GAINESVILLE, Va. – Tiger Woods is running out of opportunities to salvage a lost season.

This week’s Quicken Loans National could be his second-to-last start before the new PGA Tour season begins in the fall. He’s on track to miss the FedEx Cup playoffs, and he needs a victory just to be eligible for next week’s Bridgestone Invitational, on a course where he’s won eight times.

Barring a dramatic turnaround, Woods’ season will conclude at the PGA Championship in two weeks.

Woods acknowledged Tuesday that his last two years have been forgettable. Last year, he missed three months after back surgery, and this year he took two months off to fix a balky short game. He says he doesn’t feel a huge sense of urgency because he hasn’t played much competitive golf.

GAINESVILLE, Va. – Billy Hurley III took a few questions about his struggles on the golf course and his ties to northern Virginia before a PGA Tour official said Hurley had an announcement.

Fighting off tears, Hurley delivered the stunning news that his father, retired police officer Willard Hurley Jr., has been missing since July 19.

“Last Sunday, nine days ago, my dad took some clothes, he took some cash, he got in his truck and drove away and no one has heard from him since,” Hurley said Tuesday during a pre-tournament media availability at the Quicken Loans National. “No one really knows why. It’s complete speculation as to why he left.”

Willard Hurley, 61, lives in Leesburg, Virginia, where the younger Hurley grew up. The family home is about 25 miles north of Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, the site of this weeks’ tournament.

Lt. Jeffrey Dube, a Leesburg police spokesman, confirmed that Hurley’s mother filed a missing-persons report on Monday, and police are investigating.

“Right now, we have no reason to believe that there’s any suspicious circumstances surrounding his disappearance,” Dube said. “Everything points to that he left his residence on his own volition.”

Dube said the elder Hurley used a credit card to buy gas near Winchester, Virginia, on the day he left.

“Since then, we kind of ran into a brick wall,” he said.

Hurley said his father worked as a police officer in the area for a quarter-century and has been married to his mother for more than 30 years. He has no history of mental health problems, Hurley said.

Hurley said he decided to go public with his family crisis in hopes that someone who knows his father’s whereabouts will come forward. He decided to play this week because his father might watch on TV or check his score and decide to come home.

“Maybe, you know, a bartender who served him dinner sees this story on `Golf Central’ or whatever, and we can get a hit on his location or something,” Hurley said.

Hurley, a 33-year-old Naval Academy graduate, earned his PGA Tour card after serving as a Naval officer for five years.

He said he only found out on Monday that his father had disappeared.

“I’m just hopeful,” Hurley said. “This was a hard decision for my family to make to even make this public.”

RICHMOND HILL, Ont. –  BMW Canada handed over the keys to a new BMW i8 at the 2015 RBC Canadian Open in Oakville, Ont.  Ricky Barnes earned the new vehicle after hitting a hole-in-one during tournament play at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

“What a day out there,” said Barnes. “I haven’t had a hole-in-one in a long time and to win the i8 is unreal. The place was full of energy.”

Barnes’ ace on the 165 yard 4th hole during championship play was his first hole-in-one on the PGA TOUR.

“What a thrill,” said Kevin Marcotte, Drector of Marketing at BMW Group Canada. “For Ricky and the golf fans who witnessed the perfect shot. I know Ricky will have many more joyous moments behind the wheel of the i8.”

Revered as the world’s most-progressive sports car, the BMW i8 is an icon of innovation. It combines the efficiency of an all-electric motor and the power of a TwinPower Turbo engine to deliver a truly exhilarating driving experience.

Barnes, 34, now residing in Phoenix, AZ is a California native and former All-American at the University of Arizona. Barnes turned pro in 2003 and has enjoyed great success on the PGA Tour, including a standout performance at the 2009 US Open at Bethpage Black where he finished tied for second.

“It’s a partnership we’re very proud of,” said Marcotte. “To showcase our brand alongside the best players in the world is very fitting.”

Terry Marcotte, Ricky Barnes (Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

OAKVILLE, Ont. – David Hearn couldn’t beat 61 years of pressure, and he couldn’t beat Jason Day at the RBC Canadian Open.

Trying to be the first Canadian to win the event since Pat Fletcher in 1954, Hearn shot an even-par round and couldn’t keep up with the Aussie on Sunday. Day birdied the final three holes to win the RBC Canadian Open at 17 under, as Hearn finished two shots back in third place.

“It was one focused mind-set the whole day today to do something really special and win the tournament,” Hearn said. “It hasn’t been done in a long time, and I felt like I had the ability to do it today.

“I gave it my all. I didn’t quite have my best game.”

Hearn missed a handful of birdie putts so close that had the masses of fans lining Glen Abbey Golf Club letting out exasperated groans. Had he made even one of them, it would have changed his entire outlook on the 18th hole and given him a good chance.

The Brantford, Ont., native blamed not picking up enough birdies for falling short. During a weekend in which his tee shots were errant, Hearn’s putting got him to the final round but couldn’t get him over the hump.

“There was so many putts that he hit that should’ve fell in,” said playing partner Bubba Watson, who finished second at 16 under. “I don’t know how they stayed out.”

Day, who shot 4-under 68 Sunday, won the tournament with clutch birdie putts on his final three holes. Making his final putt from 21 feet on the 18th hole forced Hearn and Watson to need eagles just to tie for a playoff.

Day yelled so loud before the ball went in that he thought he threw his throat out. After tying for fourth at the British Open, the Aussie was beaming after his fourth PGA Tour victory.

“This must feel like what Tiger did for so many times, and it feels good,” Day said. “I’m going to try to do as much as I can and keep it the same and try and win.”

Part of his joy was the reception he received from Canadian fans, despite not being the home-country favourite.

“I’ve never felt so much at home, and I’m not even from Canada,” Day said. “I’m looking forward to coming back and defending the title here next year because I know that when I get here next year it’s going to be the same. It’s great to feel like a Canadian for a week.”

As Hearn left his post-tournament news conference, he quipped that next year will be the 62nd for questions about Fletcher, whose place in Canadian Open history is as the symbol of the nation’s homegrown drought.

Like Mike Weir in 2004, Hearn led going into the final round, and like Weir he didn’t get it done. Raving about the ovations he received all over the course, Hearn also conceded that the pressure was heavy on his shoulders.

“This one was pretty intense,” Hearn said. “I think every Canadian wants to see it so bad and we want to do it so bad that it does make it hard.”

Hearn birdied his first two holes before faltering with bogeys on holes 3 and 7. Missing putts by mere centimetres on 8 and 9 didn’t help.

After another bogey on 12, Hearn got a stroke back with a birdie on 13 but couldn’t make up any more.

Meanwhile, Day found some of his best golf of the week on the back nine. Watson birdied five of his final six holes to make a charge but couldn’t eagle 18.

Hearn finished third because of those shots by Day and his own mistakes. Maybe he wasn’t aggressive enough, he wondered, but he insisted he’ll remember “only good things” from this Canadian Open.

“I’m real proud of the way I played, and I’m really proud to be Canadian today,” Hearn said. “It was a pretty special day with all of the fans and the support that I had from beginning to finish.”

Hearn was not only gunning for history but his first PGA Tour victory. The 36-year-old lost in a playoff at the Greenbrier Classic in early July.

But he knew this was a special opportunity to go for it in Canada with so many fans watching on the course and at home.

“I never experienced anything like that before,” Hearn said. “I may never experience anything like that again. I hope I am, actually, in that situation again and I get that feeling again soon.”

Hearn believes a Canadian will win the Canadian Open at some point soon. Fourth-place finisher Jim Furyk agrees.

“It’s a matter of time,” said Furyk, who finished at 14 under. “There are so many good Canadian players. I feel bad Mike Weir never won this golf tournament. But Graham DeLaet, David, there are a bunch of fine young players, so I’m sure it’s going to happen.”

OAKVILLE, Ont. – David Hearn is 18 holes from history.

Hearn leads the RBC Canadian Open by two strokes through three rounds and is in position to be the first Canadian to win the tournament since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

“This is something you dream of,” Hearn said. “I feel like I’m ready to step up to the challenge.”

Hearn, from Brantford, Ont., had five birdies and just one bogey Saturday to jump into the lead at 15 under.

World No. 3 golfer Bubba Watson and No. 10 Jason Day are tied for second, two shots back. Watson had birdies on three par-5s on the back nine Saturday, including No. 18.

“I’m right where I want to be,” Watson said. “I just wish the leader was a little closer to us.”

Day rebounded from a bogey on the 10th hole and double-bogey to birdie six of his final seven. In a tournament sponsored by RBC, Day has a connection, but he understands what the crowd wants in the final round.

“Obviously it’d be great to see a Canadian win, but I’m going to do my best to try and spoil that,” Day said. “We’re all out here to try and win a golf tournament.”

Americans Michael Putnam and Brooks Koepka are three back at 12 under, and world No. 7 Jim Furyk and Camilo Villegas are four back of Hearn at 11 under.

Hearn and Watson will play in the final group Sunday at Glen Abbey Golf Club. Despite having the lead, Hearn sees himself as the underdog.

“Hopefully I can make some birdies and David can beat Goliath,” he said.

Watson called himself “half-Canadian” because his wife, Angie, is from Pickering, Ont. He doesn’t see himself as a spoiler.

“Truthfully, let’s be honest: We don’t think about where somebody’s from,” Watson said. “All we think about is there’s a guy in front of us. I’ve got a couple family members (here). They’re going to pull for me, too.”

Hearn is the first Canadian to have a 54-hole lead at the RBC Canadian Open since Mike Weir in 2004. Weir led by three shots but lost in a playoff to Vijay Singh.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Long before David Hearn moved to the top of the RBC Canadian Open leaderboard, Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Adam Svensson took advantage of pristine early morning conditions during his third round.

With the first tee time Saturday morning because an odd number of players made the cut, Svensson played 18 holes by himself. The Surrey, B.C., native shot a 5-under 67 to make a major move up the leaderboard at 7 under for the tournament.

“It was a little bit weird the first couple of holes,” Svensson said. “But I kind of got used to it. Just had a good rhythm all day and got off to a pretty good start. So I was pretty happy.”

Svensson, who’s tied for 26th going into the final round, had never golfed solo before in a tournament setting and called it a fun day. He had to be an early riser, though, teeing off at 7 a.m.

“I’m pretty much sleeping,” Svensson said. “But it was fun. It was fast, too, which I like.”

Svensson completed the round in 2 hours 59 minutes, at least 90 minutes shorter than a conventional PGA Tour event round. He was off the course more than three hours before the final groups teed off.

At 7 under, Svensson will have a playing partner for the final round of the RBC Canadian Open: American Brian Harman, who was second after two rounds before struggling.

Beyond Hearn’s heroics, it was a strong day Canadian Adam Hadwin, who shot 5 under to get to 8 under and a tie for 20th.

“The biggest thing has been my short game, my putting all week,” said Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. “I haven’t struck it extremely well or at least up to my standards just yet. But I’ve got it around the golf course, got it up-and-down when I needed to.”

Recent PGA Tour winner Nick Taylor, also from Abbotsford, moved to 3 under.

Amateurs Blair Hamilton and Austin Connelly shot 76 and 77 respectively. They made the cut but were designated “made didn’t finish” and won’t play Sunday. They will however share the Gary Coward Award as co-recipients of the Gary Cowan Award.

TULSA, Okla. – Team Canada’s Naomi Ko won two matches Thursday in the U.S. Girls’ Junior to advance to the quarterfinals at Tulsa Country Club.

The 17-year-old Ko, from Victoria, B.C, beat stroke-play medalist Megan Khang of Rockland, Massachusetts, 1 up in the round of 32, and topped Alyaa Abdulghany of Newport Beach, California, 2 and 1 in the afternoon round of 16.

Ko will face South Korea’s Eun Jeong Seong on Friday morning. Seong routed Thailand’s Chakansim Khamborn 6 and 5 in the round of 16.

In the other upper-bracket quarterfinal, Jayna Choi of Collierville, Tennessee, will play Annika Cedo of the Philippines. Choi advanced with a 2-up victory over Karah Sanford of Escondido, California, and Cedo beat Gina Kim of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 4 and 3.

Long-hitting Angel Yin of Arcadia, California, powered into the quarterfinals. She beat Mexico’s Maria Balcazar 4 and 3 in the morning, and eliminated South Korea’s Yujeong Son 5 and 3 in the afternoon.

Yin will play Andrea Lee of Hermosa Beach, California, a 7-and-6 winner over Marni Murez of Manhattan Beach, California.

In the other quarterfinal, Mexico’s Evelyn Arguelles will face Mika Liu of Los Angeles. Arguelles beat Kathleen Scavo of Benicia, California, 1 up, and Liu topped Aneka Seumanutafa of Frederick, Maryland, 2 and 1.

Inside the ropes of the 1990 PGA TOUR, no one performed better than Wayne Levi.

Sure Greg Norman put a few more dollars in his bank account. The Australian finished first on the money list with $1.17-million to Levi’s $1.02-million. Sure Nick Faldo won both the Masters and British Open in 1990.

But nobody won four times like Levi did in his season to remember. That’s why when the time arrived for his peers to vote they named Levi the the tour’s player of the year.

“It’s just been an incredible year,” said Levi after he was presented with the award. “I’d never thought I’d have this kind of a year. I never thought I’d win as many tournaments as I have, have the success I’ve had.”

The golfer from Little Falls, N.Y., then 38, put an exclamation point on his season when he won the 1990 Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in mid-September with a 10-under total for a one-stroke victory over Ian Baker-Finch and Jim Woodward.

Levi jumped out to the 36-hole lead with back-to-back rounds of 68. The second round was more impressive because of the nasty winds and thunderstorms that interrupted play, and Levi joked afterwards that he didn’t want too late of a tee time on Sunday afternoon because he wanted to watch his beloved New York Giants play against the rival Dallas Cowboys.

About the same time the Giants, who would win the Super Bowl a few months later, put the finishing touches on the Cowboys in Dallas for a 28-7 win, Levi holed his title-clinching putt on the 18^th green.

“To win four in a year, that’s the sort of thing you think of Jack Nicklaus or Tom Watson doing back in the 1970s,” said Baker-Finch, who would go on to win the British Open 10 months later.

Despite his outstanding start at Glen Abbey, Levi checked in with a third-round 72 to trail 54-hole leader Buddy Gardner by three shots. But Gardner faded early on the final day with a double-bogey at No. 6. Meanwhile, Levi notched birdies at Nos. 8, 12 and 13 to take the lead for good.

He added a birdie at the par-5 16^th, but bogey No. 17 to make the closing hole tense for his two-putt par.

“I always wondered what it would be like to be a national champion, what it would be like to be a celebrity as the No. 1 golfer in Canada or Poland or Romania. I’ll put this on my resume,” the colourful Levi said afterwards.

The knock on him was Levi simply didn’t practice enough. Rather than practice when he returned to his upstate New York home in between events, he enjoyed spending time with his wife Judy, daughters Michelle, Lauren and Chris as well as son Brian.

What spare time he had left after his family was divided between his hobby as a stock market speculator and his Giants.

“Some guys hunt and fish. I follow the stock market,” said Levi, who visited the Toronto Stock Exchange floor when he returned to the area the following spring to promote the 1991 Canadian Open.

There were no signs that Levi was about to enjoy a breakout year in 1990. He had not contended in any majors throughout his career and hadn’t won since the Atlanta Classic in June 1985.

Prior to his first win in 1990 in May, Levi had missed the cut in 6 of his previous 11 events. So he visited his long-time friend and instructor Rick Christie in Tampa Bay. He changed putters and made an adjustment to his setup.

Poof, Levi piled up wins at Atlanta, the Western Open in Chicago, Hartford and at Glen Abbey in four months.

“It was something I didn’t expect, but I also wasn’t surprised,” Levi said.

The win at Glen Abbey was his final career victory on the PGA Tour. But his impressive play put him on the U.S. Ryder Cup team a year later and on the 1991 U.S. World Cup team with Joey Sindelar.

He did win twice on the Champions Tour in 2003 and 2004. But again, joked that he never planned to play with the 50-and-over set until the stock market tailspin in the late 1990s and he lost “millions.”

“I never wanted to play out here,” Levi said about the Champions Tour. “But I’ve got a family to take care of, so here I am.”

He certainly took care of things at Glen Abbey 25 years ago.

MARKHAM, Ont. — Colombia got the rare chance to celebrate as a team on the 18th green after winning all three gold medals at the Pan Am Games’ inaugural golf tournament on Sunday.

Marcelo Rozo shot 13-under to win the men’s competition, while teammate Mariajo Uribe went 9-under to capture the women’s gold. Colombia blew away the field for the mixed team gold.

Uribe held up the yellow, blue and red Colombian flag on the hill above the 18th hole at Angus Glen Golf Club and then, along with teammates Mateo Gomez and Paola Moreno, doused Rozo with water after he finished the final round.

“At the end having all them on the 18th green hugging each other, making Colombia proud, it was pretty special,” said Rozo, who tied the course record Saturday with a 9-under 63. “Golf is not a team sport. Once you get that kind of feeling, you get excited.”

Rozo finished a stroke ahead of Argentine Tommy Cocha and Chilean Felipe Aguilar. Cocha won a two-hole playoff to earn silver, as Aguilar got bronze.

Canada’s Austin Connelly, a Dallas native with Nova Scotian roots, shot his fourth-consecutive subpar round to finish fifth at 8-under for the tournament. Connelly said having three medals instead of just first place to shoot for “brings another level of pressure.”

“It’s a much different experience than any other golf tournament I’ve ever played,” Connelly said.

Canada’s Austin Connelly (Anil Mungal/ Golf Canada)

American Andrea Lee won women’s silver and Paraguay’s Julieta Granada bronze. The United States, which leads the medal count, won team silver and Argentina bronze.

Golf made its Pan Am debut a year before returning to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro for the first time since 1904.

“It’s pretty big for golf,” Rozo said. “This is a great step looking to that.”

Rozo gets a spot in next week’s RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont., as another prize for winning gold. It’ll be his first PGA Tour event.

While the 25-year-old is still trying to make his way into Olympic contention, Uribe is right in the thick of it for Rio. She was smiling thinking about that and reflecting on triple gold at the Pan Ams.

“Colombia is not a team that gets a lot of medals, so it really matters to us,” said Uribe, who earned an exemption into the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open next month in Vancouver. “It’s fun… I’m getting ready for the Olympics.”

Golf Canada is getting ready for the Olympics, too. The Pan Am Games being on home soil represents progress toward that goal.

“To get this experience to prepare us for Rio and the Olympics next year, you can’t get that experience anywhere else,” Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons said. “This is really going to help us.

“It’s helped the players, it’s helped the coaches, it’s helped our support staff. That’s probably the biggest benefit coming out of this week for us.”

After Connelly, Canadians Garrett Rank finished 15th in the men’s competition at 5-over and Lorie Kane tied for 19th at 23-over in the women’s event. Canada was eighth out of 16 countries in the team competition.

But federal sports minister Bal Gosal said all the feedback he has gotten from visitors has been positive. Angus Glen turned out to be a fitting reintroduction for the sport on an international stage.

“This venue, everything’s been great,” Gosal said. “(Visitors are) very happy with the course, they’re very happy with the fairways. … It’s been great.”

A rough stretch aside, Connelly got to enjoy a final round in the last group with a throng of hundreds of fans following. When the 18-year-old chipped in for an impressive par save on the sixth hole, he heard one of the biggest cheers of the day as the Canadian star on the course.

“It was hard to describe,” Connelly said. “The roar was incredible. It’s just nice having so many people behind me.”

Markham, Ont. – Canada’s Austin Connelly shot a third-round 2-under 70 at Angus Glen Golf Club to sit within striking distance of medal podium contention in the Pan Am Games Golf Competition at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont.

Connelly, 18, made an early charge up the leaderboard, at one point sitting solo second at the turn. His lone blemish on an otherwise steady day would be a double-bogey on the par-four 11^th hole at Angus Glen Golf Club. The first year member of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Squad heads into Sunday’s final round with a share of third with two other golfers at 7-under par, four shots off the lead.

Canadian Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., battled tough in his third round, carding a quadruple bogey, two bogeys and six birdies to finish even-par for the second consecutive day and 7-over through three rounds at Angus Glen, good for a share of 20^th position. Rank’s play has been consistent except for blow-up holes in each of tournament rounds round including three triples and a quad over 54 holes.

Second-round leader Felipe Aguilar of Chile shot a three-under 69 (11-under through 54 holes) to head into Sunday’s final round with a two-shot lead over Colombia’s Marcelo Rozo, who tied the course-record 63 to sit two shots back at 9-under. Canada’s Austin Connelly is tied for third at 7-under with Argentina’s Tommy Cocha and American Lee McCoy.

Click here to the see the complete men’s individual leaderboard

In the women’s individual competition, Canadian Lorie Kane followed up a disappointing 83 on Friday with 3-over 75 to climb into a share of 20^th position at 21-over through 54 holes.

Sitting atop the women’s leaderboard is American Andrea Lee who shot a two-under 70 Saturday to climb to nine-under for the tournament, good for a two-shot lead over Columbia’s Mariajo Uribe while Julieta Granada of Paraguay is solo third at 5-under.

Click here see the complete women’s individual leaderboard

In the overall mixed team competition, Canada moved up two position into 9^th spot through 54 holes. The team competition counts the top male and female score each day from each of the participating countries.

Click here to see the complete overall team leaderboard

Due to the expected inclement weather Sunday, July 19, final round tee times for the Pan Am Games will be off split tees starting at 8 A.M. Players will play from both the 1^st and 10^th holes. Regulation play is estimated to be completed by 3 P.M. (followed by any required playoffs). Medal ceremonies will commence immediately following the end of competition, if the weather conditions are suitable.

THIRD-ROUND QUOTES FROM TEAM CANADA:

Austin CONNELLY (CAN)

On his scoring on the par-fives this week:

“I really attribute that, more to (the fact that) I switched wedges right before the week started. I had ’em shipped to Angus Glen. And I changed wedge shafts, and these wedges have a little more feel at the bottom. They’re a little bit heavier. And I have much better feel. Right now, if I have anything inside about 80 yards, pretty much all week, I’ve been inside four or five feet.”

On being three shots off the lead:

“It’s just a golf tournament; it’s another round tomorrow. Come out and hit all the shots as good as you can. Add ’em up at the end and see where you are.”

On the fan support:

“Ya, it’s pretty special to have all the fans out here. It’s been a great experience the last couple days. I’ve gotten a lot of support, which is always nice. To hear the cheers…it’s really a great atmosphere here.”

On his performance so far:

“I feel like I’ve played solid. I can definitely hit the ball better. I need to ball-strike better to have a chance to win tomorrow (July 19). But I’m really rolling it well right now. I feel like if I can just give myself a lot of opportunities, I feel like I can make a lot of birdies.”

Garrett RANK (CAN)

On his first three rounds of the tournament:

“It’s been an adventurous first three days; it’s really been feast or famine but a lot of great golf, just two or three bad holes.”

“I had a good game plan coming into this week and felt comfortable, just four bad holes; three triple bogeys and a quadruple bogey, quickly that’s thirteen over… you just can’t make big numbers.”

On his quadruple bogey on hole #4 today:

“I got off to a really good start and didn’t really hit a bad shot and then just got caught in the long grass and took a bunch to get it out of there. It was nice to fight back… it could have been a really good day, a lot of good golf and nothing to be discouraged about.” 

Lorie KANE (CAN)

On her bounce back round of 3-over 75, eight shots better than Friday’s second round 83:

“I just felt a little more comfortable. I did some work last night. I probably hit the middle of the clubface a few more times today. (On the greens) I never holed anything today, really. But felt good about most things, so we’ll just build from there.”

On her mindset for tomorrow:

“Go out and entertain. That’s what I do. I play golf for a living and I’m very lucky to be able to do that. And to have the Pan American Games and be a part of that here in Toronto, with the great fans and the support that we’re getting, and all the people in orange t-shirts that are the support team around the Pan Ams. It’s pretty special. I think the city’s done a great job.”