Tiger Woods is swinging a driver without pain, and his agent says doctors have cleared him to practice without limitations.

Still to be determined is when Woods can play in a tournament.

“We haven’t even addressed when he comes back to play again. We have not addressed one thing,” said Mark Steinberg, his agent at Excel Sports Management. “He wants to play this so conservatively.”

Steinberg said Woods received a “good report” last week from doctors who performed fusion surgery on his lower back in April. Woods posted a video on Twitter on Oct. 7 of him hitting a smooth iron shot . Then on Sunday, Woods posted another video — in a red shirt , no less — hitting a driver.

Making Progress pic.twitter.com/I3MZhJ74kI

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) October 15, 2017

Woods, whose last victory was four years ago at the Bridgestone Invitational for his record 18th World Golf Championships title, has not played since he withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic on Feb. 3 because of back spasms.

Two months later, he had a fourth surgery on his back in 19 months.

Woods first posted a video on Aug. 31 hitting pitch shots. Steinberg said doctors last week “allowed him to proceed with no restrictions,” which is when he began posting video of fuller golf shots.

“He has started to hit balls at a more aggressive rate,” Steinberg said. “He feels really good, but he’s going to take it very slowly. I think he’s excited that he’s not feeling pain. That’s what gets him excited, being able to bend down and pick up his kids.

“He’s taking it from wedges and short irons to the longer clubs. But he’s still doing it in a really cautious manner.”

Woods was an assistant captain at the Presidents Cup two weeks ago, and he said then his priorities were to get his health in order, make sure he is pain-free and then wait on word from his doctors.

“I’m still training. I’m getting stronger,” he said on Sept. 27. “But I certainly don’t have my golf muscles trained.”

Woods last year returned after 15 months to play in his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, where he finished 15th against an 18-man field. The tournament is a week after Thanksgiving. Two spots are still available for sponsor exemptions to players in the top 50 in the world, or to the tournament host, which is Woods.

Fred Ridley recalls soaking up the ambience of Augusta National a week before his debut in the 1976 Masters as the U.S. Amateur champion. He was alone under the massive oak tree next to the clubhouse when he turned around and realized he had company.

Clifford Roberts, co-founder of the club and the first chairman of the Masters, was standing behind him.

“I kind of jumped and thought, ‘Oh God, what have I done?'” Ridley said. “We had a nice conversation. The interesting thing was, we were leaving and he says, ‘Now young man, you’re going to be playing in the Par 3 next Wednesday. You make sure you get some practice over there.’ He loved the Par 3. That was my recollection of the only conversation I had with him.”

Forty-one years later, Ridley is the seventh chairman in the 85-year history of Augusta National.

He took over Monday when the club re-opened for a new season.

The culmination of a lifetime's passion. Get to know Augusta National’s seventh Chairman, Fred Ridley. pic.twitter.com/764RwUKWnu

— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) October 16, 2017

Ridley, a 65-year-old business lawyer from Tampa, Florida, succeeds Billy Payne, who is retiring after 11 years. Payne’s tenure was marked by the club inviting female members for the first time, and for creating events geared toward American youth (Drive, Chip and Putt) and two amateur events in Asia and Latin America that offer the winners a spot in the Masters.

Payne, who chose Ridley as his successor, becomes chairman emeritus.

Starting with that chance meeting with Roberts under the oak tree, Ridley says he has met every chairman who preceded him and knew most of them well. What he took from Payne was the value of relationships and the willingness to share credit.

“The worst thing I can do is try to be Billy Payne, other than his accomplishments and his drive to be the best,” he said.

Ridley was not specific on any changes or initiatives he had in mind for the club, saying only that he would lean on the principle established by Roberts and Bobby Jones.

“That principle here is constant improvement,” Ridley said. “That permeates the culture here, whether it’s the Masters Tournament, whether it’s the member experience, whether it’s growing the game or whatever we do.”

Augusta National recently acquired land from adjacent Augusta Country Club that would allow it to expand the par-5 13th hole, which now is 510 yards.

“We are looking at whether we’re going to do anything,” Ridley said. “We just haven’t made any decisions.”

He also was reserved about how the club felt about the distance the modern professional is hitting the golf ball, referring only to a good relationship with golf’s two governing bodies, the USGA and the Royal & Ancient.

“We’re interested in that issue,” he said. “It’s not my place to talk about what’s good and not good for the game. I might have opinions, but I’m not the person to talk about it. What I can talk about is what’s good for Augusta National and our golf course. Going back to the guiding principles, again, I believe that the philosophies that Jones and (Alister) MacKenzie established here are timeless.”

Ridley is the second Augusta National chairman, along with Hord Hardin, to have served as USGA president. He has not stayed active with the USGA, where executives are known for their blue blazers, saying that “my jacket has been green for quite some time.”

Ridley was USGA president in 2004 when the final round of the U.S. Open was marred by the overly baked condition of the greens at Shinnecock Hills and a pin position at the par-3 seventh that made it impossible for anyone to hold the green without putting water on it.

He was not directly in charge of the golf course, but “I was the president, so the buck stops there.”

He was chairman of the competition committees at the Masters for the last 10 years, making him responsible for a rules controversy involving Tiger Woods in 2013.

Woods hit a wedge off the pin and into the water on the par-5 15th. He dropped from an incorrect spot, which was spotted by a television viewer, David Eger, a former USGA and PGA Tour rules official. When word got to Ridley, he said he viewed the drop and did not see a violation.

Only after more questions were raised did the rules committee realize Woods should been penalized. Woods was given a two-shot penalty but spared disqualification for signing an incorrect card because Ridley said officials made a mistake by not speaking to Woods.

“I think anytime you get involved in a complicated situation you learn,” Ridley said. “I think we were pretty transparent when we told the media what happened, what we did, how we resolved it. But yeah, we learn things all the time. I try not to look backward other than to learn.”

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – American Pat Perez won the PGA Tour’s CIMB Classic, claiming a four-shot victory over compatriot Keegan Bradley on Sunday at TPC Kuala Lumpur.

He sealed his first title in almost a year despite carding a modest three-under 69 in the final round, courtesy of a strong start with three birdies in the first four holes.

The 41-year-old only managed to make par on the back nine, but did enough to finish the tournament with a 24-under 264 to take home the $1.26 million prize purse and 500 FedEX Cup points.

Victory also earned him an automatic entry for next year’s Masters in April.

Perez’s feat comes after a long recovery from a shoulder injury last year that threatened to derail his career.

The bulky golfer admitted he never expected to reign supreme in the sweltering conditions in Kuala Lumpur.

“Unreal. I think I’m the last guy that expected to win this week, to be honest with you. I did not think I was going to win this week,” Perez said. “I really can’t explain it, it’s been an amazing 12 months. I can’t explain it, but I hope it continues.”

Perez also confirmed he’ll be back to defend his title next year.

“I’ll be here every year. Every year of the tournament, I’ll be here. It’s been very good to me. The tournament’s been fantastic,” he said.

Bradley took home the runner-up spot after he carded an unblemished five-under 67 to finish at 20-under 268.

Xander Schauffele, who started the round in second place, faltered with four bogeys to finish tied-third alongside South Korea’s Kang Sunghoon at 17 under.

Defending champion American Justin Thomas finished tied for 17th place.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was the low Canadian at 12 under. Richard T. Lee and Adam Hadwin finished in a tie for 51st place at 3 under while Graham DeLaet was 2 under.

Thomas had been in terrific form coming into the event, but failed to lift his game in his mission for a “three-peat.”

“I was definitely low on gas. It’s been a great but long year, for sure,” Thomas said.

OSHAWA – Durham College is set to welcome the top Canadian collegiate golfers next week as they play host to the 2017 PING Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Golf National Championships. The four-round championship will take place from October 17-20 at Royal Ashburn Golf Club.

“Royal Ashburn will be an excellent venue to host this years’ national championship,” said Ken Babcock, Durham College athletic director. “The media, sponsors and friends of the program had a chance to try out the course earlier in the month at the kick-off event and it is second to none. I am certain that it will provide a challenge for all of the participants involved next week.”

The opening ceremony will take place on Monday, Oct. 16 at 9 a.m. followed by the official practice round. The CCAA championship banquet will take place at 7 p.m. Jostens is the official supplier of the CCAA Championship Awards Banquet. The first round of the championship will tee-off on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 8 a.m.

Opening ceremony for the @PingTour CCAA Golf National Championship is this morning at @RoyalAshburn – Here is a look at the course! pic.twitter.com/XrpkGvQwlU

— CCAA/ACSC (@CCAAsportsACSC) October 16, 2017

Durham College heads into the tournament as the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) bronze medalists. The last time Durham hosted the national championship, the Lords won two bronze medals (team competition and Shea Varty, individual).

Durham has hosted this event three times in 2001, 2002 and 2012. Durham College also hosted the RCGA University/College golf championship in 2011.

The Lords have hosted award winning and highly regarded national championships including men’s volleyball (1990 & 2003), women’s volleyball (1990), men’s soccer (1999), women’s soccer (1999), men’s & women’s golf (2001, 2002 & 2012), baseball (2009 & 2016), men’s basketball (2011) and women’s softball (2015).

The Royal Ashburn Golf Club opened in 1962 as an 18-hole facility, and has since developed into a world-class facility, ranked among the Top 50 public golf courses in Canada.

Click here for the full field

INCHEON, Korea, Republic Of – South Korean Jin Young Ko overcame a sluggish start to clinch her first LPGA Tour victory at the KEB Hana Bank Championship on Sunday.

Ko, who had been two strokes in front overnight, bogeyed two of the first three holes at the Ocean Course before carding six birdies for a 68 and an overall 19-under total of 269.

“After I made the two bogeys I had a really long chat with my caddie,” Ko said. “He kept reminding me that being nervous was quite natural, that I needed to accept those nerves. I kept reminding myself of that.”

Sung Hyun Park, seeking her third LPGA Tour victory of the year and the chance to take over at the top of the Rolex Rankings for the first time, was denied both goals after closing with a 68 and finishing two shots behind Ko.

Park played flawless golf over the first 13 holes with four birdies, but a three-putt bogey at the 14th effectively halted her title bid.

“Although I didn’t win, I think I had a really solid, good round,” said Park. “It’s not easy to lower your score in the final group of the championship, and I managed to get a four-under round.

In Gee Chun, playing with compatriots Park and Ko in the final grouping, finished in third after carding a final-round 69.

Carlota Ciganda, who won last year’s LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship in a playoff with Alison Lee, tied for eighth with a final-round 72.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson continued her momentum from her win at the McKayson New Zealand Women’s Open, finishing at 10 under par in a tie for eighth.

As if it were scripted, the RBC PGA Scramble presented by The Lincoln Motor Company National Final came down to a nerve-inducing putt.

Needing to make a four-foot par putt for the win on the final hole at Cabot Links, team Cordova Bay amateur player Rodney Webber stepped up and made the biggest putt of his life.

“I’m no professional golfer, but standing over that putt I definitely felt like one,” Webber said. “That was definitely the most pressure-packed putt I’ve ever had in my life.”

Webber, along with his Cordova Bay teammates—Phil Kondrak, Eric Smith, Eric Watson and PGA of Canada professional Nate Ollis—finished the three-day national championship at Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs at 46-under-par, mere 0.8 better than the squad from The Landings.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

The RBC PGA Scramble presented by The Lincoln Motor Company saw thousands of golfers from across the country participate in the series of events this summer. The 22 teams participating at Cabot Links—which were comprised of four amateurs and a PGA of Canada professional—made it through local and regional qualifying events, before teeing it up this week in the national championship final.

“Honestly, we couldn’t have asked for a better week,” Cordova Bay said. “We can’t thank RBC and The Lincoln Motor Company enough for supporting this amazing event,” they said, adding, “the experience from the very beginning has been world class—from the golf courses to the meals and the lodging—everything has been the best.”

Located in Inverness, N.S., Cabot Links is Canada’s first and only authentic links golf resort. Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the picturesque town of Inverness, the Cabot Links course represents a dramatic departure from the typical golf excursion. With six holes playing directly alongside the water and every hole offers an ocean view, Cabot Links is where traditional links-land golf comes to life against the spectacular Nova Scotia landscape.

The Cabot Cliffs course, designed by the decorated team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, is the newest addition to Cabot. Exquisitely carved out of the breathtaking Cape Breton landscape, with postcard-worthy panoramas vying for your attention and every hole calling out to the sea, it is links-land golf at its best.

Cabot Cliffs ranked No. 1, while Cabot Links ranked No. 4 on SCOREGolf’s 2016 Best Golf Courses in Canada list. Cabot Cliffs also debuted 19th on the World’s Top 100 Courses list by Golf Digest.

The RBC PGA Scramble presented by The Lincoln Motor Company National Final has turned out to be a golf trip of a lifetime for participants and will thanks to the incredible golfing experiences, festival of special events, prizing, meals, activations and much more.

Those not playing in the RBC PGA Scramble of Canada presented by the Lincoln Motor Company National Final can still take part in all the action throughout the week at Cabot Links through social media. Watch on Facebook Live with multiple live streams—which include player interviews, behind-the-scene looks, drone flyovers, opening and closing ceremonies, and more. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram as well for great social content.

The dream of playing on the LPGA Tour continues next week with Stage II of LPGA Qualifying Tournament at Plantation Golf & Country Club in Venice, Florida. The field of 192 hopefuls will compete from Thursday, October 19 through Sunday, October 23 on both the Bobcat and Panther courses to advance to Final Stage of LPGA Qualifying School where 20 players will earn full LPGA cards for 2018.

The low 80 and ties following the final round will advance to Final Stage. There is no cut. Players that do not finish in top 80 will still have Symetra Tour membership for the 2018 season.

The field this year is headlined by Leona Maguire, the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings. In June, she captured the ANNIKA Award, which is given to the top college player in the country, for the second time in three years. Maguire is a senior at Duke and has won seven times during her tremendous college career. The No. 7 ranked amateur in the world, Chey­enne Knight, has is also in Stage II through her status as a top five ranked golfer in college according to Golfweek. Knight, a junior at Alabama, was a 2016-17 WGCA First-Team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year. She led the Crimson Tide with a scoring average of 70.77.

There are five Canadians competing in the field: Elizabeth Tong (Thornhill, Ont.), Christina Foster (), Megan Osland (Kelowna, B.C.), Brogan McKinnon (Mississauga, Ont.), Anna Young (Saskatoon, Sask.).

The field also includes a breakout young star from the 2017 Solheim Cup, Georgia Hall. She ranks No. 38 in the world and is third on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit. Hall, 20, stole headlines at the Solheim Cup by going 2-3 and was the only player to play all five matches.

The second highest ranked player in the field is Fumika Kawagishi of Japan, who ranks No. 44 in the world. She is the third highest ranked player from Japan.

There are 90 players in the field that advanced from Stage I including Linnea Strom (Gothenburg, Swe­den), who won medalist honours. Strom was a First-Team All-American at Arizona State in 2017.

There is also one 2017 Symetra Tour winner in the field. Chorphaka Jaegnkit (Bangkok, Thailand) won the Decatur-Forsyth Classic, but finished 32nd on the money list.

There are 26 amateurs in the field and players from 34 countries around the world. The youngest two players are the field are Youngin Chun (a) of Gainesville, Fla. and Eun Jeong Seong of South Korea, both 17. The oldest player in the field is Vikki Laing of Scotland, who is 36.

Play will begin at 8 a.m. all four days of the tournament.

Click here for the full field.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Pat Perez turned in an 8-under 64 at the third round of the PGA Tour’s CIMB Classic to open up a four-shot lead over closest rival Xander Schauffele.

The American, who led by a single stroke coming into Saturday, turned on the style on the back nine with six birdies, giving him nine for the day against just one bogey. After three rounds, Perez is on 21-under 195.

“These guys are so good and you can make so many birdies out there so fast and I know that,” said Perez. “So if I can get another six (birdies) tomorrow, I might be tough to catch.”

Schauffele remained within sight of his compatriot after a 5-under 67 – including an eagle on the 10th – while South Korea’s Sung Kanghoon is a further shot away after a 7-under 65.

Defending champion Justin Thomas’ chances appear over after he finished the day tied 24th at 6 under, despite posting his best round with a 69.

The American had a double bogey on the par-5 fifth hole but recovered with a flurry of birdies and an eagle on No. 16.

Clear skies at TPC Kuala Lumpur brought out the best from Whee Kim with a hole-in-one on the 199-yard, par-3 15th. The South Korean won a BMW hybrid vehicle.

“(I) landed perfect and thought ‘Oh made it, it’s going to go in,”’ Kim said.

INCHEON, Korea, Republic Of – Jin Young Ko fired a bogey-free 6-under 66 Saturday to take a two-shot lead after the third round of the KEB Hana Bank Championship.

The South Korean carded six birdies on the Ocean Course, including two in her last three holes, to post a 15-under total of 201. Compatriots Sung Hyun Park and In Gee Chun both shot 68 and are tied for second at 13-under 203.

“My iron shots today were really strong so I was able to make a lot of birdie chances for myself,” said Ko, a nine-time winner on the local KLPGA Tour.

Park, looking for her third LPGA Tour victory of the year, played solid golf for most of the third round with five birdies and a sole bogey in her first 17 holes. She did well to salvage par at the last after pushing her drive way right into a hazard and having to take a penalty drop.

“Overall, I’m quite pleased with my game today,” said Park, who has a mathematical chance of taking over at the top of the Rolex Rankings with a win on Sunday. “I finished 4 under on the front nine. I thought I would keep the momentum on the back nine, but my putting was a little bit off compared to the front nine.”

Lizette Salas of the United States offset a lone bogey with five birdies for a 68 and was in sole possession of fourth place.

Brooke Henderson moved into contention with a bogey-free 68 and is tied for eighth, five strokes off the lead.

Earlier this month, she stormed to a five-stroke victory at the MCKAYSON New Zealand Women’s Open to claim her first LPGA title outside North America and now she will enter Sunday’s final round five strokes off the pace – although admittedly with a lot of work to do.

“That’s really exciting,” Henderson said after finishing at 10-under 206. “There are a few people that I would have to climb over, but if I could go out and shoot an under-par round, minus 6 or something like that, and put some pressure on the leaders and kind of be the leader in the clubhouse, that’s my goal. I would like to do that.”

As for the opportunity to win for the first time in Asia? “Yeah, that’s awesome,” she grinned. “I was really excited to get that win outside of North America a few weeks ago, and so to get one in Asia would be really cool, especially with all the fans that have been supporting us the past few days.”

Players couldn’t have dreamt up a more idyllic day than the one they were treated to Friday for the second round of the RBC PGA Scramble presented by the Lincoln Motor Company National Final.

Brilliant sun, warm sea breezes and classic Cape Breton hospitality enhanced the already incredible Cabot Cliffs experience.

“I’ve had a picture of the 16th hole as the background on my phone since the day we qualified and now that I’m here I can’t even believe it,” said Constantinos Anastassakis of the Ridge at Manitou team.

Not only did the squad from the Ridge at Manitou enjoy the scenery and experience of playing Canada’s No. 1-ranked golf course, they also enjoyed playing well in a national championship. The four amateurs and their PGA of Canada professional sit alone in third at 31.1-under-par.

Heading into tomorrow’s final round at Cabot Links, team Blue Springs is second at 31.6-under-par, with Cordova Bay leading the way at -33.2.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Taking place Oct. 12-14 at the world-famous Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs in Inverness, N.S., this once-in-a-lifetime national final features 22 teams—comprised of four amateurs and one PGA of Canada professional—playing in a 54-hole Ambrose-style format.

Located in Inverness, N.S., Cabot Links is Canada’s first and only authentic links golf resort. Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the picturesque town of Inverness, the Cabot Links course represents a dramatic departure from the typical golf excursion. With six holes playing directly alongside the water and every hole offers an ocean view, Cabot Links is where traditional links-land golf comes to life against the spectacular Nova Scotia landscape.

The Cabot Cliffs course, designed by the decorated team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, is the newest addition to Cabot. Exquisitely carved out of the breathtaking Cape Breton landscape, with postcard-worthy panoramas vying for your attention and every hole calling out to the sea, it is links-land golf at its best.

Cabot Cliffs ranked No. 1, while Cabot Links ranked No. 4 on SCOREGolf’s 2016 Best Golf Courses in Canada list. Cabot Cliffs also debuted 19th on the World’s Top 100 Courses list by Golf Digest.

The RBC PGA Scramble presented by The Lincoln Motor Company National Final has turned out to be a golf trip of a lifetime for participants and will thanks to the incredible golfing experiences, festival of special events, prizing, meals, activations and much more.

“We’re maybe not the best golfers, but it’s simply incredible to be here this week and have these experiences,” said the team from La Vallee du Richelieu. “We’ve had so much fun, we’ve had great caddies and hopefully one day we’ll be lucky enough to come back again.”

Those not playing in the RBC PGA Scramble of Canada presented by the Lincoln Motor Company National Final can still take part in all the action throughout the week at Cabot Links through social media. Watch on Facebook Live with multiple live streams—which include player interviews, behind-the-scene looks, drone flyovers, opening and closing ceremonies, and more. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram as well for great social content.

The RBC PGA Scramble presented by the Lincoln Motor Company saw thousands of golfers from across the country participate in the series of events this summer. The 22 teams participating at Cabot Links made it through local and regional qualifying events.