Oakville, Ont. – The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame has announced that following a significant review and subsequent change to its terms of reference and election process, the Hall of Fame Selection Committee has instituted an age restriction of 40 going forward for induction into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

This change to the nomination and election process is the first-ever introduction of a minimum age restriction on candidates submitted for consideration to receive the highest honour in Canadian golf.

The decision to introduce an age restriction aligns with the selection protocol for other internationally recognized golf halls of fame, most notably the World Golf Hall of Fame which introduced an age restriction of 50 in recent years.

“The Selection Committee undertook a deep review of our terms of reference and election process with a goal to better align Canada’s National Golf Hall of Fame with selection protocols for other hall of fames across the global golf community,” said Sandra Post, Chair of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Selection Committee. “With the World Golf Hall of Fame age restriction of 50, we felt that our own National Hall of Fame would be best suited with an age restriction of 40. The Committee also felt that instituting this change makes our selection process more standardized and better defined going forward.”

Throughout its 50-year history, only four individuals under the age of 40 have been elected as honoured members of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame – Marlene Streit in 1971 (37); Mike Weir in 2009 (39); Doug Roxburgh in 1990 (39); and Gary Cowan, who at 34 years old was inducted in 1972 as the youngest honoured member ever.

The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Selection Committee will be meeting in the coming weeks to review and vote on the slate of candidate nominations submitted for consideration through the CGHF’s open submission process for nomination.

“Given our open process for nominations to the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and our upcoming review of candidates who have been submitted for consideration, the Selection Committee believes it’s important to be transparent with the Canadian golf community and future nominators that an age restriction has been instituted which will be added to our Canadian Golf Hall of Fame nomination form going forward.”

Nominations for the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame can be submitted at any time of the year (click here for a link to the nomination form). However, for a candidate to be eligible for election to the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame for the next calendar year, the nomination must be submitted and received by July 31

PHOENIX – Jeff Maggert holed out from 123 yards for eagle on the third playoff hole Sunday to win the Charles Schwab Cup Championship and hand Scott McCarron the season points title on the PGA Tour Champions.

Two holes earlier, Retief Goosen missed a 4-foot birdie putt that would have given him the tournament and the Charles Schwab Cup.

Instead, the South African could only watch from the fairway as Maggert’s shot on the par-4 17th landed in front of the pin, bounced once and dropped for a stunning conclusion to the season. Maggert threw both hands up in the air to celebrate.

“I’ve seen it happen. I never, ever thought it would happen to me,” Maggert said about his game-winner.

No one was happier than McCarron, who has led the Charles Schwab Cup since April but did not contend in any of the three post-season events. McCarron tied for 27th in the final event at Phoenix Country Club, opening the door for others to claim the $1 million bonus.

Bernhard Langer got in the mix for another title with a hole-in-one on the eighth hole, only for his putter to go cold. Goosen, No. 5 in the standings, was poised to capture the cup when he birdied three of his last four holes for a 7-under 64 to finish at 21-under 263.

Maggert, who started the final round with a one-shot lead, pulled his drive into the trees on the par-5 18th and had to lay up. He hit wedge to 8 feet and made the birdie putt for a 66 to force the playoff.

Canadian Stephen Ames finished in sole possession of 12th place with a score of 13 under par.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – PGA TOUR Champions announced today the 2020 tournament schedule, featuring 27 events and culminating with the fifth annual Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs. The Tour will contest tournaments in four foreign countries and 18 states, with total prize money of nearly $59 million.

“We are excited to announce the 2020 PGA TOUR Champions schedule as we continue to focus on building a tremendous tournament product for our players, partners and fans,” said PGA TOUR Champions President Miller Brady. “Our Tour benefits greatly from the numerous legends who compete each week, as well as the ‘rookies’ who make their debuts, and 2020 will be an incredible year for both.”

The 2020 season will mark the first year of PGA TOUR Champions eligibility for a number of the game’s biggest names. World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els celebrated his 50^th birthday on October 17, while 17-time PGA TOUR winner and 2010 FedExCup Champion Jim Furyk, 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir, 2011 PLAYERS Champion K.J. Choi and World Golf Hall of Fame member Phil Mickelson will all turn 50 in the next 12 months.

“I am looking forward to my first start on PGA TOUR Champions in January at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii,” said Els. “It will be great to reconnect with all of my friends I grew up competing with, and I know the camaraderie and competition will provide a lot of excitement for our fans.”

The 2020 season will begin with Els’ debut at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai the week of January 13-18 (Saturday finish), where Tom Lehman will be the defending champion.

PGA TOUR Champions will welcome two new events to the annual schedule next year, including the Morocco Champions (Jan. 27 – Feb. 1) at Samanah Golf Club in Marrakech, Morocco, as well as the Ascension Charity Classic (Sept. 28 – Oct. 4) at Norwood Hills Country Club in St. Louis.

The Shaw Charity Classic will be held in Calgary, Alta., from Aug. 24-30 at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club.

The Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs will once again provide an exciting end to the season. The Boca Raton Championship – which has been contested at The Old Course at Broken Sound Club in Boca Raton, Florida, since 2007 – moves from its traditional February date into the second Playoffs event slot.

The Boca Raton Championship will be preceded by the fifth annual Dominion Energy Charity Classic in Richmond, Virginia, with the Charles Schwab Cup Championship returning to Phoenix Country Club for a fourth year to finish out the Playoffs.

Since 2001, the Charles Schwab Cup has been awarded to the winner of a season-long, points-based competition. Bernhard Langer is a five-time winner of the Cup, while Jay Haas, Hale Irwin, Tom Lehman, Loren Roberts and Tom Watson have each won twice.

The schedule of five major championships starts in May with the Regions Tradition in Birmingham, Alabama, where 12-time PGA TOUR winner and 2017 Presidents Cup U.S. Team Captain Steve Stricker will be the defending champion at Greystone Golf & Country Club.

The KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship returns to Harbor Shores Golf Club in Michigan the week of May 19-24, while the U.S. Senior Open will make its first trip to historic Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island, the week of June 22-28. Newport C.C., which was founded in 1893, hosted the first U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in 1895, as well as the 1995 U.S. Amateur (won by Tiger Woods) and the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open.

The senior major season will conclude in July with the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship returning to Firestone Country Club’s South Course in Akron, Ohio, for a second straight year, and The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex being contested at Sunningdale Golf Club in England for the third time in tournament history.

The Tour’s lone Challenge Season event will be the PNC Father Son Challenge, which will return to the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, the week of December 14-20.

PGA TOUR Champions tournament programming is available via TV linear partners in 170+ countries and territories across more than 270 million potential households, with 28 channels carrying long-form and/or highlights coverage, and live coverage distributed in 130+ countries and territories across 65 million potential households. Programming is also available via the OTT platform GOLFTV powered by PGA TOUR in every market outside of the US, excluding China and Korea, with live coverage distributed in 120+ countries and territories.

The complete 2020 schedule for PGA TOUR Champions can be found at PGATOUR.com.

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J., and ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (Nov. 4, 2019) – The World Handicap System (WHS) is ready to be launched in January 2020 and will provide golfers with a unified and more inclusive handicapping system for the first time.

Though many countries are planning to adopt the new system in January, the system will go live in other parts of the world throughout the year to accommodate different implementation plans and variations in the golf calendar.

Developed by the USGA and The R&A in close coordination with existing handicapping authorities, the WHS will provide all golfers with a consistent measure of playing ability, with handicaps calculated in the same way wherever they are in the world.

A key objective of the initiative was to develop a modern system, enabling as many golfers as possible to obtain and maintain a Handicap Index. Golfers will be able to transport their Handicap Index globally and compete or play a casual round with players from other regions on a fair basis. It will also indicate the score a golfer is reasonably capable of achieving the next time they go out to play.

The table lists the estimated implementation timeframes for a selection of countries:

The WHS has two main components – the Rules of Handicapping and the Course Rating System. The Rules of Handicapping are encompassed within seven Rules to inform administrators and golfers on how an official Handicap Index is calculated and administered, with some flexibility given to national associations based on how the sport is played and enjoyed in their region. The Course Rating System, based on the USGA Course Rating System first adopted nearly 50 years ago and already adopted on nearly every continent, sets out a consistent method of determining a course’s difficulty. Together, these components become the foundational elements in determining a golfer’s Handicap Index.

“When the golf community works together, everyone benefits,” said Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA.  “We have seen the benefit that handicapping has provided for decades, providing greater enjoyment for all who play. To have a single set of Rules of Handicapping for the game will connect golfers from country to country, and we are excited to bring the best of all worlds together through this initiative.

“It is one of the many ways we are investing in golf’s future, to strengthen and foster growth of the entire game for years to come.”

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “The game of golf is transforming to meet the needs of the modern-day golfer; modernizing the Rules this year was an important step forward in that regard and the World Handicap System will be another.

“Our hope is that the launch of the WHS will be a catalyst for change; signalling the start of a new era of golfer engagement, being inclusive by embracing all golfers, whatever their level of ability, and broadening its appeal to a much wider audience.”

“Change also means opportunity and, managed appropriately, this can only be good for the game. It does mean there will be a period of adjustment, as we saw with the new Rules, but once it beds in golfers and golf clubs will benefit in many ways from the new system.”

In preparation for the launch of the WHS, more than 3,000 golf courses have been rated for the first time and an extensive education program has been delivered. By the end of 2019, more than 90 National Associations will have attended an educational seminar and a robust library of resources is hosted on WHS.com to support regional education.

Rules of Handicapping books are being produced and will be translated and delivered through national associations.

In addition, the USGA and The R&A have developed a series of golfer-focused materials, including videos, infographics and posters, which can be used by national associations and shared with golf clubs for the benefit of golfers.

This includes a promotional video which can be seen here featuring Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player and voices of recreational golfers from around the world to encourage as many golfers as possible to obtain and maintain a handicap.

The materials explain the system’s key features, including:

• Flexibility in formats of play, allowing both competitive and recreational rounds to count for handicap purposes and ensuring that a Handicap Index reflects demonstrated ability
• A minimal number of scores needed to obtain a new handicap; with the number of scores needed to obtain a new handicap being 54 holes from any combination of 18-hole and 9-hole rounds (with some discretion available for national or regional associations)
• An average-based calculation of a handicap, taken from the best eight out of the last 20 scores and factoring in memory of demonstrated ability for better responsiveness/control
• A calculation that considers the impact that abnormal course and weather conditions might have on a player’s performance each day
• Timely handicap revisions
• A limit of Net Double Bogey on the maximum hole score (for handicapping purposes only)
• A maximum handicap limit of 54.0, regardless of gender, to encourage more golfers to measure and track their performance to increase their enjoyment of the game
• The formation of a World Handicap System was first conceived in 2011 between the USGA and The R&A in an effort to engage more golfers in the game and promote equity, no matter where golf is played. The effort unites six existing handicapping systems into one, while embracing the many ways the game is played across cultures.

Beginning in 2020, the new WHS will be governed by the USGA and The R&A and administered by national and regional golf associations around the world.

The existing six handicapping authorities, Golf Australia, the Council of National Golf Unions (CONGU) in Great Britain and Ireland, the European Golf Association (EGA), the South African Golf Association (SAGA), the Argentine Golf Association (AAG) and the USGA, represent approximately 15 million golfers in 80 countries who currently maintain a golf handicap.

As an extension of their support of the Rules of Golf worldwide, Rolex has made a commitment to support the USGA’s and The R&A’s efforts to implement the World Handicap System.

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda – Brendon Todd ran away with the Bermuda Championship on Sunday for his second PGA Tour title, shooting a 9-under 62 after flirting with a sub-60 round at mostly calm Port Royal Golf Club.

“I’m thrilled, over the moon,” said Todd, his career once nearly ended by full-swing yips. “A year ago, I was talking to my manager about potentially opening up another business and not sure if I was going to keep playing. So, to turn it around in one year and regain status and then have a big win this like this is just a dream come true and hopefully a springboard to a really long, successful career out here.”

Two months after regaining his tour card in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, Todd earned a two-year exemption, $540,000 and spots at Kapalua, The Players Championship and the PGA Championship. He won the 2014 Byron Nelson for first PGA Tour title, then went 100 starts before breaking through again.

Needing to birdie the final two holes to shoot 59, Todd missed a 20-foot birdie try on the par-5 17th and closed with a bogey after taking three shots to reach the green on the par-4 18th. He finished at 24-under 260 for a four-stroke victory over Harry Higgs in the first-year event.

Two strokes behind Higgs entering the round, Todd opened with a par, then birdied the next seven. The 34-year-old former University of Georgia player also birdied Nos. 10, 11 and 15.

“I had probably one of the best range warm-ups I’ve had in a little while,” Todd said. “I think I told my caddie that’s the best my swing’s felt in 10 years, but in reality it’s probably the best it’s felt ever because I’m a much better ball-striker than I was 10 years ago and in college and even during the times where I was winning tournaments. My goal was just to go out there and play my game, play aggressively, and just fire away, try and birdie every hole.”

He will jump from 525th in the world ranking to inside the top 190.

“You turn into a fan,” Higgs said. “Like, I turned to Mike (caddie Carrick) after he birdied 11, ‘This guy might shoot 56 today.’ Every shot he hit was just perfect, every putt he hit was perfect. It was fun to watch. It was hard to focus because I was almost cheering him on the whole time, like I want to see how good this is going to be for him.”

Higgs closed with a 68, making a double bogey on the short par-5 seventh.

“Brendon took the pressure off of making a double on a reachable par 5,” Higgs joked. “It was pretty easy after that, just kind of get back to what I was doing, hitting it where you’re supposed to.”

The former SMU player also had an eagle on the par-5 17th. He has made six starts as a rookie after winning on the Korn Ferry Tour and finishing fifth on the developmental tour’s regular-season points list to earn a PGA Tour card.

Brian Gay (67), Hank Lebioda (63), Scottie Scheffler (66) and Aaron Wise (65) tied for third at 18 under.

Canadian David Hearn posted a final-round 66 to finish at 15 under par in a tie for eighth.

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Defending champion Nelly Korda birdied the first hole of a three-way playoff on Sunday to win the LPGA Swinging Skirts.

Korda and Minjee Lee both birdied the final hole of regulation to finish at 18-under 270 and force a playoff with Caroline Masson, who shot a 68.

Korda, who started the final round with a three-stroke lead over Lee (69), looked set to win in regulation after a birdie on the par-5 No. 12 gave her a three-shot lead. But she bogeyed three of her final five holes to fall one stroke back of Masson before a birdie on 18 gave her even-par 72.

“It just gets away from you so fast,” Korda said. “And Caroline made a couple putts and she was one ahead of me on 17. I was like, geez, I have to make a birdie here.”

Masson took the lead after back-to-back birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 but closed with par on the final two holes.

“I did have a couple chances to get maybe two ahead on 17 and make birdie on 18, and didn’t use them, but I think overall, I just hung with them all day,” Masson said. “Super proud of the way we played and battled.”

In the playoff on the par-5 18th, Korda was the only one to find the fairway and hit a perfect second shot to set up an eagle chance. She left the eagle putt short, but a birdie was enough for her to win her third career LPGA title.

With her second win of the year, Korda is the first American with multiple wins in the 2019 season.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 68 to finish regulation tied for fourth, four strokes back with South Koreans Sei Young Kim and Mi Jung Hur.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp tied for 49th.

SHANGHAI – Given another shot at winning the HSBC Champions, Rory McIlroy delivered his best of the day.

Even though he never trailed over the last 14 holes Sunday, and he didn’t make a bogey all weekend, McIlroy felt fortunate to be standing on the tee at the par-5 18th in a playoff with defending champion Xander Schauffele.

On the final hole in regulation, McIlroy thought his drive was in the water, relieved to find it was a foot from the red hazard line.

After five hours of an exquisite battle among McIlroy, Schauffele and Louis Oosthuizen, the pivotal moment was when Schauffele reached into a hat on the 18th tee for a white slip of paper with “2” written on it. That meant McIlroy would go first in the playoff.

And there was no doubt about his next two shots.

He followed a soaring drive down the middle of the fairway with a 4-iron from 223 yards into the wind to 25 feet that set up a two-putt birdie for the victory.

“If anything over the last few years … for the most part, I’ve been able to get the best out of myself when I’ve needed it, and that’s been a learning curve for me,” McIlroy said. “But I’ve had enough experiences, and I’ve got a lot of great memories to draw back on. There’s so many shots that I’ve hit under pressure that I can draw on.”

He added another one at Sheshan International.

And he needed every one of them to hold off a bold performance by Schauffele, who spent four days trying to recover from the flu and nearly left Shanghai as the only player to win back-to-back in the HSBC Champions.

“I tried my best. Played great,” Schauffele said. “I beat him on the day just to get in a playoff, and unfortunately I couldn’t pull it off. I would have much rather played a par 3 for a playoff. He’s the best driver in our game. Couldn’t be happier for him. Like I said, I played great all week, fought. It was nice to have a chance.”

McIlroy did everything right, closing with a 4-under 68 and going bogey-free over the last 39 holes he played.

Schauffele made him do a little more with birdies on two of the last four holes for a 66 to force a playoff at 19-under 269. That was as close as it got. Schauffele tugged his tee shot into thick rough near a bunker, laid up and narrowly missed a 12-foot birdie putt.

McIlroy won for the fourth time this year. It was his third World Golf Championships title, and his first since the Match Play at Harding Park in 2015.

“Xander pushed me the whole way, or all 73 holes we played together this week,” McIlroy said. “We played every round. He played great. He was battling a flu all week, wasn’t feeling his best, and so the calibre of golf he played this week, it takes some doing. He birdied the last to get into the playoff, and then I produced two of the best shots of the day when I needed it, which was really cool.”

McIlroy moves a little closer to Brooks Koepka at No. 1 in the world with one tournament left, the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai the week before Thanksgiving to close out what already has been a special year. This is the fourth time McIlroy has won at least four times in a season.

He cannot catch Koepka this year even if McIlroy were to win in Dubai.

“I’m getting there,” McIlroy said. “This win definitely helps and if I can get another win by the end of the year, I’ll be feeling pretty good going into 2020.”

Louis Oosthuizen birdied his opening two holes to set the early target, and he was tied with McIlroy until a tee shot into the trees on the ninth, and a chip that didn’t reach the fairway, leading to bogey. Oosthuizen made another bogey on the 11th that effectively dropped him out of the race.

“You just can’t give away holes,” Oosthuizen said.

McIlroy took a two-shot lead with a bit of fortune on the par-5 14th. His second shot landed near the back pin but bounced hard into thick rough. His chip looked to be running some 10 feet by the hole, except that it hit the pin and left him a short birdie putt.

More fortune awaited on the 18th hole. One shot ahead of Schauffele, who was in the fairway, McIlroy went right and watched the ball bound off the hill and settle in thick rough a foot from the red hazard line. He punched out to the fairway, but his approach was 25 feet short and he missed a birdie putt for the win.

Phil Mickelson closed with a 68 and tied for 28th. With Shugo Imahira finishing second on the Japan Golf Tour, Mickelson will drop out of the top 50 in the world for the first time since Nov. 28, 1993, the longest consecutive streak in the top 50 since the Official World Golf Ranking began in 1986.

“It was a good run,” Mickelson said. “But I’ll be back.”

Patrick Reed made one last audition as a captain’s pick for the Presidents Cup with a 66 to tie for eighth. He has finished among the top 20 in 10 of his last 13 starts, including a victory in the FedEx Cup playoffs. U.S. captain Tiger Woods announces his selections on Thursday.

Sungjae Im, bidding for one of four picks for the International team by Ernie Els, had a 72 and tied for 11th.

McIlroy now gets a two-week break before wrapping up his year in Dubai.

“I want to finish the year on a high note,” he said.

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., finished tied for 20th. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., tied for 46th.

SHANGHAI _ Already with three victories and a career-best 17 finishes in the top 10, Rory McIlroy has put himself in position to add to those totals going into the weekend at the HSBC Champions.

He made a mess of the 16th hole Friday and escaped with bogey after hitting three tee shots (only two of them counted). He bounced back with a 5-iron to 3 feet for eagle on the final hole for a 5-under 67, leaving him one shot behind Matt Fitzpatrick.

McIlroy is happy with what he has done this year. But as he stood beneath the clubhouse at Sheshan International, he shared another number that makes him proud.

“I have top 10s in 50% of my PGA Tour starts,” McIlroy said. “To me, that’s a nice stat to know that most times you tee it up, you maybe not contend, but you’re putting yourself there.”

He was rounding off figures, but it’s no less impressive.

McIlroy, who is wrapping up his 12th full year as a pro, has finished in the top 10 in 49% of his PGA Tour starts. Tiger Woods is at 55%, while Phil Mickelson is at 32%.

Dustin Johnson, who turned pro about the same time as McIlroy and already has 20 titles on the PGA Tour, is at 37%.

McIlroy looked up his record because it’s what drives him. Winning, sure, but that starts with chances.

He has another one in Shanghai.

Fitzpatrick played bogey-free in the second round for a 67 that put him at 11-under 133. He figured to drop a shot on the 16th after a bad drive and a good idea that went bad.

He hooked his tee shot toward the trees and did well to get the ball to the back of the green, facing a tough lie with the ball nestled in deep rough. Fitzpatrick thought about chipping a 7-wood, blading a wedge or stabbing at it with his putter.

He went with the third option.

“The putter went past the ball, and the ball was still in the air _ very weird,” Fitzpatrick said.

It rolled out onto the green and caught a slope away from the cup. No matter. He holed the long par putt, hit 5-iron to 15 feet for birdie on the tough par-3 17th and got up-and-down from the fairway on the par-5 closing hole for the 36-hole lead.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele, still struggling with remnants of the flu, rallied for a 69 and was two shots behind, along with Adam Scott (69) and Sungjae Im (69).

Li Haotong of China lost ground with a 72, but he remained in the mix at three shots behind. The top eight players going into the weekend came from eight countries.

McIlroy ran off four straight birdies on the front, only for his momentum to slow. And then he was happy to only lose one shot on the 16th hole, which measures 288 yards.

McIlroy hit 3-wood so wild to the left in the trees that he hit a provisional _ a 6-iron this time _ for a lost ball.

He found it.

But he realized that by taking a penalty for an unplayable lie, getting back to the fairway would have been harder than going back to the tee. So, he hit a third tee shot, a lob wedge to 8 feet and one putt for a bogey.

“I tried to hit the same shot as yesterday, but the wind was more off the left,” McIlroy said. “I knew I had to caress one a little bit, and I caressed it dead left. Made a good 5.”

Schauffele is moderately shocked to be in the mix considering how badly he has felt this week, often turning to cough into the crook of his elbow after hitting shots. He couldn’t find the fairway and limited the damage with his short game on the front nine, then cleaned it up on the back nine with three birdies.

No one has won back-to-back in the HSBC Champions since it became a World Golf Championship in 2009, and Schauffele might be the best bet extending an American streak of seven victories in this series.

“I was 1 over on the front nine and was not looking like a real golfer _ or at least a professional golfer _ on that front stretch,” Schauffele said. “Happy that my feet got under me on the back nine, and just sort of had a little bit of a better time.”

Im, looking more and more like a pick for the Presidents Cup next week, was around the lead all day until a bogey from the bunker on the 17th and failing to make birdie on the 18th. Scott birdied three straight holes in the middle of his back nine to stay in the hunt.

SHANGHAI – Li Haotong has come a long way in the HSBC Champions, which he realized before hitting any of his 64 shots Thursday that carried him to a one-shot lead.

Standing next to him on the tee was Phil Mickelson, a longtime golf idol. Li was part of the HSBC junior program when this World Golf Championships event began in 2009, and he posed for a photo with Lefty.

“My idol then, and my friend now,” Li said. “Kind of fun.”

He found all sorts of enjoyment on as perfect a day as can be found at Sheshan International, with warm weather and surprisingly calm conditions. Li felt intimidated the first time he played this event when he was 18, and especially as a 20-year-old in 2015 when he was one shot out of the lead going into the final round.

He enjoyed every minute Thursday, and he gave the home crowd plenty to cheer with his 8-under 64, by two shots his lowest round at Sheshan International.

Li opened with two birdies and finished the back nine with two birdies. And after his lone mistake on the par-4 first hole, he responded with a 4-iron that set up eagle and led to the loudest cheer of a calm afternoon.

“Obviously, it would be great joy for Chinese golfers and Chinese golf fans to have a Chinese player winning a WGC-HSBC Champions here in China,” Li said. “But for the next three days, anything could happen.”

He was one shot ahead of Victor Perez of France.

Among those who shots behind were defending champion Xander Schauffele and Adam Scott, who both stumbled at the end.

Scott hit a thin shot out of a fairway bunker on No. 9 into the water right of the green and had to get up-and-down to salvage bogey for his 66. Schauffele, sick most of the week and still hoarse, had a wedge to the par-5 eighth and stayed on the upper shelf, leading to a three-putt bogey.

Schauffele had no complaints after a week battling the flu. His fever only broke on Tuesday, though his voice remains strained and his strength not quite up to speed. But he surged into a share of the lead with nine birdies until one last mistake set him back.

“Maybe I should just keep my flu going and if I can rattle off a 66 every day, I think that would be enough,” Schauffele said. “I think a couple more nights of sleep, I’ll be in better shape. But it was a dream start with what things were looking like.”

Sungjae Im and Matt Fitzpatrick also were at 66.

Rory McIlroy had three bogeys on the back nine and was going nowhere at even par until he ran off four straight birdies on the front and got in the mix quick with a 67.

“The last few tournaments I’ve played, I’ve had a bad opening round and then been trying to play catch up,” McIlroy said. “At least now, I’m right in the thick of things from the start, which is a better place to be.”

The HSBC Champions is the final event before Tiger Woods and Ernie Els make their wild-card picks for the Presidents Cup, and Im certainly didn’t hurt his chances with another good start.

Neither did Corey Conners of Canada, who was near the top of the leaderboard for most of the day. He finished with a bogey for a 67. Even so, the Canadian is coming off solid weeks in South Korea and Japan, and he hopes another good one in China is enough to get the attention of Els for the International team that goes to Royal Melbourne in December.

“It’s been on my mind,” Conners said. “I want to make it as difficult as possible for him not to think of me.”

Mickelson, in danger of falling out of the top 50 for the first time in nearly 26 years, opened with a 71.

Sheshan International is in prime condition with thick rough and firm fairways and greens. It’s a stronger test than in recent years, though the calm conditions allowed for so many low scores. Nearly one-third of the field broke 70.

“No wind today is giving a false idea of how tough the course is,” Scott said.

It was plenty tough for Hideki Matsuyama, who won here in 2016 and is coming off a runner-up finish to Tiger Woods last week in the Zozo Championship in Japan. He managed only two birdies, finished with a double bogey and shot 75, ending a streak of six straight rounds in the 60s.

Li didn’t feel as though he as in great form coming into this World Golf Championship, but his comfort level – on the course and in front of the fans – was evident.

He practically grew up with the HSBC Champions, from participating in its successful junior program to playing in it the last six years. He is all grown up now, with two European Tour victories and making the Presidents Cup team for the first time.

“It’s always good to have a feeling that you know that you are leading, especially in the first two days,” Li said. “But what I only want right now is to have a shot at the title on the final nine holes Sunday.”

SHANGHAI – Already the FedEx Cup champion and PGA Tour player of the year, Rory McIlroy has found plenty of motivation toward the back end of the year.

Most of it is geared toward reaping rewards next year.

McIlroy is coming off a tie for third last week in Japan, a tournament he was never going to win after a bad start. He still managed his 17th top 10 of the year out of 23 tournaments worldwide, inching a little closer to Brooks Koepka at No. 1 in the world.

“I don’t think I’ll get there by the end of the year,” McIlroy said Wednesday at the HSBC Champions, the final World Golf Championships event of the year. “But if I play well the next few weeks, I’ll have a great platform going into next year.”

He is the leading figure at Sheshan International, where the field is slightly weaker than years past because Koepka and Dustin Johnson, two regulars at the HSBC Champions, are home in Florida recovering from knee issues.

Koepka will not play another official event the rest of the year. He withdrew from the CJ Cup in South Korea when his foot slipped on a piece of wet cement leaving a tee box and he planted hard with his left knee, which had received stem cell treatment during his off-season.

He chose not to play the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, and still to be determined is whether he plays the Presidents Cup. McIlroy has the HSBC Champions and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, with hopes of narrowing the gap.

McIlroy started the year at No. 8 and moved up to No. 2 through his three victories—The Players Championship, Tour Championship and RBC Canadian Open—along with runner-up finishes in two World Golf Championships.

“I’ve achieved most things that I’ve wanted to this year,” McIlroy said. “Just want to finish the year off strongly because I feel the year that I’ve had deserves a finish like that.”

What he didn’t achieve was winning a major, making it five years since his last major tile. He also has gone four years since capturing a WGC event, though he has performed well in them this year – runner-up to Johnson in Mexico and Koepka in Memphis, a bitter loss in the fourth round to Tiger Woods in Texas at the Match Play.

Xander Schauffele is the defending champion at the HSBC Champions, and he’ll try to win again without much of a voice. Schauffele got sick during the ZoZo Championship in Japan last week and withdrew from the pro-am Wednesday to try to be in fighting shape.

The field also features resurgent Hideki Matsuyama, who tied for third in South Korea and was runner-up to Woods last week before a frenzied gallery in his native Japan; and Justin Rose, who also wants to finish the year strong for other reasons.

Rose, who was No. 1 in the world for the opening two months of the year, has gone the opposite direction of McIlroy. He is at No. 8, and hopes to get back on track at the tournament where he rallied from eight shots behind to win in 2017.

He is at No. 29 in the Race to Dubai, a long shot to win, although he was quick to point out that was the position he was in two years ago. He won in Shanghai, he won the following week in Turkey and nearly pulled it off in Dubai.

“I’ve probably got to win the last three to challenge the guys that are doing really well, but that’s the situation I put myself in 2017 and I very nearly did it,” Rose said. “Looking forward to going back to the well and trying again.”

One change this year for Rose is his travel schedule. Unlike 2017, when he played two weeks, flew home to the Bahamas and then returned to Dubai, he is going to London after two weeks to ease the wear-and-tear of travel.

The HSBC Champions is the last chance for players to audition as wild-card picks for the Presidents Cup, and most everyone on the bubble is here – Tony Finau, Patrick Reed, Kevin Kisner and Chez Reavie for the Americans, a longer list of International players from Sungjae Im and Byeong Hun An of South Korea, Adam Hadwin and Corey Conners of South Africa, Justin Harding and Erik van Rooyen of South Africa.

Reavie is among 18 players who have gone to all three PGA Tour events on the Asia swing.