SHANGHAI – Carlota Ciganda of Spain shot a 5-under 67 Saturday to share the lead with Sei Young Kim after the third round of the LPGA Shanghai.

Ciganda carded her fifth birdie of the day on the par-4 18th to finish tied with overnight leader Kim at 11-under 205. Kim shot a 71 with four bogeys and five birdies.

Ciganda is attempting to win her third LPGA title and first since the 2016 season, when she won two tournaments in a one-month span. Kim is chasing her eighth career LPGA win and second title of the 2018 season.

“I want to win because I didn’t win last year,” Ciganda said. “I love playing in Asia. It’s good for long hitters, playing quite long, so I’m quite comfortable.”

Angel Yin also birdied the final hole for a 68 and was a further stroke back with Brittany Altomare (69), Danielle Kang (71) and Ariya Jutanugarn (71).

Yin and Altomare have yet to break through for their first LPGA win. A win in Shanghai would make either player the ninth first-time winner of the 2018 season, which would tie 2016 for the third highest number of first-time winners in a season in LPGA history.

“I love competing,” Yin said. “That’s why I’m playing, right? I’m excited to be in contention again going into Sunday.”

Canadian Brooke Henderson continued to improve on Saturday, carding a 69 (-3) to climb into a tie for 38th. The reigning CP Women’s Open champion sits at even par for the tournament (75-72-69).

Local favourite Yu Liu was seventh after offsetting a lone bogey with four birdies for a 69.

Paula Creamer also shot a 69 and shared eighth at 8 under with Minjee Lee (70) and Bronte Law (71).

The tournament is the second of five being played in South Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan in the LPGA’s annual Asian swing.

VENICE, Fla. – Canada’s top-ranked amateur golfer is making waves alongside this year’s LPGA hopefuls at Qualifying School.

Jacyln Lee, a five-year member of Team Canada’s National Squad program, advanced through the second stage of qualifying on Thursday at the Plantation Golf & Country Club. The 21-year-old Ohio State senior closed the 72-hole event at 3 under par (70-73-70-72) in a tie for 13th place.

With the finish, Lee is one of 25 to advance to Q-series stage from Oct. 22 – Nov. 3 at Pinehurst. Approximately 45 players will earn LPGA status.

Fellow Team Canada member Maddie Szeryk fell just short of the even-par cut line, finishing at 2 over par (75-73-72-70).

Excited to share that I’ve made it through to LPGA Q-Series!

Thanks to everyone who’s has been following along this past week. It means a lot to have your support! I’m ready for a fun week in Pinehurst ?

— Jaclyn Lee (@JaclynLee57) October 18, 2018

Click here for full scoring.

SHANGHAI – Sei Young Kim led the LPGA Shanghai by one stroke at the halfway point after shooting a 5-under-par 67 in the second round on Friday.

Kim made six birdies, including four straight from the sixth hole, to move to a 10-under 134 total. Her only setback was a bogey on the par-4 15th.

Kim struggled in the first half of the year, but is finishing it strong. She won her seventh career title in July at the Thornberry Creek Classic, was tied for fourth at the Women’s British Open, and last month was runner-up at the Evian Championship.

“I made huge big par putts on 10, 11, 12,” Kim said on Friday. “I’m very happy with today’s play.”

Danielle Kang (68) and overnight leader Ariya Jutanugarn (69) were one shot back.

“I like attention. I like being in the final group. I like having crowds,” Kang said. “It’s fun. You work hard to be in the final groups and work hard to be in the hunt and be the leader and chasing the leaders. That’s why we play.”

She led into the last round at the Hana Bank Championship last week and finished tied for third.

Brittany Altomare had six birdies in a bogey-free round of 66, and was tied for fourth with Bronte Law (68) and Brittany Lincicome (68).

Angel Lin eagled the par-5 17th and finished with the day’s lowest score of 65, which also included six birdies and a lone bogey.

Canadian Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shares 48th place at 3 over par for the tournament (75-72).

JEJU ISLAND, Korea, Republic Of – Brooks Koepka, recently named the PGA TOUR player of the year, gave himself the perfect opportunity to become the No. 1 player in the world when he shot a 7-under par 65 to move to within one shot of the lead in the CJ Cup on Friday.

At the Nine Bridges course, the three-time major champion made an eagle on his closing hole to finish on 8-under par 136 after two rounds, just one stroke behind Scott Piercy, who was bogey-free in matching Koepka’s 65.

With the wind subsiding and the course playing much easier than on the opening day when the scoring average was 73.26, 44 players – more than half the field of 78 – had under-par rounds.

Overnight leader Chez Reavie added a 70 to his opening-round 68 to sit in third place at 138, three behind Piercy. Sweden’s Alex Noren was the other player in with a 65, which moved him into a tie for fourth place alongside Ian Poulter (69), four out of the lead.

The best round of the day was a 64 by Brian Harman, who was tied for sixth and five behind Piercy.

The 28-year-old Koepka will move to the top of the world rankings when they are announced on Monday if he wins the tournament, as long as former No. 1 Justin Thomas, the defending champion here, does not finish any better than second.

Thomas, playing alongside Koepka, matched Koepka’s eagle on the last, but that was only for a 70 and he is tied for 22nd place at 1-under.

Koepka’s only bogey was on the par-5 ninth hole, where he hit a wayward tee shot. But he was otherwise pleased with the state of his “caveman golf.”

“I feel like my game is in a good spot. I feel like the way I played today, if I can carry that momentum into Saturday and Sunday, it will be fun,” Koepka, winner of the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship, said.

“My game is pretty simple. I guess you can call it like caveman golf – you see the ball, hit the ball and go find it again. You’re not going to see any emotion just because I’m so focused, but I’m enjoying it.”

Piercy, who has fallen to No. 252 in the world ranking despite winning the Zurich Classic earlier this year with Billy Horschel – there are no world ranking points for a team event – was rarely out of position in a round in which he found 13 of 14 fairways off the tee and reached 16 greens in regulation.

“Obviously, the wind was down a little bit and from a little bit different direction, so 10 miles an hour wind versus 20s is quite a big difference,” said Piercy, who is looking for his first PGA Tour win since the Barbasol Championship in July 2015.

“It was a good day. Hit a couple close and then my putter showed up and made some putts of some pretty good length.”

Canadian Adam Hadwin carded a second consecutive 71 to sit at 2 under par through 36 holes of play. Thanks to shots like the one below, the Abbotsford, B.C., product shares 15th place with six others.

Australia’s Marc Leishman, winner last week at the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, shot a 71 and was seven behind. Paul Casey’s 73 included a hole-in-one on the par-3 seventh hole and the Englishman is nine behind Piercy.

On the final day of competition at the 2018 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Golf National Championships, hosted by Medicine Hat College (MHC), four national champions were crowned.

The Red Deer College (RDC) Queens were the first Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) school to win a golf national championship.

“To take home gold at a national championship is incredible, not only for RDC but for Alberta golf,” says Scott Bergdahl, head coach for RDC Queens. “We have put a lot of resources into developing both the men and ladies teams in the last few years. So to be rewarded like this, in such a short period of time, is really outstanding. I think it’s really going to benefit the team and the program moving forward.”

On the men’s side the 2019 CCAA Golf National Championship Hosts, Cégep André-Laurendeau, secured a nine-stroke victory to raise a championship banner.

Individually, Emily Romancew from the John Abbott Islanders and Laurent Desmarchais from André-Laurendeau won their respective individual titles.

“Winning a national award and being able to say we have a national title for John Abbott is amazing. I think I played really well and I’m really satisfied with my overall week,” says Romancew.

The women’s team event was dominated by the ACAC.

RDC pulled away from the field with a four-day total of 625 to claim a gold medal. The MHC Rattlers fired a four-day total of 641 to earn the silver medal and the bronze medal went to the University of British Columbia (UBC) Okanagan Heat who had a four-day score of 666.

On the men’s side, the Boomerang d’André-Laurendeau had a dominating performance on their way to a national title. Their four-day total of 1138 was 14 under par and placed them nine strokes ahead of silver medalists Humber College who had a four-day total of 1147. The bronze medal went to the University of Fraser Valley (UFV) Cascades who tied with Champlain St. Lawrence but won the bronze on a count back. Both teams closed with four-day scores of 1171.

Thank you to @MHC_Rattlers @MHCollege @hpdesertblume and @TheGolfCanada for an incredible 2018 CCAA Golf National Championship Presented by @PingTour.

Final Round Recap available here: https://t.co/pMoj7IXS3a pic.twitter.com/W0XWwBUURr

— CCAA ?? ACSC (@CCAAsportsACSC) October 20, 2018

Romancew, led the women’s individual race from wire to wire. Her final total of 298 left her six strokes ahead of runner-up Shaye Leidenius from RDC. Alyssa Stoddart from the Fanshawe Falcons shot a four-day total of 305 to claim the bronze medal.

In men’s individual action, Laurent Desmarchais from André-Laurendeau shot an amazing 13 under par over four days to win gold. Cobber Watt had a solid week and earned the silver medal with a total eight under par 280. Desmarchais’ teammate Olivier Ménard took home the bronze with a four-day score of seven under par 281.

Tournament all-stars were also awarded. Winners for the women included Romancew, Leidenius and Stoddart. The men were represented by: Desmarchais, Menard and Philip Isabelle from Cégep André-Laurendeau, along with Watt from Humber College and Daniel Campbell from UFV.

Exemplary leadership awards, given out to the athletes who uphold the highest integrity of the game, and who show leadership and fair play both on and off the course, were given to Nicole Schultz of the Rattlers and Brad Byers from the Fanshawe Falcons.

On the last day of competition, the male athlete of the day was Kyle Claggett from the Cascades. Clagget was personable and polite throughout the week and always had a smile on his face.

The female athlete of the day was Stoddart. She was a strong competitor all week and her third round 69 was the tournament low on the ladies side. She was always friendly and supported her teammates and the other golfers throughout the week.

Our final team of the day was awarded to the UBC Okanagan Heat for their friendly and positive attitude. They battled hard each day and were rewarded with a bronze medal.

Men’s Team Results
Women’s Team Results
Men’s Individuals Results
Women’s Individuals Results

JEJU ISLAND, Korea, Republic Of – Chez Reavie overcame cool, windy conditions for a 4-under 68 and a one-stroke lead after the first round of the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges on Thursday.

In the breezy conditions, the back nine of the course posed the most difficulty, but the 36-year-old American made two birdies and negotiated it in 35 after starting on the 10th tee, and then picked up three shots on his final nine.

Danny Willett and Si Woo Kim shot 69 while the large group at 70 and tied for fourth included Ian Poulter, Nick Watney and Michael Kim.

Brooks Koepka, playing in his first tournament since being voted PGA TOUR player of the year, shot 71 and was in a group three strokes behind and tied for 11th which included Paul Casey and Hideki Matsuyama.

Canadian Adam Hadwin o]was also in the mix at 1 under par. The Abbotsford, B.C., native struggled early with three bogeys on the front but clawed back with four birdies after the turn to sit three back of the lead. He’ll tee it up in Friday’s second round at 8:05 a.m. local time.

Jason Dufner and Brandt Snedeker shot 72. Defending champion Justin Thomas had a 73, as did Jason Day, Ernie Els and J.B. Holmes.

Marc Leishman, who won last week’s CIMB Classic in Malaysia, and Adam Scott had 75s.

Reavie’s only PGA Tour win came at the 2008 RBC Canadian Open, and he finished second in back-to-back starts last year in Phoenix and Pebble Beach, losing at Phoenix in a playoff.

“It was a great day, I hit the ball really well,” Reavie said of Thursday’s round. “The wind was blowing really hard all day long so you had to really start the ball well and keep it out of the wind. Luckily, I was able to do that.”

Despite the windy conditions, Reavie found all 14 fairways off the tee and hit 15 out of 18 greens in regulation, which he felt was the key to a good score.

“It’s tough because once you get above the hole with this wind, it’s really hard to chip it close,” he said. “The more greens you can hit, the better and that was key to my game.”

Willett, who has struggled with injuries and form since winning the 2016 Masters and has dropped to No. 342 in the world, made five birdies and two bogeys in his 69. Willett has just one top-five finish since finishing second in the Italian Open in September 2016.

Having committed to play on the PGA TOUR by taking up membership this season, Willet said it was important to make a quick start to the season.

“I’ve done two tours for a couple of years, and it’s very difficult,” Willett said. “We committed to play on the PGA TOUR, to play predominantly over here this year and next. It’s nice to kind of get in and get some points early if you can.”

The second of three PGA TOUR events in three weeks in Asia has a 78-player field and no cut. Only 19 players broke par on Thursday.

SHANGHAI – Ariya Jutanugarn shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Buick LPGA Shanghai tournament on Thursday.

The Thai player had six birdies in a bogey-free round, including three straight on Nos. 4, 5, and 6.

“I always have so much fun when I play in Asia,” said Jutanugarm, who added her key was “just not to expect anything. Just go out have fun and enjoy everything.”

Sei Young Kim and Danielle Kang (both 67) were one shot back, with six other players only two shots off the lead.

The tournament is the second of five being played in South Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan in the LPGA’s annual Asian swing.

Kang credited her improved play to new coach Butch Harmon.

“We just kind of simplify the game a lot,” the American said. “Just trying to calm it down and get back to how I used to play. Just more feel golf. Thinking less mechanics and going with the flow.”

Kang tied for third last week at the KEB Hana Bank championship in Incheon, South Korea.

“Today’s round went very smooth,” Kang said. “Coming off very good momentum after last week, and I’ve been hitting the ball really well, playing great. I’ve just been trusting my game and just keep giving myself birdie chances. They kept rolling in.”

Canada’s Brooke Henderson struggled out of the gate with a 3-over-par 75 to sit in a tie for 60th.

LONDON, England – A global consensus amongst leaders in public health, public policy and sport backs golf in the race to tackle physical inactivity and the prevention of a range of non-communicable disease (NCD) including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer of the breast and colon.

Evidence linking golf and health, commissioned by the World Golf Foundation and supported by The R&A, was presented this week in London at the 7th Congress of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH). The biennial scientific meeting is widely regarded as the world’s flagship physical activity and public health event attended by more than 1,000 delegates from 60 countries.

Recognition that playing golf has significant physical health and wellness benefits and can provide moderate intensity physical activity to persons of all ages, comes just months after the World Health Organization (WHO) published its Global Action Plan for Physical Activity. The Global Action Plan targets one in four adults, and four out of five adolescents (11-17 years) who are insufficiently active, and charts how countries can reduce physical inactivity in adults and adolescents by 15% by 2030.

The scientific consensus for golf is evidenced in research led by the University of Edinburgh and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Findings reveal that playing golf is associated with a range of physical and mental health benefits, and further collaborative efforts to improve access for the sport are needed.

New studies are underway to discover if playing golf improves strength and balance, contributing to a key public health goal of fall prevention in healthy aging and into conditions such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

Marking the close of the ISPAH Congress, public health practitioners, policymakers and golf industry leaders were hosted at a satellite event in the Palace of Westminster by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Golf.

The @GolfAndHealth Project will study the varied health and well-being benefits of #golf, considering any risks, with results to be published in international peer-reviewed journals.

Details ➡️ https://t.co/rX01kcrNGL pic.twitter.com/JzCvyNVQju

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) October 18, 2018

Steve Brine, Minister for Public Health and Primary Care, said, “Physical activity of any type comes with a range of physical, social and mental benefits. For some, golf can be a great way to stay active and there’s growing evidence about ways the sport can help those living with long term conditions such as Parkinson’s and dementia. And for those who haven’t discovered their favourite sport yet it’s never too late to get inspired, connect with people and improve your wellbeing.”

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “Golf is working hard to encourage more people into the sport, who will realize its many health benefits. With 60 million golfers spanning six continents, golf has found common purpose in working with public health practitioners and policymakers to optimise the health benefits of playing the sport.

“We recognize the importance of the World Health Organization Global Action Plan for Physical Activity and we will work with our affiliates and partners around the world to help improve health and well-being through golf”.

Professor Fiona Bull, WHO Programme Manager, Non-Communicable Disease Prevention, said, “Non-communicable disease is responsible for nearly three quarters of all premature deaths globally, including 15 million deaths per year in people aged 30 to 70 years.

“The new World Health Organization global action plan and the implementation toolkit ‘ACTIVE’ aims to help all countries improve the environments and the opportunities for all people to be more active. Golf is a popular sport for men and women and it is great to see golf’s global leadership recognizing health priorities and identifying ways golf can be more accessible to more people.

“I took up golf in my 30s but thought it was a very technical, expensive and elitist sport. Thankfully a 6 week ‘come and try course’ showed me how easy it was to enjoy golf as a beginner and how active playing 9 holes can be. I am looking forward to seeing how golf can attract many more girls and women to enjoy the sport and be more active and healthy”.

Annika Sorenstam, Major Champion and a global ambassador for golf and health, said, “As the recent international consensus statement highlighted, golf is great for the health of people of all ages – it benefits those playing the sport and even tournament spectators.

“Given the health benefits, we must work together to make golf more accessible if we are to achieve our sport’s full potential.”

The 2018 International Consensus Statement on Golf and Health to guide action by people, policymakers and the golf industry was published last month in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

A further Golf and Health Scientific Meeting will be held on Thursday 18 October 2018 at Mytime Active, High Elms Golf Course, Bromley, UK – a club promoting healthy lifestyles. Researchers from Asia, Australia, Europe and the USA will discuss their respective projects and the future direction of research on golf and health.

“I’m not good enough to keep track of my handicap.”

Craig Loughry, Golf Canada’s Director of Handicap and Course Rating, is tired of hearing that.

“The purpose of the Handicap System is to make the game of golf more enjoyable by enabling players of differing abilities to compete on an equitable basis,” the Golf Canada Handicap Manual states.

“If you’re playing golf regularly, you’re keeping track of your scores in some fashion,” he points out. “You’re golfing for a reason or reasons, whether it’s for the competition against yourself or others, recreation, socializing, whatever. It obviously is a significant part of your activity schedule, so why not keep track on an ongoing basis?

“If golfers didn’t care about keeping score, then courses wouldn’t need scorecards, but they seem to have to replace thousands every year.”

Loughry is right. Everyone tracks their progress in just about every other facet of their lives, so why not in their golf games? In business or other pursuits, you expect a level playing field, right? A Golf Canada handicap factor provides both for your golf life.

Additionally, you never know when not having a Golf Canada handicap factor will come back to haunt you.

Knowing zero about your handicap can find you playing off a zero handicap.

A couple of personal anecdotes…

Years ago, I was invited to play in a pro-am. When I showed up at registration, I was asked for my handicap. When I said I didn’t have one, I was told I would have to play off scratch, from the pro tees. Some of my drives barely made the tee block from where my fellow amateurs (the ones with official handicaps) were playing from. Needless to say, I started posting every score after that humiliation.

My wife (who faithfully maintains an accurate handicap factor) plays in the member-guest tournament at a friend’s club every summer. The club sends out a friendly note leading up to the event.  It says, “it is the member’s responsibility to provide a handicap factor from an accredited golf association for their guest(s). Failure to do so will result in your guest(s) playing from scratch. Please note that scorecards, letters or ‘she shoots about an 85’ are unacceptable.”

If you have a Golf Canada Gold-level membership, the lengthy list of benefits includes an official handicap factor. It’s easy to post your adjusted scores online or at any Golf Canada member course and there’s even an app for your phone. It’s easy to join online even if you’re not already a member of a club and start tracking your scores right away.

Now that I’ve persuaded those of you who haven’t maintained a current and accurate factor (you must post all scores using the easy-to-understand Equitable Stroke Control system) to get on the bandwagon, here are some other handicapping notes.

Active Seasons

Regrettably, the end of the Canadian golf season is approaching. Each provincial golf association decides on what is called the “active season” for handicap posting purposes.

By province, the active seasons are:

• British Columbia March 1-Nov. 15
• Alberta March 1-Oct. 31
• Saskatchewan April 15-Oct. 31
• Manitoba April 15-Oct. 31
• Ontario April 15-Oct. 31
• Quebec April 15-Oct. 31
• Nova Scotia April 15-Oct. 31
• New Brunswick May 1-Oct. 31
• Prince Edward Island April 16-Nov. 14
• Newfoundland and Labrador April 1-Nov. 30

Going South This Winter?

It’s never been easier to post out-of-country scores if you’re lucky enough to play in a warmer clime this winter.

“Essentially, all you have to do is simply change the Canadian flag icon to the international one and then start typing in the most unique part of the club/course name,” says Taylor Stevenson, Golf Canada’s manager of member services.

As well, says Loughry, the International Golf Network (IGN) allows Golf Canada members to link their golf membership (handicap record) from Canada to their U.S. club(s). What’s the advantage of that?

“You only need to post your score once and that score automatically gets posted into the other record. This is not only important now for our many members who travel and golf outside the country, but will be more so when the World Handicap System is implemented.”

We Are The World

In 2020, the new unified World Handicap System will be implemented to make handicaps truly consistent and equitable around the globe. The new system will feature more flexibility and reflect the changes in how the game is played worldwide.

For example, both competitive and recreational rounds will count for handicap purposes, the number of scores needed to obtain a new handicap will be reduced and, perhaps most importantly, the result will be a consistent handicap that is portable from courses to course and country to country.

There is even a calculation that considers the impact that abnormal course and weather conditions affected your score.

Click here for more on handicapping.

Some Canadian golfers are long-standing members of the PGA TOUR, while others secured status for the 2018-19 season at the last minute.

Add them all up and the CanCon will hit a record level at this week’s Safeway Open.

Eight Canadians are in the field for the season opener at the Silverado Resort and Spa North in Napa, Calif. That’s the most at a PGA TOUR event outside of Canada since the TOUR started keeping track in 1970.

TOUR regulars like David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., are joined by Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont.

Silverman, who’s entering his sophomore campaign, was among the group of Canadians who broke through in the last few years after spending time on lower-level TOURs.

“I think we were just pushing each other to get better,” Silverman said. “We were all very talented at the time but just not there yet, not at TOUR level yet. Just knowing that there was only two or three Canadians to look at — yet we were all right there in the mini-TOUR ranks — it just probably pushed us all and motivated us all to make it.”

The previous high for Canadians in a non-domestic TOURnament was seven, according to PGA TOUR senior communications manager Doug Milne. It happened twice in 1987 (John Deere Classic and BMW Championship), at the 2008 U.S. Open, and twice last year (Safeway Open and CareerBuilder Challenge).

The number could grow again when Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., makes his return. He has status on the PGA TOUR with a major medical extension but isn’t ready to play after undergoing back surgery in August.

Silverman needed a strong finish at the recent Web.com Tour Championship to book his return to the PGA TOUR. A tie for third did the trick as he moved into 22nd on the Web.com Tour Finals money list, just inside the 25-man cut.

Sloan was 10th on the list while Svensson earned his card by finishing 14th on the Web.com TOUR’s regular-season list.

Silverman’s best finish on the PGA TOUR last season was a tie for seventh at the Sanderson Farms Championship last October. His other top-10 result came a few weeks later when he was tied for eighth at the RSM Classic.

He earned US$793,140 over the campaign, made the cut at 17 tournaments and finished 136th in the FedExCup standings.

Reached this week in Napa, he said he was very pleased with how his rookie campaign played out.

“A whole slew of courses that I’ve never seen before, which is always tough to get used to,” Silverman said. “I think I handled it pretty well. I had some good finishes. I learned a lot about myself in terms of how many TOURnaments I can handle.

“I think 28 regular-season events was kind of a lot for me. I’m going to learn from that and try to manage my schedule a little bit differently so I can get some more rest this season.”

Ben Silverman (Getty Images)

Silverman said he was inconsistent at times due in part to his effort to develop a more well-rounded game. He wanted to be able to hit high-, medium- and low-trajectory shots either straight or with a draw or fade, all while trying to add different short-game skills.

This season, he plans to keep it simple and go with what got him to the PGA TOUR in the first place. He’ll go with more bump-and-run shots around the green and will stick with his “little fade” off the tee and on the fairways.

“The biggest adjustment with my game is I’m pretty much just sticking to one ball flight and never changing it,” Silverman said. “Whether it suits the hole from a traditional standpoint or not doesn’t matter to me anymore. I’m just going to stick to hitting shots that I feel comfortable with.

“That was my gameplan in Jacksonville in the Web Finals and I had great control of the ball all week. I’m just going to keep that strategy going moving forward.”

Hadwin is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the world golf rankings at No. 58. Silverman is next at No. 240, followed by Taylor (No. 280), DeLaet (No. 294) and Hughes (No. 297).

Play begins Thursday on the 7,203-yard course. American Brendan Steele is the defending champion.