong in both places, but it seems that there are only bad guys on one side.”

3. Golfer has nose bitten off in altercation

Again, Golfweek’s Riley Hamel…“Have you ever been upset with your playing partner over not giving you a short putt? Probably. …Have you ever bitten someone’s nose off for it? Probably not…If you have, get help.”

• “Mark Wells, 51, of Biloxi, Mississippi, got into an altercation with his playing mate after a round of golf and went on to bite the other man’s nose off in a casino parking lot later in the day.

• Wells was charged with felony mayhem but walked out of jail within an hour of booking after paying 10 percent of his $50,000 bond, WXXV-TV reported.”

• “According to WXXV-TV, the nose was not found at the scene. The victim was taken to the hospital.”

4. No winter thaw in LIV, Tour tensions?

Gary Smits for Florida Times-Union…”The setting of the RSM Classic, the PGA Tour’s final fall event, has a serenity that can almost dissolve all cares.”

• But a peaceful setting didn’t necessarily lend itself to thoughts of a peaceful resolution to the PGA Tour vs. LIV war.

• “I’m not optimistic,” said PGA Tour Policy Board member Charley Hoffman when asked if the upcoming break in golf could give both sides a chance to breathe deep and reflect on any possibility for conciliation. “I don’t see how you partner with them at this point in time. They don’t have a sustainable product.”

• Kevin Kisner, who will end his current term on the Policy Board at the end of the year, was even more blunt.
• “No … I don’t think that’s the future,” he said.

5. Here’s how much the TikTok star who hit a golf ball into Grand Canyon will pay

KiMi Robinson for the Arizona Republic…“Sigmond received three federal violation notices – which are tickets issued by law enforcement departments for U.S. agencies such as the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service – and was charged with three Class B misdemeanors as detailed under Title 36 in the Code of Federal Regulations.”

• “The three charges were for tossing items into the Grand Canyon, littering and creating hazardous conditions with disorderly conduct. She was only cited for disorderly conduct and tossing or throwing items into the canyon, which carry a maximum fine of $5,000 and six months in prison, according to a copy of the written record of the collateral forfeiture agreement that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona provided to The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network. Baird said prior to Sigmond’s court date for cases for these, jail time is unlikely. “

• “Sigmond was ordered to pay a $285 fine, which includes $60 in processing fees. A spokesman for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts confirmed to The Republic that the Central Violations Bureau received two payments of $155 and $130 from Katie Sigmond on Nov. 15.”

6. Tom Kim on meeting Tiger

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”But all of that might pale in comparison to his brush this week with Hero World Challenge host Tiger Woods.”

• “Kim, whose youthful exuberance is infectious, was quick to point out following an opening 69 at Albany that left him tied for the lead with Sepp Straka and Collin Morikawa that, “officially,” he’d met Woods before.”

• “The first time I actually met him was at the 2020 PGA Championship. I got in the field at Harding Park and I took a picture with him. Obviously the COVID year, so there was no fans to witness it, but it was the first I got to kind of meet him and take a picture but never really got to talk to him,” Kim admitted.

• “But even a selfie with the 15-time major champion as evidence, that interaction at Harding Park was very much impromptu compared to this week’s introduction.”

7. Ready for the grind

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…”One hundred players will tee it up this week at LPGA Q-Series, an eight-round grind that begins on Dec. 1 and ends Dec. 11. The first week will be contested at the RTJ Trail at Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Alabama, at the Crossings and Falls courses.”

• “The field will be cut to top 70 and ties after the first week of competition. The second week of competition will take place at Highland Oaks Golf Course in Dothan, Alabama.”

• “A total of 45 players will receive LPGA status in 2023. This is the first year that players were required to turn professional before entering Q-Series. A total of six players turned pro for this week: Nataliya Guseva, Minji Kang, Ashley Lau, Heather Lin, Valery Plata and Natthakritta Vongtaveelap.”

8. Why Corey Conners switched drivers for the first time in five years

Our Andrew Tursky writing for PGATour.com…”The Ping G400 LST driver – which was first released to the public in July 2017 – was also in the bag for his 2019 Valero Texas Open victory.”

• “Conners told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday that he’s been through roughly 10 different G400 LST driver heads throughout his five years playing the model, but he finally found something better. Although he said that his former G400 LST gamer is “maybe even a touch faster” than the new Ping G430 LST driver, he found that the new G430 technology significantly increased consistency on off-center strikes.”

• “Conners already was known as a straight driver. He ranked 20th in Driving Accuracy last season, but he could further increase that advantage thanks to the new driver.”

• “At this year’s Presidents Cup, Conners revealed his secrets to success off the tee.”

• “I think just having good rhythm has always been sort of a hallmark of my game and something that I focus on every week. … That allows me to hit the ball solidly, and usually it results in it going where I am looking,” he said. “I … just take some practice swings, try and feel the body moving in sync, (take) a few practice swings … with my right foot kind of behind me a little bit, feeling the body moving, club staying in front of the body, and that helps with my rhythm, as well.”

9. Hero World Challenge photos

• Check out our photos from Albany.