HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – The Royal Bank of Canada will return as title sponsor for the RBC Heritage in 2017.

RBC has sponsored the championship for the past five years. The agreement was extended for one year as all parties work toward a more long-term deal.

The tournament won’t have to go back to the sponsor-less days after Verizon decided to end its deal after the 2010 event. The tournament went a year without a title sponsor before forging the agreement with RBC and Boeing – who also agreed to a 1-year extension.

John Taft, CEO of RBC’s U.S. wealth management unit, announced the agreement earlier this week at Harbour Town Golf Links.

The tournament starts Thursday with the final round Sunday.

RBC is also title sponsor of the RBC Canadian Open.

TORONTO – Canada’s Summer Olympic and Paralympic athletes will be in classic form as they suit up for Rio, sporting traditional styles steeped in the country’s colours and showcasing iconic national symbols.

The latest designs from official outfitter Hudson’s Bay Co. were unveiled live Tuesday night in a dedicated stream on Team Canada’s Facebook page.

In a move that’s being billed as a first, viewers were able to get a glimpse at the uniforms Canada’s athletes will wear at the opening and closing ceremonies months before the Games actually get underway.

Canadian twin brothers Dean and Dan Caten who helm the label Dsquared2 were enlisted to design the opening ceremony outfit. The ensemble is a formal take on athleticwear, incorporating a red, white and black palette.

The opening ceremony look includes a red jacket fashioned from the blend of a windbreaker and tailored blazer, featuring flap pockets, rubberized buttons and a zip pocket on the chest. The back of the jacket has tails with an elastic drawstring and a 3D print of the word “Canada” and the Maple Leaf.

A white jersey T-shirt with tailored sleeves and tails, and a tapered woollen track pant complete the ensemble, which will be accessorized with a classic Dsquared2 trucker hat.

The opening ceremony outfit will also be accompanied by a limited-edition line of T-shirts. The capsule collection includes illustrations of iconic Canadian creatures, including a bear, squirrel and beaver teamed with the Maple Leaf.

Canadian medallists will be sporting a classic track jacket on the podium with the a bold “Canada” wordmark in a colour-blocked band across the chest.

The Canadian kit also features a full complement of sporty hoodies and T-shirts.

“It’s got a very strong and modern and iconic feel, but also has stayed very, very Canadian – and that’s my favourite part about it,” said canoeist Ben Russell.

The apparel and accessories line is priced from $15 to $150. Select items will be available to shop online this week, while the official replica wear will be available at all Hudson’s Bay stores beginning May 4.

The Rio Olympics will take place Aug. 5-21. The Paralympics will be held Sept. 7-18.

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Golf returns to the Olympic Games for the first time since 1904 in Rio. Players on both the men’s and women’s side of the game will be fighting for one of 60 spots in their respective fields.

Players will compete for their country in a 72-hole individual stroke play competition. In the event of a tie for first, second or third place, a play-off or multiple playoffs shall be conducted to determine the gold, silver and bronze medal.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has restricted the International Golf Federation (IGF) to an Olympic field of 60 players. The Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings will be used to determine the Olympics golf rankings. The top 15 world-ranked players will be eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, players will be eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15. The qualification period ends July 11, 2016.

The Canadian Olympic golf uniform will be unveiled May 11th at Lambton Golf and Country Club in Toronto.

STOUFVILLE, Ont. – Granite Golf Club is embracing cycling—on and off the course.

This season, Granite Golf Club which is located just north-east of Toronto, will be among the first private golf clubs in Canada to offer Golf Bikes as a means of allowing golfers to play a quick round while providing valuable exercise.

“Granite Golf Club prides itself on looking forward, while still embracing the traditions of the game,” says General Manager
Murray Blair. “We feel the Golf Bike is a great fit for a club with an active, engaged, and energetic membership. The opportunity to
put your clubs in the back, jump on a bike and cycle for a quick morning or evening round really elevates the experience.”

The Golf Bike was conceived 15 years ago by avid cyclist Todd May as a means of combining his passions of biking and playing
golf. A prototype was first demonstrated in 2010 and the concept was presented at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando
three years ago. The bike has made significant inroads since its commercial introduction.

“With The Golf Bike, I have combined the benefits of [cycling and golf], bringing the elements of fun, fitness and speed of play
to the greatest game ever played,” May says. “This new spin on an old tradition will provide the avid golfer with the ability to play
at the speed of a cart while getting paid back with fun and fitness.”

Members will be able to use the Golf Bike by simply transferring their clubs to the attached bags, and heading out on the course.

Golf Bikes cuts the average time of a round to around three hours, an important element when lifestyle demands often limit the
amount of time players can allocate for the game they love.

Granite Golf Club is also starting a cycling club this spring, open to members of the golf club, as well as the historic
Granite Club in Toronto. Members will take to the picturesque roads that surround the club, an area that is already very popular
with Toronto-area cyclists wanting to escape the city and explore the countryside on two wheels. There is even on site bike
storage for members who do not want the hassle of transporting their bike back home following their ride.

“ With flexible membership offerings and a relaxed, refined familyoriented culture, Granite Golf Club is really expanding the notion of
what people consider a member club,” says Blair. “This is what the modern club member wants—unique and interesting experiences they
can participate in with friends and family. And that’s exactly what Granite provides.”

For more information on Granite Golf Club, visit www.granitegolfclub.ca.

CARLSBAD, Calif. – COBRA PUMA GOLF has announced a long-term partnership with Bryson DeChambeau the 22-year-old phenom who last year became only the fifth golfer ever to win the NCAA Men’s Individual Championship and the U.S. Amateur in the same calendar year.

DeChambeau, who is playing his first pro tournament this week at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head Island, S.C., will be wearing PUMA Golf apparel, accessories and footwear during all his on-course play, incorporating his signature Hogan Driver Cap and Red, White & Blue ensemble on Sundays, a nod to his alma mater – Southern Methodist University. Additionally, he will fill his COBRA staff bag with COBRA Golf equipment during tournament play.

“Bryson has this unique combination of talent, ingenuity and personality that makes him such a dynamic golfer and a great fit for the COBRA PUMA GOLF brands. He shares in our mission of Game Enjoyment and our desire to grow the game and make it more fun and inclusive for golfers of all levels,” said Robert Philion, President & CEO of COBRA PUMA Golf. “Right away we noticed his progressive approach to the game, which is rooted in science and art, along with his passion and dedication. We can’t be more thrilled to have him as part of our COBRA PUMA GOLF family.”

“I believe that I found the perfect partner in COBRA PUMA GOLF,” said DeChambeau. “The COBRA and PUMA brands complement my style, attitude and desire to be innovative, while allowing me to continue to be myself, and think outside the box. I’m really thrilled to be part of this cutting-edge and creative company.”

What’s currently in DeChambeau’s bag:

• Driver: Cobra King F6+ Pro 7^o | Oban Kiyoshi Tour Limited 70X | 45 in” | weight removed
• 3 wood: Cobra King F6 14.2^o | Oban Kiyoshi Tour Limited 70X | 43 in” | 61.5 ^o
• Utility: KING Utility Iron 18.5 ^o D | Project X HZRDUS Black Hybrid 6.5 105x
• Irons: Edel Prototype (3-P) | KBS Tour C-Taper Lite 115X |37.5 in”, 73 o | Lofts: 25 (3), 30 (5), 34 (6), 38 (7), 42 (8), 46 (P)
• Wedges: Cobra King V Grind 50°, 55° and 60° | 37.5 in” 73 o

For more information about COBRA PUMA GOLF’s athletes, brand ambassadors and product, please visit www.cobragolf.ca.

As the sweating glass bottle of cool Coco-Cola that Matthew Yustin had hidden behind his principal’s seat in the school cafeteria started to wobble, the Canadian had no idea how much trouble he was going to get into. Nor did he know that “The Real Thing” would change his life forever.

The 14-year-old, Grade 8 student from Toronto had been attending Singapore American School for a couple of years, while his dad was working in Hong Kong. On this day, the clever practical joker nonchalantly crept behind the wooden picnic bench where Principal Fogie was sitting with the rest of the faculty and placed the bottle precariously on the edge. With 200 children eating lunch and a slab of hard concrete as the floor, the stage was set. As Principal Fogie stood up to leave, the bottle came toppling down, exploding with a crashing spray that dampened many a teacher and students.

“It really was quite funny. All the kids burst out laughing and clapped their hands and I ran up the hill and laughed my ass of,” says Yustin, who was recently named the PGA of Ontario Golf Professional of the Year for 2015. Needless to say, Principal Fogie was seriously pissed, and Matthew was suspended, for the first and only time in his life.

To this point in his life, Yustin hadn’t played any golf, didn’t really understand the game, preferring motocross. As a form of punishment, his mother forced Matthew to attend the Singapore Open to keep the teen out of her hair for a few days.

“It was March 16^th when I went to the Friday round. I fell in love with the game at that very instant, then followed him for two more days on the weekend,” says Yustin who is now 58 and has three of his own children, Alexandra, 24, Matthew Jr., 18 and Gracie, 16 with his wife Andrea.

“I followed Dean May, a cool California dude with long, blond haired and had a blast each and every day. I had our chauffeur take me to get my hair cut just like Dean’s, bought some polyester pants to match his look and started taking lessons on the Monday from Norman Von Nida, a very famous Australian PGA touring pro and coach who taught David Graham to play. It was love at first sight, the real thing for me and it hasn’t diminished one bit.”

Five years later, the Yustin’s returned to Canada and Matthew, who was a scratch golfer at that time, started playing golf at St. George’s Golf & Country Club where his father was a member. He spent four years taking Soviet Studies at the University of Toronto, but in reality he had golf on his brain 24/7 and he would sit in class doodling and drawing golf holes  . . .  It’s still on his mind as much today and one of the reasons, even after 30 years in the business, that he’s at the top of his game as one of the top golf professionals in the country.

It was almost lights out for Yustin in 1985 as the 26-year-old drove home from an assistant’s golf tournament at The National Golf Club of Canada.

“I woke up in the driver’s seat screaming in pain, I was trapped and the priest was giving me my last rights,” says Yustin who suffered a broken leg, broken femur, broken pelvis, broken hip, broken knee, broken nose, a half-dozen broke ribs and loss of bunch of teeth as a result of the carelessness of a drunken driver. “I listen to the news today, 30 years later and so little has changed, it’s disgusting.” After two years of rehab, he learned to walk again, but he lives with the pain and memories every day.

As far as a golf career goes in the Greater Toronto Area, it’s would be difficult to come up with a better list of employers than Yustin’s. He first worked as an assistant at Oakdale Golf & Country Club for five years and Mississaugua Golf & Country Club for three years – then as a head professional at The Mandarin Golf & Country Club for a decade and Lambton Golf & Country Club where he has been since 2004.

“Gar Hamilton has been my role model and mentor in this business. In my eyes he is the epitome of what it takes to be a club professional. After I worked for him at Mississaugua I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life, be a head professional at a private club with ivy on the clubhouse in the GTA,” says Yustin, who also gives kudos to the likes of Neil Verwey from St. George’s Golf & Country Club, Phil Hardy from Beacon Hall for steering him in the right direction and PGA of Canada Master Professional Bruce McCarrol.

In the fall of 1992, Yustin was playing golf with Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Dave Stieb at Mississaugua when he received a call from a friend at Lambton with connections at Mandarin. They were interviewing that night for a new head professional and Yustin had one moment to decide if he wanted to drop everything and head downtown for an interview or finish the game. Yustin left Stieb on the 16^th, printed out his resume in the golf shop and headed to Toronto.

“I walked into the job interview and started speaking Chinese, that I had learned while being in Singapore, and the job was mine,” says Yustin who cracked open “The Real Thing” to celebrate.

At Lambton, Yustin and his team, which includes PGA of Canada professionals Chris Vasey, Darryl Pan and Steve Manock, who transferred from The Mandarin when Yustin came on board, have continued to provide a level of service that the club had not previously experienced. His wife, Andrea does all the merchandising and all their children worked in the shop at one time or another.

“When I was hired I made a promise to provide members with a gold level standard of service similar to what guests of the Ritz Carlton Hotel experience and we try to improve on that daily,” says Yustin who has filled the golf shop with antiques to give it a personal touch. “We provide a level of service that goes beyond the expectations of our members and their guests, that is all I ask of my staff,” he says, noting that can mean long days at the club, but as another Coca-Cola slogan says goes, “You can’t beat the feeling.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Danny Willett in a green jacket was hard to believe considering he wasn’t even sure he could play the Masters two weeks ago.

Jordan Spieth was even more stunned.

Nine holes away from history, the defending Masters champion threw it all away in a collapse around Amen Corner that was shocking even by Augusta National standards. He played the opening three holes of the back nine in 6 over par, including a quadruple bogey at the 12th.

Willet, five shots behind with six holes left to play, birdied three of his last six holes to polish off a round that might not get its due because of Spieth’s meltdown. He closed with a 5-under 67, with no bogeys on his card, to match the best score of the weekend.

The 28-year-old Englishman wasn’t even planning to play. His wife was due with their first child on this very day. Their son, Zachariah James, was born on March 30, clearing Willett to a most unlikely path to becoming a major champion.

Willett won in his second Masters, ending Europe’s 17-year drought at Augusta National, and he became the first player from England to win the green jacket since Nick Faldo in 1996.

How fitting. Faldo also shot 67 that day in a final round remembered more for Greg Norman throwing away a six-shot lead.

Spieth, trying to become the first player in history to win wire-to-wire in a major in successive years, ran off four straight birdies to end the front nine and build a five-shot lead.

And then it all fell apart.

A bogey from the bunker on No. 10. A tee shot into the trees on No. 11 that led to another bogey. Willett made birdie on the 14th to get within one shot. Spieth only needed to get past the dangerous par-3 12th hole to settle himself, especially with two par 5s in front of him.

Instead, his tee shot bounced off the slope and into the water. From the drop zone, his wedge was fat and Spieth turned his head. He didn’t even look as it plopped into the water again. He made a quadruple-bogey 7.

On the 10th tee, Spieth was five shots ahead. On the 13th tee, he was three shots behind.

Spieth still had a chance when he birdied both par 5s to get within two shots with three to play. But he missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 16th, and his bogey from the bunker ended all hope. He closed with a 73 and tied for second with Lee Westwood (69).

CARTAGENA, Colombia – Canada’s Brad Fritsch won the Servientrega Championship on Sunday for his first Web.com Tour title, beating Ollie Schniederjans with a par on the first hole of a playoff.

The 38-year-old from the Ottawa area  shot a 1-under 71 to match Schniederjans at 11-under 277 at TPC Cartagena at Karibana. Fritsch, who earned full-time status on the Web.com Tour this season through qualifying school, earned US$126,000.

Schniederjans had a 69, then made a triple bogey on the par-5 18th in the playoff.

Tag Ridings was third at 9 under after a 69.

“This is huge,” said Fritsch, who collected a check for $126,000 at the trophy ceremony. “My whole golfing life I haven’t won a lot. This is easily the biggest win against the best field that I’ve ever faced.”

“I mean, obviously it gives me a nice jump on getting my card for next year,” continued Fritsch, who jumped to No. 5 on the Tour money list. “To do something I’ve never really done before and to execute under pressure on 18, I love it. I want that feeling again.”

Fritsch hit what he called the greatest shot in his life on the first extra hole. With 220 yards from the right side of the fairway, the 38-year-old from Edmonton, Alberta opted for a long iron and striped it to 20 feet under the hole. From there, Fritsch only needed to make par to claim his first trophy as Schniederjans pulled his tee ball into the pond left of the fairway.

“I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but I hit a great shot,” said Fritsch, who hit his second before Schniederjans took a drop. “This time I hit the 4-iron, figuring that if I could get that on and two putt, he would have to get it up and down.”

Schniederjans took a drop; mishit is third from the left rough and dunked his third into the hazard. The 22-year-old former No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings took another penalty stroke and sailed the green with his fifth shot.

“It was kind of awkward,” said Fritsch, who received a standing ovation as he approached the green. “I had people congratulating me walking to the green and my caddy kind of gave me a high five.”

Fritsch tried to compose himself, but he still three putted for par. After the putt fell, the 16-year-old pro was overcome with emotion as his good friend and fellow Tour player Tag Ridings showered him with beer to celebrate.

The lead changed hands quite a few times throughout the final round. Schniederjans tied Fritsch at 11-under with a birdie on the 16th hole, but gave it right back with a bogey at 17. The Dallas, Texas native closed with a birdie at the par-5 18th to post 11-under to take the clubhouse lead. At that very moment, Fritsch bogeyed the 17th hole to drop one back of Schniederjans heading into the home hole.

“I was just trying to grind my way in,” said Fritsch. “I’m a scoreboard watcher and I’ll watch it. I knew he (Schniederjans) birdied 18.”

Fritsch responded on the final hole hitting a hybrid from 227 yards to just off the back of the green. He tried to chip it in, spun it two feet short of the hole and knocked in the birdie try to force overtime. The rest was history.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Where does Jordan Spieth go from here?

He could have been sailing along on the second act to one of the greatest years in golf history. Instead, the young Texan left Augusta shaking his head, and trying to figure out how to shake off one of the most epic collapses in the history of the game.

It won’t be easy.

“Big picture, this one will hurt,” Spieth said, still sounding in a bit of shock outside the Augusta National clubhouse Sunday evening after it all slipped away. “It will take a while.”

Not only will Spieth have to erase the memory of his splashdown on No. 12 – a quadruple-bogey 7 that included two water balls and turned a one-time five-shot lead into a three-shot deficit to the eventual champion, Danny Willett.

Spieth will also have to clear all the bad thoughts out of his head. Over the weekend, he played 31 holes of good-to-great golf and put himself in position for a second green jacket at the tender age of 22. Those other five holes were 17 and 18 on Saturday, then 10, 11 and 12 on Sunday. He went a cumulative 9 over on those and had bad swing thoughts that he simply couldn’t overcome.

“The wheels kind of came off the last … holes on Saturday,” said Spieth, who brought his coach, Cameron McCormick, back into Augusta for a quick tuneup before tee time in the final round.

It helped. For a while.

My confidence going into the first hole was fantastic,” said Spieth, who made four straight birdies to hit the turn at 7 under, in the lead by five strokes. “But listen, I had my ‘B-minus’ game tee to green. Ultimately, you have to have your ‘A’ game every single part, and I just didn’t have those iron swings, as it showed on the back nine.”

All of which set up an awkward award presentation in Butler Cabin, which was then replicated on the practice green in front of the clubhouse.

First, Spieth had to present the green jacket to Willett in front of the television cameras.

Then, he had to do it again for the patrons.

Willett earned the honor by shooting a bogey-free round of 67 that left him three ahead of Spieth and Lee Westwood. Willett finished at 5-under 283.

Still looking a bit shocked, Spieth managed to muddle through.

“I can’t imagine that was fun for anyone to experience,” he said, “other than maybe Danny’s team and those who are fans of him.”

He fully expected to be taking home his own green jacket for another year, as is the custom for the Masters champion.

“I can’t think of anybody else who may have had a tougher ceremony to experience,” said Spieth, who now has to leave his jacket at the club.

For Willett, this is a career-changing victory that almost never got started. His first child was due Sunday. But Zachariah James Willett came early, on March 30, which allowed the new dad to rebook his ticket to Augusta and play in his second Masters.

Now, Willett can be mentioned in the same sentence with none other than Nick Faldo – the only other Englishman to wear the green jacket.

Faldo’s third and final victory at Augusta came courtesy of Greg Norman’s epic collapse back in 1996. Willett’s came courtesy of Spieth, though the 28-year-old Englishman, who will move up to ninth in world ranking, did plenty to earn the victory, as well.

He went bogey-free through the last 18 holes, which looks all the more impressive considering the shaky play going on around him.

Westwood, still 0-for-the-majors, chipped in for an eagle on 15 to get within one shot of the lead, only to miss a 4-footer to save par at the 16th – right after Willett had drained a longer birdie putt.

The two-shot swing finished off Westwood, who at least showed he’s still got game at age 42 after enduring a winless 2015, when his focus was clearly distracted by a divorce and a move back to his native England to be closer to his kids.

“Obviously, I must be doing something right,” Westwood said.

Dustin Johnson, another extremely talented player who has dealt with personal issues, also got within a shot of the lead but couldn’t pull out his first major title.

For Johnson, it was a familiar story – plenty of good shots, but some shaky putting and mistakes at the most inopportune times. He double-bogeyed the fifth and was all done after another double-bogey at the 17th. He finished in a tie for fourth with J.B. Holmes and Paul Casey, four shots back.

“I think my game’s exactly where it needs to be,” Johnson said, not looking at it as another one he let get away. “I feel like I’ve got control of my game. I’m looking forward to the year for sure.”

For Spieth, the next major can’t come soon enough.

But he has to wait two painful months for the U.S. Open at Oakmont.

Time to clear his head, and try to move past the one he gave away.

“I’m very confident in the way that we play the game of golf,” Spieth said. “I think that when we’re on, I believe we’re the best in the world.”

LAKE WALES, Fla. – Canada’s Samantha Richdale won the Symetra Tour’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic on Sunday, closing with a 3-under 69 for a one-stroke victory.

The 32-year-old Kelowna, B.C., player had a 7-under 209 total at Lake Wales Country Club. She earned $26,250 for her fourth career victory on the tour. She won once in 2008 and twice in 2009.

“I’m very excited,” said Richdale, who last won on the Symetra Tour on August 23, 2009 at the Turkey Hill Classic in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “It seems like forever the last time I won so this is a big day for me.”

Richdale, 31, started the day with two pars and then made bogey on the third. She responded with birdies on the fourth and sixth holes and made the turn at 5-under, two shots off the lead held at the time by Kana Nagai (Tokyo, Japan). As Nagai began to fade with bogeys on 11, 14 and 15, Richdale took control. She made birdie on the par-5 13th and then chipped in for birdie from left of the green at the par-4 14th to take a two shot lead. She tripped up on the par-3 15th by missing the green right, but closed with three pars.

“Overall, my game worked out well and I was able to hit some good shots and even when I didn’t I was able to hit some really good short game shots,” said Richdale. “This was a big confidence builder for me.”

Fifteen-year-old amateur Ya-Chun Chang of Taiwan and Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom tied for second.

The pair didn’t make it easy for Richdale down the stretch. Sagstrom birdied 11, 13 and 14 and got within one of Richdale when she bogeyed the 15th. Chang had a 25-footer for birdie on the 18th to tie and nearly rolled it in.

“I was thinking about missing my flight to Hawaii so I wasn’t really paying attention,” said Richdale of Chang’s final putt. “I really grinded and they played really well so it pushed me to play a little bit better.”

Richdale had a flight to Los Angeles tonight to go play in the LOTTE Championship on the LPGA this coming Wednesday. She wasn’t able to make the flight and is undecided on whether she will try to get a different flight to Hawaii or play in Fort Myers next week on the Symetra Tour.

“My ultimate goal is to get better status on the LPGA,” explained Richdale, who has partial status based on her T41 finish at LPGA Qualifying Tournament in 2015. “At this point, I’m not sure of my plans so I’m thinking about going to Gary’s Oyster Bar for a celebratory dinner.”

Richdale is now second all-time in career earnings on the Symetra Tour.

“I just tried to stay calm out there and have fun and take it one shot at a time,” said Richdale. “I really committed to playing my game and hitting my shots and it worked.”

Team Canada Youtn Pro Squad member Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto finished tied for 4th after a final round 69 left her at 4-under for the championship.

The Symetra Tour heads to Fort Myers for the third annual Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial from April 14-17 at Cypress Lake Country Club. It’s a joint event with the Legends Tour.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – What looked to be another march to the Masters for Jordan Spieth suddenly turned into a walk on the wild side Saturday.

Ultimately, Spieth was still in the lead for the seventh straight round at Augusta National, one round away from another green jacket.

But he sure made it hard on himself.

Leading by four shots with two holes to play, having handled the worst of the wicked wind, Spieth hit two wild tee shots and two poor wedges that led to a bogey and a double bogey for a 1-over 73.

He had a one-shot lead over Smylie Kaufman, Spieth’s junior golf buddy who is playing in his first Masters. And Spieth gave plenty of hope to a cast of challengers that range from 58-year-old Bernhard Langer to world No. 1 Jason Day. Hideki Matsuyama was tied with Langer at 1 under, hoping to become the first man from Japan to win a major.

Spieth was at 3-under 213.

“Understand this is the position I wanted to be in after 54 holes and not think about the finish to today’s round,” Spieth said.

Kaufman, who qualified for his first Masters by closing with a 61 to win in Las Vegas in October, kept stress to a minimum and rolled in one last birdie down the hill on the 16th for a 69, the low score of the day.

The biggest surprise was Langer, who won the first of his two Masters in 1993, three months before Spieth was born. On the 30th anniversary of Jack Nicklaus becoming the oldest Masters champion at 46, Langer is two shots behind in his quest to become the oldest major champion by 10 years. Langer ran off three straight birdies on the back nine and posted a 70.

He even beat Day, who was hitting it some 60 yards by him. Day managed a 71, and thanks to Spieth’s late implosion, goes into the final round just three shots behind.

Day was tied with Dustin Johnson, who had a 72, and Danny Willett (72), the Englishman who didn’t think he was going to be able to play his first Masters until his wife gave birth to their first child.