NEW YORK – Tiger Woods is getting back to work – as an author.

Woods is writing his second book, which will look back on his historic victory in the 1997 Masters, when he broke 20 records and became the first player of black heritage to win a major championship.

The book, which does not yet have a title, will be co-written with Canadian golf writer Lorne Rubenstein and be released in hardcover, as an e-book and in audio editions in March, a month before the 20th anniversary of his first Masters title.

“The 1997 Masters was one of the most important tournaments in my life for many reasons,” Woods said in a news release issued Monday by Grand Central Publishing, which acquired the rights to the book. “I think about the hug with my dad and all the events that went on that week. A lot of people know generally about that tournament, but this gives me a chance to tell in detail what happened on and off the golf course.”

The book will describe his history of the game and how golf has changed over the last 20 years. Woods also will open up about his relationship with his father, Earl Woods, dispel misconceptions and reveal stories that have never been told.

His first book came out in 2001 and was called “How I Play Golf,” which was written with the editors of Golf Digest magazine.

The announcement of his second book promotes Woods as the first player of African and Asian heritage to win a major. Woods’ mother, Kultida, is from Thailand.

The 1997 Masters was the first of his 14 majors. Beyond his record score of 270 (which Jordan Spieth tied last year), it was significant because of Augusta National’s history with blacks. The club did not have its first participant until Lee Elder in 1975, and its first member until Ron Townsend in 1990.

Woods has won the Masters three other times.

He has not played since August because of two surgeries on his back, and there has been no indication when Woods might return to competition. He is likely to announce this week his plans for the U.S. Open.

GOODWOOD, Ont. – It’s an assignment unlike any other for Canadian golf coaches Derek Ingram and Tristan Mullally.

They’re tasked with getting the Canadian Olympic golf team – two women and two men – ready to play a unique course in Rio at an event which will be much different than the usual PGA and LPGA Tour stops.

Unlike most tournaments where players are thinking about overall results, the money list and ranking position, the only thing that really matters at the Games is whether you’re in first, second or third. The podium-or-bust mindset should make for some aggressive shotmaking and a wild four rounds of stroke play.

Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp are virtual locks for the women’s team. The men are in a tight race with David Hearn, Graham DeLaet, Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor and Brad Fritsch in the mix for two spots.

Golf Canada expects to formally unveil its team nominations in mid-July. The Summer Olympics begin Aug. 5.

Ingram and Mullally visited the Olympic Golf Course in Rio’s Barra da Tijuca district last March and came away impressed.

“More like a British Open I would say in terms of the wind and the style of shot that you’re going to have to play,” Mullally said at an availability Monday at Goodwood Golf Club. “But then it’s in the Brazilian heat, so it’s going to be different.”

The coaches say the Olympic course has wide fairways but plenty of hazards, shrubs and steep bunkers. High winds are expected to make things even more challenging.

Mullally – who will coach Henderson and Sharp – thinks the course plays nicely into the Canadians’ strengths.

“It’s a golf course that if it gets windy, can play very long and both of those players bomb it,” Mullally said. “So I think that’s certainly an advantage for them and they’re both good around the greens.

“They have the skills, so it’s a matter of whether they can bring them on the day.”

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., has risen to No. 4 in the world rankings and will be one of Canada’s best bets for a podium appearance.

“She’s such a good player that the top-10’s are not a given, but she’s capable of doing that when she’s not even playing at her best,” Mullally said. “So when things are firing on all cylinders, a medal and hopefully a gold is certainly on our mind for sure.”

Sharp, meanwhile, has strengthened her ability to play in windy conditions over the last year. Couple that with her impressive length off the tee, and the veteran from Hamilton could also be in the mix.

The Canadian team is planning a pre-tournament camp in Houston shortly before heading to Rio.

Hearn, from Brantford, Ont., and DeLaet, from Weyburn, Sask., are good bets to make the men’s squad.

However, DeLaet withdrew from the Memorial last week to work on his short game. It’s unclear how long he might be out of action.

Meanwhile, Hadwin, from Abbotsford, B.C., started the final round one shot off the lead and finished tied for 11th place. A hot run over the next month could be the difference for the Olympic team selection.

Both the men’s and women’s competitions will have 60-player fields in Rio. The top 15 players in the world rankings will be eligible with a limit of four players per country.

“Honestly it’s not quite as strong as a major or a PGA Tour event because of the quantity of players,” said Ingram, who will coach the Canadian men. “So I think that gives our guys, because they’re good, solid players, an even better chance to potentially medal or have a great finish.”

The men’s tournament is scheduled for Aug. 11-14. The women will play from Aug. 17-20.

Given the reward, players may push for that birdie or eagle more than at a normal tournament. Or they could go for the steady approach and hope that others go for it and get burned.

“I think the turtle is definitely going to win the race because a lot of people will go out of the gate very hot, try that, and think that’s the way to go,” Mullally said.

With no need to worry about pressing to get a top-10 or top-20 result like they might on tour, the players will be dialled in on a top-three finish. That could provide some top-shelf dramatics in the final round.

“If you’re in 30th or 40th position, there’s not a whole lot of point in holding on to that score and playing it safe,” Mullally said. “You probably have to go for it. It’s almost all or nothing at that point.”

Victoria, B.C. – Langley, B.C.’s Adam Cornelson shot a 6-under 65 on Saturday at Uplands Golf Club to capture the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist for his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada title in record-breaking fashion.

The 28-year set the new PGA TOUR-era scoring record on the Mackenzie Tour, finishing at 20-under par 260 for the week thanks to a chip-in birdie on the 72^nd hole, giving him a five shot lead over Edmond, Oklahoma’s Taylor Moore. The win moves Cornelson to second place on the Order of Merit, in position to earn Web.com Tour status for 2017.

“It’s the best week of my golfing life,” said Cornelson, finding a poetic ending in capturing his first win at his favourite tournament. “I’ve always felt like if and when I was going to win, it would be at this tournament. It suits my eye so well, and I love this city so much. The support this city, this crowd and the volunteers have showed me, it was chilling. I’ve never felt support like that in my life, and it gave me so much energy to continue on, it was phenomenal.”

Starting the day with a three-shot lead over Cibolo, Texas’ Jeff Rein, Cornelson took control of the tournament with birdies on the first and sixth holes and an eagle on the seventh, opening a lead that swelled to as many as six on the front nine.

“With the talent on this Tour, a three-shot lead is great, but just look at Moore there. If I shoot even-par I’m in a playoff, and I knew that would be the case, so that’s all the motivation I needed,” said Cornelson, who added birdies at the 12^th, 14^th and 18^th holes for a closing 65.

The win comes as validation for an offseason of hard work and self-reflection for Cornelson, who finished 94^th on the Order of Merit in 2015 to lose his card. After setting new goals and putting in hard work on his fitness and swing, the University of New Orleans grad came in to the year with new motivation, and it paid off on Sunday.

“At the end of last year, I didn’t know if I wanted to keep doing this. My family is so supportive, they egged me on and I worked harder than ever,” said Cornelson, adding that the success of his Mackenzie Tour alumni peers at the next level provided extra inspiration. “You see guys that win and finish in the top five on this Tour and go up through the pipeline, like Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Roger Sloan and Joel Dahmen, they all started here and when you see them succeed, it’s motivating.”

Cornelson, who was surrounded after putting out by family and friends, including Mackenzie Tour players and British Columbia natives Brad Clapp, Thomas Hay and Seann Harlingten, added that he put some old demons to rest with his nearly-flawless final round.

“I’ve seen leads dwindle, and I’ve been in contention myself and I’ve failed. I slept on that last night, and I learned a lot from those failures. They helped me a lot today,” said Cornelson.

Moore, a former NCAA All-American at the University of Arkansas, finished second in his pro debut, while Rein finished solo third to record his first career Mackenzie Tour top-10.

DUBLIN, Ohio – William McGirt won for the first time in 165 starts on the PGA Tour, and the timing couldn’t have been better.

McGirt played the final 22 holes of the Memorial without a bogey, and his 6-foot par on the second extra hole to beat Jon Curran, earn a handshake from host Jack Nicklaus and move high enough in the world ranking (No. 43) to get into the U.S. Open in two weeks at Oakmont.

He had to work harder than ever for his first victory.

McGirt, who made one birdie in his closing round of 1-under 71, kept it steady as everyone around him was falling apart on the back nine. His final par in regulation was the most important, a two-putt from 65 feet to join Curran in a playoff.

Curran showed his mettle, too, hitting out of a fairway bunker on the 17th hole to 7 feet for a birdie that carried him to a 70.

They finished at 15-under 273, one shot ahead of Dustin Johnson (71), with Rory McIlroy (68) among those two shots behind.

McGirt was in trouble on the first playoff hole until he played expertly from the deep bunker short and left of the green, using the slope behind the hole for the ball to roll back to a few feet for par. Curran missed his 25-foot birdie putt for the win.

Returning to the 18th for the third time, both players were in trouble. McGirt went over the green from the fairway. Curran went from a fairway bunker into the gallery, pitched long and two-putted for bogey. McGirt played a superb flop shot than ran out just over 6 feet from the cup, and he clenched his fist before it even dropped in.

It was the third straight year the Memorial was won by a first-time PGA Tour champion, following David Lingmerth and Hideki Matsuyama.

Jason Day, a Muirfield Village member who had never cracked the top 25, kept that streak going even though he started Sunday in contention. Day closed with a 74 finished in a tie for 27th, matching his best finish at the Memorial.

Twenty players were separated by four shots going into the final round, and not much changed throughout the day. What finally brought some separation were mistakes, and the surprise was that it came from players with far more experience winning than Curran or McGirt.

Matt Kuchar, the 2013 winner at Muirfield Village, had the lead at 16 under when he played too far away from the pin at the par-3 12th and made bogey, and then effectively took himself out of the tournament when it took two shots to get out of a fairway bunker on the next hole in making double bogey.

Emiliano Grillo of Argentina, who began the PGA Tour season by winning the Frys.com Open, was the first to get to 16 under. It didn’t last long. He began the back nine with four straight bogeys and never quite recovered.

Johnson also had a share of the lead at 16 under until a bogey to start the back nine and a long three-putt bogey on the 12th. He was still in the game until missing a 6-foot par putt on the 16th hole, and his birdie at the final hole was too late. It was his fifth top-five finish this season.

Gary Woodland also was in prime position to win until he ran off three straight bogeys around the turn, and his hopes ended when he failed to get up-and-down from behind the 17th green.

Instead, the final act belonged to Curran and McGirt, neither of whom had ever won on the PGA Tour.

Curran, who plays out of the Bear’s Club that Nicklaus built in south Florida, lost in a five-way playoff a year ago in the Puerto Rico Open. McGirt has had a couple of close calls, including a 54-hole lead at Riviera in 2015 and missing the playoff by one shot in Mississippi last fall.

They both played down the stretch as if they had been in this position before.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., shot 74 and slipped into a tie for 11th place at -11. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont,, has completed his round in 68 strokes to tie for 27th at -9.

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – Dominic Bozzelli won the inaugural Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship on Sunday for his first Web.com Tour title.

The 25-year-old former Auburn player closed with a 4-under 68 for a four-stroke victory over Roberto Diaz, Sam Ryder and Blake Adams.

Bozzelli, from Rochester, New York, finished at 24-under 264 after opening with rounds of 69, 63 and 64. He earned $112,500 to jump from 37th to sixth on the money list with $163,288. The top 25 at the end of the regular season will earn PGA Tour cards.

“This is a big relief. I really wanted to win this year,” Bozzelli said. “I think I’m pretty close to locking up that card. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I’m going to enjoy this one for sure, but I’d like to try and get another one. … The goal was to get onto the PGA Tour. Getting this win changes things. The win will help my confidence. I think the sky’s the limit from here.”

Diaz shot 68, Ryder 69, and Adams 72. Jeff Gove and Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Albin Choi each each shot 67 to tie for fifth at 19 under.

Bozzelli three-putted for bogey on the par-4 18th, his first blemish in 37 holes.

“I would’ve liked to make par on 18 to finish it off,” Bozzelli said. “I’m happy to get the win.”

After tapping in for the victory, Bozzelli was greeted by father Dominic, mother Susan and sister Bianca.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for their support,” Bozzelli said. “To have them here to see that first one was really special. It’s definitely a week we won’t forget.”

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Anna Nordqvist successfully defended her ShopRite LPGA Classic title Sunday, closing with a 7-under 64 in breezy conditions for a one-stroke victory over Haru Nomura.

The 28-year-old Swede became the oldest tour winner this year by more than five years and the first to successfully defend a title since Inbee Park won the KPMG Women’s PGA for the third straight time last year.

“It feels really special, because I’ve been playing pretty good all spring,” Nordqvist said. “I just haven’t really got any results, and it just really got frustrating. … I’m very proud of myself for sitting here again. Just any time you can win on tour, it’s a special moment. It’s just getting tougher. The competition is getting really tough.”

Nordqvist finished at 17-under 196 on Stockton Seaview’s Donald Ross-designed Bay Course to tie the tournament record that Annika Sorenstam set in 1998 and matched in 2005. The 6-foot former Arizona State player earned $225,000 for her sixth tour title. She opened with rounds of 64 and 68.

“My team deserves a huge credit for just keep pushing me to stay patient and keep believing in myself, because there were times where I was hitting it really well and just couldn’t get anything out of it,” Nordqvist said. “Sitting here now, it almost feels even sweeter, being back in the winner’s circle, just knowing that I’ve been playing well, I have been staying patient, and it finally paid off.”

Nomura, a two-time winner this year, was second after a 66. The Japanese player birdied the par-5 18th.

“Today I played good,” Nomura said. “Still 5 under. Today, Anna, 7 under. Yeah, my play today is good.”

Nomura was the previous oldest winner this season at 23.

Nordqvist birdied three of the first four holes and added birdies on Nos. 8 and 9 to make the turn in 5-under 32. She also birdied the par-4 12th and 16th.

“You’re just trying to hit a lot of greens,” Nordqvist said. “I hit 17 greens and I just missed the last one. Just tried to control the ball in the wind, hitting fairways, hitting greens, and I think that’s always been one of my keys on this course.”

Projected to jump from 19th to 16th in the world ranking, Nordqvist is the first European winner on the tour since Suzann Pettersen won the Manulife LPGA Classic last June.

“I was a couple shots behind, so I knew I had to post a really good score,” Nordqvist said. “After a good start, I just tried to keep my focus, and can’t really take anything for granted. You lose your focus a little bit, and that’s when you are going to start missing shots.”

In seven starts on the Bay Course, Nordqvist has five top-five finishes. She tied for fifth in 2011 and 2012 and tied for third in 2014.

“It just fits my eye,” Nordqvist said. “I think smaller greens, it narrows down my focus a little bit. You really get distinct fairways here. I like wind and I like challenges. I wish I knew what the recipe was, or is, but I just feel very comfortable coming here and I feel very confident.”

Brooke Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., finished the tournament with a 4-under 209 and tied for 45th. The 18-year-old was coming off a third-place tie last week in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., was the top Canadian at 7-under 206 and tied for 14th. Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., tied for 31st while Quebec City’s Anne Catherine Tanguay tied for 55th.

France’s Karine Icher, the second-round leader after matching the course record with a 62, birdied the 18th for a 69 to finish third at 14 under. She’s winless on the tour.

Christina Kim was fourth at 13 under after a 65. She finished second last week in Michigan, five strokes behind winner Ariya Jutanugarn.

Stacy Lewis, the winner in 2012 and 2014, had her second straight 74 after an opening 66 to tie for 67th at 1 over. The 31-year-old Lewis is winless in 50 starts since taking the North Texas LPGA Shootout in June 2014 for her 11th tour victory. She tied for second last month in Alabama, her 10th runner-up finish during the drought and 23rd overall.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko and the streaking Jutanugarn skipped the tournament to get ready for the KPMG Women’s PGA, the second major championship of the year that starts Thursday at Sahalee near Seattle. Jutanugarn has won three straight events.

DES MOINES, Iowa – Marriage has made Scott McCarron a much better golfer.

McCarron won the Principal Charity Classic on Sunday for his first PGA Tour Champions title, birdieing the final three holes for a 7-under 65 and a one-stroke victory.

The 50-year-old McCarron finished at 15-under 201 at Wakonda Club to edge Miguel Angel Jimenez and Billy Andrade. Making his 17th start on the 50-and-over tour, McCarron won for the first time since taking the 2001 Bellsouth Classic for the last of his three PGA Tour titles.

McCarron didn’t have a top-10 finish during the first three months of the season. But after getting hitched last month, he had back-to-back top-10s before his milestone victory in Iowa.

“She’s been a phenomenal support. Even when I was thinking of hanging it up and just doing TV, she really pushed me,” McCarron said about wife Jenny. “I’ve got to hand it to her. She really stuck by me through a lot of difficult times.”

Andrade had a 68 after shooting a course-record 63 on Saturday. Jimenez shot a 67.

Duffy Waldorf (67) and Joe Durant (71) tied for fourth at 11 under, and Tom Lehman (71) and Senior PGA winner Rocco Mediate (70) were 10 under.

McCarron’s surge began with an eagle on the 5th hole that put him in position to challenge the leaders, and he pulled even with a birdie on the par-4 16th.

McCarron then drilled a 36-foot birdie putt from the fringe on No. 17, and he put his approach from the rough on the 18th hole within 10 feet of the pin.

McCarron played his final 47 holes without a bogey.

“Once I got to 16 I said, ‘You know, if I can birdie the last three I might have a chance to close it out.’ I played some great holes the last couple of holes,” McCarron said.

Jimenez appeared to be primed for his fourth senior tour win in just 12 starts after a long birdie putt on the 10th hole. But Jimenez bogeyed the 12th hole and could only muster pars on the 16th and 17th as McCarron surged past him.

Still, Jimenez has finished fourth or better in his last three appearances on the senior tour this season.

Andrade, Durant and Todd Hamilton began the final round in a three-way tie for the lead.

Only Andrade was truly a factor Sunday.

Andrade fell quickly from the top, with bogeys on his first three holes. But he surged back and had a relatively easy eagle putt on the 15th hole, which he left it just inches wide.

Andrade could’ve forced a playoff with a long-shot chip on No. 18. He didn’t get it, but Andrade did sink a long putt to tie for second.

“Just a bad start. It was a funky day. The wind was swirling,” Andrade said.

Durant also started poorly before a string of birdies on the back nine ensured a top-five finish.

Hamilton also fell apart on the front nine. Hamilton had four bogeys and, like Durant, a double bogey on No. 7. He shot a 76 to tie for 17th.

John Daly, whose debut in Iowa helped draw record crowds all weekend, finally put together a solid round. Daly shot a 69 and wound up 1 over for the tournament, just a week after missing the cut at the Senior PGA Championship.

GORMLEY, Ont. — Men’s club champions from across the province were at Meadowbrook Golf & Country Club on June 3 for the playing of the Golf Ontario 2016 Champion of Champions tournament, presented by Turkish Airlines.

It was a beautiful day for the 53 champions who teed it up, as they all looked to be crowned 2016 Champion of Champions. The event had a wide range of ages competing, as the youngest champion was just 15-years-old while the oldest was 68.

Taking the title was Brampton Golf Club’s Russell Bowie. The 24-year-old Mississauga resident fired a two-under (69) to win the title by one stroke. Following the win, Bowie spoke about how honoured he was to be following in the footsteps of other Brampton Golf Club members who have won the Ontario Champion of Champions. “It means a lot to me to win this. It is a collection of club champions, so it’s pretty special to win. For Brampton, we have had a few previous winners: Stu Hamilton won it years ago and just a few years back, a good friend of mine, Binupa Wijesinghe, won it. I’m happy to bring it back to Brampton.”

Bowie credited his win to avoiding any major mistakes during the round. “I think I just avoided any major errors. I was never in any trouble. I hit a lot of fairways and greens, so I was never really scrambling. It was a good straight-forward round.”

This is the first provincial championship for Bowie.

Finishing in second place was Cherry Down’s Golf & Country Club’s Mathew Iceton. Iceton, from Brooklin, shot a one-under (70) to take home the silver.

Rounding out the podium in a tie for third were Deer Ridge Golf Club’s Ryan Kings and St. Catharines Golf & Country Club’s Robert Ellis. Kings, from Kitchener, and Ellis, from St. Catharines, each finished at even par (70).

DUBLIN, Ohio – Ian Poulter will be out of golf for the next four months with a foot injury, a big setback for the fiery Englishman in a Ryder Cup year.

Poulter has been dealing with an arthritic join in his right foot for more than two years, and it has reached the point where it is painful to walk and practice. He missed the last two cuts on the PGA Tour in Texas and has fallen to No. 85 in the world, his lowest ranking since 2003.

The 40-year-old hasn’t won since the HSBC Champions in 2012.

“I am obviously disappointed to be in this situation, especially during a Ryder Cup year,” Poulter said. “Right now, rest and rehab take priority in me returning to full strength later this season. I look forward to resuming a full schedule as soon as I am able.”

Poulter was far down the Ryder Cup standings, in European Tour money and world ranking points, though his record in the Ryder Cup would have been difficult to ignore if he had found some form in the coming months.

He has been a catalyst for Europe, notably when he sparked the greatest comeback by a visiting team at Medinah in 2012. Poulter birdied his last five holes in the final fourballs match to turn a loss into a point, and he closed an undefeated week with a singles victory as Europe rallied from a 10-6 deficit to win.

Poulter has a 12-4-2 record in five appearances. He would be an ideal candidate as a vice captain. Darren Clarke last week selected Thomas Bjorn, Padraig Harrington and Paul Lawrie as three of his five assistants.

Poulter’s doctor, Ara Suppiah, said the arthritic joint has worsened over the last year, and Poulter was able to keep playing after several cortisone shots. Suppiah said further shots would risk thinning the bones and leading to stress fractures, which might require significant time away from golf.

“We feel that the best option at this stage is to take some time off to allow complete recovery and rehabilitation of his foot,” Suppiah said. “This will give him the best chance of returning to the game sooner and preventing further deterioration of the affected joint.”

Poulter would receive a major medical extension on the PGA Tour for the 2015-16 season if he doesn’t play the rest of the year. He remains exempt on the European Tour based on his No. 7 standing on the career money list.

DUBLIN, Ohio – Dustin Johnson set the pace early with 10 birdies on his way to an 8-under 64 at the Memorial.

Jason Day avoided his aggressive nature to try to catch him Thursday.

One day after Jordan Spieth referred to Johnson as the most talented player on the PGA Tour, Johnson opened with three straight birdies, made three straight birdies to close out the back nine, added four in a row on the back and wound up with his best score in his nine years at Muirfield Village. He had a one-shot lead over Brendan Steele, who holed out for eagle on the 18th for a 65.

For a short time, the big hitter took some of the attention away from the Big Three.

But not all of them.

Day, the No. 1 player in the world and a member at Muirfield Village, played in the afternoon as the clouds began to gather. He rallied on the back nine with three birdies and an eagle, and he wound up two shots behind. That was fine with him. His 66 was his best score in competition on the course Jack Nicklaus built.

“Mr. Nicklaus told me early, ‘Just play within yourself.’ Being patient is key out here,” Day said. “When you see an 8 under, it’s hard to be patient. But pleased.”

Spieth’s putter saved him in a scrappy round of 70.

Rory McIlroy, playing with Spieth, changed back to a conventional putting grip. That helped only so much in his round of 71.

So much attention was on the top three players in the world because of their ranking, having won five of the last seven majors, and because all three arrived at the Memorial coming off victories.

Johnson, with his power and on Thursday his putting, showed why Nicklaus and others think this “Big Three” will only get larger.

“I just played well right out of the gates,” Johnson said. “This year, I’ve felt like I’m playing well. I just haven’t quite played up to my potential. With me, it has everything to do with the putter. I rolled it well today. I’ve been working pretty hard on the putter, and I felt like it’s finally starting to pay off.”

Brantford, Ont., native David Hearn is in a four-way tie for third place after a 6-under 66 day. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. is tied for 44th.

Matt Kuchar holed a 15-foot par putt on the 18th hole to join the group at 66 that included Hudson Swafford, who did all his damage on the front nine when he tied the course record with a 29.

Luke Donald was among those at 67, while Phil Mickelson survived a few wild shots for a 68. Mickelson caught a flier out of the rough on the 14th, and it hit off the grandstand and went so far over the green that his best option was to take a penalty and return back to the original spot. He made a 20-foot putt for bogey. Then, he beaned a marshal in the head on the 15th, and it kicked back across the fairway and led to birdie on the par-5 15th.

“I’ve hit a lot of people – a lot of people,” Mickelson said. “Nobody’s taken it as well as that marshal did on 15.”

Day, a 28-year-old Aussie who lives in Columbus after meeting his wife in Ohio, has never finished better than a tie for 27th. He took a big step toward changing that with a patient approach and converting enough opportunities to get his name prominently on the leaderboard.

Johnson’s round was similar to Spieth’s in terms of putting. The difference is Johnson had more putts for birdie. Four of his 10 birdies were from at least 10 feet, including a 30-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole. He also failed to birdie two of the par 5s in his round of 64.

He hasn’t won since Doral in 2015, though he has had 14 top-10 finishes since and only one missed cut.

“Every week, I feel like I’m up there and I’ve got a chance to win,” Johnson said. “With this game, you’ve got to make putts. I mean, it’s just what you’ve got to do.”

Spieth hit only two fairways and three greens on the back nine, but he didn’t pay for it. He holed a 12-foot par putt to start his round on No. 10, and his short game was superb as ever. Dating to his victory at Colonial on Sunday, he had 16 consecutive one-putt greens. The streak ended when he missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 17th.

“Just didn’t get off to a good start on the first few holes striking, and from there it got me thinking about stuff,” he said. “But my putter made up for it for the most part. To shoot 1 under on my front nine was by far the best that I could have possibly shot.”

The biggest change for McIlroy was going back to a conventional putting grip, even though he won two weeks ago at the Irish Open. He said he took 127 putts at The K Club – his ball-striking was superb – and felt he needed a better pace that the convention grip allows.