DAVIDSON, N.C. – Canada’s Adam Hadwin birdied the first six holes on the back nine and shot a course-record 9-under 63 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the Chiquita Classic, the second of four events in the Web.com Tour Finals.

The 26-year-old Hadwin, the Chile Classic winner in March, made putts from 10-16 feet during the birdie run that ended with a two-putt par from 35 feet on the par-4 16th.

“My record was five before today,” Hadwin said. “I think I’ve done it a couple of times playing for fun and stuff. At no point during that stretch did it cross my mind. I was just disappointed I left the seventh birdie putt short on 16 to keep it going. Par seems disappointing after six in a row.”

Hadwin finished fourth on the Web.com Tour’s regular-season money list to earn one of 25 PGA Tour cards. Those 25 players are competing against each other for PGA Tour priority, with regular-season earnings counting in their totals and the final leader getting a spot in The Players Championship.

“I’m going to the tour next year and I’ve got no pressure on me,” he said. “I’m just playing for seeding. I’m going to go out there, stay aggressive, stick to my game plan and whatever happens, happens.”

The other players in the series – Nos. 26-75 from the Web.com Tour money list and Nos. 126-200 in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings – are fighting for another 25 cards based on their earnings in the four tournaments.

John Peterson was second at 65, making eagle putts from 15 feet on the par-5 18th and 3 feet on the par-5 second. He was 179th on the FedEx Cup list.

“I think I changed clubs almost weekly this year,” Peterson said. “It was bad. I switched up caddies, instructors, clubs – everything. It got out of hand. I got caught up in trying to hit fades and play like this guy or swing like that guy. I just got lost of what made me me.”

He retooled his entire golf bag two weeks ago – all 14 clubs.

“I switched back to everything that I had last year,” Peterson said. “They weren’t necessarily the exact clubs, but they were still the same. It’s amazing how the look of something when you’re looking down on it can change your outlook.”

Scott Pinckney, Derek Fathauer and Hudson Swafford were three strokes back at 66. Nick Taylor, Tony Finau, Colt Knost, Jamie Lovemark, David Lingmerth, Kyle Reifers and Oscar Fraustro shot 67.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. needs to continue to play well if he hopes to earn one of the final 25 PGA Tour cards being offered via the Web.com Tour and he did just that Thursday, carding an opening-round 67.

Bud Cauley, a one-stroke winner over Knost last week in the series-opening Hotel Fitness Championship in Fort Wayne, Indiana, opened with a 71.

Five players were unable to finish the round after play was delayed for 70 minutes in the afternoon.

BEON EOIN, NS – Westlake Village, California’s Brandon Hagy shot a 7-under 65 at The Lakes Golf Club on Thursday to take the first round lead at the Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial.

The 23-year old University of California grad is playing the event on a sponsor’s exemption and proved he was worth the selection on Thursday, carding seven birdies, an eagle and two bogeys to lead by one over Grand Rapids, Michigan’s Matt Harmon.

“It’s actually the second time I’ve been here in about two months, so it’s a long way, but I seem to like the place,” said Hagy, referring to his start at the Web.com Tour’s Nova Scotia Open in July in Halifax, where he made the cut and finished T40. “This is my sixth professional event, so it’s still pretty new for me. I’m just trying to get some experience against some good competition.”

Hagy is coming off a brilliant collegiate career that saw him named a 2014 PING All-American, and comes to Cape Breton in search of experience as he sets out on his professional career. With a stretch on Thursday where he went 9-under for nine holes at one point, Hagy said he learned a lot from his opening round.

“That’s one of the toughest things in golf to learn, when you start taking it deep like that how to stick to your process,” said Hagy, noting his bogey on the eighth hole (his 17^th) that dropped him to 7-under. “I didn’t do a great job of it, so it’s something where the only way you can get comfortable in that situation is by shooting those scores more often.”

One shot back of Hagy was Harmon, the current Order of Merit No. 4, whose timely round could see him make a move up the top of the standings this week. All four other members of The Five – Joel Dahmen, Tim Madigan, Brock Mackenzie and Josh Persons – were over par on Thursday, leaving Harmon with a head start in hopes of making a move this weekend.

“I’m just trying to finish out the season strong and maybe pay for some expenses later,” said Harmon, downplaying the race for the top spots on the Order of Merit. “It was nice to get off to a good start, and I’m looking forward to playing in the morning tomorrow.”

One shot behind Harmon was a group of four players at 5-under 67: West Vancouver, B.C.’s Seann Harlingten, Syracuse, New York’s Daniel McCarthy, Jupiter, Florida’s Adam Long and Moscow, Idaho’s Chris Williams.

North Vancouver, B.C.’s Eugene Wong continued what has been a solid 2014 season on Thursday, opening with a 4-under 68, the second best score of the morning wave. Though he’s been consistent with seven made cuts and five top-25s, the 23-year old said he’s looking for more consistency in putting four rounds together.

“I’ve had some struggles on one day, but I think I figured out the reason why I would have one bad round out there. I need to keep it more in play and not be so aggressive,” said Wong, who posted five birdies and one bogey on the day. “Sometimes I push myself too hard to try and catch people.”

With two events to go, Wong finds himself in good position to be rewarded for his 2014 season at 16^th on the Order of Merit. In addition to The Five earning status on the Web.com Tour, the top 10 players at season’s end earn an exemption into the final stage of Web.com Tour Q-School, with the top 20 getting into the second stage.

“My first goal is to be top-10 at least, to get into Final Stage if not second. But yeah, I’m just trying to let my game do all the work,” said Wong. “I try not to think about it. Obviously it’s on the back of your mind, but for me, I know if I play to my abilities I should be able to get in the top five or so.”

CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. – Rory McIlroy felt anything under par was a good score Thursday at Cherry Hills, even if he had reason to expect much better.

McIlroy ran out of par saves late in the opening round at the BMW Championship and had to settle for a 3-under 67, still enough for the world’s No. 1 player to share the lead with Jordan Spieth and Gary Woodland.

Cherry Hills, one of the shortest courses on the PGA Tour when factoring in the mile-high air, held up just fine.

“It’s tricky. It really is,” McIlroy said. “The altitude, we’ve had a couple of days to adjust to that. It’s fine. But these greens have gotten so much firmer over the last 24 hours. I think that’s what is giving the guys just a little trouble out there.”

U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer, Canada’s Graham DeLaet and Sergio Garcia were among those at 68, while Justin Rose wasted a fast start and was at 69. Phil Mickelson, who won the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills in 1990, opened with a 70.

“It reminds me of Augusta in the early `90s, where the course played very short but the greens were the defense,” Mickelson said. “And the greens were very fast, and very firm, and it was very difficult to get the ball close.”

McIlroy ran off four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn to reach 5-under par. He appeared to escape trouble with one of his best par saves of the year, hitting a lofted pitch from the side of a mound that landed just on the green and rode the slope to about 8 feet. He avoided a three-putt on the next hole by making a 7-foot par save.

But that was the end of that.

McIlroy failed to save par from the bunker on the next two holes.

Spieth also ran into his share of trouble, though he countered with six birdies and figured out the nasty combination of soft turf in front of the greens and putting surfaces that felt like they had been mixed with cement.

He blasted driver through the fairway on the 382-yard seventh hole because it offered the best angle into the green. The trick was playing the wedge. It came out low and running, something one would expect to see more in links golf, and it had just enough speed to crawl onto the green and settle a few feet away.

“Today, I had a good short game,” Spieth said with a smile, a strong comment from a guy with one of the best short games in golf.

Woodland made only one mistake when he three-putted from about 50 feet on the fourth hole. He birdied both the par 5s, missing an 8-foot eagle attempt on No. 11, and was equally pleased with a par on the 18th hole, which features a severely canted fairway toward the lake and an uphill approach. Woodland hit 2-iron off the tee and a 6-iron onto the green.

“Probably the firmest golf course we have ever seen,” Woodland said. “The greens, they’re concrete out there. So if we don’t get any rain, it can be pretty interesting by the weekend.”

Just his luck, rain arrived late in the day and suspended the first round with nine players still on the course. They will return Friday morning before starting the second round. The field is only 69 players and there is no cut.

Among those who did not finish was Henrik Stenson, who missed a 4-foot par save on his 17th hole – the par-3 eighth – and fell to 2 under. Jerry Kelly, whose eagle on the final hole at the TPC Boston on Monday enabled him to be the last of the top 70 qualifiers for the BMW Championship, was at 1 under with two holes to play.

The top 30 in the FedEx Cup after this week advance to the Tour Championship in Atlanta, where everyone will have a mathematical shot at the $10 million bonus.

McIlroy has proven himself plenty this year, winning the British Open and the PGA Championship, with a World Golf Championship in between. He is No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings behind Deutsche Bank Championship winner Chris Kirk, though he is assured a clear shot at winning the cup.

Boy Wonder has been saying during these FedEx Cup playoffs that his big year deserves a big finish.

He was hoping for a big round, and almost had one.

“The scoring isn’t that good out there,” he said. “Not that it’s not good, it’s just not that low. It’s tricky. It’s playing a little bit like a U.S. Open. I wouldn’t say it’s quite as difficult as that, but it’s thick rough, especially around the greens, and firm greens. That’s what they need to keep the scoring the way it is.”

McIlroy wasn’t the only player to reference a major championship.

“It felt close to it,” Garcia said. “Obviously, it’s not a long course with the altitude and everything, but a lot of the shots had to be hit perfectly to be able to hit it close to the pin.”

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland – Richie Ramsay of Scotland and Edoardo Molinari of Italy each shot 8-under 62 to lead after the European Masters first round on Thursday.

Both carded bogey-free rounds in the thin Swiss Alps air to finish two strokes ahead of Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and Graeme Storm, and Gareth Maybin of Northern Ireland.

Ryder Cup teammates Jamie Donaldson of Wales and Victor Dubuisson of France were in a group of seven players a further shot back on 5 under.

Thomas Bjorn of Denmark, the third member of Europe’s team playing here who will face the United States in Scotland this month, was among 15 players shooting 4-under 66 on the 6,848-yard (6,262-meter) Severiano Ballesteros course.

Bjorn won two of the past three European Masters titles, and Ramsay was champion in 2012.

Ramsay eagled the par-5 first and birdied the next two holes before reaching the turn in 31 shots.

The Scot carded three more birdies spanning the 12th to 15th. He needed to birdie his last three holes to achieve a tour-record 59.

“On the 16th, I thought that if I could make my birdie putt I’d have a good chance,” Ramsay said. “But once I missed the putt, I obviously knew the game was up.”

Molinari also picked up five shots on the front nine holes, all birdies, and three more on the back nine.

Dubuisson, the world No. 21, is the highest-ranked player in the event co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours.

Like the Frenchman, Donaldson will be a Ryder Cup rookie. He is seeking his second straight victory after winning the Czech Masters two weeks ago.

Ten years ago I was diagnosed with Kidney Disease and now I need a kidney transplant.

Most people don’t realize I have this disease because there are so few visible signs of actual illness. I probably went undiagnosed for a couple of years. From this vantage point, I can look back and see symptoms of kidney disease, which at the time didn’t seem like much at all. Adding them up led to a diagnosis.

Since that diagnosis I have certainly had my share of ups and downs. I take very little medication, which is a good thing. However my Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR), which is how much blood is filtered in the kidneys per minute, continues to drop and now sits at 11%.

I have been on the transplant list since June of 2013, beginning a staggering 8-10 years wait for a cadaver donor. (These are possible because people have decided that if something terrible happens to them—usually an accident—they want something good to come of it. You can sign your donor card by clicking here.

As the disease progresses, without a transplant, my health will eventually decline, forcing me to go on dialysis.

That scares the hell out of me.

I have lost 25 pounds in two years as I struggle with diet and sticking to low sodium, low phosphorous, low potassium and gout triggers. I’m also lactose intolerant and have to stay away from fructose. Ironically, as I’ve lost weight, many people have commented to me how great I look. Some, who haven’t seen me for a while, comment on how thin I am getting.

I find it overwhelming at times. In order to cope with all of this I am taking advantage of counselling provided by the Kidney Foundation so that I am mentally prepared for the next stages . . . I also have to organize my life, so that I have plans in place as my life changes.

When I begin dialysis, I am going to need assistance in the form of a chauffeur, to and from the hospital. I may need some support for daily life, especially when tired out from the disease and treatment.

As I wait for a transplant, I will lose a level of health and well-being. If a live donor could be found, it would be my best chance for avoiding more declines in health and a much better outcome for the rest of my life.

I have found it really hard to imagine asking someone to consider becoming a donor. I know being a live kidney donor is now much easier and less invasive and traumatic to the donor than it was in the past. Surgery used to require a full incision and a long recovery time. Modern medicine now uses laparoscopic surgery with recovery time of 5-7 days.

I am blood type O and will need another O to donate to me. At this time, live donors must know whom they are donating to. But if you are willing to be a donor and are not blood type O, the kidney foundation may be able to set up a ‘domino’ surgery, where donors and recipients who don’t match are matched with others in the same situation, to make a match. Last year there was a donation like this where four live donors each gave a kidney to four people who needed a kidney.

Everyone has two kidneys, but only needs one to be healthy.

There is no long-term consequence to a donor’s health, other than the surgery itself. To see if you can be a donor; first you have to talk with your doctor and if there are no preexisting health issues, you will have some basic medical tests performed ensuring t you are able to be considered as a donor. It takes about six months for the screening process before donation can even be considered.

So there is lots of time to think about it, prepare and be sure this is the right thing for you. If you were wondering if you might be able to be a donor, would you consider taking the first step? Ask your doctor if you might be able to be a kidney donor.

Now my life is all about hoping someone will give me the best gift: the rest of my life.

So despite all of this, I continue to set goals for my future and look forward to life after transplant. My career as a golf professional continues to be my passion in life. Every day I learn new things about the students I teach and coach, creating a fun positive learning environment and more importantly I strive to be better at what I do.

I am grateful for the support of close friends, family, coworkers, members of Willow Park Golf Club and McDougall United Church who continue to be in my life and show a great capacity for caring and kindness. Sharing my story wasn’t easy in the beginning, but lately it has become a necessity if I am to continue to have a decent quality of life in the future.

Ten years ago I was diagnosed with Kidney Disease and now I need a kidney transplant.

Most people don’t realize I have this disease because there are so few visible signs of actual illness. I probably went undiagnosed for a couple of years. From this vantage point, I can look back and see symptoms of kidney disease, which at the time didn’t seem like much at all. Adding them up led to a diagnosis.

Since that diagnosis I have certainly had my share of ups and downs. I take very little medication, which is a good thing. However my Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR), which is how much blood is filtered in the kidneys per minute, continues to drop and now sits at 11%.

I have been on the transplant list since June of 2013, beginning a staggering 8-10 years wait for a cadaver donor. (These are possible because people have decided that if something terrible happens to them—usually an accident—they want something good to come of it. You can sign your donor card by clicking here.

As the disease progresses, without a transplant, my health will eventually decline, forcing me to go on dialysis.

That scares the hell out of me.

I have lost 25 pounds in two years as I struggle with diet and sticking to low sodium, low phosphorous, low potassium and gout triggers. I’m also lactose intolerant and have to stay away from fructose. Ironically, as I’ve lost weight, many people have commented to me how great I look. Some, who haven’t seen me for a while, comment on how thin I am getting.

I find it overwhelming at times. In order to cope with all of this I am taking advantage of counselling provided by the Kidney Foundation so that I am mentally prepared for the next stages . . . I also have to organize my life, so that I have plans in place as my life changes.

When I begin dialysis, I am going to need assistance in the form of a chauffeur, to and from the hospital. I may need some support for daily life, especially when tired out from the disease and treatment.

As I wait for a transplant, I will lose a level of health and well-being. If a live donor could be found, it would be my best chance for avoiding more declines in health and a much better outcome for the rest of my life.

I have found it really hard to imagine asking someone to consider becoming a donor. I know being a live kidney donor is now much easier and less invasive and traumatic to the donor than it was in the past. Surgery used to require a full incision and a long recovery time. Modern medicine now uses laparoscopic surgery with recovery time of 5-7 days.

I am blood type O and will need another O to donate to me. At this time, live donors must know whom they are donating to. But if you are willing to be a donor and are not blood type O, the kidney foundation may be able to set up a ‘domino’ surgery, where donors and recipients who don’t match are matched with others in the same situation, to make a match. Last year there was a donation like this where four live donors each gave a kidney to four people who needed a kidney.

Everyone has two kidneys, but only needs one to be healthy.

There is no long-term consequence to a donor’s health, other than the surgery itself. To see if you can be a donor; first you have to talk with your doctor and if there are no preexisting health issues, you will have some basic medical tests performed ensuring t you are able to be considered as a donor. It takes about six months for the screening process before donation can even be considered.

So there is lots of time to think about it, prepare and be sure this is the right thing for you. If you were wondering if you might be able to be a donor, would you consider taking the first step? Ask your doctor if you might be able to be a kidney donor.

Now my life is all about hoping someone will give me the best gift: the rest of my life.

So despite all of this, I continue to set goals for my future and look forward to life after transplant. My career as a golf professional continues to be my passion in life. Every day I learn new things about the students I teach and coach, creating a fun positive learning environment and more importantly I strive to be better at what I do.

I am grateful for the support of close friends, family, coworkers, members of Willow Park Golf Club and McDougall United Church who continue to be in my life and show a great capacity for caring and kindness. Sharing my story wasn’t easy in the beginning, but lately it has become a necessity if I am to continue to have a decent quality of life in the future.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic golf course faces an uncertain future after a court proposed Wednesday that the under-construction layout should be modified to meet environmental concerns.

Judge Eduardo Klausner, hearing a lawsuit brought against the city of Rio de Janeiro and the course developer, said the defendants had to return Sept. 17 to say if they could accept the proposal. Klausner said work on the course could continue, but no new areas of vegetation could be plowed under.

In recent months, workers have been putting down grass on the course, with the hope of finishing by the end of the year. That would give the turf two growing seasons to mature.

Golf’s return to the 2016 Olympics after 112 years was to be a centerpiece of the Rio de Janeiro Games. But the course has been plagued by legal challenges over land ownership, questions about its location in a nature reserve, and other delays that date almost five years.

Mario Andrada, a spokesman for the local Olympic organizing committee, tried to find an upside.

“We are happy the construction on the course has not been stopped,” he told The Associated Press. He declined further comment.

In a raucous, at times chaotic two-hour-long hearing, Klausner heard from environmentalists, biologists and Rio city hall’s top environmental official, as well as attorneys from both sides.

Klausner played the role of mediator, nudging the public prosecutors, who brought the suit, to offer a proposal that would preserve as much of the Atlantic rainforest area as possible while allowing the course work to continue.

“It is in society’s interests that the Olympics take place and it’s also in society’s interests that the environment be preserved,” he said. “What has to be observed is legality, and within legality is respect for the environment.”

Isabela Lobato da Silva, a forest engineer with the state environment secretariat who visited the forested area before construction on the course began, said that while some forested areas have already been destroyed, the damage was not irreversible. She proposed the creation of a 400 metre-(yard-) wide corridor to allow for the circulation of animals between the wooded areas on either side of the course.

A biologist hired by the developer said that because the course layout has been set, it would prove difficult for it to be modified. The city’s Environment Secretary, Carlos Alberto Muniz, said that 10 days was too short to get approval from all parties including the local organizing committee.

A spokesman for the Switzerland-based International Golf Federation wasn’t immediately available for comment. However, in a recent interview Ty Votaw, vice-president of the IGF, said there were alternative plans if changes demanded them.

“There are contingency plans,” Votaw said, speaking at the British Open. “What they are is not something we’re going to share right now, but there are contingency plans.”

Also at the British Open, Votaw hinted the course was not going be as good as it could be.

“It’s probably not going to be as perfect as our ideal situation would be,” he said.

Course architect Gil Hanse has been encouraged in recent months as grass has been sewn. Organizers hope for a test event late in 2015 or early in 2016.

Activists suggested that financial and real estate interests, and not any real need for a new course, were the behind the push to build the Olympic course. Klausner stated it was not for him to judge the merits of another golf course specifically for the Olympics – Rio already has two.

The developer of the course project is Italy-born Pasquale Mauro, one of the largest landowners in the Barra da Tijuca area.

Plans call for the course, being built in suburban Rio near the heart of most games’ venues, to be public after the Olympics. However, this egalitarian ambition seems at odds with what’s to be built alongside the course on some of the area’s last undeveloped real estate.

A complex of 160 luxury apartments in four 20-story towers is to go up overlooking the course. Prices range from about $2.5 million to $7 million with completion set for a year after the Olympics end.

Environmental activist Marcello Mello, who has been campaigning against the golf course, hailed the proposal as a victory, though he added “we wanted to see the entire course moved.”

KARUIZAWA, Japan – Canada’s trio combined for a 5-under 139 to retain their two-stroke lead following Thursday’s second round of stroke play at the Iriyama course at Karuizawa 72 Golf East.

Brooke Henderson, a 16-year-old Smiths Falls, Ont. native, led the team for a second straight day with a 3-under 69. The National Amateur Squad member struggled out of the gate with a bogey on the par-4 3^rd, but countered with four birdies in her next eight holes.

Henderson, this year’s U.S. Amateur runner-up, was pleased with being able to fight back after struggling out of the gate.

“It was a slow start, the first few holes I was 1-over but I was able to get my game back a little bit,” said the world’s no. 2 ranked female amateur. “The birdie at the last really saved my round and got it into the 60s – any day in the 60s is a good day.”

Brittany Marchand, an Orangeville, Ont. native, posted a 2-under 70 as the team’s second lowest score on the day. The 22-year-old National Team member carded a crucial birdie on 17 to help maintain the two-stroke lead.

“I had quite a lot of opportunities coming up the last stretch and I was just missing them, lipping out, just missing the edge, so to make one on 17 was really good for my own confidence going into tomorrow,” said the 5^th year N.C. State student.

Augusta James, 21, struggled with a 4-over 76 after carding a 69 in the opening round. The Bath, Ont. native remains optimistic with the team format after her score was discounted as the highest of the three.

“We talked a lot this week about taking care of ourselves individually and focusing on each shot of our own game, which in the end will help the team,” said the 2014 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion. “I will continue to focus on that for the next two days.”

Team captain, Liz Hoffman, acknowledged the team’s slow start but credited the overall determination of the girls to get back to where they want to be.

“What I saw today in Brooke, Augusta and Brittany was just tremendous determination, they really worked hard at focusing and playing every shot to the best of their ability – I’m very proud of the team today,” said Hoffman.

She also credited the team’s success to their preparation, and direction from National Team Head Coach, Tristan Mullally.

“We do a lot of learning and work in prepping for each round,” she said. “We watch very carefully what each player is doing, how the ball is reacting, and we try to gain some advantage from that.”

Canada holds a two-stroke lead over Japan at 12-under par, who are closely followed by defending champion Korea at 11-under par.

The Canadian contingent is back on the Oshitate course tomorrow, scheduled for the late tee-off times, beginning at 11:05 a.m. (JST). They will be grouped with Japan and Korea.

Click here for team scoring.

Click here for individual scoring.

CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. – Phil Mickelson and Geoff Ogilvy were eager to get to Cherry Hills for the BMW Championship, for reasons more than just advancing to the third FedEx Cup playoff event.

Mickelson is part of the history at the fabled club in the Denver suburbs.

Ogilvy had only read about it. He took a day off from golf and spent more time with his nose in a book than with a club in his hand.

“I did a little more research on Cherry Hills. It’s supposed to be pretty good,” he said Tuesday night. “Hogan hit 34 greens in a row on Saturday playing with Nicklaus, and then he spins it off 17 with what was nearly a perfect shot. I just want to see how impressive that was, to be honest with you.”

He was talking about the 1960 U.S. Open, the great convergence of three generations – Ben Hogan and his last good shot at a fifth U.S. Open title, Arnold Palmer’s most celebrated charge that began with a driver onto the first green, and the debut of Jack Nicklaus, a 20-year-old amateur who easily could have won that day.

“Not many courses have the history of Arnold Palmer driving a par 4,” Ogilvy said. “I just want to see it.”

Mickelson has experienced it.

Of the 69 players who advanced to the BMW Championship, no one knows Cherry Hills better than Mickelson. He played six matches in 1990 on his way to winning the U.S. Amateur when he was a college kid with his collar turned up and even more bravado than he has now.

On the first hole in one of his matches, it was taking so long because of rulings that Mickelson conceded his opponent a 35-foot par putt, and then rolled in a short birdie. He could only recall four of the six players he beat that week, though he remembers trying to drive the first green every day because that’s what Arnie did.

“I’m pretty excited to get back to Cherry Hills,” Mickelson said. “There’s an emotional tie there for me.”

And for all of them, there is work to be done.

The BMW Championship, which starts Thursday after a Labor Day finish outside Boston, is the final chance for 30 players to advance to the Tour Championship with all its perks, from a mathematical shot at the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus to a spot in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open next year.

Chris Kirk went to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup with his victory in the Deutsche Bank Championship, which assured him a clear shot at the $10 million even if it wasn’t good enough for U.S. captain Tom Watson to select him for the Ryder Cup.

The more compelling stories are those on the bubble, and no one feels more at home there than Ogilvy.

He missed the cut in The Barclays and was certain he would not be among the top 100 who reached the second playoff event. But he made it to Boston – by two points – when Troy Merritt missed a 10-foot par putt on the final hole at Ridgewood, and hours later, Brendon Todd made a 15-foot par putt on the same hole.

“I thought I was going to be a week-and-a-half into my drinking season at this point,” Ogilvy said.

He thought the same thing at the TPC Boston until he started making just about every putt he looked at over the last 27 holes. Ogilvy briefly was tied for the lead, and his 65-65 finish gave him a tie for second. But even that contained some drama.

Ogilvy was alone in third until Russell Henley made a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to tie him. Then, Billy Horschel missed a par putt after hitting into the hazard, and Ogilvy wound up in a three-way tie for second.

Because of the points distribution, Ogilvy went from No. 30 after Henley made his putt to No. 24 after Horschel missed his putt.

“I found myself quite interested in Billy and Russell,” he said. “Normally, I wouldn’t. At a normal tournament, you would finish and say, `OK, this was a good week and move on.’ But the FedEx Cup makes you think about that stuff. In a 20-second period, I go from third on my own to tied for third and then tied for second.”

And with that good fortune comes more pressure.

Given the breaks he required to get to Boston, much less Denver, Ogilvy felt he was playing with house money. Now, he is close enough to East Lake – and a return to the Masters for the first time in three years – that it has his full attention.

“Not only is it a realistic proposition, I kind of have to mess up not to get there,” he said. “Before I said it was house money. Anything I did last week was a bonus. Now I’m back in the mix for the whole thing.”

Another guy on the bubble is Canada’s Graham DeLaet. The Weyburn, Sask. is the lone Canuck left in the PGA Tour’s playoffs. He’s currently 43rd on the FedEx Cup standings and will need a good finish to climb into the top 30 and advance to the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

Inspiration can be found almost anywhere. In this case, look no further than the nine-year-old daughter of Steve Careau, Director of Golf at The Grand Vallon in Beaupré, Qué.

Frédérique, just nine years old, took the initiative to shave her head in front of 90-plus participants in a Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru event last month. Thanks to her remarkable courage, Frédérique raised $2,695 (a third of the event’s total donations) to be donated towards the Québec Breast Cancer Foundation.

Golf Canada is hosting the Golf Fore the Cure National Event on Sept. 22^nd at Carrying Place in King, Ont. to celebrate accomplishments like Frédérique’s, and the program’s success this season.

To learn more about Golf Fore the Cure National Event, click here.