The first step on the path toward the PGA TOUR begins this week at TPC Sawgrass, as 132 players take to the Dye’s Valley Course to earn status on the 2018 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada. Below are the details for the USA East Q-School #1, the second of five qualifying tournaments this season, along with storylines to follow this week in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

There are 12 Canadians among the athletes, including former National Amateur Squad members Matt Hill (Sarnia, Ont.), Austin James (Bath, Ont.) and Eric Banks (Truro, N.S.).

Winner of the Mackenzie Tour Order of Merit in 2012, Hill has spent time on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and the Web.com Tour in recent years. The North Carolina State product was the author of one of the greatest seasons in collegiate golf history in 2009, when he won the NCAA Championship, seven other individual tournament titles and the Jack Nicklaus Award as the country’s top collegiate golfer.

James was the 2016 Big South Conference Player of the Year, thanks to a win at the 2016 Big South Conference Championship, while competing at Charleston Southern University. James won the 2014 Canadian Junior Championship and made it to the quarterfinals of the 2016 U.S. Amateur.

CANADIANS IN THE FIELD

Eric Banks (Truro, N.S.)
Raoul Menard (Granby, Que.)
Max Gilbert (St-Georges, Que.)
Vincent Blanchette (St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que.)
Austin James (Bath, Ont.)
Matt Hill (Sarnia, Ont.)
Sameer Kalia (Campbellville, Ont.)
James Jones (Tampa, Fla.)
Branson Ferrier (Barrie, Ont.)
Andrew Jensen (Ottawa, Ont.)
Cooper Brown (Renfrew, Ont.)
Joseph D’Alfonso (Caledon, Ont.)

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – Although he would have liked a different finish on Sunday at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship, Corey Conners has many reasons to smile.

The 26-year-old Listowel, Ont., native began the day two strokes off the pace in second, but struggled in the finale with a 4-over 76, soured by a double-bogey on par-4 18th. This marks the second consecutive tournament where Conners’ showed his ability to rise to the top of leaderboards,  final-round struggles aside. He’ll leave Punta Cana with a T13 finish—his best on the PGA TOUR in his rookie campaign. It also marks the second consecutive top 20 finish for the Team Canada program graduate.

Conners was chasing champion Brice Garnett, who put the medal down in the finale to finish four strokes ahead of runner-up, completing the wire-to-wire victory for his first PGA Tour title.

Canada’s @coreyconners finishes T13 at the @CoralesChamp to collect his best finish on the #PGATOUR and second consecutive top 20 ????

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Mar 25, 2018 at 2:47pm PDT

Two strokes ahead after three late wind-blown bogeys Saturday, Garnett closed with a 2-under 70 in windy and rainy conditions for a four-stroke victory over Keith Mitchell.

“I slept good, actually,” Garnett said. “Surprisingly, I did. I woke up a little bit early, a little bit restless, but I was just excited for the day. We talked last night that obstacles were opportunities, so it’s fun.”

The 34-year-old Garnett, a two-time winner last year on the Web.com Tour, finished at 18-under 270. He opened with a 63 and added rounds of 69 and 70.

“I had a buddy text me this morning and said, ‘You’re the only guy in the field who’s won twice in the last year, so go get another one.’ Drew on a lot of those experiences. … It’s crazy. It’s a lot of hard work, a lot of determination and a lot of support along the way.”

Mitchell followed a third-round 75 with a 67.

“When you get close to the lead on the PGA Tour, it’s an experience, it’s tough,” Mitchell said. “I’m not beating myself up for it, but I felt like today kind of showed me that I can do it.”

Garnett birdied the par-3 11th, parred the next seven and closed with a bogey.

“I just wanted to make nine pars on the back,” Garnett said. “I got off to a great start.”

He birdied Nos. 2-4, bogeyed Nos. 5-6 and birdied No. 7 on the front nine.

Kelly Kraft was third at 13 under after a 67.

“I thought this place was supposed to be paradise,” Kraft said. “It was not today. It was tough out there for sure. The wind was brutal and it rained like pretty much every hole except for my first few.”

Denny McCarthy (70) was 12 under. Harris English (70) and K.J. Choi (66) topped the group at 11 under.

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo dropped out Friday, finishing last in the 132-man field in his PGA Tour debut. He shot 77-82 playing as an amateur on a sponsor exemption.

AUSTIN, Texas – Bubba Watson was in high spirits for someone with such low expectations at the Dell Technologies Match Play.

Walking to the sixth tee, already 2 up in his semifinal match against Justin Thomas, he smiled and said, “Just remember, I was beating No. 1 at some point.” Thomas only had to win that match to reach No. 1 in the world, and Watson figured that’s what would happen.

–It was about the only thing he got wrong Sunday.

Watson denied Thomas with a brand of golf that was close to flawless, and then he made the final look as though he were on vacation all along. Watson won his second World GolfChampionship with the biggest blowout since the title match switched to 18 holes in 2011, a 7-and-6 victory over Kevin Kisner.

He sure didn’t expect to play only 28 holes in two matches on the final day at Austin Country Club, lead after every one of them, and pose with the trophy.

“There’s stories all different directions that didn’t go the way I saw it,” he said. “It worked out in my favour. I’m glad I didn’t see it.”

Watson wasn’t as sharp in the final as he was in his 3-and-2 victory over Thomas, and didn’t have to be. If not for missing a 4-foot birdie putt on the sixth hole of the championship match, Watson would have won the first seven holes.

After capturing his 11th career victory, @BubbaWatson discusses his huge @DellMatchPlay win. https://t.co/9Ai6rST987

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 25, 2018

Kisner contributed to that. After escaping in 19 holes against Alex Noren in the semifinals, in which Noren had putts of 10 feet and 7 feet on the last two holes to win, Kisner didn’t put up much of a fight. He made four straight bogeys, and only twice was putting for birdie through 10 holes.

“I don’t know what was going on. It was just pitiful,” Kisner said. “I’ve just got to forget this 12 holes and get back to working on the things that got me here.”

Watson never expected to be here, mainly because this fickle format is not his favourite. He reached the semifinals his first year in 2011 – losing to Martin Kaymer, the PGA champion, for Kaymer to go to No. 1 in the world – and only made it to the weekend once after that.

So he booked a family vacation for Sunday, and then had to change his plans, which was a good problem to have.

Watson won $1.7 million for his 11th career victory on the PGA Tour.

The tougher match was against Thomas, the PGA champion who was poised to replace Dustin Johnson at No. 1 in the world.

Watson went out to a 3-up lead on the front nine, and when Thomas closed to 1 down at the turn with his first birdie putt, Watson won two of the next three holes to regain control. Thomas didn’t make another birdie until the par-5 16th, and by then it was too late. Watson made his birdie from 3 feet for the win.

Thomas said he was too consumed with what was at stake in the semifinals – the No. 1 ranking.

“I haven’t had such a hard time not thinking about something so much. And that really sucked,” Thomas said. “I couldn’t stop thinking about it, to be perfectly honest. And I think you’re constantly getting questions about it with the media. But I need to be mentally stronger than that, and understand that it’s just a match.”

Noren beat Thomas in the consolation match, 5 and 3.

One year after Watson disappeared from among the elite in golf, he has won twice in his last four starts. He was No. 117 in the world when he arrived at Riviera, where he won for the third time in his career. With his 11th victory on the PGA Tour, he now is back up to No. 21.

And the two-time Masters champion added his name to the growing list of contenders at Augusta National.

“I’m looking forward to it, and hopefully I can get this focus and my putter rolling like it is,” Watson said.

Watson played 109 holes over seven matches, going to the 18th hole just once when he halved his match with Julian Suri on Friday.

Through it all, he said he wasn’t committed to only four or five shots. He was hitting high draws, low cuts, all the shots he created as a kid in the Florida Panhandle when he was just a boy with a club and a wild imagination.

He wouldn’t have imagined such an easy time against Kisner in the all-Georgia Bulldogs final that ended with the fabled “dog license” score in match play. A dog license in Britain used to cost seven shillings, six pence (referred to as 7 and 6).

Watson holed a 10-foot birdie on the opening hole, and then Kisner took care of the rest with four straight bogeys. Watson missed his short birdie putt to win the sixth hole, but not to worry. Kisner’s next shot bounced off a spectator’s head and next to a fence, and he had to chip off loose soil across the green for another bogey.

This can happen in match play, and Kisner saw it Saturday in his 8-and-6 victory over Ian Poulter.

Watson, finally, was on the winning end of it.

“It’s crazy to think about it,” Watson said. “I’ve got two World Golf Championships, and two majors. It’s unbelievable to think about that, giving my mom a hug. Six years old, having one golf club for a year, no lessons. I can sit here and make up stories all day, but it’s absolutely remarkable that I’m able to life a trophy like this.”

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Hugo Bernard wouldn’t go down without a fight on Sunday at the Azalea Invitational. The Team Canada National Amateur Squad member erased a two-stroke deficit to start the round, eventually forcing a three-man playoff at 11 under with Cole Hammer and Joseph Pagdin.

Bernard, a Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., native birdied two of his final four holes to force extra holes, but couldn’t hang on as America’s Hammer emerged victorious at the Country Club of Charleston.

Fellow Team Canada member and Quebec native Joey Savoie also cracked the top 10, finishing fifth at 6 under par (70-71-67-70). Amateur Squad teammate Josh Whalen of Napanne, Ont., finished T11 at even par (72-68-76-78).

Click here for full scoring.

AUSTIN, Texas – Justin Thomas was on antibiotics when he arrived in Texas and mustered enough strength for a short practice round that left him wondering how long he would last in the Dell Technologies Match Play, if at all.

“I had a pretty serious conversation with my dad on Monday if I was going to play,” Thomas said. “There were probably 15 or so people that watched me play nine holes. You find those 15 people and see if they thought I was ready to play in a golf tournament. Some of the shots I hit were pretty funny.”

His health improved. So has his golf.

And now Thomas is one match away from reaching No. 1 in the world and having a shot at his first World Golf Championships title.

Thomas made quick work of Si Woo Kim to win on the 13th hole Saturday morning, and then he pulled away from Kyle Stanley in the afternoon by winning three straight holes to start the back nine that carried him to a 2-and-1 victory.

Now he has a clear path – and a familiar one for Bubba Watson – to replace Dustin Johnson at No. 1 in the world.

Johnson didn’t win a match this week and will not get any world ranking points. That means Thomas only has to beat Watson in the semifinals Sunday morning to become the seventh American to top the world ranking.

“I don’t care when it happens,” Thomas said about going to No. 1. “I just hope it happens, and it happens for a while.”

It’s only fitting Watson stands in his way.

Miss anything from @DellMatchPlay?

Day 4 highlights right here ? pic.twitter.com/h1MuDvYFZX

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 25, 2018

Watson outlasted Brian Harman in a battle of Georgia southpaws and then won five of six holes to start the back nine to beat Kiradech Aphibarnrat, 5 and 3. That put him in the semifinals for the first time since his Match Play debut in 2011 when it was in Arizona.

That was the year the reigning PGA champion – Martin Kaymer – only had to beat Watson to reach No. 1 in the world. Kaymer won with an 8-foot par on the 18th hole.

“I guess I’m good at that,” Watson said. “If you want No. 1, just beat me, and you’ll be No. 1.”

Alex Noren extended his run at Austin Country Club by winning for the ninth time in his last 10 matches. His only loss was to Johnson a year ago in the quarterfinals, and he needed only 31 holes to beat Patrick Reed and Cameron Smith of Australia.

Noren and Thomas are the only semifinalists who have not lost a match this week.

Kevin Kisner reached the semifinals with a big putt and a big blowout. He made a birdie on the 18th hole to beat Matt Kuchar, and then matched the shortest match of the week with an 8-and-6 victory over Ian Poulter, who was disappointed for more than just losing.

“Probably didn’t see that one coming,” Kisner said. “I thought it was going to be a difficult match. Obviously, Ian’s match-play record speaks for itself. I got off to a good start making a few birdies. He made a few mistakes, and I was able to capitalize on those. And things just snowballed from there.”

Poulter was told after he beat Louis Oosthuizen in the morning that reaching the quarterfinals was enough for him to be in the top 50 at the end of the week, which would get him into the Masters. Moments later, he received a text that he needed to win his match against Kisner.

“I gave him no fight at all. It was rubbish,” said Poulter, who didn’t make a birdie.

The misinformation wasn’t to blame, though it clearly added to an all-around bad day at the office.

“Next time I won’t listen to other people. I’ll do my bit and focus better,” Poulter said. “I mean, I can’t put that down as an excuse. It would be an excuse if I said it. So it’s disappointing to be given the wrong information, but that wasn’t part of this afternoon.”

Kisner faces Noren, whom he knows from their college days – Kisner at Georgia, Noren at Oklahoma State.

Thomas (No. 2) and Noren (No. 13) are the only top seeds from the 16 groups who advanced to the semifinals. Noren has had a pair of close calls this year, losing in a playoff at Torrey Pines and finishing one shot out of a playoff that Thomas won at the Honda Classic.

Thomas knows what he’s up against. Watson, who won last month at Riviera, is looking very much like the two-time Masters champion again.

Watson has played the 18th hole just one time this week, a halve with Julian Suri that allowed him to avoid a playoff to advance. Reaching the semifinals was bittersweet in one respect – he was to leave the country Sunday morning for a family vacation.

That will have to wait.

Kiradech bogeyed the 10th and 11th to fall behind, and Watson birdied the next two holes to go 4 up, win the match and delay his vacation.

Why even book a flight on Sunday knowing he could reach the semifinals? Apparently, the flights were cheaper.

“I’ve never made it to Sunday at this golf course, so why not?” Watson said. “t’s a good problem to have, when you have to cancel stuff for an extra day. It’s well worth it to play on Sunday.”

So it will be a semifinal match between two players who at one time thought they wouldn’t be in Austin this long.

BILOXI, Miss. – Steve Stricker moved into position for his second straight PGA Tour Champions victory, shooting a 3-under 69 in gusting wind Saturday to take a one-stroke lead in the Rapiscan Systems Classic.

Stricker won the Cologuard Classic three weeks ago in Tucson, Arizona, for his first victory on the 50-and-over tour. He tied for 12th the following week in the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship.

“It was a tough day today. It was a grind out there,” Stricker said. “The wind made it very difficult. The greens are very quick, you just had to hit some shots. I made a couple putts on the back side that got things going a bit for me, so in a good spot heading into tomorrow.”

Stricker had a 7-under 137 total at Fallen Oak, the Tom Fazio-designed layout with big, speedy greens. First-round leader Joe Durant followed his opening 66 with a 72 to drop into a tie for second with Jeff Sluman (67). Stephen Ames (68) and Billy Andrade (70) were 5 under.

Today was a good day for @StephenAmesPGA ?

He’s T4 at the @RapiscanClassic, 2 off the lead ?? pic.twitter.com/bMhYDaWVNF

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) March 25, 2018

Stricker bogeyed Nos. 2-3, rebounded with birdies on Nos. 6-7, birdied the par-4 12th and ran in a 75-footer for eagle on the par-5 13th.

“Just trying to get it up there in a 3-foot circle, really, around that hole,” Stricker said about the eagle. “The wind was blowing pretty good at the time, and there’s a lot of variables. Up the hill, it had a pretty big break to it. Just tried to lag it up there. Sometimes those are the ones that you end up making.”

The 51-year-old Wisconsin player has six top-three finishes in eight career senior starts, tying for second behind Durant in the Chubb Classic last month in Naples, Florida.

“I don’t feel as much pressure, but still feel the pressure to try to win,” Stricker said. “It will be a challenge tomorrow for everybody who’s up around the lead. I think we’re going to get a little breezy day again tomorrow and the greens are still fast.”

Durant had an early double bogey and bogey.

“It was tough,” Durant said. “The wind was gusty and the greens were fast, so that combination makes it really difficult.”

The 60-year-old Sluman won the last of his six senior titles in 2014.

“Very, very difficult,” Sluman said. “I think our officials did a great job of setting the golf course up. We had a few tees up on really long holes that were into the wind.”

Mark Calcavecchia, a stroke back after a first-round 67, had a 75 that left him tied for eighth at 2 under.

Two-time defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez was tied for 45th at 4 over after a 76.

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Cristie Kerr blew a five-stroke lead Saturday in the Kia Classic to set up a final-round showdown at Aviara Golf Club.

A day after shooting an 8-under 64 to open the big lead, Kerr had a 75 to drop a stroke behind playing partner Lizette Salas, Eun-Hee Ji and In-Kyung Kim. Kerr was tied with Caroline Hedwall, Wei-Ling Hsu and Cindy LaCrosse, and four players were another shot back in the final event before the major ANA Inspiration next week at Mission Hills.

“There is still Sunday,” Kerr said. “Somebody else got to sleep with the lead.”

The 40-year-old Kerr had a double bogey on the par-4 15th after snap-hooking a drive into the trees, and hitting a hybrid off a cart path.

“I just didn’t have it,” Kerr said. “I’ve got to go work on my game a little bit. Kind of been a little bit of the story this year, a little bit of inconsistency. Just got to be grateful I’m only one back with a whole new Sunday.”

The 2015 winner at Aviara, she followed the double bogey with a two-putt birdie on the short par-4 16th and had a bogey on the par-4 18th.

“Mentally, just wasn’t quite as sharp. Swing wasn’t quite as sharp,” Kerr said. “I mean, every putt I hit like bounced horribly. Like a lot of putts didn’t have a chance to go in the hole. I don’t know why it was different today on the greens.”

Ji had a 67 to match Salas (69) and Kim (69) at 11-under 205.

“Rough is really hard out there, so I try to keep in my fairway and try to keep it on the green,” Ji said. “I really focus on that.”

Salas had a chance to pull away, but missed birdie putts of 1 1/2 feet on 16 and 2 1/2 feet on the par-5 17th.

“I will admit there were a little nerves in there,” said Salas, the former Southern California player from Azusa. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in this position. But I was having fun out there just kind of taking what I could get. Mix of luck and momentum going. A lot of could haves, but I’m not going to dwell on that. Just going to be fortunate to be in this position again and just give it my all tomorrow.”

Anna Nordqvist had a 66 to top the group at 9 under.

Top-ranked Shanhan Feng (69) and Lydia Ko (70) were four strokes back at 7 under. Inbee Park, coming off a victory last week in the Founders Cup in Phoenix, was 6 under after a 68. Singapore winner Michelle Wie had a 68 to get to 5 under.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., was the top Canadian at 4 under after a third round of 73. Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was at 2 under after shooting 74 on Saturday.

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – It didn’t take long for Canadian Corey Conners to show that his breakout performance at the Valspar Championship was no fluke.

The Listowel, Ont., native will tee it up in Sunday’s final group for the second time in as many events. Conners’ five-birdie effort tied the low-round of the day, leaving the Team Canada National Squad graduate two back of the lead.

Conners’ round was punctuated by a chip-in birdie on the par-3 9th, to an elevated green well above the 26-year-old’s line of sight.

.@coreconn’s short game is ????

He’s in solo 2nd heading into the final round of the @CoralesChamp ?? pic.twitter.com/V6Wk19no0o

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) March 24, 2018

In his rookie season on the PGA TOUR, Conners has made 10 cuts in 11 events, with a T16 at the Valspar Championship two weeks ago being his best finish. Conners held the first-, second- and third-round leads at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort after coming into that week as third alternate.

“Really happy with the round,” Conners said. “I got off to a nice start, made a bunch of birdies on the front nine and kind of held it together on the back nine. It was playing really difficult. The wind was really blowing out there, made things challenging.”

He’ll tee off at 11:25 a.m. ET alongside leader Brice Garnett, a two-time winner on the Web.com Tour. The pair will be joined by Tyler McCumber, a Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada alumnus, who holds third place at 12 under par.

Click here for full scoring.

CARLSBAD, Calif. _ Cristie Kerr shot an 8-under 64 on Friday in the Kia Classic to take a five-stroke lead into the weekend.

The 40-year-old Kerr had eight birdies in her second straight bogey-free round to reach 13-under 131 at rain-softened Aviara.

“I like winning. I like challenging myself,” Kerr said. “Definitely doesn’t get any easier as you get older with the travel and recovery time. I got up this morning and I’m like, ‘Man, why does my hamstring hurt?’ From working around this hilly golf course. The golf ball doesn’t know an age. I’ve always said that. As long as I stay hungry, going to just keep playing.”

She has 20 LPGA Tour victories, winning at Aviara in 2015. She won twice last year and helped the U.S. beat Europe in her ninth Solheim Cup appearance.

“It’s tough as you get older just being fresh and rested,” Kerr said. “I put more focus into that as I’ve gotten older. I still practice, but off the course I try to get more rest.”

Lizette Salas, In-Kyung Kim, Hee Young Park and Caroline Hedwall were tied for second. Salas shot 67, Kim 69, and Park and Hedwall 70.

“I really like this golf course. I really like the environment,” said Salas, the former University of Southern California player from Azusa. “My family gets to come out. So much confidence at the beginning of the week, and definitely showed the first two days.

Jeong Eun Lee was 7 under after a 69, and defending ANA champion So Yeon Ryu had a 70 to get to 6 under.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson (70) Ariya Jutanugarn (72) and 2016 winner Lydia Ko (71) were 5 under. Shanshan Feng (68) was another stroke back, and Singapore winner Michelle Wie (72) was 1 under.

The only other Canadian to make the cut was Maude-Aimee Leblanc at 4 under.

Lexi Thompson was 2 over after a 74, making the cut on the number in the final event before the major ANA Inspiration next week at Mission Hills.

Kerr opened with birdies on the par-5 10th and par-3 11th, added birdies on the par-4 16th, 18th and second, and ran off three in a row on the par-3 sixth, par-4 seventh and par-5 eighth.

“I don’t think you can fall asleep on one shot,” Kerr said. “It’s a really good golf course. I think I play better on courses that demand the focus, so I think that’s why I’ve played well here in the past. … I’m trying not to put limits on myself right now. I’ve got some good things going on with my swing.”

She has long been one best putters and green-readers in the world.

“I can see the subtleties that a lot of people can’t,” Kerr said. “It’s a gift from God being able to do that. I’ve always had that, so I’m lucky.”

Laura Davies withdrew after an opening 82. The 54-year-old Davies tied for second last week in the Founders Cup in Phoenix, playing through painful left Achilles and calf problems.

AUSTIN, Texas – One shot into the match, Jordan Spieth already was in a golf cart being driven back to the tee.

It took three holes before Patrick Reed had to putt.

The most anticipated match turned into a sloppy affair Friday when Spieth hit one shot out-of-bounds, two shots into a hazard and three times gave away a chance to win the hole by three-putting.

And right when it looked as though Spieth might still have a chance, Reed buried him with a 40-foot birdie putt from behind the 17th green for a 2-and-1 victory in the Dell Technologies Match Play that sent Reed into the weekend and Spieth searching for answers.

“I don’t think it would have been that tough to beat me today,” Spieth said.

Reed was tough enough when it mattered. He seized control with the prettiest shot of the match, a knockdown wedge into the wind that grazed the front edge of the cup on the 13th for a 2-up lead. He ended it with a putt that looked as though it might go 8 feet by until the hole got in the way.

“Just happened to be the perfect line,” Reed said. “Thank God, because that thing was moving.”

Reed is among 16 players who won their group on Friday at Austin Country Club and advanced to single-elimination on the weekend, all of them from matches away from a World Golf Championships title.

That group includes Justin Thomas, at No. 2 the top seed remaining, who can go to No. 1 in the world by winning.

It doesn’t include Dustin Johnson, the defending champion who played so poorly that none of the three matches he lost made it to the 18th hole. Johnson left the gallery with one parting shot, a 489-yard drive that would be the longest in PGA Tour history except that stats from Match Play are not official.

Rory McIlroy had a chance to advance except that he was beaten soundly by Brian Harman.

And it doesn’t include Spieth, who now has gone seven tournaments since his last top 10.

“I’m human and I’m realistic that based on the way the year’s gone … it’s been kind of a trying time for me, especially on and round the greens,” Spieth said. “Stuff I took for granted in setup and pace control and all that kind of stuff … has been a little bit more difficult. And I’ve been trying to figure out how to get back to that level, and I’ve been trying different things.”

Thomas and Sergio Garcia (No. 7) were the only top-10 seeds to advance to the fourth round. Thomas had the easiest time, a 7-and-5 victory over Francesco Molinari. Asked how he felt going into the weekend, Thomas replied, “The same as the other 16 guys. We all start at the same place.”

Phil Mickelson was eliminated when Charles Howell III, who beat Lefty on Wednesday, completed a 3-0 mark in group play by beating Satoshi Kodaira.

Howell and Ian Poulter, who swept his matches when Kevin Chappell conceded at the turn with a back injury, still have a chance to earn a spot in the Masters by getting into the top 50 at the end of the week. They both need to win at least one more match.

Paul Casey might have had the toughest day: He lost twice.

Casey only had to halve his match to advance for the third time in four years. He lost to Matt Fitzpatrick, and even then had a chance to win his group if the other match was halved. Instead, Kyle Stanley made an 8-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to win, and then he beat Casey on the second hole of a playoff.

Tyrrell Hatton also was forced into a playoff, and he beat Brendan Steele on the first extra hole.

The tightest match was Alex Noren and Tony Finau, one of four matches between players who had not lost all week. Finau won three straight holes on the back nine to take a 1-up lead, only to lose the 14th with a bogey. With the match all square, Noren made a 10-foot birdie at the 17th to go 1 up, and then holed a 15-foot par putt on the final hole to avoid going to a playoff with Finau.

Noren now has won seven of his last eight matches in his event, his only loss coming to Johnson in the quarterfinals last year.

Garcia won on the 17th hole against Xander Schauffele and won his group for the first time since it switched to pool play in 2014. He also becomes the home favourite from living part-time in Austin, where his wife gave birth to their first child last week.

Si Woo Kim outlasted Webb Simpson on the 18th hole to advance.

Matt Kuchar made a hole-in-one in a 6-and-4 victory over Ross Fisher to advance to the weekend for the second time in three years.

Vubba Watson birdied his last two holes to earn a halve against Julian Suri and avoid a playoff. Watson next faces Harman, a match of Georgia lefties.

Louis Oosthuizen beat Jason Day with two clutch putts, and then won the group with a 12-foot par putt in a playoff to beat Jason Dufner. This is the third time in four years that Oosthuizen has reached the weekend.

Kevin Kisner, a 4-and-3 winner over Johnson, figured he was headed for a playoff when Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., took a 1-up lead on the 18th over Bernd Wiesberger. But then Wiesberger holed a 20-foot putt for birdie, Hadwin missed his par putt from 12 feet and Kisner won the group.