ZANDVOORT, Netherlands – New dad Paul Casey shot a four-under 66 Sunday to win the KLM Open at 14 under, a single shot ahead of fellow Englishman Simon Dyson.

Casey’s win came less than two weeks after his partner gave birth to their first son.

“First tournament as a dad and first win as a dad,” Casey said after his victory at the Kennemer Golf & Country Club.

Casey looked to be cruising to victory before recording his only bogey of the day at the par-three 15th. He followed that with a wild tee shot on the 16th but his second shot out of the rough landed wide and bounced onto the green, giving him two putts for par.

Dyson, looking for his fourth KLM Open title, birdied the 18th to move within a shot of the lead, but Casey comfortably closed out with pars on the 17th and 18th for his 13th European Tour title.

Andy Sullivan completed an all-English top three, thanks in part to a hole-in-one on the 15th which won him a 100,000-euro seat on a commercial flight into space offered by a sponsor.

Casey set up his win with a blistering 62 on Saturday, when he came within inches of the European Tour’s first ever 59. An eagle on his final hole, the par-four ninth, would have meant a 59 and his second shot narrowly missed the cup before spinning off the green and leading to a bogey.

Casey began Sunday’s round four shots behind overnight leader Romain Wattel, but the young Frenchman could only manage a 74 in his final round while Casey shot four birdies on the front nine followed by a birdy and bogey coming home.

“My game plan was to have as much fun as we could,” Casey said. “We tried to concentrate on every single shot, but relax and be aggressive if we could.”

Ontario’s Performance Camps powered by Under Armour begin on Saturday, with over 30 of the province’s top juveniles showcasing their talent at Whistle Bear Golf Club, a Junior Golf Development Centre in Cambridge.

The event, now in its third year, consists of a two-day training camp designed to both coach and scout juveniles, an age group in need of guidance leading up to potential years of high performance activity.

In previous years, Golf Canada and Under Armour ran the events in conjunction with the CN Future Links Championships, which restricted coaching efforts prior to the tournament.

Robert Ratcliffe

Robert Ratcliffe, Team Canada’s Lead Development Squad Coach, is running the event again this year but with more of an emphasis on coaching and instruction.

“In the past we gathered a ton of feedback and testing results, but there wasn’t a lot of coaching” said Ratcliffe, who was in China last month to coach Canada at the Summer Youth Olympics. “This year we pushed the camps back to September, out of tournament season, to give more freedom for coaching and instruction.”

Ratcliffe will have support from five PGA of Canada professionals, who will be on hand assisting at the various stations created throughout the camp. Each teaching professional is fully certified under PGA of Canada’s Coach of New Competitor context.

“These camps give us a great opportunity to look ahead and gather some data on younger players,” said Ratcliffe. “We don’t normally get access to the juvenile age group, and these camps really help us discover these players from a national standpoint.”

The Western Camps took place last week at the Golf Canada Calgary Centre, featuring the top talent from British Columbia and Alberta.

GARDEN CITY, Kan. – Taiwan’s Min Lee won the Symetra Tour’s Garden City Charity Classic by a stroke Saturday to wrap up a 2015 LPGA Tour card.

The 19-year-old Lee closed with a 3-under 69 to finish at 6-under 210 at Buffalo Dunes. She earned $15,000 to jump from ninth to fourth on to the money list with $53,487. The top 10 next week after the season-ending Symetra Tour Championship will get LPGA Tour cards.

“This win means I am close to the LPGA Tour,” Lee said. “I’m just speechless. … This is super cool, I can’t wait to tell my family and all my friends in Taiwan. The LPGA is the biggest stage in women’s golf and I am now closer to my dream.”

Canada’s Jessica Wallace and Australia’s Rebecca Artis tied for second. Wallace finished with a 71, and Artis shot 72.

Venezuela’s Veronica Felibert was fourth at 4 under after a 70. She jumped from 11th to 10th on the money list.

LPGA Tour winner Meaghan Francella caddied for Lee.

“She played great, it is cold and windy and I just told her to focus on the targets and hit great golf shots,” Francella said. “She hit a ton of great golf shots today and I kept telling her that she has no idea how good she is. … She is definitely ready to play on the LPGA Tour. She is one of the best ball-strikers I have seen.”

Lee won a week after tying for second in the Mayetta, Kansas, event to move from 13th to ninth on the money list.

“It’s my first professional win and I’m definitely happy for that,” Lee said. “This is my father’s birthday present, it’s his birthday next week and I won a tournament so he will be very happy.”

LONDON, Ont – Overcoming winds upwards of 40 kilometers per hour and cool temperatures, Minnesota native Clayton Rask recorded a 5-under-par 67 to take the 54-hole lead Saturday at the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial at Sunningdale Golf & Country Club. Rask, with a 12-under-par 204 total for the week, leads Vancouver’s Ryan Williams by two strokes and Langley, B.C.’s Adam Cornelson by three.

The TOUR Championship of Canada is the 12^th and final event of the 2014 PGA TOUR Canada season. The top five players on the season-long Order of Merit following Sunday’s round will earn status on the Web.com Tour in 2015. Current Order of Merit leader Joel Dahmen is T27 through 54 holes after rounds of 71-71-73. The two-time winner Dahmen holds a $20,776 lead over No. 2 Timothy Madigan, and is guaranteed to finish No. 1 with a solo fourth or better this week.

Starting the day three strokes behind Williams after opening 71-66, Rask posted three consecutive birdies to start the round and made the turn at 5-under-par 31 after two additional birdies.

“It’s the second day in a row I’ve gotten off to a birdie-birdie-birdie start,” said Rask. “The greens were awesome, and the course was fantastic. The grounds crew put in a heck of a job to have it the way it is. It was fun. I’ve been putting really well and hitting the ball really well.”

His back nine included one birdie and one bogey on the 18^th hole to complete his 67. On the weather, Rask harkened back to his prep days in Minnesota.

“I kind of grew up in this stuff, and kind of enjoy it,” he said. “You’re out there trudging around in the mud and I just enjoyed it. Growing up in high school, it’s spring golf. It’s snowing and raining and sleeting. I feel confident and I have fun in this.”

Currently No. 43 on the Order of Merit, Rask could climb as high as sixth with a victory and the $27,000 first prize. A finish between Nos. 6-10 on the money list would exempt him into the final stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying School in December. Making his 36^th career PGA TOUR Canada start this week, Rask is seeking his first victory, his previous best finishes being second in both 2009 and 2010. This season, Rask’s best effort to date has been a tie for 10^th at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel.

“I learned my lesson out on the Web.com Tour when I got out there (in 2011),” said Rask when asked about the opportunity to move up in the Order of Merit this week. “I was worried about that top 25, and there’s nothing you can do about it. That’ll take care of itself if I go out there, play well and win or finish top five.

The 54-hole leader Williams fell off the pace slightly with an even-par 72, one day after a bogey-free 65. His round included four birdies and four bogeys.

“It was a tough day, whenever I made a bogey, I just tried to stay patient,” said Williams. “I knew there would be a few birdie chances with some of the downwind holes and par-5s, but it was a grind out there.”

Cornelson, Williams’ close friend and roommate, has confidence heading into the final round after finishing T5 and T15 the last two weeks.

“I’m going to draw off those experiences I’ve gained the last few weeks,” he said. “I know I can do it, and I’m just going to take it one shot at a time.”

Williams and Cornelson will both climb into the top 10 in the Order of Merit with a victory on Sunday. Williams has an outside shot of climbing as high as fifth depending on what current No. 5 Greg Eason does in the final round.

ATLANTA – Rory McIlroy made up a two-shot deficit on Billy Horschel at the Tour Championship on Saturday, setting up a $10 million showdown to end the PGA Tour season.

McIlroy overcame a pair of three-putt bogeys by rolling in a 25-foot eagle putt on the 15th hole, and closing with a tough chip from thick grass behind the 18th green that allowed him to save par for a 3-under 67.

Horschel led by as many as three shots during the third round at East Lake until he dropped two shots on the back nine and had to settle for a 69.

They were at 9-under 201. And they had plenty of company in what was shaping up as one of the most enticing finishes in the eight-year history of the FedEx Cup.

Jim Furyk, winless since he captured the FedEx Cup four years ago, had a 67 and was two shots behind. He would have to win to have any chance of joining Tiger Woods as the only multiple winners of golf’s biggest bonus.

Rickie Fowler (67), Justin Rose (66) and Jason Day (70) were three shots behind.

“It’s going to be an exciting day,” Horschel said after posting his 11th consecutive round in the 60s during the FedEx Cup playoffs.

McIlroy has been losing a little energy since that high-charged performance that carried him to major titles in the British Open and PGA Championship, with a World Golf Championship sandwiched in between. He knows he’s already had the best year, and he would like nothing better than to end it right.

“I’ve come here with the ultimate goal of trying to cap it off and trying to put an exclamation point on it or the icing on the cake or whatever you want to call it,” McIlroy said. “Would it be poetic justice? I’d feel really good about it.”

McIlroy says he hasn’t been playing his best, certainly not at the same level as Hoylake or Valhalla, where he won his two majors. But he was good enough. He three-putted the par-3 second hole, missing a 3-foot putt. He had to make a 4-footer to avoid his third four-putt in two weeks.

But all was forgotten when he drilled a 5-iron from 209 yards up the hill on the par-5 13th to the back collar of the green, just over 25 feet from the flag. He knocked that in for a share of the lead, and then hung on with pars.

Horschel, coming off a runner-up finish at the TPC Boston and a victory last week at Cherry Hills, stretched his lead to three shots with a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 8 and matching two-putt birdies with McIlroy at the ninth.

Both players made bogey on No. 10, and McIlroy appeared to be in more trouble at the par-3 11th until the world’s No. 1 player chipped to 8 feet and saved par, and Horschel missed his 15-foot birdie attempt.

“My short game really saved me today,” McIlroy said. “I think the par putt on 11 was a big momentum putt in the round after three-putting 10 and Billy being in there pretty close and just narrowly missing for birdie. I think being able to hole that par putt was big.”

The top five seeds at the Tour Championship – Horschel is No. 2, McIlroy is No. 4 – only have to win the Tour Championship to capture the FedEx Cup. This is the first time that two top-five seeds are in the final group of the final tournament of the year.

Furyk doesn’t need to do the math. He only knows he has to win, and that was his priority after another year of close calls. Ditto for Fowler (No. 9) and Day (No. 10).

“Really all you can ask for going into the week is to be in a position to win Sunday,” Fowler said. “The tournament is really going to start tomorrow on the back nine. I know pretty much most of the scenarios for me. I know if I win I’ve got a pretty good chance. I know there’s some possibilities of some extracurricular activities if certain things line up properly.”

He was referring to the most bizarre possibility of all – if Fowler and McIlroy are tied at the end of regulation, there would be a sudden-death playoff to determine who wins the Tour Championship. And if Fowler were to win the tournament in that case, there would be another playoff to decide the FedEx Cup and the $10 million.

Fowler first would have to make up three shots on McIlroy, which is not easy under any circumstances. And while McIlroy is running low on fuel, there’s only lap left.

“I just want to win,” McIlroy said.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – South Korean teenager Hyo-Joo Kim emerged from a third round riddled with errors by contenders to lead the Evian Championship by a stroke on Saturday and in sight of her first major.

Kim hit four bogeys on the front nine before recovering for a 1-over 72. That she regained the lead was a legacy of her remarkable 61 on Thursday, the lowest score in major history, and her rivals also dropping on the leaderboard.

Karrie Webb mixed four birdies with three bogeys in a 1-under 70, leaving the 39-year-old one shot behind Kim and with a great chance of an eighth career major.

“Really just hung in there. The conditions were challenging today with the breeze,” Webb said. “I did a really good job and finished the last four in 2 under. That really made my round.”

Mi-Jung Hur of South Korea was two behind Kim at 6 under overall.

Overnight leader Brittany Lincicome of the U.S. dropped four shots off the lead after a 6-over 77, which featured two double bogeys and a triple bogey within the first seven holes.

“Hopefully tomorrow I can shoot a couple under par and see if I can get it back around,” said Lincicome, the 2009 Kraft Nabisco champion.

Kim was aged 11 when Webb won her last major: The Kraft Nabisco in 2006, the year she won Evian before it was a major.

“Just happy to be in this position. It’s been a while,” Webb said. “Haven’t gotten too down on myself when things haven’t been going well, which has helped me.”

Kim is in the first year of a physical education course at Seoul University. Ranked 20th in the world, she leads the Korean LPGA money list with three wins.

Anna Nordqvist of Sweden, the 2009 LPGA Championship winner, is three behind Kim in a tie for fourth with Mariajo Uribe of Colombia.

Nordqvist double-bogeyed the perilous 17th. As the ball flew over the green on her second shot she muttered, “You’re kidding me.”

Hur has even more reason to rue a triple bogey on the 16th – her only, but costly, mistake.

Hur made the Evian field by tying for ninth at the Portland Classic two weeks ago and earning $23,262 to move up to 93rd on the money list. She has one U.S. LPGA Tour title, five years ago, and has not finished higher than 25th in a major.

Suzann Pettersen, the defending champion, started the day level with Webb, and four behind Lincicome.

But the Norwegian’s chances of a third major took a dive. She was exasperated after a double bogey on the 17th and finished with 74 to drift five shots behind Kim in a tie for 10th, alongside top-ranked Stacy Lewis of the U.S., and five-time major winner Inbee Park of South Korea.

Lewis’ day ended with two bogeys, while Park fought hard for a commendable 2-under 69.

If it was frustrating for Lewis, it was torturous for Lincicome, chasing her first title since 2011.

She opened with two bogeys and triple bogeyed on the seventh. Her ball landed in the bunker, her escape shot rolled back in; and she got out on her second attempt as the ball nearly crept back down.

“There is so much silly sand in these bunkers,” she said.

The 17th caused problems all day, and Lincicome over-hit from the fairway and the ball rolled downhill into the rough.

Uribe found herself in trouble on 18 as her approach landed in the water. Taking her shoes and socks off, she splashed the ball out of the pond for a bogey finish.

KARUIZAWA, Japan – Team Canada made it interesting down the stretch but could not catch the Americans, falling short by two strokes to finish second at 36-under par at the 2014 men’s World Amateur Team Championship at Karuizawa 72 Golf East.

Canada, which began the day six strokes behind U.S.A., fought back to hold a share of the lead going into the 18^th hole, with Canada’s Corey Conners and America’s Bryson Dechambeau left as the final group.

Both players hit their drives in the fairway on the 443-yard, par-4. DeChambeau played first and hit a 50-degree wedge from 110 yards. Conners’ approach settled 35 feet from the hole on the back collar.

“I didn’t know about the scores and I wasn’t sure if his (score) would be counting or not,” Conners said. “There was never a doubt that he was going to make it. It was a pretty nice looking putt.”

Conners left his birdie attempt short, which set the stage for DeChambeau’s winning birdie.

“I knew where we stood when I was on the 18th tee box and I knew that I needed a birdie on the last,” said DeChambeau, an All-American at Southern Methodist University, “I striped my drive and hit a wedge in there and nailed that nine-footer. I said that I needed to make birdie and I went out and made birdie”.

Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C. (69-69-66-65 –269) and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont. (66-69-67-68—270) combined for a final round 11-under 137 on the Iriyama Course. Team Canada teammate Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont. (68-67-69-70—274) shot a non-counting final round 70 to round out the trio.

In the end, Canada settles for their fifth silver medal in men’s World Amateur history (’06, ’78, ’64, ‘62), one week after the Canadian women’s squad of Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.), Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.) and Augusta James (Bath, Ont.) placed second in the Women’s World Amateur Championship.

“We fought back really hard today,” said team captain, Graham Hill. “We knew that we were going to have to play well to have a chance and we played great and brought it right to the last hole. Obviously, it didn’t work out the way that we wanted but we’re really proud of the guys for the way they played and the way they handled themselves. It’s a good finish for us, disappointing not to win but we’re happy with it.”

The United States, which won the Eisenhower Trophy for the 15^th time, took the lead after the third round as DeChampeau, No. 30 in the Men’s World Amateur Golf Ranking™, carded a record-setting low score of 61. Teammate Denny McCarthy, No. 14 in the WAGR™, led the Americans individually, finishing fifth at 19-under par.

Sweden was fourth at 538; Argentina was fifth at 539; Australia, England and France were tied for sixth at 540; Scotland was ninth at 542 and Switzerland was 10th at 544. Japan, the host team, finished tied for 29th.

Svensson, 20, finished seventh individually to lead the Canadians. The Barry University sophomore, ranked No. 49 in the WAGR™, finished at 17-under par, six strokes back of medalist Jon Rahm of Spain. Rahm, a student at Arizona State University, broke the individual scoring record with a 23-under 263. The previous mark for low individual score for 72 holes was held by golf legend Jack Nicklaus, who shot 269 in 1960.

“We’re pretty disappointed right now but we’re proud,” said Svensson. “The three of us played under par every day so I’m happy about that.”

The World Amateur Team Championship is a biennial international amateur competition conducted by the International Golf Federation (IGF), which comprises 137 national governing bodies in 131 countries. The competition, which is being held for the 26th time, is rotated among three geographic zones: Asia-Pacific, Americas and Europe-Africa.

This year’s event is hosted by the Japan Golf Association. The teams play for the Eisenhower Trophy. The IGF is the international federation for golf for the International Olympic Committee and will conduct the Olympic golf competition in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. In each round, the total of the two lowest scores from each team constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day (72-hole) total is the team’s score for the championship.

The 2016 World Amateur Team Championship will be played in Cancun, Mexico.

—

CANADIAN INDIVIDUAL SCORES

7. Adam Svensson, Surrey, B.C. (69-69-66-65—269)
T8. Corey Conners, Listowel, Ont. (66-69-67-68—270)
T19. Taylor Pendrith, Richmond Hill, Ont. (68-67-69-70—274)

Click here for team results.
Click here for individual results.

LONDON, Ont. – Vancouver’s Ryan Williams carded a 7-under 65 on Friday at Sunningdale Golf & Country Club to take a one stroke lead through 36 holes at the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial.

The 33-year old was bogey-free on Sunday, matching his low round of the season to reach 10-under through two rounds, one clear of Kalamazoo, Michigan’s Erik Barnes and two clear of playing partner and travelling companion Adam Cornelson. With one event to go to make the most of his 2014 season, Williams said he was firing on all cylinders this week in London.

“I worked a little harder this week than I think I have in the previous weeks,” said Williams. “The game’s clicking right now, but you know, it’s only two days and I’ve put myself in a good position for the weekend. It should be fun.”

Williams comes to Sunningdale with two top-10s and four top-25 finishes on the year, but seven missed cuts, including four by a single shot. The seven-year PGA TOUR Canada veteran said the frustration got to him at times this season, but that he knew he was on the verge of playing well with one week to go.

“This TOUR is so good and so competitive and the cuts are so low, you can play well and miss a cut,” said Williams. “It’s hard to get down on yourself about it, but you gotta keep going with the flow. I think this week took a lot of pressure off me that I didn’t have to feel like I was grinding another cut out here and I could go play four days.”

Barnes, who shared the first round lead with Matt Marshall, birdied three of his final four holes to get within one of Williams and get in Saturday’s final pairing.

“I just stuffed it, honestly, on three of the last four holes,” said Barnes. “I had a three-footer and a four-footer on the last two holes for birdies, and hit it on in two on 15 and two-putted. It was a good finish.”

Langley, British Columbia’s Cornelson, who was also bogey-free with a 67 on Friday, was one shot further behind at 8-under, while Iowa’s Nate McCoy, Minnesota’s Clayton Rask and Oregon’s Matt Marshall were within three at 7-under.

FRIENDLY PAIRING YIELDS LOW SCORES FOR WILLIAMS AND CORNELSON
Adam Cornelson and Ryan Williams share much in common. For example, they’re both PGA TOUR Canada regulars from the Vancouver area who will room together on road trips; they’re staying with London-based golf writer Robert Thompson this week; and they played together on Friday in the day’s third-to-last pairing.

That, and they’ve been lights-out through 36 holes at the TOUR Championship of Canada.

“We play so much golf together, with practice rounds and back home on the Vancouver Golf Tour being paired together a lot. It was comfortable pairing,” said Williams. “I think we both were excited. Last time we were paired together was back in the day when it was called the Canadian Tour.”

The friendship between the two is one that comes from sharing the experience of the ups-and-downs on PGA TOUR Canada, with each one often caddying for the other in the event of a missed cut. At a combined 18-under through 36 holes, great golf is just another thing they have in common this week.

“Playing with Ryan, we room together and it took a bit of the stress out of the situation for sure. He’s a good friend of mine and I was excited when I saw the pairing,” said Cornelson. “It was fun to talk about different stuff than golf, and watching him play well really helped me too.”

EASON LOOKING TO PUT CHASE FOR NO. 5 AWAY
At No. 5 on the Order of Merit, PGA TOUR Canada rookie Greg Eason has a target on the back as the bubble boy to earn Web.com Tour status for next season. With rounds of 70 and 68 heading into the weekend, the 22-year old is close to taking any drama out of the equation as the field looks to chase him down.

“I’ve obviously been thinking about that, but I’m trying not to. Hopefully I can just put it out of my mind for two more days,” said Eason, who sat tied for seventh position at 6-under par. “I’ve played some nice golf so far. I’m really pleased with the start. Yesterday wasn’t easy at all, and I’m in a good position for the weekend.”

Eason was an NCAA All-American this past Spring with the University of Central Florida, and despite not having a win – the only player in the top eight on the Order of Merit without one – has had a whale of a rookie year, with three top five finishes and seven top-25 results.

“It’s been nice to have that parking spot this week,” said Eason, referring to a reserved spot with his name and Order of Merit position on it. “If I can just take care of things internally, then externally they’ll sort themselves out. I feel like I’ve played nicely. I’ve not really done anything crazy bad yet. I think I’ve played pretty solid, so hopefully that continues.”

The Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation launched a twitter campaign to raise funds in support of the Golf in Schools program.

Running until September 21, the Foundation will donate $1 for every twitter follower gained at the ‘@Fore_Kids’ twitter handle.

The Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation is focused on improving the health and wellness of children and supporting the development of junior golfers at all stages.

Golf in Schools was developed in 2009 by Physical Health Education (PHE) Canada in partnership with Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada. Since its inception, the program has been delivered to over 2,500 elementary and high schools across Canada.

“It is fantastic to receive support from Graham and his foundation for this great cause,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “Having Canada’s no. 1 golfer support the future of golf in Canada really says a lot.”

The Golf in Schools program consists of safety-approved golf equipment, along with a relevant teaching resource for teachers to deliver the lesson plans to students.

Click here to follow @Fore_Kids.
Click here to learn more about Golf in Schools.

ATLANTA – Billy Horschel showed why he might be the hottest player in golf at the moment with another 4-under 66 on Friday in the Tour Championship. It was his 10th straight round in the 60s. He already has a victory and a runner-up finish in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

And now he gets to take on the best player in golf.

Rory McIlroy rode three big putts and one bizarre break – a tee shot landed in a spectator’s pocket – on his way to a 65 that left him two shots behind and put him in the final group at East Lake going into the homestretch of the FedEx Cup.

At stake for both of them – along with Chris Kirk – is a shot at the $10 million bonus.

“I’m a guy that when I feel good about my game, I’ve got some confidence that I’m going to figure out some way to play well and post a number,” Horschel said.

That he has done.

Horschel is 35 under par in his last 10 rounds. He was runner-up at the Deutsche Bank Championship two weeks ago, when he squandered a shot to at least get into a playoff by chunking a 6-iron into a hazard. And he followed that with a victory in the BMW Championship at Cherry Hills.

And now he has a pair of 66s, putting him at 8-under 132 at East Lake.

McIlroy made his only bogey with a buried lie at the face of a bunker on No. 4, causing him to blast out sideways. He bounced back with birdies, and poured it on at the end of his round with a 12-foot par save, a 20-foot birdie and a 25-foot birdie.

And then there was his par on the 14th, which looked ordinary only on paper. His tee shot drifted right into the pine trees, clattered around and dropped straight down. No one knew where it went until a fan realized it had fallen into the front pocket of his shorts.

PGA Tour rules official Robby Ware made sure the fan had not moved, and McIlroy was given a free drop under Rule 19-1-a.

Retrieving the ball? McIlroy wasn’t going there.

“I know how sweaty my pockets are. I’m not going into anyone else’s,” McIlroy said. “I need to stop hitting it off line. Things happen there.”

McIlroy was joined by Jason Day, who made bogey on his last hole for a 67; and Kirk, who made two bogeys on the back nine that offset a run of four straight birdies around the turn for a 68.

Kirk, Horschel and McIlroy are among the top five seeds in the FedEx Cup, meaning a victory would guarantee the $10 million bonus.

McIlroy seized the No. 1 ranking by winning the British Open, a World Golf Championship and the PGA Championship in successive starts. He was the top seed going into the FedEx Cup, though because the points are reset for East Lake, the 25-year-old from Northern Ireland always knew it would come down to the Tour Championship.

As much as he wants to end a great year on a high note, McIlroy appears to be playing with no concerns.

“Before coming into these FedEx Cup playoffs … it was going to be a great season, anyway,” he said. “I wanted to cap it off in style, and I’ve given myself a chance to do that over the next two days. I’m going into this week with nothing to lose. I’m the one that’s got the two majors this year. I’m the one that’s had the great season. Those are the guys that are trying to cap off a great season for themselves.

“No matter what happens over the weekend, it’s going to be OK,” he said. “But I still want to win this thing.”

McIlroy and Horschel first mixed it up seven years ago when they were amateurs at the Walker Cup. Horschel beat him in singles on the 18th hole, and the next morning teamed with Rickie Fowler in a foursomes win over McIlroy and Jonny Caldwell. Horschel was shouting and pumping fists, as he always does, and it rubbed McIlroy the wrong way. In the final singles session, McIlroy beat him 4 and 2.

That was a long time ago. Neither harbors a grudge.

McIlroy has gone on to win four majors at age 25 – only Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Bobby Jones have done that – while Horschel picked up his second career win last week. They last played together as pros at the Honda Classic this year, where McIlroy had rounds of 66-63 and Horschel missed the cut.

“He’s a good buddy,” Horschel said. “If I happen to come out on top and we’re battling out these next two rounds, that means a lot. The guy won three straight events in a row, and two of them happened to be majors. I think that’s pretty impressive. He’s at that stage where when you’re able to go toe to toe with one of the best players and the No. 1 ranked player in the world and you’re able to come out on top, that gives me a lot of confidence.”