NORTON, Mass. – It took a disappointing par for Scottie Scheffler to realize he was making enough birdies to have a shot at 59, and he seized on the chance Friday with four birdies over his last five holes to post the 12th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history.

For the longest time, it looked like his 59 might not even be the best of the day at The Northern Trust.

As Scheffler was signing his card, Dustin Johnson had already set off on an explosive start that put some buzz into the TPC Boston even without any spectators on the course.

Birdie. Eagle. Birdie. Eagle. Birdie.

He was 9 under through eight holes, and with two birdies to start the back nine, Johnson was 11 under through 11 holes.

And then he turned into a par machine, with only two good looks at birdie the rest of the way, and one decision he’d like to have back. Johnson hit driver on the par-5 18th into a slope of grungy grass, when a 3-wood was all he would have needed to have a mid-iron into the green. He had to lay up, hit wedge to 25 feet and two-putted for a seventh straight par.

Johnson shot a 60, had a two-shot lead, and it almost felt as though condolences were in order.

“If I hit the fairway there, it’s a pretty easy 4. But I didn’t, so shot 60,” Johnson said. “That’s OK, though. I’m pretty happy with it. Pretty happy with my position leading into the weekend.”

Johnson was at 15-under 127, two shots ahead of Scheffler and Cameron Davis (66). Scheffler finished with two putts from across the 18th green for his 12th birdie, knocking in his last putt from 4 feet.

“You don’t really get a putt for 59 often, so I was quite nervous over the putt, but that’s nothing new,” Scheffler said. “I get nervous over every shot. That’s just playing competitive golf.”

Not since the John Deere Classic in 2010 have two players had 60 or lower on the same day. That contributed to Tiger Woods feeling irritated by his pedestrian 71 that allowed him to make the cut on the number and left him 12 shots back.

“I just didn’t quite have it,” Woods said. “I was close to snapping a couple clubs today, but I didn’t, so that’s a positive.”

Scheffler, the smooth 24-year-old rookie from Texas, didn’t do hardly anything wrong. Two good wedges from tough spots around the green set up birdies early, and he kept pouring them in. That included a 6-foot par putt on the 17th hole that set up the birdie he needed for a 59.

On the 18th, his tee shot hopped out of the rough and into the first cut. From 215 yards, he wisely aimed toward the left section of the green, hit 5-iron just short and had two putts from 85 feet for a 59. He rolled the long eagle attempt about 4 feet short, went over to his bag for a swig of water while waiting his turn, and calmly rolled it in.

Scheffler was trying to make as many birdies as possible. It was only after he missed a 10-foot birdie chance on the 13th that he began to realize what he was doing.

“I was like, `Oh, man, that would have been a nice one to go in’ because I was playing really good at that point,” he said. “Kind of clicked like, `Hey, I have a chance to do something pretty cool today.”’

That makes five straight years with a 59 or better on the PGA Tour.

This stood out as the 59 that generated the least amount of excitement, not on a spectator-free course with no scoreboards in the groups. Scheffler played with Kevin Streelman and Tony Finau, and only one of them knew what was going on.

“We don’t have the sign bearers, so I brought it up to Tony on 17 green, and he had no idea,” Streelman said. “He thought it was 7 or 8 (under) and I’m like, `No, he’s like 11 right now.’ That’s the difference. There would definitely have been electricity, fans running in. He still had the pressure to step up there on 18 and make that nice up-and-down, and he played awesome.

“He played perfect golf today.”

So did Johnson. He made it look so easy that Marc Leishman, playing in his group, starting wondering about the lowest score anyone ever shot. “A 59 didn’t even seem like a question,” Leishman said.

Johnson holed a 40-foot eagle putt on No. 2. He hit driver to 4 feet for eagle on No. 4. The rest of his birdie putts were in range, mostly from 12 feet or closer. And he kept making them, until the birdies dried up quickly.

Johnson missed a 12-footer on the 13th and a 10-footer on the 17th. And then he failed to make birdie on the last hole, the easiest of the day on the TPC Boston.

A 59 is no longer the record – Furyk shot 58 at the Travelers Championship in 2016 – but it’s still considered golf’s magic number. It was the second time Scheffler shot 59 this year. He also had one during with friends in Dallas when the tour shut down for three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johnson will have to wait.

“I wanted to shoot 59. I’ve never done it,” he said.

Never?

“Not that I remember,” Johnson said, breaking into a smile before adding, “And I think I’d remember that.”

Meanwhile, the FedEx Cup playoffs ended early for some two dozen players who missed the cut and were assured of not making the top 70 who advance to the BMW Championship next week. That includes Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka, who withdrew before the tournament began.

TROON, Scotland – As if Royal Troon isn’t playing hard enough for the world’s top female golfers this week, Dani Holmqvist is going around the wind-swept Scottish links carrying a nagging back injury from a cart crash in 2018.

It’s not stopping the Swede leading the Women’s British Open after two rounds.

On another tough day when first-round leader Amy Olson shot 81 – 14 strokes worse than Thursday – and stars like Lexi Thompson, Canadian Brooke Henderson and defending champion Hinako Shibuno missed the cut, Holmqvist shot 1-under 70 in windy morning conditions to be the only player under par after 36 goals.

A 1-under total of 141 left Holmqvist a stroke ahead of Austin Ernst of the United States (70) and Sophia Popov of Germany (72). The rest of the 144-strong field were over par for a tournament being played without spectators and in an isolated environment on the southwest coast due to the pandemic.

Holmqvist’s form has come out of nowhere, with the 32-year-old Swede having missed the cut in 13 of the 20 events she has played since the golf cart in which she was riding between holes in the Blue Bay event on the LPGA Tour in November 2018 lost control and slammed into a wall.

As well as suffering with a leaking disk in her back, Holmqvist had a badly inflamed facet joint that has required multiple injections and regular rehab. The suspension of golf because of the coronavirus outbreak gave her some much-needed time to heal but she still described herself as “injured” on Friday.

“It’s a long process and very tedious,” she said. “It’s an everyday thing.”

Capturing a first major title – indeed, a first professional win at senior level – won’t be easy, and not just because of how hard and long Troon is playing in often 50-mph (80-kph) winds.

Lying two strokes behind Holmqvist on 1 over par are former No. 1 Lydia Ko (71) and No. 8-ranked Minjee Lee, who shot 69 to tie for the lowest round on Friday. A further shot back is No. 4-ranked Nelly Korda after her round of 72.

“We were like, `Are you scared over 1-footers, too, with this wind?’ Korda said, referring to a conversation she had with playing partner Georgia Hall, the 2018 champion. ”Because we were like shaking over it with wind and the gusts.“

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp is 3 over for the tournament after a 74 on Friday. Henderson, frm Smiths Falls, Ont., was 10 over for two rounds, missing the cut by one stroke.

After what she described as the best ball-striking round of her career to shoot 67 on Thursday, Olson came back to earth with a 10-over round that included six bogeys on her first 10 holes before double-bogeys at Nos. 11 and 14.

The American parred her way home to limit the damage and won’t feel out of it at 6 over.

Another American, Lindsay Weaver, is closer to the lead on 1 over after shooting 72 while pushing her own trolley.

“It’s kind of back to the basics. This is how junior golf was,” she said.

Flying solo with a decade-old trolley that doesn’t have functioning breaks isn’t without its perils, either.

“I was in one bunker,” Weaver said, recalling an incident in her first round, “and my push cart flew into another bunker and toppled over. I’m still trying to get a lot of the sand out of my bag.”

It has proved to be a week to forget for Lexi Thompson, who has shot 78 and 75 to miss the cut by two strokes.

At least she avoided the ignominy of being penalized for using the head of her club to push away long grass from her ball on the 16th hole of her first round.

“Following a discussion between chief referee David Rickman and the player prior to her signing her scorecard,” the R&A said in a statement Friday, “it was determined that, although the player had moved a growing natural object behind her ball, it had returned to its original position.

“Therefore, the lie of the ball was not improved and there was no breach of Rule 8.1.”

TROON, Scotland – Fences blew over behind Canada’s Alena Sharp as she warmed up for her 6.30 a.m. start.

Nelly Korda’s opening drive went 187 yards and the fierce wind meant she had a hard time just walking the first three holes.

Buffeted by a gust on the 11th green, Lexi Thompson stepped back from a bogey putt, looked at her caddie, and had a wry laugh.

The opening round of the first women’s major of a pandemic-affected year was a slog for many of the world’s biggest names at Royal Troon on Thursday.

For Amy Olson, though, it was a stroll.

The American was the only player to shoot below 70 in what some said was a four-club wind on the famous links in eastern Scotland, her 4-under 67 earning her a three-stroke lead.

“It was the best ball-striking day of my life,” said Olson, who grew up hitting a low ball in strong winds in North Dakota, standing her in good stead for links play. “But I can’t even describe how difficult it was out there.”

Only two others in the 144-player field – Sophia Popov of Germany and Marina Alex of the United States – shot under par, both with rounds of 70.

“It was brutal,” said Popov, who was playing in 117 degrees Fahrenheit in Arizona last week and only arrived in Scotland on Tuesday.

Danielle Kang would agree. The in-form player – and, at No. 2, the highest-ranked competitor at Troon this week – finished eagle-birdie-birdie just to shoot 76 along with defending champion Hinako Shibuno of Japan.

Stacy Lewis, the 2013 champion at St. Andrews, had the same score after arriving on the back of a win across the country at the Ladies Scottish Open on Sunday.

Thompson, an American ranked No. 10, dropped five shots in two holes on Nos. 11 and 12, and had a 78.

Among the 10 players tied for fourth place at even par were Sharp and Catriona Matthew, a 50-year-old Scot who was captain of Europe’s Solheim Cup-winning team last year.

Sharp, a Hamilton native, rebounded after hitting her opening shot out of bounds, resulting in a double bogey.

“I was just like, OK, you need to wake up, start playing golf shots.’ Don’t be afraid of the wind,” said Sharp, who had four birdies and no bogeys on the last eight holes. “This is just like all the other rounds I’ve played in the wind. You know, just from there on, I was just in grind mode the rest of the day.”

Sharp has a grandmother and uncle from Scotland.

“I feel like they were watching over me today and giving me a little help out there,” she said.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., had a 6-over 77.

The conditions at an event being played in an isolated environment because of the pandemic were worse for the morning starters, who encountered winds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 kph). For some, it was four seasons in one day.

Olson went out in the afternoon and made only one bogey, on the par-4 third hole. She responded by chipping in for birdie at No. 4 and hitting to within a foot with an 8-iron from 191 yards for another at No. 6. Another birdie arrived at No. 11, before her tee shot at the par-3 14th hole settled three feet from the cup for another birdie.

Her fifth birdie came at No. 16.

The 28-year-old Olson has yet to win as a professional, though came close to capturing a major at the Evian Championship in 2018 when she tied for second place, a shot behind Angela Stanford. She tied for seventh at the Scottish Open last week, suggesting she was in the kind of shape to challenge at Troon.

Popov, who finished birdie-birdie, only qualified for the British with a top-10 finish at the Marathon Classic two weeks ago and was playing on the second-tier Symetra Tour in Phoenix last week, tying for second.

Alex rebounded from a double-bogey 7 at No. 6 with three birdies in a bogey-free final 11 holes.

Former No. 1 Lydia Ko and No. 4-ranked Nelly Korda were among those to shoot 72.

Top-ranked Jin Young Ko, a winner of two majors last year, is absent from the tournament in Scotland along with fellow South Koreans Sung Hyun Park (No. 3) and Sei Young Kim (No. 6) because of coronavirus restrictions. Jessica Korda, the sister of Nelly, withdrew just before the start of the first round with an illness not related to COVID-19, organizers said.

The weather could be even tougher on Friday, with near-gale force gusts forecast in the afternoon.

LANGFORD, B.C.—Beginning the day with a five-shot lead, Yi Cao, a Delta, B.C., resident by way of China, let everybody in the field at Bear Mountain Golf & Tennis Resort Community’s Valley Course know he wouldn’t be taking his foot off the gas. Cao birdied his first hole of the final round, shot a closing 66 and was completely dominant for all 54 holes as he won the Canada Life Series at Bear Mountain: Valley Course event by a whopping eight strokes over Joey Savoie and Albert Pistorius. Cao was bogey-free Wednesday, with his 66 his best score of the week. The 29-year-old walked away with the $9,000 first-place check, and he also took over the lead on the Points List, picking up 500 points for the win.

Cao has been the best player through the Series’ first two weeks, never shooting an over-par round during his six tours around Bear Mountain’s two courses, with a win and a tie for third in two weeks’ work. He was a combined 17-under in the two tournaments.

“The biggest event I’ve won was on PGA TOUR (Series)-China, but I have never won going into the final round with a lead. On PGA TOUR China, I started eight shots back, so this was a new and fun experience,” said Cao, recalling the final-round 63 he shot to win the 2018 Chongqing Championship.

The key to victory for the native of Beijing was his ability to conquer the Valley Course’s four par-5s. He played them in 9-under for the week. He gave a first-round signal that the par-5s was where he would do his damage, making birdie on all four par-5s. He birdied the 12th hole all three days, and, naturally, he put a bow on his triumph by making a birdie at the tournament’s closing hole, the par-5 18th.

“My strategy on the par-5s was to just keep my ball in play the first tee shot, and then if I have a good chance to reach the green I’ll go for it. Otherwise I would stay back and play for the green in three shots,” Cao added. “Luckily my putter worked.”

Although Savoie was never in contention, he helped himself considerably with his closing 64 that was, like Cao’s round, bogey-free. Savoie, making his Canada Life Series debut after skipping last week’s tournament, began the day tied for 17th and, like Pistorius, earned 245 points and $3,375 with his runner-up performance.

“It feels good. I didn’t shoot under-par until today. I felt like I made all my birdies and all my good swings during one round for the week,” Savoie said.

“It felt like I made all my birdies and good swings during one round this week”

Solid round of 7-under par, 64 and new official @BearMountain Valley Course record for @joeysavoie_. #CanadaLifeSeries pic.twitter.com/WmPy6YTvCl

— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) August 20, 2020

The next tournament, at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley’s Heathlands Course, will be a Wednesday-through-Friday affair, beginning September 2. The players will enjoy a 14-day layoff as they make their way across the country to the Toronto suburb of Caledon.

Did you know Joey Savoie was a member of Team Canada and didn’t turn pro until this season? He has played in five previous Mackenzie Tour tournaments, all as an amateur, making two cuts, a tie for 30th at the 2019 Osprey Valley Open his top outing.

The time has come for Brooke Henderson to get back into competitive golf.

Henderson tees off in the early afternoon on Thursday at the Women’s British Open at storied Royal Troon Old Course in Troon, Scotland. It’s her first tournament since January, a seven-month break that she believes is the longest she’s taken from competitive golf since she was in elementary school.

“That’ll be fun, I haven’t really felt that adrenalin in a little while. I’m looking forward to it,” said Henderson, who tied for fourth at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions on Jan. 16 and then tied for 15th in the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio a week later.

Henderson always planned to skip the LPGA Tour’s swing through Australia and was on the fence about playing in its Asian tournaments. The COVID-19 pandemic took that decision out of her hands.

“I was happy that I wasn’t over there and then after that more things started to get cancelled,” said Henderson. “It is unfortunate that this has happened but, at the same time, you can take some positives from it.

Back in action ? pic.twitter.com/2Ha5yaEWot

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) August 18, 2020

“My family’s been healthy and hopefully it stays that way and I’ve been able to do some extra things I don’t normally have time for.”

That inactivity has seen Henderson fall from the top 10 down to a tie for 37th in the Race to CME Globe standings. A solid performance at Troon, however, should help her move quickly back up the rankings.

“I’m really looking forward to competing again and I’m glad the LPGA has come up with a schedule and a plan to try and keep us players and everybody involved as safe as they can be during this crazy time,” said Henderson.

“I’m really appreciative of everyone that’s been working hard to get the show on the road.”

Always a cerebral player, Henderson enjoyed taking a step back from the day-to-day grind of a professional golfer. Instead of analyzing course layouts and working on her swing she’s had time to read books and do more cooking.

“It’s very mentally draining playing golf, both on the course and off,” said Henderson. “You’re constantly thinking of how to improve, how to play the course with maybe a better strategy, you’re always thinking and trying to get better that way.

“In this off-time I feel like I’ve had more mental energy to spend in different ways.”

She’ll be joined at Women’s British Open by Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, who has thrived since the LPGA Tour resumed play on July 31 at the inaugural Drive On Championship. Sharp is currently 42nd in the CME Globe standings.

LANGFORD, B.C.—China’s Yi Cao appears to be playing a different course than everybody else this week. After shooting a 67 in the opening round of the Canada Life Series at Bear Mountain: Valley Course event, Cao matched that score Tuesday as he opened a five-shot lead with one round remaining in this 54-hole event. At 8-under, he’s five strokes ahead of Canadians Michael Blair and Russell Budd. Sebastian Szirmak is alone in fourth, six shots behind Cao.

It’s been an impressive performance by the 29-year-old Cao, who lives in the Vancouver suburb of Delta. The former PGA TOUR Series-China winner and Mackenzie Tour player has made only two bogeys and has easily been the best player for the first 36 holes.

With a one-shot lead when the day began, Cao made a par at No. 1 and a bogey at the second. His scorecard with clean after that. While he made only one more birdie on the front nine, at No. 9, he added four additional birdies in five holes, starting at No. 11 to extend his lead. The only hole he didn’t birdie during that stretch was the 13th.

“I have no idea what to expect for [Wednesday]. I do believe there are certain players who can really shoot low scores, so I better just keep the same game I played today and [Monday],” Cao said.

He did mention his escape with a par on his final hole of the day as being somewhat key to keeping his big cushion. After a poor tee shot, he faced a 260-yard second shot on the par-5. He laid up with a 2-iron, with 50 yards to the pin. However, he missed the green with his approach shot, bladed his fourth into the bunker and then holed his shot from the sand. “I had an adventure on 18,” he joked afterward.

Budd wasn’t able to birdie the par-5 18th hole, while Blair was, and that deadlocked the two in second place. Blair’s biggest mistake of the second round came at No. 15 when he double bogeyed the par-5.

Szirmak began his second round quickly, getting to 4-under through five holes on the back of his opening, even-par 71. He made the turn at 4-under and moved to 5-under with a birdie at the par-4 11th before coming in at 2-over. Back-to-back double bogeys starting at No. 12 were his undoing.

LANGFORD, B.C.—China’s Yi Cao rolled in a birdie putt on the 18th hole Monday, and Scott Kerr matched him on that hole about an hour later, and those two putts were enough to give Cao and Kerr the opening-round lead at the Canada Life Series at Bear Mountain: Valley Course. The duo shot 4-under 67s and lead Andrew Harrison and Michael Blair by a shot. Mackenzie Tour member James Allenby leads a group of five players at 2-under—all very much in contention after day one of the Series’ second event.

Cao (pronounced Chow) had an indifferent front nine, with the native of Beijing making seven pars after a birdie on No. 1 to open his day. His lone bogey of the afternoon came on the fourth. He picked up the pace on the back nine, with birdies on Nos. 11, 12, 15 and his birdie at the last.

“The greens were softer than last week compared to the Mountain Course, but I was able to take a little bit of advantage of that,” said, Cao, who had been a regular Mackenzie Tour player since 2016 before losing his card following the 2019 season. His career-best finish, however, came in one of his two 2015 starts, tying for 19th. “I was trying to hit it closer to the flag and make a few more putts. Luckily I got a few in.”

Kerr had six birdies and two bogeys on his first tour around the Jack Nicklaus-designed course, but his most memorable hole was a par at the 13th.

“I think I made the best par of my life today. I had a bit of a wait and I didn’t do a great job resetting after the wait, so I blasted [my tee shot] into the bush and had to re-tee, obviously (because) right’s just absolutely dead,” said Kerr, the former Simon Fraser golfer. “But I hit a good second one down the fairway, had 185 yards and holed out from there with an 8-iron and walked off with a pretty crazy 4.”

This year has been a unique one – to say the least – but a big positive that’s come from the lengthy break from event-planning has seen Golf Canada accelerate meaningful initiatives that will benefit the future of the sport.

The Golf Canada Women in Coaching Program, launching this week, is one of those initiatives – an exciting partnership between Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada that will put the sport on the path to further balance between sexes at a high level, coaching-wise.

“Golf Canada has a vested interest in developing the coaching pool to fill the future pipeline of national team coaches – we want to ensure that in the future we have a coaching staff that better represents our players and the golfing community,” says Emily Phoenix, the manager of high performance sport at Golf Canada and one of the leaders of the Women in Coaching Program.

“There are PGA of Canada members out there who are female, that have invested in their own coaching skills and we want to provide some additional tools, along with our partners at the PGA of Canada, to further develop these existing coaches.”

In early 2019 Sport Canada approached all National Sport Organizations for programs or projects it wanted to do but maybe hadn’t had the funding to launch. The idea for the Women in Coaching Program fell under the Safe Sport and Gender Equity Fund while its inspiration came from Level Par, a comparable initiative in Ireland.

Hey @pgaofcanada LADIES!!! Check this out!👀⬇️ Love it!❤⛳ https://t.co/F6FQZkzXEQ

— Lisa Longball (@LisaLongball) August 17, 2020

Golf Canada applied for a wider collection of funding, so not only will it be doing a coach mentorship program, but there are some other exciting initiatives that Golf Canada has outlined either in the safe sport area or with gender equity that will span two years – 2020 and 2021 – says Phoenix.

The development of this particular program also relates well to Golf Canada’s commitment to the R&A’s Women in Golf charter.

In part, the R&A’s Women in Golf charter (of which Golf Canada is a signatory) intends “to inspire an industry-wide commitment to developing a more inclusive culture within golf around the world and enable more women and girls to flourish and maximize their potential at all levels of the sport.”

Tristan Mullally, the Women’s National Team Head Coach, will co-lead the program along with Phoenix. He says it’s huge any time you can support people who want to learn in both a functional program but also with financial aid.

“Good coaches will tell you they have to invest a lot of money in themselves,” said the PGA of Canada Class ‘A’ member.

Mullally also coaches the Women’s Young Pro Squad and led the Canadian Women’s Golf Team of Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Excited to be a part of this project and support aspiring coaches. Information and application details below #leveltheplayingfield https://t.co/brRulF0aB3

— Tristan Mullally (@tmullallygolf) August 17, 2020

He says although full-time coaching opportunities are limited, for both genders, this is a chance for Golf Canada to help level the playing field.

“There are many great female coaches across Canada but they tend to be a little more isolated and this was a way to bring expertise together,” he said. “This will bring together likeminded female coaches to build relationships and learn best practices from our national team program.”

As part of the mission of the program, Golf Canada will work closely with female PGA of Canada professionals interested in pursuing a career in coaching.

There will be four main elements to the program including lectures, hands-on training, project work, and a self-assessment. Each successful candidate will receive a $2,500 bursary from Golf Canada.

“The time is long overdue,” says Matt Allen, the chief innovation officer of the PGA of Canada, about this kind of program. “I think for us the rationale was really: we have a lot of female professionals who are doing great work and leading at the club level but we really saw an opportunity to grow the pool of high performance coaching in the country.”

The program launch aligns nicely with the continued growth of the DCM PGA Women’s Championship of Canada and the launch of the PGA of Canada’s Women’s PGA Cup in 2019, says Allen. A program like this, he says, helps with visibility and hopefully, growth of the game.

“There are lots of young, female golfers playing the game and picking up the game now. If they don’t see a high-profile female coach in our sport then they don’t see the pathway for them. If you don’t see it, you don’t believe it,” says Allen. “This is the time for us to say, ‘you know what, we’re putting a stake in the ground.’ These young girls who are starting to pick up the game today can have a viable career at the high performance level.”

PGA of Canada professionals interested in the Women in Coaching Program can click here to apply.

Applications will close on Monday, Sept. 7 at 5 p.m. ET

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Jim Herman’s got a plan to keep his PGA Tour career thriving – play more rounds with President Donald Trump.

Whenever Herman plays golf with the president, soon after he hoists a trophy.

It happened in 2016 with his breakthrough victory at the Houston Open, again before he won the Barbasol tournament last year – and now before Herman’s improbable rally Sunday at Wyndham Championship to make the FedEx Cup playoffs.

“He’s been a big supporter of mine,” Herman said about Trump, his regular golf partner while working as an assistant professional at Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey. “I need to play golf with him a little bit more.”

Herman gave the president plenty to cheer about on the weekend, a victory even the 42-year-old didn’t see coming.

“This was out of the blue. I’ll tell you that,” Herman said.

Herman shot a 7-under 63 for a one-stroke victory over Billy Horschel, overcoming a four-stroke deficit in the final round at Sedgefield Country Club. Herman moved past Horschel with a birdie on the 71st hole.

A mutual friend passed along the president’s best wishes Saturday, Herman said. He had not heard from Trump yet. “You never know what could happen later tonight or tomorrow morning,” Herman said. “There were some rumours he was definitely watching.”

Herman finished at 21-under 259.

Horschel closed with a 65. He had a final chance to tie on the 72nd hole, but his 8-foot birdie putt slid left of the cup.

Herman got into the playoffs, jumping from 192nd to 54th in the race for the 125 spots.

Si Woo Kim, the third-round leader, had a 70 to tie for third at 18 under with Kevin Kisner (64), Webb Simpson (65) and Doc Redman (68).

Herman had two birdies and an eagle – from 59 feet – on his first five holes to catch up to Kim. Then, trailing Horschel by a stroke, Herman stuck his approach to No. 17 to just over 3 feet for a birdie. to reach 21 under. He gained the lead when Horschel missed a 12-footer for par on 16.

It was quite a week for Herman, who had three birdies over his final four holes Friday simply to make the cut. He followed that up with a career-low 61 on Saturday to get into striking distance before taking the victory.

He had come off a poor showing at the PGA Championship and couldn’t find the fairway early on here. “This is going to be a pretty quick week if we don’t get this figured out,” he told his caddie.

His next tee shot split the fairway and Herman was off and running.

Horschel looked as if he was the one to rally as he moved from three behind Kim to the lead with a birdie-eagle- birdie run on the front nine while Kim struggled with a double bogey and a bogey over his first eight holes.

Horschel had an 11-footer for birdie that didn’t fall on the 17th hole before his miss on No. 18.

“A little disappointed,” he said. “I had two good looks on the last two holes and the way I was rolling, I thought I’d make one of them.”

Kim was a birdie machine with 21 birdies and a hole in one the first three rounds. But he stumbled out of the gate and a pair of bad drives cost him his first win since The Players Championship in 2017.

He drove right into a hazzard of thick grass and, despite six people searching, could not find his shot. Kim made double bogey to fall from the top.

Two holes later, Kim would up near a cart path bridge for a bogey to fall four shots off the lead.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., was the low Canadian, 12 shots back in a tie for 31st place. Michael Glicic of Burlington, Ont., tied for 59th.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Tom Hoge maintained a share of the lead Friday at the Wyndham Championship, this time alongside Si Woo Kim, Talor Gooch and Billy Horschel.

Hoge, tied for the first-round lead with Harold Varner III and Roger Sloan, kept in front with a steady 2-under 68 to get to 10-under par.

Hoge, whose best-ever tour finish was a second at The Greenbrier this season, was asked what it would take for his first PGA Tour win.

“There’s a lot to that question,” he said.

The answer could be as simple as regaining his first-round form when he had seven birdies, an eagle and one par. This time, Hoge was more up and down with five birdies and three bogeys.

Sloan, from Merritt, B.C., shot a 70 on Friday to drop into a tie for 10th at 8 under. Michael Gligic (69) of Burlington, Ont., was tied for 48th at 4 under. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., both missed the cut.

Kim, whose first tour victory came here in 2016 and made history a year later as the youngest-ever winner of The Players Championship, shot a 65 to move up.

Kim got it going on the front nine (his final nine) after starting with nine consecutive pars. He had six birdies coming in, including the final two holes to move on top.

Kim’s approach shots down the stretch were on target – his final five birdie putts were all from 12 feet or closer.

He said the rough at Sedgefield Country Club was “more sticky and deep” this year.

“It helps more to hit fairway, that’s really important,” Kim said. “That’s why I hit it more, try to focus on ,,, the fairway.”

Like Hoge, the 28-year-old Gooch is seeking his first tour victory. Like Kim, Gooch shot 65 to get into the foursome on top.

It was the first time on tour Gooch, who opened with a 65, had multiple rounds that low in the same event. He had six birdies, including two of his final three holes, to move up.

“Anytime you shoot 65, it does’t matter who, what, when, where, why, you’ve done some good,” he said.

Horschel shot 64 and had birdies on four of last six holes, including a tricky 7-footer on his final one, the ninth, to join the lead group. Horschel won the 2014 FedEx Cup and said this time of year charges him up.

“I like it when the pressure’s on and everyone’s looking at you and you need to step up and doing something special,” he said.

The four were a stroke ahead of Harris English (67) , Varner (69), Andrew Landry (65), Doc Redman (64) and British Open champ Shane Lowry, who shot a 63 to tie for Friday’s low round with Jason Kokrak.

Lowry did not get to defend his major when the tournament was cancelled due to the global pandemic. He also entered the week at 131 in FedEx Cup points, outside of the upcoming playoffs.

After a bogey on his second hole, Lowry had six birdies and an eagle to move into contention.

“Obviously, I’m outside the FedEx Cup number and out of Boston next week, so I need to keep playing some good golf and try and polish off a good week,” he said.

Kokrak was in a group of seven one shot further back along with past Wyndham champ Webb Simpson, who shot his second straight 66.

Those three strokes back included Patrick Reed (68), Paul Casey (66) and Tommy Fleetwood (64).

A pair of major champions in the thick of last week’s PGA Championship in Brooks Koepka and Justin Rose did not make the cut.

Koepka had a 70, including a triple-bogey 7 on the 10th hole, to finish at 2-over, 12 shots behind. Rose rallied to a 67 after an opening 73, but his even-par was not enough to continue.

“Not physically tired, more mentally,” said Koepka, who’s played in sixth straight tournaments with the playoffs ahead. “But I’ve got the weekend off.”