CARLSBAD, Calif. – Cristie Kerr, Mo Martin and In Gee Chun each shot a 6-under 66 Thursday to share the lead after the opening round of the Kia Classic at Aviara.

Kerr, the 2015 Kia champion, and Martin, a native of Southern California, were among the first groups to tee off.

Chun was in one of the last groups on the course and made an impressive charge in the late-afternoon shadows, with birdies on five of her last seven holes. After almost hitting her drive on the par-4 18th into a pond, she had a 60-foot putt for the lead but rolled it about 15 feet past. She made that one for par and a share of the lead.

Kerr’s round would have been better if not for putts lipping out on the first two holes, including a 2-footer on No. 2 that left her with her only bogey.

“It was nice they all went in from there,” said Kerr, who closed with birdie-birdie.

Asked if she needed to make any adjustments, she said: “Just keep shooting 6 under. I don’t think I have to adjust much.”

Martin, who grew up in Pasadena and played at UCLA, had a bogey-free round on the 6,540-yard layout, part of which hugs Batiquotis Lagoon.

With a handful of family and friends wearing “Go Mo” buttons, Martin had a “really good putting day,” starting when she rolled in a downhill 15-footer on the first hole. She also birdied Nos. 5-7, draining a 35-foot putt on the par-3 sixth hole.

“I love everything about this week. It’s pretty much home territory,” Martin said. “The weather is perfect. I mean, the course in and of itself I love playing it. Love the setup. Keeps you on your toes all day. When you’re not hitting shots you’ve got beautiful scenery, wildflowers.”

Defending champion Lydia Ko struggled with her putter and had a disappointing start with a 2-over 74.

“The drive was great, but from there it was pretty average,” Ko said. “It was really hard to get anything rolling when you’re not putting that good either.”

Ko planned to spend the afternoon on the putting green.

“No matter if you’re hitting it good or not, if you can putt and you can make up and down when you’re missing the greens, that makes a huge difference,” she said.

Tied at 4 under were Marissa Steen, Alison Lee, Karine Icher, Mirim Lee, Hyo Joo Kim

Anna Nordqvist, the 2014 Kia champion who won last weekend in Phoenix, shot a 3-under 69.

Azahara Munoz hit an 8 iron for her first hole-in-one as a pro, on the par-3 No. 3, during her round of 3-under 69.

“I was pretty excited,” she said. “I actually hit a really good shot. Sometimes people say, ‘I hit it thin or whatever.’ No, I hit it really good. Bounce about that far right of the pin, went forward, and spun back in.”

Muoz gave the ball to a little girl.

“My caddie was actually telling me that I should keep it. I’m like, ‘No, I’ll give it away to a little girl.’ You never know. She could be out here with us in a few years.”

THE RECAP: Costa Mesa, California’s Jake Knapp carded a flawless 6-under 65 on Thursday at the Country Club at Soboba Springs to take the third round lead at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s USA West #2 Q-School.

Knapp was without a bogey and made six birdies on the day to reach 13-under through three rounds, two strokes ahead of Sydney, Australia’s Cameron Davis with one round to go.

“It was great keeping the bogeys off the scorecard,” said Knapp. “Even the mistakes that I made, I kept them in relatively playable positions, and I was able to create a stress-free round.”

A long hitter off the tee, Knapp admitted he didn’t have his best ball-striking day but benefited from offseason work he’s put into his game around the greens, getting up-and-down whenever he needed to.

“Normally, when I’m playing well it means I’m striking the ball really well, but I’ve had times where my short game has had to pick me up, too, and that’s helped me a lot,” said Knapp.

Two strokes behind Davis in solo third was Valencia, California’s Nick Delio, while former Players Cup champ Chris Killmer was a shot further behind in solo fourth.

CURRENT SCORES FOR MACKENZIE TOUR STATUS: After 72 holes this week, every player inside the top 40 and ties will earn Mackenzie Tour status for 2017. Below is a breakdown of where the cut-offs stand:

1^st (Exempt for 2017 season): -13/1st

5^th (Exempt for first 8 events, subject to 2^nd reshuffle): -5/5th

16^th (Exempt for first 4 events, subject to 1^st reshuffle): -1/T12

40^th (Conditional status): +5/T35

BACKGROUND ON THE LEADER: A standout at UCLA, where he recorded two individual wins and qualified for the 2015 U.S. Open, Knapp decided to forgo his senior season with the Bruins to begin his pro career in January 2016.

He spent the 2016 season adjusting to the nuances of the professional game with some success, and played his way onto the Mackenzie Tour thanks to a solid performance after Monday Qualifying at the GolfBC Championship.

Now a year into his pro career, the 22-year old says he’s more used to the fast-paced world of playing for your livelihood.

“I think for me,” said Knapp, “professional golf has been much faster. In amateur and college golf, you have an event, and then an off week. It’s not as quick and you have more time to practice.

“When you’re playing professionally, you have to learn to practice on the road and try to get more out of your rounds and learn from every shot.”

With an eye on the upcoming season, the long-bombing Knapp says he’s looking forward to competing in Canada and playing on some of the tree-lined, tight courses commonly found on the Mackenzie Tour.

“You have to learn to play all kinds of golf, so picking the Mackenzie Tour was the best fit for me because I felt like it was going to improve the parts of my game that I felt like needed to get better,” said Knapp.

THEY SAID IT:

“I made some good putts in the mid 20-foot range. I got off to a shaky start with a bogey, but just kind of calmed myself down knowing that I had made two the day before and played really well.” – Former Players Cup champion Chris Killmer on bouncing back from an early bogey on Thursday.

“I’m driving it a lot better. I’m just hitting it a lot better. Last year was just a struggle. My short game was actually decent, but I didn’t give myself enough good looks, and the scores are so low there that you have to give yourself chances.” – Nick Delio, who made four cuts in 11 starts last year, on improving his game from 2016 to 2017.

“I had been scrambling a lot the first couple of days, so I came out to the course early to work on my game a little bit. Even though I was 2-over through seven, I knew I had better game than the scores were showing.” – Eric Banks, who moved up to T18 with a 2-under 69 on Thursday.

MORE PLAYER NOTES:

Cameron Davis

Davis turned pro in 2016 after a standout amateur career that included individual wins at the 2015 Australian Amateur and 2016 World Amateur. He narrowly missed out on earning a spot in The Masters after finishing second at the 2015 Asia Pacific Amateur.

Upon turning pro, Davis made a splash by finishing T15 after earning an exemption into the PGA TOUR’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba.

Miscellaneous notes:

• Weather: 17 degrees Celsius, sunny, winds 15 km/h.
• Canadians in position to earn status: Stuart Macdonald (E/T18), Eric Banks (E/T18), Matthew Whittaker (+2/T23), David Rose (+3/T26), Ki Taek Lee (+5/T35)
• 18- and 36-hole co-leader Wyndham Clark stumbled to a 3-over 74 to sit T6 through 54 holes.
• Click here for scores. 

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – Five days after getting married, Trey Mullinax ran off nine birdies and saved par with a 15-foot putt on his last hole for a 9-under 63 to take the lead at the Puerto Rico Open.

The first round Thursday was suspended when showers turned into heavy rain at Coco Beach Golf & Country Club and the course was too wet to continue.

Mullinax was coming off consecutive missed cuts in Florida when he got married Saturday to Abi Essman, whom he has dated since high school. Several of his Alabama teammates were at the wedding in Birmingham, Alabama, including Justin Thomas.

And then it was off to Puerto Rico, and Mullinax posted his best round of the year. He had a one-shot lead over D.A. Points.

“Obviously, to shoot the score I shot today you have to putt well,” Mullinax said. “But it was nice to hit the ball like I feel I’ve been playing. I feel like I’ve been hitting the ball well, just haven’t been scoring. But today I hit the ball nice and it was a good result.”

Points finished his round of 64 with a 9-iron that he holed from the ninth fairway for an eagle.

“Today was the calmest day I’ve ever seen here, so it was pretty much a perfect 9-iron,” he said. “I knew I had a little backstop and I could hit it as hard as I want, and I threw it 149 yards and it spun back and went right in.”

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., is the top Canadian. He shot a 6-under 66. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch are 1 under, and Grahem DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., is 1 over.

It was an important start for Points, who has a low priority this year on the PGA Tour and has had trouble getting into tournaments.

He last played seven weeks ago at Pebble Beach, where he won in 2011 with Bill Murray as his amateur partner. Points has tried Monday qualifying for some PGA Tour events.

“I’m proud of myself for not just sitting on my butt and not doing anything,” he said. “I’ve been playing and practicing and trying to stay sharp and I think that paid off today.”

Former Las Vegas winner Bill Lunde, playing for the first time in five months, and Xander Schauffele were at 65. The group at 66 included Harold Varner III, David Hearn of Canada and Jonathan Randolph, who still had three holes remaining.

The first round was to resume Friday morning.

Former Puerto Rico Open winner Scott Brown was at 67. San Juan native Rafa Campos was at 5 under with four holes remaining when the rain arrived. A year ago, Campos opened with a 64 and eventually tied for eighth.

The Puerto Rico Open is opposite the World Golf Championships event in Texas this week, meaning a winner does not earn an automatic spot in the Masters. Wesley Bryan would need to win to have any chance of moving into the top 50 in the world ranking and qualifying for Augusta National.

Bryan opened with a 63.

AUSTIN, Texas –With a big lead on the back nine, Jordan Spieth put the ball in water again.

Gulp.

This time, there was no collapse, just a grind-it-out “must win” to beat Japan’s Yuta Ikeda in Thursday’s second round at the Dell Technologies Match Play in gusty wind that lived up to the legendary tough conditions of Texas golf.

Spieth beat Ikeda 4-and-2 at the Austin Country Club a day after losing his first-round match by the same score to Japan’s Hideto Tanihara.

Thursday’s victory, coupled with the draw between Tanihara and Ryan Moore, leaves Spieth needing to beat Moore on Friday and for Tanihara to draw or lose to Ikeda if Spieth is to move on to Saturday’s knockout rounds.

“I’ve got to play better than I did the last two days and I know that. I’ve just got to have complete trust because why not at this point. It’s a win or go home situation,” Spieth said.

Beating Ikeda took some work in conditions that saw gusts top 30 mph, often blowing straight in the golfer’s faces.

The pair made the turn with Spieth 2-up before he stuck his tee shot to within 18 inches on the par-3 11th and tapped in for birdie to win the hole. But Spieth hit a wild tee shot on No. 13 that plunked into the Colorado River – much wider than Rae’s Creek at Augusta – and he peeled out of the shot in disgust.

Instead of seizing the opening for a rally, Ikeda’s tee shot splashed as well. They halved the hole and Spieth steadily closed out the match without any mistakes the rest of the way.

“We both made a mess of the 13th, but all in all, it was a step in the right direction after yesterday,” Spieth said, referring to his opening-round 4-and-2 loss to Tanihara.

As a Texas native, playing in the Lone Star State provides both a comfort zone and an emotional pressure cooker for Spieth.

He plays in front of adoring galleries who cheer his big shots and groan over his mistakes. Youngsters plead for autographs or high-fives whenever he’s within reaching distance. And the Austin Country Club, where he played several times during his short college career at the University of Texas provides a familiar layout of rolling hills and windy riverside greens.

The pressure of his week also comes from what awaits him in two weeks: a return to the Masters, where he won in 2015 but blew a five-shot lead on the back nine last year in an epic collapse as England’s Danny Willett won.

Willett, playing in Spieth’s home territory, has had a ragged tournament with two losses already. A 6-and-5 loss to Bill Haas on Friday eliminated Willett from playing on the weekend.

Before he’d even teed up in Austin, Spieth said he’s ready for this year’s Masters and the questions about the collapse to be behind him. Then he opened the match play tournament with the loss to Tanihara.

Needing a win Thursday just to give himself a chance to get to the championship rounds, Spieth was greeted with a large crowd at the first tee and “Hook’em Horns!” cheers at every hole. Spieth was 3-up after eight holes as the wind belted the players on every swing.

A bogey on the par-4 10th allowed Ikeda an opening until Spieth’s laser tee shot into the 11th put him back in control.

“(Conditions) were about as tough as I think I’ve ever seen it. I couldn’t really fall back on much from school,” Spieth said. “In match play, you’re not upset with these conditions. One-on-one, I think the tougher conditions are better for us. We’ve kind of always believed that so I kind of hope tomorrow is more of the same.”

AUSTIN, Texas – Soren Kjeldsen and Alex Noren won their groups in the Dell Technologies Match Play, one round before group play is even finished.

Rory McIlroy took the day off, and he’s already guaranteed the weekend off.

Thursday was as wild as it gets in this tournament, even without wind ripping so hard through the edge of Hill Country that Phil Mickelson chipped into the water and still halved the hole.

Brandt Snedeker, showing class in the midst of such exasperating conditions, conceded a 7-foot putt when Andy Sullivan’s ball rolled up toward the hole and the wind blew it back.

“I’m sure everybody saw some funny-looking shots out there,” Charles Howell III said, who kept his hopes alive with a clutch pitch and a 1-up victory.

The wind had nothing to do with a domino-effect of withdrawals that allowed Kjeldsen and Noren to get a day of rest Friday.

One after Jason Day withdrew because his mother faces surgery for lung cancer, Gary Woodland pulled out because of a personal family matter. He was scheduled to play McIlroy in the second round, and while McIlroy was conceded a victory, he was eliminated four hours later when Kjeldsen won his second straight match. Kjeldsen was to play Woodland in the third round, so he was assured of winning the group at 3-0.

And so ended McIlroy’s week – 17 holes on Wednesday when Kjeldsen beat him with four straight birdies, no golf on Thursday, and a meaningless match Friday. All that’s left is for McIlroy to decide whether to play the Houston Open next week. He has played just 13 competitive rounds this year.

Noren, meanwhile, had an easy time over Bernd Wiesberger for his second straight victory. He only had to beat Francesco Molinari on Friday, but then Molinari withdrew with a wrist injury, assuring Noren a 3-0 record and a spot in the knockout stage this weekend.

Molinari pulling out also eliminated Wiesberger and Thongchai Jaidee, who get to face each other Friday with nothing at stake.

Along with two players already advancing, 23 players from the 64-man field already are mathematically eliminated.

It was even wilder on the golf course.

Mickelson, who has made it past the third round only once in his 12 previous appearances at Match Play, has never trailed all week and had no trouble against Daniel Berger. But the wind was gusting to 30 mph, and the sun baked out greens that became like Texas hardpan.

Berger was in the water on the par-5 12th and Mickelson was just right of the green in two. His pitch rolled – and rolled – beyond the flag, off the green and into the water. They halved with bogeys.

“It happens,” Mickelson said. “I just didn’t think that we would have the course so severe where that shot would be a problem.”

Still, Mickelson used a word seldom heard at Austin Country Club on Thursday. He said he had “fun.”

Match play made it acceptable.

Jordan Spieth stayed in the game with a 4-and-2 victory over Yuta Ikeda. They halved the 13th hole with double bogeys when Spieth hit into the water, and then Ikeda hit into the water. The wind was that strong, and it was even tougher on the greens.

Dustin Johnson had another easy time as he tries to get in position for his third straight victory, but he still has one more match to claim his group. Ditto for Brooks Koepka, who has yet to see the last five holes in competition. Koepka has closed out both his matches on the 13th hole.

Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia both won two matches and now square off Friday to see which Spaniard wins the group. That also will be the case with Charl Schwartzel and Paul Casey, 2-0 in their groups and facing each other Friday.

“Now we get into the meat of this thing,” Casey said. “For me, it’s straight knockout tomorrow. It’s enjoyable. That’s what I like, and everything is on the line.”

Everything else is still up in the air.

With round-robin play – head-to-head results do not apply in case of a tie – there’s a possibility of two-man, three-man, even four-man playoffs to decide who advances out of group play into single elimination on the weekend.

Bay Hill winner Marc Leishman also had a chance to clinch his group if he had beaten Pat Perez, because Leishman was to face Day in the third round. Perez won on the 17th hole. If he doesn’t win his match Friday, he faces Leishman in a playoff.

“I knew I had to win today. If not, Leish could go drink all night and get ready for Saturday,” Perez said. “Massive performance, I think, on my part today to get that done.”

It may be our nation’s 150th birthday but Canada is providing a gift to you.

Courtesy of Parks Canada, all Canadians — and guests too — are encouraged to enjoy the beautiful and majestic landscapes of our nearly 10,000,000-square-kilometre country.

Any individual, group or family just needs to sign up for a free 2017 Discovery Pass, providing unlimited opportunities to enjoy National Parks, National Historic Sites and National Marine Conservation Areas across the country. (Normally, entry into one of Canada’s National Parks costs anywhere from $8 to $10 per day.) Each pass, which expires Dec. 31, 2017, is valid for everyone arriving in the same vehicle at a national park, or arriving together at a marine conservation area or historic site.

At some locations, the Discovery Pass may not cover separate fees for activities, tours, camping or parking. Green fees fall under that category too, but the experience of golfing in a National Park can be priceless. Courses within National Parks of Canada include the following:

Cape Breton Highlands (Cape Breton Highlands National Park, NS)
Clear Lake Golf Course (Riding Mountain National Park, MB)
Fairmont Banff Springs (Banff National Park, AB)
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge (Jasper National Park, AB)
Fundy National Park Golf Course (Fundy National Park, NB)
Gros Morne Golf Course (Gros Morne National Park, NL)
Revelstoke Golf Club (Mount Revelstoke National Park, BC)
Twin Rivers Golf Course (Terra Nova National Park, NL)
Waskesieu Golf Course (Prince Albert National Park, SK)
Waterton Lakes Golf Course (Waterton Lakes National Park, AB)

Several other layouts — though not inside a National Park — are located within minutes by car, including Radium Hot Springs (Kootenay National Park, B.C.), Club de golf St-Ignace (Kouchibouguac National Park, N.B.), Oak Bay G&CC (Georgian Bay Islands National Park, ON), Erie Shores G&CC (Point Pelee National Park, ON), Stanhope G&CC (Prince Edward Island National Park, PEI)and Smuggler’s Glen Golf Course (Thousand Islands National Park, ON).

THE RECAP: Sydney, Australia’s Cameron Davis, Denver, Colorado’s Wyndham Clark and Costa Mesa, California’s Jake Knapp all reached 7-under par through 36 holes on Wednesday at the Country Club at Soboba Springs to share the second round lead at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s USA West #2 Q-School.

Davis, a 22-year old who turned professional in 2016 after a stellar amateur career, went out with a 4-under 31 on his first nine holes before stumbling to a double bogey at the ninth hole (his 18^th) to fall back into a share of the lead with Clark and Knapp.

“I was pretty happy with the way I’ve played. A bit disappointing to finish the way I did, but I’ve got a lot of positives to draw on,” said Davis.

Davis wasn’t the only one to experience a few errors on Wednesday, as Soboba’s small, tricky greens provided a stout challenge on a day when no player went without a bogey. Knapp stumbled with a double and a bogey over his final four holes, while Clark bogeyed the 16^th and missed makeable birdie putts on his final two holes. Still, Clark, a University of Oregon Senior, was optimistic about his prospects with two rounds to go.

“I left a lot of shots out there, but all-in-all I’m excited about how my game feels and how I played,” said Clark.

The trio will tee off together on Thursday at 1:39 p.m. in round three’s final group.

CURRENT SCORES FOR MACKENZIE TOUR STATUS: After 72 holes this week, every player inside the top 40 and ties will earn Mackenzie Tour status for 2017. Below is a breakdown of where the cut-offs stand:

1^st (Exempt for 2017 season): -7/T1

5^th (Exempt for first 8 events, subject to 2^nd reshuffle): -4/T5

16^th (Exempt for first 4 events, subject to 1^st reshuffle): -1/T11

40^th (Conditional status): +3/T39

BACKGROUND ON THE LEADERS: Davis turned pro in 2016 after a standout amateur career that included individual wins at the 2015 Australian Amateur and 2016 World Amateur. He narrowly missed out on earning a spot in The Masters after finishing second at the 2015 Asia Pacific Amateur.

Upon turning pro, Davis made a splash by finishing T15 after earning an exemption into the PGA TOUR’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba.

Clark comes into the week as the No.1 player in Golfweek’s Men’s Collegiate Individual Rankings on the strength of two individual wins for the University of Oregon. The Colorado native looks to follow in the footsteps of former Oregon Duck Aaron Wise, who played Mackenzie Tour Q-School in 2016 as one of the highest-ranked collegiate players in the nation, going on to earn medalist honours before winning both the NCAA Championship and then the Syncrude Oil Country Championship presented by AECON, ultimately earning a spot in The Five and status on the Web.com Tour.

Knapp, a 23-year old who played his way on to the Mackenzie Tour last year after being one of the top three non-members after the first re-shuffle of the 2016 season, played college golf at UCLA, where he secured two individual wins before turning pro in 2015.

Knapp qualified for the U.S. Open in 2015, missing the cut with rounds of 74-76.

THEY SAID IT:

“I really think Canada helped me out last year. I’m a different player now. Those are different golf courses up there and you’ve got to keep the ball in play, and it’s nothing like you get in California.” – 2016 Mackenzie Tour member Michael Tolladay, who bounced back from an opening 79 with a second round 64

“As long as I’ve been out here, you’re going to have times where you string a couple of birdies together, everything’s great and you’re happy as can be, and all of a sudden you throw a couple of bogeys together. That’s golf. It was a really tough day.” – Former Players Cup champion Chris Killmer on having a patient mindset at Q-School.

“It helps having a few rounds in a row to build some momentum. I’ve still got 36 holes to go, so we’ll continue seeing where it goes.” – Cameron Davis on rebounding from his disappointing finish on Wednesday for the final two rounds.

MORE PLAYER NOTES:

Jared Sawada

26-year old Jared Sawada played collegiate golf at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He has played in the PGA TOUR’s Sony Open in Hawaii twice, including a T69 finish in 2017.

Miscellaneous notes:

• Weather: 17 degrees Celsius, partly sunny with occasional showers, winds 15 km/h.
• Canadians in position to earn status: Stuart Macdonald (-3/T8), David Rose (-1/T11), Eric Banks (+2/T32), Raoul Menard (+3/T39), Matthew Whittaker (+3/T39).
• Play was suspended for 42 minutes due to dangerous weather in the area at 2:08 p.m.
• Keelan Kilpatrick recorded an ace on the fourth hole, using a pitching wedge from 134 yards.
• Click here for scores.

AUSTIN, Tex. – Defending champion Jason Day lasted only six holes at the Dell Technologies Match Play until a heavy heart forced an early departure.

Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth might not be far behind.

The opening round of golf’s most unpredictable tournament took a stunning turn Wednesday when the third-seeded Day abruptly conceded his match to Pat Perez, then wiped away tears as he revealed his mother has lung cancer. Day withdrew to be with her in Ohio for surgery on Friday.

“It’s been a very, very hard time for me to even be thinking about playing golf,” Day said. “And I know my mom says not to let it get to me, but it really has. So I just need some time away with her to make sure that everything goes well because this has been very, very tough for me. So I’m going to do my best and try and be there the best I can for her because she is the reason that I’m playing golf today.”

Dustin Johnson had no trouble in his debut as the No. 1 seed. He had five birdies in his opening eight holes at Austin Country Club and there wasn’t much Webb Simpson could do, but try to extend the match as long as he could. It lasted 15 holes in a 5-and-3 victory.

“Got a long way to go, but getting the first match in the books with a win is definitely a head start,” said Johnson, who is trying to win his third straight tournament.

McIlroy (No. 2) and Spieth (No. 5) face critical matches the rest of the way.

McIlroy, the 2015 champion and a semifinalist last year, appeared to seize control against Soren Kjeldsen when he won three straight holes to take the lead, including a 410-yard drive on the par-5 12th hole and another drive over the water to the edge of the green on the 317-yard 13th hole into the wind.

Kjeldsen, crisp as ever with his short irons, ran off four straight birdies to end the match. He took a 1-up lead with a wedge in tight on the par-5 16th, and then his pitching wedge that landed inches from the cup and settled 2 feet away for a birdie on the 17th to end it. Kjeldsen was 6 under on the round.

It was the first time McIlroy had lost his opening match since 2013 when Match Play was single elimination.

“If I had played anyone else, I might have won,” McIlroy said. “Overall, I can’t be too disappointed. But at the same time, when standing on the 14th tee just having won three holes in a row, I thought I had him going into a tough stretch of the golf course. But he put up three birdies in a row, and you can’t do anything about that.”

Spieth didn’t put much of a fight against Hideto Tanihara of Japan, making his debut in Match Play.

With the Texas crowd on his side, Spieth missed a short birdie attempt that would have given him the lead on No. 5.

Two holes later, Tanihara poured in an 18-foot birdie putt and Spieth couldn’t match him. And he never caught up. Spieth didn’t win a hole until the 14th – with a bogey – and Spieth gave him the next hole when his wedge sailed over the 15th green.

Spieth and McIlroy are not done yet, though they need some help.

The best record from the 16 four-man groups advance to the knockout stage on Saturday. Ties are determined by a sudden-death playoff, and head-to-head matchups do not count.

“I obviously have to take care of my end of the bargain tomorrow,” Spieth said, who next faces Yuta Ikeda.

Hideki Matsuyama (No. 4) wasn’t all that happy, either. He missed a 6-foot birdie putt against Jim Furyk and had to settle for a halve. Sergio Garcia, meanwhile, was thrilled to get a halve against Shane Lowry.

The Spaniard never led on the back nine and was 1 down going to the 18th. Lowry hit driver well left into the shaggy grass of a hazard, did well to get it on the green but then three-putted for a bogey.

Justin Thomas (No. 6), fell behind for the first time in his match against Chris Wood on the 13th hole. Thomas won the next two and then closed him out on the 17th. Next up for the PGA Tour’s only three-time winner this season is Kevin Na.

“I didn’t know I was playing him until you just told me,” Thomas said. “I guess that can tell you how I’m viewing everything this week. I’m just going to play golf.”

Only nine of the 32 matches went the distance. Charl Schwartzel had the shortest day, ending his match against Byeong Hun on the 13th hole.

Perez went 2 up early on Day, including a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 4 that swirled into the cup. But on the par-5 sixth, Day was listless and chopped his way to a double bogey when he shook hands and walked off the course.

Day never let on that his mother, Dening, was diagnosed with lung cancer at the start of the year. The prognosis was bleak in Australia – he said doctors told her she only had 12 months to live – so he brought her to Ohio in the last month for a new round of tests.

He said doctors have been more optimistic, and Friday’s surgery will determine a plan for recovery.

The inaugural World Masters Golf Championship has been launched with a call to all amateur golfers over 50 years of age to take up this unique opportunity to play on the iconic links of Scotland.

The World Masters Golf Championship provides the opportunity to play competitive golf on outstanding courses in a fun, social environment. The event is open to all golfers with an official handicap who are over 50 years of age as at 17 September, 2017 with Golf Canada members are entitled to a £30 discount off the entry fee.

The Championship will be staged over four days from September 18-21 on some of the best courses in the world. Follow in the footsteps of legends and take your opportunity to play some of the great courses of Scotland, included amongst them Royal Troon, Prestwick and Dundonald.

The World Masters Golf Championship is the brainchild of Hamish Grey (formerly CEO of Scottish Golf) and Andy Salmon (formerly CEO of the Ladies’ Golf Union and Deputy CEO of Scottish Golf), who have over 50 years of experience in sport and golf event management between them.

‘The idea is to stage an annual celebration of golf with a top quality championship for club-level amateur golfers here at the Home of Golf – playing competitive golf in a fun, social environment on some of the world’s leading golf courses,’ said Grey.

The format is individual stableford with prize categories based on handicap and age – along with the overall prize and title of World Masters Golf Champion.  Staged over four days there are two packages on offer –

Flight one:

Play Prestwick, laid out by Old Tom Morris, who was the Club’s Professional, the original home of the Open Championship which has been staged a total of 24 times on the links at Prestwick;

Western Gailes, a stunning links course that has hosted Open qualifying and major amateur events such as the European Team Championships featuring a young Rory McIlroy, amongst others; and

Glasgow Gailes, another classic links that hosts Open Qualifying and many major amateur events – where Colin Montgomerie qualified for the 2016 Open staged at nearby Royal Troon.

Flight two:

Play Dundonald, the links course of Loch Lomond Golf Club, Dundonald hosted the last two editions of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Ladies’ Open and two months prior to the World Masters Golf Championship will host the 2017 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open Championship;

Kilmarnock (Barassie), boasting 27 holes of pure links fun, Kilmarnock (Barassie) has also hosted Open Qualifying as well as numerous Scottish amateur tournaments and the European Youths Team Championship; and

Ayr Belleisle, a James Braid designed gem that in the true traditions of Scottish golf is a public course owned by the local authority.

Limited to 240 entrants, the top 120 participants after three rounds will qualify to play the nine-time Open Championship venue, Royal Troon, and follow in the footsteps of legends such as 2016 Open Champion Henrik Stenson. The remaining 120 participants will have the opportunity to play the excellent Glasgow Gailes.

This celebration of golf will be started with a welcome reception on Sunday, September 17 and conclude with a gala dinner on the evening of September 21.

Email members@golfcanada.ca for information on discounts for Golf Canada members.

Canadian amateur golfer Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., collected a one-stroke victory on Wednesday at National Women’s Golf Association (NWGA) event at Dubsdread Golf Course in Olrando, Fla.

Costabile opened the 54-hole event with a tournament-low 65 (-5) to jump out to the early lead, followed by rounds of 69 (-1) and 70 (E). The 18-year-old’s efforts landed her with a score of 6-under par for tournament, one stroke ahead of runner-up Laura Restrepo.

In 2016, Costabile registered T11 and T20 finishes at the Ontario Women’s Amateur and Canadian Women’s Amateur, respectively. She also represented Canada at the 2014 World Junior Girls Championship.

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