NAPLES, Fla. – Charley Hoffman and Daniel Berger had a one-stroke lead after Friday’s second round of the Franklin Templeton Shootout

Hoffman-Berger had birdies on the last three holes to finish 8 under for the day and 20-under 124 for the tournament. They led Brandt Snedeker and Jason Dufner and opening-day leaders Matt Kuchar and Harris English by a stroke.

Hoffman-Berger birdied Nos. 2-4, 12-13 and 16-18 to go ahead.

“Obviously, we all want to win,” Berger said. “But we just go in there with some low expectations and just keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

Five teams are within five shots of the leaders after the modified alternate-shot format.

Dufner-Snedeker opened the day with three straight birdies, got to 15 under at No. 6, then bogeyed No. 9. They birdied three of their first four holes on back nine before getting more birdies on Nos. 16 and 17.

Mike Weir and Sean O’Hair are 12-under and share 10th with Kenny Perry and Steve Stricker.

The final round will be Saturday, with a best-ball format.

CHONBURI, Thailand – Jamie Donaldson of Wales leads the Thailand Championship into the weekend by two shots over Martin Kaymer after the second round on Friday.

Donaldson carded a 4-under-par 68 to lie at 13 under in the Asian Tour event at Amata Spring Country Club.

Kaymer, the runner-up last year, sank eight birdies against a single bogey on the 14th hole, for a second round of 65 and two-day total at 11 under.

Former champion Sergio Garcia featured in a three-man group tied for third at 9 under.

Donaldson started on the back nine and made four birdies, but ran into trouble on the front nine with three birdies and three bogeys.

“You need to keep the momentum going and I managed to do that today,” he said. “It was a great temperature at the start of the day but it got really hot on my back nine which is the front nine.”

Kaymer thought his round was an improvement on Thursday but merely solid.

“There wasn’t really any highlight for me,” he said. “I just hit good iron shots towards the greens, and gave myself a lot of good chances for birdies. I didn’t miss many putts.”

Garcia also struggled in the heat on his back nine and shot a 69, to tie with Matthew Fitzpatrick of England (67), and Chinnarat Phadungsil of Thailand (69).

Defending champion Lee Westwood improved with a 68 after his opening 71, to be eight shots behind Donaldson.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Canadian Adam Svensson and Georgia’s Rick Lamb share the first-round lead at the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament after each finished at 7 under for the day.

Svensson’s 64 came on the par-71 Champion Course, while Lamb fired a 65 on the par-72 Fazio Course at PGA National Resort & Spa.

Four players are tied for third at 6 under: Taiwan’s Cheng Tsung Pan, Ollie Schniederjans, T.J. Vogel and Austin Cook.

Svensson, who finished ninth on the 2015 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit in only six starts, finished his round on the front nine with an eagle on the par-5 third and birdies on the final three holes.

“I hit it exceptional all day today,” said Svensson, who turned professional earlier this year. “I had a couple of nice putts drop there in the end including a tricky right-to-left putt on the ninth that somehow ended up rolling in.”

The 21-year-old was quick to admit that a strong round on the more difficult Champion Course will give him an advantage heading into the second round.

“It was huge,” he said. “I just have to go out tomorrow and stay focused and not think about anything that happened today and just stick to the game plan.”

With ideal scoring conditions greeting players on Thursday, Lamb, 25, took advantage of the Fazio Course with eight birdies on the day, including one final effort on the par-4 18th.

“Got on a little roll and went with it,” Lamb said. “Hit a 7-iron from 165 yards into the wind and had 5 feet for birdie.”

Even after an early bogey on the fifth hole, the University of Tennessee alum was able to bounce back with a birdie on the par-4 sixth to keep his round in control.

“I’m pretty pleased with the start,” he said. “You can’t complain when you shoot 7 under so I am happy with the way everything started today. It’s more relaxing knowing I am in a good position but I still have three more days and need to continue to play well.”

The Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament is a four-day, 72-hole competition that ends on Sunday, Dec. 13. The tournament is being contested at the PGA National Resort & Spa’s Champion Course (CC) and Fazio Course (FC). The Champion Course has played host to The Honda Classic on the PGA TOUR since 2007. The Fazio Course plays to a par-72, while the Champion Course plays to a par-71.

There were nearly 1,000 entries for the tournament, which included previous Pre-Qualifying, First and Second stages that began in August.

A total of 155 players began play on Thursday morning.

Players in this event are competing for positions on 2016 Web.com Tour priority ranking, which will be used to form tournament fields. The medalist (or co-medalists) will be guaranteed fully-exempt status next year. Players 2-10 (and ties) will be subject to the third reshuffle next year and players 11-45 (and ties) will be subject to the second reshuffle.

This week’s medalist will earn $25,000. Players 2-10 (and ties) will earn $15,000 each. Players 11-45 (and ties) will earn $10,000 each.

TORONTO – Brooke Henderson had two dreams come true this year: she became a member of the LPGA Tour and won her first tournament at that level.

She’s setting her sights even higher in 2016.

Henderson hopes to continue her ascent on the top women’s professional golf circuit and also lead Canada to the podium when the sport makes its return to the Olympic program next summer in Rio.

She got a chance to learn more about the Olympic experience at this week’s Canadian Olympic Committee symposium at a downtown Toronto hotel. Watching promotional videos of fellow Canadians winning medals and hearing the national anthem has her counting down the days until the 2016 Games.

“Every time I watch those videos, I get goose bumps. My blood runs crazy,” Henderson said Thursday. “It’s an amazing opportunity that I have just to play in the Olympics and to play on the LPGA Tour.

“They’re both dreams that I’ve had since I was young and now this year is the first year that I can achieve both of those.”

Henderson, a former top-ranked amateur, showed this past season that she was the real deal. She finished third at the Swinging Skirts LPGA stop last April before picking up fifth-place ties at the Women’s PGA Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open.

Her statement performance came in August at the Cambia Portland Classic, when she blew away the field with a whopping eight-stroke victory.

Henderson was about three weeks shy of her 18th birthday at the time. She was granted immediate LPGA Tour membership by commissioner Mike Whan after the win.

The teenager from Smiths Falls, Ont., has since climbed to No. 18 on the Tour’s ranking list. Henderson is planning a full schedule in 2016 and plans to treat the Games like the sixth major of the season.

“The Olympics is a dream that I had as a little girl,” she said. “I didn’t know what sport or what I was going to do or how I was going to get there. But I wanted to be in the Olympics and I wanted to share the same passion as all these other athletes that I watched on TV in the Winter and Summer Games.

“So Rio is in August, it’s going to be a long summer and it’s going to be a long season. But it’s definitely something that I want to peak for and I want to represent Canada as best as I can.”

Sixty golfers will compete in the four-round women’s stroke play competition at the Aug. 5-21 Games. Golf was last played at the Olympics in 1904.

“I’ve won on the LPGA Tour, I’ve competed against the best in the world, I know (Olympic success) is possible,” Henderson said. “Hopefully if I can move my ranking up a little bit more, I’ll be seen as a contender in Rio.”

Official player nominations aren’t expected to be made until July, but Henderson is a virtual lock for the Canadian team. She’s looking forward to the pressure and the high expectations.

“It’s fun to have because you’re expected to do great things,” she said. “I’m really excited to go and represent my country and be the best that I can be.”

NAPLES, Fla. -Matt Kuchar and Harris English made a run at the record in the first round of the Franklin Templeton Shootout.

They’re in the lead with a 14-under 58 at the Tiburon Golf Club. Billy Horschel-Hunter Mahan and Graeme McDowell-Gary Woodland are tied for second with 59s.

Kuchar and English opened with an eagle on No. 1 and followed with three straight birdies. They had two birdies from Nos. 5-9 and three straight birdies from Nos. 13-15 on the back nine. They finished with an eagle on No. 17 and birdie on No. 18.

“Having Kooch as a backup guy is pretty good,” English said. “I know if I mess up or I miss a putt, I wouldn’t want anybody else hitting a shot or putting behind me.”

Second-ranked Jason Day, who won last year’s event with Cameron Tringale, withdrew last week. Kuchar and English got close to the tournament record of 55, set by Day and Tringale last year.

“Having a partner lets you be a little bit more aggressive, lets you be a little more free-swinging,” Kuchar said. “We’ve just formed a good partnership and get in a pretty good groove out there.”

Since being paired in 2013, Kuchar and English have gone 79 under in their seven rounds. That’s an average of a little better than 11 under per round.

Horschel-Mahan birdied their first three holes and went birdie-eagle-birdie to end their day. They also eagled No. 14.

The format Friday will be modified alternate shot. Horschel said they’d be pleased to go 13 under again.

“I think we’re going to come in here with some pretty big smiles on our face,” he said.

Canada’s Mike Weir and former RBC Canadian Open champion, Sean O’Hair, are T11th at -7 with Steve Stricker and and Kenny Perry.

On Tuesday, Dec. 9, members of Golf Canada’s staff rallied their holiday cheer to surprise a local Brampton school with a Christmas miracle. As proud partners of WestJet, Golf Canada adopted a Brampton school into the Golf in Schools program by gifting the full elementary kit, equipped with the teacher-friendly Learning Resource.

For our #WestJetChristmas miracle we gave #GolfinSchools to 750 kids in Brampton. @WestJet for a terrific program. https://t.co/8R236oBxVX

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) December 9, 2015

Golf Canada’s miracle is part of WestJet’s global campaign this year that is spreading the holiday spirit through 12,000 miracles—the number of WestJet employees. Today’s miracle also marks the 161^st Golf in Schools adoption so far this year, which is the primary avenue for schools to receive the program.

Golf in Schools introduced a brand new curriculum this year, incorporating a Life Skills component that carefully integrates the eight skills throughout all lesson plans. Also new this year, Golf in Schools welcomed Canadian PGA TOUR star Graham DeLaet as an ambassador of the program, which is now available to elementary, intermediate and high schools across the country.

Click here to adopt a school in your community.

Click here to learn more about the #WestJetChristmas campaign.

Final Qualifying for the 2016 Web.Com Tour begins Thursday, December 10th at the Champion and Fazio courses at Palm Beach Gardens in Florida, where 15 Canadians will attempt to gain or improve their playing rights for the PGA Tour’s developmental circuit.

Wil Bateman of Edmonton, Cam Burke of New Hamburg, Ont., Devin Carrey of Burnaby, B.C., Albin Choi of Toronto, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Lucas Kim of Toronto, Matt McQuillan of Kingston, Ont., Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., Chris Ross of Dundas, Ont., Justin Shin of Maple Ridge, B.C., Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., Kevin Spooner of Vancouver, Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., Eugene Wong of North Vancouver, B.C., and Ryan Yip of Calgary will all get their chance to determine their priority ranking for the Web.Com Tour’s 2015-16 season.

The medalist and ties receives full status. The top 10 and ties earn exempt status through the Tour’s third reshuffle. The top 45 and ties earn exempt status through the second reshuffle. And, players finishing 46th and higher earn conditional status.

Taylor Pendrith and Eugene Wong have already exempt through the first reshuffle by virtue of top-5 finishes on Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour China respectively.

The event has been reduced to 72 holes for the first occasion.

On the final hole of the fourth round of the 2015 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club, Jason Day sank an unbelievable 22-foot birdie putt which helped him capture his fourth career victory on the PGA TOUR.

That putt comes in at No. 5 on the PGA TOUR’s 10 Best Shots of 2015 list.

For those who weren’t there to witness it live, or missed the telecast, you can watch it below. Congrats Jason!

NASSAU, Bahamas – PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem jokingly said he was relieved to see Tiger Woods still alive after reading such gloomy reports from his press conference in the Bahamas about his back issues. Finchem didn’t come away with a feeling that Woods was finished.

As for his own future? That’s equally vague.

Finchem’s latest four-year contract will expire in June, which would complete 23 years as the commissioner. But even with a succession plan in place – he named Jay Monahan the deputy commissioner in March – it didn’t sound as though Finchem was counting the days. Far from it.

“It’s a little ill-defined at the moment,” Finchem said. “We have a great succession plan in progress. There are a couple of three major kind of projects I’d like to get pushed a little bit. The timing of what that means is still up in the air. The board is very comfortable about that.”

Finchem turns 69 next year, though the PGA Tour policy board recently extended the age limit of board members to 75. So that’s not an issue. Of greater interest are the projects to which he refers. Finchem didn’t indicate that he wants to close the book on them, saying later that he wanted “to get at least a little momentum.”

Among the possible projects:

– The policy board at its last meeting approved a massive capital campaign project for improvements to The Players Championship and TPC Sawgrass. For all that Finchem has done in his two decades, The Players always has been among his highest priorities.

– Golf returns to the Olympics next year in Rio de Janeiro for the first time since 1904, though the work is not done. Golf will be part of the Olympic program in Rio and in Tokyo for 2020. But the big hurdle is securing its place for 2024 and beyond. The IOC will decide that in 2017, though it helps that most of the top stars plan to compete.

– Most intriguing is the possibility of a global tour. Finchem first mentioned it five years ago. He didn’t have a clear view of what form it would take other than to say that “at some point in time, men’s professional golf will become integrated globally.” This constitutes a long-term project that he would like to “get pushed a little bit.” It also requires plenty of cooperation with other tours, particularly in Europe and in Asia.

Two other possibilities:

– An early start on the next round of TV negotiations. The contracts are up in 2021, though it’s never too early to start.

– The contract for the title sponsorship of the FedEx Cup ends after 2017. By the same token, the tour has some title sponsorships that end after 2016, and the 2017 schedule could feature plenty of moving parts. But renewals and scheduling – and television – are issues that will continue to be part of PGA Tour business.

It’s unlikely that Finchem will step down at the end of June. The questions are how much longer he wants to stay and what role he might take after retirement.

“I love doing what I’m doing,” he said. “From an organizational standpoint, there are times when it’s time to make transition and at the same time have a fresh course. I think that’s where we’re going to be headed. It’s a question of identifying that. Having said that, if the board – and I’m assuming Jay – want me to do some things post being in this job, I’d be available, assuming I could do some things that wouldn’t put me front and center.

“I don’t know what that means, either, at this point.”

NASSAU, Bahamas – Jordan Spieth and his caddie shared the kind of hug on the 18th green normally seen only by winners.

They were six shots behind when they finished the Hero World Challenge, and it was clear this moment wasn’t about Sunday at Albany Golf Club. This was about the realization that the year was finally over, the kind of year a player never wants to end.

The Masters made it special. The U.S. Open made it incredible. The FedEx Cup made it lucrative. The No. 1 ranking made it satisfying.

When the 22-year-old Texan made his final full swing of the year and was walking toward the green, caddie Michael Greller walked alongside him.

“Michael said, ‘Hey, man, it’s been an honor to be in the passenger seat, sitting shotgun for this ride this year. Thanks for everything,'” Spieth said. “Obviously, I thanked him. It’s been a team effort this year, just as we always stress. But yeah, there was certainly a sigh of relief.”

It’s time to take a break, even if it’s a short one.

He leaves in just over three weeks for Maui, where the new year starts at Kapalua and Spieth will have to figure out an encore from winning two majors to get halfway to the Grand Slam, five tournaments overall, a record $12 million in PGA Tour earnings and a sweep of all the major awards.

Except that he’s not looking at it as a new year. It’s simply a break.

He had a chance to win the Australian Open last week in Sydney until Matt Jones recovered on the back nine. Spieth was in range at the Hero World Challenge until Bubba Watson didn’t give anyone much of a chance and won by three shots.

Spieth was on a victory lap these last two weeks, and he said he spent more time on the beach than on the putting green, with no regrets. He played 28 times this year, including the Presidents Cup. He won or finished second 10 times. He was a combined 54-under par in the four majors. He was due a working vacation.

Even so, he’s always looking ahead.

“I think these last two weeks, the fact that I didn’t win when I had a chance, may actually be a good thing for me,” he said. “I’m going to look at it positively that you can’t settle down, you’ve got to work a little bit harder. Everyone is playing a high level of golf right now, and they’re going to carry that into next season. So if I want to stay at the top, I’m going to have to outwork them. And that’s going to be challenging.”

He was headed home to Dallas on Monday for his three-week break. His first order of business was to play golf.

Spieth is taking his father, Shawn, and agent Jay Danzi to Augusta National to enjoy the privileges of being the Masters champion. He also plans to play with Augusta member and AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson.

And that’s a fitting way to end the year.

Spieth joined Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players since 1960 to win the first two legs of the Grand Slam, and he came closer than all of them to getting the third leg. He was tied for the lead at the British Open with two holes to play until finishing one shot out of a playoff. He was in the final group of the PGA Championship and was runner-up by three shots to Jason Day.

Even so, the Masters is what made his year.

He opened with a 64 to build a three-shot lead, set the 36-hole record with a 66 on Friday and never gave anyone much hope after that. When it was, he tied the 72-hole record set by Tiger Woods in 1997.

“Before the tournament, we were one of the favorites,” he said. “And then after the first round, it’s on us. Every question is, ‘You’re supposed to win.’ Without saying it, ‘It’s on you. What are you thinking now?’ It’s tough to sleep on that. And we did it so well.”

With a green jacket on the line, it’s not easy protecting such a big lead.

As he told the story, it brought him back to his first big tournament where he lost the lead.

He was 11.

The winner was a kid named Eddie DeVane.

“I had a two-shot lead with one hole to play,” Spieth said. “I played it smart – I laid up. The kid made par and I made triple. He cruised to a two-shot victory.”