The Republic of Korea successfully battled the heat once again at The Marshes Golf Club, carding a 6-under 138 on Wednesday to extend their team lead through two rounds of the World Junior Girls Championship.

On the strength of Hae-Ran Ryu’s 4-under 68, the Koreans have built up a seven-stroke team advantage. The trio’s second-counting score was posted by the individual leader, Seo-yun Kwon, who maintained her first-round lead after carding five birdies on the day to move to 9 under for the tournament — good for a four-stroke cushion.

Chasing Kwon for the individual title are five competitors deadlocked in second place at 6 under par: Esther Henseleit (Germany), Alessia Nobilio (Italy), Linn Grant (Sweden), Hana Ryskova (Czech Republic) and Annabel Wilson (Ireland).

Wilson carded the low-round of the day with a six-birdie, 5-under-par effort.

“Everything was going well today, it was a stress-free round of golf,” said Wilson, who played in the inaugural World Junior Girls Championship in 2014. “My putter was hot today which was the biggest difference from yesterday. I hit one more green yesterday but I took five less shots today so it really was all because of the putter.”

The Korean squad are looking to mirror their success from the 2015 championship — also hosted at The Marshes — where they recorded an 18-stroke team victory. They are currently trailed by the Americans at 9 under and Germans at 7 under.

Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que., posted four birdies on the day to lead all Canadians at even-par for the tournament (74-70).

“I had a good start, I was hitting the ball well but my long putts were the key,” said the 16-year-old Dao. “I was 3 under after the front nine, which was a great start for me.”

Playing for Canada on home soil was not lost on the reigning Quebec Women’s Amateur champion.

“It’s an honour for me to play for Canada at this tournament,” added Dao. “I know that the scores will be low because it is the best in the world competing but it doesn’t change how I approach my game. It is just great to compare my game with theirs.”

The second round was delayed from 2:45 p.m. to 4:03 p.m. due to lightning.

The third round of tournament play will begin at 8 a.m. Additional information and full results from the competition can be found here.

Pos	Team	Today	Thru	Total	R1	R2	R3	R4	Total
1	Republic of Korea	-6	F *	-16	134	138			272
2	United States of America	E	F *	-9	135	144			279
3	Germany	-4	F *	-7	141	140			281
T4	Denmark	-2	F	-6	140	142			282
T4	Sweden	-2	F *	-6	140	142			282
6	Spain	-3	F *	-5	142	141			283
T7	France	-1	F *	-4	141	143			284
T7	Italy	-2	F *	-4	142	142			284
9	England	-2	F *	-1	145	142			287
T10	Ireland	-4	F	E	148	140			288
T10	Philippines	-2	F	E	146	142			288
12	Czech Republic	+6	F	+2	140	150			290
13	Switzerland	+2	F *	+3	145	146			291
14	Mexico	+3	F	+4	145	147			292
T15	Australia	+8	F	+6	142	152			294
T15	Chinese Taipei	+2	F	+6	148	146			294
17	Belgium	+4	F	+7	147	148			295
18	Canada 1	+2	F	+8	150	146			296
19	Canada 2	+11	F	+14	147	155			302
20	People Republic of China	+6	F	+17	155	150			305

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR today announced the 2018 Web.com Tour schedule, which features 27 tournaments played in 18 states and four countries outside the United States, and culminates with the four-event Web.com Tour Finals in August and September. The 27 events mark the most on the Web.com Tour calendar since 2012, with the $18.3 million in total prize money representing the most since the Tour’s 2010 season.

“We are thrilled with the positive momentum the Web.com Tour has established, and today’s schedule announcement is another indication of the further growth and strength of the Web.com Tour,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The players benefit greatly from these increased playing opportunities and arrive on the PGA TOUR ready to compete and win immediately.”

The season-long chase for 50 available PGA TOUR cards encompasses a 23-event Regular Season that runs from The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay in January through the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by Kraft-Heinz in August, before giving way to the sixth annual Web.com Tour Finals, which will culminate with the season-ending Web.com Tour Championship in Atlantic Beach, Fla.

Twelve events will air on Golf Channel, including all four Web.com Tour Finals tournaments. The Web.com Tour will be seen in 180 other countries and territories, reaching a potential 300 million households across 36 channels outside the United States via the PGA TOUR’s international broadcasting operation.

“The momentum we’re seeing on the Web.com Tour is a direct result of the support from our title sponsors, the tireless effort put forth by our tournament directors and their staffs, and the passionate volunteers who donate time to make each event special and impactful,” said Web.com Tour President Dan Glod. “You combine that with the unique experience our players provide for fans by being approachable and engaging – on and off the golf course – and you can see why we are excited about the Web.com Tour’s future. As we look to 2018, we are pleased to see our schedule expand and will continue to focus on growth while enhancing the experience for fans, sponsors and players.”

The first five years of the Web.com Tour Finals have created a dramatic conclusion to the season-long chase for the 50 available PGA TOUR cards, with a host of the graduates finding immediate success on TOUR.

The 2016-17 PGA TOUR season saw Cody Gribble (Sanderson Farms Championship), Rod Pampling (Shriners Hospitals for Children Open) and Mackenzie Hughes (The RSM Classic) win in the first seven events of the year, while Emiliano Grillo (Safeway Open), Smylie Kaufman (Shriners Hospitals for Children Open) and Peter Malnati (Sanderson Farms Championship) earned three of the first four titles of the 2015-16 season after competing in the Web.com Tour Finals.

In total, nine graduates from the Web.com Tour’s Class of 2016 won 10 times on the PGA TOUR this past year, including Xander Schauffele, who earned his first title at the Greenbrier Classic and played his way into last week’s TOUR Championship in Atlanta, where he became the first rookie in history to win the TOUR’s season-ending event at storied East Lake Golf Club.

“The growth of the Web.com Tour and the caliber of its talent show that the PGA TOUR and Web.com are creating future opportunities where players can realize their full potential,” said David L. Brown, Chairman, CEO and President of Web.com. “The changes we are announcing will only improve the level of play while making meaningful contributions to local communities that reach far beyond golf.”

The 2018 season will open with the Web.com Tour returning to The Bahamas for the second annual Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay (1/13-1/16) and Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club (1/21-1/24). The Exuma Classic will feature a Saturday-Tuesday competition schedule, while the Abaco Classic will feature a Sunday-Wednesday format. All four rounds of each tournament will be carried live on Golf Channel.

For the first time in Web.com Tour history, the season will open with events in four consecutive weeks, as the tournaments in The Bahamas will be followed by the Panama Championship the week of January 29-February 4 and the Club Colombia Championship the week of February 5-11.

The El Bosque Mexico Championship in Leon, Mexico will be held on March 5-11, while the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by NACHER will return to Le Triomphe Golf & Country Club in Broussard, La., for a 27^th consecutive season the week of March 19-25.

The Web.com Tour will welcome two new events to the calendar in 2018, with the Savannah Golf Championship set for the week of March 26-April 1, and the North Mississippi Classic debuting the week of April 16-22. The Savannah Golf Championship will be contested at Deer Creek Golf Course at The Landings Club in Savannah, Ga., while the North Mississippi Classic will be held at the Country Club of Oxford in Oxford, Miss.

The North Mississippi Classic will be the third PGA TOUR-sanctioned event to be held annually in Mississippi, joining the PGA TOUR’s Sanderson Farms Championship and the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic on PGA TOUR Champions. Mississippi is one of just five states to host an annual tournament on all three Tours, with California, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina being the other four.

The United Leasing & Finance Championship, held annually at famed Victoria National Golf Club near Evansville, Ind., will round out the Tour’s April schedule the week of April 23-29.

Two of the biggest moves in the Tour’s traditional schedule layout are found in May, with the Knoxville Open in Knoxville, Tenn., moving from its traditional August date to the week of May 7-13. The Tour will return with the 27^th annual BMW Charity Pro-Am (May 14-20) in the South Carolina Upstate the following week, with the Nashville Golf Open Benefitting the Snedeker Foundation moving back approximately one month to the week of May 21-27.

Beginning with the Rex Hospital Open in Raleigh, N.C. the week of May 28-June 3, the Web.com Tour will play 11 tournaments in 12 weeks through the summer months to round out the Regular Season. Tournaments featured during that stretch include:

• June 4-10          Rust-Oleum Championship
• June 18-24        Air Capital Classic Supporting Wichita’s Youth
• June 25-1          Lincoln Land Charity Championship
• July 2-8             LECOM Health Challenge
• July 9-15           Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank
• July 16-22         Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Heartland Chevy Dealers
• July 23-29         Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper
• July 30-5           Digital Ally Open
• August 6-12      Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae
• August 13-19    WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by Kraft-Heinz

The WinCo Foods Portland Open will return to Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club near Portland, Ore., for a fifth straight year, where the first 25 PGA TOUR cards for the 2018-19 season will be determined.

The 2018 Web.com Tour Finals will begin the following week with back-to-back events in Ohio for the first time. The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship will be held at Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course in Columbus on August 20-26, with the DAP Championship at storied Canterbury Golf Club set for the week of August 27-September 2 just two hours northeast in Beachwood.

Following a week off, the Finals will conclude with the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco (Sept. 10-16) and the Web.com Tour Championship, which will return to Atlantic Beach Country Club in Atlantic Beach, Fla. the week of September 17-23.

The season-ending Web.com Tour Championship will finalize the second set of 25 PGA TOUR cards for 2018-19 and determine player positioning in the priority ranking system, which is used to form fields for TOUR events, for all 50 card recipients.

For more information on the 2018 Web.com Tour season, please visit PGATOUR.com.

Following the week-long celebration of Adopt a School Week, Golf Canada is proud to announce an additional 240 adoptions occurred in 2017 thanks to the efforts of corporate sponsors, industry partners, and golf enthusiasts across the country.

In total, the figure translates to an additional 28,800 elementary, intermediate and high school students being introduced to the sport through the Future Links, driven by Acura Golf in Schools program.

With support from industry partners—the Provincial Associations, PGA of Canada and the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA)—Golf in Schools was donated to 30 schools during Adopt a School Week. This figure was further made possible through the donation of the Canadian Seniors Golf Association, who helped Golf Canada create a matching program to essentially double the impact of those helping grow the sport.

Presenting sponsor Acura donated an initial 10 schools, followed by a Facebook contest to select five additional schools in the coming weeks.

Golf Town, the official retailer of Future Links driven by Acura, adopted 93 schools as part of a fundraising initiative at retail locations across the country.

RBC continued their support to all levels of Canadian golf by adopting five schools into the program.

Since the program’s inception in 2009, adoptions have accounted for close to 50% of over 3,200 registered schools delivering the curriculum. For Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer, that number presents a great opportunity to build community relationships.

“With Golf in Schools adoptions, we hope to help establish a connection between facilities and schools in respective communities across Canada,” said Thompson. “Establishing that link can enhance the school’s delivery of the program, while also contributing towards future membership numbers at the corresponding facility.”

Click here to learn how you can help grow that trend.

Future Links, driven by Acura Golf in Schools was created to introduce Canadian elementary and high school students to the game of the golf. Developed by Physical and Health Education Canada (PHE Canada) in partnership with Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada and Canada’s provincial golf associations, the program is designed to deliver physical education learning outcomes through fun golf related activities. With 10,000 elementary schools and 4,600 high schools representing close to 4.5 million students across the country, the Canadian school system and its physical education curriculum represents the single most concentrated opportunity to introduce children of all backgrounds to the sport of golf. The Golf in Schools program is proudly supported by Acura, Puma, Heritage Canada, ClubLink, Golf Town, the R&A and the National Golf Course Owners Association Canada (NGCOA). For more information, visit
www.golfcanada.ca/golfinschools

The season-ending Web.com Tour Championship – the fourth and final event in the annual Web.com Tour Finals – gets underway at Atlantic Beach (Fla.) Country Club this week as one of the year’s strongest fields will compete for a $1 million purse and one of 25 PGA TOUR cards on the line.

Since 2013, the Web.com Tour has awarded 50 PGA TOUR cards annually, with the top 25 players on the Regular-Season-ending money list earning theirs following the conclusion of the WinCo Foods Portland Open in August, and the additional 25 coming via the Web.com Tour Finals – which combine Nos. 1-75 on the Web.com Tour money list and Nos. 126-200 on the TOUR’s FedExCup points list.

The field at Atlantic Beach is littered with many familiar PGA TOUR names, including two-time major champion Angel Cabrera, nine-time TOUR winner Stuart Appleby, six-time TOUR winner Hunter Mahan and five-time TOUR winners Ben Crane and Jonathan Byrd.

Among those on the cusp of the 25th and final spot is Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., who currently sits at No. 27 on the Web.com Finals-only list:

Players who have already secured their PGA TOUR cards through the Regular Season and the Finals—including Canadians Ben Silverman, Corey Conners and Adam Svensson—are vying for positioning and status for the 2017-18 season, which will be used to fill fields. accordingly.

The Republic of Korea were not fazed by the sweltering heat on Monday at The Marshes Golf Club, carding a score of 10 under to take the 18-hole lead at the fourth annual World Junior Girls Championship.

In temperatures upwards of 30 C, the Korean team recorded a score of 134 to build a one-stroke advantage over the American squad. The trio were paced by Seo-yun Kwon, who fired a 7-under-par 65 for a two-stroke cushion in the individual competition.

“For the first three or four holes I missed a couple birdie putts and that made me hot because I was angry,” said Kwon. “The turning point was a birdie on the sixth and at that point I didn’t even realize how warm it was.”

The 16-year-old thrived in the heat, recording five birdies and an eagle on the par-5 14th.

“Right before you make a shot you imagine how it will go in your mind. During the practice round I tried to get on in three because it is a long hole,” said Kwon. “Today, my driver was so good that when I got to my ball, I realized I should try to reach with my three wood. My putter was also great today so the 14th went exactly how I imagined it would.”

The second-counting score for the Republic of Korea was registered by Yunji Jeong, who posted a 3-under-par 69 to sit tied for sixth. The Republic of Korea are no strangers to success at The Marshes Golf Club — they ran away with the competition when it was held at this same course in 2015, winning by a margin of 18 strokes.

“The course looks very friendly to Korean players, even though the shape and grass type are different,” added Kwon. “However, the shot has to be accurate because the fairways are narrow, including the landing zones, and there is bush on either side and those conditions are very similar to in Korea.”

Holding second place is America’s Gina Kim, who went 5 under on the back nine, including an eagle of her own on the 14th — one of two on the day. Third place is currently occupied by a trio of competitors at 4 under par: Hana Ryskova (Czech Republic), Alessia Nobilio (Italy) and Erica Shepherd (USA).

Emily Zhu, Canada’s youngest competitor from Richmond Hill, Ont., led both Canadian squads with an even-par 72 to sit T23 overall. The 13-year-old’s round was a positive note in what was otherwise a difficult opener for the host nation.

“I don’t think that it was the start that we wanted but the girls all played better than what they scored. I trust in the fact that they are hitting the ball well and that they are going to get better every day, that is our goal,” said Ann Carroll, coach of Canada One. “It is a 72-hole tournament and we will just focus on getting better every day. We’ll make today the high round and focus on trying to improve on the little things that make a big difference.”

With a total of 3-over 147, Canada Two comprised of Zhu, Euna Han (Coquitlam, B.C.) and Alyssa DiMarcantonio (Maple, Ont.) are tied for 15th place.

The second round will begin at 8 a.m. with no cut for the tournament. Additional information from the competition can be found here.

How low some of the world’s best women’s golfers can go this week at the MCKAYSON New Zealand Women’s Open will be determined by the weather gods, Canadian world no. 12 Brooke Henderson says.

With the fairways of the newly bedded in Windross Farm course east of Auckland firm and a touch unforgiving during practice and the wind gusting, scoring has been tough. However, if the wind drops, the links-styled course could well allow some low numbers when the tournament begins on Thursday.

“I think it really depends on the weather conditions and the direction that the wind is blowing,” Henderson said today following her practice round.

“It’s not a golf course [style] that I generally play a lot of; it’s playing very firm, which is partly because it’s so new of a golf course.

“I think if the wind stays up like it is right now, it is gonna be a challenge for the girls. If the wind dies and the conditions are still suitable, then the scores might be very low. I’m excited for the challenge, and hopefully good things will happen.”

Fifth on the 2017 money list with $US1,161,833 in earnings, the Ontario native arrives in Auckland in solid form, having posted a fourth career Tour victory in June at the Meijer LPGA Classic and followed up with a second at the KPMG Women’s PGA .

“I had a banner year last year; everything just seemed to be going perfect for me, and then this year, starting the season off it was a little bit tougher for me.

“But I won in June and finishing second in the Major championship that I won the year previous (PGA Championship) was definitely a lot of confidence for me, and a lot of momentum.”

Henderson said she expected her good friend Lydia Ko (the player she defeated in a playoff to claim that first major title in 2016) to relish playing on home soil in New Zealand.

“Back home I was able to play the Canadian Women’s Open, in front of my hometown, and that was a lot of fun for me. So, I feel like it’s a great opportunity for her.

“She’s an amazing player and I feel like she maybe hasn’t had the season she was looking for this year. But I know good things are gonna continue to happen for her and she’s getting it back on track.”

ATLANTA — Justin Thomas had an inkling back in January that this season might be something special.

More than winning the Sony Open for a sweep of Hawaii and his third victory in five starts, it was how he won. Thomas opened with a 59 and never let up until he set the PGA Tour’s record for lowest 72-hole score and won by seven shots. Instead of trying to protect a lead, he left everyone in his wake.

“I felt like after that, I learned a lot to where I could kind of ride that momentum out for the year,” Thomas said.

But there was a moment early in the week at Waialae that might have set the tone for a FedEx Cup title that came down to the last hour.

Thomas played with Jordan Spieth when he shot 59, and the statistics would have suggested a different outcome. Spieth led the field that day in proximity to the hole with his approach shots at 18 feet, 4 inches. Thomas was seventh at 25 feet, 7 inches.

Thomas, however, was the one making all the putts.

On more than one occasion, they were on the same line and Thomas holed his putt from a longer distance, while Spieth missed. Over the next few days, Spieth couldn’t help but smile at the observation that Thomas was doing to him what Spieth had done to so many other players.

In some respects, it was like that all year.

Thomas went into a brief lull, missing six cuts in 14 events after Hawaii. He had a few flashes of brilliances, such as his 63 in the U.S. Open. Spieth caught up with three victories, including the third leg of the career Grand Slam at the British Open.

Thomas had the best finishing kick.

He won his first major at the PGA Championship. He won at the TPC Boston by outlasting Spieth on the back nine. The FedEx Cup title came down to the last day, and at one point, Thomas and Spieth were projected to tie, which would have meant a sudden-death playoff to decide the $10 million bonus. That was unlikely to happen, but fun to contemplate, even for Thomas when he saw the projections on a video board.

“I think I laughed when I saw it,” Thomas said. “I thought, ‘Honestly, this probably will happen and the golf world will completely blow up and lose its mind if Jordan and I were in a playoff for the FedEx Cup.’ I don’t think anybody would have known what to do with themselves.”

Thomas was a birdie short of winning the Tour Championship, though the FedEx Cup title was never in doubt over the last three holes.

In the 11-year era of the FedEx Cup, he joined Spieth and Tiger Woods as the only players to win the FedEx Cup in a season with at least five victories and a major.

The awards already are rolling in. Thomas clinched the points-based award from the PGA of America as player of the year. Ballots were sent out Monday to PGA Tour players for their vote, and there’s little doubt how that will turn out. Thomas also won the PGA Tour money title with just over $9.9 million.

Along the way, Thomas ticked off plenty of goals. He had kept them to himself on his phone, not willing to disclose them until the season was over. It ended on Sunday at East Lake when he was runner-up for the first time in his PGA Tour career, and it was enough to capture the FedEx Cup.

He pulled out his phone and began to read them when the screen switched over to an incoming phone call from his grandfather.

“Hey, Grandpa, can I call you back? I’m in the middle of a press conference,” Thomas said.

The list:

— Make the Tour Championship (check).

— Win at least once (check, check, check, check, check).

— Be in the final two groups of a major on Sunday (U.S. Open, PGA Championship).

— Win a major (PGA Championship).

— Make the Presidents Cup team (check).

— Better than 0.25 in the strokes-gained putting statistic (0.289).

— Better than 1 in strokes gained tee-to-green (1.33).

— Top 10 in the all-around statistical category (No. 6)

— Top 30 in scrambling (No. 28).

— Sub-70 scoring average (69.36).

— Top 10 in half of his starts. (“I missed by one,” he said.)

Hey, he can’t have it all. But he has plenty this year, the least significant of which might be the $10 million bonus.

Cash only matters to Thomas when he loses a bet.

The difficulty is what that list looks like next season. Thomas said when he finally gets time to reflect after this week’s Presidents Cup, he’ll spend time with Spieth and Woods — two players he knows well who can appreciate big years — and ask them how to reset goals and manage expectations.

“And then we will go off to Malaysia again,” he said.

That’s where the winning started this season. The outlook no doubt will be different a year later.

Following Sunday’s conclusion of the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup Playoffs, nominees for PGA TOUR Player of the Year and PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year were finalized by the PGA TOUR Player Directors and members of the Player Advisory Council (PAC).

The nominees for the Jack Nicklaus Award as the PGA TOUR Player of the Year are (alphabetically) Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. The nominees for PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year are Wesley Bryan, Patrick Cantlay, Mackenzie Hughes, Grayson Murray and Xander Schauffele.

The Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards are determined by a member vote, with PGA TOUR members who played in at least 15 official money events during the 2016-17 season eligible to vote. The voting will close on Monday, October 2, with the winners to be announced that week.

Five nominated for PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year:

Wesley Bryan, 27
Augusta, Georgia (University of South Carolina)

• Entered 28 events with one victory at the RBC Heritage.
  Finished 41st in the FedExCup.
  Finished 113th in Adjusted Scoring Average (71.062).
  Recorded a total of five top-10 finishes with 19 made cuts.
  2016 graduate of the Web.com Tour.

Patrick Cantlay, 25
Jupiter, Florida (UCLA)

• Entered 13 events with a season-best runner-up finish at the Valspar Championship.
  Finished 29th in the FedExCup.
  One of two rookies to qualify for the season-ending TOUR Championship in 2017.
  Finished 15th in Adjusted Scoring Average (69.971).
  Recorded a total of four top-10 finishes with 13 made cuts.

Mackenzie Hughes, 26
Dundas, Ont. (Kent State University)

• Entered 31 events with one victory at The RSM Classic.
  Finished 36th in the FedExCup.
  Finished T109th in Adjusted Scoring Average (71.044).
  Recorded a total of two top-10 finishes among 22 made cuts.
  2016 graduate of the Web.com Tour.

Grayson Murray, 23
Raleigh, North Carolina (Arizona State University)

• Entered 30 events with one victory at the Barbacoa Championship.
  Finished 66th in the FedExCup.
  Finished 114th in Adjusted Scoring Average (71.064).
  Recorded a total of two top-10 finishes among 18 made cuts.
  2016 graduate of the Web.com Tour.

Xander Schauffele, 23
San Diego, California (San Diego State University)

• Entered 28 events with wins (2) at The Greenbrier Classic and TOUR Championship; first-ever rookie to win the TOUR Championship.
  Finished third in the FedExCup.
  One of two rookies to qualify for the season-ending TOUR Championship in 2017.
  Finished 27th in Adjusted Scoring Average (70.163).
  Recorded a total of four top-10 finishes among 20 made cuts.
  2016 graduate of the Web.com Tour.

Player of the Year nominees

Dustin Johnson, 33
Jupiter, Florida (Coastal Carolina University)

• Entered 20 events with victories (4) at the Genesis Open, World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and THE NORTHERN TRUST.
  Finished fourth in the FedExCup.
  Finished seventh in Adjusted Scoring Average (69.549).
  Finished the season with eight top-10 finishes among 17 made cuts.

Hideki Matsuyama, 25
Sendai, Japan (Tohoku Fukushi University)

• Entered 22 events with victories (3) at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, Waste Management Phoenix Open and World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational
  Finished eighth in the FedExCup.
  Finished 10th in Adjusted Scoring Average (69.624).
  Recorded a total of seven top-10 finishes among 20 made cuts.

Jordan Spieth, 24
Dallas, Texas (University of Texas)

• Entered 23 events with victories (3) at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Travelers Championship and The Open Championship.
  Finished second in the FedExCup.
  Finished first in Adjusted Scoring Average (68.846) to earn the Byron Nelson Award.
  Recorded 12 top-10 finishes (tied with Justin Thomas for most this season) among 20 made cuts.
  Top-10 finishes in all four FedExCup Playoffs events in 2017: THE NORTHERN TRUST (P2), Dell Technologies Championship (2), BMW Championship (T7), TOUR Championship (T7).

Justin Thomas, 24
Jupiter, Florida (University of Alabama)

• Entered 25 events with victories (5) at the CIMB Classic, Sentry Tournament of Champions, Sony Open in Hawaii, PGA Championship and Dell Technologies Championship.
  Winner of the 2017 FedExCup.
  Finished first on Official Money List to earn the Arnold Palmer Award with $9,921,560.
  Finished third in Adjusted Scoring Average (69.359).
  Recorded 12 top-10 finishes (tied with Jordan Spieth for most this season) among 19 made cuts.
  Became just the fourth player since 1960 to capture five wins, including a major, in a season before the age of 25 (Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth).

BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Nicholas Lindheim made a downhill, 35-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole after bogeying the final two holes in regulation and won the DAP Championship on Sunday to regain his PGA Tour card.

Lindheim, who lost in a playoff in this Web.com Tour Finals event last year, hit every green in regulation on the front nine and held the lead from the third hole on. But he missed his tee shot well left on the par-4 18th at Canterbury Golf Club, punched out and failed to get up and down. He shot a 1-over 71 to join Rob Oppenheim (67) and Chesson Hadley (69) in the playoff.

Given a fresh start, the 32-year-old self-taught player quickly capitalized.

“I think last year I was just content being in the playoff,” Lindheim said. “It was destiny. That’s all I can say.”

The event was the third of four tournaments that determine 25 PGA Tour cards. The series features the top 75 players from the Web.com regular-season money list, Nos. 126-200 in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings and non-members with enough money to place in the top 200 in the FedEx Cup had they been eligible.

As usual, much of the drama came further down the leaderboard as players scrambled to secure their cards.

The other players to guarantee themselves PGA TOUR privileges were Canada’s Corey Conners, Keith Mitchell, Troy Merritt, Martin Piller, Brett Stegmaier, Denny McCarthy, Bronson Burgoon and Joel Dahmen.

Conners, a Team Canada Young Pro Squad member, has finished in the top-30 in each of the first three Finals events to secure one of the 25 TOUR cards given away during the Finals.

“Yeah, it feels good. Still got some work to do, try and have another good week next week and see what happens, but yeah, it’s a nice feeling to have a good chance,” Conners said. “Yeah, really good friends with Mac,” said Conners of fellow countryman and former Kent State teammate—Mackenzie Hughes. “I’m sure he’s following along today and cheering me on.”

Conners joins fellow Canadian Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., who currently sits at No. 17 on the Web.com Tour finals heading into next week’s final event. Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., is just outside the number right now at No. 27.

Click here for live projected standings.

ATLANTA – Xander Schauffele ended his rookie season by winning the Tour Championship. Justin Thomas ended the best season with the FedEx Cup.

Schauffele, a 23-year-old worried about keeping his PGA Tour card just over three months ago, swirled in a 3-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday for a 2-under 68 to beat Thomas by one shot and become the first rookie to win the Tour Championship.

Thomas had plenty of reasons to celebrate his runner-up finish. He capped off a season of five victories and his first major championship by claiming the $10 million bonus. He closed with a 66 after he narrowly missed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th.

It was the first time since 2009 that the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup were won by different players.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., shot a 70 to finish 1-over for the tournament.