KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Brooke Henderson didn’t join the LPGA Tour thinking she would end up amongst the best Canadian golfers of all-time. At least not so soon, anyway.

Henderson tied the Canadian record for most career victories on the LPGA or PGA Tour on Saturday when the 21-year-old captured her eighth career title by shooting a 2-under 70 to win the Lotte Championship for the second year in a row.

Sandra Post had eight career victories on the LPGA Tour between 1968 and 1981, while Mike Weir and George Knudson equalled that on the PGA Tour.

“When I was younger it was just a goal to be on the LPGA Tour, to win my first event,” Henderson said.

“And when that happened and I won my first major the year after, things kind of just started to fall into place. I knew the record was eight. Just kept creeping toward it the last three years, which was really exciting.”

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., won last year’s event in Hawaii for her sixth Tour victory and followed that up in August 2018 as the first Canadian in 45 years to win the CP Women’s Open.

“I think starting last year I sort of saw that it was within my reach if I had two good seasons. Last year put me into great position, and coming back this year it’s been on the back of my mind every week that I tee it up. I’m just really happy that I have finally done it.

“Looking forward to overtaking it now.”

She finished 16 under on Saturday at Ko Olina Golf Club to beat South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji by four strokes.

All the highlights from Brooke’s repeat performance in Hawaii ???? pic.twitter.com/XDRFo8KBht

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) April 21, 2019

Nelly Korda, tied with Henderson for the third-round lead, finished with a quadruple-bogey 8 for a 77 that left her seven strokes back at 9 under. She hit into the water twice on 18, then threw her ball in after finishing. The 20-year-old American also had a double bogey on the par-4 seventh.

“Pretty bad,” Korda said. “I mean, it was a tough day, but I ended really poorly and I’m pretty disappointed in that. … It was an unfortunate final round, but there is nothing I can do about it anymore.”

Ariya Jutanugarn (73) and 2016 winner Minjee Lee (74) tied for third at 11 under.

Henderson bogeyed her first hole, but that was the only blemish in the final round as she followed that up with three birdies and 14 pars.

She looked to be in some trouble on the par-4 16th, but saved par when she hit a put from off the green.

“It’s really amazing to even be mentioned in the same sentence as Mike Weir, George, and Sandra,” Henderson said. “This week was really special. I always love coming to Hawaii. Last year was such an incredible week for me, to be able to hoist that trophy for the first time. Coming back I knew I knew the golf course really well.”

Fellow Canadian and Olympic teammate Alena Sharp watched Henderson play out the round and joined her in celebration.

“Congrats my friend ?BrookeHenderson! Unbelievable title defense and tying Sandra Post’s record for most wins by a Canadian on the ?LPGA tour. So freaking proud of you!,” tweeted Sharp (72), who finished 2 under for 40th place.

Henderson takes home US$300,000 for the win. Through seven events in 2019, she has made six cuts, has one victory, three top-10 finishes and one top-15 finish for $498,151 total earnings.

Henderson, ranked No. 12 in the world, has one major among her tournament victories, winning the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship after beating Lydia Ko in a playoff when she was only 18.

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Defending champion Brooke Henderson shot a 3-under 69 on Friday at blustery Ko Olina Golf Club for a share of the third-round lead with Nelly Korda in the Lotte Championship.

Korda had a 71, matching Henderson with a bogey on the par-4 18 to get to 14-under 202.

“There are still 18 more holes left and a lot can happen” Korda said. “The weather is unpredictable. The wind swirls and gusts, so it’ll be an interesting day. We’re all going to be fighting.”

The 21-year-old Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., is trying to match Sanda Post record for LPGA Tour victories by a Canadian with eight.

“It was really windy today,” Henderson said. “Really had to stay patient.”

The 20-year-old Korda won the Women’s Australian Open in February for her second LPGA Tour title. She opened the season with five straight top-10 finishes before tying for 52nd two weeks ago in the major ANA Inspiration. On Friday, she birdied Nos. 12, 14 and 16, before dropping the stroke on 18.

Defending champ @BrookeHenderson making it look easy at @LPGALOTTE! She’s tied for the lead heading into the finale ???? pic.twitter.com/WGzseMJOQQ

— CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) April 20, 2019

“Was a bit of a frustrating day on the front nine,” Korda said. “Was not hitting it well. I was not putting well at all. Kind of got it back on the back nine. It was pretty frustrating today. Wasn’t the happiest camper out there.”

Minjee Lee and second-round leader Eun-Hee Ji were a stroke back. Lee, the Australian who won the 2016 event, had a 70. She was bogey-free and also birdie-free, but did chip-in for eagle on the fifth hole.

“It was pretty hard out there,” Lee said. “The wind was really gusty and the pin placements were pretty hard for the wind direction we had.”

Ji shot 74 after opening with rounds of 65 and 74.

“It’s still a really packed leaderboard, and whoever plays really well tomorrow is going to come out on top or close to the top,” Henderson said. “Right now it’s hard to say what that number is going to be. Kind of all just depends on the wind.”

Ariya Jutanugarn made the third day’s most dramatic move, shooting a 66 to bolt from nine back to two. She avoided bogeys, drained long putts – she needed just 23 – and birdied all but one of the par 5s.

“I think the most important thing today is I feel I’m really too far behind the lead,” Jutanugarn said. “I feel like I can’t catch anyway, so what I want to do is just be patient, do my best every shot.”

Henderson was even par on the front nine, then birdied four of the first six on the back, slam dunking a speeding putt from off the 13th green.

“I knew I had to get going a little bit, make some birdies,” she said. “I was hitting it well the last few holes on the front nine, just wasn’t converting. It was nice to get that birdie-birdie (10-11). Gave me a little momentum going into a couple of par 5s, and I was able to make some putts, which was really nice.”

Her approach to the 18th – Ko Olina’s toughest hole this week – squirted into the back trap. After a good bunker shot, she lipped out a 5-footer for par.

Korda watched from the fairway and missed the green with her approach. She chipped to the fringe then left her par putt short.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (72) was tied for 44th.

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Eun-Hee Ji rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 18th with a pitch-in eagle on the par-5 first and shot a 7-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead over Nelly Korda on Thursday in the Lotte Championship.

Ji had a 15-under 129 total to break the tournament 36-hole record by five strokes.

“I think it was lucky (today),” Ji said. “I had to chip it in three times. Makes a lot of difference for me.”

She played her final nine in the afternoon at Ko Olina in 6-under 30, following the eagle with birdies on four of the next seven holes.

“I just kept focus on my game,” Ji said. “I hit it well and made a lot of putts from there. That makes it a lot different.”

The 32-year-old South Korean won the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in January in Florida for her fifth LPGA Tour title. Her biggest victory came in the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open.

Defending champion Brooke Henderson (68) of Smiths Falls, Ont., and 2016 winner Minjee Lee (68) were tied for third at 11 under. If the 21-year-old Henderson claims her eighth LPGA Tour title Saturday, she will tie Sandra Post’s record for victories by a Canadian. Henderson and Korda played junior golf together.

“It’s pretty cool to have us both make it this far on tour,” Henderson said. “Growing up playing junior events together I think this was both of our dreams, so it’s pretty cool to come out here and have it be a reality every single day.”

Korda birdied four of her final five in the breezy morning session in a 68, also finishing on No. 9.

“It was completely different to yesterday,” Korda said. “I actually experienced Hawaii weather today. It was tough. I didn’t hit every shot perfect. I had a couple bogeys. But I ended up playing pretty solid today.”

Driver off the deck!! @BrookeHenderson with another look at eagle early ???? pic.twitter.com/sp8DHYmf9u

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) April 19, 2019

The 20-year-old American won the Women’s Australian Open in February for her second LPGA Tour title. She opened the season with five straight top-10 finishes before tying for 52nd two weeks ago in the major ANA Inspiration.

Azahara Munoz (66) and Moriya Jutanugarn (67) were 10 under.

Michelle Wie shot her second straight 77 to finish ahead of only one of the 143 players to complete two rounds. The 2014 winner in her home event, she has struggled with pain in her right hand following off-season surgery.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (73) was tied for 49th place, 13 shots back. Anne-Catherine Tanguay (73) of Quebec City was 16 shots back, Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee (76) was 5 over and Orangeville, Ont., native Brittany Marchand (79) was 9 over.

Hamilton – A generation of Hamilton youth will soon experience the lasting impact of the RBC Canadian Open’s proud return to the Hamilton Golf Country Club.

Golf Canada, in partnership with RBC, the City of Hamilton and the Hamilton Golf and Country Club Foundation, along with the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board and Hamilton Catholic District School Board, announced today a number of youth initiatives that will make the 2019 RBC Canadian Open more junior-accessible than ever before, while creating a meaningful golf legacy in the Hamilton Wentworth region.

Beginning with the 2019 event, which runs from June 3-9, the RBC Canadian Open Youth Initiative will span a five-year period through to the Open’s return to Hamilton Golf and Country Club in 2023.

One element of the new Youth Initiative will see golf programming introduced into schools across the Hamilton Wentworth region, with a goal to deliver programming to nearly 100 schools over the next five years. The Hamilton Golf and Country Club Foundation will lead the school fundraising efforts in 2019, working closely with Golf Canada Foundation, the official charity of the RBC Canadian Open.

For the first time ever, RBC Canadian Open School Days will take place during early week practice rounds on Monday and Wednesday of tournament week. Participating schools from the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board will visit on Monday, June 3 while Hamilton Catholic District School Board schools will visit on Wednesday, June 5.

With free admission for participating students and teachers, the School Days experience is credited to the RBC Canadian Open’s new June date on the PGA TOUR schedule. In addition to watching world-class golf, students will get a behind the scenes tour of Canada’s National Open Championship, including visits to The Rink, a tour of the CBS TV broadcast operation, pictures with the iconic RBC Canadian Open trophy, autograph sessions and a variety of junior golf activities.

Golf Canada will also work collaboratively with the City of Hamilton’s three 18-hole municipal golf courses (King’s Forest Golf Course along with the 36-hole Chedoke Golf Club – Beddoe Course and Martin Course) as well as the Hamilton Fore Golf program to engage youth golfers at the RBC Canadian Open. Each of the three courses will have juniors participate in Golf Canada’s Walk with a Pro event during the Wednesday Pro-Am.

“When we announced that Hamilton Golf and Country Club would host a pair of RBC Canadian Opens, we worked with officials from the City of Hamilton and the Club to develop a robust youth initiative that could have a lasting impact in the community,” said RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Bryan Crawford. “Introducing more youth to the game through the school system, connecting with the city’s municipal courses and bringing juniors out to the golf course to watch the world’s best players compete will be really special for kids across the region.”

Golf Canada will work with various stakeholders to secure funding for the RBC Canadian Open Youth Initiative. The Hamilton Golf and Country Club Foundation will be the main source of funding in year one with other community partnerships to be explored in the years when the tournament is not hosted in the Hamilton area.

“Creating a community legacy was an important element to our Foundation getting behind the RBC Canadian Open Youth Initiative in 2019 and 2023,” said Al Scott, Vice President of the Hamilton Golf and Country Club Foundation. “Our goal with Golf Canada was to create a junior golf legacy around the RBC Canadian Open’s return to the Hamilton Wentworth region and give back to the community where we live, work and play.”

Golf Canada also offers a Student Volunteer Program to encourage juniors to earn their community volunteer hours as part of the RBC Canadian Open (or CP Women’s Open). Juniors looking to participate will pay a reduced fee of $40 which includes a uniform and weeklong volunteer badge.

The RBC Canadian Open is also pleased to offer FREE admission to children aged 12-and-under. Juniors aged 13 to 17 can also take advantage of a reduced priced Youth Ticket.

More information about the 2019 RBC Canadian Open including tickets, corporate hospitality and volunteer information is available at www.rbccanadianopen.com.

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Nelly Korda took advantage when Hawaii’s tough trade winds took a break.

Korda rolled in the last of her nine birdies at the 18th in a bogey-free round of 63 Wednesday for a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Lotte Championship at Ko Olina Golf Club.

“I got here Saturday and I swear I couldn’t even walk because it was so windy,” said Korda, who is making her Lotte debut. “But I like the place. Everyone is really friendly and it just feels good to be here.”

Eun-Hee Ji birdied six of the final eight holes for an 8-under 64.

Ji won the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions for her fifth LPGA Tour victory. The 2009 U.S. Women’s Open champion also had a bogey-free round

Ji has played in all eight Lotte events, never shooting lower than 66 before Wednesday. She admitted she was uncomfortable in the wind and surprised at how peaceful it was in paradise.

“It’s always windy out here,” Ji said. “But today was no wind and this course . a lot of changes if no wind, so that makes it little easier today.”

Defending champion Brooke Henderson and Hyejin Choi, playing on a sponsor exemption, are two shots back.

Defending champ @BrookeHenderson kept the momentum at the @LPGALOTTE, with an eagle ? en route to an opening 7-under ?pic.twitter.com/aZb0PnpGhZ

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) April 18, 2019

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., won last year in wind gusts of 30 mph. On Wednesday, she offset her only bogey by chipping in for eagle on the 15th.

“I think I was able to use some of that strategy from last year this year,” Henderson said, “which is a big help.”

Ji turns 33 next month, making her the oldest LPGA winner this year. Korda, who turns 21 in July, was one of the youngest when she snagged her second win in February in Australia.

In her third LPGA season, she is now No. 10 in the Rolex Rankings and has five top 10s in six starts this year. She also leads the tour in birdies.

Hannah Green, of Australia, who holed out for eagle from just inside 100 yards on the third hole, is tied for fifth at 66 with So Yeon Ryu of South Korea.

A big group at 67 includes 2016 Lotte champ Minjee Lee, In Gee Chun, sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn and rookies Suzuka Yamaguchi and Lilia Vu.

Jin Young Ko, the new No. 1 after winning two of her last three starts, finished at 69. She is coming off a victory at the year’s first major and has finished outside the top five just once in her last six starts.

Kim Kaufman had a hole-in-one on the fourth hole – the first of her six-year LPGA career. She shot 71.

Hawaii’s Michelle Wie – the 2014 Lotte champion who is coming back from a wrist injury – shot 77.

“Just coming back, some shots are going to hurt,” Wie said. “Trying to figure my way around that and just trying to get back in the swing of playing again.”

Alena Sharpe (69) of Hamilton was six shots back. Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay shot 72, Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee shot 73 and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont.., had a 74.

On a day-to-day basis Anne-Catherine Tanguay likes to focus on the process of being a professional golfer. But when she takes a step back from her daily regimen of practise, journaling, and evaluation, she does have some pretty lofty goals.

The Quebec City native is in the field at the LOTTE Championship that teed off on Wednesday along with fellow Canadians Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont.

Tanguay is the third-highest Canadian on the Race to the CME Globe rankings behind No. 20 Henderson and No. 39 Sharp. Although she’s not much of a rankings watcher, Tanguay’s aware that she needs to keep moving up from her current position of 90th to achieve some of her long-range goals.

“I think that this year it’s been more important for me to focus on the process rather than the results,” said Tanguay, who arrived in West Oahu, Hawaii, for the tournament on Sunday. “I feel like the rankings are more of a collateral to the rest of the work I put in toward my goals.”

Her most immediate goal? Representing Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

The top 15 world-ranked players will be eligible for the Olympics field of 60 women, with a limit of four players from any 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 women’s qualification period will end June 29, 2020.

“It’s brand new and I feel like it’s not really part of our culture in the golf industry to have this in mind, unlike every other sport where their ultimate goal is to make the Olympics,” said Tanguay. “For us it’s been more play majors, win majors. It’s become my focus more in the past year and more and more people are asking me about it.”

Tanguay is excited to be back at the Ko Olina Golf Club, home of the LOTTE Championship. She enjoys how the course plays and has been preparing all week for the windy conditions on the Hawaiian island.

“This is my third time here, so there’s no surprise that it’s going to be windy,” said Tanguay, who says she hardly has to consult her yardage book for the course. “I’ve been practising my side-hill lies but the No. 1 factor here is the wind. I just wanted to come prepared.”

Canada’s top-ranked golfer and Canada’s iconic railway are partnering for five more years, both on and off the course. Canadian Pacific (CP) has renewed seven-time LPGA tour-winner and the No. 12 ranked female golfer in the world, Brooke Henderson to serve as its golf ambassador.

Since signing on with CP in 2017 as a golf ambassador, Henderson has won four more LPGA Tour titles, including her historic win on home soil at the 2018 CP Women’s Open where she became the first Canadian to win the National Open Championship in 45 years.

Joining the CP family is sister and caddy Brittany Henderson, who will also wear the CP logo as she supports Brooke as a team and family member.

“It is an honor to extend Brooke’s sponsorship until Dec. 31, 2023, and welcome Brittany to the CP family,” said Keith Creel, CP President and Chief Executive Officer. “Brooke remains the perfect ambassador for CP as we continue to grow the game of golf, advocate for healthy living through CP Has Heart, and build on the iconic Canadian brand that is CP. Adding Brittany to the CP family was a natural decision, as railroaders know that precision and excellence requires a strong team.”

CP continues to sponsor Team Canada, a relationship that marked the beginning of Brooke’s relationship with the railway. Both the Hendersons are graduates of the amateur program that supports young golfers as they pursue their professional dreams.

Brooke has also been named a repeat winner of the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as the Canadian Press Female Athlete of the Year. In addition, PostMedia recognized her as their 2018 Summer Female Athlete of the Year and Canadian Sport Awards named her their 2018 Athlete of the Year.

“I am so proud to continue my relationship as an ambassador for CP. As many of my own family members have worked for CP in my hometown of Smiths Falls, it is truly special for me to wear the logo and continue that long history as a member of the CP family. Furthermore, the sincere gesture to add my sister Brittany to the CP family is incredible, as she’s been with me every step of my career. We both look forward to celebrating many more victories with the CP family.”

Already in the CP family is four-time LPGA Tour winner Lorie Kane, who signed on as an ambassador in 2014 when CP took over title sponsorship of the National Open. Kane, who was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2017 and named a recipient of the Order of Canada in 2006, has an established reputation as one of the most personable and consistent players in the game, and has dedicated many efforts off the course to champion support for CP Has Heart.

CP recently named SickKids Foundation as its official charity beneficiary of the 2019 CP Women’s Open that will be hosted at Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ontario. Through its CP Has Heart program, CP will once again make a substantial donation to support local paediatric care. Follow along this season as golf ambassadors Brooke and Lorie encourage fundraising efforts to help reach this year’s $1.75M donation target.

In the five years of CP’s title sponsorship of the CP Women’s Open, $8.5 million has been raised to support children’s heart health in Canada. This will mark the third time in six years southern Ontario has hosted the CP Women’s Open resulting in more than $3.3 million dollars invested in London (2014 – $1.3 million) and Ottawa (2016 – $2 million).

Whose turn is it this week to treat golf as their whipping boy?

Mainstream media feed on the sport as a source of unsubstantiated headlines, many based on the fallacious stereotype of golfers as overweight entitled middle-aged men riding in golf carts while smoking a cigar and chugging a beer. (I do wish they would stop using my foursome as an example.)

For their edification, and yours, here are some verifiable facts about just one positive aspect of golf.

Last fall, Dr. Andrew Murray and his colleagues at Edinburgh University’s Physical Activity for Health Research Centre reported on the results of a review conducted by researchers into 5,000 existing studies about golf.

5,000 studies!

What they found was stunning.

Golf not only has physical and mental health benefits for everyone who plays, but those benefits increase with age. Older folks improve their balance and endurance as well as respiratory and cardiac health.

“We know that the moderate physical activity that golf provides increased life expectancy, has mental health benefits and can help prevent and treat more than 40 major chronic diseases such as heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, breast and colon cancer,” Murray told the BBC.

“Evidence suggests golfers live longer than non-golfers, enjoying improvements in cholesterol levels, body composition, wellness, self-esteem and self-worth.”

The Edinburgh University study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine and is part of the Golf and Health Project, which is led by the World Golf Foundation.

A visit to the Golf and Health web site www.golfandhealth.org is a revelation. (Highly recommended for those mainstream media types mentioned above.)

Other studies show that walking 18 holes is equivalent to an eight-kilometre hike. That hike can drop blood glucose levels by up to 30 per cent in older golfers and helps everyone with weight maintenance and physical fitness. Walking and carrying your clubs can burn up to 2,000 calories per round. Even if you can’t carry, get off the power cart and use a manual or electric push cart (what the Brits call “trolleys”).

Heck, even being a spectator at a golf tournament is good for you.

“Spectators at golf events have been reported to walk significantly further than the 7,500 to 10,000 steps recommended daily for health,” according to Golf and Health. So you don’t have to actually play the game to reap the health benefits associated with it.

Even if the preceding hasn’t persuaded you to get out and golf, how about this for a kicker?

The death rate for golfers is 40 per cent lower than for non-golfers of the same age, sex and socio-economic status, according to a study of 300,000 golfers by Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet. That equates to a five-year increase in life expectancy for regular golfers.

When the Edinburgh University study was released, the London Daily Mail ran this above the story:

“Play golf and you’ll live longer.”

Now, that’s a headline you can believe.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Fallen hero, crippled star, and now a Masters champion again.

Tiger Woods rallied to win the Masters for the fifth time Sunday, a comeback that goes well beyond the two-shot deficit he erased before a delirious audience that watched memories turn into reality at Augusta National.

Woods had gone nearly 11 years since he won his last major, 14 years since that green jacket was slipped over his Sunday red shirt. He made it worth the wait, closing with a 2-under 70 for a one-shot victory and setting off a scene of raw emotion.

He scooped up 10-year-old Charlie, born a year after Woods won his 14th major at Torrey Pines in the 2008 U.S Open. He hugged his mother and then his 11-year-old daughter Sam, and everyone else in his camp that stood by him through a public divorce, an embarrassing DUI arrest from a concoction of painkillers and four back surgeries, the most recent one just two years ago to fuse his lower spine.

“WOOOOOOO!!!” Woods screamed as he headed for the scoring room with chants of “Tiger! Tiger! Tiger” echoing as loud as any of the roars on the back nine at Augusta National.

“It’s overwhelming, just because of what has transpired,” Woods said in Butler Cabin. “Last year I was lucky to be playing again. At the previous year’s dinner, I was really struggling. I missed a couple of years not playing this great tournament. To now be the champion … 22 years between wins is a long time. It’s unreal to experience this.”

Woods lost his impeccable image to a sex scandal, one of the swiftest and most shocking downfalls in sport.

He lost his health to four back surgeries that left him unable to get out of bed, much less swing a club, and he went two years without even playing a major. It was two years ago at the Masters when Woods said he needed a nerve block just to walk to the Champions Dinner. At that time, he thought his career is over.

Now the comeback is truly complete.

He wrapped his arms around his father when he won his first green jacket in 1997, changing the world of golf.

“Now I’m the dad with two kids there,” he said.

He wanted his children to see him win, once saying they saw him only as a YouTube legend. They were at the British Open when he had the lead briefly. They couldn’t make it to East Lake last September, when he won the Tour Championship for his first victory in five years.

“I wasn’t going to let that happen to them twice,” he said. “To let them see what it’s like to have their dad win a major championship, I hope it’s something they’ll never forget.”

Woods won his 15th major, three short of the standard set by Jack Nicklaus. It was his 81st victory on the PGA Tour, one title away from the career record held by Sam Snead.

“A big ‘well done’ from me to Tiger,” Nicklaus tweeted. “I am so happy for him and for the game of golf. This is just fantastic!!!”

It was the first time Woods won a major when trailing going into the final round, and he needed some help from Francesco Molinari, the 54-hole leader who still was up two shots heading into the heart of Amen Corner.

And that’s when all hell broke loose at Augusta.

Molinari’s tee shot on the par-3 12th never had a chance, hitting the bank and tumbling into Rae’s Creek for double bogey. Until then, Molinari had never trailed in a round that began early in threesomes to finish ahead of storms.

And then it seemed as though practically everyone had a chance.

Six players had a share of the lead at some point on the back. With the final group still in the 15th fairway, there was a five-way tie for the lead. And that’s when Woods seized control, again with plenty of help.

Molinari’s third shot clipped a tree and plopped straight down in the water for another double bogey. Woods hit onto the green, setting up a two-putt birdie for his first lead of the final round.

The knockout punch was a tee shot into the 16th that rode the slope just by the cup and settled 2 feet away for birdie and a two-shot lead with two holes to play.

Xander Schauffele failed to birdie the par-5 15th and scrambled for pars the rest of the way for a 68. Dustin Johnson made three straight birdies late in the round, but he got going too late and had to settle for a 68 and a return to No. 1 in the world.

Brooks Koepka, one of four players from the final two groups who hit into the water on No. 12, rallied with an eagle on the 13th, narrowly missed another eagle on the 15th and was the last player with a chance. His birdie putt on the 18th from just outside 10 feet never had a chance, and he had to settle for a 70.

“You want to play against the best to ever play,” Koepka said. “You want to go toe-to-toe with them. I can leave saying I gave it my all. He’s just good, man.”

Wood finished at 13-under 275 and became, at 43, the oldest Masters champion since Nicklaus won his sixth green jacket at 46 in 1986. That for years has stood as Augusta’s defining moment.

This was one is sure to at least rival it.

“This is definitely, probably one of the greatest comebacks I think anybody’s ever seen,” Koepka said, before rattling off Woods’ total PGA Tour victories and 15 majors.

Is the Nicklaus record back in play?

“I think 18 is a whole lot closer than people think,” Koepka said.

Koepka and Molinari both faced Tigermania in the majors and held their own, Molinari at Carnoustie to win the British Open, Koepka last summer at Bellerive to win the PGA Championship.

Molinari went 49 straight holes without a bogey, a streak that ended on the seventh hole. It was the double bogeys that cost him, and the Italian was gracious as ever in defeat.

“I think I made a few new fans today with those double bogeys,” he said.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Francesco Molinari blocked out the buzz from Tiger Woods charging up the leaderboard Saturday at the Masters and produced solid golf that looks spectacular only on the scorecard.

Molinari played bogey-free for the second straight round at Augusta National and took advantage of the rain-softened course for a 6-under 66, giving the British Open champion a two-shot lead going into a Sunday like no other at the Masters.

Because of severe storms in the forecast, the final round will start off hours early, teeing off on both sides and with players in threesomes instead of pairs. Officials hope that speeds up the finish to early afternoon, ahead of the rain.

That puts Woods in the final group of a major for the first time since the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine, where he gave up a two-shot lead on the final day to Y.E. Yang.

Woods made three straight birdies on the front and finished with three birdies over his last six holes for a 67, his best score at the Masters since the final round in 2011. Joining them will be Tony Finau, playing this year on two good ankles after a self-inflicted injury a year ago . He was part of a history-making Saturday as one of three players to shoot 64.

Molinari was at 13-under 203, two shots ahead of Woods and Finau.

“Obviously, he’s playing great,” Molinari said of Woods. “But a lot of guys are playing great. I wish I only had to worry about him. I think a few more are going to come out tomorrow and try to shoot a low one.”

Another shot behind was Brooks Koepka, who has won three of the last six majors and had a 69 despite four bogeys. Corey Conners (71) of Listowel, Ont., was tied for 22nd at 4 under, nine shots behind Molinari.

Woods has won all 14 of his majors when he had at least a share of the lead going into the final round. He brings momentum to this major, having contended in the last two.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been in contention here,” Woods said. “But then again, the last two majors count for something. I’ve been in the mix with a chance to win major championships in the last two years, and so that helps.”

Molinari knows what kind of atmosphere Woods brings to a major. He was paired with him in the final round at Carnoustie last year, where Woods briefly took the lead and the Italian never flinched, playing bogey-free to capture his first major.

Augusta National might sound different than a tough links along the North Sea of Scotland.

This is where Woods first captured the attention of the sporting public when he set 20 records in winning the first of his four green jackets. This is the gallery that has longed to see him recapture the past, especially after four back surgeries that only two years ago left him hobbling up the stairs, wondering if he would play again.

Woods looked good as new, even for a 43-year-old who hasn’t won a major in nearly 11 years. Not since 2013 in the British Open as Muirfield has he been within two shots of the lead.

He joined the chasing pack on a day when going neutral meant losing ground on a course in which 65 players combined to go 80-under par, at 70.77 the second-lowest scoring average in Masters history.

When he rolled in a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th, and the massive gallery rose to their feet with yet another ear-splitting roar, Woods became the ninth player Saturday who had at least a share of the lead.

Molinari, playing in the final group, kept right on rolling.

When he saved par from a bunker on the 18th hole, it was his 43rd consecutive hole without a bogey. That streak started on the 11th hole on Thursday, and it’s the only bogey he has made all week.

“I hit the ball a little less well than yesterday,” Molinari said. “But I holed some really good putts at 4 and 5 to save par. I can only be happy about today. It will be an exciting day tomorrow.”

No one figures to be as excited as Finau, who last turn grotesquely turned his ankle celebrating a hole-in-one in the Par 3 Tournament, and still managed to tie for 10th. He nearly holed a 4-iron on the par-5 eighth on his way to a record-tying 30 on the front nine that sent him to his 64.

Because of the change in starting times, Finau gets to play alongside Woods – his golfing hero – not only at the last group in a major, but at the Masters. Finau said it was “something that I’ve dreamed of for a long time.”

“As a kid, I always wanted to compete against him and have the opportunity to … you know, I’ve dreamed of playing in the final group with him in a major championship.”

Webb Simpson, who also shot 64, joined Ian Poulter (68) at 9-under 207, four shots behind and very much in the picture. The group another shot back included Dustin Johnson, who only made birdies on the par 5s and bogeyed his last hole for a 70.