Jordan Spieth is one round away from the third leg of the career Grand Slam, and one year removed from a reminder that it won’t be easy.

On the horizon is a chance to join Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win three different majors at age 23. In the past was his last time leading a major, when he let a five-shot lead get away from him on the back nine a year ago at Augusta National.

All that mattered to him was the present.

Spieth did his part on an extraordinary day of scoring in the British Open, capping off his 5-under 65 by seizing on a good break and making a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a three-shot lead over Matt Kuchar, who did his best to keep pace with a 66.

Catch up with all of the action from a record breaking day at Royal Birkdale. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/rD5g73y1g7

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 22, 2017

Spieth had one of seven rounds at 65 or lower at Royal Birkdale, which was never more vulnerable with a light breeze and a clear sky until the final hour. He was warming up on the range when Branden Grace shot 62, the lowest 18-hole score over 157 years of major championships. Spieth then delivered his second bogey-free round of the week in which he never came seriously close to a bogey.

“Pretty stress-free,” Spieth said. “On a Saturday with a lead in a major, that’s as good as I can ask for.”

He was at 11-under 199, breaking by six shots the 54-hole record at Royal Birkdale that Tom Watson set in 1983. Not only did that last birdie give him a three-shot lead, no one else was closer than six shots.

This will be Spieth’s third time taking the lead into the final round of a major. He led by four at the Masters two years ago and won by that margin. More recent was a one-shot lead at Augusta to start the final round, a five-shot lead at the turn and a quadruple-bogey on the 12th hole that cost him another green jacket.

Spieth was embracing both memories.

“I think I’m in a position where it can be very advantageous, just everything I’ve gone through – the good, the bad and everything in the middle,” he said. “I understand that leads can be squandered quickly. And I also understand how you can keep on rolling on one.”

Vote for your @DoosanEquipment Shot of the Day for Round 3 at https://t.co/6mH0pNJX5D #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/mXfUP4ZSBJ

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 22, 2017

He described the Masters last year as a humbling experience that he thought would serve him well down the road.

“If I don’t win tomorrow, it has nothing to do with that,” he said. “And if I win tomorrow, it has nothing to do with that, either.”

Kuchar never quite caught up to Spieth. He twice made birdies that momentarily tied him for the lead, only for Spieth to pour in birdie putts on top of him to stay in front. Kuchar’s one slip was a drive into the pot bunker on No. 16 when the rain finally arrived, and a three-putt that led to double bogey.

He will be playing in the final group of the fourth round at a major for the first time, and the 39-year-old Kuchar sounded up for the occasion.

“It’s not that I ever felt like I was playing Jordan today,” Kuchar said. “We certainly had a great round of golf. I never felt like I was out there trying to beat Jordan. It’s trying to go up against Royal Birkdale and put on the best show you can against the golf course.”

No one put on a show quite like Grace, the 29-year-old South African who had a chance to win the U.S. Open two years ago. He went out in 29, then added two long birdie putts on the 14th and 16th holes, and a two-putt birdie on the 17th to reach 8 under. From 60 feet behind the 18th green, he lagged it to 2 feet and tapped in for a 62.

The scorecard of @BrandenGrace's historic 62 from Round 3 of #TheOpen. pic.twitter.com/FdI0bBjnDp

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 22, 2017

“Look at that number! That is sweet,” Johnny Miller, now a golf analyst, said as NBC flashed a 62 on the screen. Miller was the first to shoot 63 in a major at the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont. It took 44 years for someone to top it.

Spieth and Kuchar lit it up, too. They combined for 12 birdies, such impressive golf that Kuchar said a couple of times they forgot who had honours on the tee box. Along the way, they created a little separation from the rest of the field.

Austin Connelly, a dual Canadian-American citizen who grew up in Dallas and shares a swing coach with Spieth, extended his remarkable run with birdies on his last two holes for a 66. The 20-year-old who plays under the Canadian flag was six shots behind at 5-under 205, tied with U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, who had a 68.

A phenomenal performance so far from 20 year old @Austinconnelly9 who goes into Round 4 joint third at -5. pic.twitter.com/xT0yAKX4kU

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 22, 2017

Grace wound up seven shots behind even after his 62.

Missing from the mix was Rory McIlroy, who looked to be a big threat when he began with three birdies in five holes, driving the green on the shortened par-4 fifth hole. He lost it around the turn, making back-to-back bogeys, and then a double bogey at No. 10 when he blasted out of one pot bunker left of the fairway and it spun toward another, resting in the thick collar.

McIlroy had a 69, rarely a bad score in the third round of a major. This one left him nine shots behind.

“If you keep it in play, it’s almost hard to make a bogey out there, you know?” McIlroy said. “I’ve always been good when I get off to fast starts, being able to keep it going, and I didn’t today. And I needed to – that’s the disappointing thing.”

Ian Poulter felt even worse. Still lurking, he ran off three straight bogeys early on the back nine and shot 71 to fall nine back.

What a day of golf at @RoyalBirkdale_. See you tomorrow for the grandstand finish. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/ozKgeJTOKN

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 22, 2017

The tone for Sunday was set over the final three holes, when Kuchar made his double bogey. Kuchar got one back with a birdie from the pot bunker short of the green at the par-5 17th. And then Spieth stole a birdie at the end when his approach narrowly missed the bunker right of the green and had enough spin to stay on the putting surface for his final birdie. Kuchar missed his birdie attempt from 12 feet.

“I played well today,” Kuchar said. “Certainly, I’m not out of it. I’m playing some good golf. I’m very excited for tomorrow.”

Both took time to stop and soak in the best walk in golf, a full grandstand surrounding both sides of the 18th. Kuchar stopped and said to Spieth, “This is pretty cool to be here, walking up the last hole of a British Open.”

They get to do it again Sunday, with a lot more at stake than warm applause.

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Winter Springs, Florida’s Hank Lebioda reached 13-under par on Saturday at Les Quatre Domaines Golf Club during the third round of the Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval before play was suspended due to darkness.

The 23-year old shot a second-straight 6-under 64 earlier in the day during Round Two, then was 1-under for the first five holes of his third round to sit two strokes ahead of Kimberley, B.C.’s Jared du Toit at 13-under when play was suspended for the day at 8:25 p.m.

“I took care of business and handled each shot as best as I could. I tried to hit as many fairways and as many greens and give myself as many looks as possible,” said Lebioda, who said he was just trying to enjoy the ride. “It’s never simple. It’s just some days it’s easier than others. Everyone says you’ve got to focus on the task at hand, but the easiest way I found was just to enjoy it and soak it all in and see the positives in it.”

Lebioda, who sits sixth on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Order of Merit thanks to two runner-up finishes, says he’s hoping to continue his standout play this year despite missing the cut in his first two Mackenzie Tour starts of the season.

“I’ve had a good year so far on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, and I don’t feel like I’m doing anything different. I just found a recipe that works for me, and I’m enjoying the process right now,” said Lebioda.

Du Toit, who made a move late on Saturday evening going 7-under for his 13 holes of Round 3 before play was called, carded seven birdies and was without a bogey for the round.

“Oh, big time,” responded du Toit when asked if it felt like a bonus to get extra play in on Saturday night. “It feels like a head start a little bit. It’s almost too bad that there’s no more light, because I would have loved to stay in the rhythm and tried to keep it going, but all-in-all I’m very happy with how the day went.”

Du Toit is coming off a standout amateur career that concluded in June with his senior season at Arizona State University, where he was named a 2017 NCAA 2^nd team All-American.

The Kimberley, B.C. native is a member of Golf Canada’s National Team and captured the attention of a nation last year when he played his way into the final group on Sunday at the RBC Canadian Open before finishing T9.

Du Toit turned professional at the Bayview Place Cardtronics Open presented by Times Colonist and earned status on the Mackenzie Tour by placing inside the top-60 on the Order of Merit through the first re-shuffle after last week’s Players Cup.

One shot behind du Toit was Victoria, B.C. resident Robbie Greenwell at 10-under.

After turning pro in 2016 and playing on the Mackenzie Tour, where he finished 33^rd on the Order of Merit thanks to two top-10 finishes, Lebioda has been playing the best golf of his professional career on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica this season.

The Florida State alum currently ranks sixth on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Order of Merit thanks to four top-10 finishes, including two runner-ups.

“Every time I come out here to play, it’s an opportunity. I’m doing my best to enjoy it. even though I haven’t won on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, I’ve given myself opportunities and been in position, and you’ve got to learn from it,” said Lebioda.

At Florida State, Lebioda was a 2015 and 2016 NCAA All-American and became the program’s all-time leader in par-or-better rounds.

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Vancouver, British Columbia’s Ryan Williams and Folsom, California’s Kevin Lucas both reached 7-under par on Friday at Les Quatres Domaines Golf Club during the second round of the Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval before play was suspended due to darkness.

The 35-year old Williams and 28-year old Lucas were both 3-under for their second rounds before play, which was delayed 3 hours and 50 minutes due to dangerous weather earlier in the day, was suspended due to darkness at 8:28 p.m.

“I’ve made a lot of nice putts. My speed’s been great and I made some nice up-and-downs out of the bunker. All-in-all, I’m pretty happy about the all-around game,” said Williams, a Mackenzie Tour veteran making his 99^th career start this week.

He owns 15 career top-10s including a win at the 2014 Freedom 55 Financial Championship and has finished 2^nd or better at least once in each of the last three seasons.

Williams has made the cut in all five starts coming into this week and ranks 16^th on the Order of Merit.

“I’ve been putting well, and had a lot of good up-and-downs. The birdie putts that I’ve had, I’ve capitalized on them. The first six holes of my second round, I’ve been hitting it close,” said Lucas, who said his goal was to conserve energy heading into the weekend. “For me, it’s about not going stir-crazy and keeping up my energy.”

After Round One resumed at 8 a.m. this morning following a suspension due to dangerous weather on Thursday, thunderstorms once again passed through the area, delaying play and forcing Round Two to be suspended heading into Saturday.

One shot back of Williams and Lucas at 6-under were Camarillo, California’s Johnny Ruiz and Toronto, Ontario’s Lucas Kim, who were on the course midway through Round Two, while Winter Springs, Florida’s Hank Lebioda and The Dalles, Oregon’s Damian Telles were at 6-under waiting to tee off in their second rounds.

Team Canada Amateur Squad’s Hugo Bernard is 5 under par through 18 holes and currently in a tie for seventh.

“I hit my driver pretty long and pretty straight, too. I think I missed one tee ball, but I made some good putts and had a good finish,” said Bernard.

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Chad Collins missed a chance for the 10th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history and third of the season, parring the final two holes for an 11-under 60 on Friday in the second round of the Barbasol Championship.

Collins hit his approach to the back fringe on the par-4 18th, leaving a 70-foot downhill birdie try that he hit 5 feet past.

“I just got myself out of position off the tee, which you can’t do,” Collins said. “Probably one of the easiest hole locations on the green, so it was kind of unfortunate to not hit the fairway and I probably would have had a better look at birdie there. I gave it a run. I’m not too disappointed at all by 60, so I’ll take it.”

After six straight birdies on Grand National’s rain-softened Lake Course, the 38-year-old player from Indiana player missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th.

“Hit a good shot, but I hit it a little heavy,” Collins said. “I didn’t think it was going to get back there and it must have had a lot of overspin, hit the downslope, chased back there. I wasn’t sure how close it came to going in, but had to come pretty close. And then the putt was a little tricky. We couldn’t quite figure out if it was kind of right centre, right edge or left centre, left edge. Just kind of lost a little bit of speed and broke off the left edge. ”

Jim Furyk shot a record 58 last year in the Travelers Championship in Connecticut and is one of eight players to shoot 59. Justin Thomas and Adam Hadwin shot 59s in January – Thomas in his victory in the Sony Open in Hawaii, and Hadwin in the CareerBuilder Challenge in California.

Brantford’s David Hearn is five strokes back of Collins at 10 under par (67-65).

Collins was at 15-under 127 for a four-stroke lead over Grayson Murray (64) and Cameron Tringale (66).

Collins had five birdies in a front-nine 30, parred the 10th and ran off the six straight birdies to get to 11 under for the round.

“It kind of crossed my mind probably on the par-5 16th,” Collins said about breaking 60. “Didn’t hit a very good tee shot there, but it was probably going to be a three-shot hole anyway. Then hit a good approach shot in there to 10 feet or so. When I made that, obviously with two holes to go, just needed to make one.”

He made the 36-hole cut for only the fifth time in 23 events this year. The two-time Web.com Tour winner had missed five straight cuts and 11 of 12.

“This year’s been kind of a struggle for me,” Collins said. “I haven’t been playing that well and it’s super nice to see putts fall in, good ball-striking and being in position on the weekend.”

Collins had his lowest round on the PGA Tour and tied the course record set last year by Jhonattan Vegas. He had 23 putts Friday.

“Owe it all to the putter,” Collins said. “I did strike it well, but I made a lot of putts. Made a few that I probably shouldn’t have made, had a stretch going there on my back nine of five or six in a row. Hit some clutch shots, but just made a lot of putts.”

He also shot 60 in a 2013 Web.com Tour event in Utah, playing his first nine holes in 9-under 27 with an eagle and seven birdies.

Murray had five birdies in a seven-hole stretch on the back nine.

“I saw the 15 (Collins’ total) before I even teed off and I was 11 back and now I’m four back, so I’ll take it,” Murray said. “He’s a good player and there’s a lot of good players up at the top. Just got to keep making birdies on this course.”

Tringale played the back nine first, also making five birdies on the side.

“The course is set up for scoring today, a lot of front pins, a lot of opportunities to get the ball close,” Tringale said. “Just got to get it in the fairway, and my iron play has been strong most of this week, so that’s really my plan, just keep it in front of me.”

Furyk had a 68 to get to 5 under. The 47-year-old U.S. Ryder Cup captain is playing the event after failing to qualify for the British Open. He took the last three weeks off for a long-planned European river cruise with his family, and has been fighting a shoulder problem.

Davis Love III, at 53 the oldest player in the field, followed his opening 72 with a 67 to reach 3 under. Son Dru Love missed the cut, shooting 73-72.

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Gerina Piller followed her opening 8-under 63 with a 68 on Friday to maintain a one-stroke in the Marathon Classic.

Piller had four birdies and a bogey at Highland Meadows in the second round to reach 11-under 131.

“Very satisfied,” Piller said. “I feel like I was pretty steady. I kind of had a par streak going there. But I gave myself chances for birdie, and at that point, you’ve just got to be patient, and there’s some birdie holes out there. I stayed patient, not one on my front nine and then reeled off three in a row on the back. It is difficult, but if you can just kind of plug along and hit fairways and greens and keep it simple.”

She’s winless on the LPGA Tour.

“Well, it’s only Friday, so I wouldn’t put the cart before the horse, but to get that first win I think would be really special, no matter where it is,” Piller said. “I’m just going to try to focus on the process, and the result will take care of itself.”

"I don't think I've ever held the lead after the 1st round." @Gerinapiller is the current leader after round 2 of the @MarathonLPGA pic.twitter.com/iWS717CQt7

— LPGA (@LPGA) July 21, 2017

U.S. Solheim Cup teammate Lexi Thompson had a 65 to move into a tie for second with fellow American Nelly Korda (64), South Korea’s In-Kyung Kim (67) and Taiwan’s Peiyun Chien (68).

“I’m actually hitting a little baby cut around the golf course,” Thompson said. “I never thought I would say those words. But I’m just sticking to it, and I hit some great iron shots, which helped.”

Korda played the back nine in 6 under, birdieing the first three holes and the last three.

“I’ve been on top of the leaderboard a couple of times this year and I’ve just learned to stay patient and just take it shot by shot,” Korda said.

"I don't think I've ever held the lead after the 1st round." @Gerinapiller is the current leader after round 2 of the @MarathonLPGA pic.twitter.com/iWS717CQt7

— LPGA (@LPGA) July 21, 2017

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., missed her second cut of the season, shooting 70-75. Augusta James of Bath, Ont., Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane and Calgary’s Jennifer Ha also missed the cut. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp is the lone Canadian left in the field at 4 under after a second straight round of 69.

India’s Aditi Ashok was 9 under after a 68. Sung Hyun Park, the U.S. Women’s Open winner Trump National in New Jersey, had a 70 to join fellow South Korean player Chella Choi (67) and Americans Brittany Lincicome (67) and Laura Diaz (67) at 8 under.

Stacy Lewis, her U.S. Women’s Open chances ruined by a third-round meltdown, was 2 under after a 71. She’s looking ahead to the next two weeks at the Ladies Scottish Open and Women’s British Open.

“I’m just going to try to play better,” Lewis said. “I’m not going to be looking at a leaderboard. At this point, it’s now try to play better and get ready for links golf next week and just controlling ball flight and controlling spin. That’s what I’ll kind of work on this weekend.”

Lydia Ko, winless since her victory last year at Highland Meadows, had a 68 to reach 1 under. She also won the 2014 event.

“I feel like I’m hitting it OK and I’m putting it fine, but those things kind of need to come together,” Ko said. “At the end of the day, I know I need to be patient, and sometimes it’s just not going to go your way even though you try your best. At the end, all I’ve got to do is just try my best, and after that it’s really out of my hands.”

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It was a dramatic finish to the 2017 edition of the Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship. Wind and rain made for tough conditions at the Ponoka Golf Club as sixty of the province’s best amateur golfers vied for their spot into the national championship. 2015 champion Brett Hogan defeated Max Sekulic on the second playoff hole in a thriller finish.

Hogan got off to a hot start again as he started the day two shots off of Sekulic’s lead. “I got off to a great start. I knew Max was going come out and play well today. My goal was to play my own game and get some chances for birdie. On the front, I did a good job of keeping the ball below the hole”, said Hogan. He went out bogey-free in 32 strokes and after birdieing the tenth hole he had it to 16-under-par for the championship before conditions deteriorated. “On the back, I played decently solid but got a little shaky with the putter and the conditions got worse and a little tougher out there.”

Sekulic fought back hard and made an incredible 20-foot bomb for birdie on the final hole in front of the crowd. Hogan said, “I had a feeling he (Sekulic) was going to make it. He’s a great putter. I knew I was going to have to make mine and unfortunately, I lipped out my par putt. You’ve got to move on.” After 72 holes the pair were tied at 12-under-par and were headed to a sudden death playoff starting on the tenth hole.

Both players scrambled for par on the par 5 tenth and they headed back to the 18^th where it would all be settled. Hogan tugged his drive just left and had two trees blocking his second shot. “I had 95 yards and had to keep it pretty low. I’ve practiced shots like that before. Hitting different clubs from about a hundred yards and I actually had that shot earlier this week in the second round so I knew what to do. I just hit an eight iron from back in my stance and just hoped it would work out as well as it did.” His ball rolled to four feet and when Sekulic missed his birdie attempt, Hogan stepped up and made his second chance count.

Hogan becomes the 19^th person in the championship’s history to win the Alberta Amateur multiple times. He said after the round that “it means a lot… it meant a lot to get the first one and this probably means just as much or maybe even more. It’s not easy to win these things and this is definitely one of my favourite tournaments all year.”

Hogan, Sekulic and Graf form the Alberta Willingdon Cup team that will represent the province at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship to be conducted at The Toronto Golf Club & Islington Golf Club in Mississauga, ON, August 7-10^th. Hogan earns the final spot on the 2018 Pacific Coast Amateur Championship Alberta Morse Cup Team.

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Jordan Spieth expected a rough time at the British Open before he even got to the golf course.

He spent Friday morning at his rented house in front of the television, watching players battle a relentless wind at Royal Birkdale, all the while checking a forecast that was even worse for when he played in the afternoon.

“It wasn’t a great feeling knowing we were coming into something harder than what we were watching,” he said.

Spieth did more than just survive.

With a short game as sharp as it has been all year, and a 3-wood that turned out a lot better than it looked and led to an eagle, Spieth seized control with a 1-under 69 that gave him a two-shot lead over Matt Kuchar going into the weekend.

“It was a really solid day.” @JordanSpieth, the clubhouse leader (-6) speaks to the media. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/FIg8zxEo78

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 21, 2017

Spieth turned a bogey or worse into an unlikely par by chipping in from just short of the 10th green. And he learned enough from watching TV to know that going a little long on the par-5 15th would give him a better birdie chance than playing short. So he switched from a 3-iron to a 3-wood, hit it a little off the neck and watched it run hot and fast some 100 yards along the wet turf to about 18 feet away.

“I mishit the shot, which is probably why it looked so gross,” Spieth said. “I hit it low off the heel, which is easy to do when you’re trying to carve a cut. And it just … one hop, scooted around the group of bunkers there, and then it was obviously fortunate to get all the way to the green.”

The flight of that 3-wood looked as ugly as the weather. The outcome was as bright as his chances of getting his name on another major championship trophy.

Spieth was at 6-under 134. It was the 12th time he has been atop the leaderboard at a major, including the fourth rounds of the Masters and U.S. Open that he won in 2015. Spieth is the sole leader at a major for the first time since the third round of the Masters last year, when he was runner-up to Danny Willett.

“Anytime you’re in the last group on a weekend in a major … you get nervous. And I’ll be feeling it this weekend a bit,” he said. “But I enjoy it. As long as I approach it positively and recognize that this is what you want to feel because you’re in the position you want to be in, then the easier it is to hit solid shots and to create solid rounds.”

Austin Connelly, a dual Canadian-American citizen who was born in Irving, Texas, is five shots back after a 72. He’s in a tie for sixth at 1 under. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., struggled in his second round and missed the cut at 13 over.

“Today was very similar to @Jones_Cup weather. It’s usually a bit colder than that there.” – Austin Connelly, 2015 Jones Cup champ

— Sean Martin (@PGATOURSMartin) July 21, 2017

Kuchar played in the morning in steadily strong wind, but without rain, and pieced together a solid round until a few mistakes at the end for a 71. He was at 4-under 136, and it would have been a good bet that he would be leading with the nasty weather that arrived.

“I think that’s what people enjoy about the British Open is watching the hard wind, the rain, the guys just trying to survive out there,” Kuchar said. “Today is my day. I get to kick back in the afternoon and watch the guys just try to survive.”

He wound up watching another short-game clinic from Spieth.

The key to his round came in the middle, starting with a 10-foot par putt on No. 8 after he drove into a pot bunker. The biggest break came at No. 10, when the rain was pounding Royal Birkdale. Spieth hit into another pot bunker off the tee, could only advance it out sideways, and came up short of the green in light rough.

“Massive,” he said about the chip-in par. “Nothing said ‘4’ about this hole. I feel a little guilty about taking 4 on the card.”

And he wasn’t through just yet. Spieth rolled in a 35-foot birdie putt across the 11th green, and then after watching Henrik Stenson’s tee shot on the par-3 12th land softly, Spieth realized he could take on the flag. He hit 7-iron to 2 feet for another birdie, and followed that with a beautiful pitch to tap-in range for par on the 13th.

Eagle! @jordanspieth goes three clear #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/Z4KLc77Hke

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 21, 2017

Even so, his work is far from over.

The chasing pack features U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, who failed to make a birdie but stayed in the hunt with 16 pars in a 72, and Ian Poulter with his newfound confidence, which is growing even higher with the support of the English crowd. Poulter shot 70.

Not to be overlooked was Rory McIlroy, who recovered from a horrific start Thursday to salvage a 71, and then kept right on rolling. McIlroy, who was 5 over through the opening six holes of the tournament, ran off three birdies with full control of every shot on the front nine.

And much like Spieth, he kept his round together with crucial par saves early on the back nine when the wind was at its worse. McIlroy posted a 68 and was at 1-under 139, only five shots behind with only five players in front of him.

“To be in after two days and be under par for this championship after the way I started, I’m ecstatic with that,” McIlroy said.

Not everyone got off so easy.

Justin Thomas, who started the second round just two shots behind, drove into the gorse on the first hole and took double bogey. That wasn’t nearly as bad as the sixth hole, where he tried three times to hammer out of the thick native grass well right of the fairway. He couldn’t find the ball after the third one, and he wound up taking a quintuple-bogey 9. Thomas made another double bogey on the 13th hole and shot 80.

Spieth never looked as if he was under any stress, except for his tee shot into the bunker on No. 8. A British writer suggested a lip-reader could have detected some choice words coming out of his mouth. Spieth smiled and replied, “I speak American. You probably didn’t understand me.”

The language of his clubs – especially the wedge and the putter – was all too familiar.

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Team Canada’s Naomi Ko lost in 19 holes to Julianne Alvarez (Seattle, Wash.) ending an impressive run at the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Women’s Amateur at Fairwood Golf and Country Club, in Renton, Wash.

The Victoria, B.C., native won hole No. 15 to take a one up lead, but lost hole No. 17 to put the match at all-square, before losing in extra holes.

Ko finished eighth in the stroke play qualifying at 8 over par (76-74). She def. Clare Dittemore (Roseburg, Ore.) 5 and 3 in the round-of-32 and Ziyi Wang (Stanford, Calif.) 4 and 2 in the round-of-16.

Ko recently finished T3 at the B.C. Women’s Amateur and finished 3rd at the Porter Cup in June.

The 5-year-team Canada veteran reached the finals of this event in 2016.

Development Squad’s Hannah Lee from Surrey, B.C., lost in the round-of-16 to Marianne Li (Bellevue, Wash.) in 19 holes.

Ko’s Amateur Squad teammate Jaclyn Lee lost in the round-of-16, falling 1-up to Gigi Stoll (Tigard, Ore.).

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Jim Furyk would ordinarily be playing in the British Open this week.

Instead, the 47-year-old former U.S. Open champion is 4,000 miles away at the Barbasol Championship trying to improve his standing for the FedEx Cup playoffs. It’s the first time Furyk hasn’t been eligible for a major since the 1995 British Open at St. Andrews in just his second full year on the PGA Tour.

“I’ve got no one to blame but myself,” the 17-time PGA Tour winner said Wednesday at Grand National. “I’ve had some shining moments since last summer but since I’ve come back from (wrist) surgery, I haven’t played consistent.”

Furyk missed six straight cuts after a sixth-place finish at Sea Island in November. Now, the Ryder Cup captain is ranked 142nd and needing to move into the top 125 to make the playoffs with four events remaining after this week.

Furyk did fare better at the U.S. Open (23rd) and Travelers Championship (26th).

He didn’t compete the last three weeks while he and his family went on a long-planned river cruise in Europe. He was hoping to stick around for the British Open at Royal Birkdale, where he shared fifth place in 2008 and fourth in 1998.

Furyk wound up missing the field and was left choosing between playing in Reno, Nevada, early in next month or at Grand National, part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. He’ll have to be content with checking out the scores from the Open in the evenings while enduring Alabama’s steamy conditions during the day.

Furyk talked to other players about the course and checked past results to see which playing style seemed to fare best. He opted for Grand National.

“It was easier from a travel perspective but I think for my game it sounded like this golf course might suit me a little better,” he said after finishing a pro-am round. “After playing it for two days … it seems like a place that if I play well, I should have an opportunity to score pretty well.”

Furyk is one of five major champions in the Alabama field, including Davis Love III, Angel Cabrera, Retief Goosen and Y.E. Yang. The winner gets in the PGA Championship but not the Masters.

Love would also no doubt rather be playing in Southport, England, this week. But the trip to Alabama does let him go against son Dru Love for the third time.

“It’s great, probably until we get started in the tournament, then I’ve got to work really hard to beat him,” said Davis Love, who won the 1997 PGA Championship. “There’s so many of these young kids now that hit it so far and play so well. It’s another generation coming out trying to knock the old guys out.”

Gerina Piller shot an 8-under 63 on Thursday in the Marathon Classic to take a one-stroke lead over U.S. Women’s Open champion Sung Hyun Park and Peiyun Chien.

Winless on the LPGA Tour, Piller had nine birdies and a bogey in the first round at Highland Meadows. The American birdied the first three holes and four of the first five.

“Got off to a good start and got the putts rolling,” Piller said. “To be honest, my ball-striking didn’t feel as great coming into this weekend, and the week after a major it’s always tough just because you’re so exhausted mentally. I just went out there and really trusted what I had and just brought it together. My game feels really good right now.”

Park, the South Korean player who won her first major title last week at Trump National in New Jersey, had seven birdies in a bogey-free round.

“My feeling today was so awesome,” Park said. “It was a good start after the major championship, winning. First of all, I need to focus more on the Marathon Classic and want to keep my happiness behind from now on.”

Chien, a LPGA Tour rookie from Taiwan, had eight birdies and a bogey.

“The golf course is narrow,” Chien said. “It’s very tough first shot because you need to play a cut or little draw a lot, not just hit it straight. … I changed my playing because I’m always thinking the swing on the golf course, so today I just played freely, tried to find some feeling and play.”

Kelly Shon, Aditi Ashok and In-Kyung Kim shot 65, Angel Yin and Sandra Changkija followed at 66, and U.S. Solheim Cup players Lexi Thompson, Brittany Lincicome and Alison Lee topped the group at 67.

Stacy Lewis, her U.S. Women’s Open chances ruined by a third-round meltdown, had a 69.

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Lydia Ko, winless since her victory last year at Highland Meadows, had a 73. She had three bogeys and one birdie.

“When you’re not hitting the ball fantastic, it’s not going to be the greatest score,” Ko said. “But there’s always tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get a few things better for tomorrow’s round.”

Piller is trying to not get too far ahead of herself.

“Tomorrow is a different day, and I’ll just kind of do the same thing as I did today, go out there and take one shot at a time, as cliche as it sounds,” Piller said. “But you’re not going to win it on Thursday, Friday or Saturday, so it’s going to take all four rounds.”