ATLANTA – Rory McIlroy hit a tee shot Friday that temporarily disappeared into a spectator’s pocket.

McIlroy’s drive on the 14th hole at the Tour Championship ricocheted out of a pine tree and dropped straight down. No one knew where it was until a fan realized it was in his shorts pocket. PGA Tour rules official Robby Ware made sure the fan had not moved after the ball went into his pocket. McIlroy was given a free drop under Rule 19-a-1 and went on to make par.

McIlroy let the fan retrieve the ball. He said, “I know how sweaty my pockets are. I wasn’t going into anyone else’s.”

A year ago at the PGA Championship, Jonas Blixt hit a tee shot that landed in a fan’s back pocket.

ZANDVOORT, Netherlands – Pablo Larrazabal broke the course record at Kennemer Golf & Country Club on Friday, shooting an eight under 62 to take the lead at the halfway stage of the KLM Open at 10 under.

The Spaniard got off to a blistering start, birdying his first six holes, and did not drop a shot until a bogey on his 17th hole of the day, the par three eighth. He followed that with another birdie to break the Kennemer Golf & Country Club course record by a shot and go to 10 under after two rounds.

The red-hot opening had Larrazabal thinking about shooting a 59.

“I knew I had to make five more birdies to reach that magic number,” he said. “Maybe I put too much pressure on myself.”

Romain Wattel of France also got off to a strong start on the back nine with four birdies on his way to a five under 65 to take him into second place, level with Edoardo Molinari, who recorded his second consecutive round of 66 to put him two shots behind Larrazabal.

Defending champion Joost Luiten struggled to a level par 70 – mixing three birdies with as many bogeys – to drop to a tie for seventh, five shots off the lead.

“I wasn’t quite sharp enough. I hit the ball too far from the flags,” Luiten said. “Then you have to make long putts and I didn’t do that.”

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – Brittany Lincicome had six birdies in a 6-under 65 to take a one-shot lead from Hyo-Joo Kim of South Korea at the halfway stage of the Evian Championship on Friday.

The 28-year-old American has won a major before, the Kraft Nabisco in 2009, but clinched the last of her five LPGA titles in 2011 at the Canadian Women’s Open.

“Even when I felt like I didn’t hit a good shot today I kind of got away with it,” she said. “Golf isn’t always a perfect game and hitting great shots.”

She finished second behind South Korea’s Inbee Park at this year’s LPGA Championship, when she also led after 36 holes.

“At this point I would take any win. It’s been a while,” Lincicome said. “When I’m playing well, it’s just kind of light and easy and just having a good time, going with the flow, and not paying attention to the leaderboard.'”

Lincicome’s relaxed frame of mind is down to an unusual practice technique – whereby she hits balls bare-footed on the driving range.

It may seem eccentric, but the reason is to stop her driving too hard.

“It just slows it down, my tempo. Obviously I can’t swing as hard as I would like to with no shoes on because I will fall,” she said. “It makes me swing a lot slower, which is really good for me. With a driver I tend to want to hit it really hard, and with no shoes on I can’t do that.”

This has not gone unnoticed.

“It’s funny, because (U.S. player) Laura Diaz came over to the range,” Lincicome said. “She’s like, `Two questions: Why are you practicing and why don’t you have your shoes on? Because a lot of players know I don’t like to practice.”

Park, meanwhile, is tied for 20th at 1-under and drifting out of contention for a sixth major.

The day after making history with the lowest ever score in a women’s or men’s major with a 10-under 61, Kim had four bogeys and rescued her round with three birdies on the back nine – including a 35-footer on the last hole.

“I feel a little bit angry,” Kim said.

Countrywoman Mi-Jung Hur is three shots behind Lincicome, while veteran Karrie Webb of Australia and defending champion Suzann Pettersen of Norway are four shots back. The 39-year-old Webb is chasing an eighth major – her last was the Kraft Nabisco in 2006 – while Pettersen is eyeing a third.

One shot behind them are No. 1-ranked Stacy Lewis of the U.S., 17-year-old Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn.

Lincicome also has an outside chance to also win the inaugural Rolex Annika Major – named after retired Swedish great Annika Sorenstam and honoring the player with the best overall record in the five majors.

Players have to win a major to qualify, however.

Michelle Wie, the U.S. Women’s Open champion, leads the standings with 84 points but she withdrew during Thursday’s first round with a recurrence of her right index finger injury.

Lincicome, who had three birdies each on the front and back nine, is eighth with 24 points and now needs results to go her way.

So-Yeon Ryu, the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open champion, was disqualified for a breach of the rules.

After she damaged her putter by slamming it against her shoe and bending the shaft, she subsequently used it to tap the ball in. But it is forbidden to use a club that was damaged other than in the normal course of play.

Canada’s Alena Sharp missed the 36-hole cut mark, finishing at 16- over 158 (78-80).

Earlier this week I had the chance to play in PGA TOUR Canada’s TOUR Championship of Canada Pro-Am at Sunningdale Golf Club in London, Ont.

It’d been quite a while since I’ve been a part of any sort of pro-am environment (four years to be exact) and being on the other side of the spectrum for so long, either caddying or playing as a professional, I took for granted how neat the experience is for an amateur golfer.

Now, I’m a little biased, but I really had a great group to play in. Paired alongside SCOREGolf’s equipment expert Rick Young and CTV London’s Peter Uzzi we had a late switch out for our pro and lucked out by getting paired with Canada’s Cory Renfrew of Victoria, B.C.

Cory’s a past champion on PGA Tour Canada and for never meeting the majority of our group before, he fit in with our rapid-fire question filled media group right from the start, easily answering Young’s confusing lie-loft angle questions like a true pro.

After being introduced by Golf Canada’s pro-am starter Len Obokata’s booming voice off the first tee at Sunningdale our group was off to Renfrew’s drive in the left rough, 65 yards in front of everyone else, which was a common trend the entire day.

What I find the most fun about the pro-am experience and golf in general is that you can show up to any tee anywhere and make new friends with complete strangers over the course of a round.

The amount of connections and contacts I’ve made over my short 27-year lifespan playing golf is astounding and Tuesday’s experience only added to my list. Being paired alongside any pro like Cory, a stranger and now new friend (Peter) and an industry mentor (Rick) certainly made for a memorable day.

There is such a fine line between what defines a guy like Cory Renfrew from being on the PGA Tour tomorrow. Each of the 60 players teeing it up at Sunningdale this week could be on tour with one lucky break, a hot-streak or maybe even a little more funding. All of these guys can play and you can hear it when they hit the ball.

The sound that comes off a great players clubface is very unique. The amount of times Peter marveled at the noise that echoed off Renfrew’s Titleist driver made me smile – he was simply astounded at how effortless and easy every ball flew off that clubface.

On top of watching these guys effortlessly navigate their ball around the course, what’s maybe the most fun is getting the chance to interact with any of them as they’re on their way up.

As I mentioned earlier, there’s a fine line separating the 60 players at Sunningdale from the big leagues. It’s pretty cool to imagine that if Renfrew wins this week our group got to play with the guy that earned his full-time Web.com Tour card and will likely make an appearance on the PGA Tour someday soon.

At the end of the day our group ended up at the top of the leaderboard after a smooth 53 thanks to Peter sinking two birdie putts on par-3s for net hole-in-one’s. We all shared a lot of laughs that morning, plenty of fist bumps and I’m sure all of us will remember the experience for many years to come… especially when Cory gets his next win.

KARUIZAWA, Japan – Team Canada’s trio combined for an 9-under 133 on the Oshitate Course to sit in a tie for third after 54-holes at the World Amateur Team Championship at Karuizawa 72 Golf East.

Overall, the Canadian contingent sits at 25-under par, tied for third with Spain, three strokes behind second place Sweden, and six back of the leading Americans.

U.S.A made a surge up the leaderboard thanks to Bryson DeChambeau’s record-setting 61. DeChambeau closed out his round with six consecutive birdies to lift the Americans into sole possession of first place.

The Canadians were led by Adam Svensson, a 20-year-old Surrey, B.C. native. Svensson, entering his junior year at Barry University, carded a 5-under 66 that was highlighted by a string of four birdies over six holes on the back nine. He currently shares a tie for 17^th on the individual leaderboard.

The other Canadian score counting for the day was posted by Listowel, Ont. native Corey Conners. This year’s U.S. Amateur runner-up recorded a 4-under 67, with an eagle on the par-5 15^th. The 22-year-old Kent State graduate leads the Canadians individually at 12-under par in a tie for 8^th.

Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont. shot a non-counting 69 as the team’s highest score for the day. He shares a tie for 17^th with Svensson and three others.

The Canadians will look to make a run at the lead in tomorrow’s final round on the Iriyama Course. They tee-off starting at 11:35 a.m. (JST), grouped with Sweden and the U.S.

Click here for team scoring.
Click here for individual scoring.

ATLANTA – Rory McIlroy is perplexed his remarks on Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson being on the “last few holes” of their careers caused so many headlines.

McIlroy was asked on the eve of the Tour Championship whether Woods and Mickelson not being eligible for the 30-man field represented a changing of the guard. He disagreed, saying that Woods was injured most of the year and Mickelson had played well in spots but was going through a long stretch.

Noting their ages (Woods is 38, Mickelson is 44) and injuries, he said they were “getting into sort of the last few holes of their careers.”

He went on Twitter that night to explain what he was asked and what he said.

“I was going through Twitter last night and it was like, `Hold on, did I say something bad here?’ I don’t think I did,” McIlroy said Thursday after opening with a 69. “Look, I know Tiger and Phil really well. I get on really well with both guys. I’ve said much worse to Tiger before.”

McIlroy and Woods recently made the rounds on talk shows together.

McIlroy said Wednesday:

“Phil has played well in parts this year. He came really close to winning the PGA. I feel like he’s gotten a little better as the year has went on. But it’s a lot of golf for him to play in such a short space of time. So you could see he was getting a little tired the last couple of weeks. And, I mean, Tiger’s not here just because he’s been injured or he is injured. He hasn’t had the opportunity to play.

“But I think if he gets back and when he gets back to full fitness, you’ll see him back here again. So I’m not sure … they’re just getting older. Phil’s 43 or whatever he is and Tiger’s nearly 40. So they’re getting into the sort of last few holes of their career. And that’s what happens. You get injured. Phil has to deal with an arthritic condition as well. So it obviously just gets harder as you get older. I’ll be able to tell you in 20 years how it feels.”

McIlroy said he didn’t feel he had to defend himself, but that his tweets were to clarify his remarks.

“I thought I was very complimentary,” he said. “I said the only reason Tiger wasn’t here was he didn’t have the opportunity. I wasn’t writing him or Phil off at all. … I didn’t say anything out of line or wrong.”

Asked if he felt as though he needed to explain his remarks to Woods, McIlroy smiled and said, “I’ve said worse to his face.”

LONDON, Ont. – Portland, Oregon’s Matt Marshall and Kalamazoo, Michigan’s Erik Barnes carded matching 4-under 68s on Thursday at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club to share the first-round lead at the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial.

With cold, windy weather moving in overnight and staying for the duration of the day, the pair were among just 23 players to shoot under par at Sunningdale. The leading score at 68 represents the highest first-round lead of the season on PGA Tour Canada, with Marshall indicating the conditions forced the field to adjust and play with caution.

“You knew going into the round it was going to be difficult. I just tried to really stay patient,” said Marshall. “I had a real conservative game plan. Just a lot of fairways and greens, and on some holes you’re just playing for par.”

One shot behind the early leaders was a group of six players at 3-under 69, including British Columbians Ryan Williams, Adam Cornelson and Eugene Wong, as well as California’s Sean Shahi, Florida’s Jay Myers and Burlington, Ontario’s Michael Gligic.

MARSHALL FREES UP GAME WITH ’15 STATUS SECURED
Entering last week’s Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial, Matt Marshall knew his season – and a place to play in 2015 – was on the line.

The 29-year old began the week 59th on the Order of Merit, but finished tied for 29th to stay inside the top 60 at No. 55, earning a spot in the field in London along with exempt status for the 2015 season.

“Last week was tough on me. Very stressful, and this week feels like I can just go out and play some golf,” said Marshall.  “Last week it felt like my season for next year was determined by every shot. It’s tough to keep that going for four straight days.”

With four rounds guaranteed this week, Marshall said he was able to get out of his own way, leading to his 4-under 68 to share the first round lead.

“This week has a total different feel because there is no cut, and you can just kind of let it go,” said Marshall. “I felt no pressure and knew I could just go kind of play some golf.”

GLIGIC CONTINUES STRONG STRETCH RUN
With three top-6 finishes in each of his last three starts, Michael Gligic has been heating up at the right time late this season. At No. 9 on the Order of Merit, the 24-year old is the highest Canadian on the Order of Merit and can still play his way into The Five, needing at least a solo fourth place finish this week.

“I feel like I have pretty good control of where it’s going,” said Gligic after a 3-under 69 on Thursday that left him tied for third. “I played well. The conditions were tough. I was hitting a lot of club into the greens and just kind of managing myself well.”

With a solo fourth place finish at The Great Waterway Classic, a playoff loss at The Wildfire Invitational presented by PC Financial and a tie for sixth at last week’s Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial, Gligic said he’s getting valuable experience and becoming more comfortable in and around the lead.

“Last week I mentioned how I was really comfortable, even going into the final round,” said Gligic. “A couple of weeks prior I felt a little uncomfortable in the final group in Kingston just because it was kind of unfamiliar, having not been there in a while. I’ve definitely settled in and feel more comfortable under the gun.”

WET WEATHER HAMPERS START OF PLAY, BUT DOESN’T DETER BC NATIVES ON DAY ONE
A little cold and rain was no problem on Thursday for Vancouver-area natives Adam Cornelson and Ryan Williams on Thursday, with the pair matching each other at 3-under 69 to share third place.

“This is Vancouver in November, really,” said Williams, brushing off the challenge of some West coast winter-type weather.

“This is pretty good for the Canadian boys with this weather, but I’m happy with the round, and happy it’s done,” added Cornelson.

The wet weather wasn’t limited to Thursday’s play, either. With heavy overnight rains pushing back the start of play two hours on Thursday, the greens crew at Sunningdale – and a few other area clubs who pitched in to help – worked hard to get the course in shape, with the efforts drawing the compliments of the players.

“I think they did a great job getting play ready for today,” said Williams. “You could tell there were a lot of puddles around the course, but I don’t think anyone was complaining about the conditions.”

“There was so much rain last night, the grounds crew did a phenomenal job for us to even play. They rolled good and smooth, and my hat’s off to the grounds crew,” the 26-year old added.

Brian McCann made a dramatic 12-foot par putt on the final hole to win the PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada presented by Titleist & FootJoy.

The 39-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., shot a three-day total of 6-under-par 210 for the one-stroke victory over G.W. King of Thornbury, Ont., and Mississauga, Ont.’s, Nick Kenney.

“I had 60-yards to the pin on (hole) 18 and with the golf course being this wet, I got the club stuck in the ground,” McCann said about his approach to the par-5 finisher at The Ridge at Manitou in McKellar, Ont. “So, then I have this 10 or 12-yard shot to get up and down and I didn’t really hit that one well either. But I knew I had to make par to win the golf tournament and I made it right in the middle.”

With the dramatic victory, the Brampton Golf Club PGA assistant professional becomes a two-time winner of the PGA Assistants’ Championship, hoisting the trophy previously in 2010.

McCann’s final round 1-under-par 71 included a pair of birdies on the front nine and a lone bogey on the par-5 13th.

“I played good golf all day and my only bogey came from 79-yards on a par-5 when I pulled it left of the green and didn’t get up and down,” he says. “But other than that it was pretty good. I think I only missed three greens all day.”

Thursday’s final round started with McCann, the PGA of Canada’s No.1-ranked player Billy Walsh and two-time PGA Assistants’ Championship winner Bryn Parry all tied for the lead. However, a triple-bogey eight on the par-5 opener by Walsh and three double-bogeys by Parry over the final 10 holes led to over-par rounds, effectively derailing their chances to capture the championship.

Kenney and King on the other hand put together final rounds in the red. Kenney went three under over his last five holes to get to five under for the championship (and two under for the day), while King made six birdies and an eagle on the last en route to his final round 1-under-par 71.

Walsh, who won the PGA Assistants’ Championship last year in Saskatoon finished fourth at 4-under, with Parry rounding out the top five at 3-under.

Edmonton’s Adam Bruce and Alf Callowhill of Burlington finished tied for 6th at 2-under, while Michael Gonko of Sudbury, Ont., wound up alone in eighth place at 1-under for the championship.

For the full leaderboard, click here.

In the InterZone competition (compiled of four players on each team representing their respective PGA Zone) the squad from Ontario (Walsh, McCann, Kenney and Jim Kenesky) ran away with the title winning by 20 strokes. Team Quebec finished second and Alberta third.

ATLANTA – Chris Kirk and Billy Horschel took a big step Thursday toward the biggest payoff in golf.

Both players already have won FedEx Cup playoff events to earn the top two seeds going into the Tour Championship. Playing together in the last group at East Lake, they both made late birdies and were tied for the lead at 4-under 66.

If either of them were to win the Tour Championship, they would capture the FedEx Cup and the $10 million bonus.

Masters champion Bubba Watson isn’t out of the mix just yet. He made bogey from the bunker on the last hole for a 67 and was one shot behind, along with Jim Furyk, Patrick Reed and Jason Day.

Rory McIlroy made enough par saves to grind out a 69.

ZANDVOORT, Netherlands – Defending champion Joost Luiten fired a 5-under-par 65 and has a share of the clubhouse lead at the KLM Open after the first round was interrupted when Fabrizio Zanotti was hit on the forehead by a wayward tee shot on Thursday.

Zanotti was driven off the Kennemer course in an ambulance for checks at a nearby hospital after being hit. The Paraguayan later tweeted he was discharged from the hospital and would be taking “a couple of weeks off.”

Thanks a lot to all the players for the messages and especially to Ricardo Gonzalez and @FelipeAgui for being always with me!!!

— Fabrizio Zanotti (@fabrizanotti) September 11, 2014

The nearly two-hour suspension caused by Zanotti’s injury did not faze Luiten, who was even par when play stopped. He shot three birdies and an eagle over his last seven holes.

“That’s how I would like to start every tournament,” Luiten said.

The Dutchman started on the 10th tee and had eight straight pars before birdieing the 18th and giving up the stroke immediately with a bogey on the first.

He parred the second before play was halted and then made his move.

“I stayed patient and got my chances,” he said. “I had a few good holes at the end. Holes six, seven and eight are a corner where you can score well, especially today with the wind behind you.”

Jamie McLeary of Scotland was also at 5 under when his round was suspended by darkness with two holes to finish early Friday.

McLeary birdied his final hole of the day, the seventh, to draw level with local favorite Luiten.

Former French amateur champion Gary Stal and Italians Edoardo Molinari and Andrea Pavan were a shot back at 4 under.

Zanotti was playing the 16th hole, his seventh of the opening round at the Kennemer club, when he was struck by a ball hit from the 14th by Alexandre Kaleka.

Players Felipe Aguilar and Ricardo Gonzalez accompanied Zanotti to the hospital. All three players withdrew from the tournament.

Zanotti, who won the BMW International Open in June, had one bogey and a birdie to put him at even par when he was hit.