RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – D.A. Points was never better at the start, and good enough at the end.

Points opened the final round of the Puerto Rico Open with five straight birdies, and then overcame a rugged stretch by saving pars and piling up enough birdies for a 6-under 66 on Sunday and a two-shot victory.

It was the third PGA Tour victory of his career, and felt just as sweet as when he won at Pebble Beach with Bill Murray as his partner, and four years ago at the Houston Open to get to the Masters.

This won’t send him to Augusta National because it was played opposite a World Golf Championship. It was no less important for Points, who lost his card a year ago and now has a full two-year exemption.

“I was just really proud of myself for finding some way – hitting about as low as I’ve ever been golf-wise and finding my out – and then to be able to hang in there and win today is something that I wasn’t sure if I had in me,” he said. “And I’m really proud of myself.”

Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen (64), Bill Lunde (68) and former U.S. Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau (67) tied for second at Coco Beach Golf and Country Club.

Sam Saunders, one week after missing the cut at the first Arnold Palmer Invitational without his grandfather there as the host, closed with a 65 and tied for fifth. Also tying for fifth was former U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein, who plays the European Tour and was in Puerto Rico on a sponsor’s exemption.

That sends both of them to the Houston Open next week for finishing in the top 10. Six others in the top 10 were eligible for the Houston Open, where the winner gets an invitation to the Masters.

Chris Stroud, with his first 54-hole lead as he tried to win his first PGA Tour event in 277 starts, closed with a 71 and finished four shots behind. David Hearn (68) of Brantford, Ont., tied for 17th at 14 under and Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch (67) tied for 44th at 9 under.

Points closed with a birdie to finish at 20-under 268.

“I’ve never, that I can think of, just started out with five straight birdies,” Points said. “It was just like, ‘Wow!’ I just hit in the fairway and I hit it right at the flag and tapped it in. It was pretty fun.”

And then it became a grind.

He dropped a shot at the sixth, another at the eighth and then a third bogey at No. 10 when he three-putted. But he saved par at No. 11 and faced another 5-footer for par at No. 12.

“I said, ‘If I can just make this putt, I’ve got a chance to kind of get the momentum going back the other way.’ And then I holed a nice putt on 13 and then I settled my swing down and started hitting it close again,” he said. “Golf is like that, right? You have highs and lows and rarely do you just play every hole perfect. To bounce back after kind of a rough stretch there, I’m really proud.”

Even though the victory doesn’t get him into the Masters, Points will be at The Players Championship in May and the PGA Championship in August, along with access to smaller fields like Colonial and the Memorial. And he starts out next year on Maui at the Tournament of Champions.

AUSTIN, Texas – Dustin Johnson won the Dell Technologies Match Play with more drama than he needed to cap off an otherwise dominant week that made him the first player to sweep the four World GolfChampionships.

The scorecard will show Johnson never trailed in any of his seven matches over 112 holes, ending with a 1-up victory over Jon Rahm for his third straight victory that left no doubt who was No. 1 in the world.

The look of concern, especially as Rahm made a bold charge in the final hour Sunday, spoke to a long day.

Johnson was 4 up with six holes to play when the Spanish rookie with a big game and no fear hit driver over the water and onto the 13th green to win the hole with a birdie. He stuck a wedge close on the 15th for another birdie. Rahm hit a shot through the trees on the 16th and won the hole with a 30-foot birdie.

The rematch Rahm wanted against Johnson, who held him off in Mexico City three weeks ago, ended the same way.

His big rally was a little short.

Playing the 356-yard 18th hole for the first time in competition all week, and needing a birdie to send this heavyweight bout to overtime, Rahm smashed driver over the back of the green. But his chip down the slope checked up and stayed short of the ridge, and he had to settle for par.

Johnson came up just short of the green, chipped to 30 inches and rolled in it to complete another big week.

“That was a tough day, a long day,” Johnson said. “I’m proud of the way I played, the way I hung in there.”

None of his first five matches went longer than 16 holes until Sunday, when Johnson faced the first threat of the week. Hideto Tanihara caught him with two birdies on the back nine, and Johnson needed a pitching wedge to 6 feet on the short but troublesome par-3 17th to take the lead again. Then, he had to make an 8-foot par putt to beat Tanihara and avoid extra holes.

Rahm, who dispatched of Bill Haas in the semifinals, 3 and 2, wanted to face the hottest player in golf in the championship. And for the longest time, it looked as though the 22-year-old Spaniard regretted it.

Rahm gave away three straight holes by missing par putts from 6 feet and 8 feet, and missing a birdie putt from 4 feet. Johnson stretched his lead to 5 up with yet another bogey by Rahm, and it looked as though this match might be over early.

Not so fast.

Rahm, who already is No. 14 in the world in just his 15th tournament as a pro, began chipping away. Johnson three-putted the 10th hole for the third straight match, regained momentum with a two-putt birdie on the 12th hole – Rahm hit his tee shot downhill and downwind at 438 yards, Johnson at 424 yards – and then the Spaniard began his remarkable rally that came up short.

The result was another victory for Johnson, the 15th of his career, and makes him the clear-cut favourite at the Masters in two weeks. The next stop is the Houston Open, where another victory would make him the first player since Tiger Woods in 2008 to win four straight tournaments.

? That’s a winner ?

Dustin Johnson defeats Jon Rahm 1UP to win the @DellMatchPlay for his third consecutive victory. pic.twitter.com/at1GgFeqkA

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 26, 2017

Johnson became just the second player in the 19-year history of this event to never trail the entire week. Luke Donald did it in 2001, but that was before round-robin play and so Donald played only six 18-hole matches that week.

Not only did Johnson never trail, he led in 94 per cent of the holes he played. Donald was ahead in 91 per cent of his matches.

Johnson previously won the Mexico Championship earlier this month (and Cadillac Championship at Doral in 2015), the HSBC Champions in Shanghai in 2013 and the Bridgestone Invitational last summer at Firestone.

That gives him five World Golf Championships, well short of the 18 that Woods won. Woods only played the HSBC Champions twice after it became a WGC event in 2009.

AUSTIN, Texas – Dustin Johnson finally held up his end of the bargain Sunday morning, setting up a powerful title bout in the Dell Technologies Match Play against Jon Rahm.

Johnson was forced beyond the 16th hole for the first time all week in an error-filled finish against Hideto Tanihara of Japan, and the world’s No. 1 played didn’t escape until he holed an 8-foot par putt on the 18th to preserve a 1-up victory.

Johnson headed to the championship match Sunday afternoon with a chance to become the first player to sweep the four World Golf Championships.

In his way was Rahm, the rising star from Spain who faced a tough semifinal of his own against Bill Haas before pulling away with three birdies over his last four holes for a 3-and-2 victory. Rahm has yet to play the 18th hole at Austin Country Club in competition.

Even as Johnson was locked in an unexpected battle with Tanihara, the 22-year-old Spanish rookie said he was hopeful to see Johnson in the final for what he referred to as a rematch from Mexico. Johnson won the Mexico Championship three weeks ago, but not before Rahm made a bold charge in the final round until two bogeys at the end.

A victory for Rahm would make him the youngest player to win a World Golf Championship and put him in the top 10 in the world.

Johnson hasn’t trailed in a match all week, and he has led after 89 of the 94 holes he has played.

But he finally looked beatable against Tanihara.

Johnson was 2 up at the turn when he three-putted the 10th for the second straight round. He looked as if he would lose the par-5 12th when he couldn’t reach the green from a fairway bunker and Tanihara had 18 feet for eagle. In a shocking swing, Tanihara ran it 6 feet by and three-putted for par, and Johnson pitched to 8 feet and won the hole with a birdie.

But it wasn’t a swing in momentum.

Tanihara hit two great shots, a flip wedge to a dangerous pin over the water on the 13th to 4 feet, and a long iron into the wind on the 14th to 6 feet, to win both holes and square the match. From there, Johnson appeared to be playing not to lose.

With Tanihara in trouble on the 15th, Johnson came up well short of the green with a wedge and missed a 5-foot par putt to win the hole. On the par-5 16th, Johnson missed an 8-foot birdie putt to win the hole. He finally regained the lead with a pitching wedge to 6 feet for birdie on the 17th. Even so, he made it tough on himself by leaving yet another wedge short on the 18th and having to save par for the victory.

Rahm had only trailed on one hole this week – the first he played – until Haas rolled in a 40-foot birdie putt on the third hole. Rahm used his power to make birdie on the fifth and sixth to take the lead, only for Haas to answer with a birdie on the seventh to square the match.

Haas had three straight birdie putts from the 15- to 20-foot range starting at No. 9 and couldn’t convert.

Rahm hit a bolder tee shot on the 13th that left him a short wedge that he hit to 10 feet for birdie and a 1-up lead. Haas squandered a great chance to halve the match when Rahm missed the 14th green long, hit a flop shot about 20 feet by and made bogey. From a swale short of the green, Haas chipped weakly to 15 feet and missed the putt to stay 1 down. Rahm took it from there.

Haas and Tanihara played a consolation match with $678,000 going to the winner and $545,000 for fourth place.

BEAUMONT, CALIFORNIA, March 25, 2017 – Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Quebec, Canada) and Daniela Darquea (Quito, Ecuador) made 13 total birdies while playing in the same group on Saturday and both moved into a share of the lead at 7-under, 137. Later in the day, Briana Mao (Folsom, Calif.) posted a 4-under, 68 to get to 7-under. Tanguay, who has six career top 10’s including a T10 to open the year at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, posted a 4-under, 68 while Darquea, a rookie playing in just her second career event, turned in a 5-under, 67. 

There are five players just one off the lead including Burbank native Emily Tubert. There are 11 players within three shots of the leaders.  

The cut was made at 2-over, 142 and 72 players will play on Sunday. The first group will tee at 7:30 a.m. while the final group of Darquea and Mao will tee at 1:10 p.m. 

“I just really got my putting going today, I made a bunch of 10 and 12 footers,” said Tanguay, who attempted 29 putts. “I made some up-and-downs on the par 5’s, which was key so overall it was a solid round.”

Tanguay decided this past offseason to stay in Florida to prepare for the season and said it was her best offseason to date. She only took about a week off.

“Two weeks before the season started, I was getting itchy to play because I’ve worked a lot on short game, chipping and putting and made some equipment changes that are helping my game,” said Tanguay. “I got some new wedges and I got some more distance off the tee with a new driver.”

Tanguay also said that she will have her boyfriend on the bag full-time this year and the duo works well on the course.

“It gets stressful sometimes on the road and it is good to have someone that helps me relax,” explained Tanguay. “He knows my game well, he knows me well and I think we make a great team on the course.”

The 26-year-old has made ten birdies against just one bogey this week. She did have a double bogey on Saturday on the 17th hole. 

Tanguay’s low finish on Tour is a tie for fourth. She’ll go for her first win on Sunday.

“My mission this year is to be a little lighter on the golf course and have more fun,” said Tanguay. “It’s definitely nice to be in this position and I’ve been here before and I know how it feels and I think I can do better this time around.”

Darquea will try to become the first player from Ecuador to ever win on the Symetra Tour. 

“I putted really well today,” said Darquea, who finished 17th in her pro debut at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic. “On the 20-footers and in I made a lot of them, however on the really long putts I wasn’t as confident. I actually three-putted three times.”

Darquea, who took medalist honors at Stage I of LPGA Qualifying Tournament in 2016, turned professional after three seasons at Miami. 

“I’m super excited how I am playing,” said Darquea. “I love to play golf and so far the start to my 

professional career has been fun. I’m really happy that I am playing well.”

When Darquea was little, her parents bought a membership to a golf club in Quito and she started playing when she was four years old. 

“I just fell in love with the game and I couldn’t stop playing,” explained Darquea. “I went to college and then turned professional so golf has pretty much been my entire life.”

Darquea said that taking advantage of the par-5 holes will be critical on Sunday. 

Mao, who trains in Palm Desert at La Quinta PGA West, made four birdies over her first seven holes and five total for a 68. 

“I was hitting it really well and had a lot of good looks including birdie opportunities on each of the first six holes,” explained Mao. “I was feeling good going into the back nine, but just kind of lost my rhythm. I started swinging too fast and missed some fairways.”

Just like Tanguay and Darquea, Mao will also go for her first win.

“I’m going to go work on ball striking a little and then I’ll be fully prepared for Sunday,” said Mao, an All-ACC performer at the University of Virginia. “There are a bunch of good players towards the top so who knows what will happen.”

EMREY POSTS CAREER LOW ROUND: Allison Emrey (Charlotte, N.C.) carded a career low 6-under, 66 on Saturday to jump from T33 to a tie for fourth at 6-under for the tournament. 

She made seven birdies against just one bogey. 

“I played really consistent and I hit the ball well and capitalized on that and made the putts,” said Emrey, who attempted 28 putts. “I had a great group and we were talking all day so that put me at ease.”

Emrey played with Elizabeth Szokol (Winnetka, Ill.) and Kim Welch (Sacramento, Calif.).

The 23-year-old finished 51st on the Volvik Race for the Card money list as a rookie and feels ready to improve upon that.

“I feel like it is definitely easier your second year because you’ve seen all the courses before and you know all the players and you know what is going to happen each week,” explained Emrey. “I’m staying with my same host family from last year so it is really nice to come back to Beaumont. 

She will likely improve upon her finish last year at Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon when she closed T55. 

LACROSSE GETTING CLOSE AFTER NEARLY A YEAR OFF: Cindy LaCrosse, who won three times on the Symetra Tour in 2010 and has made 88 career starts on the LPGA, feels her game is headed in the right direction. This week is a good sign as she posted a 2-under, 70 on Saturday and stands at 6-under, 138. 

“I played really well, if a few more putts had dropped it could have been even lower,” said LaCrosse, who only played in two Symetra Tour events last year. “I’m hitting the ball really well and I’ve done a lot over the last year with swing changes and they are really starting to feel comfortable.”

LaCrosse played in the first Symetra Tour event last year and then withdrew from the rest to make big changes. She started working with Justin Sheehan out of Tampa, who also coaches Brittany Altomare and a few other professionals.

“I told him that I’ll do whatever you tell me with the golf swing so it took a long time,” said LaCrosse. “Even at Q-School, I was still uncomfortable. I knew if I wanted to keep playing I needed to do something drastic.

LaCrosse was the Symetra Player of the Year in 2010. She hasn’t had a top 50 LPGA finish since 2013. 

FRANCE’S RICORDEAU PLAYING SYMETRA TOUR FOR FIRST TIME: Marion Ricordeau (Laon, France) posted a 1-under, 71 to move to 3-under for the tournament. She played six years on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and then earned partial LPGA Tour status through Q-School in 2015 and played the LPGA in 2016. She finished T23 at the LOTTE Championship in Hawaii, but struggled the remainder of the season. She has decided to focus on the Symetra Tour in hopes of returning to the LPGA. 

“I tasted it (LPGA) and I loved it so obviously I want to try and get there again,” said Ricordeau, who made 14 starts on the big tour last year. “I want to do my best each week to try and get my card through Symetra (Tour), if not then Q-School.”

Ricordeau finished 48th on the LET Order of Merit in 2015 when she last played in Europe. She has three career top 10’s on the LET.

“It’s pretty motivating on the LPGA when you can’t play average to make a living, you have to give your best every week,” explained Ricordeau. “I started to work (on my game) more than I ever have in the past because I had to against the competition.”

Ricordeau confirmed that she likely won’t play in many LET events because she doesn’t want to travel back-and-forth between the states and Europe. 

During off weeks, Ricordeau will spend time with her coach, Patricia Meunier-Lebouc, in Jupiter, Florida. Meunier-Lebouc won twice on the LPGA Tour including the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship. 

OF NOTE

• Stanford products Lauren Kim (-4) and Mariah Stackhouse (-3) are both in the top 10.

• Brittany Benvenuto, who finished 3rd at Tukwet Canyon in 2015, is T10 with back-to-back 70’s.

• Rookie Lindsey Weaver, who finished fourth at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, is ninth heading into the final round at 5-under, 139. 

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Moving day at the Kia Classic set up what should be an exciting final 18 holes at Aviara on Sunday.

Mirim Lee shot a 5-under 67 in the third round Saturday to go to 13-under and take a one shot lead over Mi Jung Hur, who made a 67-foot putt on No. 18 to card a 66.

Another South Korean, In Gee Chun, was tied at 10-under with Cristie Kerr, who was in a three-way tie for the lead after the first round and was alone atop the leaderboard after 36 holes.

The most pressure Sunday might be on Kerr, the 2015 Kia champion.

Kerr had her most erratic round of the tournament, a 1-under 71 that ended with a bogey on 18.

“I like my position,” Kerr said. “Honestly, I didn’t hit it that great today. I scrambled a lot. That last pin was really difficult. It was kind of hard to judge the speed through the shadows, and I didn’t do a very good job. I three-putted the last hole.”

She said her coach flew in on Saturday, “so I get to go do a little session with him tonight. I’m going to go work with my coach and try to hit it a little better tomorrow and give myself more opportunities to make birdies.”

Hur was energized by her long putt on 18, which she thinks was the longest she’s ever made.

“I definitely feel very, very good right now because I finish with a birdie on the last hole,” she said. “That was a huge, long putt. That helps a lot, the last putt. It put me second place. I’m getting excited to be playing tomorrow.”

Her only bogey was on the par-3 11th.

“I just want to stay positive and still be patient for those greens,” she said. “It actually was good today and my putter was good. I struggled a little bit with my iron shots.”

Brittany Lincicome made an early run with four birdies and an eagle in her first eight holes to get to 10-under before she had two bogeys on the back nine in a round of 67 that tied her with Austin Ernst and Karine Icher at 9-under. Calgary’s Jennifer Ha (76) was tied for 62nd at 1-over par.

In a group of five golfers at 8-under was Jackie Stoelting, who at 30 has earned, lost and earned back her tour card. After making the cut in an LPGA tournament for the first time since 2015, she got to 11-under through 10 holes before double-bogeying the par-4 13th and bogeying the 18th for a 70.

Two years ago at the Kia, she shot 4-under in the first round and 4-over in the second round and missed the cut by one.

“I’m not going to lie, yesterday I had a lot of nerves thinking, ‘I don’t want to do that again,”’ said Stoelting, whose husband, Travis, is her caddie. “I made a couple birdies – actually bogeyed my second hole and made a couple birdies coming in the front nine and really settled down.

“I’ve been in contention a lot on the Symetra Tour,” said Stoelting, who admitted getting nervous Saturday when the TV crew began following her.

“That really helped me settle down a little bit more, knowing that I’ve dealt with cameras before,” she said. “It’s definitely different out here. But I enjoy that feeling.”

She has only $10,398 in career LPGA earnings and is ranked 303 in the world. Her biggest paycheque has come via Big Break on the Golf Channel, when she won some $70,000 and other prizes.

Stoelting said she owes a lot to her clothing sponsor, 2GG Apparel, which is owned by former major league pitcher Russ Ortiz.

“We talked a lot last week just about playing fearless and just really believing in myself,” she said. “I think that’s the biggest difference this week.”

She said she decided last year she was either going to get her card through the Symetra Tour or Q-School, or quit. She got it through the Symetra Tour.

“A lot of people say, ‘You’re 30, you’re 30.’ But the golf ball has no clue how old I am.”

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – Chris Stroud has gone 276 tournaments over the better part of a decade trying to win on the PGA Tour. A birdie on the final hole Saturday in the Puerto Rico Open gave him his first 54-hole lead, and he hopes his experience will keep him calm.

Looking over his shoulder could make that very difficult.

Stroud kept a clean card at Coco Beach Golf and Country Club for a 5-under 67, giving him a one-shot lead over Bill Lunde and D.A. Points. What makes the final round more challenging is 10 players were within three shots.

“I feel like at this point in my career _ it’s my 11th year on tour _ I’ve got experience on my side,” Stroud said. “I was very calm today. Nothing really freaks me out. Middle of the round, I got a little loose, but I’m going to draw from that. I feel like I’m way overdue.”

Stroud was at 15-under 201. David Hearn (71) of Brantford, Ont., was tied for 15th at 10 under and Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch (71) was tied for 65th at 4 under.

Points is a two-time PGA Tour winner, most recently in 2013 at the Houston Open. Lunde won the Turning Stone Resort Championship in 2010, and only got into the Puerto Rico Open as a past champion. This is his first event in five months, so winning could not come at a better time.

The Puerto Rico Open is opposite a World Golf Championship, so it does not include an automatic invitation to the Masters. But it offers a two-year exemption, and that would mean everything to Stroud and to Lunde, who do not have full status. Stroud is a conditional member from finishing out of the top 125 last year.

“That would be the biggest change, versus kind of waiting around to play my five, six events a year,” Lunde said. “It would give me somewhere to play all the time. That would be the greatest thing that would come with a win tomorrow.”

Wesley Bryan, who needed a victory for any hope of moving into the top 50 and getting into the Masters, shot 73 to fall out of contention. That no longer is an issue, anyway, because with Hideto Tanihara (semifinals) and Ross Fisher (quarter-finals) advancing in the Match Play, Bryan could not crack the top 50.

Stroud simply wants a victory. He twice shared the 54-hole lead. The closest he came to winning was losing in a playoff to Ken Duke in 2013 at the Travelers Championship.

Andrew “Beef” Johnston of England shot a 66 and was two shots behind. Also two shots back was the local favourite, San Juan native Rafael Campos, who shot a 69 and was warmed by the loud ovation as he approached the 18th green. Campos has as much pride in his local event as anyone on the PGA Tour.

“I don’t really mind me playing good or bad, I just want to make golf visible here,” he said. “And seeing that many people following me and all that, I think to myself, ‘OK, I’m pretty sure after the week at least two or three guys will want to start picking up golf here.’ That’s my main goal right now, try to promote the game. Yeah, obviously it’s great when I’m playing good.”

Former U.S. Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau also was two shots behind after a 70, while former Puerto Rico Open champion Scott Brown and Peter Uihlein, a former U.S. Amateur champion who plays the European Tour, were three shots back.

Sam Saunders, the grandson of Arnold Palmer, shot 67 and was five behind.

AUSTIN, Texas – Dustin Johnson had reason to be rattled.

As he walked off the 12th green Saturday afternoon, the match referee said five words that Johnson heard for the first time all week in the Dell Technologies Match Play.

“The match is all square.”

Until then, Johnson had led after each of the 71 holes he had played at Austin Country Club.

He wasted little time responding to a rare challenge. Johnson birdied three of the next four holes for a 3-and-2 victory over Alex Noren to advance to the semifinals and stay on track for a potential showdown between No. 1 in the world and Jon Rahm, golf’s brightest young star.

“I wasn’t frustrated that I was all square. I was frustrated that I kind of gave 10 and 11 away,” Johnson said. “Came back strong after losing three holes in a row.”

Rahm was so dominant he played only 27 holes in two matches Saturday. He hasn’t had a match go longer than 14 holes since Thursday. And the 22-year-old rookie from Spain still hasn’t played the 18th hole since a practice round Tuesday.

“The golf I’ve played the last three matches really has been very impressive, even to myself,” he said. “And it seemed to get better as I played, which is something that doesn’t happen often.”

Rahm lost only one of the 27 holes he played in his 6-and-4 victory over Charles Howell III and his 7-and-5 victory over Soren Kjeldsen in the quarterfinals.

Rahm faces a semifinal match Sunday morning against Bill Haas, who ended Phil Mickelson’s hopes with a 2-and-1 victory. Mickelson had advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in 13 years with a victory against Marc Leishman.

Mickelson never trailed in any match until he fell behind on the first hole to Haas, and he had never led when the match ended on the 17th hole.

“I struggled making the putts that I have been making all week,” Mickelson said. “That seemed to me to be the difference.”

Johnson, going after a third straight PGA Tour title, faces one of this tournament’s biggest surprises in Hideko Tanihara of Japan.

“He looks unbeatable,” Tanihara said. “I hope he doesn’t feel good tomorrow, so maybe I have a chance.”

Tanihara began the week by beating Jordan Spieth. On Saturday, he took down Paul Casey with two late birdies in the morning fourth round, and then he beat Ross Fisher, 4 and 2, to reach the semifinals.

Johnson has looked unstoppable all month.

He went to No. 1 in the world with a five-shot victory at Riviera. In his next start, he won the Mexico Championship after holding off a late rally from Rahm. Now he’s two victories away from becoming the first player to sweep the four World Golf Championships.

None of Johnson’s five matches has gone beyond the 16th hole. In the fourth round, he beat Zach Johnson, 5 and 4. Noren is the only player to really make him sweat, and that was Johnson’s doing.

Johnson went 3 up at the turn, and then it was gone. He three-putted from 30 feet to lose the 10th hole. His tee shot on the par-3 11th hit the rocks and went into the water. And then he had to settle for par after leaving himself in an awkward spot, only to watch Noren hole a 40-footer to tie the match.

Johnson made a 10-foot birdie putt on the 13th _ Noren missed from 8 feet _ and then began to pull away with another 10-foot birdie on the 15th.

“That putt on 13 I think was a big one,” Johnson said. “That was just outside of him, and to hole that putt, put a little pressure on him, and then he missed it, I think that was a pretty important shot there.”

Haas is still amazed to even be playing. On Friday, he was on the verge of being eliminated when he hit into a hazard in a sudden-death playoff against K.T. Kim to decide their group. Haas took a penalty drop, chipped in from 120 feet for par to halve the hole and won on the sixth extra hole. Then he had to go 18 holes to beat Kevin Na in the fourth round before taking on Mickelson.

Haas made seven birdies in his match. He figured he will need something close to that number for his semifinal match against Rahm.

“I don’t think a single player out here would argue that he’s one of the top five, top 10 players in the world,” Haas said. “He’s hungry. He wants more. You can just see it in him. He’s got that thing about him that’s going to make him a big-time winner out here, and hopefully I can hang with him.”

Fisher left with a consolation prize. By beating Bubba Watson in the fourth round, Fisher will move into the top 50 in the world and qualify for the Masters. Tanihara also was assured of being in the top 50 to get into Augusta National for the first time in 10 years.

Birdie. Birdie. Birdie. That’s how Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald finished his first qualifying school Friday to secure status on this year’s Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada circuit. That would be your textbook definition of clutch.

The 22-year-old member of Point Grey Golf & Country Club, who is a member of Canada’s national amateur team, finished the 72-hole Q school at the Country Club at Soboba Springs in San Jacinto, Calif., tied for ninth place at three-under par. That guarantees him the first four starts of the Mackenzie Tour season and means he won’t be an amateur much longer.

Macdonald was proud of the way he closed his round. He sensed he needed a big finish to secure status. “I was tied for 18th going into today and I definitely wanted to finish, if not top five, then inside the top 16,” Macdonald said over the phone after his round. “So I had to make something happen down the stretch. I had a sense I had to make some birdies and it happened.”

American Jake Knapp, who won Q-School by seven strokes with a score of 16-under par, earned fully exempt status. The rest of the top five are exempt through the first eight events of the Mackenzie Tour season. Players finishing ninth through 16th are guaranteed the first four starts of the season.

Macdonald was even-par for his round through 15 holes before his birdie binge, which began on one of the toughest holes on the course. “The 16th is a par 4 that is normally a par 5,” Macdonald said. “It’s about 485 yards, with lots of trouble, and it was playing straight into the wind. It was probably playing 500 yards today. I hit a good drive and a good 5-iron to about 12 feet and made the putt.

“The 17th hole is a pretty straightforward par 4. I hit my drive into the left rough, hit a pretty good shot to about 14 feet above the hole and my putt trickled on into the cup. The 18th is a ‘gettable’ par 5. I didn’t hit a great drive. I hit it in the rough so I couldn’t go for it, but I laid up to a good yardage and hit it to about six feet and made the putt. It is definitely a confidence-booster knowing that I can make a few birdies when I have to.”

Macdonald plans to hold off turning pro for another month or so. He will play in a couple of high-profile amateur events in the United States and also represent British Columbia Golf at a tournament next month in Peru.

He said he will likely turn pro just before the Mackenzie Tour begins its season. He could make his pro debut at a very familiar place, as the first event of the season — the $175,000 Freedom 55 Financial Open — goes June 1-4 at Point Grey.

“I think I’ve been a member there since I was nine or 10 years old,” Macdonald said of Point Grey. “I have probably played there a thousand times.”

Macdonald played four years of collegiate golf at Purdue University. He graduated with a management degree this past December and has been working hard on his game this winter in the southern California desert.

“Ever since I left Purdue in December, I’ve been down here in the Palm Desert area. My parents have a place here and it’s been nice having lots of time to work on your game with no school work to worry about. My game has been trending in the right direction for quite some time now. This will give me some confidence going forward. My game is in a good place and I’m sure I will do some good things out there.”

Macdonald said his first Q-School experience was not as nerve-wracking as he imagined. A three-under 68 in Tuesday’s opening round helped calm any nerves, although he had to survive some anxious moments in Thursday’s third round when he shot a three-over 74.

“I had some bad luck,” Macdonald said. “I lost a ball in a tree. My ball got stuck in a tree and I made a double, but I hung in there and stayed patient. I was probably less nervous today starting off than I was the other three days. My heart got racing pretty good there at the end.”

Click here for final Q-School scores

CARLSBAD, Calif. – A 10-foot putt stood between top-ranked Lydia Ko making the cut or getting a rare weekend off.

She rolled it just right.

So after taking Saturday off, she’ll be driving out to Palm Springs on Sunday to start preparing for the season’s first major.

Ko, the defending Kia champion, missed the cut for just the second time in 91 LPGA Tour starts when she bogeyed two of her final three holes Friday at the Kia Classic.

Cristie Kerr, the 2015 Kia champion, shot a 3-under 69 for a two-round total of 9-under 135, good for a one-shot lead over Mo Martin and Mirim Lee.

“I kind of was in an OK position after halfway. Then I had a really bad finish,” said Ko, a 19-year-old New Zealander.

“I can’t do anything about it. I tried my best out there to hopefully put myself in better position going forward. But, hey, I wish I would’ve been able to be able to play on the weekend.”

Ko fell apart on the last three greens. She missed short putts on 16 and 17 for a bogey and par, and three-putted No. 18 to finish at par-72 for a 36-hole total of 2-over 146. Calgary’s Jennifer Ha (67), a Team Canada Young Pro Squad member, was tied for 18th at 3-under par and was the only Canadian to make the cut.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (74) and Brooke Henderson (74) of Smiths Falls, Ont., Maude-Aimee Leblanc (74) of Sherbrooke, Que., all missed the cut, which was set at 1 over.

“Ball striking wasn’t very good today,” she said. “I’m hitting my drives really well, but like the birdie opportunities I had I was missing quite a few of them. I was putting so much better today until the last few holes.”

So while there won’t be a repeat champion at the Kia, Kerr can win it for the second time in three years if she keeps up her strong play through the weekend.

“You know, I’ve hit it really well,” she said. “I hit a couple squirrely shots coming in and had some really tough up and downs in the back, but all in all, I played well today,” she said.

Kerr kept the lead despite bogeys on two of her final four holes.

To stay atop the leader board will take “making it routine, just playing my game every day and keeping it simple. Staying out of my own way.”

Kerr had been tied at 6-under 66 with Martin and In Gee Chun after the first round.

Martin shot a 70 on Friday while Lee had a 67.

“I love this week in general,” said Martin, who grew up in Pasadena and played at UCLA. “It still feels like a home game to me. I/’ve got family and friends out. The course is playing fantastic. The weather has worked out really well.

“I had a few good putting days coming into this week just practice-wise with my putting coach, Jamie Mulligan. I think we made some good progress, and it’s been showing off so far. It’s been fun. Been hitting the ball as well as I have been from last year pretty much. So hitting it well. Putting it well. Chipping it well. Good combination.”

Mi Jung Hur, Austin Ernst, Jackie Stoelting and Karine Icher were tied at 6-under 138.

THE RECAP: Costa Mesa, California’s Jake Knapp cruised to victory on Friday at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s USA West #2 Q-School, shooting a 3-under 68 at the Country Club at Soboba Springs to earn medallist honours and exempt status on the Mackenzie Tour in 2017.

The 22-year old finished the week seven strokes ahead of Valencia, California’s Nick Delio, taking advantage of his length off the tee and an improved wedge game to conclude the week at 16-under 268.

“I had the advantage on a lot of the holes to be able to take some of the hazards out of play, so if I knew if I could drive it straight and have a lot of shots between 100-150 yards, that would give me opportunities to make birdies,” said Knapp.

After playing his way onto the Tour mid-way through last season, Knapp made two of seven cuts and said he’s looking forward to having another chance at competing in Canada this Summer.

“Overall, getting a little redemption back,” said Knapp of his goals for the season, speaking optimistically after working on tightening his wedge game in the offseason. “My game’s changed enough now where I think it’s going to fit the courses a little bit better. It’s about being able to score a little better and ideally put myself in a position to win.”

Vancouver, British Columbia’s Stuart Macdonald was the top Canadian, closing with three straight birdies for a closing 68 and a T9 finish to earn exempt status for the first four events of the season.

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

1^st (Exempt for 2017 season): -16/1st

5^th (Exempt for first 8 events, subject to 2^nd reshuffle): -6/5th

16^th (Exempt for first 4 events, subject to 1^st reshuffle): E/T16*

*(Dearborn, Michigan’s Evan Bowser prevailed in 4-for-1 playoff)

40^th (Conditional status): +7/T36

THEY SAID IT:

“I love Winnipeg. That’s where my family’s actually from, and I get to stay with family that week and go out to Gimli and hang out with them.” – Jake Knapp, on which city and tournament (Players Cup) he’s looking forward to most in 2017.

“I really enjoyed my time on that Tour, and it’s helped me develop my game a lot. I’m really excited to get back up there and have some guaranteed starts, especially at the start of the year.” – Jake Johnson, who closed with a 6-under 65 to finish solo fifth.

“I was thinking, ‘you can do this, just stay strong.’ I was little disappointed to be in the playoff, because I was only one shot away, but everyone could find one shot to pick up somewhere, so I said ‘it’s okay, you have a chance right here.’” – Evan Bowser on prevailing in a 4-for-1 playoff to secure exempt status for the first four events.

PLAYER NOTES:

Below are notes on the top 16 players from this week’s Q-School:

JAKE KNAPP: Former standout at UCLA, where he recorded two individual wins and qualified for the 2015 U.S. Open. Made two of seven cuts on the Mackenzie Tour last season.

NICK DELIO: 2008 California Amateur Champion won the Dakotas Tour Order of Merit in 2013.

KEVIN LUCAS: Played collegiate golf at the University of Nevada-Reno and won the Money List on the 2014 eGolf Tour.

CAMERON DAVIS: Turned pro in 2016 after a standout amateur career that included individual wins at the 2015 Australian Amateur and 2016 World Amateur. Finished T15 at the PGA TOUR’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba in 2016.

JAKE JOHNSON: Played college golf at Sacramento State and held Mackenzie Tour status each of the last two seasons, making three cuts in nine starts.

CHASE WRIGHT: Won the Indiana State Open in 2010 and record six top-10 finishes on the Web.com Tour from 2014-16.

FEDERICO ZUCHETTI (a): Texas Tech Senior won the 2013 Italian International Amateur and the 2015 St. Andrews Links Trophy.

CHRIS KILLMER: Former University of Washington Husky won the Players Cup in 2012 and has earned conditional status on the Web.com Tour each of the last two years.

STUART MACDONALD (a): Member of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Team and recent Purdue University graduate. Finished third at the 2016 Canadian Amateur Championship.

JAMIE MARSHALL: University of Arkansas grad helped the Razorbacks to a runner-up finish at the 2009 NCAA Championship. Owns one pro win on the Adams Tour.

WYNDHAM CLARK (a): University of Oregon Senior is currently the No. 1 ranked player in Golfweek’s Men’s Collegiate Rankings on the strength of two individual wins this season.

MATT HANSEN: Two-time NCAA All-American at UC-Davis finished 66^th and 67^th, respectively, on the Order of Merit the last two seasons on the Mackenzie Tour.

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.

NAHUM MENDOZA III (a): Current San Diego State senior was named a 2^nd team NCAA All-American in 2016 and represented the United States in the Palmer Cup.

NIGEL LETT (a): University of Oregon Senior helped the Ducks to NCAA Team Championship last year along with close friend and Mackenzie Tour alum Aaron Wise.

EVAN BOWSER: Played collegiate golf at Oakland University and qualified three times for the U.S. Amateur Championship.

Miscellaneous notes:

• Weather: 21 degrees Celsius, sunny, winds 14 km/h.
• Former PGA TOUR member Matt McQuillan finished with a 7-under 64 to move up 41 spots into a tie for 22^nd.
• Canadians to earn status (5): Stuart Macdonald (-3/T9), Eric Banks (E/T16), Matt McQuillan (+3/T22), Raoul Menard (+4/T25), David Rose (+5/T28)
• Click here for scores.