TUCSON, Ariz. – Fred Couples shot an 8-under 65 on Friday in the Tucson Conquistadores Classic, leaving playing partner Steve Stricker two strokes back is his PGA Tour Champions debut.

Coming off a victory last month in the Chubb Classic, the 57-year-old Couples birdied five of the first seven holes in hot conditions, and added four more on the back nine before bogeying the par-4 18th.

“I’m driving the ball well and putting well, so those are good things for me no matter when I’m playing,” Couples said. “And if I can hit a few good irons, I’m going to have a lot of birdie putts.”

He three-putted on 18.

“If I had lost the tournament by a shot, then it would be bittersweet, but there’s 36 more holes and I made a lot of putts today, too,” Couples said.

Stricker birdied his first three holes in his bogey-free round on Omni Tucson National’s Catalina Course. The 12-time PGA Tour winner turned 50 on Feb. 23. He will captain the U.S. Presidents Cup team in September.

“I was a little more nervous than what I expected to be or thought I was going to be,” Stricker said. “I got off to a good start, birdied the first three and settled down a little bit, but I was excited to get it going finally. It’s been a lot of hype that I’m really not accustomed to, and I just kind of wanted to get it going and start playing. So, it was good to get the first round under my belt.”

Stricker missed the cut in last week in the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship and will make his next start in the big tour’s Shell Houston Open.

Tom Lehman and Jeff Maggert shot 66, and Stephen Ames, Billy Mayfair and John Cook matched Stricker at 67.

Bernhard Langer had a 71 for his 30th straight round under par. Gil Morgan set the PGA Tour Champions record of 31 in 2000. Colin Montgomerie also is at 30, but he is not playing this week.

Bob Estes also made his debut on the 50-and-over tour, shooting a 70. The 51-year-old Estes won four times on the PGA Tour and has made six starts on the top circuit this season.

Defending champion Woody Austin also shot 70.

PHOENIX – Michelle Wie is healthy and confident again. She’s in contention in the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, too.–

Wie shot a 5-under 67 on Friday on another hot and low-scoring day at Desert Ridge to enter the weekend a stroke behind leaders Stacy Lewis and Ariya Jutanugarn.

“I think being in contention is definitely a spot where I feel comfortable at. Feels like home to me,” Wie said. “It’s nice being in this position again. I’m really proud of the way I’ve played the last two days.”

Lewis and Jutanugarn played together, each following an opening 64 with a 67 to reach 13 under in the tournament that broke the LPGA Tour record for the lowest 36-hole cut at 5 under. The previous mark of 4 under came in the 2015 Manulife LPGA Classic in Canada. The event record was 3 under last year.

“Sometimes birdies are pars out here,” Wie said. “Certain holes you have to make birdie to stay with the competition. It’s just kind of the nature of the game out here.”

Jeong Eun Lee shot a 64 to join Wie, Mi Jung Hur (66) and Vicky Hurst (67) at 12 under.

Inbee Park (66) was another stroke back with In Gee Chun (69), Jessica Korda (66), Karine Icher (65), Chella Choi (66) and Sung Hyun Park (66). Finally over a left thumb injury, Inbee Park won in Singapore two weeks ago in her second start since winning the Rio Olympics.

Wie is winless in 62 events since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open. She’s coming off a fourth-place tie in Singapore after struggling with injuries and her game.

“It definitely makes it a lot sweeter,” Wie said. “Struggling to make the cut on Fridays, coming down the stretch and trying to make the cut is a whole different feeling than making birdies to stay in contention.”

Wie had six birdies in a nine-hole stretch, a run she capped with a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-4 ninth and a curling 8-footer on the par-4 10th. She bogeyed the par-4 13th after driving into the left rough and failing to get her approach to hold the green, and missed a 5-foot birdie try on the par-5 15th

Lewis is winless in 66 events since June 2014 and has slipped to 14th in the world. She won at Desert Ridge in 2013 to reach No. 1, was second in 2014 and 2015 and tied for fourth last year. After playing the first 11 holes Thursday in 9 under, she has fought to control her wedges in the thin, hot desert air.

“Didn’t have the distance control with my wedges quite dialed in the way I would’ve liked, but still made a bunch of birdies and shot a good round,” Lewis said. “It’s always hard to follow up a round like yesterday, so happy with the day.”

The 32-year-old Texan has played the Arnold Palmer-designed front nine at Wildfire in 10 under and the Nick Faldo-designed back nine in 3 under.

“Going into this weekend I’m going to be playing later,” Lewis said. “It’s going to be hotter, going to be this temperature. I just need to get that distance control dialed in because that is where you’re going to make birdies on this golf course, is with the wedges.”

The second-ranked Jutanugarn birdied four of the last six holes. Playing without a driver, the long-hitter is bogey-free after two days.

“I feel like every hole everybody have chance to make birdie,” Jutanugarn said. “I just try to play my own game and have fun. … I’m not really worry who going to be in the leaderboard. I just really wasn’t to focus on what is under my control.”

The 21-year-old Thai star won five LPGA Tour titles last year and topped the player of the year points race and money list. She’s coming off a second-place finish in Singapore.

Ha Na Jang won a Kia Cadenza SXL with a hole-in-one on No. 17. She used a 9-iron on the 140-yard shot, and finished with a 68 to get to 9 under.

“I’m so happy, more than happy, and I have a car,” Jang said. “Oh, my God, that one is mine.”

Nickamed “Lucky” and “Clover” because of her good fortune, Jang accomplished the feat on St. Patrick’s Day.

“I have the green glove today, so probably lucky,” said Jang, the Women’s Australian Open winner last month for her fourth tour title.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko (69) and defending champion Sei Young Kim (70) were 7 under. Last year, Kim matched Annika Sorenstam’s tour scoring record of 27 under in a five-stroke victory over Ko.

Juli Inkster followed her opening 65 with a 73 to make the cut by a stroke at 6 under. The 56-year-old U.S. Solheim Cup captain won a Legends Tour event two weeks ago at Sun City West.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Charley Hoffman wasn’t expecting to be at Bay Hill until he didn’t qualify for a World Golf Championship next week.

The change in plans has worked out nicely so far.

In only his fourth appearance in the Arnold Palmer Invitational over the last decade, Hoffman made seven birdies in slightly warmer conditions Friday for a 6-under 66 that gave him a one-shot lead over Emiliano Grillo of Argentina.

Grillo made two eagles on his opening nine, holing a 35-yard bunker shot on the par-5 12th and chipping in from just off the green on the par-5 16th. He made birdies on the par 5s on the front nine that carried him to a 68.

Matt Fitzpatrick of England had four birdies on the back nine for a 69 and was two shots behind.

Hoffman was at 10-under 134.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., who’s coming off his first PGA win last weekend at the Valspar Championship, was 4 under after a second straight 70.

Brantford, Ont., native David Hearn (73) was nine shots back.

Sam Saunders, the 29-year-old grandson of Palmer, had three straight bogeys around the turn and never caught up. He wound up with another 74 and missed the cut by one shot in the first Arnold Palmer Invitational since the death of the beloved tournament host last September.

“I don’t know, I’ve got a monkey on my back there where I just always seem to work my way toward that cut number and think about it too much,” Saunders said. “It’s all part of the learning experience, and just got to get better.”

The cut was 3-over 147. Two players who missed the cut at least provided some entertainment.

British Open champion Henrik Stenson hit three balls out of the water, including two on one hole. His blast from the pond short of the 11th green barely made it out and rolled down the slope, only to be caught by a tuft of grass. His next chip rolled back down the slope and into the water, leading to a triple bogey. He also played out of the water on the 16th. Stenson shot 74.

One day after Cody Gribble grabbed the tail of an 8-foot alligator, spooking it back into the lake, Smylie Kaufman was walking along and didn’t see the gator. He jumped back in fright when he spotted it. The gator didn’t move.

Hoffman knows all about missing the cut at Bay Hill. He has left early three times in four previous trips to Bay Hill. The exception was in 2012, when he tied for 59th. He had only one sub-70 round, a 69 on the first day in 2013. He shot 79 the next day and missed the cut. That was four years ago, the last time he played.

Hoffman only had to finish 41st at the Valspar Championship last week to get one of the 64 available spots through the world ranking for the Dell Technologies Match Play next week in Austin, Texas. Instead, he missed the cut and will be the second alternate, unlikely to get in.

So he added Bay Hill, a decision that was even easier because it was the first one without Palmer.

“I played halfway decent the first round last time I was here,” he said. “In the schedule, it hasn’t fallen where I would like in the past. I wasn’t in Match Play, and then obviously honouring Arnie is not a hard thing to come here and play.”

Palmer died in September, and the week has been a tribute to him, from the 13-foot bronze statue near the first and 10th tees to his signature umbrella logo worn by players on their apparel, golf bags and fairway metal covers.

Saunders played with Rory McIlroy, who had another mixed bag and shot 71 to finish at 1-over 145, leaving him 11 shots out of the lead.

Defending champion Jason Day was 1 over for his round until he hit a 340-yard drive on the par-5 16th, hit a short iron to 8 feet and made the eagle putt. He saved par on the final hole with a 5-foot putt for a 71 and was at 3-under 141, still in range with 36 holes to play with hopes of extending a peculiar streak at Bay Hill. Tiger Woods won back to back and then Matt Every won back to back over the last four years.

Every shot a 70 to make the cut, ending a streak of 18 consecutive PGA Tour starts where he failed to make the cut.

Grillo has been spending most of his time working on his short game, noticing a month ago that his putter moved back and through like a figure 8. He didn’t need a putter for his two eagles, though he saved par with a 10-foot putt on the 18th as he made the turn.

He was tied for the lead until missing an 8-foot par putt on No. 8, though he still goes into the weekend playing in the final group.

“Just play from the fairway. That’s going to be key,” Grillo said. “Somehow, I managed to shoot a very good round considering how bad I hit it off the tee today.”

THE RECAP: After fog delayed the start of round three by over an hour on Thursday morning, play was suspended due to darkness midway through round three of the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s USA West #1 Q-School on Wednesday.

Thousand Oaks, California’s Chris Gilman reached 11-under par through 45 holes of the 72-hole event to hold the lead by one shot over Rancho Cucamonga, California’s Rico Hoey, with round three set to resume at 7:15 a.m. 20 players were left to compete their third round when play was called.

Carlton Oaks showed its teeth on day three, with just four players of the 93 who finished their round breaking 70. Sweden’s Mathias Dahl, a Mackenzie Tour member in 2016, posted the round of the day with a 5-under 67 to move up 33 spots into a tie for 13th.

“I kind of just kept my patience. I managed to make an eagle early in the round, and managed to roll in a few putts too,” said Dahl, who bounced back from a second round 79.

“I was pretty down after yesterday, because obviously I played well the first day. I just had a meltdown and figured I needed to do something special today,” said Dahl. “All of a sudden I’m kind of in a good spot.”

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:

1st (Exempt for 2017 season): -11/1st

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

16th (Exempt for first 4 events, subject to 1st reshuffle): -1/T13

40th (Conditional status): +5/T40

BACKGROUND ON A CONTENDER: Dahl, a University of San Diego graduate, had an up-and-down year on the Mackenzie Tour in 2016. He finished a season-best T11 at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open, but missed nine of 11 cuts to lose his card.

“I wasn’t consistent enough all year,” said Dahl, adding that one or two bad holes cost him at nearly every event. “What I’ve been working on is to save myself in bad situations, to shoot a decent number even if you’re playing poorly. Last year I let it run away from me a little bit.”

Since turning professional in 2015, Dahl has progressed steadily and said he learned a lot from his season in Canada last year.

“It was brand new to me with late tee times, early tee times, all that,” said Dahl. “You’ve got to learn how to schedule your day, and I struggled all season to kind of get to the gym and do my stuff that I’m used to doing. This year, if I make it back up I’m definitely going to be more on pace with my normal schedule.”

THEY SAID IT:

“I had a target score I wanted to shoot and I thought I’d move up, which was 70. I did one better, so I’m very happy. I just want to keep doing what I’m doing.” – Daniel Cho, who owns the clubhouse lead at 3-under thanks to a 69 on Thursday.

MORE PLAYER NOTES:

Chris Gilman

Gilman played on the Web.com Tour in 2015, making three cuts in 12 starts including a T30 finish at the Nova Scotia Open. The 30-year old played college golf at the University of Denver and owns 23 professional victories, including the 2014 California State Open.

PHOENIX – Stacy Lewis was 9-under par after 11 holes Thursday in the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, putting herself in position to make a run at the second sub-60 round in LPGA Tour history. Then her ball stopped behaving in the thin, hot desert air.

“The ball started going really far,” Lewis said. “Maybe some adrenaline, I’m not really sure. Or just the dry air.”

Needing to play the final seven holes in 4 under to shoot 59, Lewis parred the next six and closed with a bogey after hitting into the deep left greenside bunker on the par-4 18th. She settled for an 8-under 64 and a share of the first-round lead with playing partner Ariya Jutanugarn and other afternoon starters In Gee Chun, Katie Burnett and Sandra Changkija.

Michelle Wie and 56-year-old Juli Inkster were a stroke with Jane Park, Vicky Hurst and Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong on the hot day when 103 of the 144 players broke par.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson (69) was five shots back. Augusta James (72), Jennifer Ha (72), Alena Sharp (73) and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (77) are the other Canadians in the field.

Lewis holed out from 136 yards for eagle on the par-4 ninth to make the turn in 7-under 27.

“You kind of start thinking a little bit about what you’re shooting at that point, but just tried to keep hitting good shots,” Lewis said. “I did that for the most part most of the day. If you’d tell me at the beginning of the day I would shoot 8 under, I would take it any time.”

She birdied 10 and 11 and made a series of par saves before dropping the stroke on the last after short-siding herself and finding a bad lie in the bunker.

“It was pretty bad,” Lewis said. “It was kind of back up against a rake mark, so ton of sand behind the ball. Didn’t have a shot at it. Just trying to make bogey at that point.”

The 32-year-old Texan was trying to join Annika Sorenstam as the only LPGA Tour players to break 60. Sorenstam did it 16 years ago to the day, shooting a 13-under 59 at nearby Moon Valley.

Lewis won the event in 2013 to reach No. 1 in the world, was second in 2014 and 2015 and tied for fourth last year. The 11-tour champion is winless in 66 events since June 2014 and has slipped to 14th in the world.

The second-ranked Jutanugarn eagled the par-5 15th, holing a 20-footer. She’s playing without a driver.

“I don’t think I need it,” the long-hitter said.

Wie eagled the par-5 fifth. Winless in 62 events since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, she’s coming off a fourth-place tie two weeks ago in Singapore. She took a two-stroke lead into the final round, but closed with a 72 to finish five strokes behind winner Inbee Park.

“I was so proud of myself for putting myself there,” Wie said. “I was so confident all week and it felt great to be confident again, in contention. I was really disappointed on Sunday. I was sad. It definitely stung. You always want to win. At the same time, I played great on Sunday. Just couple putts didn’t go in, and I forgot you hit it farther when you get adrenaline going.”

Inkster is coming off a Legends Tour victory two weeks ago at Sun City West.

“I’ve been working hard on my game and it’s nice to see some results,” the U.S. Solheim Cup captain said.

Inbee Park opened with a 67. Finally over a left thumb injury, she won in Singapore in only her second start since winning the Rio Olympics in August.

“I made couple of mistakes, but felt pretty good over the putter,” she said

She three-putted the par-3 17th for a bogey, lipping out a short putt.

“It can happen,” she said. “About 2, 3 feet. Just unlucky.”

Wie has fought a series of injuries, and joked when asked if she was 100 per cent healthy.

“I’m not going to say that because every time I say that something happens,” Wie said. “No comment.”

She also drew laughs when asked to describe her modified claw putting grip.

“I have no idea,” Wie said. “At this point, I can’t describe anything I do while I putt.”

Defending champion Sei Young Kim overcame a bee sting on the palm of her right hand on the first hole – her 10th of the day – to shoot 67.

“They gave me medicine and it was better,” Kim said.

Playing partner Lydia Ko helped her seek treatment, and Kim played the final nine bogey-free with four birdies.

“I’m like, ‘What?’ You need to tell someone and get some ointment on it,”’ Ko said.

Last year at Desert Ridge, Kim matched Sorenstam’s tour scoring record of 27 under.

Ko shot 68. The top-ranked New Zealander has a new instructor, caddie and equipment company. She tied for second in 2014, tied for sixth in 201 and was second behind Kim last year.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Emiliano Grillo of Argentina recovered from a rough start in cold weather by running off seven birdies for a 5-under 67, giving him an early three-shot lead in the first Arnold Palmer Invitational without the beloved tournament host.

Multi-colored umbrellas, Palmer’s logo, were everywhere at Bay Hill on Thursday. Parkas would have been more appropriate on this day. It was 39 degrees when the first round began, the coldest start to any PGA Tour event this year – in Florida, no less.

Grillo three-putted from 25 feet on No. 3 and took a bogey from 120 yards out in the fairway on the par-5 fourth. It never got any worse.

The Argentine, often weighed down by his putting, answered with consecutive birdies. He rolled in a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 9, a 40-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th, and ended with a par to beat his half of draw by three shots.

“If I had my hands out of my pockets for a minute or two, I would be freezing,” Grillo said. “But I was able to keep it in the fairway mostly all day and I was able to make a few good putts on 9 and 17, and that kept me going.”

Defending champion Jason Day, Francesco Molinari, Stewart Cink and Kevin Kisner were at 70. Only five other players broke par from the morning tee times, though the temperatures warmed in the afternoon on a perfectly manicured course – particularly the greens – at Bay Hill.

The Canadian pair of Adam Hadwin (Abbotsford, B.C.) and David Hearn (Brantford, Ont.) were also at 70 (-2), sharing a 12-way tie of eighth. Hadwin is coming off a whirlwind week after collecting his first win on Tour – he had one of the day’s best rounds going but ran into trouble on the par-4 18th with a double-bogey.

Sam Saunders, Palmer’s grandson, played in the afternoon. Although he does not have full PGA Tour status (he received an exemption) and has never won on tour, he was placed in a marquee group with Rory McIlroy and Brandt Snedeker in a week of celebration for Palmer, who died Sept. 25.

Saunders received an ovation when he walked onto the first tee and gave a quick thumbs-up, his grandfather’s trademark. He was announced as representing Bay Hill and received cheers that rivaled what Tiger Woods once heard when he was ruling at Bay Hill.

From there, it felt like the Arnold Palmer Invitational of old, with a few noticeable differences.

Most players had the umbrella somewhere visible: the collar of a shirt, the hat, the bag or the covers on their drivers and fairway metals. The 13-foot bronze statue of Palmer was positioned behind the first tee and on the way to the 10th tee. No one could miss that.

And his cart was stationed to the right of the 16th tee, pointed the opposite direction across the water toward the 18th green. That’s where Palmer loved to watch golf.

“I think everyone is a little bit more emotional this year because, obviously, the passing of Mr. Palmer,” Day said. “We’re so used to seeing him around on the driving range, in the clubhouse, interacting with players, interacting with fans. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see that anymore.”

The biggest distraction was the chill in the air, even as the sun rose over the course.

Grillo had 175 yards left for his second shot on the opening hole. He hit a 5-iron and it barely made it into the front bunker. Charl Schwartzel estimated he was hitting his driver some 30 yards shorter than usual.

Day still hit 2-iron off the tee into Nos. 10 and 11, as he usually does. But instead of a 9-iron or wedge for his second, he was hitting 5-iron and 4-iron.

“Just a big, big difference between the morning and this afternoon,” he said.

Molinari reached 4 under through 11 holes, but played the final seven holes in 2 over, failing to birdie either of the par 5s.

John Daly, playing on a sponsor exemption, was briefly on the leaderboard until a double bogey on the 18th hole (he started on No. 10). That was still five shots better than when he played the hole in 2006 and made an 11.

Rancho Cucamonga, California’s Rico Hoey and Thousand Oaks, California’s Chris Gilman reached 9-under par through two rounds at Carlton Oaks Country Club to share the 36-hole lead at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s USA West #1 Q-School on Wednesday.

The 21-year old Hoey carded five birdies on the day to shoot a second round 68, while Gilman managed four birdies to shoot 69. The two were one shot ahead of Fort Worth, Texas’ Andrew Presley and two ahead of Plano, Texas’ Craig McCoy through two rounds.

“I’m just trying to hit a lot of fairways. It’s a tough driving course, but I’ve hit it solid so far,” said Hoey, who refused to get ahead of himself with two rounds to go. “I don’t think it will be easier. We’re all fighting for that one spot. I’m just trying to stick to the gameplan and keep focused and keep rolling. That’s the key for me,” said Hoey.

Gilman, meanwhile, was three shots higher than his opening round 66, but actually felt better about his round on day two.

“Yesterday was about making 20-footers, and today was more along the lines of picking the course apart and taking my birdies as they come,” said Gilman.

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:

1st (Exempt for 2017 season): -9/T1

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

16th (Exempt for first 4 events, subject to 1st reshuffle): -1/T15

40th (Conditional status): +3/T37

BACKGROUND ON THE LEADERS: Hoey is looking forward to his professional career – but he’s not done writing his college chapter yet. As one of collegiate golf’s top players (he’s No. 15 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking) for the No. 5 ranked team in the country, he’s hoping to finish his amateur career with a flourish this Spring.

“This whole year, we’ve been really trying to put it all together and match all the pieces of the puzzle,” said Hoey of his USC Trojans, who just won the Southern Highlands Collegiate by 10 shots.

Hoey finished in the top 10 in five straight events earlier this year, and is soaking in his last few weeks on campus while he can.

“It’s a lot of fun and the campus is great. The classes are fun. I can’t complain. With the facilities we got, it’s awesome,” said Hoey.

Gilman, meanwhile, is hoping to use the Mackenzie Tour as a springboard to return to the Web.com Tour, where he played in 2015. The University of Denver made just three cuts that year, but came away from the season with a renewed vision of where he wanted to get to as a pro.

“I learned that I needed to drive the ball a heck of a lot better. Lately I’ve been doing that a lot better, and hence the scores have been good,” said Gilman. “I played terrible all year, but I came away thinking I’m really close to being someone who can stay on that Tour and then progress to the PGA TOUR.”

The 30-year old owns 23 professional victories, including the 2014 California State Open.

THEY SAID IT:

“I just started my second year. Last year I played on the Adams Tour and had a good year, but I didn’t really get anything out of it in terms of getting to the Web.com Tour. I had a couple of friends that played out here last year that said good things about it so I thought I’d give it a try. I want to get status somewhere.” – Andrew Presley on embarking on his pro career and ambitions for 2017.

“Jamie Lovemark, who’s on the PGA TOUR now, he’s helped me out, and some of the guys who have played the other Tours. It’s a community and it’s great to be a part of it.” – Rico Hoey on USC alumni who have helped guide his career so far.

“I’ve got a really specific game plan for this course. For someone like me who doesn’t hit it crazy far, I probably have to do a lot of that.” – Chris Gilman on his approach to playing Carlton Oaks.

MORE PLAYER NOTES:

Andrew Presley

A second year pro who played at LSU before transferring to Texas Christian University, where he played with Mackenzie Tour alums Paul Barjon and Julien Brun, Presley owns one professional win on the Adams Tour.

The 25-year old finished seventh at the 2015 NCAA Championship and was named an Honorable Mention All-American.

Click here for scores.

Canada’s top-ranked female amateur Maddie Szeryk was dialed in once again on Wednesday, closing a wire-to-wire run at the NCAA’s Dr. Donnis Invitational to post a convincing four-stroke victory in Hawaii.

Szeryk, a third-year member of Team Canada’s Amateur Squad, opened the 54-hole event with rounds of 67-71 over 36 holes on Tuesday, giving her the advantage heading into Wednesday’s final. The Texas A&M junior went on to card a 69 (-2), pulling away from the field to finish at 9-under par, recording her second NCAA victory to date—she won the Florida State Match-Up in 2016.

Szeryk’s efforts lifted the Aggies to the team victory at Kanohe Klipper course, finishing with a 15-stroke margin over runner-up Oklahoma State. Her impressive play of late has put her in the spotlight, winning her second consecutive SEC Golfer of the Week honour earlier in March.

@mszeryk with the W & her second @ncaa title. Been trending after two 2nd place finishes #patience ?@TheGolfCanada pic.twitter.com/yj5tGWf57b

— Tristan Mullally (@tmullallygolf) March 15, 2017

The 20-year-old sits at No. 26 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).

Fellow Team Canada teammate Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C. was also in action, posting a 6-over score to finish T26.

Szeryk will look to lead the Aggies in action once again when they tee-it-up from March 31-April 2 at the Clemson Invitational in Sunset, S.C.

Click here for full scoring.

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[SOUTHAMPTON, BERMUDA] – The GREY GOOSE World Par 3 Championship kicks off this Thursday at the Fairmont Southampton’s Turtle Hill Golf Club in Bermuda.

This year’s 36-hole championship, which takes place March 17-18, sees a number of impressive professional golfers from across the globe compete for the title and their share of the $75,000 (USD) purse.

“We’ve got some amazing talent from all across the world teeing it up this week for the GREY GOOSE World Par 3 Championship,” said tournament director Adam LeBrun. “At the risk of sounding cliché, it really is a wide open championship and any one of the numerous nice players in the field could hoist the trophy at the end of the weekend.”

The field includes four-time PGA Tour winner, three-time American Ryder Cup member and one of only six players who have shot 59 on the PGA Tour, Chip Beck; Golf Channel analyst and WEB.COM winner Charlie Rymer; 19-time winner on the Ladies European Tour, LPGA Tour winner three times and eight-time European Solheim Cup member, Trish Johnson; WEB.COM winner and former PGA TOUR member Tom Gillis; local Bermudian favourites Daniel Augustus, Michael Sims and Camiko Smith; and the PGA of Canada’s No. 3-ranked player Oliver Tubb.

For the full field and first round tee times, click here.

Players in this year’s GREY GOOSE World Par 3 Championship also have an opportunity to win $1-million (USD). Sponsored by Greg Norman Apparel and the Fairmont Southampton, the $1-million hole-in-one shootout will feature two professional and two amateur golfers.

“Adding this exciting element to the GREY GOOSE World Par 3 Championship rounds out one of the best—and most fun—tournaments in Bermuda,” says Turtle Hill Golf Club’s director of golf Paul Adams. “The possibility of someone becoming an instant millionaire with just one swing of the club is electrifying.”

Professional and amateur participants will compete in two closest-to-the-hole contests (on Nos. 9 and 18) during Friday’s first round, with the four winners (two professionals and two amateurs) participating in the $1-million shootout later that evening on No. 18.

The $1-million shootout will be live streamed through the PGA of Canada’s Facebook page.

Past champions of the GREY GOOSE World Par 3 Championship include Bermudian Daniel Augustus, PGA Tour winner Nick Taylor, PGA of Canada member Ian Doig, American Jordan Mitchell, Mark Mouland of the European Senior Tour, Thomas Curtis and last year’s winner from Brazil, Rafael Becker.

In addition to the professionals in the championship, the field is rounded out by an impressive list of amateur golfers—from Bermuda, the United States, Canada and Europe—vying for titles in the men’s, women’s and senior amateur divisions.

“Long” has been a millstone around golf’s neck, suffocating the growth of the game.

Rounds take too long. And courses are too long.

But the Longleaf Tee System might change all that.

Several years ago, U.S. Kids Golf founder Dan Van Horn started “scaling” the length of courses that hosted his tournaments to make them playable for all participants, no matter what their ability or skill level.

When his U.S. Kids Golf Foundation purchased Longleaf golf course near Pinehurst, N.C., in 2015, he, with the assistance of Bridgestone Golf, synthesized the related data he had accumulated over the years and hired architect Bill Bergin to create the first totally scalable golf course with seven sets of tees ranging from 3,200 to 6,600 yards. Van Horn calls Longleaf “a living laboratory for growing kids and family golf.”

Now a joint initiative of U.S. Kids Golf Foundation and the American Society of Golf Course Architects, the Longleaf Tee System “is designed to help every player enjoy the game and help every course provide for their customers,” says Van Horn.

“Appropriate tees will mean better scores, a faster pace of play and more golfers eager to return and play more. There is no gender or age restriction. It is the opportunity for excellence for every player.”

For example, Van Horn’s data indicated that the female bogey golfer should be playing a course of about 3,800 yards, a distance that is practically non-existent at the vast majority of courses.

A fundamental element of the Longleaf Tee System is the unique range setup. Beginning at 100 yards, there are colour-coded posts, with numbers corresponding to each of the tee decks. Players hit a few drives before their round and then match their average carry distance to the most closely associated numbered pole. That is the recommended tee deck for them. The gender-neutral tee decks are rated by the USGA for both men and women.

Bergin has integrated the concept into the master plans of three of his upcoming projects. Fellow ASGCA member Ian Andrew from Brantford, Ont., supports the concept as well. He cites the experience of his young son playing for the first time from tees where he could reach greens in regulation.

“That completely changed his view of the game and I’ve used that example to encourage all the clubs I work with [to build a series of shorter tees] ever since. You build forward tees for people who would play more if they were less intimated.”

Toronto-based course architect Jeff Mingay says the Longleaf Tee System is “an admirable, well-intentioned idea, particularly as it relates to introducing kids and other newcomers to golf on a manageable, fun course.

“Ironically, though, I get resistance to shortening courses, particularly from women who react as if I’m trying to delegitimize the course by making it easier.”

Bergin has a counter argument.

“Par for most women at most golf courses is really around 90. Their enjoyment level is lessened because they have to hit too many of what I call ‘irrelevant’ golf shots between the two shots that really matter: the tee shot and the approach shot. With the Longleaf system, they can select the correct tee based on how far they hit their driver, score better, have more fun, play faster and now every shot is relevant.”

The Longleaf concept is universal and applicable to just about any course, new or existing. Forward tee decks don’t necessarily need to be formally constructed. Keeping in mind shot values, forced carries and other design considerations, the new tees could simply be leveled and cut to fairway height.

It enhances the Tee It Forward initiative, which encourages golfers to play a course commensurate with their ability, by providing actual teeing grounds at appropriate distances.

As Bergin says, the Longleaf Tee System represents the first real attempt to grow the game “by adapting the course to the player, rather than forcing the player to adapt to the course. I think it is the answer for everyone—beginners, kids, seniors, men, women. There’s the right course for every golfer.”

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