Canada is a golfing country.

That may not seem true when hockey is our national sport and forever what this nation will be best known. But golf is our pastime. It’s our ParticipACTION activity. Only a couple of countries worldwide have higher golfer rates per capita than this one.

We remain north of 5.7 million players; have more than 2,300 public and private course options, and we play nearly 60 million rounds in a shortened season. That’s passion. That’s love for the game.

I was thinking about that the other day perusing Canada 150.

Dedicated to the country’s 150th birthday, the government-administered website features an ultimate play list, 150 activities Canadians can do in 2017 to celebrate who we are, where we come from and what we stand for.

Golf is there, as it should be. Canadians already immersed in golf hardly need encouragement to “get out there”, as the website suggests, but here’s hoping the Canada 150 messaging fosters two things: convinces non-golfers to give the sport a try and persuades established golfers to introduce non-golfers to what the late Arnold Palmer called, “the greatest game mankind has ever invented.”

Let the record show too that over a century and a half, we’re not only a nation of golfers but we’ve become pretty good at it.

Canada is home to three major champions in Sandra Post, Mike Weir and Brooke Henderson; one World Golf Hall of Fame member in Marlene Streit; several winners of U.S. Amateurs, an array of team titles like the Dunhill Cup and World Cup and until Englishman Justin Rose unseated him in Rio last summer Canada’s George S. Lyon had been golf’s defending Olympic gold medalist for 112 years.

Our national open championships, the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open, have storied histories. Royal Montreal Golf Club, the oldest golf club in North America, even hosted the 2007 Presidents Cup. Legendary ball-striker Moe Norman was proudly Canadian. Same with Stanley Thompson, one of the game’s most gifted course designers.

Perhaps as part of your own Canada 150 schedule should be that trip to the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame & Museum at Glen Abbey you’ve been meaning to make. Bring the family. We’re only scratching golf’s historical surface here.

As Canada embarks on the next 150 years what should we expect from the game? More good things. Despite current challenges, golf remains on a solid foundation coast to coast.

From Nova Scotia’s Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs to British Columbia’s Victoria Golf Club, the country’s inventory of inspirational, fun course experiences will bring a smile to the face of even the most seasoned global golf traveller.

Our crop of top-level touring professionals led by Henderson, Alena Sharp, Maude-Aimée LeBlanc, Jennifer Ha, Augusta James, Nick Taylor, Mackenzie Hughes, Adam Hadwin, and veterans David Hearn, Graham DeLaet and Brad Fritsch is talented enough to win any given week. More young talent is waiting in the wings.

Golf Canada’s national player development programming, through grassroots initiatives like Future Links driven by Acura and Golf in Schools, is at an elite, world-class level. That’s evident by The R&A now supporting Future Links.

What really has me bullish on the future is after years of personal agendas, golf’s key stakeholders in Canada are all on the same page. They’re aligned with a common purpose, with a mission to better the sport now and for the future. That’s progress.

Canada has plenty to celebrate as its 150th birthday of Confederation approaches. Find your way to include golf.

This article was originally published in the April 2017 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine.

Browse through the names of those honoured in the Canada Sports Hall of Fame and you’ll find 17 esteemed members who had careers in golf. They are all people with whom Canadian golf fans should be familiar, greats such as Marlene Streit, George Knudson, Sandra Post and Albert and Charles Murray.

But only two of those 17 were inducted as Builders instead of Athletes — Stanley Thompson, who was literally a builder of golf courses, and Jocelyne Bourassa, who was a heck of an athlete herself but has undeniably furthered women’s golf in this country as much as anyone.

Canadian golf has certainly benefitted from far more than just two “builders” over the years though. That was the inspiration behind the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, to recognize great players but also all the contributors whose achievements didn’t include titles and trophies.

“When we look at golfers today, we forget the amateurs,” says Meggan Gardner, curator of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum (CGHF). “We remember the big names — Tiger Woods, Mike Weir, Sandra Post — and the professionals are always recognized. But the amateurs who were too involved in having families to turn professional, or the underappreciated people within the golf industry, which includes golf course architects and writers, they don’t have a hall of fame so we need to recognize those individuals that helped make golf in Canada the great sport that it is.”

In 1966, the RCGA (now Golf Canada) took the first step towards fixing that, establishing a committee to report to the board of directors whether a hall of fame was a worthwhile endeavour. Unsurprisingly, it deemed it was, and three years later the board agreed to set up a 13-person HOF committee. They combined to draw up a constitution and began making recommendations for worthy candidates.

The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame announced its inaugural class in 1971, which included George Cumming, George S. Lyon, Ada Mackenzie, Charles Murray, Sandy Somerville and Marlene Streit. Those were the first six members of a collection that now totals 79, counting this year’s induction of Bob Vokey and Judy Darling Evans.

The Museum portion of the CGHF is a decade or two older than the Hall itself. The RCGA had always been collecting material so, in essence, had already been informally archiving its tournaments and minute books. A reference to a “Museum” being established, basically a private room at RCGA headquarters that housed important artifacts and documents, appears in notes from 1956.

The Museum’s collection has grown to be incredibly vast but it continues to evolve as well. A new website will launch this spring in order to make more items and documents available to inquiring minds. Digitization, an ongoing process, will help make resources accessible to researchers, students, the general public, or anybody who has an interest in golf history and our pioneers.

“Sport history in general is not a form of history that the academic community acknowledges,” adds Gardner. “It’s typically not taught in schools. Even though everyone in our Hall of Fame had great achievements and furthered the game, they were influential people in sports, period.”

For clarity, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum is funded by Golf Canada but not operated or influenced by Golf Canada.

Follow @cghf

This article was originally published in the April 2017 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine.

Billy Horschel’s emotions from winning the AT&T Byron Nelson went far beyond ending more than two years without a victory.

One day after Horschel was vague about issues off the course, his wife took to Twitter to reveal she is battling alcoholism. Brittany Horschel said last weekend marked the one-year anniversary of her sobriety.

“I write this nervously, skeptically, but also proudly because I have embraced the woman I have become over the past year,” she wrote in a poignant post . “One year ago, I began a journey to a healthy me, mentally and physically. I will keep his simple, ‘I am an alcoholic.’ I say that now without shame.”

i would like to share why yesterday's win had some extra emotions for my hubby, @BillyHo_Golf xo pic.twitter.com/2yDyhm8kRR

— brittany horschel (@britt_horschel) May 22, 2017

Horschel and his wife met at Florida, where she played on the golf team.

She gave birth to their first child, a daughter, right as Horschel was winning the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship at the end of 2014 to capture the $10 million FedEx Cup. They had their second child in April.

Horschel declined to get into specifics on the extra layer of emotions after his playoff victory over Jason Day.

“Just life gets in the way sometimes and, you know, it’s truly special to be winning on something on a day like this that’s I honestly … I’m not able to talk about it right now,” he said. “But it’s just lot of stuff happens in the last year and this is just … this is nice.”

Brittany Horschel said in her post that her husband respectfully left her to answer it however she wanted, if at all.

“However, to not answer would not only be unfair to him, but to my own integrity,” she said.

thank you so much for everyone's kind words, love and show of support. i am so happily overwhelmed!! ❤️❤️ #strengthinnumbers

— brittany horschel (@britt_horschel) May 23, 2017

She said she spent the end of last May through July in a treatment center in South Florida. She said her husband took full responsibility taking care of their first child, moving into a new home, competing on the PGA Tour and “God only knows what else and what all went through that man’s head during that time.”

“He silently battled through, with support from family and close friends, a very sad, scary and trying time,” she wrote.

Monet Chun, a member of the Team Canada Development Squad won the Investors Group Junior Girls’ Spring Classic, at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, in Stouffville, Ont., from May 20-22. While Kelvin Lim, took home the Boys’ championship at Wooden Sticks Golf Club in Uxbridge, Ont.

On Monday, the 16-year-old Chun, from Summit Golf & Country Club capped off an impressive week with an 11-stroke win. The former Team Ontario member finished the final round two-over par (74).

After an even par front nine, Chun bogeyed 10 and 17, but still won comfortably. She finished the tournament at four-over par (71-75-74-220).

After the win, Chun spoke about what helped her capture the title.

“It was a tough week here at Sleepy Hollow. I struggled with my putting, but my shots helped to keep me in good shape.”

“Coming into the round I tried to focus on staying even and remain consistent throughout the day. I have been playing in the Spring Classic for about five or six years and think it is a great tournament to win considering all of the top players who have played in it before,” added Chun.

Picking up the silver was Maple’s Alyssa DiMarcantonio. DiMarcantonio, from Station Creek Golf Club, began the day in second but was unable to catch Chun.

The 14-year-old began the day at two-under par, but would finish five-over par (77). She ended the tournament at 15-over par (75-79-77-231).

Rounding out the top three was Richmond Hill’s Emily Zhu. Zhu, 13, started the round in a four-way tie for third but separated herself from the pack. Zhu followed up an even front nine by going four-over on the back. That brought her tournament total to 16-over (75-81-76-232)

More information, including the final leaderboard can be found here.

On the boys side, Lim got out to a consistent start with pars on his first four holes. A pair of bogeys would drop the Station Creek Golf Club member back to three-over par as he made the turn.

Lim birdied the par-five 14th before finishing his round with a bogey on 18. Still, even with a two-over par (74), he was able to claim the title at three-over (75-70-74-219). Lim also won the Juvenile Championship.

For Lim, his success during the three days was all about sticking to his routine.

“Yesterday the weather was pretty bad but I just stayed focused,” said Lim. “I just thought about my routine, my swing and grinded through the round. As for today, I was hitting the ball really well, despite not being able to make anything. I focused on myself and not my opponents, I had a score in my mind and tried to achieve that. This win definitely makes me feel more confident heading into the rest of the season.”

Finishing in a tie for second place were Mississauga’s Sudarshan Yellamaraju and Cobourg’s Nicholas Oosterhof. Yellamaraju, 15, from Blue Springs Golf Club, began the day in second, one-back of Lim.

He got out to a rough start and was five-over as he got to the ninth tee. He would birdie the ninth as well as the 18th to help him finish three-over par (75). That brought him to five-over par (72-74-75-221) for the tournament.

As for Oosterhof, from Dalewood Golf Club, he began the day six-over par but had one of the low rounds at one-under par (71).

Oosterhof, 18-years-old, was even after the front nine but made birdies on 14 and 16, after a bogey on 12, to finish one-under par for the day. He finished the tournament five-over (75-75-71-221).

For more information on the boys championship, click here.

Golf Ontario would like to thank both Wooden Sticks Golf Club and Sleepy Hollow Country Club, along with their staffs, for hosting the events.  Thanks also to Investors Group and the Golf Ontario volunteers for their continued support of golf in the province.

Hugo Bernard, a member of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, finished T3 at the Murat Cup International Men’s Championship of France at Chantilly Golf Club in Vineuil-Saint-Firmin, France, from May 19-21.

After an opening-round 75 (+4), Bernard rebounded with three straight rounds under par, including a 5-under 66 in the third round.

On Sunday, Bernard carded a 2-under par 69 to finish two shots back of Britain’s Josh Hilleard, who beat Frenchmen Pierre Pineau on the second playoff playoff hole.

The third-place finish is Bernard’s third top-10 result at a major international amateur competition in 2017.

The 22-year-old finished T7 at the South American Amateur at Martindale Country Club in Buenos Airees, Argentina from  January 19-21 and closed T9 at the Terra Cotta Invitational at Naples National Golf Club, in Naples, FL., from May 5-7.

The full leaderboard can be seen here.

Lexi Thompson shot a 6-under 65 on Sunday to finish off a wire-to-wire victory in the Kingsmill Championship with a tournament-record 20-under 264 total.

Thompson broke the tournament record of 19 under at Kingsmill’s River Course set by Annika Sorenstam in 2008. The victory came in Thompson’s third event since she lost the ANA Inspiration in a playoff after being penalized four strokes for a rules violation reported by a television viewer during the final round.

ICYMI: @Lexi Thompson’s winner’s interview with @GolfChannel’s @JerryFoltzGC @KingsmillLPGA pic.twitter.com/ROh8EtnHtQ

— LPGA (@LPGA) May 22, 2017

The victory, Thompson’s eighth, gave her at least one in five consecutive seasons. That matches top-ranked Lydia Ko for the longest streak on tour.

#LPGAWinnerSelfie with @Lexi Thompson @KingsmillLPGA pic.twitter.com/XjjBwpBXtC

— LPGA (@LPGA) May 22, 2017

In Gee Chun, playing with Thompson, shot a bogey-free 67, but was no match for the leader, finishing five shots back. Thompson also was bogey-free and finished the tournament with just two bogeys, both on the par-3 17th hole.

“I had great round today,” Chun said, “… but she play was so good. Really enjoyed play with her. So I learn a lot from her today.”

Thompson began the day with a three-shot lead and quickly added to it, rolling in long birdie putts on the par-4 first hole and the par-5 third.

Chun used birdies on the third, par-4 fifth and par-5 seventh to get within two shots, but Thompson answered with a birdie at the par-4 ninth and then made three birdies in a four-hole span on the back nine. She eclipsed Sorenstam’s record with a birdie on the par-5 15th, pushing her lead to five shots.

With this birdie putt on 14, @Lexi Thompson’s lead goes back to 4 @KingsmillLPGA.

Tune in now @GolfChannel pic.twitter.com/CzfSnfl5RO

— LPGA (@LPGA) May 21, 2017

Angela Stanford closed with a 66 to finish third, and Danielle Kang was fourth after a 68.

The top-ranked Ko began the day five strokes off the lead, and shot 73 to tie for 10th at 7 under. She is winless since last July.

Smith Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson was the top Canadian, finishing in a tie for 15th, at 5-under par. Henderson recorded four straight under par rounds. After going out in a 1-under par, 35 on Sunday, she was unable to make any birdies on the back nine, carding a 1-under par 71.

The full leaderboard can be seen here.

Billy Horschel won the AT&T Byron Nelson with a par on the first playoff hole Sunday after Jason Day pulled his 4-foot par putt left and past the hole.

That miss by Day almost wasn’t even needed for Horschel, whose 36-foot birdie chance was rolling straight toward the centre of the cup before stopping just short. He won for the fourth time on the PGA Tour and for the first time since taking the 2014 Tour Championship for the FedEx Cup title.

With a 1-under 69, including a 60-foot birdie putt at the 14th hole, Horschel matched Day at 12-under 268. Day had a 68.

.@JDayGolf JUST misses and @BillyHo_Golf has won the @ATTByronNelson!

It's his first PGA TOUR victory since 2014. ? #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/iqqsGB1fCe

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 21, 2017

Third-round leader James Hahn finished a stroke back after shooting 71. He just missed a miraculous eagle at the 18th hole that would have gotten him in the playoff with his playing partners.

Because of early morning rain that delayed the start Sunday, threesomes were used instead of the usual weekend twosomes. No one outside of that final group made a real charge to contend with the final trio.

The playoff wrapped up the Nelson’s 35th and final tournament in Irving. The event will shift next year to the new links-style Trinity Forest Golf Club south of downtown Dallas.

The tournament was first played in Irving in 1983, but its roots go back to 1944 as the Texas Victory Open at Lakewood Country Club, where Byron Nelson won a year before his streak of 11 PGA Tour victories in a row. In 1968, the tournament became the first named after a PGA Tour player.

Day, who got the first of his 10 PGA Tour victories at the 2010 Nelson, had the lead alone only once. He pitched in a 78-foot shot from the rough by the greenside bunker for a birdie at the 477-yard 15th, after two horrible shots to get in that position. His tee shot went into the rough to the far right under the trees, and his approach set up an awkward stance.

Making birdie from THERE? Ridiculous!

WHAT A SHOT! #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/yJl4JdtT5M

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 21, 2017

But at the par-5 573-yard 16th, the easiest hole at TPC Four Seasons, Day’s wayward tee shot hit a spectator. After making sure the woman was OK, his approach shot settled pin high on the green but a 9-foot birdie chance curled by the hole. Horschel, who earned $1.35 million, also got to that green in two, and two-putted from 44 feet for a tying birdie before they both parred the last two holes.

Hahn almost matched them at 12 under when his approach from 122 yards at the 18th hit on the green, spun back and skimmed over the edge of the cup. He made the 4-foot birdie putt to finish alone in third, ahead of Jason Kokrak.

.@JamesHahnPGA needed to hole THIS to have a chance at a playoff.

WOW! ???

The reactions say it all. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/Ic1ezB3PMF

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 21, 2017

Kokrak went into the weekend with a five-stroke lead, the largest ever after 36 holes at the Nelson. But he shot 72 on Saturday and closed with a 70 to get to 10 under.

Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world, had a closing 69 to tie for 13th at 6 under.

Defending champion Sergio Garcia had birdies on six of his last eight holes Saturday to get within four strokes of the lead. But he was as quickly out of contention after giving back four strokes in a three-hole stretch early in the final round when he missed three putts of 5 feet or less on Nos. 2-4. His closing 74 put him 4 under and tied for 20th.

During the stretch when Hahn fell behind his playing partners, Horschel rolled in a 60-foot birdie putt at the par-4 14th after his poor approach that led him to toss his club in the air.

Hahn was leading alone again for the first time since the second hole, by one stroke over his playing partners, after making a 15-foot birdie off the fringe at the 312-yard 11th hole to go to 13 under.

After Day and Horschel bogeyed the 452-yard 12th, Hahn missed a chance to extend his lead there. But his 5-foot par putt curled around the cup, the first of his three consecutive bogeys that knocked him out of the lead for good.

Nick Taylor, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, was the top Canadian, finishing T9, after a bogey free, 5-under par 65 on Sunday. Taylor will jump 15 spots in the FedEx Cup rankings from 85th to 70 thanks his third top-10 of the season.

His best result of the season was a T8 at the Wells Fargo Championship, from May 4-7 at Eagle Point Golf Club, in Wilmington, N.C.

The full leaderboard can be seen here.

Albin Choi, a veteran of the Team Canada Young Pro Squad, finished T5 at the Web.com Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am Classic presented by Synnex Corporation, after Sunday’s final round was cancelled due to inclement weather.

The Toronto product finished at 15-under par, four shots back of the 54-hole leader, crowned champion Stephan Jaeger of Germany.

After 36 holes, Choi was in a tie for 14th, thanks to rounds of 66-67. On Saturday at Furman University Golf Club in Greenville, S.C., Choi fired another 66 to climb nine spots up the leaderboard.

This is Choi’s first top-10 of the 2017 Web.com Tour season, after having three in 2016. With his 5th place finish, Choi will jump from 129th to 64th on the Order of Merit. He is looking to improve on his 69th place finish in 2016.

A graduate of North Carolina State University, Choi has been on the Team Canada Young Pro Squad since 2014, and has spent a total of seven years on Team Canada.

Fellow Canadian Ben Silverman, finished T17 at 11-under par after a third-round 70 (-1).

Corey Conners, of Listowel, Ont., who came into the week 23rd in the Order of Merit and in position to obtain his PGA Tour card, dropped to 26th, just outside the top-25, after finishing T57.

Merritt, B.C., native Roger Sloan, the other Canadian inside the top-25 on the money list coming into the week, right at 25th, missed the cut and will drop to 28th.

The full leaderboard can be seen here.

Lexi Thompson remained in position for her first victory since a rules infraction cost her a major title, shooting a 2-under 69 in tricky wind conditions Saturday to take a three-stroke lead over In Gee Chun into the final round of the Kingsmill Championship.

Thompson is playing her third event since losing the ANA Inspiration in a playoff after being penalized four strokes for a rules violation that a TV viewer reported.

“I’m as determined as any other person out here,” Thompson said. “We all want to win. I have a little bit more drive now I would say, but I’m just going to go out there and be confident and see where it goes.”

The long-hitting Florida player had three birdies and a bogey – on the par-3 17th – to reach 14-under 199 on Kingsmill’s River Course.

“Pretty solid, just was all over the lips today on the greens,” “ Thompson said. ”But I put some good strokes on a lot of my putts, so that’s all that matters. Hopefully, bring that into tomorrow.“

She has led after all three rounds, opening with consecutive 65s.

“Same mindset as the last three days,” Thompson said. “All I’m focusing on is my own game and sticking to my routine and committing to my lines off the tees and just having fun with my caddie in between shots.”

Chun had a 67. The two-time major champion had six birdies and two bogeys.

“I love tough courses,” Chun said. “Today was tougher because the wind was from a different direction.”

Canadian Brooke Henderson shot a 69. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native is tied for 15th place, 10 shots behind Thompson. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp is 13 shots back.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko was five strokes back at 9 under after a 70. Trying to hold off So Yeon Ryu and Ariya Jutanugarn for the No. 1 spot, Ko is winless since July.

“It was really tough out there with the wind action being opposite to what we’ve played the last couple days,” Ko said. “I thought the forecast said it was going to be light breeze. If this is light breeze, I don’t know what windy is.”

Sei Young Kim (66) and 2015 winner Minjee Lee (67) also were 9 under.

Gerina Piller, second entering her third straight round alongside Thompson, had a 74 to drop into a tie for ninth at 6 under.

The second-ranked Ryu, the ANA winner, was 4 under after a 72. The third-ranked Jutanugarn, defending the first of her five tour victories last year, had a 70 to also reach 4 under.

The full leaderboard can be seen here.

James Hahn shot a bogey-free 6-under 64 on Saturday to take the lead after three rounds at the AT&T Byron Nelson, where Jason Kokrak’s record advantage disappeared.

Hahn settled for a 12-under 198 total after his eagle chance at the 16th and a birdie putt at 17 both stopped just inches short. The two-time PGA Tour winner was a stroke ahead of Billy Horschel, who birdied his last three holes for a 66 to take second place alone.

Jason Day had his own string of birdies, five in a row midway through his round and then a 60-footer at the 17th, during a 63 that was the best of the day and got him to 10 under. The fourth-ranked player in the world was tied for third with Kokrak, who shot a 72 after setting a Nelson 36-hole record with a five-stroke lead.

“It’s really cool to hear the crowds roar like that again.”@JDayGolf made his move on Saturday.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/Um2l5zoHld

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 20, 2017

Cameron Tringale and Sergio Garcia also finished with birdies on Nos. 16-18. Tringale was fifth at 9 under after a 67, with defending Nelson champion and Masters winner Garcia tied for sixth at 8 under after a 64 that also included three straight birdies at Nos. 11-13.

Top-ranked Dustin Johnson shot a 71 with five bogeys and four birdies to reach 5 under, seven strokes off the lead and tied for 19th. He had started the day in a six-way tie for third and six strokes behind Kokrak.

Hahn shared the first-round lead after an opening 64, but slipped back with a 70 on Friday before another impressive round for him at TPC Four Seasons that included a 65-foot chip-in birdie at the par-4 No. 3 hole. This is Hahn’s fourth Nelson, and he has shot 64 or 65 in half of his 14 rounds there.

Why roll it in when you can dunk?

Right, @JamesHahnPGA?#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/gAai3xOCIV

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 20, 2017

The last birdie for Day in his long streak came after driving the green at the 311-yard par-4 11th and two-putting from 37 feet.

Day’s only bogey came when he blasted out of greenside bunker at the 14th, then pushed his 4-foot par chance just left of the home and 2 1/2 feet past. When his 60-footer at the par-3 17th caught the left edge of the cup and dropped in, Day lifted both arms into the air, pumping his right fist while still grasping the putter in the other hand.

Electric! ??@JDayGolf is now tied for the lead.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/dN5Miqe2hQ

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 20, 2017

About the same time Day’s 16-foot birdie try at No. 18 curled just under the hole, causing him to wince, Hahn went to 11 under for the lead with his 13-foot birdie at the 15th hole.

Hahn then added another birdie at the 527-yard par-5 16th after come up just short of an eagle on the easiest-playing hole at TPC Four Seasons.

Kokrak had his first bogey in 34 holes after missing the fairway at No. 3, then three-putting on the sloping green. He quickly made up that stroke with a 15-foot birdie at No. 4 and was back to 12 under with a five-stroke lead. But his advantage was down to one by time he finished his next hole, the par-3 5th, with a triple bogey.

Garcia beat Brook Koepka in a playoff last year to become the first two-time Nelson winner since Irving became the tournament’s home in 1983. Day, who won the Nelson in 2010, could match that Sunday in the last round at TPC Four Seasons before a move to the new Trinity Forest Golf Club in south Dallas next year.

The top Canadian is Winnipeg’s Nick Taylor, who is T36, at 2-under par.

The full leaderboard can be seen here.