The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada officially announced on Wednesday that the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open, a new event taking place at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort in Lethbridge, Alberta, will begin as part of a multi-year agreement starting in 2018.

The 156-player event with a $200,000 purse will take place June 18-24 as the fourth event of the 2018 schedule. Lethbridge Open Limited will serve as the host organization and has retained Hugh Vassos to serve as tournament director.

“We’re thrilled to be adding the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open to the Mackenzie Tour schedule and are elated about the opportunity to play an event in Lethbridge, a community which we feel is the perfect fit for one of our tournaments, for many years to come,” said Mackenzie Tour President Jeff Monday. “Our gratitude goes out to the mayor, Chris Spearman, and the Lethbridge City Council, along with Ron Sakamoto and everyone at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort for their support in making this event a possibility.”

Paradise Canyon, a 6,810-yard Bill Newis design, previously hosted the 2008 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, which featured future PGA TOUR players Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor, Ben Silverman and Corey Conners in the field.

“We’re fortunate to host an event of this caliber in the City of Lethbridge and at Paradise Canyon. We expect this tournament will generate millions of dollars of economic activity to benefit the community. With some of the world’s top up-and-coming players along with their families and fans visiting the city, we hope to elevate Lethbridge as a tourism destination,” said Sakamoto, Paradise Canyon’s owner and general manager.

Vassos has run tournaments on the Mackenzie Tour since 2008, with his organization VMC Sports and Entertainment, and he currently also serves as tournament director of the GolfBC Championship.

“A large number of people have been working towards the goal of hosting a Mackenzie Tour event in Lethbridge for a long time, and we’re excited to begin working with the community to make this a premier, week-long event,” said Vassos. “Starting this event would not have been possible without the commitment of the Lethbridge City Council, as well as the initial sponsorship from the Lethbridge Lodging Association, and I’d like to thank them for their support in helping this tournament become a reality.”

“Lethbridge looks forward to welcoming the top up-and-coming professional golfers from around the world. I know they will experience the very best of what we have to offer, and the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open will showcase our city to the world,” said Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman.

The Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open’s official charitable partner will be Lethbridge Family Services, a highly accredited, charitable, human-services organization that improves the well-being and quality of life for individuals and families in Southwestern Alberta. The event’s net proceeds will go toward helping families in need.

The full 2018 Mackenzie Tour schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.

SAN DIEGO – Jason Day calmly sank an 18-inch birdie putt at 8:17 a.m. Monday in front of empty grandstands on No. 18 at Torrey Pines for his first PGA Tour win in 20 months.

There were no roars, just cheers from Day’s family and a handful of mates.

In a rare Monday morning finish, Day took all of 13 minutes to navigate the par-5, 570-yard 18th on the South Course to finish a six-hole playoff against Alex Noren to win the Farmers Insurance Open.

Day and Noren had to return after grinding through five playoff holes Sunday before it got too dark to continue.

Spectators weren’t allowed in the next day because organizers said they didn’t have time to arrange for security.

“It was a little strange, but we did have a few people up in the stands, which was nice,” Day said. “It’s great to finish the tournament and all, but it would have been nice to finish yesterday with all the people there.

“I’d play until Wednesday if I needed to get that win,” Day said. “It’s why we get up every morning and practice. This win is just as special as the first one.”

Day also won here in 2015, in a four-man playoff that took only two holes. That victory propelled him to a five-win season, including the PGA Championship, and the world’s No. 1 ranking.

After contending with a balky back the last few weeks, he hopes this victory also is a springboard after a dreadful 2017 season.

Day’s tee shot landed in the right rough and Noren’s in the first cut to the left.

Noren tried an aggressive second shot, but his ball landed short of the green and rolled into Devlin’s Billabong, a pond that protects the hole.

Day shot over some trees and laid up onto the fairway before hitting a lob wedge approach of about 85 yards, with the ball rolling down several feet to set up the winning putt.

“It was really unfortunate for him to hit it in the water because I know how good of a shot he actually hit there because that’s really tough to go with a 3-wood into a green like that,” Day said.

“I think it’s almost a blessing that I actually missed the fairway knowing that I had to lay up and knowing that I kind of worked on that number before. I was on the range hitting that exact same number.”

Noren, a 35-year-old Swede trying for his first PGA Tour win, bogeyed the hole.

“I had a perfect yardage,” said Noren, who played at Oklahoma State and has nine victories on the European Tour. “And the greens are not super firm in the morning like this so I thought it was the perfect play in the middle of the green and have a putt at eagle and a few yards short, so it’s tough.”

? No. 11 after six playoff holes!

Congrats to @JDayGolf on his victory at the @FarmersInsOpen. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/4PT3FYUxvO

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 29, 2018

Day and Noren matched each other with birdie, birdie, par, par and birdie through five playoff holes in the twilight Sunday on the blufftop course overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Ryan Palmer was eliminated on the first extra hole with a par.

“Myself, Ryan and Alex all hit some nice shots coming down the stretch in the playoffs,” Day said. “Going shot for shot with Alex was pretty cool over that five-hole stretch, and unfortunately we just couldn’t get it. We just didn’t want to give it up.”

Day was on his “third-string” caddie. He said Luke Reardon, who caddied for him at the end of last year, and David Lutterus, who was going to be on the bag, had trouble securing visas.

His third in line, childhood friend Rika Batibasaga, “he’s marrying an American and I knew that he’s in here already,” Day said. “So I was like, ‘I’ve got to grab someone, either grab him or grab someone out of the crowd.”’

Day hopes this victory leads to a turnaround from a miserable 2017, which included his mother recovering from lung cancer and a game that lost some discipline and focus.

“I think last year was a good kick in the butt, you know, not really being talked about and being talked about for the wrong reasons,” the 30-year-old Australian said. “Obviously take my mum and stuff out of the equation, but just I see the guys winning, Jordan (Spieth), and Dustin (Johnson) is playing some tremendous golf, Jon Rahm’s playing some tremendous golf, and I feel like I should be there as well, winning.”

Day is currently ranked No. 10 in the world. Getting back to the top is the goal.

“I got there for 51 weeks, but I’ve always wanted to be a dominant No. 1 player in the world and that is going to take time,” he said. “That’s going to take a lot of hard work and dedication because I know how hard it is to get to No. 1 in the world and I know the quality of play that is fighting to get to No. 1 as well.”

It is with great sadness that Golf Canada, mourns the loss of Mary Drummie – an honorary life governor & past president of the former Canadian Ladies Golf Association (CLGA), who passed in a Fredericton, NB, hospice Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018 from complications from cancer. Drummie,  was 78.

Throughout her relocations, Drummie was a member of Fredericton Golf & Country Club, Ashburn Golf Club, Kanata Golf Club, Irish Hills Golf Club and the Canadian Golf & Country Club.

Read Drummie’s full obituary here.

Sad to hear of the passing of past CLGA President Mary Drummie after a lengthy battle with cancer. Here is Mary with @maryannhayward after winning her 1999 Women’s Am title. pic.twitter.com/cBfDgAF9fP

— Can Golf Hall Fame (@CGHF) January 29, 2018

Saddened to hear Mary Drummie has passed away in New Brunswick. Mary served as VP/President for the CLGA Quebec Zone Ottawa District (1982-1985) / CLGA Quebec Zone VP/President (1988-1991 & CLGA VP/President (1994-1997) @TheGolfCanada @the_ovga @Golf_Quebec @flagstick pic.twitter.com/zNzdNM4r4s

— Joe McLean (@FlagstickJoe) January 27, 2018

SAN DIEGO – Jason Day watched the flight of his wedge for as long as he could and had to listen to the crowd to realize he nailed it.

“I can’t see,” he said to his caddie.

Alex Noren was 5 feet away from extending the playoff Sunday at the Farmers Insurance Open, a putt he could easily have missed except that the Swede could rely on experience. He had a similar putt in regulation and knew it broke off to the right.

Day and Noren went at it for 77 holes at Torrey Pines, and after five sudden-death playoff holes, it still wasn’t enough to crown a winner. They matched birdies in the dark on the par-5 18th, and then had no choice but to return Monday morning to decide the longest playoff in the 67-year history of the event.

“We both played some pretty good golf, especially down 18 going back and forth, back and forth, which is good entertainment for the fans,” Day said. “It’s good to be back in the action, good to be back where I’m at right now. But I’ve got to get some rest.”

Day has gone 20 months since his last victory.

Both players had a good chance to end it _ Noren from 12 feet on the 18th in regulation, Day from 12 feet on the third playoff hole at the par-3 16th.

“It’s so important over every shot, and maybe not as much as stroke play, you know, you can play safe sometimes and you can play aggressive here,” Noren said. “Here, you need to play aggressive to finish it out.”

Ryan Palmer began the playoff with them at 10-under 278. He was eliminated with a par on the 18th on the first extra hole.

Day closed with a 2-under 70. Palmer hit wedge to 2 feet for birdie for a 72 to get into the playoff. Noren, who had a one-shot lead at the start of the final round, closed with a 73.

By then, Tiger Woods was long gone.

It was the third playoff in three weeks on the PGA Tour, all of them lasting at least four holes. And while it was entertaining, thousands of fans weren’t around to see it. They left after Woods finished his round. In only his second PGA Tour event since August 2015, Woods closed with a 72 and tied for 23rd, seven shots out of the lead.

Woods said it was a mostly positive week, and it was hard to argue considering he was returning from his fourth back surgery. He at least was closer to the fairway in the final round, but hit only three fairways for the third straight day.

“I got a lot out of my rounds,” Woods said. “The short game wasn’t something I was worried about. I knew what I could, what I’ve been doing at home. That wasn’t going to be an issue. It was going to be, ‘Can I shoot low scores?’ I didn’t, but I grinded out some good rounds.”

Correy Conners (76) of Listowel, Ont., was 2 under and tied for 29th while Adam Hadwin (74) of Abbotsford, B.C., tied for 35th at 1 under. Ben Silverman (78) of Thornhill, Ont., finished 6 over and Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor (76) was 10 over.

The final hour of the tournament was a big grind.

Day, Noren, Palmer and J.B. Holmes _ the latter three in the final group _ were tied for the lead with six holes to go.

Day twice missed the green with a short iron in his hand, and one of those shots led to bogey. He didn’t make a birdie on the back nine in regulation. Noren appeared to have the steadiest game until he pulled his tee shot into the hazard on the 14th hole and did well to escape with bogey. Noren also made a pair of 7-foot par putts to stay in a share of the lead, and then he missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole in regulation.

Palmer, trying to win for the first time in eight years, made consecutive bogeys from the bunker on No. 14 and short of the 15th green. He came up big on the 72nd hole with a wedge to 2 feet to get into the playoff.

Holmes effectively fell out of the hunt when he missed the 15th green with a wedge and took bogey, and then missed a 4-foot par putt on the 16th hole. He needed an eagle on the final hole, and took some 4 minutes trying to decide on which club to hit. He finally, curiously, decided to lay up and try to make his 3 by holing a sand wedge. He laid up in the rough and didn’t come close to holing the shot.

Noren went next and hit his fairway metal over the green, into the tunnel below the TV tower and out the other side. He took his relief, and smartly played away from the flag to keep it from running by the hole and possibly down the slope into the water, though he missed the putt.

The Sony Open took six holes before Patton Kizzire won. The CareerBuilder Challenge went four holes before Jon Rahm prevailed.

Rahm had a chance to reach No. 1 in the world with a repeat victory at Torrey Pines. He was two shots out of the lead until going into the water and making double bogey on the 18th hole of the third round. On Sunday, the 23-year-old Spaniard fell back early and never recovered. He closed with a 77.

Day’s last victory was in May 2016 at The Players Championship when he was No. 1 in the world.

“I’ll play all day tomorrow if I need to get the win,” Day said.

Noren is a nine-time winner on the European Tour who is No. 19 in the world, trying to make his mark in America. He already has left quite an impression.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Brittany Lincicome beat darkness – with help from floodlights Sunday on the Ocean Club’s 18th green – to win the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic for the second straight year.

Lincicome birdied the final two holes and four of the last five for a 7-under 65 and a two-stroke victory over Wei-Ling Hsu in the event cut to 54 holes after wind wiped out play most of Friday.

Lincicome completed a second-round 67 in the morning, playing nine holes in 3 under, to begin the final round two strokes behind top-ranked Shanshan Feng.

The 32-year-old Lincicome won her eighth career title. The Pure Silk ambassador finished at 12-under 207. Last year, she beat Lexi Thompson in a playoff.

Hsu closed with a 68. Feng had a 71 to tie for third with Amy Yang (70) at 9 under. Thompson (71) was 7 under with Danielle Kang (68), Nelly Korda (69) and Bronte Law (69).

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., the leader Saturday night when play was suspended because of darkness, shot a 72 to finish ninth at 6 under. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (70) tied for 18th at 3 under and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (79) was 6 over.

Brooke Henderson is one of just three players to post multiple wins in each of the last two seasons (two in 2016, two in 2017), alongside World No. 1 Shanshan Feng (two in 2016, two in 2017) and 2016 Rolex Player of the Year Ariya Jutanugarn (five in 2016, two in 2017).

The earliest Henderson has captured a win in a full season on the LPGA came in her 15th start of the year, in both 2016 (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship) and 2017 (Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give).

This birdie putt on 10 puts Brooke Henderson in a tie for the lead with Thompson, Feng, Yang and Hsu @PureSilkLPGA.

Tune in now @GolfChannel for live final round coverage! pic.twitter.com/oCi4DTI8wn

— LPGA (@LPGA) January 28, 2018

2017 Annual Report & Financial Statements are now available online

Tom Zariski Honoured with 2017 Volunteer of the Year Award;

Golf Canada presents Distinguished Service Awards to long-time golf volunteers Fran Marsden and Florin Bergh as well as golf historian Ron Lyons; Renowned golf columnist Cam Cole to be honoured in June;

CALGARY – Golf Canada’s 2018 Annual Meeting culminated on Saturday, January 27^th with the election of Leslie Dunning to serve as the National Sport Federation’s volunteer President.

Dunning succeeds 2016-2017 President Roland A. Deveau in leading Golf Canada’s Board of Directors while Charlie Beaulieu of Lorraine, Que., becomes 1^st Vice-President and Liz Hoffman of Thornhill, Ont. assumes the role of 2^nd Vice-President. The group will work closely to support new Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum who joined the association in last July.

“I am humbled and extremely proud to assume this post as the 114^th president of Golf Canada,” said Dunning. “There is a great enthusiasm in the game right now and I believe we have a real opportunity to connect with more of Canada’s current golfers and make the game more welcoming and accessible for new potential enthusiasts. Together with the Board of Directors, I am looking forward to working closely with Laurence (Applebaum) and our committed staff, volunteers and partners for the betterment of golf in Canada.”

Dunning spent more than 36 years in a variety of senior leadership roles for the Canadian Red Cross including 13 years as Director General for Western Canada and most recently as Director General, Violence and Abuse Prevention for Canada prior to her retirement in 2014. She is past president (2007-08) of Alberta Golf and has volunteered with Golf Canada since 2008 across a variety of committees including the past nine years on the Board of Directors. A distinguished alumna of the University of Waterloo, she also earned an MBA from Queen’s University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant and Certified Management Accountant registered in Alberta. Dunning has served several local, provincial and national organizations in various governance roles and is a member of Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary as well as Bigwin Island Golf Club in Muskoka.

Dunning, Beaulieu and Hoffman will lead Golf Canada’s 2018 Board of Directors which also includes Dale Jackson of Victoria, B.C., Rob MacDonald of Winnipeg, Man., Tom Sears of Port Hope, Ont. and David Atkinson of Vancouver, B.C. as well as new Directors Ben Cowan-Dewar of Toronto, Susan MacKinnon of Calgary and Adam Daifallah of Montreal. Also remaining on the Board is immediate past President Roland A. Deveau (2016-2017), only the fifth President to serve multiple or consecutive terms since the association’s formation in 1895. More information including bios for Golf Canada’s 2018 Board of Directors is available here.

Annual Report & Financial Statements:

Click here to read Golf Canada’s 2017 Annual Report, which includes a recap of the past season, as well as the association’s 2017 Financial Statements, which were both released during Golf Canada’s Annual Meeting.

Tom Zariski Honoured with Volunteer of the Year Award:

Tom Zariski of Drumheller, Alta. was recognized as Golf Canada’s 2017 recipients of the Volunteer of the Year Award. This marks the 12^th year in which the association has honoured volunteers for their efforts and commitment to grow the game in their community.

Click here for more on Volunteer of the Year honourees Tom Zariski.

Florin Bergh, Fran Marsden, Ron Lyons and Cam Cole Honoured as Recipients of Golf Canada’s Distinguished Service Award(s):

Created in 1993, Golf Canada’s Distinguished Service Award has been presented annually to recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to the game of golf in Canada. This year’s recipients include long-time golf volunteers Florin Bergh and Fran Marsden of Edmonton along with golf historian Ron Lyons and acclaimed golf columnist Cam Cole.  Bergh, Marsden and Lyons were recognized during Golf Canada’s Annual Meeting dinner on Saturday, January 27 while Cole will be honoured as part of Golf Canada’s National Team media day on Monday, June 4^th at Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria.

Click here for more information on the four honourees.

Images from Golf Canada’s 2018 Annual Meeting:

A snapshot of photos from Golf Canada’s 2018 Annual Meeting is available here.

In addition to appointing its new President and members to the Board of Directors, the association gathered with stakeholders from the provincial golf associations and volunteers as well as national and international association partners including the R&A, USGA, LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR.

Golf Canada’s 2018 Annual Meeting took place January 25-27 at the Grey Eagle Resort and Casino in Calgary, Alta.

SAN DIEGO – Alex Noren of Sweden has all the credentials to be on the fringe of the elite in golf. He is a nine-time winner on the European Tour, including the flagship BMW PGA Championship, and he cracked the top 10 in the world when he won four times in 2016.

Now he has a chance to make his mark in America.

Noren surged on the closing stretch as so many challengers crumbled Saturday in the Farmers Insurance Open. He bounced back from a double bogey with three birdies over the final six holes for a 3-under 69 and a one-shot lead going into the final round at Torrey Pines.

“To win would be very, very big for my confidence, I think,” Noren said. “And playing around these courses … we’re going to have the U.S. Open here in a few years, so it would be massive.”

But even as he took his first 54-hole lead in his first PGA Tour event as a member, it was easy to overlook the 35-year-old Swede.

For starters, Tiger Woods takes up almost all the attention. Woods was at his scrambling best in the third round, and he had to be. He hit only three fairways, only had a birdie putt on nine holes and still managed a 70. Woods was eight shots behind.

Beyond golf’s top attraction was the long list of players chasing Noren.

Two dozen players were separated by five shots going into the final round. That started with Ryan Palmer, who lost momentum from his 45-foot eagle by making two late bogeys and a lazy swing with a wedge that kept him from a good chance at birdie on the 18th.

And it still includes Jon Rahm, who hit into the water front the green on the par-5 closing hole and took double bogey for a 75. He was still just four shots back – Rahm was three behind when he won last year – and still in range of a victory that would give the 23-year-old Spaniard the No. 1 ranking.

It most likely doesn’t include Woods, who was no less entertaining.

Woods was so wild off the tee that he hit only one fairway on the back nine at the start of his round. Without a deft short game, Woods figures he might have shot something in the 80s.

“It’s not the driver, it’s my swing,” said Woods, who has hit only six fairways since Thursday. “Some of my go-to shots aren’t there. Some of the shots I like to hit under certain circumstances aren’t there, either. The only thing I have is my short game and my heart, and that got me through today.”

Corey Conners (70) from Listowel, Ont., was the low Canadian at 6 under. Adam Hadwin (72) of Abbotsford, B.C., is 3 under, Ben Silverman (76) of Thornhill, Ont., was even and Nick Taylor (79) of Abbotsford, was 6 over.

Noren, who played his college golf at Oklahoma State, ran in a long eagle at the par-5 sixth and closed out his round by drilling his second shot over the pond and to the back fringe on the 18th for a two-putt birdie. He was at 11-under 205.

Not being as well known in these parts was the least of his concerns.

“All I’m trying to do is play some good golf and my goal is to win a tournament,” Noren said. “I don’t care too much if they know me or not. It’s quite nice if they don’t know me. But they’re very nice to me.”

Palmer began the third round with a one-shot lead and had two bad stretches. He made consecutive bogeys late on the front nine, and then after stretching his lead to two shots with his eagle, he made two bogeys over the next three holes.

Even so, he’ll be in the final group Sunday going for his first victory in eight years. He is in a good place, on the leaderboard and at home, with his wife getting clean scans in her battle with breast cancer and Palmer taking off the fall to get bone spurs removed from his shoulder.

“Wasn’t the best year last year, and taking the fall off, but my game is in good shape,” Palmer said. “It’s ready. If we hit the ball a little bit better, a little more consistent, we’re going to have a chance.”

J.B. Holmes had a 65 to reach 9-under 207 and joins Palmer and Noren in the last group. Michael Kim also was two shots behind and has some course knowledge from going to Torrey Pines High School and playing the South more times than he can remember.

Left out of the mix was Phil Mickelson, who was three shots out of the lead until he shot 41 on the back nine. Mickelson had a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that would have put him in the same group as Woods on Sunday. He missed.

Woods again tees off on the back nine for the final round and is too many shots behind with too many players ahead of him to have a realistic chance. But it’s been a good week for someone playing the PGA Tour for only the second time since August 2015 because of his three back surgeries. And he certainly gave his back a good test as many times as he was thrashing out of the rough.

“A good 12 months away from playing out of the rough, I don’t know what this body is going to do,” he said. “But I think it did great today.”

One goal for Sunday is to give his back a rest, and maybe even try to break 70.

“See if I can shoot something in the 60s,” he said with a smile, “but make it a little bit easier on myself than today.”

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Canada’s Brooke Henderson birdied the par-5 18th hole and had a one-stroke lead over top-ranked Shanshan Feng on Saturday in the suspended second round of the wind-swept Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.

Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot an even-par 73 to get to 5 under overall after two rounds and three days at the Ocean Club Golf Course in the event cut to 54 holes after wind wiped out play most of Friday.

“It was windy today,” Henderson said. “I feel like overall Britt (caddie and sister) and I did a really good job again just calculating numbers and negotiating the wind as best we could. There was a couple of bogeys I would like to take back, but having four birdies is really good.”

Feng had nine holes left when play was suspended because of darkness. On her last hole, the Chinese star birdied the 18th.

“I know this is only the first tournament of the year, but normally I’m pretty good in the wind,” Feng said. “Actually, I get more excited in the wind. It’s not really bothering me.”

Henderson began the second round with a bogey Friday morning just before play was called for the day. The 20-year-old Canadian dropped another stroke on the par-3 third, birdied the par-4 sixth and played the back nine in 1 under with birdies on the three par 5s.

“I’m try to hit as many low shots as possible, not just into the wind, but also when it’s across and sometimes even down,” Henderson said. “And just play in the back of my stance, keep my hands low.”

.@BrookeHenderson leads by 1 going into Sunday @PureSilkLPGA

Saturday highlights >> pic.twitter.com/qyQqprxU6V

— LPGA (@LPGA) January 28, 2018

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was even through 12 holes and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 4 over through nine holes. Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay finished her second round and was projected to miss the cut at 12 over.

Lexi Thompson was 3 under along with Ryann O’Toole, Danielle Kang, Luna Sobron Galmes and Wei-Ling Hsu. Thompson and Sobron Galmes had 10 holes to play in the second round, and Hsu had nine left. O’Toole had a 69, and Kang shot 73.

Brittany Lincicome, the winner last year in a playoff over Thompson, was 2 under with nine holes left. Michelle Wie was even par for the week with nine holes to go.

SAN DIEGO – Ryan Palmer is the 36-hole leader in the Farmers Insurance Open. Jon Rahm is right behind, poised to reach No. 1 in the world. And for the first time in 29 months, a PGA Tour event will feature Tiger Woods on the weekend.

Palmer finished eagle-birdie on the North Course at Torrey Pines for a 5-under 67. That gave him a one-shot lead over Rahm, the defending champion who birdied two of his last three holes on the North for a 66.

The biggest buzz, as usual, was for Woods. He kept his fairway-lined following in suspense over his closing stretch on the front nine Friday simply by trying to make the cut, and it came down to the very last hole .

A wild drive was saved by a perfect flop shot to escape with par on No. 6. Another superb chip on the reachable par-4 seventh set up a birdie, the first time all week he was under par. A chip that bounced hard and rolled off the back of the green led to bogey and left him one shot outside the cut line. From gnarly rough right of the fairway on the par-5 ninth, he hammered a 6-iron to the wrong side of the green, leaving him two putts from 75 feet to make birdie and get to the weekend.

A beautiful lag for a tap-in birdie gave him a 71.

“It was a grind. I fought hard,” Woods said. “Typical. Just me going out there and fighting for whatever I can get. It’s all good.”

There’s a reason Woods has gone so long _ August 2015 at the Wyndham Championship – without making a cut. This was only his second PGA Tour since then, the greatest reminder of back surgeries that effectively cost two full years of golf.

He won the first battle – two more days.

The next one is a bit more ominous. He still was 10 shots behind Palmer, who is going through a minor resurgence of his own. Palmer, who was at 11-under 133, spent the last 18 months on life at home after his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. After her last dose of chemotherapy a year ago, followed by 35 radiation treatments, Jennifer Palmer has had nothing but clean scans.

Then, Palmer had surgery on his left shoulder to clean out bone spurs and had not played since August until he headed to Honolulu two weeks ago.

“A lot of distractions behind me,” he said. “So we’re definitely playing a little more free and clear.”

The biggest distraction on another gorgeous day at Torrey Pines was a pair of bogeys early. He kept his patience, chipped in for eagle at the turn, and then finished with a beautiful approach to 12 feet on the par-5 eighth and a 20-foot birdie putt on the ninth.

And now he has to deal with a big presence in golf – Rahm.

The 23-year-old Spaniard won in a playoff last week in the California desert, moving him to No. 2 in the world. If he were to win this week, Rahm would go to No. 1.

He didn’t have his best stuff from tee-to-green. Rahm made enough key putts to keep him pointed in the right direction.

“I was able to get up-and-down for par, and not making mistakes and taking advantage of the birdie putts,” he said. “I probably shot the lowest I could shoot today.”

Palmer and Rahm will be in the final group with Luke List, who had a 66 on the South.

Ben Silverman (71) of Thornhill, Ont., and Corey Conners (68) of Listowel, Ont., were the low Canadians at 4 under. Adam Hadwin (70) of Abbotsford, B.C., is 3 under while Nick Taylor (71) of Abbotsford is 1 under. Mac Hughes (73) of Dundas, Ont., and David Hearn (70) of Brantford, Ont., missed the cut.

And even with Woods lingering toward the bottom, there are plenty of big names lingering going into the weekend. Jason Day had a 64 and was four shots behind. Phil Mickelson, who hasn’t fared all that on the South Course since the redo ahead of the 2008 U.S. Open, ran off a string of birdies on the front nine, salvaged a few mistakes with an eagle on No. 13 and finished with a birdie for a 68. He was five shots behind.

Rahm was five shots behind going into the weekend last year and closed with a 65, holing a 50-foot eagle putt on the final hole. That was his first victory, and he has added three more worldwide. Few players have more confidence at Torrey Pines.

Even when he wasn’t sure where the ball was going off the tee, he didn’t drop a shot.

“Things are going well, you’re playing good so you’re trying to get a little higher, a little higher,” he said.

The cut was at 1-under 143, which was starting to look out of reach for Woods. He missed two drives well to the left _ by 65 yards on his opening hole, and deep into a hazard on his fourth hole, which led to double bogey to put him 2 over. He made the turn three shots out of the cut line, and then holed a 50-foot birdie putt to start his back nine.

His short game carried him from there, setting up birdies on the par-5 fifth hole and the short seventh hole.

The biggest adjustment to having been gone for so long is scoring. He was amazed to see so many players under par through two rounds.

“These guys are all going low and I haven’t done that in a long time,” Woods said.

SAN DIEGO – Tiger Woods has been away from the PGA Tour too long to know for certain when a shot is as good as it looks.

This was a 6-iron on the par-3 16th hole on the South Course at Torrey Pines, from 188 yards to a slightly elevated green with a pin tucked behind a deep bunker. The sun was setting behind the Pacific late Thursday afternoon, and the glare made it tough to follow the flight of the ball.

“We can’t see anything land from back there, so we’re just listening for some noise,” Woods said. “And people started cheering.”

The ball rolled to the hole and broke a few inches in front of the cup for a tap-in birdie .

Woods brought big crowds back to golf in his latest return to the PGA Tour, and he even produced a few big roars.

There just weren’t enough cheers for his liking.

Playing for the first time since recovering from a fourth back surgery that cost him another year on the PGA Tour, Woods was mostly steady, sometimes spectacular and ended his day with an even-par 72 that left him seven shots behind Tony Finau.

“It was fun to compete again,” Woods said. “It was fun to be out there.”

The next trick is to stay at Torrey Pines beyond Friday. With virtually no wind making this a day for reasonable scoring, Woods was tied for 84th and will start the second round on the North Course just outside the cut line.

Finau birdied his opening two holes on the North and finished with a 35-foot birdie putt for a 65.

Woods had a few big moments that looked familiar to fans who stood as many as four-deep around the greens.

His three birdie putts were from a combined 30 inches. The longest of his birdie putt was from just inside 2 feet on No. 10 that got him back to even par for the round. He was one rotation away from making a long eagle putt on the par-5 sixth.

He was never under par the entire round, and his near ace on the 16th brought him back to even par.

But he needed those three birdies to offset his mistakes, and the sobering part of his return is that Woods didn’t make a putt longer than 4 feet. That was on the second hole, when his approach from the bunker landed 6 feet behind the hole and went over the back into light rough.

He also gave away a shot on the par-5 13th, when he laid up from the rough and hit a wedge that drifted right and went into the bunker. He blasted that out to 3 feet, which was the hard part. And then he missed the short par putt .

Woods made his other two bogeys from greenside bunkers, both times missing 12-foot putts.

He played the par 5s in even par, and didn’t give himself any other birdie chances inside 15 feet.

“It’s hard to make a lot of birdies when you’re not giving yourself any looks, and I didn’t do that today,” Woods said. “Tomorrow, hopefully, I’ll drive a little better, get my irons obviously a lot closer and we get the better of the two greens tomorrow. So we’ll see what happens.”

But there was no mistaking his presence.

Fans lined both sides of the opening fairway in anticipation of seeing Woods, who was playing the PGA Tour for only the second time since August 2015. That was right before he had a second and third surgery on his back, which kept him away for some 15 months. He returned at Torrey Pines last year and opened with a 76 on his way to missing the cut. A week later, he withdrew after a 77 in Dubai with back spasms and was gone again.

Regardless of the score, Woods looked as though he’s back for the long haul. The fusion surgery eliminated the pain. And while he wasn’t sharp, Woods hit the ball plenty far and saw at least a little bit of golf that made him such a dominant figure.

The South Course, which hosted the 2008 U.S. Open that Woods won, typically is far stronger than the North at Torrey Pines. That’s no longer the case with the North getting a makeover two years ago, with bent greens that are firm this week and narrower fairways.

The average score on the South was 71.62, compared with 71.31 on the North. Forty-one of the 73 players who broke par were on the South.

Finau birdied his opening two holes to set the tone for his round, and he wound up with nine birdies, the last one from 35 feet to take the lead.

“It played a lot tougher than it did in the past,” Finau said. “I think it’s just a credit to my start. From there I was just able to let the golf course come to me. The par 5s are very reachable for me hitting some irons in there. Again, I think it was just my start. I got off to a good start and was able to ride that momentum all the way through the round.”

He had a one-shot lead over Ryan Palmer and Ted Potter Jr., who each had a 66 on the South.

Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., was the low Canadian after a 3-under 69 and Adam Hadwin (71) of Abbotsford, B.C., was 1 under. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, and Mac Hughes of Dundas, Ont., all shot even rounds of 72 while David Hearn (81) of Brantford, Ont., was 9 over.

Defending champion Jon Rahm, who can reach No. 1 in the world by winning, opened with a 68 on the South. He hit into the water with his second shot on the par-5 18th, but he saved par with a 15-foot putt.

“Just unfortunate it happened, but I made a good putt, had a couple really good putts down the stretch and had a good finish,” Rahm said. “Good momentum going to tomorrow.”