Charley Hoffman is back to defend the title he won at last year's Deutsche Bank Championship. (AP)

NORTON — Defending Deutsche Bank champion Charley Hoffman is looking to salvage his season in this week’s Deutsche Bank Championship. Hoffman has struggled with his game much of the year, as he only has two top-25 finishes all year — a second-place tie at the Valero Texas Open in April and solo second at last week’s Barclays.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t say it’s over,” he said Thursday. “You can make a season. I would say last year I was hurt for a long time with a wrist injury, so I felt like I was doing all right, but I came into this event feeling good, sort of like I feel now. I feel like I’m feeling some confidence.”

Hoffman fired a nine-under 62 in the final round last year to blow away the rest of the field and win by five shots. He called it the best round of his career.

“I definitely have never had a better round than that, especially under the circumstances I was in.” he said. “I didn’t have anywhere to go besides up. Going into Sunday I was playing good, but I can’t say I saw 62 happening when I was warming up earlier in the week.

The defending champion is excited about returning to Boston and playing a course that he loves.

“Obviously it’s a good feeling coming back to Boston,” Hoffman said. “The last time I left the media center I was pretty happy. So I got here Saturday early and stayed downtown, the came out to the golf course on Tuesday and played nine.

“It was remarkable how good a shape it was with the hurricane that went through here, the tropical storm. I played 18 yesterday, and the course is in as good of shape as it’s ever been, and it’s nice to see the superintendent cleaned everything up after all the wind and rain that came through here.”

• Phil Mickelson played Thursday’s pro-am round with a belly putter and will most likely be playing with it this week. “Probably, yeah, probably,” he said Thursday after completing his round. “I was a little shady with it on the front nine, but a little bit better with it on the back. Look, I’m willing to — I don’t mind trying new things. I’ve hit two drivers and no drivers in Opens, and I don’t mind trying something different. We’ll see.”

Mickelson tees off Friday afternoon at 12:28 and is paired with Gary Woodland and Jonathan Byrd.

• Jason Dufner lost to Keegan Bradley in a playoff at last month’s PGA Championship. Dufner had a five-stroke lead with three holes to play before falling to Bradley in the playoff. Dufner said despite the poor finish it only gave him confidence moving forward.

“Not to much, maybe a little bit more people coming up to me and telling me good playing and stuff like that, but nothing more than that really,” Dufner said. “It has given me more confidence finishing so high in an event like that.”

Dufner is looking forward to this week, as he enjoys the way the course is set up.

“I feel pretty good,” he said. “I’ve had some good success on this golf course. I am looking forward to the week. You get a different variety of holes. You have some long par 5s, short par 5s, drivable par 4s, a good variety of par 3s, so it tests everything about your game.”

• Broadcaster Sean McDonough and ESPN studio host Chris Berman were paired with Padraig Harrington in the pro-am. Berman enjoys the opportunity to play in such tournaments.

“I love it,” Berman said. “First of all, it is a chance personally to be someone that you’re not, it’s one of the couple days in the year that you get to do that. It is so much fun to be out here with the pro golfers, that I am friends with a lot of them. I like that a lot of money goes to charity, here and then the Travelers Championship in Hartford. A lot of money goes back into the community.

“It’s a fun day. It is sort of my last 24 hours before, not that football is so hard, but we put our head down starting tomorrow morning, so this is my last day in the sun, literally.”

• Also playing in the pro-am were Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. They were paired with Ernie Els.

“It’s a great tournament,” Pagliuca said. “It is a great thing for Boston. I think it is one of the best pro-ams that there is. I haven’t played a lot of golf this offseason. I’ve done a lot of practicing, though.”

Pagliuca would not comment on the lockout, but he discussed former Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank, who is now head coach of the Pistons.

“I think Lawrence was a great coach for us and I think he will do a great job in Detroit,” Pagliuca said. “He did a fantastic job with the Celtics. We’re very pleased to have head coaches come through here in Tom Thibodeau and Lawrence Frank. It is a testament to Doc [Rivers] and Danny and the franchise.”

• Tuesday was the Red Sox Legends and Friends pro-am. Carlton Fisk and professional William McGirt won the tournament. Their team combined to shoot an 18-under-par 58. Other participants included former Red Sox players Jim Rice, Dennis Eckersley, Dwight Evans, Fred Lynn, Luis Tiant, Bob Montgomery, Rick Miller, Jim Lonborg, Bob Stanley, Rico Petrocelli and Sam Horn, Bruins players Shawn Thornton, David Krejci and Daniel Paille, Bruins Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, 1980 Olympic gold medalist Mike Eruzione and Patriots legend Andre Tippett.

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