BATHURST, N.B. – Peter Detemple and Brady Exber were the only players in the red at the end of the first round of the 2018 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship at Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club.

It was a sunny blue bird day with a little wind which was proving to throw off some players, but not Detemple.

“It was a beautiful day, perfect enough breeze for the mosquitoes to keep away. You know, the wind is your friend in golf, you use it. It wasn’t overly windy, it was a normal wind,” said the Vancouver native.

Detemple opened with two birdies on his front nine but struggled with his putter on hole 10 as he made the turn.

“I missed a 12-inch putt on 10, I tapped it in and missed it. I was standing there like ‘what the heck’ that don’t happen,” Detemple laughed.

He didn’t let that stop him. The Lexington Park, MD., resident continued to card two more birdies against two bogeys to finish 1 under.

“I played conservative, I kept it in play today, that was my goal. You don’t want to shoot yourself out,” said the 56-year-old.

Unlike Detemple, Exber had a rough start to the tournament when he arrived in Bathurst, but his clubs did not. Exber was one of many players whose clubs didn’t make it for the practice round, but thankfully arrived just on time for the beginning of the championship.

“I’m really happy, I didn’t have my own clubs until today, so I just didn’t want to get off to a bad start,” said the Las Vegas native. “I wanted to get in the feel of the golf course because I didn’t really know how far the ball was going with my own equipment. It took me a few holes to kind of get going, but I did get off to a good start.”

The 62-year-old had a similar opening round to Detemple recording two birdies. Exber made the turn–also recording a bogey on hole 10 and a birdie on hole 11–and recorded an eagle on hole 14 after a chip-in just off the green.

Two players trail the duo after carding even-par 72s. Ken Griffith of Red Deer, Alta. and Allen Barber of Yorktown, Va., both share third heading into Wednesday’s second round.

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Honoured Member and 2014 Champion, Doug Roxbough, leads the Super Senior (65 years +) Division by two strokes over Lars Melander from Oakville, Ont. and Mike Hosford from Dieppe, N.B. Roxbough recorded a 2-over-74 in Tuesday’s round.

Defending champions, Team Alberta, has a share of the lead with neighbouring province, Team Saskatchewan, at 4 over. Three strokes back, with a share of third, are Team British Columbia (+7) and Team Ontario (+7).

The 2018 Canadian Men’s SeniorChampion will earn an exemption into the 2019 U.S. Men’s Senior Amateur Championship at the Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, N.C., on Aug. 24-29, 2019.

Additional information, including full scores from the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship can be here.

TORONTO – From soccer fields to baseball diamonds to the golf course, playing forms friendships, and creates memories while building community. That’s why Kraft Heinz, TSN and RDS, are joining forces for a 10th year to continue building better places to play from coast-to-coast-to-coast.

Starting today, Canadians can nominate their local recreation project for Kraft Heinz Project Play for a chance to win local facility upgrades. The Grand Prize winner will receive $250,000 towards a recreational facility upgrade, and the three second-prize winners will each receive $25,000.

“Play brings us together; it encourages a healthier lifestyle, it inspires imagination, it teaches values and most importantly, it builds a sense of community,” said Joanna Milroy, Marketing Director, Kraft Heinz. “We’re thrilled to help bring communities together by investing in the places they play and grow up in together.”

Last year’s winner, Goderich, Ontario, is using its winnings to upgrade its multi-use recreational park. Over the past nine years, Kraft Heinz Project Play has awarded $2.6M to 77 communities across Canada. In total, Kraft Heinz has supported 179 communities, contributing $6.75 million dollars to play-based infrastructure projects across Canada.

Kraft Heinz Project Play is once again partnering with Bell Media’s TSN and RDS, which will see the program amplified across the network’s industry-leading platforms with integration in live programming, on TSN.ca and RDS.ca, and across TSN’s and RDS’s official Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

TSN’s James Duthie returns as Kraft Heinz Program Ambassador for the fourth consecutive year, and RDS’s Valérie Sardin joins the Kraft Heinz Project Play team as a first-time Program Ambassador. Through their passion for sport, both ambassadors will encourage Canadians to participate and nominate their facility in an aim to build better places to play in their communities, with original content appearing at KraftHeinzProjectPlay.com, and on TSN and RDS’s social media accounts throughout the campaign.

“It’s a true privilege to return as a Program Ambassador for Kraft Heinz Project Play,” said James Duthie. “I love seeing the impact this incredible program has on communities across Canada, and the increased focus it places on local sports and places to play.”

“It is with great pleasure that I join the Project Play team as a Program Ambassador,” said Valérie Sardin. “Physical activity has always been an important part of my life, and I strongly believe in the importance of providing all Canadians with access to better places to play.”

NOMINATE YOUR COMMUNITY TODAY!
Beginning today, August 7, 2018, through to September 16, 2018, Canadians can nominate the places, spaces and projects that keep their communities playing, active and united at KraftHeinzProjectPlay.com.

The Top Four Kraft Heinz Project Play finalists will be announced October 13, 2018 on TSN and RDS. Canadians can then vote for their favourite community project at KraftHeinzProjectPlay.com.

The Kraft Heinz Project Play Grand Prize winner will be announced on October 28, 2018 on TSN and RDS, earning a quarter of a million dollars ($250,000) for a recreation facility upgrade. Three second-prize winners will each receive $25,000.

COUNTY KILDARE/DUBLIN, Ireland – France has been selected as the site of the 2022 World Amateur Team Championships (WATC), the International Golf Federation (IGF) announced at its Biennial Meeting.

This will mark the third time the championships have been played in France. Previously, both the 1994 championships were played at Le Golf National (and La Boulie for the Eisenhower Trophy) and the inaugural Espirito Santo Trophy competition was played at St. Germain G.C. in 1964.

Le Golf National, site of the 2018 Ryder Cup Match, and Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche near Paris, will be the courses used for the championships.

The 30th women’s championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy and the 33rd men’s championship for the Eisenhower Trophy will be hosted by the French Golf Federation.

“Bringing the World Amateur Team Championships to France in 2022 is a direct reflection of its ability and commitment to host global golf events and a fantastic precursor to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” said IGF Executive Director Antony Scanlon. “We are quite sure the players will have a great experience in France.”

“Hosting major sporting events is in the DNA of France,” said Jean-Lou Charon, President of the French Golf Federation. “After the Ryder Cup in 2018, and before the Olympics Games in 2024, France will be very proud to host the WATC in 2022. The hosting of the WATC, one of the world’s most famous and legendary competitions, will be both a fantastic lever and a unifying event for all those involved in the development of the game of golf.

“The French Golf Federation’s commitment is total. Paris, Versailles, Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche Golf Club, Le Golf National, and the fervor of the general public as well as that of the 800,000 French golfers who are all eager to share their enthusiasm with the national golfing delegations from all over the globe.”

Both championships feature the world’s leading amateurs and are played over 72 holes of stroke play. Each country is represented by a team of two or three players.

The men’s competition of the 2018 World Amateur Team Championships, hosted by the Golfing Union of Ireland and the Irish Ladies Golf Union, will be played 5-8 September at Carton House (O’Meara and Montgomerie Courses) in County Kildare/Dublin, Ireland with 72 teams competing.

The 2018 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship concluded on 1 September with the United States of America claiming its 14th Espirito Santo Trophy, by 10 strokes over Japan. A record total of 57 teams competed in the championship. Canada finished 7th after battling back from a tie for 39th.

The 2020 Championships will be played in Hong Kong, China.

The World Amateur Team Championships are a biennial international amateur golf competition conducted by the International Golf Federation, which comprises 151 national governing bodies of golf in 146 countries, and 22 international professional tours and organizations conducting major championships.

The IGF is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the international federation for golf. In addition to the World Amateur Team Championships, the IGF also organizes the golf competitions at the Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games.

Hamilton, ON – Classes are back in session at McMaster University’s Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) in their online golf and resort management program. Online classes in Golf Club Governance and Human Resources Management for Golf Operations start September 10 through November 4, 2018

Through its unique online delivery platform, McMaster University CCE prides itself on “bringing the business of golf to you,” for adult learners interested in a career in the golf industry. McMaster University CCE offers the only university diploma in Golf & Resort Management in Canada. Students who complete all ten courses will receive a Diploma in Golf & Resort Management from McMaster University and an industry certification from the Golf Management Institute of Canada (GMIC).

McMaster’s first course offering is Golf Club Governance. This course explores the dynamics of boards and committees in a golf facility and the oversight and direction they provide to running an effective golf operation. Board structures in a private course setting will be discussed as will decision-making processes and board and committee dynamics. Club strategy and policy matters will be explored as well as the role of golf associations in the golf industry.

The course instructor is Mr. George Pinches, an industry expert in club governance and former Chief Operating Officer of the Hamilton Golf & Country Club, home of the 2019 and 2023 RBC Canadian Opens. The cost of the course is $689.00 CDN.

McMaster’s second course offering is Human Resources Management for Golf Operations. This course focuses on the professional application of human resource management practices as they pertain to the golf industry. All aspects of people management will be covered, including hiring, compensation, training and development, health and safety, performance management, and employment law.

The course will be taught by HR expert Rouzbeh Vatanchi and costs $689.00 CDN.

The McMaster University Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) has inspired people to discover and achieve through lifelong learning since 1931. Students are provided the flexibility and convenience of courses offered at night, on weekends, and online. With more than 200 courses and workshops available, McMaster CCE is one of Canada’s largest and leading providers of academic certificate and diploma programs, professional development education, and corporate training.

For more information about the program contact 1-800-463-6223 or golfmgmt@mcmaster.ca

NORTON, Mass. – Bryson DeChambeau plays golf differently from everyone else and is getting the results everyone wants.

It doesn’t take a scientist to figure that out.

For the second straight week in the richest part of the PGA Tour season, DeChambeau took down one of the strongest fields of the year by playing his best golf on the weekend to win the Dell Technologies Championship, becoming only the second player to capture the opening two playoff events in the FedEx Cup.

He closed with a 4-under 67 on Monday, making three straight birdies to close out the front nine and keeping his distance the rest of the way for a two-shot victory over Justin Rose on the TPC Boston.

“I wouldn’t have written it any better, to be honest with you,” DeChambeau said. “I’ve been playing some great golf this whole year. And I knew it was a matter of time before something cool showed up.”

Vijay Singh won the opening two FedEx Cup events in 2008, when the points system was different and points were not reset before the final playoff event. That allowed Singh to effectively wrap up the $10 million prize early.

DeChambeau, with his third victory this year, was assured of being the No. 1 seed when he gets to the Tour Championship, no matter what happens next week at the third playoff event outside Philadelphia.

And he would appear to be a shoo-in to be one of U.S. captain Jim Furyk’s three Ryder Cup picks to be announced Tuesday. The idea is to find the hottest player to fill out the team, and no one has been close to DeChambeau over the last two weeks.

The 24-year-old Californian is known as the “Mad Scientist” for his approach to the game, from his single-length clubs (34 inches, roughly the length of a 7-iron), to his work on biomechanics to the calculations that go into every shot.

Nine calculations, to be exact.

DeChambeau doesn’t want to give away all his secrets, but they range from yardage and wind to air pressure and adrenaline.

“He’s facing the biggest and best fields,” Rose said. “There’s a lot of conjecture about how he goes about it. But when he delivers as he is now, it just proves it.”

How much better can he get?

“You can always get better,” DeChambeau said. “How much? I would say it depends on what I can do in the restrictions of my biomechanics. So it’s all about error tolerances and being … less sensitive to error. So that when you do feel like you mess up, it’s not going to be that big of a mess-up. I hope that makes sense.

“But I can say there is another level.”

DeChambeau, who started the year at No. 99 in the world, moved to No. 7, one spot past Rory McIlroy. He finished at 16-under 268 and made $1,620,000 for the second straight week.

Canadian Adam Hadwin started his final round strong before settling with a 1-under 70 to finish 8-under in a tie for 21st.

The Abbotsford, B.C., native birdied three of his first four holes Sunday and reeled off 11 straight pars before back-to-back bogeys on No. 16 and No. 17 dropped him back two strokes.

Starting the final round one shot behind Abraham Ancer, and among 10 players within four shots of the lead, DeChambeau had a two-putt birdie from 50 feet on No. 7, took the lead with a 12-foot birdie putt on the 220-yard eighth hole, and then hit his approach to 6 feet to a back right pin at No. 9 for his third straight birdie.

Cameron Smith of Australia tried to make a run at him with a pair of late birdies, but DeChambeau answered with a birdie on No. 15 to keep his lead at two shots. Needing an eagle to catch him on the par-5 18th, Smith came up short and into the hazard and made bogey.

Rose birdied three of his last four holes for a 68 and wound up alone in second.

Ancer couldn’t keep pace, dropping three shots in the tough four-hole stretch early on the back nine. The 27-year-old Mexican hit into hazard on the 18th and finished with a bogey for a 73. The small consolation for Ancer was moving from No. 92 to No. 56, which at least made him among the top 70 who advance to the BMW Championship at Aronimink.

A few others also were happy to have another week left in a long season.

Peter Uihlein, the former U.S. Amateur champion in his first full season on the PGA Tour, birdied his last three holes for a 68. He played with Keith Mitchell, another PGA Tour rookie, who birdied his last two holes for a 69. Both moved into the top 70.

Matt Kuchar failed to advance beyond the second playoff event for the first time in 10 years, meaning he won’t get another chance to state his case as a potential Ryder Cup pick. Furyk makes his fourth selection after the BMW Championship.

The likely choices Tuesday would seem to be DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods – they finished Nos. 9, 10 and 11 when qualifying ended for eight automatic berths after the PGA Championship. Woods closed with a 71 and tied for 24th. Mickelson, who has played on every Ryder Cup team since 1995, boosted his case by winning a World Golf Championships event in Mexico in March, and he made nine birdies Monday in a closing round of 63.

“So fortunate also that it’s the day before the Ryder Cup picks, although I don’t feel that should be a bearing,” Mickelson said. “I think you have to look at the big picture through the course of the year statistically. … But it certainly doesn’t hurt.”

It’s been a summer of learning for Céleste Dao, and she hasn’t even been in school.

Dao, of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Québec (about 40 minutes from Montréal) has played golf this year in Japan, Mexico, and Ireland – to name a few, she’ll be heading to Argentina later this year, too – but she’s most looking forward to heading back to Canada.

Dao will be playing her third World Junior Girls Championship this fall at Camelot Golf and Country Club  – 20 minutes from downtown Ottawa – and she says it’s the most fun experience she’s had. Although golf is such an individualistic game, she relishes the chance to represent her country and play as a group.

“I love team events,” she says. “It’s good to have different kinds of tournaments so we can see different pressure and different parts of our game. I’m really looking forward to that.”

Dao was also given an exemption into the CP Women’s Open in Regina, Sask. where she said her goal was to make the cut (she finished T140 at 8 over par).

#TeamCanada's Céleste Dao and past participants share their experience in playing in the World Junior Girls Championship in Canada #WJGC

Learn more ➡️ https://t.co/LrZtdx34tL pic.twitter.com/tEyfVyeFov

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) September 4, 2018

Her win at the Mexican Junior Girls Championship in May – she won in a playoff after being six shots back of the lead going into the final round – gave her the momentum she needed to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open later that month. She says her experience from the major (she shot 83-80 to miss the cut, but did get in a practice round with both Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp) is going to be helpful as she tees it up in Canada’s national championship.

“I can manage my stress and now I know what it looks like. Before, I never knew. Now I have a little clue. I think I’m going to be better,” she says.

This is Dao’s first year on Team Canada after a tremendous 2017 campaign that saw her notch six victories across a wide spectrum of events including the Québec Women’s Amateur and the Québec Junior Girls.

She started to play golf when she was three years old, after her father showed her. She started hitting balls in her garage off a mat, and then got more serious a few years later – starting to play tournaments at age eight.

We’re pleased to announce the six athletes selected to represent Canada in the 5th annual World Junior Girls Championship @camelotgolfclub from Sept. 11-14 #WJGC – CANADA ONE Celeste Dao Ellie Szeryk Tiffany Kong – CANADA TWO Emily Zhu Sarah Beqaj Lauren Kim

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Aug 30, 2018 at 7:49am PDT

She says she loves the whole experience of being a part of Team Canada, but especially the travel.

The week before the CP Women’s Open Dao was in Northern Ireland playing the Girls’ British Open Amateur Championship (she was eliminated in the second round of match play), and she’ll represent Canada at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in October.

Her favourite country, she says, has been Japan. But she says she started to enjoy Ireland the more she got to explore. “It’ll be a tie,” she says with a laugh.

But there’s no place like home.

Dao is eager to don the red-and-white at an event, the World Junior Girls Championship, she’s thoroughly enjoyed the last three years.

“I really enjoy that tournament. We play against so many international teams and we always have fun with the girls,” she explains. “I think we’re going to do great.”

Click here for more information on the World Junior Girls Championship.

CALGARY – Scott McCarron did it the hard way, but he successfully defended his Shaw Charity Classic title.

Although McCarron started the final round at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club on Sunday in fourth place, he had five birdies in his first 11 holes before thrilling fans with a hole in one on 14 to vault to the top of the leaderboard with a 7-under 63.

“It was just a perfect 9-iron for me (from 148 yards),” said McCarron, whose ace bounced once before going in. “As soon as I hit it, I knew it was going to be good, but I didn’t know how good. Someone told me that it hit once, one-hopped and went right in the hole. That was a huge momentum change right there.”

The 53-year-old golfer from Moorseville, N.C., finished with a birdie on the par 5, 18th hole to end the 54-hole tournament at 15-under 195 to take home the winner’s share of $352,500 U.S. It was the first time this season that a player was able to successfully defend his title, and the first time in six attempts that McCarron was able to accomplish the feat in his PGA Tour Champions career.

It was also McCarron’s fourth come-from-behind victory in his PGA Tour Champions career and second this season after rallying to win the American Family Insurance Championship in June.

“I feel very comfortable just a little behind or in the lead,” he said. “I’ve put myself in that position a lot and I’ve come through a lot. I’ve also failed a lot too. The more times I fail, the more times I learn.

“There’s so many tournaments where I feel like I gave it away, but you’ve got to go all 54 holes out here and to do that you’ve got to play some pretty good golf. You’ve got to control your emotions if you can. I was able to do that pretty well today.”

Second-round leader Joe Durant shot a disappointing round of 67 on Sunday to finish in a three-way tie for second spot with Kirk Triplett and Scott Parel.

“I didn’t feel great hitting it and I kept putting so much pressure on my putting, but eventually I got sloppy,” said Durant, who missed a short putt for par on the 17th hole.

“I didn’t take my time and missed it, lipped it out and made bogey – just a total mental meltdown. When you do stuff like that, you don’t deserve to win a golf tournament.”

Triplett and Durant could have pulled into a tie with McCarron on the final hole, but neither were able to sink lengthy putts.

“I hope Scott remembers Joe and I at Christmastime this year,” said Triplett, who started his round with birdies on his first four holes before cooling off and carding a round of 5-under 65.

“He earned it. He birdied the last hole, but we could have made him work harder.”

Parel had Sunday’s best round of 8-under 62. He just missed an eagle putt on 18 that would have tied the course record of 61 (held by Miguel Angel Jimenez and Fred Couples) and put him in a playoff with McCarron.

“To have a chance, I figure I needed to make that putt,” said Parel, who reeled off six birdies on his back 9. “I hit the ball great today. I’ve been in a good place for the last few weeks and made a few putts on the back nine.”

Jimenez, who finished one shot behind McCarron last year, shot 67 to end up alone in fifth place. Jimenez still sits atop the Charles Schwab Cup money list, while McCarron jumped from fifth spot to second.

“We have so many good players all in the top 10 that if they get hot here in the next few weeks, there’s going to be a lot of guys with a chance coming down to the Schwab Cup finals,” McCarron said.

In his final PGA Tour Champions event, Rod Spittle, of Niagara Falls, Ont., finished as the top Canadian in a six-way tie for 17th spot at 6 under after a round of 1-under 69.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Spittle said. “I never thought that I could get my golf game back to this level. To come and compete with everybody for the last little while has just been an awful lot of fun.”

Vancouver’s Stephen Ames carded a round of 69 while Calgary’s Steve Blake had a 71 to finish well back of the leaders at 2 over and 8 over, respectively.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Marina Alex rallied to win the Cambia Portland Classic for her first LPGA Tour title, closing with a 7-under 65 on Sunday for a four-stroke victory over Georgia Hall.

Alex birdied the final five holes in a front-nine 30 to take the lead and added birdies on the par-5 12th and par-4 15th at tree-lined Columbia Edgewater. The 28-year-old former Vanderbilt star made her only bogey of the day on the par-4 18th, leaving her at 19-under 269.

“My goal was 8 under to give myself a chance, but I even thought maybe that wouldn’t have been good enough,” Alex said. “It was just an incredible day. I’m proud.”

She didn’t look at a leaderboard until the final hole.

“I was trying purposefully not to look at the leaderboard because I think sometimes it just gets me a little stressed out,” Alex said. “I get anxious, and then I think, ‘Oh, I have a lead, I need to protect it.’

“I kind of just pretended all day that I was behind and that I needed to play catch-up. I think it really helped me just play my best. I didn’t know I had a four-shot lead until basically the third shot – no, after the third shot – into the green here on 18.”

The New Jersey player gave caddie Travis Wilson his second straight victory in the event. Wilson is teaming with Alex with regular boss Stacy Lewis preparing for the birth of her first child.

“He’s such a wonderful guy,” Alex said. “He has such a calm demeanour about him, and it definitely helped me relax, We had so much fun the past three weeks.”

Wilson spent three weeks with Alex.

“I’m so happy for her.” Wilson said. “She’s a great girl. She works hard. She’s been close a number of times, and to be the guy that gets her through to get that first win, I’m going to remember that forever.”

Alex matched the course record with a 62 on Thursday, then shot 71-71 to begin the final round six strokes behind Women’s British Open champion Hall.

“It was tough to back up the first round with some good rounds,” Alex said.

Hall had a 75. The 22-year-old Englishwoman played the front nine in 2 over, with bogeys on the par-4 first and par-5 seventh.

“The pin positions were really, really tough,” Hall said. “The front nine was unbelievable. I couldn’t even get to hardly any of them. I was just trying to like stay patient and do what I could to kind of stay in it. I mean, she shot, what, 7 under? That’s incredible. … My hats off to her.”

Rookie Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was in a tie for fourth heading into the final round, but shot a 77 to fall into a tie for 16th alongside Team Canada Young Pro Squad teammate Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City (73).

Brooke Henderson of Smith Falls, Ont., had a 75 to tie for 21st at 4 under. The Canadian star, the 2015 and 2016 winner at Columbia Edgewater, won the CP Women’s Open last week on home soil in Saskatchewan, then opened with a 64 on Thursday, before slipping back with rounds of 71 and 74.

Japan’s Ayako Uehara was third at 13 under after a 69.

Australia’s Minjee Lee, two strokes behind playing partner Hall entering round, had a 77 to finish fourth at 11 under.

“It was very bad,” Lee said. “I didn’t really have my ‘A’ game on.”

Lexi Thompson shot 70 to tie for ninth at 7 under in her third event following a three-week break for emotional and mental fatigue.

NORTON, Mass. – Abraham Ancer of Mexico learned the hard way that a game that got him to the PGA Tour was good enough to win.

A Labor Day finish on the TPC Boston will be his biggest test.

Ancer opened with three straight birdies, had a birdie chance on all but one hole and shot a 6-under 65 that gave him a one-shot lead going into the final round of the Dell Technologies Championship that could change his career.

He showed up at the second FedEx Cup playoff event at No. 92 in the standings, hopeful of getting into the top 70 to keep his season going. A victory would send him to East Lake for the Tour Championship and give him a spot in all four majors.

But one look at the leaderboard is enough to suggest that 18 holes is a long way off.

Right behind is a player who had the lowest score before the largest gallery at the TPC Boston. That would be Bryson DeChambeau, who played with Tiger Woods for the first time in competition and delivered a 63 to get within one shot of the lead.

Tyrrell Hatton had a shot bounce off a cart and into the woods, never to be found, leading to double bogey. He still managed a 69 and joined DeChambeau one off the lead. They were among 10 players within four shots of the lead, a group that includes major champions Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth.

“I just know to win I’ve got to play good,” Ancer said. “There’s no way if you play sloppy you’re going to win out here. So I know I have to put up a good score out there tomorrow. And I know if I follow my game plan and make some putts, that could happen.”

He was at 13-under 200.

Woods had to settle for a 69 that left him in a tie for 16th – along with Adam Hadwin (70) of Abbotsford, B.C. – at 7 under.

At least Woods saw plenty of good golf. DeChambeau has become of his regular practice partners, though they had never been in the same group until Sunday.

DeChambeau opened with two birdies and finished even stronger, with short birdie putts on the 16th and 17th, and then a 5-iron from 237 yards that stopped rolling 2 feet from the hole for an eagle.

“He’s my childhood idol,” DeChambeau said. “I’ve admired him my whole entire life. And to be finally able to play with him under tournament conditions, it was different. I was a little nervous, for sure. But I was able to get out there and execute shots and worry about my game and focus on hitting the best shots possible. And I was able to play really well like that.”

Not since Vijay Singh in 2008 has anyone captured the opening two FedEx Cup. DeChambeau led by four shots at Ridgewood Country Club last week and never was seriously challenged. This time, the 24-year-old Californian will have to come from one shot behind against a 27-year-old playing in only his 49th PGA Tour event.

Hatton had the lead until his approach on the par-4 12th went off a cart path and into the trees, and a search party of some three dozen fans and volunteers never found it. He did well to escape with a double bogey, and then finished with a birdie for a 69.

Justin Rose (70) and Cameron Smith (67) were another shot behind, followed by Emiliano Grillo (64) and Kyle Stanley (66).

McIlroy was making a charge until hitting into the water on the 16th hole and missing a short putt at the 18th. HE had to settle for a 68 and was in a group at 9-under 204 that included Beau Hossler (68), Ryder Cup hopeful Tony Finau (67) and Spieth (68).

More than being six shots behind, Woods has to climb past 15 players. He handled the par 5s, but didn’t make much else and spent some 45 minutes on the putting green after his round.

“I didn’t get a lot out of my round today,” Woods said. Looking ahead to Monday, he said he would need a round like he saw from DeChambeau.

“I’ve got to make a bunch of birdies, get off to a quick start and just get rolling early,” Woods said. “Kind of do what Bryson did today.”

Ancer knows what it’s like to be among the chaotic atmosphere that Woods brings to a tournament. He played in the group ahead of Woods in the third round of the Quicken Loans National, heard the cheers and delivered a 62 that hardly anyone saw.

He didn’t play his best from the final group, but it wouldn’t have mattered with Francesco Molinari closing with a 62.

Ancer got hot again, putting for birdie on every hole except No. 12, where he made a mental mistake by hitting 3-wood off the tee into a breeze and into a bunker. He was able to advance it only 100 yards on the 51–yard par 4.

Even with seven birdies and a 65, Ancer missed three birdie chances inside 10 feet, including a 5-footer on the par-5 18th.