Coming off her four-stroke victory at the Lotte Championship, Canada’s Brooke Henderson shares a laugh with the LPGA Tour’s Amy Rogers in the Emoji Challenge.

If you’re writing off the World Scientific Congress of Golf (WSCG) as a biennial conclave of pointy-headed boffins, don’t be too hasty.

While the “trickle-down theory” may be controversial in economics, it is incontrovertible when it comes to the impact of high-level research on all aspects of the sport as we now know it.

“Much of what we do as golfers, from how we swing to the equipment we use to the training and practice habits we employ and so on, has been born from great research,” says Glenn Cundari.

Cundari, the PGA of Canada’s Technical Director, is the chair of this year’s World Scientific Congress of Golf to be held July 11-13 at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, B.C. He attended his first WSCG in Australia in 2014 and two years later at St Andrews, Scotland, he got approval to bring the prestigious gathering to Canada for the first time.

The first WSGC was held at St Andrews in 1990 with the goal of bringing together “researchers, professionals and interested golfers in the areas of The Golfer, The Golf Course, and Equipment and Technology,” according to the organization’s website www.golfscience.org.

“The research, keynote and invited presentations, workshops and distinguished speakers’ forum are designed to represent innovative and diverse topics in the game of golf… Presenters come from all over the world to share their expertise and provide a platform for discussion to further our knowledge in the game of golf.”

While acknowledging that research into all aspects of golf is widespread, Cundari speaks of the WSCG as the Super Bowl of golf research. The committee reviewing prospective presenters received scores of research abstracts to winnow through. The successful applicants will be announced shortly as will the event’s agenda.

Cundari is optimistic that the result will be a tremendous learning opportunity not just for those involved in golf research but for PGA and LPGA professionals, especially those involved in teaching and coaching. “Much of the emphasis is on teaching and learning so we hope that this Congress will have a wide appeal to the overall golf community.”

For more information or to register, visit the website or contact Cundari at 705-492-2152 or email wscg2018@gmail.com.

NAPLES, Fla. – International success has been a growing trend this season for Team Canada’s Joey Savoie.

The 23-year-old La Prairie, Que., native finished the Terra Cotta Invitational in a tie for 4th on Sunday at the Naples National Golf Club. Savoie’s play was underlined by a 4-under-par 68 in Saturday’s second round—good for the second-lowest score of the tournament.

Savoie finished the 54-hole stroke play event at 2 under par, three strokes back of champion Fernardo Barco of Peru.

Since joining Team Canada in 2017, the Middle Tennessee State senior has top-10 finishes at The Azalea Invitational, the Australian Master of the Amateurs, coupled with a victory at the Tailhade Cup.

Fellow Team Canada member Hugo Bernard of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., finished T12 at 4 over par (71-75-74). Newfoundland’s Blair Bursey was T10 at 3 over par (71-72-76).

Team Canada Development Squad graduate Tony Gil captured the event in 2016. Former champions include PGA TOUR starts Justin Thomas and Matt Kuchar.

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HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Early on, Satoshi Kodaira was thinking only of playing well enough Sunday to make it to next week’s PGA Tour stop.

Those worries are over for the 28-year-old from Japan, who rallied from six shots behind to win the RBC Heritage in a playoff and gain an invitation to join the tour as a regular.

“This is a stage I’ve been dreaming about,” Kodaira said through an interpreter. “And having this opportunity to play full time is a dream come true. So, of course, I will accept full-time membership.”

Kodaira defeated Si Woo Kim on the third playoff hole, rolling in a 25-foot birdie on the par-3 17th hole, then punching his fist in celebration. It ended a drama-filled final round in which it appeared that Kim, Ian Poulter and Luke List had the lock on the title at different points.

But it was Kodaira’s relentless grind to the top that won the day. And with the game he showed at Harbour Town Golf Links, Kodaira appears like he’s got more big moments on tour ahead like countryman and five-time tour winner Hideki Matsuyama.

“I feel like I’m getting closer to that level,” said Kodaira, who is ranked 46th in the world and has played in 15 tour events. “I’d like to do my best in major championships and, hopefully, work hard at it.”

Bryson DeChambeau (66) and List (72) were tied for third. Third-round leader Poulter’s bid for a second tour title in three weeks ended with a 75 and a tie for seventh.

Starting times for the final round were moved up because of a forecast for bad weather.

Kodaira won $1.206 million. He’ll be exempt on the PGA Tour through the 2019-20 season.

The tournament appeared in steady hands with Kim, whose bulldog focus and shot-making held everyone off to win The Players Championship last May. But the 22-year-old from South Korea faltered over his final nine holes of regulation, with three bogeys to fall into the tie with Kodaira.

Kim had the chance to win in regulation but missed a six-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. Kodaira said that was the most nervous he was during his wait of about an hour before the playoff.

Kodaira might have had a few butterflies on the final playoff hole as Kim had a 21-foot birdie try to extend things, but he came up short.

Kim thought the increased winds slowed down the greens, making putts more difficult on the final nine holes. “But I tried my best and the putts didn’t drop,” Kim said. “It is what it is.”

Poulter, who dramatically won the Houston Open two weeks ago for his first tour win in more than five years, had six bogeys Sunday after making just two in his first three rounds.

Kodaira was the hardest charged and few even realized until the final threesome of Kim, Poulter and List all came back to the pack. Kodaira became the sixth straight RBC Heritage champion who was three strokes down or more at the start of the final round.

Playing Harbour Town for the first time, Kodaira opened with a 73, then followed with the tournament’s best round of the week, 63, on Friday. That game kicked in once more in the final round, with six birdies on the way to the playoff.

DeChambeau, the 24-year-old second-round leader who fell apart with a Saturday 75, bounced back Sunday with a 66 to finish two shots back. His roller coaster of a tournament played out again in the final round as he rose three shots to 9-under, then fell back to 7-under before closing with consecutive birdies on the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes.

Dustin Johnson finished with his best round of the week, a 67, and tied for 16th, ensuring that he will stay at No. 1 in the world for at least the next two weeks.

He will take the next three weeks off, starting with a vacation to the Bahamas –“I’m headed there right now,” he said, smiling – until he returns to action at The Players Championship.

Johnson said his problem this season has been on the greens, calling his putting subpar from what he expects. He said he plans to work things out over the break and “will be ready for the Players.”

Storms forecast for late Sunday afternoon and early evening forced the PGA Tour to move up start times to 7 a.m., with the leaders going off about two hours later. The weather, while overcast and windy at times, remained calm enough to get in the final round without disruption.

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – For the final two days of the Lotte Championship, it was pretty clear that the only player who could beat Brooke Henderson was Brooke Henderson.

She wasn’t about to let it happen Saturday at windy Ko Olina Golf Club, where she won by four shots. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native was too talented, and she had some very important people to play for, dedicating her victory to the people involved in the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team bus crash in Saskatchewan.

“It’s extremely sad, a terrible tragedy what happened up there,” Henderson said. “I know it kind of affected my whole country. Everybody really took it kind of personally.

“For all the survivors that are still fighting through it and all the ones that have passed away, I want to show them that we’re here for them and we’re supporting them. They’re always going to be in our thoughts and prayers.”

Canadian golfers and their caddies were wearing green and gold ribbons at the tournament this week to honour the victims of the April 6 crash. Twenty-nine people were on the team bus when it collided with a semi-truck en route to a playoff game in Nipawin, Sask. Sixteen of them have died and 13 were injured.

A champion in every way ??

Post-round interview with @BrookeHenderson: pic.twitter.com/TOL15gY5og

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) April 15, 2018

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, who finished in a tie for 44th place at 4 over, had posted a picture on Twitter of one of the ribbons pinned to the side of her hat on Tuesday.

Henderson, who won’t be 21 until September, won her sixth LPGA Tour title, leaving her just two short of Sandra Post for most wins by a Canadian player.

She collected $300,000, giving her nearly $500,000 this year and $4 million in her three-year career. Her final-round 3-under 69 left her at 12 under, four ahead of Azahara Munoz, whose 67 was the low round on a very difficult scoring day. With the win, Henderson jumps to No. 2 on the Race to the CME Globe.

It was Munoz’s best finish in more than four years. Henderson and sixth-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn (69) were the only other golfers to break 70 on a day that featured rain squalls and winds gusting to 30 mph.

“Crazy windy again” said Henderson, who was third in greens in regulation (52 of 72) and sixth in driving distance (288.8) for the week. “Just being able to adjust to it, kind of stay poised in it. Things aren’t going to always go perfectly, but I felt like my ball striking was probably the best it’s ever been.”

6 wins on the @lpga_tour ????

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Apr 14, 2018 at 8:32pm PDT

Jutanugarn tied for third, five back, with top-ranked Shanshan Feng (71) and third-ranked Inbee Park (72), who bogeyed the last two holes.

Henderson came into the week ranked 14th and in a comfort zone. She has never finished worse than 11th at Ko Olina.

At the halfway point, she was 10 under, bogey-free and two shots ahead. That stretched to five at the turn Friday, before putting problems brought the field back into it.

Henderson led by just one heading into the final day. She played the first 11 holes Saturday in 2 under to carve out a three-shot advantage, then faltered again. Her only bogey came on the 12th and she missed a short birdie putt at the next hole.

This time she recovered quickly, hitting driver-driver within 20 yards of the 14th green, then sinking a short birdie putt. She drained a 10-footer for another birdie one the 16th, where she four-putted Friday.

“Mentally I was in a great spot this week,” Henderson said. “I missed a couple putts, which you could argue that mentally I wasn’t there because of a couple mishits, but I think to recover from that and kind of put it in the past and then go out and make some more birdies. And, being the leader since early Thursday, that does add a little of pressure.”

Munoz and Jutanugarn put together the only serious charges of the final round. Both came up a few holes short.

Munoz, who has struggled with illness injury the past few years, climbed 13 places the final day. She was two shots back after her fifth birdie of the day, at the 14th, but parred in.

Jutanugarn, from Thailand, secured her fifth Top 10 this year but couldn’t get the eighth victory of her career. At the turn, the 2016 Player of the Year was 3 under and three back. She parred her final 11 holes.

Hawaii’s Michelle Wie tied for 11th after shooting 71.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., finished at 4 over par in a tie for 44th. Fellow Canadians Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.) and Maude-Aimée LeBlanc (Sherbrooke, Que.) closed with shares of 50th.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Ian Poulter is ready for a break after a long, eventful stretch on tour. He has one more important goal to accomplish, though, at the RBC Heritage before any time off.

“We’ll see if we have a last bit of plaid to put in the closet,” said a grinning Poulter, referring to the tartan jacket giving the winner at Harbour Town Golf Links.

The resurgent Poulter will have that chance Sunday after shooting a 4-under 67 to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the RBC Heritage, putting him in position for his second victory in three weeks.

Before April, Poulter had not won on tour in more than five years. Now, he’s one more solid round away from adding another title to his dramatic win at the Houston Open on April 1.

No joke, Poulter’s play is for real.

Seven of the Englishman’s last 11 rounds have been in the 60s after having just three such showings in his first 20 rounds this season. His latest left him at 13-under 200, and a stroke ahead of Luke List (67) and Si Woo Kim (68).

“It’s been a long six weeks,” Poulter said.

He was incorrectly told he had qualified for the Masters after a quarterfinal appearance at the WCG Match Play championship. Then down to his final try to reach Augusta National, Poulter needed a birdie on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Beau Hossler. Poulter prevailed on the first playoff hole.

He’s kept up that stellar play at Harbour Town.

“There’s been quite a bit of lows in the last 18 months, to be honest,” Poulter said. “So if you ride the waves and you trust yourself and you believe in your ability, then hopefully, it’s still in there.”

Poulter let it out once more to move in front.

He made his run in spurts, moving out front with birdies on the fifth and six holes before getting his last two on the 12th and 13th. He saved par out of the bunker on the par-3 17th, rolling in a rock-solid 6-foot putt and making a routine par on the signature lighthouse hole, the 18th, to stay in front.

“It’s just nice to play good golf,” Poulter said.

Kim was in front at 12 under after birdies on the eighth and ninth holes. He fell back with bogey on No. 12 and could not catch Poulter down the stretch. Kim, defending champion at The Players Championship, said he was disappointed in himself for feeling nervous early here. “I think it’s going to motivate me to be more aggressive and play well,” he said.

List took off with three straight birdies on Nos. 14-16. List, who finished second earlier this season at the Honda Classic, is seeking his first PGA Tour win. List has withdrawn, tied for 39th and missed the cut in his three Harbour Town appearances. He had set the week up as a family vacation with a little golf involved. That’s changed. “I never really thought I’d play well here, but it’s kind of all come together,” he said.

Second-round leader Bryson DeChambeau had the confident stride of a pending winner with his first solo 36-hole lead as a pro – at least until the third round got going. After grabbing a two-shot lead with a birdie on No. 1, DeChambeau imploded with a triple-bogey eight on the normally birdie-able par-5 second.

DeChambeau struck his second shot past the green and out of bounds by some condos. He fluffed his fifth shot into a bunker, then missed a 5-foot putt for the dreaded snowman.

Three holes later, DeChambeau botched another par 5, the fifth, by rolling his blast from a bunker off the green and into a sprinkler cover.

“Unbelievable what’s happened on the par fives today,” DeChambeau said as he saw his ball.

DeChambeau had been 6-under par on Harbour Town’s three par 5s the first two rounds. He played them in 3-over Saturday on the way to a 75 to fall seven shots back.

In his only two previous appearances here, world No. 1 Dustin Johnson missed the cut badly – at 16 over in 2008 and 5 over in 2009. This time, he to channel the game that’s made him the world’s top-ranked golfer for more than a year. Instead, Johnson had bogeys on four of his first 11 holes before rallying to finish with a 72 and was 10 shots in back of Poulter.

Again, Johnson pointed to putter problems this week. Johnson missed five birdie putts of 16 feet or less on the front nine. “Around here, you’ve got to hole some putts if you want to compete,” he said.

Poulter and his chasers will have a quick turnaround Sunday with tour officials starting play at 7 a.m. and going off in threesomes on both tees because of expected bad weather in the afternoon.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Bryson DeChambeau shot a career-best 7-under 64 on Friday to take the lead into the weekend at the RBC Heritage Classic.

DeChambeau’s first event as a pro was at Harbour Town Golf Links in 2016. Two years later, he posted his lowest ever on the PGA Tour to get to 10-under 132, one ahead of red-hot Ian Poulter and Si Woo Kim.

Poulter showed he’s not done playing high-level golf with a bogey-free 64. Kim, The Players Championship winner, had a 65 that included a two-shot penalty for touching sand after a bunker shot.

Two shots behind DeChambeau were Chasson Hadley (68), past RBC Heritage winner Brandt Snedeker (64), Luke List (64) and first-round leader Rory Sabbatini (70).

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson shot a second straight 69 and was tied for 26th, six shots off the lead.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., all missed the cut.

DeChambeau, 24, jump started his round with an eagle on the par-5 and took over the lead with birdies on the 13th, 15th, 16th and 17th holes. He made a knee-knocking, 12-footer for par on the 18th hole after his approach landed in a front-side bunker. DeChambeau pumped his fist when the ball curled in, as pleased with his improved putting as his composure at rallying late to the lead.

“Two years, it’s time,” DeChambeau said.

He won for the first time on tour last summer, shooting a pair of 65s on the way to taking the John Deere Classic. He’s had three top 10s this season, including a second last month at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. DeChambeau’s certain his play at Harbour Town is simply the next step in his progress to the top.

“I’m figuring out a lot of great things that are helping me on the golf course,” he said.

Poulter’s learned plenty the past few weeks. He was the talk of golf two weeks back with his stunning playoff win at Houston Open where he made a 20-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to force a playoff, then beat Beau Hossler on the first extra hole to gain entrance to Augusta National.

After an opening 69 at Harbour Town, Poulter put on a dazzling second-round, bogey-free display.

Poulter briefly took the lead alone with a 16-foot birdie on the par-3 seventh. He had a chance to reach 10-under, but lipped out an 8-footer on his final hole, the ninth. Poulter has shot five sub-70 rounds in his last six times around Harbour Town.

Poulter said his Houston victory wiped away any concerns holding him back. “The win helps a lot,” he said. “I can free myself up in my mind. I can start attacking pins and just play free golf. And when you’re in that position, sometimes the game feels easy when sometimes it isn’t.”

Even more remarkable than Poulter’s play may have been Kim’s scoring. He posted nine birdies along with a triple-bogey 6 on the par-3 14th where he was assessed a two-stroke penalty for touching the sand when he scrubbed the fringe of a bunker following a shot.

Kim quickly erased the error from his mind – and the scorecard – with birdies on the next three holes to regain his lost shots.

“This might be the first time that I’ve played so well with a triple bogey,” Kim said. “But I’m having great feel around the greens and I feel really confident.”

Johnson again played simply and steadily in his first Harbour Town appearance in nine years. His game remains good, his confidence high despite so many golfers between him and the lead. “I feel like I’m playing really solid,” he said. “I’m giving myself some chances and looking forward to the weekend.”

Much of the field thrived in mild, sunny conditions where even the course’s typically difficult closing stretch of No. 16, No. 17 and No. 18 along windy Calibogue Sound played much tamer than a typical round. Japan’s Satoshi Kodaira followed his 73 on Thursday with the lowest round of the tournament so, a 63, on Friday. Michael Kim went from an opening 76 to 66 in the second round. Dru Love, the son of five-time RBC Heritage champion Davis Love III, improved 11 strokes from his first round with his 66 on Friday.

In all, there were 53 rounds in the 60s among the 130 players who competed Friday.

Among those missing the cut were Paul Casey, Marc Leishman and Tyrell Hatton, all ranked among the top 20.

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Canadian Brooke Henderson kept giving herself chances to run away from the field Friday at the Lotte Championship.

Instead, she had to be satisfied with barely hanging onto the lead.

After two nearly flawless, bogey-free days at windy Ko Olina Golf Club, the 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., looked all too human in a frustrating third round that saw the wind switch directions.

Then again, so did nearly every other player.

Henderson will take a one-stroke advantage over 2014 Women’s British Open champ Mo Martin, whose eagle on the 13th kept her at even-par for the day, into the final round.

The leader was 3 over on the final three holes, four-putting the 16th for double-bogey. Henderson, who has already won five times on the LPGA Tour, finished with a 1-over 73 left her at 9 under.

She led by five early on the back nine, but 35 putts – she needed just 50 the first two days combined – had her trying to focus on the fact she still led at all.

“I’ve been kind of struggling with my putting all year,” Henderson acknowledged. “The first few rounds I had it going and I felt confident with it; then on the back nine I just kept missing. I just felt like that every single putt and kind of got a little bit down. That’s always a terrible way to be, especially when you’re still leading the tournament.”

Highlights from round 3 @LPGALOTTE ?@BrookeHenderson carries a 1-stroke lead into the final round ???? pic.twitter.com/7z6eGVT37N

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) April 14, 2018

“I would’ve liked it to be a lot more, but one shot is good. I know there are still a ton of really talented players really close behind me, so I’ll have to go out and make a lot of birdies and hopefully it’s my day,” added Henderson.

Japan’s Nasa Hataoka, who is a year younger than Henderson, had a 68 to climb into a tie for third with third-ranked Inbee Park, two shots back.

Hataoka won the 2016 Japan Women’s Open Championship, becoming the first amateur – and youngest – to win a Japan LPGA major. Friday, she was one of the few to go low at Ko Olina, putting for eagle three times.

“The wind was totally the opposite. It was really confusing,” said Park, who shot 71. “Some holes I was going into the wind I couldn’t really judge the distances. I don’t think I ever played this wind before on this course in five, six years.”

Even top-ranked Shanshan Feng struggled. Her 74 was only her second over-par round of the year. She shares fifth with Lizette Salas, three back of Henderson. Salas, who lost a playoff at Lotte in 2013, shot 70 despite breaking her driver on the second hole.

She called it a “big oops” on Friday the 13th.

“I got a little frustrated for missing a short putt, and then I tossed, quote/unquote, my putter at my bag,” Salas said. “I guess the head landed on the shaft and when I took it out at the next hole, it went (bending noise).”

Daniela Iacobelli and Pernilla Lindberg, fresh off a major victory at the ANA Inspiration, share seventh at 5 under. Qualifier Julieta Granada and second-year player Peiyun Chien, from Taiwan, shot 67 – low round of the day – to join a group of six another shot back.

Jeongeun Lee, a Korean LPGA player here on a sponsor exemption, also shot 67 and is at 4 under. That’s one ahead of Hawaii’s Michelle Wie, whose 69 moved her up 13 spots, to 18th.

After Friday’s frantic finish, who knows how many are in contention Saturday?

“I would’ve liked it (her lead) to be a lot more, but one shot is good,” Henderson said. “I know there are still a ton of really talented players really close behind me, so I’ll have to go out and make a lot of birdies and hopefully it’s my day.”

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was 2 over after a 74, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (73) was 4 over and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (76) of Sherbrooke, Que., was 5 over.

VICTORIA, B.C. – Team Canada’s Development Squad boys and girls teams both finished atop the leaderboards in Thursday’s qualifying event at Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa to secure a spot to play in the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup.

In the boys division, Canada traded shots with Mexico through the 54-hole event but found themselves trailing heading into the final stretch. A late push by the four-man Canadian squad saw the contingent force a tie for the lead after going 5 under collectively on the final three holes. The two teams netted out tied at 23 over par, each grabbing one of two qualifying spots available on the boys side.

Canada was led by rookie Johnny Travale of Stoney Creek, Ont., who closed with a 1-under-par 70 to finish in solo second. The 17-year-old’s round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 18th, which helped lift Canada into the eventual tie with Mexico.

Medallist honours was won by Mexico’s Mauricio Figueroa, who concluded the event with a three-stroke cushion over the field at 1 over par (77-69-68).

In the girls division, Quebec’s Céleste Dao paced the Canadians to victory with a collective score of 5 over par (73-74-71). The Canadian trio finished nine strokes clear of runner-up Mexico, earning the one available spot in the girls division.

“My putting game was really good this week – I rolled the ball like I wanted to,” said Dao, who was quick to credit the new centralized program at Bear Mountain. “It’s a great program, going to the gym, being with the team and practicing, also learning so much preparing for college – it’s great.”

Not far behind was teammate Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., who posted a total score of 8 over par (76-72-73) to finish solo second.

Canada will be among 23 other nations to compete in the upcoming Toyota Junior Golf World Cup which takes place June 10-15 at the Chukyo Golf Club in Toyota City, Japan. Canada’s most-recent finish at the event was in 2016 with an 11th place result in the boys division.

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HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Rory Sabbatini shot a 7-under 64 for his lowest round ever at Harbour Town Golf Links and a two-stroke lead Thursday in the RBC Heritage, with top-ranked Dustin Johnson five shots behind.

The talk leading up to the tournament was of the return of Johnson, the South Carolina native who grew up about three hours northwest of here yet had not played in the Palmetto State’s lone PGA Tour stop since 2009. But it was Sabbatini who quickly moved to the top in perfect, windless conditions on what’s typically one of the most wind-swept layouts of the year.

Matt Kuchar, Billy Horschel, Chesson Hadley and John Huh shot 66s. Johnson had a run of four straight birdies in the middle of his round, but ended up with a 69. He was tied for 20th.

Sabbatini, starting on No. 10, birdied four holes on his front nine. He made a 52-foot putt on the par-3 14th and put his approach on No. 18 – the Pete Dye course’s signature hole with the lighthouse in the backdrop – to about 7 feet to set up another birdie.

“I think anytime you can birdie 18 on this golf course, it’s key because 18 is not a very forgiving hole,” he said.

Sabbatini, the last of whose six PGA Tour wins came in 2011, kept up the strong play with three more birdies coming in. He closed the round with consecutive birdies on his final two holes, the eighth and the ninth.

“All things considered, the course is probably as easy as I’ve ever seen it play,” Sabbatini said.

Sabbatini wasn’t sure he’d even tee it up after hurting his back Sunday while working on his stance. He received treatment every day since and decided to go as long as he good. Turns out it was all the way to the end. Sabbatini even got a bonus on his final tee box when he finally got his back to pop after stretching on No. 9 to make himself feel better. “And it kind of releases everything for the closure of the last hole,” he said.

Sabbatini surpassed his previous Harbour Town low of 66 in the 2009 final round when he tied for eighth, his best showing in eight previous appearances.

Johnson, ranked No. 1 for more than a year, won at Kapalua and has four other top 10s since January including last week at the Masters where he tied for 10th in the year’s first major. He looked to continue his strong play at Harbour Town where he posted 10 birdies to one bogey during Wednesday’s pro-am.

However, things did not come as easily for Johnson in his first time here since 2009.

Johnson took bogey on his second hole, the 11th. He caught fire in mid-round, starting a run of four straight birdies on the 18th hole. But Johnson missed 8-foot par putts on the fifth and sixth holes and took one more bogey on his closing hole, the ninth.

“I haven’t played here in a while, so it’s definitely a little bit different being here,” Johnson said.

Kuchar, playing with Johnson, took advantage of the mild conditions to get himself in early positon for his second tartan winner’s jacket.

Kuchar, ranked 21st in the world, stood at 1 under after his first 11 holes before birding four of his final seven – all on putts of 15 feet or less – to move into second.

Kuchar said the move from Augusta National’s massive greens to Harbour Town’s tiny greens was a big difference. “Once you get on these greens, you feel like you have a chance to make putts,” he said. “To come from last week where getting on the green doesn’t mean much, you still have a lot of work to go.”

Kuchar tied for 28th at the Masters last week.