KAHNAWAKE, Que. – The 2017 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship heads to Kanawaki Golf Club for the 55th playing of the event on Sept. 11-14. A qualifying round will take place at Caughnawaga Golf Club on Friday, Sept. 8 before the championship’s four tournament rounds begin on Sept. 11.

“Golf Canada is thrilled to once again visit Quebec for our national amateur championships,” said tournament director Akash Patel. “It has been our pleasure to partner with these tremendous venues for what is sure to be a fantastic championship. Our hosts at Kanawaki have brought together a great team of volunteers; our players are going to have a wonderful experience.”

Ranked at No. 104 on SCOREGolf’s 2016 Best Courses in Canada 2016 list, Kanawaki Golf Club is one of Quebec’s premier private golf courses. Founded in 1914, the course–designed by Canadian Golf Hall of Fame brothers Albert and Charles Murray–features a challenging layout with lush fairways lined with majestic trees and quick, true greens, and was also where the movie “The Greatest Game Ever Played” was filmed.

A full field of 156 competitors aged 55-and-over from five countries will take to Kanawaki for the 55th playing of this national championship in hopes of joining its list of notable winners. Returning to defend his Canadian Men’s Senior title is Michael Mercier of Juno Beach, Fla., who shot a final-round 70 to win the event by two strokes.

John Gallacher of Burnaby, B.C., will play for a second consecutive Super Senior title after capturing the 36-hole, 70-and-over division in 2016. Also contested over the tournament’s first two rounds will be an inter-provincial team competition. Team Alberta finished 4-under 284 in 2016 to claim a dominant nine-stroke victory.

Following the opening two rounds, the field will be reduced to the low 70 players and ties. The champion will receive an exemption into the 2018 U.S. Senior Amateur championship to be contested at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Or., from Aug. 25-30.

Additional information from the tournament can be found here, while details from the qualifying competition are available here.

NOTABLES

Graham Cooke of Hudson, Que.
The 70-year-old is a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and has won the event two times in 2008 and 2009. Cooke is one of Canada’s greatest amateur golfers of all time and holds the record number of wins at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship with seven.

Doug Roxburgh of Vancouver B.C.
The 2014 winner of the event is a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. The 65-year-old won the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship four times (1972, 1974, 1982 and 1988). He also has the record for most wins at the B.C. Men’s Amateur Championship with 13.

Pierre Archambault of Candiac, Que.
The 73-year-old is a member of the host Kanawaki Golf Club. He was recently inducted into the Quebec Golf Hall of Fame and he won the Quebec Amateur Championship three times (1972, 1979 and 1987). His victories include the 1974 Duke of Kent, the 1983 Alexander of Tunis and the 1987 Spring Open.

Michael Mercier of Juno Beach, Fla.
The 59-year-old comes in as the event’s defending champion. In 2015, he won the Welsh Open Seniors Championship at Nefyn and District on the North Whales coast.

Frank Van Dornick of Camrose, Alta.
Van Dornick finished T3 at the 54th playing of the event and earned low-Canadian honours. He is fresh off a win at the 2017 Guardian Capital Alberta Senior Men’s Championship – his fourth win at the event.

Jack Hall of Savannah, Ga.
The 60-year-old won the event in 2015 and finished T7 last year. On Aug. 21 he won the Golfweek Senior Match Play Championship at Tobacco Road Golf Club in N.C.

David Schultz of Calgary, Alta.
The 60-year-old won the event in 2013 after making a birdie on the final hold of the tournament. Shultz also won the 2016 Guardian Capital Alberta Senior Men’s Championship and the Calgary City Amateur Championship – the latter he won five times – earning himself a spot in Calgary’s golf Hall of Fame.

FAST FACTS

Conducted since 1962.

Golfers must be 55 and over to be eligible.

In 1995, the 70 and over Canadian Super Senior division was added and is contested through the first two rounds.

The inter-provincial competition, which began in 1977, occurs concurrently over the first two rounds.

The champion is awarded the John Rankin Memorial Trophy.

The winner of the Super Senior division is awarded the Governors Cup.

Calgary’s Bob Wylie has won the event seven times since 1985.

Nick Weslock won the event six times between 1973 and 1983.

Paul Simon became the first person to win the British, U.S. and Canadian senior titles in the same year in 2010.

The winner receives and exemption into the 2018 U.S. Men’s Senior Amateur Championship.

ABOUT THE COURSE

Kanawaki Golf Club.

Par 70.

Founded in 1914.

Ranked at No. 104 in SCOREGolf’s 2016 list of Canada’s best golf courses.

Kanawaki hosted the 1929 RBC Canadian Open, won by legend Leo Diegel.

The Disney movie “The Greatest Game Ever Played”, starring Shia LaBeouf, and based on the true story of Francis Ouimet and the 1913 US Open, was filmed at Kanawaki in 2004.

Although Adam Hadwin still hasn’t come to grips with being Canada’s top-ranked male golfer, he’s happy to be part of the international team for the upcoming Presidents Cup.

Hadwin earned the 10th and final automatic berth on the team made up of golfers from outside Europe who will take on a team of Americans at the biennial competition. The 2017 event is slated for Sept. 28-Oct. 1 at Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City, N.J.

The 29-year-old Hadwin captured his first PGA Tour win last March at the Valspar Championship. He locked up his Presidents Cup berth last week by finishing in a tie for 13th at the Dell Technologies Championship.

“It never really left my mind this year,” Hadwin said of the Presidents Cup.

He admitted he was glad his spot didn’t come down to a captain’s pick – Canadian Mike Weir is one of the assistants to International captain Nick Price – and was pleased to make the team on merit.

“I have my place on this team,” Hadwin said. “It was nice to go out and have a great week when I needed it.”

Hadwin played Liberty National for the first time last month and liked what he saw. The par-71 course is 7,328 yards long.

“It’s an incredible piece of property. I think it’s going to be a great match-play golf course,” he said. “There are a few places where bombers can let go, but I’m not sure if it suits any specific type of player. There’s a little bit of everything.”

Hadwin said that since he’s rather reserved on the course, being paired with someone like Australia’s Marc Leishman might make sense during the competition, which features three days of team play before a final day of one-on-one matchups.

“Personality-wise I think we’re very similar,” Hadwin said of the two-time PGA Tour winner. “You think back to 2013 when Graham (DeLaet) was paired with Jason Day, and they’re both very fiery and get very pumped up. There were a lot of fist pumps and screaming and yelling.

“Maybe I will become that player at the Presidents Cup, but if I was to be paired with someone who gets that pumped up, I don’t know if I could match that energy. I’ll have to learn and find out.”

Hadwin’s first Tour victory was followed by a busy stretch away from the course. He married his longtime girlfriend Jessica two weeks after the win and they bought their first home together in Phoenix.

They had to postpone their honeymoon to December after Hadwin’s win, which gave him a spot in the Masters.

“It’s been a whirlwind season,” Hadwin said in a recent interview from Vancouver. “A lot of great golf early, some average golf in the middle, and a couple of good finishes of late. But there’s still lots to play for and to cap off the year.”

Hadwin, from Abbotsford, B.C., has already earned over US$3.2 million this season. He’s 16th on the money list with two events remaining and has risen to 45th in the world rankings. The only other Canadian in the top 100 is DeLaet at No. 95.

Hadwin added he’s still getting used to his position as one of the best golfers in the world.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it, to be honest,” he said. “It’s a tremendous honour to play under the Canadian flag week in and week out. We’ve got some great players having some great seasons.

“We all have goals of getting higher (in the rankings) and I’m certainly not comparing myself to fellow Canadians, and I wouldn’t expect them to compare to me. We’re chasing the same one thing: trying to be the best player we can be.”

DeLaet’s 2013 appearance was the last time a Canadian played in the Presidents Cup.

The Americans retained the trophy in 2015 with a one-point victory in South Korea.

The world’s top 18-and-under female junior golfers will head to Ottawa for the fourth edition of the World Junior Girls Championship from Sept. 26-29 at The Marshes Golf Club. As host nation, Canada will send two teams of three athletes to compete for the international title of World Junior Girls champion.

“It is an honour to host this prestigious event and we look forward to welcoming these players to Canada,” said tournament director Mary Beth McKenna. “The course is in fantastic shape and we are thrilled to host some of the world’s best juniors at this historic club. Our partners at The Marshes Golf Club and the communities in the surrounding area have come together to make this a truly memorable event for our competitors.”

Representing Canada One will be Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame Ile Perrot, Que.) and Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont.), who are three of Canada’s top-ranked junior golfers at No. 375, 453 and 597, respectively, on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).

The 16-year-old Chun is experiencing her first year as a member of Team Canada’s Development Squad and second year representing Canada at the World Junior Girls. So far in 2017, she has wins at both the Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario Championship and the Ontario Junior Spring Classic, which put her in second on the Junior Girls Order of Merit – the same spot she finished at last year.

Dao is having an extremely impressive season for the second straight year. In 2017, she registered six wins and made it to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Junior Girls Championship to lead the Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Girls Order of Merit. Dao will also play in her second consecutive World Junior Girls Championship – she finished T16 in 2016 alongside Chun.

Szeryk, sister of Canada’s top-ranked amateur female golfer Maddie, has two victories in 2017 so far including six top-five finishes. She currently sits in fourth in the Junior Girls Order of Merit and made it to the round of 32 at the 2017 U.S. Junior Girls Championship after earning gold medallist honours at the qualifying tournament in Garland, Texas.

As the host country, Canada reserves the right to field two teams in the 60-player, 19-country competition. Canada Two will consist of Alyssa DiMarcantonio (Maple, Ont.), Euna Han (Coquitlam, B.C.) and Emily Zhu (Richmond Hill, Ont.) who are ranked 776, 955 and 1,792, respectively.

DiMarcantonio, 14, won her second event of the season at the MJT – Spring Invitational and has six top-five finishes this year. She is currently enjoying her best season on the junior circuit and sits sixth on the Junior Girls Order of Merit.

Han has three wins in 2017 including earning gold medallist honours at the U.S. Junior Girls Qualifier in Kent, Wa., where she went on to finish in the round of 64. Her only wins of her junior career came this year and she is in eighth in the Junior Girls Order of Merit. Han represented Canada previously at the 2015 World Junior Girls Championship, also hosted at The Marshes.

Zhu is the youngest of all Canadian team members at the age of 13. She has seven top-five finishes this year and competed in the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship where she finished T66. Her last win came in 2016 at the MJT – PGA of Ontario Junior Championship and she currently sits in ninth in the Junior Girls Order of Merit.

“Golf Ontario is excited to once again partner with Golf Canada to conduct this global championship at another of Ontario’s storied clubs – The Marshes Golf Club,” said Mike Kelly, Golf Ontario executive director. “We thank their membership and volunteer committees for all their hard work. We are thrilled for our athletes from Ontario who have been selected to represent Canada and wish them the best of luck.”

“These six athletes have had tremendous seasons and their selections to Team Canada are the result of their hard work and commitment to the sport,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer. “The joint efforts of Provincial Golf Associations, home clubs, parents and athletes have made this accomplishment possible and they should all be proud to have earned their selections.”

Ann Carroll (women’s national development squad coach) and Matt Wilson (Golf Canada’s director of next generation performance) will lead the two Team Canada squads for this competition.

In addition to the 72-hole team and individual competitions, the World Junior Girls Championship will be a celebration of the sport with a specific focus on the development and promotion of junior girls golf.  The days leading up to tournament play will see a PGA of Canada coaching summit as well as a free junior girls skills clinic.

Opening ceremonies for the championship take place on Sept. 25 followed by the first round on Tuesday, Sept. 26. The tournament’s closing ceremonies will immediately follow the conclusion of play on Friday, Sept. 29.

Admission to the competition is free. Additional information regarding the fourth annual World Junior Girls Championship can be found on the competition’s website.

Golf Canada’s Adopt a School Week will be taking place at the start of the school year from Sept. 18-22 in support of the Golf in Schools program. Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada, the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) and all provincial partners have come together to encourage individuals and businesses to adopt a local school between now and the end of Adopt a School Week.

Offered at the Elementary, Intermediate and High School level, Golf in Schools features age-appropriate equipment as well as a teacher-friendly learning resource that was developed in conjunction with the PGA of Canada and Physical Health Education (PHE) Canada.

Wondering how to adopt a school in your community? Take a look at these simple steps below:

Sometimes in life and in sports, you just have to go with the flow – a motto which has been working for Brittany Marchand; and more importantly, it’s leading her in the right direction.

Since turning professional in 2015, the N.C. State University graduate and former national team  member from Orangeville, Ont., has seen steady advancements in her game.

“After she graduated, Brittany has had the time to really focus 100 percent on her game and we’re seeing her make improvements each year,” noted Team Canada women’s head coach, Tristan Mullally.

While she enjoyed a respectable first full season on the Symetra Tour in 2016 – making the cut in 19 out of 21 events while recording three top-10 finishes – the 2012 Ontario Women’s Amateur Champion has turned it up another notch this year.

In June, Marchand made her first cut at an LPGA event during the Manulife LPGA Classic in Cambridge, Ont.

In fact, she headed into the final round at the Whistle Bear Golf Club in a tie for ninth spot. But, after struggling on the Sunday, she had to settle for a 46th place finish.

After the Manulife tournament, Marchand would miss the cut in three out of her next four Symetra Tour events before a breakthrough performance at the PHC Classic.

The 25-year-old posted a combined three-day score of 13 under par to claim the victory in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Marchand’s victory at the PHC was her first on the Symetra Tour; and was made even sweeter by the fact that it also came with an exemption into the Evian Championship – the fifth and final LPGA major of the season.

The Orangeville, Ont., native continued her winning ways the week after when she captured the DATA PGA Women’s Championship by edging out her good friend, Augusta James, in a playoff at the Scarboro Golf & Country Club.

“After the Manulife, it’s been a little up and down since then… But these last couple of weeks, I’ve really been able to hone in on it,” noted the Wolfpack alumna, who holds a degree in chemical engineering.

Mullally says Marchand’s hard work and dedication is starting to pay off – in more ways than one.

“She’s just been working hard on all facets of her game and just chipping away and getting better every day; and now she’s getting the results,” he said.

“And along with that, she is gaining that belief and confidence in herself.”

Someone else who has taken notice of Marchand’s maturity and growing level of confidence is four-time LPGA TOUR champion, Lorie Kane.

“I played with Brittany last year in Calgary at the 2016 CP Women’s Open and she ended up missing the cut; and that should have never happened.  She played pretty solid right into the end and I think maybe she got a little bit nervous,” said Kane during this year’s CP Women’s Open.

“To see how far she has come and to have won on the Symetra Tour like she did; and then to do it again at the DATA championship, it’s safe to say she’s trending in the right direction,” continued the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member.

“She’s working hard and ultimately wants to get out here on the LPGA full time; and right now she’s doing all the right things.”

With the top 10 players on the Symetra Tour money list earning full status for the LPGA TOUR next year, Marchand currently finds herself on the outside looking in – but still very much within striking distance.

She points out that the prospect of finishing the 2017 Symetra Tour season inside the top 10 will be a bit more challenging given her exemption into the Evian Championship – which runs from Sept. 14 – 17 in Evian-les-Bains, France.

“Getting onto the Evian through winning the Symetra Tour event was a blessing and a curse as I’m going to miss a couple of Symetra Tour events.  I’m going to have to push in four events to try to get my card,” she pointed out.

However, Marchand says her performance at the CP Women’s Open is a confidence booster and a reminder that she has the game to hold her own against the LPGA’s best.

“To know that I can play out here gives me confidence when I go back to the Symetra Tour. Obviously, the competition there is tough as well, but it gives you that little boost,” says Marchand, who along with Brooke Henderson were the only two Canadians out of 14 to make the cut at the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club.

While her goal – similar to that of any Symetra Tour pro – is to compete full time on the LPGA, she understands that golf is a mental game and there’s no need to over think things at this point.

Instead, Marchand prefers to simply go with the flow; and takes comfort in the notion that if she plays her game, the results will take care of itself.

“I don’t really want to put expectations on it.  I just want to go out and play the way that I’ve been playing,” said the talented 25-year-old Symetra Tour pro.

“It is what it is, so if I have to go back to Q-school, it’s fine – But I know that I have the game to be able to push into the top 10.”

On behalf of the almost 6 million golf enthusiasts from coast-to-coast, Golf Canada is absolutely thrilled to congratulate Adam Hadwin on earning his spot in the 2017 Presidents Cup, Sept. 28 – Oct. 1 at Liberty National Golf Club.

Adam showed tremendous consistency all season long and it is a testament to his commitment and hard work that he achieved this important goal in becoming only the third Canadian ever to compete in the biennial team event. 2017 has been a momentous year for this proud Canadian, from his historic 59 at the CareerBuilder Challenge and first-ever PGA TOUR win at the Valspar Championship to his top-15 finish this past weekend to lock up his spot on the International Team. Adam has given golf fans nation-wide, a season’s worth of incredible performance and we look forward to supporting his continued strong play representing Canada at the Presidents Cup.

As well, our very best wishes go out to five-time Presidents Cup competitor Mike Weir in his role as an assistant captain on this year’s Presidents Cup International Team. Mike’s leadership and experience will no doubt be a positive influence to help drive the collective performance of the International Team.

Both Mike and Adam are tremendous ambassadors for Canadian golf and we wish them continued success representing Canada on one of the game of golf’s greatest stages.
– – –
Laurence Applebaum
CEO
Golf Canada

NORTON, Mass. – Kevin Chappell made his first Presidents Cup team by a fraction of a point, and he needed a lot more help that he realized.

“I made it a lot more exciting than it needed to be,” Chappell said.

Chappell, who won his first PGA Tour event earlier this year in San Antonio, earned enough FedEx Cup points from the Dell Technologies Championship to secure the 10th and final automatic spot on the U.S. team.

Rounded off, Chappell and Charley Hoffman finished with 4,369 points. Stretched out to include decimals, the PGA Tour said Chappell beat Hoffman by 0.073.

This was the final qualifying event for the Presidents Cup, which starts Sept. 28 at Liberty National.

Chappell will be one of at least four Americans making their debut in a Presidents Cup or a Ryder Cup. He spent the last month getting weary of talking about the possibilities, suggesting that he could live with however it turned out.

That changed when he shot a 69 on Sunday and was projected ahead of Hoffman, meaning he controlled his own fate.

“I didn’t know what it meant until I tried to go to sleep last night,” Chappell said Monday on his way to the airport to catch a flight home – in coach, no less – to Seattle.

Hoffman, who showed up at the TPC Boston at No. 10 and with a slim lead, closed with a 68 on Monday and tied for 40th. Chappell appeared to have it locked up until three bogeys over a four-hole stretch on the back nine.

It’s official!

Your 2017 @PresidentsCup U.S. Team and International Team.

Next stop: NYC.? pic.twitter.com/J5IhndBcCu

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 4, 2017

He answered with a birdie on the par-3 16th, but then his shot from a fairway bunker on the par-5 18th came to rest on a loose piece of dirt, and his wedge came up well short. Chappell pitched to 10 feet, missed his par putt and closed with a 71.

That’s when he needed some help, and Russell Henley unknowingly provided it.

Chappell was tied for 35th, and Henley also was in that group at 2-under 282. If Henley had made one more birdie, that would have taken points away from Chappell, and Hoffman would have moved past him.

Henley, however, made bogey on the 17th and failed to birdie the 18th to tie for 40th. That was all Chappell needed.

It was a familiar feeling for Chappell, and not a pleasant one. Five years ago in the final tournament of the year, Chappell finished at No. 125 on the money list to keep his card by $1,809, but only after two players made par on the tough par-4 18th at Disney. If either had made bogey, Chappell would have lost his card.

“That was to keep my job,” he said. “I’d much rather being doing this, relying on others to get me on a Presidents Cup team.”

The other U.S. qualifiers were Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger, Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Kevin Kisner, Matt Kuchar and Patrick Reed.

U.S. captain Steve Stricker will make two wild-card selections Wednesday afternoon, and Hoffman is a favourite to get one of them. With no one below Hoffman in the standings playing exceptionally well, the other pick could go to Phil Mickelson, who has never missed a team event since 1994.

Mickelson was in the mix early at the TPC Boston on Monday, and that could be enough to show Stricker that he’s worth a pick.

“We’ll see. I hope so,” Mickelson said after he closed with a 68 to tie for sixth, his best finish in stroke play since he was runner-up at the British Open last summer. “I think this is a big step for me as far as getting back to where I want – shooting the scores, playing, having energy, being able to practice, all these things.”

Mickelson said Stricker would do what’s best for the American team “and I totally support him either way.”

Emiliano Grillo of Argentina also came up with a good round at the right time. Grillo closed with a 66, enough to move him past Hideto Tanihara of Japan to No. 11 for the International team. Only the top 10 from the world ranking qualify, though Grillo would seem to be safe to be one of captain Nick Price’s picks.

“That’s not up to me,” Grillo said. “Today was up to me and I did my best. It worked out.”

The other International team qualifiers were Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Marc Leishman, Branden Grace, Jhonattan Vegas, Si Woo Kim and AdamHadwin.

Vegas, Kim and Hadwin will be competing for the first time in the matches.

NORTON, Mass. – The victories keep piling up for Justin Thomas, and all that does is make him want more.

In a Labor Day finish that was harder than the final margin suggested, Thomas kept his patience when Jordan Spieth shot out to a brief lead and Marc Leishman built a two-shot lead at the turn. Keeping his mistakes to a minimum, Thomas outlasted them both by closing with a 5-under 66 for a three-shot victory in the Dell Technologies Championship.

He started the PGA Tour season at No. 34 in the world with all of one PGA Tour victory.

Thomas won for the fifth time Monday, including his first major three weeks ago at the PGA Championship. He is No. 4 in the world. And barring Spieth running the tables the rest of the FedEx Cup playoffs, the 24-year-old Thomas would seem to be a lock to be voted PGA Tour player of the year.

“I have two events left. I have two more opportunities to win,” Thomas said. “And I’d love to make it six or seven wins.”

Thomas made only two bogeys all week, the last one putting him in a three-way tie with seven holes to play. He won on the back nine at TPC Boston with a sand wedge he gouged out of the rough to 6 feet on No. 13, a gap wedge to 4 feet on No. 15 for another birdie, and a 6-foot par save that kept him two shots clear.

Spieth wasted a start that riled up the New England crowd – birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie – by missing the 14th green with a 5-iron for bogey. Needing an eagle to stay in the game on the par-5 18th, Spieth pushed a 4-iron into a tough lie in the bunker, blasted over the green and made bogey for a 67.

Spieth was runner-up for the second straight week in the FedEx Cup playoffs. He lost a three-shot lead to Dustin Johnson on Long Island. There wasn’t much he could have done to stop Thomas, his best friend in golf since they were teenagers.

“Came out firing, like I said we had to do,” Spieth said. “Eight through 14 is the meat of the golf course. You want to get through even. I got through over par and didn’t get any coming in when I hit some good putts.”

Spieth still moved to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup with one more event before the $10 million prize is decided at the Tour Championship.

Leishman shot 30 on the front to build a two-shot lead, only for it to vanish quickly. He had to save bogey on No. 10 after an errant drive. He three-putted from long range for bogey on the 11th. He found a bunker on the 12th for a third straight bogey. And then he closed with two bogeys that only cost him money. Leishman shot 70.

Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world coming off his fourth victory of the season last week, started the final round three shots behind and was one of the few players who was never in contention. He took two to get out of a fairway bunker and made bogey on the par-5 second hole, and he closed with a 73 to finish 10 behind.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., were the low Canadians at 8 under and tied for 13th. Hughes shot up the leaderboard after a 67 while Hadwin, who started the day two shots back of the lead, struggled to a 73. Nick Taylor (72), also of Abbotsford, finished 2 over and Graham DeLaet (70) of Weyburn, Sask., was 7 over.

Spieth was simply dynamic at the start. He didn’t need to make a putt longer than 12 feet to go 5 under for the opening four holes and briefly take the lead. Leishman, who won at Bay Hill in March, kept stride with six birdies on the front nine to match Spieth’s 30 and move in front.

Thomas did his part to stay in the game.

He could hear the crowd celebrating Spieth’s short birdie on the fourth hole, and then Thomas belted a low slider of a drive that barely cleared the deep bunker, hit into the shaggy collar and hopped onto the fringe. He holed that 30-footer for an eagle, and the race was on.

Phil Mickelson birdied three of his opening four holes. He couldn’t keep pace. Neither could Jon Rahm or Paul Casey.

The final round was so tight that Thomas, Spieth and Leishman were tied for the lead with seven holes to play. But then it all changed when Spieth missed the green at No. 14, did well to hit a flop shot to 15 feet and narrowly missed his par putt.

Thomas steadied himself after his lone bogey on the par-3 11th. Equipped with a one-shot lead because of Spieth’s bogey, Thomas hit a sand wedge to 4 feet on the 15th for a birdie and a two-shot lead. Equally important was his pitch out of deep rough to the right of the 16th to a green that ran away from him. He managed to hit it 6 feet and twice clutched his fist when it dropped for par.

Spieth grazed the edge of the cup with a 10-foot birdie attempt on the 17th, and then lost all hope with his approach into the bunker.

It was the first time Spieth has finished runner-up to Thomas, his best friend in golf since they were teenagers.

Kevin Chappell bogeyed his last hole and still managed to nudge Charley Hoffman by a fraction of a point to earn the 10th and final automatic spot on the U.S. team for the Presidents Cup.

Stewart Cink closed with a 68 to finish 12th, more than enough for him to advance to the third FedEx Cup playoff event outside Chicago for the first time in seven years. Emiliano Grillo and Rafa Cabrera Bello also moved into the top 70 to advance to the BMW Championship in two weeks.

NORTON, Mass. – The best players are on top of their games for the second straight week of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Now there’s just a lot more of them.

Justin Thomas failed to birdie any of the par 5s on the TPC Boston and still turned in a tournament-best round of 8-under 63 on Sunday, giving him a share of the lead with Marc Leishman and setting up a Labor Day finish filled with some of the biggest names in golf at the Dell Technologies Championship.

One week after Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth produced a compelling duel on Long Island, they are part of a chasing pack at the TPC Boston.

So is Paul Casey, who now is 53-under par over his last 15 rounds of these playoff events. Jon Rahm couldn’t keep pace and lost his two-shot lead, though the 22-year-old from Spain remained just three shots behind.

Throw in Phil Mickelson, perhaps even Rickie Fowler, and a forecast that shifts from rain to sunshine, and it could be quite a show.

Thomas and Leishman were at 12-under 201, one shot ahead of Casey, two ahead of Spieth, three ahead of Johnson and Rahm.

“There is a heightened something to these playoff events that bring out certain champions for the most part,” Spieth said after finishing with two straight birdies to nudge closer to the lead. “It’s going to be a throw-down tomorrow.”

Canada’s Adam Hadwin is two shots back after a 3-under 68. The Abbotsford, B.C., native, who started the day in a tie for second, is 10 under for the tournament.

Mackenzie Hughes (71) of Dundas, Ont., is 4 under while Nick Taylor (70), also of Abbotsford, is 1 over. Graham DeLaet (80) of Weyburn, Sask., is 8 over.

Thomas had his third round this season at 63 or better – a list that includes his 59 at the Sony Open and a 63 at the U.S. Open – to turn a five-shot deficit into a share of the lead and a chance to win for the fifth time this year.

He birdied six of the first 10 holes, the longest at about 12 feet. He played down the 13th fairway on the redesigned 12th hole for the third time this week and holed a 50-foot birdie putt, and then added a pair of 25-foot birdie putts.

And he didn’t even birdie any of the par 5s.

“I just felt I had total control of my game,” Thomas said. “But it’s crazy to think I did that and parred all the par 5s. That’s a little bit of a bummer, if I could somehow have a downside to the day. But like I said, I’m extremely pleased and put myself in a great position to win the tournament.”

Casey played in the final group at the TPC Boston last year, but Rory McIlroy ran him down with a 65 to overcome a six-shot deficit. Casey also played the three par 5s without a birdie, missing a 12-footer on the final hole that would have given him a share of the lead.

“Even though I’m not leading, I feel a bit better about my game,” Casey said. “The cons are I’ve got way more talent around the leaderboard than there was last year. It just looks like depth up the top of that leaderboard right now.”

The forecast for Monday was mostly sunshine, and if the course remains softer from rain, this could be a typical shootout. Leishman figured the winning score would be in the 15- or 16-under range.

“That would be my plan, to just try and do what I’ve been doing – give myself as many chances as I can and try and make them,” he said.

Rahm had a two-shot lead and still had the lead until running into trouble on the back nine, making three bogeys until he ended his round with a birdie for a 71. .

The finish was especially critical for Johnson, who played the third round with Thomas and couldn’t buy a putt. Johnson, coming off a playoff victory last week in New York, sarcastically pumped his fist when he made a birdie on No. 14, and then he kept right on going. The only hole he didn’t birdie coming in was at No. 17, where he missed a birdie chance for 10 feet.

“I just wanted to get myself in position to be in range of the leaders,” Johnson said.

He was three behind Spieth going into the final round of The Northern Trust and ended up winning in a sudden-death playoff.

PGA Tour rookie Grayson Murray (67) and Adam Hadwin (68) were at 10-under 203 along with Spieth, who has made only two bogeys over his last 45 holes. Spieth shot a second straight 66 and was surprised that left him two shots behind, all because of Thomas and Leishman.

“I couldn’t have shot a whole lot better,” Spieth said. “I thought four back starting the day, if I could cut that in half, then that would be a tremendous goal. So goal achieved, maybe.”

Mickelson had a 69, making this the first time he has opened with three straight rounds in the 60s since the St. Jude Classic in June. Monday could go a long way in persuading U.S. captain Steve Stricker to pick him for the Presidents Cup.