Freedom 55 Financial has announced it will be supporting rising Canadian star and Web.com Tour rookie Mackenzie Hughes as well as the Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA).

“We’re thrilled to partner with Mackenzie and are excited to watch him evolve as a professional golfer,” said Mike Cunneen, Senior Vice-President, Freedom 55 Financial. “As a Canadian organization that focuses on supporting individuals in achieving their goals and dreams, it’s a privilege for us to help up-and-coming Canadian golfers pursue their own aspirations.”

As a CJGA National Partner, Freedom 55 Financial will also take the title rights to the Clinics for Kids program. Held during CJGA events, Clinics for Kids is designed to invite and encourage youth from local communities to learn the foundations of golf through fun and informative clinics run by certified CJGA staff and PGA of Canada professionals.

The CJGA is a six-stage developmental program open to junior golfers aged 5 to 19 at all skill levels across Canada.

A member of the CJGA Alumni Association, Hughes will become an ambassador for the Clinics for Kids programs and provide tremendous value and input into its growth and development.

“I owe a lot of gratitude to the CJGA for kick-starting my career. It was always so amazing and humbling how the CJGA was so driven to provide a supportive avenue for kids to hone their golf skills and develop a love and respect for the game,” said Hughes.

As the Clinics for Kids ambassador, Hughes will be involved in the program from coast to coast.

“Our association with Mackenzie and the CJGA Clinics for Kids program is a great fit with our brand values of inspiring freedom, confidence and optimism for the future,” Cunneen said. “Together, these sponsorships will help us reach young people across Canada to help them achieve their freedom, whatever that may be.”

Hailing from Dundas, Ontario, Hughes was a standout amateur. A former member of Golf Canada’s national team, Hughes is a two-time Canadian Amateur Champion. Hughes is also an alumnus of Kent State University where he had an outstanding career on the men’s golf team. After a breakthrough campaign on PGA TOUR Canada in 2013, where both his modest personality and skilful performance turned many heads; Hughes is quickly ascending as one of Canada’s top touring professionals.

During his standout rookie season on PGA TOUR Canada, Hughes recorded four top-10 finishes, including a victory at the Cape Breton Celtic Classic. For his superior play throughout the year, Hughes captured the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year award as PGA TOUR Canada’s top Canadian player. Finishing first on the Order of Merit, Hughes gained fully exempt status on the Web.com Tour in 2014.

Freedom 55 Financial is also presenting sponsor of the TOUR Championship of Canada, PGA TOUR Canada’s marquee event, which is conducted by Golf Canada.

PGA TOUR Canada event generates $2.3 million in economic activity in Nova Scotia

In September of 2013, when PGA TOUR Canada played the inaugural Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial in Sydney, N.S., the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance (CSTA) conducted an economic impact study on the event and found the combined spending of visitors and event organizers in producing the event reached $1.0 million, which supported over $2.3 million of economic activity in Nova Scotia and $1.5 million in Sydney alone.

The event supported 23.7 jobs in the province paying $722,000 in wages and salaries, and total taxes supported by the event reached $463,000. In total the net economic activity (GDP) was $1.1 million in the province, of which $656,000 was in Sydney.

“We’re extremely pleased with the findings of the study completed by the CSTA,” said PGA TOUR Canada President Jeff Monday. “Leaving a positive impact in the communities where we play is essential to what we do, and having data to show how much of an impact this tournament made will help us as we look to grow the TOUR in Canada.”

The tournament, which saw 156 professional golfers from nearly 20 countries compete for a $150,000 purse, was the penultimate event on PGA TOUR Canada’s inaugural season, and is one of 12 events on the 2014 schedule.

The inaugural Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial was held at The Lakes Golf Club in Ben Eoin, just south of Sydney, from September 2-8, 2013 and conducted by SDI Marketing Inc. In addition to the 156 up-and-coming professional golfers, the tournament featured 205 Pro-Am participants and drew hundreds more each day in spectators. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ontario was the eventual champion, earning the $27,000 winner’s prize and propelling him to the top spot on the 2013 Order of Merit, earning him full status on the Web.com Tour for 2014.

In measuring the economic impact of the golf tournament, participants and spectators at the event were surveyed as to their role, origin, length of stay, and spending in Sydney, Nova Scotia.  Additionally, the economic impact study looked at the investments made by the event organizers in hosting the tournament.

A link to the full results of the study can be found here. The 2014 Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial will take place September 1-7, returning to The Lakes Golf Club in Ben Eoin.

GolfBoards coming to Canada

Thunderbird Sports Management Inc. is the first golf course operator to bring the GolfBoard to Canada.

The Ottawa-based company will make GolfBoard available at two of its courses – eQuinelle Golf Club in Kemptville, Ont. and Thunderbird Sports Centre in Kanata, Ont. – starting this spring.

What began as a campaign on Kickstarter in late 2013, the GolfBoard was the darling of the PGA Merchandise Show that wrapped up in Orlando, Florida on January 24, where it was named “Best New Product.”

Powered by an advanced Lithium-ion battery, the GolfBoard is a single-person vehicle that a golfer rides between shots. The golfer controls the acceleration and braking using a controller, while the golfer’s body guides the steering.

British Columbia Golf to host free Handicap System webinars

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Tiger Woods doesn’t sound too worried over matching his worst score in America on a course where he had won eight times.

“I wouldn’t read anything into what happened Saturday at Torrey Pines,” Woods said Tuesday after an 18-hole exhibition for past winners of the Dubai Desert Classic.

Woods was the defending champion at the Farmers Insurance Open when he sent seven straight holes making bogey or worse – including consecutive double bogeys for the first time in more than two years, on his way to a 79 as he missed the 54-hole cut.

“It was just one of those days that happens, and it was one of the trains I just couldn’t get off,” said Woods, who was speaking for the first time since the third round in San Diego on Saturday. “There was nothing different with my ball-striking today (Tuesday) compared to last Saturday.”

Woods had three early birdies in the “Former Champions Challenge,” but lost momentum and finished with a shot into the water for double bogey on the par-5 18th hole. He shot 71 and tied for eighth.

Henrik Stenson, who won the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai last year, and Rafa Cabrera-Bello of Spain, each had 66. They tied for first and each earned $250,000. Rory McIlroy and Alvaro Quiros tied for third at 68.

Woods said he spent Sunday at home in Florida working on his putting before heading to Dubai.

He is a two-time champion of this event and has finished no worse than fifth all but one time in six appearances. That was in 2011, his worst year as a pro.

“I went home and had a nice day off,” Woods said. “Worked on putting a bit in the backyard and that was it. I am not that far off. It’s just that I had one bad day, and that happens.”

Woods will play the opening two rounds with McIlroy and defending champion Stephen Gallacher. Woods played the Tuesday exhibition with Gallacher and Fred Couples. He said he hasn’t played with Gallacher since the 1995 Walker Cup at Royal Porthcawl. Woods and John Harris defeated Gallacher and Gordon Sherry in a foursomes match.

Woods and McIlroy also played together a year ago in Abu Dhabi, where both of them missed the cut. Woods was one shot inside the cut until being assessed a two-shot penalty for taking what he thought was a free drop from an embedded lie in a sandy area.

McIlroy began his season two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi and finished one shot behind. He was penalized in the third round for not taking full relief from an area marked ground under repair.

Since 2006, committees have had the option of adopting a Local Rule under the Rules of Golf to allow players to use Distance Measuring Devices (DMD’s) that measure or gauge distance only. See note to Rule 14-3 of the Rules of Golf.

Since the introduction of the Note to Rule 14-3, the use of DMD’s has not been permitted at Golf Canada championships.  That decision has been ratified at the Rules Committee meeting held during the Golf Canada Annual General Meeting (AGM) each year and their use will again be on the agenda next month.

Golf Canada’s Rules Committee will meet in London, Ont. during the association’s AGM in early February, where they will discuss if DMD’s will be allowed at Golf Canada’s 2014 amateur events. The decision will be shared following the conclusion of that meeting.

Recently, the R&A’s Championship Committee has decided it will allow the use of distance measuring devices (DMDs) in R&A amateur events in 2014.

This Local Rule will be introduced for The R&A’s amateur events only.  It will not be introduced for The Open Championship or any qualifying event for The Open Championship.

For more information on the Rules of Golf, please click here.

To ask a Rules of Golf question, please click here.

For more information on how to proceed in various Rules of Golf situations, guidance on the Golf Canada Handicap System and more, please consult our Rules of Golf publications – for purchase in Golf Canada’s eStore, or at your local book retailer.

It was great to see Canada’s Graham DeLaet finish runner-up at Torrey Pines and the 2014 Farmers Insurance Open. The Weyburn, Sask. native narrowly missed earning his first PGA Tour victory, tying for second just a single shot back of eventual winner Scott Stallings.

During final round coverage of the championship, a highlight from a past broadcast sparked a rules debate, specifically with reference to Rule 17, The Flagstick.

The fuel for said rules debate was provided courtesy of a CBS flashback to the 2011 Farmers Insurance Open, where Phil Mickelson needed to hole his approach for an eagle on the 72^nd hole to force a playoff.  Mickelson sent caddie Jim ‘Bones’ MacKay forward to attend the flagstick as he prepared for his eagle opportunity from approximately 75 yards. Here’s footage of the play.

The Ruling:

Rule 17-1 (Flagstick Attended, Removed or Held Up), provides the following explanation of actions pertaining to attending the flagstick:

Before making a stroke from anywhere on the course, the player may have the flagstick attended, removed or held up to indicate the position of the hole.

If the flagstick is not attended, removed or held up before the player makes a stroke, it must not be attended, removed or held up during the stroke or while the player’s ball is in motion if doing so might influence the movement of the ball.

Based on the standards set forth in Rule 17-1, Mickelson was entitled to have Bones attend the flagstick and was required to have him do so before he made his approach shot.  You’ll notice that Bones does a diligent job of vacating the area where he was attending the flagstick, in an effort to avoid a breach of the Rules, under Rule 17-3 (Ball Striking Flagstick or Attendant), which states:

The player’s ball must not strike:

a. The flagstick when it is attended, removed or held up;

b. The person attending or holding up the flagstick or anything carried by him; or

c. The flagstick in the hole, unattended, when the stroke has been made on the putting green.

Exception: When the flagstick is attended, removed or held up without the player’s authority – see Rule 17-2.

PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 17-3:

Match play – Loss of hole; Stroke play – Two strokes and the ball must be played as it lies.

Interestingly enough, while some thought Mickelson and Bones pushed the envelope on having the flagstick attended in this situation, the player and caddie are also entitled to also indicate a line of play, under Rule 8-2 (Indicating Line of Play).  Given that Mickelson’s ball lay off the green, he would be entitled to have Bones touch the putting green to indicate a line of play as long as any mark placed to indicate the line of play is removed prior to the stroke being made.  This situation is contemplated in Decision 8-2b/3, which states:

Caddie Touches Putting Green to Indicate Line of Play Before Player Chips from Off Green

Q. The caddie of a player who is preparing to play a chip shot from off the putting green touches the green with a club to indicate the line of play. What is the ruling?

A. There is no penalty. The prohibition against touching the putting green to indicate the line of play applies only if the player’s ball lies on the putting green.

While the mid-handicapper might not benefit from such advice, indicating a line of play, you can see from the video that Phil is dialed-in to within mere yards of the flag on his approach.

Back to the 2014 Farmer’s Insurance Open… Marc Leishman did provide a worthy attempt to hole out, just as Phil did circa 2011, to force a playoff with Stallings. Like Phil, he too missed.

Next time you find yourself looking to hole out, be sure to exercise your rights under Rules 8 and 17.

For more information on the Rules of Golf, please click here.

To ask a Rules of Golf question, please click here.

For more information on how to proceed in various Rules of Golf situations, guidance on the Golf Canada Handicap System and more, please consult our Rules of Golf publications – for purchase in Golf Canada’s eStore, or at your local book retailer.

UXBRIDGE, Ont. — The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) has announced the formation of three regional junior teams comprised of some of the best under 17 athletes in the province, a first for the association.

The GAO Team Ontario program was formerly was made up of a under 19 and under 17 team, now the provincial team features the 12 best under 19 athletes, regardless of age, while three regional teams in the Ottawa, York and Waterloo regions have been set up for an additional 36 male and female athletes under the age of 17. Twelve players will comprise each regional squad.

The teams were created in the Fall of 2013, based on combines held in the three regions. Each region features a head coach and a strength and conditioning coach to help the athletes train during the winter months.

“The GAO is thrilled to be expanding the pool of talented athletes and coaches in Ontario and the opportunity to enhance our support to members clubs and families in all parts of this great province,” said GAO Managing Director, Sport Mike Kelly. “As we inch closer to golf’s return to the Olympic program in 2016 and 2015 Pan-Para Pan-Am Games in Toronto, investments like these will clear the path for podium performances in the near future, hopefully paved in gold.”

The program will run from November to March and is comprised of 11 three-hour training sessions – approximately two per month. The teams will conclude the program with a five-day training camp and Regional Team Competition during March Break in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Team Ottawa

Team Ottawa is made up of athletes from Ottawa and surrounding area stretching from Almonte to Kingston. The team is led by Head Coach Adam Holden, a PGA Canada and PGA Australia Class ‘A’ Professional.  Holden is in his 12^th year coaching at the Kevin Haime Golf School in Kanata. Allen Hicks is the team’s strength and condition coach. He brings more than 20-years of experience as a physiotherapist and strength coach.

Team Ottawa consists of:

• Jake Bryson, 14, from Dunrobin, a GAO Public Player
• Christopher Carwardine, 14, from Kanata and Kanata Lakes Golf & Country Club
• Ty Celone, 14, from Long Sault and Summerheights Golf Links
• David Iaderosa, 15, from Ottawa, a GAO Public Player
• James Parsons, 15, from Almonte and Mississippi Golf Club
• Tyler Read, 13, from Brockville and Brockville Golf & Country Club
• Nicolas Valiquette, 15, from Cornwall and Canadian Golf & Country Club
• Sarah Cushing, 14, from Brockville and the Brockville Golf & Country Club
• Danielle Humilde, 14, from Greeley and Greyhawk Golf Club
• Lilian Klekner-Alt, 15, from Ottawa and Camelot Golf Club
• Diana McDonald, 15, from Kingston and Loyalist Country Club
• Kiley Rodrigues, 13, from Kingston and Cataraqui Golf & Country Club

Team York

The York team pulls together athletes from the Toronto area as far east as Peterborough and the Oakville area in the west. They are coached PGA of Canada Class ‘A’ Professional Jeff Overholt. Overholt has worked with Team Ontario in the past and is the Head Coach of the Toronto North Junior Golf Development Centre.  He was named 2013 Coach of the Year by the PGA of Ontario. Kathryn Robinson is the team’s strength and condition coach. Robinson is currently the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Specialist at York University.

Athletes on Team York  are: 

• Kyle MacDonald, 15, from Oakville and Rattlesnake Point Golf Club
• Sam Meek, 15, from Peterborough and Kawartha Golf & Country Club
• Nicklaus Naumovski, 14, from Halton Hills and Brampton Golf Club
• Lachlan O’Hara, 14, from Mississauga and Credit Valley Golf & Country Club
• Jerry Anderson; Mathew Suarez, 15, from Toronto and Mad River Golf Club
• James Wyndham-West, 15, from King City and King’s Riding Golf Club
• David Yoon, 15, from Richmond Hill and Station Creek Golf Club
• Delana Basanisi, 13, from Mississauga and Trafalgar Golf Club
• Ellice Hong, 14, from Thornhill and Glendale Golf & Country Club
• Hailey McLaughlin, 12, from Markham and Cedar Brae Golf & Country Club
• Alexandra Naumovski, 16, from Hornby and Brampton Golf Club
• Emily Zhu, 9, from Richmond Hill and Station Creek Golf Club

Team Waterloo

The Team Waterloo region includes Kitchener-Waterloo and everything south and west to the U.S. boarder. Mike Martz, PGA Class ‘A’ Professional, is the Head Coach for this team. He has more than 25 years of experience. Most recently Mike has become Certified as a Coach for New Competitors and trained as a Coach for Developing Competitors with the PGA of Canada and Golf Canada. The team’s strength and conditioning coach is Angella Lee. She is currently the strength and conditioning coach of the Whistle Bear Junior Team in Cambridge.

The athletes on the team are:

• Jackson Bowery, 16, from London and Greenhills Golf Club
• Drake Jefferson, 15, from Bayfield and Bluewater Golf Club
• Vince Friyia, 15, from Niagara Falls and St. Catharines Golf Club
• Mackenzie Raines, 14, from Kitchener and Whistle Bear Golf Club
• Thomas Code, 16, from Dorchester, GAO Public Player
• Justin DiCienzo, 13, from Niagara Falls and St. Catherines Golf Club
• Sparky MacLean, 14, from Niagara Falls and St. Catherines Golf Club
• Madeline Marck-Sherk, 16, from Ridgeway and Bridgewater Golf & Country Club
• Isabella Portokalis, 12, from London and London Hunt and Country Club
• Haley Barclay, 13, from Strathroy and Sawmill Creek Golf
• Kristen Giles, 13, from Georgetown and Cutten Fields
• Taylor Kehoe, 9, from Strathroy and Whistle Bear Golf Club

SAN DIEGO – In a tournament that was up for grabs, Scott Stallings hit a 4-iron worthy of a winner Sunday in the Farmers Insurance Open.

Stallings was in a five-way tie for the lead when he hit his second shot on the par-5 18th hole as hard as he could. It was enough to barely clear the water, and he took two putts from 40 feet for birdie and a 4-under 68 at Torrey Pines.

That was enough for a one-shot victory when no one could catch him.

It was the third career PGA Tour victory for Stallings, who earned a return trip to the Masters and should move high enough in the world ranking to qualify for the Match Play Championship next month in Arizona.

K.J. Choi had the best score of the week on the South Course with a 66 and was among those – including Saskatchewan’s Graham DeLelaet – who tied for second. The pins were set up in favourable positions for birdies, making the course play the easiest it had all week.

But that didn’t make it easy – not for Gary Woodland, Jordan Spieth, Pat Perez and so many others who squandered a good chance to win.

Woodland appeared to have the best chance to catch Stallings. He was one shot behind – with plenty of length to reach the 18th in two – until he chose fairway metal off the tee on No. 17 and hooked it into the canyon. He felt he had to make his 45-foot par putt to have any chance, and three-putted for double bogey. Woodland, who had a one-shot lead going into the final round, missed an easy birdie attempt on the 18th and closed with a 74.

“This will be hard to swallow,” Woodland said. “I felt like I kind of gave one away today.”

Marc Leishman of Australia had the last chance to force a playoff, but his drive on the 18th went well right and bounced off the cart path and a fan. He had no shot at the green in two, and his wedge for an eagle stopped a few feet to the side of the hole. His tap-in birdie gave him a 71 and a share of second.

Stallings finished at 9-under 279.

Jason Day (68) and Graham DeLaet (68) each made birdie on the last hole to tie for second. So did Perez, the San Diego native who grew up at Torrey Pines and whose father is the longtime starter on the first tee at the Farmers Insurance Open. Perez missed a 10-foot birdie chance on the 17th. He closed with a 70.

“It’s great and bad,” Perez said about his runner-up finish. “This is the one I want to win more than anything in the world, and I came up short. … I thought today would have been my day. I would like to be in that position again.”

Spieth didn’t make a birdie over the last 15 holes, and he fell back with back-to-back birdies late in the round. The 20-year-old Texan made a meaningless bogey on the last hole that only cost him a spot in the top 10. By then, his day was over. He closed with a 75.

“I just lost control of the golf ball,” Spieth said.

He also revealed that he tweaked his ankle Friday and felt it kept him from getting into the right position on his back swing.

Woodland went from a chance to win to a tie for 10th.

Deep into tournament, nearly 20 players were separated by only two shots. It was similar to when Jimmy Walker won the Sony Open two weeks ago in Honolulu, emerging from the pack with a late burst of birdies.

Stallings made six birdies over his last 11 holes, along with a pair of bogeys. Most remarkable is that he managed to hit only four fairways in the final round. But one that he did was important – the 537-yard closing hole, giving him a chance to get home in two for a birdie at worst.

He said caddie Jon Yarbrough – fired by Woodland late last year – told him in the 18th fairway, “Let’s see what you’ve got. You’ve worked your butt off.”

“I hit 4-iron as hard as I could,” Stallings said.

It was just enough to clear the water, and while it trickled off the front of the green, he could still use his putter. He lagged it up to 30 inches for a short birdie putt that turned out to be the winner.

Charley Hoffman, another San Diego native, made a hole-in-one on the third hole and closed with a 67 to tie for seventh, along with Ryo Ishikawa of Japan and Will MacKenzie, who each had a 70.

Brad Fritsch of Ottawa finished in a tie for 10th, 3 shots back.

Six players finished in the top 10 that are not in the Phoenix Open next week.

Ordinarily, a top 10 gets a player into the next open tournament. In this case, the field already is full and they only can be alternates. That list includes Justin Thomas, who was playing this week on his fourth out of seven allotted sponsor exemptions. Thomas shot 69.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Jessica Korda won the season-opening Bahamas LPGA Classic on Sunday for her second tour title, holing a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole to beat Stacy Lewis by a stroke.

The 20-year-old Korda closed with a 7-under 66 for a 19-under 273 total on Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club course. Lewis parred the final four holes – two of them par 5s – for a 66.

Korda tied Lewis for the lead with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th, then got up and down for birdie on the par-5 18th. Korda’s 4-iron approach on 18 scampered through the green to the fringe just short of the grandstand. With an official and a TV announcer holding up cords that would have interfered with her stroke, she putted under the wires to set up the winning birdie.

“That was different,” Korda said. “It was like jump rope.”

She admitted she was nervous on the winning putt.

“Incredible!” Korda said. “I could barely put the golf down and line up.”

The 2012 Women’s Australian Open winner, Korda recently started working with swing coach Grant Price. She struggled with her swing last year and felt that it led to some injuries in her left shoulder and wrist.

“I’m really just trying to hit good golf shots and get that swing down,” Korda said.

Price, Hall of Famer Nick Price’s nephew, is fighting testicular cancer.

Korda’s father, Petr, won the 1998 Australian Open tennis tournament and her mother, Regina Raichrtova also was a professional tennis player. Korda earned $195,000 and is projected to jump from 40th to 26th in the world ranking.

Lewis birdied six of the first eight holes, then dropped a stroke on the par-4 ninth. She birdied the par-5 11th and par-4 14th to reach 18 under, but closed with four straight pars. On the 18th, her flop shot from short of the green came up short and her 15-foot birdie try stopped inches from the cup.

Paula Creamer, paired with Korda all four days, had a 69 to tie for third with Na Yeon Choi, Lizette Salas and Pornanong Phatlum at 16 under. Phatlum finished with a 67, Salas had a 71, and Choi shot 72.

Lydia Ko, the 16-year-old New Zealander making her first start as an LPGA Tour member, had a 68 to tie for seventh at 15 under. She won the Canadian Women’s Open the last two years as an amateur.

Both Canadians remaining in the field saved their best golf for the final round. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp fired a 5-under 68 to climb into a tie for 18th. Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham shot a 4-under 69 and finished tied for 52nd.

SAN DIEGO – Tiger Woods was right. The South Course at Torrey Pines is playing about as tough as it did for the U.S. Open in 2008.

But that’s the only similarity.

Woods won that U.S. Open. He won’t even have a tee time in the final round at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Gary Woodland used power to his advantage Saturday – oddly enough, everywhere but on the par 5s – to pick up five birdies in his round of 2-under 70 that gave him a one-shot lead over Jordan Spieth and Marc Leishman going into a final day that won’t include Woods.

Instead of getting back into the tournament, the defending champion and eight-time winner at Torrey Pines delivered a shocking performance. Woods went seven straight holes making bogey or worse and wound up with a 79, matching his worst score on American soil.

Woods left town without speaking to reporters and with an “MDF” next to his name, which probably should have been “OMG.”

That’s the PGA Tour’s acronym for “made the cut, did not finish.” Because more than 78 players advanced to the weekend, there was a 54-hole cut for top 70 and ties. Only one other player, club pro Michael Block, had a worse score than Woods.

“You get going south on this golf course, you can definitely put up some numbers in a hurry,” Woodland said when he heard about Woods’ score. “I don’t think he’s too concerned about it.”

There’s plenty for everyone to be concerned about at Torrey Pines _ a beast of a course, thick rough, rock-hard greens, and nearly two dozen players so close to the lead that Sunday could be wide open.

Woodland was at 8-under 208. It was the highest 54-hole score to lead this tournament since Dave Rummells at 4-under 212 in 1993.

Spieth had a one-shot lead to start the third round and it was gone quickly. He missed a 30-inch par putt on the opening hole and took a double bogey on No. 5. His biggest putt might have been a 6-footer for par on the 14th, and Spieth looked confident the rest of the way to salvage a 75.

Leishman had a relatively boring round of 72 on a gorgeous day along the Pacific – one birdie, one bogey, 16 pars. That might be what it takes on this monster of a course that features rough that might even make the USGA blush.

“If you let bogeys worry you on that golf course, it’s going to be a pretty long day,” Leishman said. “You don’t have to do a whole lot wrong to have a bogey.”

The average score on the South through three rounds was 74.24, compared with 74.97 during the U.S. Open. And keep in mind, the field for the Farmers Insurance Open is almost entirely PGA Tour or European Tour players.

San Diego native Pat Perez, who used to work the practice range as a teenager during this event, salvaged a 72 and was two shots behind with Morgan Hoffman (72). Ryo Ishikawa had a 69 and was in a large group at 5-under 211 that included Nicolas Colsaerts (75) and Andres Romero of Argentina, whose 67 was the best score of the day.

“When you play with Gary, who hits it 40 yards farther than I do, it doesn’t look that hard,” Perez said. “Where he hits it is unbelievable. But it was a lot harder today.”

Twenty-two players were separated by four shots going into Sunday.

Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch shot a 72, and is three back at 211. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., carded a 69, and is four back.

Everything was in place for a good show except for the tour’s two biggest stars. In the first network telecast of the year _ and the first Sunday in golf without going against the NFL playoffs – Woods was out of the tournament and Phil Mickelson pulled out Friday night after making the cut because of muscle pain in his back.

Woodland has been heading north since winning the Reno-Tahoe Open last year. He contended at The Barclays, lost in a playoff in Malaysia and now feels confident about who’s in charge at San Diego. Yes, the South is a beast. But the Kansas native hits it a long way.

Then again, he made par on all of them, including a three-putt pars on the sixth and 18th holes. That was OK, for Woodland had nothing more than a wedge in on No. 1, and he collected a pair of birdies on the par 3s. His only lapse was a double bogey on No. 17 from a bad lie in the bunker and a three-putt.

“If I drive the ball in play, I’m playing a little different golf course than most guys are playing,” Woodland said.

Spieth, with a chance to move into the top 10 in the world with a win, hits the ball plenty far. He just wasn’t very straight. The Texan pulled his opening tee shot and struggled to find fairways the rest of the day. He hit only five of them.

The steady finish left him confident about collecting his second PGA Tour win.

“Only one shot back and a bunched leaderboard,” Spieth said. “It’s going to take a good score tomorrow. … I’m excited about tomorrow. I had some great saves down the stretch today, so take that momentum.”

Woods thought he had some momentum, coming off a birdie on the 17th hole and in the fairway on the par-5 18th with a shot at the green. He went into the water and made double bogey, then made another double bogey on the first hole with a three-putt. It was his first time with back-to-back double bogeys since the 2011 PGA Championship. And it only got worse from there.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Na Yeon Choi shot a 7-under 66 Saturday to take a one-stroke lead in the season-opening Bahamas LPGA Classic, chipping to a foot to set up a birdie on the par-5 18th hole.

The seventh-ranked Choi, a seven-time winner on the LPGA Tour, birdied three of the last four holes in her bogey-free round to reach 15 under on Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club course.

“I think the last three rounds I had a really good swing,” Choi said. “I had so many good shots. But I still have to play aggressively tomorrow. So many players have a chance.”

Lizette Salas was a stroke back. She also had a bogey-free 66.

“I’ve been bogey-free for the last two days and I’m feeling great on the greens,” said Salas, winless on the tour. “A win is always on my mind, and it’s been a goal of mine since coming close last year in Hawaii.”

Jessica Korda and Paula Creamer each eagled the 18th to reach 12 under. Korda, the second-round leader, had a 72, and Creamer shot 71.

Creamer also holed a sand wedge from 82 yards for an eagle on the par-5 11th, but had a triple-bogey 8 on No. 15.

Third-ranked Stacy Lewis was tied for fourth at 11 under with Amelia Lewis and Jenny Suh. Stacy Lewis had a 68, Amelia Lewis shot 66, and Suh had a 71.

Michelle Wie and 16-year-old Lydia Ko were in the group at 10 under. Wie followed her second-round 65 with a 72. Ko, making her first start as an LPGA Tour member, had a 71.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. shot a 70 Saturday and is tied for 25, while Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham posted a 76 to fall into a tie for 59th.

BARRANQUILLA, ATLANTICO, Colombia – One of Team Canada’s newest members, Tony Gil, led all six Canadian men in the field to finish 6th, 10-strokes back of champion Paul Howard of England.

Gil, a 15-year-old Vaughan, Ont. native, had two very strong closing rounds (71, 72) to solidify his place in the top 10. Not far behind him was National Team member Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., who closed with a 4-over 76 to finish in a tie for ninth with three others. Fellow National Team member Chris Hemmerich of Kitchener, Ont. battled his way back Saturday with an even par 72 to finish tied for 19th.

On the women’s side, Valérie Tanguay of St-Hyacinthe, Qué. led the Canadian contingent with a final round 77 to finish eighth overall. Victoria, B.C. native Naomi Ko just missed the top 10, finishing tied for 12th after closing with a 6-over 78.

The women’s event was won by Lucia Gutierrez of Peru, who closed with the low score of 12-over par (77-79-72-72).

Canadian Results – Round 4

Men: Click here for full results

6. Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.) 75-76-71-72 (+6)
T9. Garrett Rank (Elmira, Ont.) 74-71-75-77 (+9)
T19. Chris Hemmerich (Kitchener, Ont.)  78-72-78-72 (+12)
T35. Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.) 81-81-75-73 (+22)
T38. Matt Williams (Calgary) 80-82-79-72 (+25)
56. Carter Simon (Sutton, Ont.) 83-84-81-76 (+36)

Women: Click here for full results

8. Valérie Tanguay (St-Hyacinthe, Qué.) 74-85-75-77, +23
T12. Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.), 80-74-81-78, +25
T27. Jaclyn Lee (Calgary)  81-87-79-77, +36