HONOLULU – One last putt. One more record. And two unforgettable weeks in Hawaii for Justin Thomas.

Thomas began the Sony Open with a 15-foot eagle putt on his final hole to shoot 59. He ended it Sunday with a two-putt birdie from 60 feet that gave him yet another entry in the PGA Tour record book for the lowest 72-hole score in history.

His final act was to stand before the members of Waialae Country Club, champagne flute in hand for the traditional toast. Thomas chugged it down, smiled and said to them, “I think I had a glass with a hole in it.”

Bottoms up, kid.

The 23-year-old from Kentucky gave the best glimpse yet of his potential with a game that was at times overpowering and never more efficient. He closed with a 5-under 65 for a seven-shot victory, which gave him as much satisfaction as his score of 253 to set the record.

Thomas, who won the CIMB Classic in Malaysia last fall, became only the third player since 1970 to win three times in his first five tournaments to start a PGA Tour season. The others were Tiger Woods (three times) and Johnny Miller (twice).

His victory came one week after he won the SBS Tournament of Champions by three weeks at Kapalua.

“It’s been an unbelievable week. Unforgettable,” Thomas said before going to sign his historic card.

Thomas was more nervous than ever when he arrived Sunday from endless mentions that no one had ever lost a seven-shot lead on the PGA Tour. No one got closer than five shots all day, and with four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn, Thomas took aim at the record book.

That was his only real challenge Sunday.

Tommy Armour held the previous 72-hole mark at 254 in the 2003 Texas Open. Thomas also set the 36-hole record (123) and tied Steve Stricker for the 54-hole record (188). And while his 18-hole score of 59 is no longer a record, it’s still a magic number.

“I’m not joking when I say I won the other tournament,” Justin Rose said after a 64 that was only good for second place. “Had he had a bad day, I was there to pick up the pieces. But that was never going to happen. He’s on cruise control right now.”

Rose beat out Jordan Spieth, who also was playing for second place. Spieth shot 63 and finished alone in third.

Mackenzie Hughes, the only Canadian to make the 36-hole cut, shot a 68. The Dundas, Ont., native finished in 27th spot at 11 under.

The first full-field event of the year on the PGA Tour was a one-man show.

“He’s got full control of his game, full confidence, and he’s executing under pressure,” Spieth said. “It’s a lot of fun to see. Certainly stuff that myself and a lot of our peers have seen going back almost 10 years now. He’s certainly showing the world what he’s capable of.”

Thomas joined Ernie Els in 2003 as the only players to sweep Hawaii, and this performance might have been even better. Thomas was 49-under par for his two weeks, compared with Els at 47 under.

He said on Friday that he hasn’t “shown the world my best golf.” He came pretty close these last two weeks.

“I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m playing OK,” Thomas said. “I would take the golf I played the last few weeks every week I play.”

He moved to No. 8 in the world.

Thomas, thinking more about the trophy and another record when he started the final round, took no chances early on. He was 1 over through seven holes, making a soft bogey with a three-putt from 45 feet on No. 4 and a tough par save on No. 6, and still no one got closer than five shots.

But when he poured in a 20-foot birdie putt on the eighth, Thomas shifted into another gear. That was the start of four birdies in five holes _ the exception was a birdie putt he missed from just inside 10 feet _ and he stretched his lead to as many as nine shots.

Waialae was vulnerable all week with not much wind, fast fairways and greens that were softer than usual. Thomas produced the eighth sub-60 round in PGA Tour history Thursday. Kevin Kisner had a shot at 59 on Saturday until missing a 9-foot eagle putt on his final hole. And on Sunday, Chez Reavie made a hole-in-one with a 6-iron on the 17th hole that gave him a shot at a sub-60 round. Only a bogey on the sixth hole (he started on No. 10) stopping him, and he had to settle for a 61. That matched the third-best score of the week.

Even in easier conditions, no one played like Thomas.

HONOLULU – Justin Thomas has turned the first full-field event of the year into a blowout.

With three birdies over the last five holes Saturday in the Sony Open – the last for another entry into the PGA Tour record book – Thomas played bogey-free and shot a 5-under 65 to stretch his lead to seven shots going into the final round at vulnerable Waialae Country Club.

No one has ever lost on the PGA Tour when leading by seven shots after 54 holes, which was brought to his attention.

“I’m more excited about the seven-shot lead than what you just said,” Thomas replied.

Staked to a five-shot lead, Thomas wanted to avoid giving anything back on another peaceful afternoon, and he only had one close call. He wound up with a seven-shot lead, the largest at the Sony Open since Jack Nicklaus led by six in 1974.

That’s not the record Thomas was thinking about when he reached the par-5 18th.

Each of the previous two rounds, he made eagle on his closing hole to get into the record book – a 59 on Thursday, and the PGA Tour’s 36-hole scoring record Friday. No such luck Saturday after he clipped a palm frond with his second shot into the par-5 18th and came up well short in the fairway. Thomas pitched to just inside 15 feet below the cup and poured it in , just like he’s been doing all week.

That put him at 22-under 188, tying the 54-hole record that Steve Stricker set in 2010 at the John Deere Classic with caddie Jimmy Johnson on his bag. Johnson now caddies for Thomas, though this performance surely stands out because no one is close to him.

Zach Johnson kept pace with a 65 and is leading the B-flight at 15-under 201.

“I’ve got to play the golf course,” Johnson said. “That’s my only competitor tomorrow.”

Thomas repeated at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia last fall, and it picked up some serious steam last week at Kapalua when he overcame a late blunder with birdies on his last two holes for a three-shot victory in the SBS Tournament of Champions.

He doesn’t feel much different this week. He’s not sure he’s playing all that much differently, hard to measure given the extreme contrast in courses.

It was his 11th consecutive round in the 60s.

Along with tying Stricker’s record, Thomas set the 54-hole scoring record at the Sony Open by five shots. Next on the horizon is a shot at the 72-hole scoring record that Tommy Armour III set in 2003 with a 254 at the Texas Open.

Thomas would need a 65 to break that mark.

Right now, his only thought is more of what he called the “smart aggressive” play that enabled him to play bogey-free and extend his lead. He is thinking birdie while trying to avoid a miss that could lead to bogey.

And all he wants is another lei around his neck and another trophy from paradise. Ernie Els in 2003 is the only other player to sweep Hawaii.

The course remained so vulnerable that Kevin Kisner nearly produced the second 59 of the week. Kisner made a 25-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole to reach 9 under for his round. Needing an eagle to shoot 59, he drilled his tee shot on the fast fairways of Waialae, hit 8-iron to 9 feet and thought he had made it. The putt stayed to the right and burned the edge of the cup, and Kisner had to settle for a 60.

It was the lowest round of his career – but only the second-lowest round this week.

“Can’t be that upset,” Kisner said.

He went from making the cut on the number to a tie for sixth, though hardly in contention. When someone started to suggest that his 60 got him back into the mix, Kisner laughed and said, “Justin might need to get food poisoning.”

Even that might not be enough.

Only three players have lost a six-shot lead going into the final round, the most famous being Greg Norman at the Masters in 1996.

Thomas had only a few stressful moments, such as the par-3 seventh when his tee shot bounded down a steep still on the right into a fluffy lie. He hit a flop shot to about 12 feet and hit the putt so pure he started walking even before it dropped.

Thomas led by at least four shots the entire round. He made his first birdie with a two-putt on the par-5 ninth, drove into a greenside bunker on the par-4 10th and got another birdie and he was on his way.

MacKenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., shot a 68 and is tied for 28th at 9 under.

HONOLULU – Justin Thomas put his name in the PGA Tour record book two days in a row.

The idea now is to get his name on the trophy.

And with each record, that becomes a little easier at the Sony Open.

Thomas set the course record Thursday at Waialae Country Club with his 59, only the eighth sub-60 round in PGA Tour history. Even then, the 23-year-old from Kentucky was cognizant that the tournament still had three rounds remaining, and he only had a three-shot lead.

He followed that with another burst of birdies around the turn and another eagle on his final hole, punching a 7-iron out of the light rough to run the ball up between two bunkers and onto the green about 8 feet below the cup. He made the eagle putt for a 64, setting the 36-hole scoring record on the PGA Tour at 123.

And now he has a five-shot lead.

“He’s not stopping, as we can see,” said Jordan Spieth, who watched him for two rounds.

Thomas also is not looking behind.

Following a great round with another one is not easy, and the task becomes even tougher when that great round is a 59.

“I didn’t know how I was going to feel,” Thomas said. “I didn’t feel too much today. I just felt like it was another round of golf and I need to try to build on my lead and see how low I could go today.”

He didn’t realize he had set the 36-hole record until the scoring official told him as Thomas was signing his card. He left Friday evening not even aware of another record he had set – best round after a 59.

Jim Furyk (with his record 58), David Duval and Stuart Appleby each hit golf’s magic number in the final round. Of the four other times someone shot 59, the best anyone managed was Paul Goydos (2010 John Deere Classic) and Chip Beck (1991 Las Vegas Invitational), who each had a 68.

Thomas clipped them by four.

Of more importance, of course, is that he stretched that lead to five shots over Gary Woodland. That matched the largest 36-hole lead in Sony Open history by Paul Azinger in 2000 and Brad Faxon in 2001. Both went on to win.

As for that 36-hole record, odds are in his favor.

Three players had shared the record of 124, and all of them went on to win:

– Pat Perez opened with a 61-63 in the Bob Hope Classic in 2009. That was a 90-hole tournament, and he won by three shots over John Merrick.

– David Toms shot 62-62 at Colonial in 2011, and he held on to win by one shot over Charlie Wi.

– Jason Day shot 61-63 at Conway Farms in the 2015 BMW Championship and won by six shots over Daniel Berger.

This is only his third season on the PGA Tour, though Thomas has been around long enough not to get too far away from his next shot. Sure, he thinks about winning when he knows he’s playing well, like last week on Maui at the SBS Tournament of Champions. He was tied for the lead after 36 holes, went two clear of Hideki Matsuyama going into the final round and won by three.

“You don’t really start thinking about it consistently until probably Sunday if you’re in it,” he said.

At stake is a chance to join Ernie Els as the only player to sweep Hawaii since 1999, when Kapalua became the starting point to a new year.

Thomas now has gone 21 consecutive rounds at par or better, dating to a 75 in the first round of the Safeway Open last October. He has 10 consecutive rounds in the 60s (or better, considering his 59) for an average score of 66.4.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., shot a 5-under 65 and is 7 under for the tournament to become the lone Canadian to make the cut. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., both shot 71 and finished 1 under.

Spieth, meanwhile, will probably be happy to get away from his best friend in golf. Spieth has been playing well over two days, and to watch them, his game has not been all that different from Thomas except for the length of some of the tee shots – and the putting.

He has had similar putts for birdie from about the same distance, and sometimes the same line. One guy keeps making them, and it’s not Spieth.

“Just has a really cold putter this week,” Spieth said. “I think it added to the frustration on the green, because the game is looking so easy to him. I felt like I was hitting the ball in the same location, I’m just being outdone on the green. That’s something a little abnormal to me.”

That made Thomas chuckle.

“Now he knows how a lot of people feel,” Thomas said.

CUIDAD LOPEZ MATEOS, Mexico – Team Canada Amateur Squad duo Grace St-Germain and Maddie Szeryk closed off a strong run at the Mexican Amateur on Thursday, finishing 3^rd and T4, respectively, en route to winning the team event (aggregate score).

Ottawa’s St-Germain held sole possession of second place heading into Thursday, but struggled with a final-round 75 (+3) to slip into third. The Daytona State Falcon freshman ended the tournament at 7-over par (73-73-74-75), one stroke back of second.

Teammate Maddie Szeryk was right behind St-Germain on the leaderboard; the 20-year-old finished with a share of fourth place at 8-over par. Szeryk’s third-round 70 (-2) tied for the tournament-low and lifted her into contention at the Bellavista Golf Club.

The pair trailed hometown native Isabella Fierro, who was the only competitor to finish under-par for the tournament (-1). Fierro is currently ranked No. 275 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR); she finished alone in 21^st at the 2016 World Junior Girls Championship in Mississauga, Ont.

Click here for full scoring.

HONOLULU – Fresh of his victory on Maui, Justin Thomas became the seventh player to join the “59 Club” on the PGA Tour when he made a 15-foot eagle putt on his last hole Thursday at the Sony Open for an 11-under 59.

Thomas thought his hopes at a 59 were over when his drive on the par-5 ninth hole at Waialae Country Club was a foot from clearing a fairway bunker on the left and rolled back into the sand. He figured he couldn’t reach the green until realizing Daniel Berger hit 4-iron from the bunker onto the green.

Thomas figured “this wasn’t a time to lay up.”

He hit 5-iron clean and pure, and it settled 15 feet below the cup. Wasting little time over the putt, he poured it in for 59 and lightly pumped his fist. The excitement came from Berger and Jordan Spieth, and only when Thomas looked at their reaction did it begin to sink in.

“I got more excited from seeing them get excited,” he said.

Jim Furyk was the last player with a sub-60 round when he closed with a record 58 at the Travelers Championship last summer. Furyk also had a 59 in 2013 at the BMW Championship, joining the exclusive group that includes Al Geiberger (1977 Memphis Classic), Chip Beck (1991 Las Vegas Invitational), David Duval (1999 Bob Hope Classic), Paul Goydos (2010 John Deere Classic) and Stuart Appleby (2010 Greenbrier Classic).

This was special because he made it look so easy.

Thomas, a 23-year-old with enormous power for his 145-pound frame, never hit more than a 7-iron into the par 4s at Waialae on a perfect day for scoring – very little breeze, fast fairways and soft greens. That 7-iron was chipped under the trees and into a bunker on No. 8 when he was trying to save par.

His only bogey came on his second hole, the par-3 11th, when his tee shot went into a bunker and he missed an 18-foot par putt.

Duval was the only other player to shoot 59 with an eagle on the last hole. Furyk at Conway Farms is the only other player to shoot 59 with a bogey.

Spieth, best friends with Thomas since they were 13, was more nervous than Thomas and far more demonstrative. Thomas had a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 7 that looked good even when it was inches from the cup until burning the edge. Spieth clutched the back of his neck and was still asking how the putt didn’t fall when he walked onto the next tee. He was talking to himself, of course. He gave Thomas his space.

“It’s like sitting on the bench with a teammate throwing a perfect game,” Spieth said. “It was awesome. What an awesome last five rounds he’s had.”

Just four days ago, Thomas closed birdie-birdie for a 69 to win the SBS Tournament of Champions at Kapalua. He started his round Thursday at Waialae by pitching in from 35 yards for an eagle on the short 10th hole. And he was off.

“All my birdies were easy,” Thomas said.

He was smashing drives when he could, especially on the par-5 18th hole when he found an extra long tee and hammered a high hook that left him only an 8-iron into the green. He narrowly holed that for eagle, settling for a 29. Then, he went birdie-birdie to start the front nine, and when he hit 7-iron to 5 feet for birdie on the par-3 fourth hole, the race was on to hit golf’s magic number.

“He had full control of his golf swing,” Spieth said.

Spieth and Berger were along for the ride. They all graduated high school in 2011 and grew up in junior golf. They were together a few weekends ago at a resort in Maui ahead of the Tournament of Champions.

And they put on quite a show, with Spieth and Berger each shooting 65. On only three holes – No. 15, 5 and 8 – did someone in the group not make birdie or better. Their best-ball score was 17 under.

The best part for Berger and Spieth was standing to the side of the 18th green to watch Thomas get his share of history, and delivering. Berger raised his arms in the air. Spieth gave it a left-handed fist pump.

“The coolest part for me was how excited they were for me on 18,” Thomas said. “To do that with two of your best friends out here and two of your friends that you played with for so long … those are people that I’m going to be playing with and hanging out with for the next 20, 25 years out here. I’ll have that on them for now but that was a lot of fun.”

Goydos was the only other player to shoot 59 in the first round. He was runner-up that year to Steve Stricker.

Maybe that’s what allowed Thomas to keep his emotions in check. He said he thought about the 59 as he walked up to his final green.

“I’m like, ‘If I make it, what am I going to do?’ It’s not like winning a tournament,” Thomas said. “You have three days left to try to play well.”

Even so, he was keenly aware of the feat. Thomas keeps a golf ball from all his victories dating to his days in junior golf. There will be special place for this one. His parents, Mike and Jani, walked the entire round with him. Mike Thomas already had the ball in his pocket.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Brooke Henderson did a question-and-answer session with actor Jack Wagner and former pitcher Mark Mulder. On Friday, the Canadian star will tee off alongside Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson and former hockey star Mike Modano.

Henderson and fellow LPGA Tour players Lexi Thompson, Brittany Lang and Brittany Lincicome are joining PGA Tour Champions players and celebrities in the Diamond Resorts Invitational.

“It’s really exciting to meet actors like Jack and get to meet awesome athletes,” Henderson said. “It’s kind of eye-opening for me to see the different talent and how they can go from their careers and go to golf, which is secondary to them, but they’re really, really good. I’m excited for the week.”

The women will play from the same tees as the senior professionals in the modified Stableford event at Tranquilo at Four Seasons Resort Orlando. The LPGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions players are competing for a $750,000 purse, and the celebrities are playing for $500,000.

John Daly will open with signers Jake Owen and Colt Ford.

“To be able to play with Colt Ford and Jake Owen tomorrow is awesome,” Daly said. “They are good buddies, and we’re going to have a nice time. That’s kind of what it’s all about.”

Colin Montgomerie, Kenny Perry and Mark Calcavecchia are among the 27 PGA Tour Champions players in the field. The celebrity field includes Larry Fitzgerald, Patrick Peterson, Justin Verlander, John Lester, John Lackey, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Denny Hamlin, Michael Waltrip and Larry the Cable Guy.

“Whenever you have the opportunity to give back and show others that you care about them and playing golf for a great cause, you can’t beat it,” said Peterson, who will open with Arizona Cardinals teammate Fitzgerald alongside Perry. “I’m happy that I got the invite. Wish I was playing (football) this weekend, but it’s a great getaway to kind of relax and let the football life go for a couple weeks.”

Mulder is grouped with Thompson and Mardy Fish, the former tennis player who won the title year when it was a celebrity-only competition.

“It’s become a little bit more normal, I guess, the more and more of these tournaments I play in,” Mulder said. “It’s still not a great feeling on the tee. Baseball is what I did, and now it’s kind of turned into golf. I was never nervous on the baseball field, but this isn’t technically what I do.”

Swung for the fences today with @BringerOfRain20. On to the weekend with NFL legends @BUrlacher54 and Sterling Sharpe tomorrow! #DRIGolf pic.twitter.com/Nxqkg2WjAn

— Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson) January 14, 2017

A season removed from the Saint Leo Lions, Amateur Squad member Hugo Bernard has transferred to the University of Montreal to continue his studies on home soil.

Bernard, a native of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., makes the return to his home province following a freshman campaign which saw the 22-year-old take home the NCAA Div II medallist honours in addition to winning the Phil Mickelson Award, given to the most outstanding freshman.

In a short time frame south of the border, Bernard collected a remarkable seven top-five finishes in just nine collegiate events. With his return to Montreal, Bernard will pick up his studies where they left off; only this time in French—his native tongue.

Away from the classroom, the reigning Canadian Amateur champion will tee-it-up for Canada in several international events: the South American Amateur; Jones Cup; Terra Cotta Invitational; and Azalea Amateur.

“Hugo is a very talented athlete and we’ll continue to look at every possibility to get him into the world’s top-ranked amateur events,” said Derek Ingram, Team Canada men’s Head Coach. “Transferring back home is a move that makes sense for Hugo and we’re looking forward to another strong year ahead.”

Bernard was a member of the trio that lifted Canada to a ninth place finish earlier this year at the World Amateur in Mexico; he currently sits as the No.3 ranked Canadian on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) at 108.

GREAT EXUMA, Bahamas – Kyle Thompson took home his fifth career Web.com Tour title in paradise Wednesday at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay with his third consecutive round of 2-under 70. The 37-year-old finished as the runner-up at the Web.com Tour season opener a year ago in Panama, but edged out Andrew Yun and Nicholas Thompson by two shots this year with a 2-under 286 in the Tour’s first ever Sunday – Wednesday tournament format.

“I didn’t see it coming,” Thompson said. “We had some bad weather at home, so I practiced a lot on my golf swing but I didn’t practice my putting at all. I come here and probably had the best putting week of my life. I just stayed very patient and persistent and worked really hard this offseason on my mental game and I think it paid off. Hopefully I can keep that sort of mindset going in the future.”

In his first start as a rookie on the Web.com Tour, Canada’s Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., posted his first top-five on Tour with a T5 finish after rounds of 79-70-70-73—292 (+4). The 2014 U.S. Amateur runner-up eagled the first hole Wednesday to get within one shot of Thompson, but posted bogeys on four of his last 13 holes.

At a tournament where the 11-over 155 cutline was the highest in Web.com Tour history, patience was key, and Thompson showed plenty of it after battling back from being 6-over-par through his first six holes of the first round. Over his last 66 holes, the former South Carolina Gamecock finished in 8-under to secure his first victory since the 2015 Rex Hospital Open.

“[The first round] was just brutal. I can’t even describe how hard it was,” Thompson said. “Even today it was so hard. I felt like I was the guy in Caddyshack who is having the round of his life walking straight into the breeze. I never gave up. I didn’t quit even though I had a rough start. Turned it around. That was definitely one of the top three hardest rounds of my life, and I shot a score that kept me in the ball game. I just kept grinding and grinding.”

Entering the final round with a three-shot lead, Thompson cruised through the front nine with birdies at Nos. 1, 4, 5 and 9. He holed six-foot testers for par at both No. 10 and 11, and even made par at the par-4 12^th, which played as the toughest hole in Web.com Tour history with a scoring average of 5.008.

“I made a lot of great putts. The putt on 11 was big,” Thompson said. “The second shot on 12 was the shot of my tournament, hitting 5-wood from 182 yards. That’s insane. I just played solid from there coming in.”

His first blemish of the day didn’t come until the par-4 16^th, when he yanked a 3-wood into the rocks left of the fairway alongside the sea. That wayward tee ball resulted in a double bogey, shrunk his lead to just two shots and brought Yun and Nicholas Thompson back into the picture.

“The one swing I wish I could take back, the 3-wood on 16, but everybody is going to have a hiccup,” Thompson said. “When I hit it, all you can do is laugh and just go ‘Alright, lets rebound and move on and see what we can do.’”

Yun entered the day three back of Thompson and gave him a run with a 3-under 69 for his best finish ever on the Web.com Tour. The former Stanford Cardinal finished 50th on the money list as a rookie in 2015 but struggled a year ago and finished 100th. As a result, Yun had to return to the final stage of the Web.com Tour’s Qualifying Tournament in December, where he earned a return to the Web.com Tour with a T32 finish to earn entry into this week.

“I just hit the ball really well,” Yun said. “I’ve never hit so many chip shots with so many longer clubs, and that’s pretty much what it felt like, especially on that back nine when those clubs are exposed to the wind. I was just keeping the ball under control, keeping the ball flight low, so the wind wasn’t taking it. I did that all week so that was great.”

2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit winner Dan McCarthy made the most of only his fifth career Web.com Tour start with a solo fourth-place finish. One spot below McCarthy on the leaderboard in T5 was Nate Lashley, who won the Order of Merit on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica last season.

Jim Furyk was appointed Wednesday as the U.S. captain for the 2018 Ryder Cup in France, where his team will try to win on European soil for the first time in 25 years.

Furyk was a unanimous choice by the Ryder Cup committee last month.

The former U.S. Open champion, and the only player in history to twice post rounds in the 50s, brings more playing experience than any other U.S. captain. Furyk played on nine consecutive teams starting in 1997, and he was an assistant captain to Davis Love III last year at Hazeltine.

Love will be one of his assistants in France.

“He’s going to be a very tough act to follow,” Furyk said from PGA of America headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. “He put a system in place. He put the players behind it. It won’t make my task easier, but it makes it easier knowing there is a system in place. To have him by my side – his advice, his experience, two captaincies and one vice captaincy – is going to be priceless for me.”

The Americans reshaped their thinking after the 2014 loss at Gleneagles, where Phil Mickelson publicly questioned Tom Watson’s leadership and the lack of player involvement. That spawned a Ryder Cup Task Force that allowed for more input from the players, and now a Ryder Cup committee comprising three players (Mickelson, Love and Tiger Woods) and the top three PGA of America officials.

Part of that model was to allow for more consistency at each Ryder Cup, such as captains previously serving as assistants.

The committee met Dec. 6 and decided on Furyk, waiting until the start of the new year to announce him. PGA of America President Paul Levy said it took Furyk “one second” to accept the job.

Furyk is 46 and still going strong on the PGA Tour. He is No. 37 in the world ranking and had a chance to make his 10th straight team last year except that he missed the first four months of the year recovering from wrist surgery.

He set a PGA Tour record in August with a 58 in the final round of the Travelers Championship. Furyk had shot 59 at the BMW Championship three years earlier.

The Ryder Cup has not had a playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963 at East Lake, and Furyk wasn’t ready to consider the prospects of playing in France even if he were to qualify for the team.

“I don’t want to say ‘no.’ My main focus and what I’m interested in now is a captain,” he said. “Worrying about point and where my game is is putting the cart before the horse, in my opinion. My main goal is being the best captain I can, getting the best 12 players and providing an atmosphere to let them succeed.”

Thomas Bjorn was appointed European captain last month.

Furyk said he and Bjorn walked one match together at Hazeltine and talked about the future, including the prospect of both being captain. The two never faced each other in the Ryder Cup as players.

Furyk had a 10-20-4 record in his nine Ryder Cup appearance, with more losses than any other American since the Ryder Cup began in 1927. He delivered a key singles victory over Sergio Garcia in 1999 when the Americans rallied from a 10-6 deficit at Brookline. He also holds the distinction of having been involved in the decisive match at the Ryder Cup on both ends, losing to Paul McGinley at The Belfry in 2002 and beating Miguel Angel Jimenez at Valhalla in 2008.

“You can learn from your mistakes, and if you look at my record, I’ve learned a lot,” Furyk said with a smile.

While he has known about his selection for a month, Furyk still choked up when he was introduced, especially when talking about his wife and his father, Mike, a PGA professional and the only coach he ever had.

“It’s no secret it’s been my favorite event for my entire career,” Furyk said.

Since her introduction to the sport of golf at the age of nine, Calgary’s Jennifer Ha has dreamed of competing at the highest level.

After tying for eighth spot in December at the final stage of LPGA Qualifying School, the 22-year-old has earned the right to do just that.

As she is preparing to kick off her rookie season with full playing privileges on the LPGA tour, Ha took a moment to reflect on her humble beginnings.

“When I was nine my dad introduced me to golf and I remember going to a golf dome near our house in the winters,” recalled Ha, who played volleyball and ran track and field as a youngster.

“Afterwards, we got a membership to the city’s public courses; and we started to play more often over the summer and kept on practicing over the winters,” she continued.

“I wasn’t really good at it at the beginning but I always dreamed of getting better and competing with the best; and I’ve worked really hard to get to where I am,” added the 22-year-old.

Ha – who turns 23 years old on Feb 1st – is quick to credit her parents, John and Christina, for their unconditional support throughout the years.

“My dad has done so much for me, he’s helped me out so much, he’s been my coach, my caddy and travelled with me to my tournaments; and my mom’s always been so incredibly supportive also,” she pointed out.

“We don’t always see eye to eye but I can say that they’ve always had my best interest at heart and they’re always so selfless…..I’m so blessed to have their support.”

On the first Sunday in December last year, Ha made her parents – and Canadians across the country – proud by finishing the final stage of LPGA Q school tied for eighth and earning full playing privileges in the process.

“It didn’t really sink in until a little later when people starting messaging me,” said Ha about the outpouring of support she’s received.

“Alena (Sharp) and Brooke (Henderson) have sent me nice messages through Twitter,” she noted.

“I’ve also received a lot of messages from girls I’ve played with growing up and I’ve really appreciated that.”

Ha says her successful path to the LPGA was paved through valuable lessons learned during her four years at Kent State University.

“I learned a lot from Coach Robertson. I learned about time management and being organized with regards to school, golf and travel,” she said.

“I really needed to have those years to mature and I think that was why I was able to make it to the LPGA.  For me learning those things was more important than skipping right onto the tour,” added the Kent State University grad.

While she’s been receiving a lot of congratulatory messages, Ha was quick to offer some of her own to her former Kent State teammates Mackenzie Hughes, who won the RSM Classic in mid November to earn his PGA Tour card for 2017; and Corey Conners who recently secured a spot onto the Web.com tour for 2017.

“Mackenzie is one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met; he was always the first one in practice and the last one to leave…… It was great to see that he made it to the PGA Tour,” said Ha.

“As well, it’s great to see Corey make it to the Web.com Tour next year also.  Just like Mackenzie, he’s one of those guys that puts in so much time and is always so dedicated.”

In terms of her own success, Ha says her time with Golf Canada’s national team program has also played a significant role bringing her to this point in her golfing career.

“I was part of Golf Canada’s program for three years and I learned so much during that time,” said the young Calgarian.

“I learned about course management and how to play different shots; as well as how to manage the mental and nutrition parts of the game and much more…..Being part of the program was definitely a huge benefit to me.”

According to Canadian women’s national team head coach, Tristan Mullally, Ha is well-prepared to make an impact on the LPGA tour in 2017.

“Jen’s thoughtful in the way she executes her shots….She has a lot of variety in her game and has the talent to go out there and do very well,” said Mullally.

“I’m excited about Jen and her upcoming rookie LPGA year.  I think she’s someone that will surprise a lot of people in terms of how good she is and I’m really looking forward to that.”

Ha is expected to kick off her rookie campaign at the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic later this month.

Given how far she has come since her humble beginnings, the 2017 LPGA rookie was asked for her advice to aspiring young golfers looking to find similar success in the game one day.

“My advice would to be to work hard and just have fun with the game and let yourself fall in love with it,” she replied.

“In golf, there’s going to be ups and downs but you have to always remain focused on learning and growing,” continued the mature 22-year-old.

“And if you’re looking to play at the highest level, you have to be dedicated fully to it – but at the same time, never lose sight of the fact that it’s a game because to be successful you have to love what you’re doing and enjoy it out there.”