19th Hole Amateur

Music on the golf course?

Music on the golf course?

You will definitely not see the best golfers in the world with tunes coming from their bags as they are trying to win a PGA or LPGA Tour title, but more and more you will hear music played at your local golf course.

Nearly 90 percent of Canadians own a smartphone, which means almost everyone who is playing golf has the ability to play music on the course these days. While it may not be for everyone, a trend is apparent.

At a great many clubs, golf has embraced its casual side – dress codes are relaxed, new golfers are emerging and places like TopGolf as well as short courses are popping up in the U.S. – and with that, it shouldn’t be surprising to hear notes of The Tragically Hip, Shania Twain, or Justin Bieber (depending on your preference, of course) floating over the sounds of birds chirping.

A recent survey from Golf Digest said 37 percent of respondents between 18-34 bring a portable speaker to the course. Others might prefer to keep their music to themselves and go the earphone route to avoid disrupting others.

“Golf is one of those sports where it takes up a good amount of time, so I have no issue with listening to music, even while playing, but I don’t think it should be 100 percent of the time,” says Golf Canada Men’s National Team Head Coach Derek Ingram.

He says for the athletes he works with, he’s training them to practice and play “under the gun” and they tend not to play tunes during the final round on the PGA Tour, he jokes. But while there may still be discomfort with cranking it up on the course, listening to music while practicing may have some benefits.

“I think it actually accesses part of the brain that allows us to be more creative and more athletic as well,” Ingram says. “There’s no issue with a portion of the practice listening to music and enjoying music, but I would say the right percentage depending on the individual.”

It’s nearly unavoidable to go a week on the PGA or LPGA Tour without having music be part of the tournament in some capacity.

The PGA and LPGA Tour have both introduced music into their tournament schedules over the last couple of seasons. Both tours have introduced team events (with Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes teeing it up in New Orleans while Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp got together in Michigan) and the Canadian duos arrived at the first tee to “walk-up music” not unlike what you see at a baseball game before a hitter steps into the box.

Music has become a key part of many successful PGA Tour events where DJs (not Dustin Johnson, in this case) will play sets or keep music going between groups if appropriate, and concerts have become a staple event during tournament week.

At least year’s RBC Canadian Open the RBCxMusic Concert Series brought Canadian rockers The Glorious Sons and country mega-duo Florida-Georgia Line to Hamilton Golf and Country Club, which helped sell out both days of the event.

Florida Georgia Line at the RBC Canadian Open

RBCxMusic Concert Series at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open featuring Florida Georgia Line and the Glorious Sons

And a couple of years ago while Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Smylie Kaufman, and Rickie Fowler went on their infamous buddies trip to the Caribbean all of their rounds of golf were filled with music (and were without shirts).

If you’ve got a Bluetooth speaker in your cart or dangling from your trolley, just be mindful of those around you.

While many come to the golf course for fun or frivolity, there’s a good portion of courses and golfers who prefer to have Mother Nature play her own music – so understand your golf environment and keep the volume to just what you and your group can hear.

But this summer while celebrating all of Canada’s fabulous layouts, why not experiment with listening to some of country’s finest musical acts?

Bands like The Tragically Hip, The Arkells, and Rush are perfect for the cottage, they’re great for the course, too – and who knows, you might even improve your game thanks to music.

Some Tune Tips

  1. Always ask other players if you can play music and what they might want to hear
  2. Understand your environment – not every course and golfer feel the same about music during a round
  3. Make sure the music is at a manageable volume
  4. Consider earphones to enjoy tunes without disrupting others
  5. Have fun with it – music makes almost every situation (a BBQ, the beach, a backyard party) better. The golf course should be no different.
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LPGA Tour

Canada’s Alena Sharp ready to recapture momentum as LPGA Tour season resumes

Alena Sharp
Alena Sharp (Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Alena Sharp is keenly aware that time is not on her side as a shortened LPGA Tour season resumes this week.

The 39-year-old from Hamilton is the only Canadian in the field as the inaugural Drive On Championship tees off on Friday at Inverness Golf Course in Toledo, Ohio. Sharp was ranked 48th on the LPGA Tour before it suspended play due to the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-February.

“It sucks that this is happening towards the end of my career because I’m playing well,” said Sharp. “I want to just keep riding that momentum for as long as I can until I decide to maybe slow down and retire.”

After taking just a few weeks off following the 2019 season, Sharp played in three tournaments to kick off the new year. She missed the cut at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Raton, Fla., in January, tied for ninth at the ISPS Handa Vic Open in early February, then missed the cut at the Women’s Australian Open.

When that tournament finished the LPGA Tour, about to embark on its annual swing through Asia, decided to take a four-week break to avoid what was then a regional epidemic of the novel coronavirus. That epidemic exploded into a worldwide pandemic that has gripped the world.

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Sharp, who has been a professional golfer for 15 years, said she is worried that the dozen tournaments cancelled because of COVID-19 represent a dwindling number of opportunities to win on the LPGA Tour for the first time.

“I don’t have any injuries or anything like that but there’s a lot of up-and-coming players that are coming out and things happen as you age,” said Sharp.

A silver lining to the time off _ the longest off-season Sharp can recall _ is that she has been able to put an emphasis on her fitness. Gyms were closed in Arizona, where she lives, but she dedicated herself to outdoor workouts using kettlebells, resistance bands, smash balls and body weight exercizes.

Sharp also played regularly at Seville Golf and Country Club against some of the club’s best members to keep her competitive fires burning.

“I would play some little money games just to test myself and make sure that I was staying competitive, making the putts mean something,” said Sharp. “Some of the guys I gave strokes to so I had to play pretty well to beat them.

“I hate losing so it was definitely helpful to keep me in that competition mode.”

Sharp and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., would have been competing for Canada at the Tokyo Olympics this week had it not been for the pandemic. Sharp notes that her world ranking should be improving this season because a series of missed cuts will be coming off her record, putting her in an excellent position to hold on to her Olympic berth for the rescheduled Tokyo Games.

“I’m glad that they’ve actually moved it to next year and rather than just cancel it entirely, because in four more years I mean I don’t know where I’ll be,” she said. “I hope to be still playing and being competitive but time isn’t on my side necessarily.”

Inside Golf House

Golf Canada launches COVID-19 Golf Relief Fund

Golf Canada COVID Relief Fund

Golf Canada and the Golf Canada Foundation have joined together to launch the COVID-19 GOLF RELIEF FUND, to support golf courses in helping employees and golfers stay safe while also thanking front-line workers through encouraging additional play and welcoming juniors to further experience the game.

During the pandemic, golf has experienced a booming resurgence, emerging as one of the safest recreational activities for Canadians to enjoy and highlighting the physical and mental benefits that the sport provides.

Developed in consultation with key stakeholders, the RELIEF FUND will focus on two primary areas:

1) SAFETY: To help maintain the momentum of golf, the RELIEF FUND will subsidize non-medical PPE (personal protective equipment) for golf course employees, as well as sanitization, hygiene, and protective material expenses.

2) FUN: To thank front-line workers and help juniors increase social interactions and outdoor activity during the pandemic, the RELIEF FUND will subsidize rounds for both groups to enjoy playing golf.

“We find ourselves in a very surprising but special moment for golf and we wanted to show appreciation to the courses providing a safe golf experience and to all Canadians who are coming out and playing. We also wanted to thank our incredible front-line workers who are leading us through unprecedented adversity,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “We are sensitive to the ongoing pandemic and amongst the crushing impact, golf has been a bright spot. This has also been a difficult year for so many kids who have had their summers disrupted and we wanted to support our member clubs in providing youth a healthy outlet through golf.”

Golf Canada member clubs who apply for the RELIEF FUND will be eligible for subsidies up to a maximum of $1,000 per club, with applications opening on August 12 on a first-come, first-served basis.

The RELIEF FUND will launch to the public July 28, across Golf Canada’s digital network, throughout Golf Canada member clubs, Ascend Fundraising Solutions’ marketing platforms, and the Provincial Golf Associations.

In addition to welcoming donations to support the RELIEF FUND, golfers and golf fans across the country will be able to support by participating in a four-week digital sweepstakes campaign featuring significant prizing across Canada and the U.S. in 2021.

“We have taken the challenge of the pandemic to pivot our donation efforts as a rallying point for the Canadian golf community,” said Martin Barnard, CEO of the Golf Canada Foundation. “Golf has always been a driver for significant charitable giving and the cancellation of so many fundraising events through the pandemic has been difficult. Partners and donors have embraced the idea of a golf specific relief fund that supports front-line workers and juniors, and also helps to keep industry employees safe throughout the season.”

The Grand prize includes a VIP hospitality experience at the 2021 RBC Canadian Open at St. Georges Golf and Country Club. The early-bird prize package to be drawn on August 12 features a spectacular stay-and-play experience at Cabot Links and Cliffs. Tickets for the sweepstakes can be purchased at www.golfcanadasweeps.com and will be available for sale until August 27.

Currently at close to $350,000 before launching to the public, the RELIEF FUND is proudly and graciously supported by the R&A, PGA TOUR, USGA, PGA of Canada, Bear Mountain Resort, Cabot Cape Breton, and TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.

Team Canada alumni and PGA TOUR winner Adam Hadwin has personally supported the RELIEF FUND, as part of his effort to give back once the RBC Canadian Open had been cancelled.

RBC Ambassador and three-time PGA TOUR winner Ryan Palmer also has donated to the RELIEF FUND through a fundraising challenge specifically created to help the charities of tournaments that were cancelled due to the pandemic.

Donations to the RELIEF FUND will be accepted throughout the golf season and more contributions will be announced over the course of the campaign as partners and donors join in supporting the cause.

Brooke Henderson LPGA Tour

Brooke Henderson targets Women’s British Open for her return to LPGA Tour

Brooke Henderson
Brooke Henderson (Getty Images)

Brooke Henderson has set her sights on the British Women’s Open.

One of the biggest names in women’s golf and the most successful pro player in Canadian history, Henderson has been out of competitive play for nearly seven months. At first it was intentional, as the No. 7 women’s golfer in the world had previously decided to sit out the LPGA Tour’s Australian leg, but then the COVID-19 pandemic began and the circuit suspended play.

“It’s been a very long break, especially for me,” said the 22-year-old Henderson from her family cottage. “I think it’s been the longest I’ve gone without playing competitively since maybe I was in elementary school.

“It’s been a big change for me but I’m very excited to get back out there. I’m sure I’ll have a lot of adrenalin on that first tee.”

Henderson tied for fourth at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions with an overall score of 12 under on Jan. 16 and then a week later she tied for 15th in the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio.

 

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But those two tournaments have been it so far for Henderson, who lives in Florida but repatriated to her parents’ home in Smiths Falls, Ont., early in the pandemic.

“I’ve enjoyed staying put and not travelling and not being exposed as much the last few months,” said Henderson, who quarantined herself for 14 days before moving back in with her parents. “I’ll be staying here until the British and then after the British I’ll be playing a few more events and getting out there more.”

The Women’s British Open begins on Aug. 20 at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. It will be the first major of the LPGA Tour’s season after the Evian Championship, originally scheduled for Aug. 6-9, was cancelled.

The LPGA Tour resumes its schedule on Thursday with the first-ever Drive On Championship in Toledo, Ohio. Henderson will miss it, the Marathon Classic Aug. 6-9 and the Ladies Scottish Open Aug. 13-16.

Henderson, who has played a rigorous schedule since turning pro in 2015, has enjoyed the break.

“I’ve read a lot of books, I was able to work out more than I do when I’m out on Tour,” said Henderson, whose sister/caddy Brittany stayed at their home in Florida. “I learned to cook way better, which is really exciting. I spent a lot of quality time with my mom and dad since I’ve been home.

Brooke Henderson

“It’s been a nice break, in a way, I just wish the break happened but that it could have happened without affecting everyone.”

Henderson and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp would have left for Japan this week to play in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the second time the pair would have represented Canada in women’s golf.

“(Tokyo) is something to look forward to next year,” said Henderson. “Obviously it was a very smart decision they made to move it to 2021. Hopefully by then it is safe to play and it’s not postponed another year.

“I really enjoyed playing last time in Rio in 2016. It’s definitely an honour.”

Amateur

Team Canada’s Brigitte Thibault wins 120th Women’s Western

Brigitte Thibault

FRANKFORT, Ill.Brigitte Thibault, 21, of Rosemere, Quebec, defeated Jackie Lucena, 19, of Chico, California, 4 & 3, Saturday at Prestwick Country Club in Frankfort, Illinois, to become the second Canadian in four years to win the Women’s Western Amateur.

Thibault, a Fresno State senior and 2019 Mountain West Conference champion, prevailed despite a slow start on the front nine. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up, because I know that my game right now is kind of on a rollercoaster,” Thibault said.

“I feel like I gained a lot of momentum from yesterday. I just kept the faith. I kept fighting and didn’t give up.”

Thibault grabbed a 2-up lead through seven holes, but Lucena rebounded to win the next two holes and square the match heading into the back nine. Undaunted, Thibault regained the lead with a par on No. 10, then took the 13th, 14th and 15th with back-to-back pars and a closing birdie to secure the win and add her name to the list of champions on the Women’s Western Amateur’s W.A. Alexander Cup. Looking back on her front nine struggles, Thibault said she had to change her mind set at the turn. “I think it was just like a switch. I had missed a lot on the front, and I could feel how close I was to hitting it really good,” she said. “I just switched it in my head and went into full focus mode.”

Lucena, a University of California-Davis sophomore, never led in the match. “It was definitely a grind,” she said. “I wasn’t having my best game. I was just trying to roll with what I had, and it ended up not working out. I definitely realized that I wasn’t as free and as comfortable as in my previous rounds.” “Besides today, I felt phenomenal this week,” Lucena added. “I had a lot of confidence in my game coming into this, and I think I wavered a little bit (in the final match) when I hit some bad shots. I was just so excited to make it to the finals.”

Thibault and Lucena both earned exemptions into the U.S. Women’s Amateur set for Aug. 3-9 at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland. “I’ve never been to a USGA event, so I’m super excited,” Lucena said. Thibault said she’s looking forward to playing in the U.S. Women’s Amateur, but is waiting to hear what the rest of the year holds for her. “I’ll go to the U.S. Women’s Am, and then it depends on school,” she explained. “If school is back, then I’ll be competing in college. If not, I’ll be heading to Europe for the British Am.”

Thibault follows in the footsteps of fellow Canadian and Team Canada member Maddie Szeryk, who won the championship in 2017. They are the only two Canadians in the 120-year history of the event to claim the title. A member of the Golf Canada’s national amateur squad, Thibault advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2018 Women’s Western Amateur at Mistwood Country Club in Romeoville, Illinois, before losing 6 and 5 to eventual champ Emilee Hoffman. In 2019, Thibault won the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship in addition to her Mountain West Conference Championship victory. She also was a part of Canada’s bronze medal team at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, and was named the female amateur of the year by the Golf Journalists Association of Canada.

Canadians Mary Parsons and Taylor Kehoe both had impressive finishes, both exiting in the quarter-final round.

The list of past Women’s Western Amateur champions reads like a “Who’s Who” in women’s golf, including current LPGA stars Ariya Jutanugarn, Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lang and Cristie Kerr. This was Prestwick’s first WWGA tournament since the 1972 Junior Championship – won by a 15-year-old Nancy Lopez. She went on to become one of the best players in the history of professional golf and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1987. For complete tournament results, visit womenswesternamateur.com.

Epson Tour

Canadians Brittany Marchand and Maddie Szeryk eager to be back on Symetra Tour

Marchand
Brittany Marchand (Getty Images)

Brittany Marchand felt like her career was on an upswing after tying for eighth at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic in early March. It was the first tournament of the Symetra Tour season and was Marchand’s best finish in more than a year after she muddled through the 2019 LPGA Tour schedule.

A week later and the Symetra Tour, like the rest of North America’s professional sports, was on indefinite hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Let’s just say it was 100 per cent a momentum killer if I’ve ever seen one,” Marchand said with a laugh. “I’d already had quite a long off-season and then to have another off-season, essentially, it was like ‘OK, I’ve already worked on everything I wanted to. I’m ready to go.”’

Marchand, from Orangeville, Ont., is one of four Canadians in the field at this week’s FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship in Battle Creek, Mich., a three-round tournament that tees off Friday morning. She’s still eighth in the tour’s rankings thanks to that strong finish in March.

“Little did I know that that finish at the beginning was actually going to be a huge help,” said Marchand. “Normally that would have been great but it wouldn’t have determined much of anything over the course of a season.”

It’s the first tournament to be played by the LPGA Tour family following the three-month hiatus. The shortened Symetra Tour schedule is now 10 events.

The Symetra Tour will still award LPGA Tour membership to the top players on the money list at the end of the year. However, five cards with partial status will be available instead of the 10 that have been distributed each year since 2008.

“A full LPGA card is off the table,” said Marchand, who added that in some ways it creates a pressure-free situation. “I have to wrap my head around the fact that I won’t be starting next year on the LPGA, no matter what, even if I finish at the top of the money list.”

Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., is also eager to get back to work at the FireKeepers. Her only competition during the pandemic break was a 16th place finish at the Texas Women’s Open and playing with her sister Ellie, a Texas A&M prospect.

Maddie Szeryk

Like Marchand, Szeryk said she’s pleased to be playing competitive golf again but has mixed feelings about the limited exemptions available for the next LPGA Tour season.

“It’s a bummer that you don’t even really have a chance this year,” said Szeryk, who is No. 41 on the tour’s money list. “There’s nothing we can do about it so I just have to look at is as a growing experience and I’m really going to be ready for (the LPGA) when I get up there.”

Josee Doyon of St-Georges, Que., and Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., round out the Canadian contingent at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship.

The LPGA Tour resumes its schedule next week with the Drive On Championship, which Hamilton’s Alena Sharp has already declared she will play in.

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PGA TOUR

Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes returning to U.S. Open following Memorial showing

Mackenzie Hughes
Mackenzie Hughes (Getty Images)

DUBLIN, Ohio – Canadian Mackenzie Hughes will be returning to the U.S. Open following another strong outing on the PGA Tour.

Hughes, of Dundas, Ont., finished in a tie for sixth on Sunday at the Memorial to earn a spot in the major tournament.

He’ll join fellow Canadians Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., at Winged Foot when the U.S. Open tees off in the fall.

Hughes, who also qualified for the U.S. Open in 2013 and ’18, had three birdies – including one on No. 12 with 67-foot putt – and three bogeys for a 72 in the final round of the Memorial to finish 3 under.

Hughes and runner-up Ryan Palmer earned U.S. Open spots as the leading two players from the top 10 who were not already eligible.

Henrik Norlander could have taken the final spot with a par on the 18th, but made bogey to tie Hughes at 3 under. The spot went to Hughes because he had the better world ranking.

Jon Rahm struggled to a 3-over 75 but held on to win the tournament by three strokes over Palmer at 9 under.

Rahm, who held an eight shot lead at the turn before a difficult back nine, joins Seve Ballesteros as the only Spaniards to reach No. 1 in the world golf rankings following the victory – leapfrogging Rory McIlroy, who held the top ranking since Feb. 9.

Meanwhile, Conners (72) came in a tie for 22nd at 3 over and Hadwin (81) fell down to 54th at 9 over.

Hughes will go from No. 97 to a career-best No. 75 in the world golf rankings following the Memorial.

He shot a 60 in the first round of the Travelers Championship less than a month ago and finished the tournament third, while also grabbing second place at the Honda Classic in March before the COVID-19 pandemic halted golf.

The 29-year-old Hughes has three top-10 finishes in 11 events in 2020 after only three top-10 finishes in 54 tournaments between 2018 and ’19.

Only five players broke par Sunday, the fewest for a final round since the Memorial began in 1976. The average score of 75.932 was the highest for the final round since it was 75.972 in 1978.

The 120th U.S. Open, originally scheduled for June 18–21, was postponed to September 17-20 because of the pandemic.

PGA TOUR

Mackenzie Hughes in tie for 9th heading into Memorial finale

Mac Hughes
Mackenzie Hughes (Getty Images)

DUBLIN, Ohio – Jon Rahm showed Saturday in the Memorial why he’s one of the most explosive players in golf.

With his clubs.

A back nine that capped off what he considers one of the best rounds of his careers gave Rahm a 4-under 68, turned a four-shot deficit into a four-shot lead and put the 25-year-old Spaniard on the verge of reaching No. 1 in the world.

“Today could be one of the best rounds of golf I’ve played in my life,” Rahm said, a tribute to a Muirfield Village getting so close to the edge it drew comparisons with a major. “And it’s hard to believe how passively it came, compared to how I played usually.”

His passion is so great it can hurt as much as it helps. On this day, facing this test, Rahm kept his cool. He watched Tony Finau reach the par-5 11 in two for a sure birdie that would leave the Spaniard four shots behind.

There was no panic. Rahm said he told his caddie on the 13th tee, “If we can finish the last six holes under par, it’s a great finish. And whatever we have to do to make a comeback, we’ll make a comeback.”

Birdie. Birdie. Birdie. Birdie.

With help from Finau and his two double bogeys, and Ryan Palmer with bogeys on two of his last three holes, that turned into a four-shot lead for Rahm.

A victory allows him to join Seve Ballesteros as the only Spaniards to reach No. 1, provided that Rory McIlroy doesn’t finish as a runner-up. McIlroy shot 72 – not a bad effort on a day wher the average score was 73.7 – and was 10 shots back.

“I’ve got to get out there tomorrow, play solid again and get the job done and think about the No. 1 afterwards,” he said.

Rahm was at 12-under 204 as he goes for his fourth PGA Tour victory, and 10th worldwide. Finau and Palmer, each with a 73, were three behind. Former Masters champion Danny Willett (70), next in line at six shots back.

Finau was was bogey-free on the front nine, poured in a 50-foot birdie putt and then easily reached the green on the par-5 11th for a two-putt birdie to reach 12 under.

One swing changed everything.

Finau’s tee shot on the par-3 12th in a swirling wind sailed 15 yards over the green, leaving a downhill chip from thick rough to a green that was yellow and ran toward the water. He left it short, chipped through the green and made double bogey. Finau took another double bogey on the 17th hole with an awkward lie in the rough.

“It was good, and then it wasn’t good,” Finau said. “Man, this golf course can get you in a heartbeat. You just try and put your best foot forward every hole, every shot and try and play as well as you can. The greens are firm. There’s enough wind up there to think about. They’re fast. A little disappointed in my finish, but look, I’m in a good position going into tomorrow.

“And it’s going to be tough tomorrow.”

Muirfield Village is rebuilding all the greens starting Monday, and tournament officials are not afraid to let the course go to the very edge for the strongest field of the year.

It wasn’t easy to get shots close. It wasn’t easy to hole putts. It wasn’t easy to do anything.

It was the highest average score for the third round at the Memorial since 2012, the last year Tiger Woods won. There won’t be a repeat of that. Woods said he felt better and he played better, posting a 71. He still was 14 shots behind.

That’s what made Rahm’s round so special. The ball kept rolling on the greens, and the Spaniard realized it was happening to everybody. He dropped only one shot, on the par-3 eighth.

And his finish was simply sublime.

Rahm played in the group in front of Finau and saw him reach the 11th green in two, a sure birdie. His only concern was hitting the green at No. 12, trying to pick up a birdie or two and if had to rally on Sunday, so be it.

He hammered his tee shot 360 yards over the bunker that set up a wedge to 12 feet for birdie on the 13th. He wisely laid up on the 14th, with the tees moved forward to play at 322 yards, and hit wedge to 5 feet for birdie.

Right of the green on the par-5 15th in two, with the green running fast and away from him, he hit a flop-and-run to 3 feet for a third straight birdie. And then he capped it off with a 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th.

Just like that, he had the lead. He’s in control.

Rahm has had a mathematical chance to reach No. 1 ever since golf resumed six weeks ago. He missed the cut at Colonial and finished out of the top 25 in the other three events he played.

Now it’s right there in front of him – along with a Muirfield Village course that won’t be getting any easier.

“Whatever happens tomorrow happens, but it’ll be a great test for me to learn for the future, for major championships,” Rahm said. “Because this is going to be the closest thing we get to a major championship without being one.”

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., leads all Canadians at 3 under par in a tie for 9th. Adam Hadwin (Abbotsford, B.C.) is at even par while Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) is 3 over.