SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Rain wasn’t the only thing that put a damper on the Phoenix Open on Friday.

The rowdiest event on the PGA Tour goes into Super Bowl weekend without Tiger Woods, who had the worst score of his career and missed the cut by 12 shots. Also gone is Phil Mickelson, who had his worst round on the TPC Scottsdale in six years.

Martin Laird carried on nicely without them.

Once the rain stopped, Laird played his best golf and he doesn’t think that was a coincidence. He ran off four birdies in a five-hole stretch until making his first bogey of the tournament on his final hole for a second straight 5-under 66.

That gave him a two-shot lead over Daniel Berger (69), with Justin Thomas (68) another shot behind. Both 21-year-old rookies received sponsor’s exemptions. A trio of Masters champions – Bubba Watson (71), Zach Johnson (70) and Angel Cabrera (69) were in the group four shots behind.

That’s not who the crowd came to see.

Woods was playing the Waste Management Phoenix Open for the first time in 14 years. “Welcome back!” the gallery shouted to him on Thursday. “Thanks for coming!” was the refrain on Friday as he walked off his final green with an 11-over 82.

It was his highest score in 322 official tournaments in his career.

“We all have days like this,” Woods said after a day unlike any other he has had in his career.

Mickelson had a 76, his highest score in this event since he opened with a 76 in 2009 and missed the cut. Neither are going to the Super Bowl. Mickelson flew home to San Diego, Woods to Florida, and both will meet up next week in Torrey Pines.

It was the first time since The Greenbrier Classic in 2012 that they missed the cut in the same event.

“Hopefully, we will be able to get it turned around for next week,” Mickelson said.

Laird would seem to thrive in such wet, chilly conditions based on his birth certificate alone. He was born in Scotland, though he played college golf at Colorado State and has been living in Arizona for the last 14 years. He didn’t even play a European Tour event until he had his PGA Tour card.

But living in Scottsdale, surely he has experience the occasional cold, steady rain like Friday.

“The weather is so good here, when the weather is like this we don’t play,” Laird said. “I really don’t remember a day where it’s just been that kind of drizzle. It was a very Scottish day today. We get rain, but it’s not sort of an all-day thing.”

Laird was at 10-under 132.

Look a little further down the leaderboard, and the absence of golf’s two biggest names – Woods and Mickelson – was another reminder that the sport is in the midst of a generational shift, assuming it hasn’t already happened.

Berger and Thomas are proudly part of the class of `11 – that’s high school, not college.

They played often together as juniors and at college – Berger at Florida State, Thomas at Alabama. Berger made it through Q-school after two years of college and easily earned his card through the Web.com Tour. Thomas did the same after leaving Alabama.

Not too far back was Canada’s Graham DeLaet. He scrambled his way to a 70 and was six shots behind.

Woods either stubbed his chips or bladed them, the worst of it coming from behind the fourth green. He had 35 feet to the flag, tried to hit a baby flop shot and sent it 47 yards away, leading to a double bogey.

Mickelson steadily dropped shots, tried to rally with a birdie on the 15th that put him one birdie away from making the cut, and then hit his tee shot in a bunker on the 17th that led to bogey. That bunker wasn’t even in play for Mickelson on Thursday, but the weather was such that players were hitting two or three clubs more.

Laird was part of the pack until his late run. He made a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-5 13th, hit wedge to a foot for birdie on the par-5 15th, and then made 7-foot birdie putts on the next two holes to give himself a little separation.

Ryan Palmer (72) and Ryan Moore (67) were in the group at 136, while Geoff Ogilvy (69) was among those five shots behind.

Fifteen players failed to finish the round before darkness. That included Arizona club pro Michael Hopper, who had no chance of making the cut. With two holes to play, he was at 12 over and needed to finish two pars to beat Woods.

And that would be another personal-worst for Woods. He has never finished last in a PGA Tour event.

OCALA, Fla. – Lydia Ko is one round from potentially making golf history.

The 17-year-old New Zealander birdied five consecutive holes and shot a 7-under 65 in the third round of the Coates Golf Championship on Friday to take the outright lead in the LPGA Tour’s season opener.

If she hangs on Saturday, she would become the youngest golfer – male or female – to be ranked No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings.

“I really haven’t thought about it,” Ko said. “Like I’ve always said, the rankings come after the results in each tournament. It would be great and it would be a huge honor to be in that position, but we’ve still got another long, 18 holes to go, and you never know what’s going to happen in those holes.”

Second-round leader Ha Na Jang was a stroke back at 13-under 203 after a 1-under 71 Friday. Fellow South Korean Na Yeon Choi shot a 6-under 66 and was two back at 12 under.

Stacy Lewis (70) was 10 under, one stroke ahead of Amy Yang (65), Jessica Korda (69) and Austin Ernst (70).

Michelle Wie and Cheyenne Woods both shot 73 in the third round and fell further back in the 77-player field at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club.

All of them are chasing Ko, who is chasing history as well as her sixth career LPGA victory.

“There are so many great players that are like one to four shots (back),” Ko said. “You just never know what’s going to happen. I’m just going to concentrate on my game, stay really positive and if somebody else shoots a much bigger score than I do, I can’t really do much about it. I’m just going to focus and hopefully I’ll be able to shoot a good score (Saturday).”

By mid-afternoon Friday, much of the focus had turned to Ko. She three-putted Nos. 10 and 11 to start the back nine, falling four strokes behind leader Jang. Ko slammed her putter into her bag and mumbled to herself, `OK, you’ve got to start working again.”

She outplayed everyone on the course from there, showing the poise of a tour veteran instead of the nerves of a teenager.

“She’s acting more mature than 17 years old, like at least 25,” said Choi, who played a practice round with Ko near Orlando last week. “She’s so mature. Sometimes, when we’re having dinner or lunch, she’s 17 years old. She likes to eat some chocolate or ice cream or that kind of stuff.

“But on the course or on the range, when she has a golf club, I think she totally changes,” Choi added.

It showed when she responded to those consecutive bogeys with a lengthy birdie run.

It started at the par-5 12th, one of eight tribute holes modeled after some of the most famous courses from around the world. It’s a replica of the third and final leg of Amen Corner at Augusta National.

She nearly reached the 12th green in two and then chipped it close. She followed that by hitting a hybrid from the 13th fairway to 3 feet and made the putt.

Ko sank a 20-footer for birdie on the 14th, drained an 8-footer on No. 15 and then notched her 11th one-putt of the round with a 6-footer at the 16th.

She had a chance to make it six in row at after hitting a 6-iron to 8 feet at 17, but her putt came up short. She babied another relatively short putt at 18.

“I just didn’t want to ram it by,” she said. “I was a little tentative there. I just have to stay in that concentrated mood, I guess.”

Ko can finish second or third Saturday and still supplant Inbee Park, who is tied for 17th at 3 under, as the world’s No. 1 player.

It would be the latest feat on Ko’s growing resume, which includes winning the inaugural Race to the CME Globe, which included a $1 million bonus last season, and becoming the youngest to win the tour’s rookie of the year award.

Now, she has a chance to really make a mark.

“It’s never over until you pull the glove out of your pocket and put it in your bag,” Ko said. “You’ve just got to concentrate until the last moment.”

 Canada’s Alena Sharp is tied for 55th after a third-round 78.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Tiger Woods never shot a score this high in his 1,267 official rounds as a pro.

He never looked more lost on a golf course.

Woods hit wedges fat and thin, but never close. He hit one drive into the water, another into the base of a desert bush. And when he missed a 10-foot par putt on his final hole Friday in the Phoenix Open, he had the worst score of his career – an 11-over 82.

Woods was in last place when he headed home to Florida to try to fix a game in disarray, even behind Arizona club pro Michael Hopper, who had yet to tee off. It was the first time in his career that he missed the cut in consecutive PGA Tour events, the most recent one in August at the PGA Championship.

About the only thing he didn’t lose was his sense of humor.

“I’m just doing this so I don’t get fined,” Woods said with a smile as he faced the media, repeating Marshawn Lynch’s only line at Super Bowl media day.

Even so, this round might have been more painful than getting his tooth knocked out last week in Italy.

His previous worst score was an 81 in the third round at Muirfield in the 2002 British Open, where he caught the brunt of whipping rain in 40 mph wind. There was only a light drizzle in the Valley of the Sun, and Woods hit a low point in his career.

“We all have days like this,” Woods said. “Unfortunately, mine was in a public forum. We take the good with the bad, and the thing is, even on bad days like this, just keep fighting. On the good days, you’ve got to keep fighting, as well.”

He attributed his shocking play to his latest swing change, which he described in December as “new but old,” although this game resembles neither. He left Sean Foley during his four-month break to fully heal from back surgery and now has California-based Chris Como as a swing consultant.

“I was caught right between patterns, just old pattern, new pattern,” Woods said. “And I got better, more committed to what I was doing on my back nine and hit some better shots. But still got a lot of work to do.”

He scrapped plans to go to the Super Bowl and headed home to Florida to practice before returning next week to Torrey Pines.

The most glaring weakness remains the short game – chips, bunker play and putting.

Nothing was uglier than the par-3 fourth hole when his tee shot went over the green. The chip was difficult because he short-sided himself and was only 35 feet from the flag. Woods hit it 47 yards, the ball shooting low and hot all the way across the green and into a front bunker. He blasted out to 20 feet and two-putted for double bogey.

That was on his back nine, and by then, the only question was whether he would post the highest score of his career.

The damage came early.

Woods pulled his tee shot into the desert on the tough 14th hole and it turned into a scavenger hunt. He headed toward a ball on the left side of the desert only to realize it wasn’t his – it was Mike Weir’s tee shot on the 13th hole. He stepped into a bed of cactus, reached gingerly through the needles to get the ball and realized that wasn’t his, either. His was found at the base of a bush, and he had to take a penalty stroke to remove it.

Then, a stock pitch shot from short of the green barely reached the putting surface, and he two-putted from 40 feet for double bogey.

In the gray morning sky of light drizzle, he didn’t realize until after his tee shot on the 15th that it never cleared the water. Woods hit a mid-iron for his fourth shot into a left bunker, and then bladed that out so far over the green that only the rough on the other side kept it from going in the water. He flubbed that chip and took triple bogey.

The atmosphere on the par-3 16th was slightly muted, though that didn’t keep a row of rowdies in the bleachers from wearing ski masks over their faces, a tribute to the mask Woods was wearing in Italy to hide his missing tooth. He was watching girlfriend Lindsey Vonn win a record 63rd World Cup race.

Jordan Spieth, playing in the group with Woods and Patrick Reed, had a 68. Both are among several young players who grew up watching Woods dominate golf with 14 majors and 79 wins on the PGA Tour. They did not see him shoot 82.

“Sure, it’s odd,” Spieth said. “But it’s his second tournament in six months. He’s really revamping his golf swing and just seems like he needs some more repetitions. From the looks of it, he looks very healthy, looks like nothing was bothering him. So he should be able to get out there and get a lot of practice in. I would look for him to make a strong comeback this year.”

Woods played the Phoenix Open for only the fourth time, and the first time since 2001. He still managed to generate plenty of memories. There was the hole-in-one on the 16th hole in 1997, the fans moving a 1,000-pound boulder for him in 1999, a teenager throwing an orange across the green as he was putting in 2001.

And now an 82.

The support remained strong, but the message changed. What began on Thursday as “Welcome back,” turned into, “Thanks for coming.”

“Go out and have fun. Golf is a game for everyone, not just the talented few.”

This is a wonderful quote from a wonderful contributor to the game, Harvey Penick. More than 300,000 Golf Canada members across the nation would agree…including a few of those talented individuals that Penick refers to.

Within those gifted ranks, but not limited to them, we find Team Canada. What fun they had in 2014. From a competitive perspective, 2014 was the most successful year in the history of Canadian golf, dating back more than a century.

Golfers in Canada and the sport’s many fans from coast to coast should be very proud of our national and provincial development programs. Grassroots initiatives like CN Future Links and Golf in Schools are not only about fun, but also the development of Canadian Golf’s future heroes.

To our talented competitive players, thank you for providing us with great opportunities to see Canadian golfers wave the flag. Thank you all for giving us the chance to feel a swell of pride as we shared in your excitement and cheered you on throughout 2014.

To every golfer across the country, thank you for your participation in this fantastic game. Golf is truly a game for everyone. It is time well spent with family and friends. It gives us opportunities to be social while promoting physical fitness. It is challenging, yet fun and entertaining. It has the ability to fill days with great laughter and decades with cherished memories.

How can we grow this great game?

All Golf Canada members can play a part in ensuring golf reaches everyone. Share the fun and enjoyment of golf and encourage others to join us. The benefits of this great sport reach beyond age and stage in life – from children to adults; from young professionals and those just “starting out” to seasoned veterans and retirees. Life can move pretty quickly and leave us with little time for recreation.   With so much for so many, golf is the perfect activity to bring everyone together.

Beyond us, the golf industry plays an active role in supporting this country and its people. As a significant employer, taxpayer and contributor to charity, the golf industry affects more than golfers and fans of the game. Let’s help the industry grow the game and our country. We want more players to play more rounds. We want kids new to the game and people who have played it for decades to share the same smile over a great shot.

I suggest that one way for us to grow golf in Canada is to work together to promote the fun in golf. Let’s all take part in sharing the game and its many great qualities.

We have great passion for golf. Let’s grow our game together.

Let the good times roll as we embark on another great season.

Christine Dengel is a PGA of Canada golf professional with more than 30 years of experience in multiple facets of the golf industry, and a lifelong passion for and commitment to the game of golf.

Prior to joining Golf Canada, she was a Territory Sales Manager for Callaway Golf Canada for 18 years. During her time with Callaway, Dengel managed the GTA and Southwestern Ontario territory from 1992-2005 and has managed the Southern Ontario territory since 2006.

Niagara College’s Business Administration – Professional Golf Management (Co-op) program recently donated more than $1,400 to the National Golf in Schools program that will bring the program to the three elementary schools in St. Catharines this year: Memorial Public School, E.I. McCulley Public School and Burleigh Hill Public School.

Funds were raised at the fourth annual PGM Invitational Charity Golf Tournament held at the Beechwood Golf Club in October with students, faculty and alumni in attendance – more than 80 in total.

“On behalf of Golf Canada, I’m proud of the continued fundraising efforts of Niagara College students who understand the important link that Golf in Schools creates between the education and golf communities,” said Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons. “The students and administrators with the Golf Management program understand the importance of investing in grassroots golf – introducing the game to young golf enthusiasts who we hope will develop an interest and passion for our sport.”

Over the past four years, students in Niagara College’s PGM program have raised more than $7,500 for the Golf in Schools program, which has resulted in Golf in Schools being introduced to nine schools in the Niagara region.

“I believe it is important for the golf community to support junior golf development and specifically the Golf in Schools program. Our golf management students are part of that community,” said Grant Fraser, program coordinator of the PGM program. “One of the key topics we discuss in our event management class is the importance of giving back and doing what we can to help grow the game of golf in the Niagara region. Supporting Golf Canada’s Golf in Schools program allows us to do this.”

“The opportunity to raise awareness and financial support for such a worthy cause as the Golf in Schools charity was humbling, and of great value not only to myself as our event chairperson, but for classmates and the Niagara PGM program as a whole,” said Kevin Kirkpatrick, third-year student of the College’s PGM program and chair of the Golf in Schools event. “We are honoured to follow in the footsteps of our predecessors, and continue this tradition and mutually beneficial relationship with Golf Canada and the local golf community as a whole, to support the continuity of the sport we all love at its very base – the junior level.”

The National Golf in Schools program, developed by Physical and Health Education Canada (PHE Canada) in partnership with Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada – introduces the game of golf to thousands of students in the country by integrating golf into school physical education programs. With 4.5 million students enrolled at 10,000 elementary and 4,500 high schools, the Canadian school physical education system is the single most concentrated opportunity to introduce children of all backgrounds to the sport of golf, according to Golf Canada.

NC’s Business Administration-Professional Golf Management (Co-op) is a three-year advanced diploma program that combines the excitement of golf with the challenge of business, preparing students for careers in all aspects of the industry.

Niagara College offers more than 100 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs at campuses in Welland, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Niagara Falls; as well as more than 600 credit, vocational and general interest Continuing Education courses. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, media, applied health and community safety, supported by unique learning enterprises in food, wine, beer, horticulture and esthetics. For more information visit www.niagaracollege.ca

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Rory McIlroy birdied an 18-foot birdie putt on his final hole to surge into a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Dubai Desert Classic on Friday.

On the Majlis course of Emirates Golf Club, where he recorded his first victory as a professional in 2009, McIlroy enjoyed a superb day of ball-striking as he notched a bogey-free round of 8-under-par 64.

His 14-under-par total after two rounds was one ahead of Scotland’s Marc Warren, who continued his remarkable run of form following a second-place finish last week in Doha, with a nine-birdie round of 65.

Graeme McDowell, playing his first tournament of the year, showed no signs of rust as he added a 65 to his opening 67, and was tied for third at 12 under with England’s Seve Benson, whose 66 contained a double-bogey 7 on the par-5 18th hole.

Defending champion Stephen Gallacher also made a rare double bogey on the Majlis course, where his last three finishes have been second-first-first, but he made four birdies over the next five holes for a round of 67.

The Scotsman was tied for fifth on 11 under with the Race to Dubai leader Danny Willett (66) of England, overnight leader Bernd Wiesberger (69) of Austria, and the English duo of Lee Westwood (68) and Andy Sullivan (68).

McIlroy sprayed slightly from the tee, finding just seven out of 14 fairways, but that did not deter him from hitting all but one green in regulation. And while a three-foot birdie putt did horseshoe out on the 12th hole, and he burned the edge in the next two, he was delighted with his round, which gave him the halfway lead in the tournament for the fifth time in eight starts.

“I felt like I played very nicely. Couldn’t ask for much more; bogey-free, made birdies, and set myself up for a good run over the next couple of days,” McIlroy said.

“But there are so many people who are close to the lead, it’s so bunched up.”

Warren, who is ranked 56th in the world and needs a good finish this week to crack into the top-50 and earn his first invitation to the Masters in April, made one bogey before and after the turn, and finished on a high by rolling in a 50-foot birdie putt on his final hole, the ninth of the course.

Denmark’s Morten Orum Madsen shot the lowest round of the day, a 9-under 63 to improve into a tie for 10th at 10-under par.

The cut was at 2 under, which was missed by Sergio Garcia (71), at 2 over.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Tiger Woods helped attract a record, raucous crowd to the Phoenix Open on Thursday, the first big event in a week that concludes with the Super Bowl.

They didn’t see much game – at least not from Woods.

In his first appearance at the TPC Scottsdale in 14 years – and only his second tournament in six months – Woods couldn’t hit the green with three chip shots and was near the bottom of the leaderboard until two key shots on the back nine salvaged a 2-over 73.

It was the first time in his career that Woods shot over par in his first round of the year. And he already was nine shots behind Ryan Palmer, who opened with a 7-under 64 to build a one-shot lead when play was suspended by darkness.

“This is my second tournament in six months, so I just need tournament rounds like this where I can fight through it, turn it around, grind through it and make adjustments on the fly,” Woods said.

He was 5 over through 11 holes when Woods hit a 5-iron to a foot for a tap-in eagle on the 13th hole. After making it through the par-3 16th hole, where he twice had to back off shots when someone shouted as he stood over the ball, he hit his best drive of the day that bounded onto the green at the par-4 17th and set up a two-putt birdie.

The fans didn’t seem to mind. They were happy to see golf’s biggest star at their outdoor party for the first time since 2001, back when Woods was No. 1 in the world and headed for an unprecedented sweep of the majors.

The attendance was 118,461 – more than the Super Bowl will get on Sunday – and broke the Thursday record at the Phoenix Open by just over 30,000.

What they saw was a player who suddenly has developed grave issues with his short game – particularly his chipping.

Woods is working with a new swing consultant, Chris Como, who is not in Phoenix this week. He still has trouble taking his game from the practice range to the golf course, which is nothing new. But when he last played, at the Hero World Challenge, what stood out was a series of chips that he either stubbed or bladed.

Two months later, nothing changed.

The focus on Woods quickly shifted from a chipped tooth to simply his chipping.

Woods twice chipped with 4-irons, which he called my “old-school shots from Augusta.” On two other occasions, one after a chip he knocked across and over the green, he opted for a putter. It wasn’t a bad play, but it used to be rare to see Woods choose to putt from the fairway instead of chip.

He attributed it to the change in his swing.

“I’m just having a hard time finding the bottom,” Woods said. “Because of my old pattern, I was so steep on it that I have a new grind on my wedge and sometimes it’s hard to trust. Some of my shots were into the green with tight pins and either I’ll flop it or bump it, one of the two. I chose to bump it.”

Palmer was 10-under par through 10 holes last week in the Humana Challenge and settled for a 61. He was 7 under through 12 holes on Thursday and then closed with six straight pars for a 64.

That gave him a one-shot lead over Keegan Bradley, who made seven birdies in the morning, and Masters champion Bubba Watson, whose tee shot on the 17th hole rolled a few inches from the cup and settled 4 feet away.

Woods was in the group ahead of him, and it’s customary for players to step aside when they’re on the 17th green to let the others hit their tee shots. Woods smiled when Watson approached and told him, “Good shot.”

Watson also got caught up in the crowd, a benefit of playing so close to Woods.

“I could feel his crowd was really big,” Watson said. “You could feel it, the energy, even with the weather the way it was. People still showed up. People still had a blast. And obviously, Tiger created a lot of that.”

Bradley could sense it, too, even though he played on the opposite side of the draw. Bradley finished his round on No. 9 and hit what he thought was a great approach, except that he wasn’t sure because no one was clapping. He turned to his caddie and asked him if it went over the green, or maybe even short of the green. And then he walked up to the green and saw it was 10 feet away. That’s when the light came on.

“Tiger was on the second green. No one was watching me,” Bradley said with a laugh. “It’s just amazing to see the draw that Tiger has. Wow, there was a lot of people.”

They saw some good golf – just not very often from Woods.

The crowd rose to its feet as Woods walked from the putting green to the first tee, and the anticipation began to build when the starter announced him as the winner of 79 PGA Tour events and 14 majors. He had 24 wins and five majors the last time he played.

And then Woods sent his tee shot off the backyard wall of a house and back into the desert. He made the turn in 39 – his age.

But he didn’t have to chip again on the back nine, played better, hit two great shots (for eagle and birdie) and walked off with reasonable hopes of making it to the weekend. Woods hasn’t played much of late from back injuries and recovery time. Even so, he made it clear that it could take time to heal – certainly quicker than getting his teeth fixed.

Another player on his game Thursday was Canada’s Graham DeLaet.

DeLaet lives in Scottsdale. “It’s nice to be home and doesn’t really feel like a tournament week until you get out here,” DeLaet said after a 67. “Sleeping in your own bed is always great.”

The Weyburn, Sask. native carded a 4-under 67.

Cory Renfrew – a Monday qualifier – was the only other Canadian to sit on the better side of par Thursday. The Victoria, B.C. native was 1-under with one hole remaining Thursday.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Robert Allenby feared the worst Thursday at the Phoenix Open in his first round since his mysterious misadventure in Hawaii.

Two days after saying he was preparing mentally for one of the toughest weeks of his life, Allenby drew only a few boos and comments on the rowdy par-3 16th stadium hole and the crowded 18th. He had mostly quiet, apathetic galleries in his round of 1-under 70.

On Tuesday, the 43-year-old Australian stood by his story that he was robbed and beaten after missing the cut two weeks ago in the Sony Open, basing the account on what he remembered and what he was told by a homeless woman who came to his aid. He said he has “no memory” from about 11:06 p.m. to 1:27 a.m. that night.

Honolulu police are investigating it as second-degree robbery. No arrests have been made.

“I was a little bit nervous going into 16,” Allenby said. “I wasn’t really sure what to expect. But I just knew it was going to be loud. I was just like, `You know what? Just go with the flow and have fun with it. Just don’t let it get to you.’

“And they were actually really good. I was actually really surprised,” he said. “They were fantastic. There was nothing mean at all. … I think some of the comments were actually pretty funny.”

He played through headaches.

“For some reason I had really bad headaches in my left eye before I teed off and I don’t know if that was just nerves, anticipation, what it was,” Allenby said. “But I took some (pain relievers), just to sort of take the edge off a little bit. It sort of went away a little bit. But it was there. It could be allergies, as well, with the desert.”

Allenby bogeyed the par-4 11th – his second hole of the day – after hitting his approach over the green, birdied the par-5 13th with a delicate downhill chip to 3 feet, and bogeyed the 16th after hitting into the right front bunker. On his final nine, he made an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-3 fourth and a 14-footer on the par-4 sixth.

“Felt a little bit nervous on the first nine holes,” Allenby said. “Just understandable with what’s been going on, and very hard to put it all to the side when you’re out there. I tried my absolute best and I think I did a really, really good job overall.”

Allenby has 22 worldwide titles, four on the PGA Tour. His last victories came in consecutive weeks in 2009 in the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa and Australian PGA.

OCALA, Fla. – Ha Na Jang went from qualifier to leader in just a few days at the LPGA season opener.

And it surprised no one.

The 22-year-old South Korean, ranked 21st in the world, shot a 7-under 65 in the second round of the Coates Golf Championship on Thursday and opened up a four-shot lead over Stacy Lewis heading into the third round.

Jang has full status on the LPGA Tour. But because the opener isn’t a full-field event, she had to qualify last Saturday. Her extra time at Golden Golf & Ocala Equestrian Club certainly paid dividends. She made one bogey in two rounds, and responded to that miscue with birdies on two of the next three holes.

“I hope to play well these next two days so people get to know who I am,” Jang said through an interpreter.

The start of the second round was delayed 90 minutes because of frost, and the interruption prevented 50 players from completing 18 holes. They will return Friday morning to finish.

Jang might not want to wait to get back on the course. She sank a curl-in, 25-footer on her final hole in near-dark conditions to get to 12-under 132.

Although Jang is technically a rookie, she has plenty of experience. Her best LPGA finish was third in the 2014 Evian Championship last year. She also won six tournaments in five seasons on the KLPGA Tour and finished tied for 42nd at the Korean Women’s Open as a 12-year-old.

Lewis, one of three players to shoot 66 in the opening round, was 8 under heading into Friday’s third round.

“I just didn’t play quite as well today,” said Lewis, the first American since Betsy King in 1993 to sweep the Rolex player of the year award, the Vare Trophy and the money list title last season.

World No. 2 Lydia Ko and Azahara Munoz were five back at 7 under. So were Angela Stanford and Austin Ernst, but they had holes to finish.

“I was super rusty,” said Ko, who played with her left thumb taped. “For a moment, I didn’t even know if I would be able to play … I had zero feel. It’s kind of good that it’s back to normal. I tried to work hard in the three weeks I had to prepare for this.”

Much of the attention – the opener drew big crowds in horse country – was focused on players off the leaderboard.

Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods, likely made the cut. She birdied No. 18th to get to 4 over, which is expected to be safe. Woods is playing her first tournament with full-time status, although she got in on a sponsor’s exemption because she didn’t have enough priority to make the 120-player field.

“It’s definitely important for me to play well this week and get started off good,” Woods said.

Woods would be in much better shape if not for the par-4 13th, one of eight tribute holes at Golden Ocala. No. 13 resembles the 17th at St. Andrews, the Road Hole, and it’s gotten the best of Woods in two rounds. She’s 3 over on No. 13, including a double-bogey Thursday.

“That hole kicked my butt this week,” she said. “If I play it (Friday), I’m definitely going to get revenge on it.”

Paula Creamer had no trouble with the par-3 sixth, a replica of No. 16 at Augusta National. Using a 5-iron from 162 yards, Creamer notched her second ace in tour play.

It didn’t come with any bonus gifts, though.

“I made my hole-in-one at Augusta,” she said. “I go, `Where’s my car?’ But I guess having a hole-in-one at Augusta is better than a car. … That’s why you play. You play for that perfect moment.”

Reigning U.S. Women’s Open champion Michelle Wie rebounded from even par in the first round with a 2-under 70 on Thursday.

“A lot of stupid mistakes,” Wie said. “But at the same time, you know, I just felt like it’s kind of good to get it out of the way. You make the mistakes and `OK, I’m not going to do that next time.’ … Just stupid errors here and there, but I’m excited for the weekend.”

Wie is a stroke back of Canada’s Alena Sharp. The Hamilton, Ont. native carded a 69 today and sits tied for 14th at 3-under.

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – Smiths Falls, Ont.’s Brooke Henderson earned her first pro victory by outlasting sister Brittany to claim the year’s first Suncoast Series Tour event.

The 17-year-old Team Canada Young Pro Squad Member, who turned pro in December, sank a 10 foot birdie putt on the final hole of the championship for a 69 – the lowest round posted over the course of three days – giving her a single-shot win over her elder sister.

Maria Hjorth of Sweden, a five-time winner on the LPGA Tour, finished third.

Brooke, who previously won three professional titles as an amateur, collected just over $2,000 for the win.

Nicole Vandermade of Brantford, Ont., the only other Canadian in the field, finished with a share of sixth after a final round 73.

Brooke, with sister Brittany on her bag, will now attempt to Monday qualify for the Bahamas LPGA Classic at the Ocean Club. Other Canadians in the field include SooBin Kim of Coquitlam, B.C., Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. and Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto.

Henderson narrowly missed qualifying for this week’s LPGA Tour opener by two strokes in the qualifying event last Monday.