ORLANDO, Fla. – Charley Hoffman would have been happy to get off the 18th hole at Bay Hill with a par and go into the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational within one shot of the lead. With one big putt, Saturday turned out better than he could have imagined.

From trampled grass left of the 18th fairway, a tree slightly in his way, Hoffman chose to punch a 7-iron and have it run down the firm fairway. As long as it didn’t run straight and into the water, he figured he would have a chance for par.

The ball settled 70 feet away on the fringe, and Hoffman made the putt for a birdie, a 1-under 71 and a share of the lead with Kevin Kisner.

It was quite a wild ride, even by Orlando’s standards.

Kisner, who made three birdies in a four-hole stretch around the turn, wound up three-putting from above the hole on the fringe and shot 68.

They were at 11-under 205, three shots clear of anyone else, both in position to win the first Arnold Palmer Invitational since the September death of the iconic tournament host.

“To be in a position at Arnie’s event is a special spot,” Hoffman said. “It’s right up there with competing in a major championship, there’s no question. Mr. Palmer was the King. There’s a reason why he had the name. … To keep his legacy going and his event would be something special.”

Tyrrell Hatton (67), Marc Leishman (71) and Matt Fitzpatrick (72) were three shots behind.

Rory McIlroy, who started the weekend 11 shots out of the lead, birdied his last two holes for a 65 and climbed back into contention. He was five shots behind. Rickie Fowler, also playing early before the afternoon breeze picked up, also shot a 65 and was six behind.

Kisner for so long looked to have a chance to create a big cushion. He got there with a 7-iron into 10 feet on the par-3 second, an 8-iron to 4 feet right of the flag on the eighth and a lob wedge that spun back near the hole for another short birdie putt on No. 10.

Kisner had birdie chances inside 20 feet on four of the next five holes and couldn’t convert them, and his eagle putt from just over 20 feet on the par-5 16th was short.

Even so, he was in contention, something he hasn’t felt since winning at Sea Island for his first PGA Tour title at the end of 2015.

“These guys are not afraid and they’re going to make a lot of birdies and there’s no protecting leads,” Kisner said. “So I saw I got the lead early and then tried to make as many birdies as I could on the back nine. And had a lot of chances, just didn’t hole the putts. But I hit a lot of nice putts and I’m going to build off that tomorrow.”

Along with the trio who were three shots back, Valspar Championship winner Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., and former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover were four shots behind.

Hadwin is seeking to become the first player since Camilo Villegas in 2008 to win his first two PGA TOUR tournaments in back-to-back weeks. Hadwin is currently No. 4 in the FedExCup standings. He has advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs each of his first two seasons on TOUR, finishing 107^th in 2015 and 85^th in 2016.

And perhaps the most daunting name was McIlroy, hopeful of finding his form with the Masters around the corner.

“At least I’ve given myself a decent chance tomorrow,” McIlroy said.

At stake is a red cardigan sweater, a favourite of Palmer’s, which replaces the blue blazer that previously went to the winner.

Hoffman doesn’t have one, and wouldn’t plan to wear it even if he were to win.

“I’m not a cardigan guy. I got zero cardigans and hopefully add one,” he said. “And it wouldn’t be in the closet, it would be on the wall.”

Emiliano Grillo probably won’t have to worry about that. One shot behind going into Saturday, the Argentine opened with a pair of soft bogeys and then fell back with three shots into the water – two of them were golf balls, one of them was his golf club.

Grillo’s first approach to the par-5 sixth came up just short and splashed down. His next shot, from about 10 yards closer, also went into the water. The third attempt was still in the air when he flung his club into the lake. Grillo made a 9, and later put another ball into the water on No. 16. He wound up with a 78 and fell eight shots back.

Hoffman wasn’t even planning to be at Bay Hill. He only needed to finish 41st last week in the Valspar Championship to secure a spot in the Match Play field for next week, and instead missed the cut. Given the tribute to Palmer, it was an easy choice for him to play Bay Hill.

Now, he has a chance to win in consecutive seasons for the first time in his PGA Tour career.

The final round of the GREY GOOSE World Par 3 Championship saw numerous lead changes, but a birdie on the last hole gave American Chris Ward the win.

Standing on the tee of the final hole, Ward was tied with fellow American and clubhouse leader Jimmy Lytle at 4-under. Ward’s tee shot sailed over the flag, setting up the birdie opportunity from about six feet.

“I had a pretty good idea that putt on the last was for the win,” Ward said. “For a six-foot putt I had to play it outside of the hole, so luckily I hit it at the right pace and it turned at the end to fall in the hole.”

With the win, Ward will take home not only the champion’s first place prize money of $10,000 (USD), but a ton of confidence and experience as well.

“I was fortunate enough to play in the final group today with Chip Beck and learned so many invaluable things just from watching him,” Ward said. “I actually thought I was going to be more nervous today, but Chip’s such an easy-going guy that it made it really easy for me to stay calm.”

Beck, the four-time PGA Tour winner and three-time American Ryder Cup member, lead heading into Saturday’s final round, but slipped on Satuday to T8 for championship.

Lytle finished just one-shot back, while PGA of Canada member Oliver Tubb rounded out the top-three at 3-under. PGA Tour veteran Tom Gillis, 19-time Ladies European Tour winner Trish Johnson, former PGA Tour member David Morland IV and American Michael Murray all finished T4.

For the full leaderboard, click here.

With radiant sun and little-to-no wind, conditions were ideal for Saturday’s final round and players definitely appreciated it.

“This golf course is just awesome and the greens are about as pure as any that I’ve putted on in many years,” Tubb said.

Fellow PGA of Canada member Mark Kitts, who tied the course record Saturday with a 4-under-par 50, agreed with Tubb’s thoughts of Turtle Hill Golf Club.

“This is just a gem of a par-3 golf course,” Kitts said. “You’re staying at the Fairmont, the weather is perfect and it’s way better than being back home in the cold.”

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.

Spencer Wideman of Bermuda captured the men’s amateur championship, while Tariqah Walikraam, also of Bermuda, won the women’s amateur championship. A third Bermudian, Craig Christensen took home the senior men’s championship.

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.

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.

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