AUSTIN, Texas –With a big lead on the back nine, Jordan Spieth put the ball in water again.

Gulp.

This time, there was no collapse, just a grind-it-out “must win” to beat Japan’s Yuta Ikeda in Thursday’s second round at the Dell Technologies Match Play in gusty wind that lived up to the legendary tough conditions of Texas golf.

Spieth beat Ikeda 4-and-2 at the Austin Country Club a day after losing his first-round match by the same score to Japan’s Hideto Tanihara.

Thursday’s victory, coupled with the draw between Tanihara and Ryan Moore, leaves Spieth needing to beat Moore on Friday and for Tanihara to draw or lose to Ikeda if Spieth is to move on to Saturday’s knockout rounds.

“I’ve got to play better than I did the last two days and I know that. I’ve just got to have complete trust because why not at this point. It’s a win or go home situation,” Spieth said.

Beating Ikeda took some work in conditions that saw gusts top 30 mph, often blowing straight in the golfer’s faces.

The pair made the turn with Spieth 2-up before he stuck his tee shot to within 18 inches on the par-3 11th and tapped in for birdie to win the hole. But Spieth hit a wild tee shot on No. 13 that plunked into the Colorado River – much wider than Rae’s Creek at Augusta – and he peeled out of the shot in disgust.

Instead of seizing the opening for a rally, Ikeda’s tee shot splashed as well. They halved the hole and Spieth steadily closed out the match without any mistakes the rest of the way.

“We both made a mess of the 13th, but all in all, it was a step in the right direction after yesterday,” Spieth said, referring to his opening-round 4-and-2 loss to Tanihara.

As a Texas native, playing in the Lone Star State provides both a comfort zone and an emotional pressure cooker for Spieth.

He plays in front of adoring galleries who cheer his big shots and groan over his mistakes. Youngsters plead for autographs or high-fives whenever he’s within reaching distance. And the Austin Country Club, where he played several times during his short college career at the University of Texas provides a familiar layout of rolling hills and windy riverside greens.

The pressure of his week also comes from what awaits him in two weeks: a return to the Masters, where he won in 2015 but blew a five-shot lead on the back nine last year in an epic collapse as England’s Danny Willett won.

Willett, playing in Spieth’s home territory, has had a ragged tournament with two losses already. A 6-and-5 loss to Bill Haas on Friday eliminated Willett from playing on the weekend.

Before he’d even teed up in Austin, Spieth said he’s ready for this year’s Masters and the questions about the collapse to be behind him. Then he opened the match play tournament with the loss to Tanihara.

Needing a win Thursday just to give himself a chance to get to the championship rounds, Spieth was greeted with a large crowd at the first tee and “Hook’em Horns!” cheers at every hole. Spieth was 3-up after eight holes as the wind belted the players on every swing.

A bogey on the par-4 10th allowed Ikeda an opening until Spieth’s laser tee shot into the 11th put him back in control.

“(Conditions) were about as tough as I think I’ve ever seen it. I couldn’t really fall back on much from school,” Spieth said. “In match play, you’re not upset with these conditions. One-on-one, I think the tougher conditions are better for us. We’ve kind of always believed that so I kind of hope tomorrow is more of the same.”

AUSTIN, Texas – Soren Kjeldsen and Alex Noren won their groups in the Dell Technologies Match Play, one round before group play is even finished.

Rory McIlroy took the day off, and he’s already guaranteed the weekend off.

Thursday was as wild as it gets in this tournament, even without wind ripping so hard through the edge of Hill Country that Phil Mickelson chipped into the water and still halved the hole.

Brandt Snedeker, showing class in the midst of such exasperating conditions, conceded a 7-foot putt when Andy Sullivan’s ball rolled up toward the hole and the wind blew it back.

“I’m sure everybody saw some funny-looking shots out there,” Charles Howell III said, who kept his hopes alive with a clutch pitch and a 1-up victory.

The wind had nothing to do with a domino-effect of withdrawals that allowed Kjeldsen and Noren to get a day of rest Friday.

One after Jason Day withdrew because his mother faces surgery for lung cancer, Gary Woodland pulled out because of a personal family matter. He was scheduled to play McIlroy in the second round, and while McIlroy was conceded a victory, he was eliminated four hours later when Kjeldsen won his second straight match. Kjeldsen was to play Woodland in the third round, so he was assured of winning the group at 3-0.

And so ended McIlroy’s week – 17 holes on Wednesday when Kjeldsen beat him with four straight birdies, no golf on Thursday, and a meaningless match Friday. All that’s left is for McIlroy to decide whether to play the Houston Open next week. He has played just 13 competitive rounds this year.

Noren, meanwhile, had an easy time over Bernd Wiesberger for his second straight victory. He only had to beat Francesco Molinari on Friday, but then Molinari withdrew with a wrist injury, assuring Noren a 3-0 record and a spot in the knockout stage this weekend.

Molinari pulling out also eliminated Wiesberger and Thongchai Jaidee, who get to face each other Friday with nothing at stake.

Along with two players already advancing, 23 players from the 64-man field already are mathematically eliminated.

It was even wilder on the golf course.

Mickelson, who has made it past the third round only once in his 12 previous appearances at Match Play, has never trailed all week and had no trouble against Daniel Berger. But the wind was gusting to 30 mph, and the sun baked out greens that became like Texas hardpan.

Berger was in the water on the par-5 12th and Mickelson was just right of the green in two. His pitch rolled – and rolled – beyond the flag, off the green and into the water. They halved with bogeys.

“It happens,” Mickelson said. “I just didn’t think that we would have the course so severe where that shot would be a problem.”

Still, Mickelson used a word seldom heard at Austin Country Club on Thursday. He said he had “fun.”

Match play made it acceptable.

Jordan Spieth stayed in the game with a 4-and-2 victory over Yuta Ikeda. They halved the 13th hole with double bogeys when Spieth hit into the water, and then Ikeda hit into the water. The wind was that strong, and it was even tougher on the greens.

Dustin Johnson had another easy time as he tries to get in position for his third straight victory, but he still has one more match to claim his group. Ditto for Brooks Koepka, who has yet to see the last five holes in competition. Koepka has closed out both his matches on the 13th hole.

Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia both won two matches and now square off Friday to see which Spaniard wins the group. That also will be the case with Charl Schwartzel and Paul Casey, 2-0 in their groups and facing each other Friday.

“Now we get into the meat of this thing,” Casey said. “For me, it’s straight knockout tomorrow. It’s enjoyable. That’s what I like, and everything is on the line.”

Everything else is still up in the air.

With round-robin play – head-to-head results do not apply in case of a tie – there’s a possibility of two-man, three-man, even four-man playoffs to decide who advances out of group play into single elimination on the weekend.

Bay Hill winner Marc Leishman also had a chance to clinch his group if he had beaten Pat Perez, because Leishman was to face Day in the third round. Perez won on the 17th hole. If he doesn’t win his match Friday, he faces Leishman in a playoff.

“I knew I had to win today. If not, Leish could go drink all night and get ready for Saturday,” Perez said. “Massive performance, I think, on my part today to get that done.”

It may be our nation’s 150th birthday but Canada is providing a gift to you.

Courtesy of Parks Canada, all Canadians — and guests too — are encouraged to enjoy the beautiful and majestic landscapes of our nearly 10,000,000-square-kilometre country.

Any individual, group or family just needs to sign up for a free 2017 Discovery Pass, providing unlimited opportunities to enjoy National Parks, National Historic Sites and National Marine Conservation Areas across the country. (Normally, entry into one of Canada’s National Parks costs anywhere from $8 to $10 per day.) Each pass, which expires Dec. 31, 2017, is valid for everyone arriving in the same vehicle at a national park, or arriving together at a marine conservation area or historic site.

At some locations, the Discovery Pass may not cover separate fees for activities, tours, camping or parking. Green fees fall under that category too, but the experience of golfing in a National Park can be priceless. Courses within National Parks of Canada include the following:

Cape Breton Highlands (Cape Breton Highlands National Park, NS)
Clear Lake Golf Course (Riding Mountain National Park, MB)
Fairmont Banff Springs (Banff National Park, AB)
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge (Jasper National Park, AB)
Fundy National Park Golf Course (Fundy National Park, NB)
Gros Morne Golf Course (Gros Morne National Park, NL)
Revelstoke Golf Club (Mount Revelstoke National Park, BC)
Twin Rivers Golf Course (Terra Nova National Park, NL)
Waskesieu Golf Course (Prince Albert National Park, SK)
Waterton Lakes Golf Course (Waterton Lakes National Park, AB)

Several other layouts — though not inside a National Park — are located within minutes by car, including Radium Hot Springs (Kootenay National Park, B.C.), Club de golf St-Ignace (Kouchibouguac National Park, N.B.), Oak Bay G&CC (Georgian Bay Islands National Park, ON), Erie Shores G&CC (Point Pelee National Park, ON), Stanhope G&CC (Prince Edward Island National Park, PEI)and Smuggler’s Glen Golf Course (Thousand Islands National Park, ON).

THE RECAP: Sydney, Australia’s Cameron Davis, Denver, Colorado’s Wyndham Clark and Costa Mesa, California’s Jake Knapp all reached 7-under par through 36 holes on Wednesday at the Country Club at Soboba Springs to share the second round lead at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s USA West #2 Q-School.

Davis, a 22-year old who turned professional in 2016 after a stellar amateur career, went out with a 4-under 31 on his first nine holes before stumbling to a double bogey at the ninth hole (his 18^th) to fall back into a share of the lead with Clark and Knapp.

“I was pretty happy with the way I’ve played. A bit disappointing to finish the way I did, but I’ve got a lot of positives to draw on,” said Davis.

Davis wasn’t the only one to experience a few errors on Wednesday, as Soboba’s small, tricky greens provided a stout challenge on a day when no player went without a bogey. Knapp stumbled with a double and a bogey over his final four holes, while Clark bogeyed the 16^th and missed makeable birdie putts on his final two holes. Still, Clark, a University of Oregon Senior, was optimistic about his prospects with two rounds to go.

“I left a lot of shots out there, but all-in-all I’m excited about how my game feels and how I played,” said Clark.

The trio will tee off together on Thursday at 1:39 p.m. in round three’s final group.

CURRENT SCORES FOR MACKENZIE TOUR STATUS: After 72 holes this week, every player inside the top 40 and ties will earn Mackenzie Tour status for 2017. Below is a breakdown of where the cut-offs stand:

1^st (Exempt for 2017 season): -7/T1

5^th (Exempt for first 8 events, subject to 2^nd reshuffle): -4/T5

16^th (Exempt for first 4 events, subject to 1^st reshuffle): -1/T11

40^th (Conditional status): +3/T39

BACKGROUND ON THE LEADERS: Davis turned pro in 2016 after a standout amateur career that included individual wins at the 2015 Australian Amateur and 2016 World Amateur. He narrowly missed out on earning a spot in The Masters after finishing second at the 2015 Asia Pacific Amateur.

Upon turning pro, Davis made a splash by finishing T15 after earning an exemption into the PGA TOUR’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba.

Clark comes into the week as the No.1 player in Golfweek’s Men’s Collegiate Individual Rankings on the strength of two individual wins for the University of Oregon. The Colorado native looks to follow in the footsteps of former Oregon Duck Aaron Wise, who played Mackenzie Tour Q-School in 2016 as one of the highest-ranked collegiate players in the nation, going on to earn medalist honours before winning both the NCAA Championship and then the Syncrude Oil Country Championship presented by AECON, ultimately earning a spot in The Five and status on the Web.com Tour.

Knapp, a 23-year old who played his way on to the Mackenzie Tour last year after being one of the top three non-members after the first re-shuffle of the 2016 season, played college golf at UCLA, where he secured two individual wins before turning pro in 2015.

Knapp qualified for the U.S. Open in 2015, missing the cut with rounds of 74-76.

THEY SAID IT:

“I really think Canada helped me out last year. I’m a different player now. Those are different golf courses up there and you’ve got to keep the ball in play, and it’s nothing like you get in California.” – 2016 Mackenzie Tour member Michael Tolladay, who bounced back from an opening 79 with a second round 64

“As long as I’ve been out here, you’re going to have times where you string a couple of birdies together, everything’s great and you’re happy as can be, and all of a sudden you throw a couple of bogeys together. That’s golf. It was a really tough day.” – Former Players Cup champion Chris Killmer on having a patient mindset at Q-School.

“It helps having a few rounds in a row to build some momentum. I’ve still got 36 holes to go, so we’ll continue seeing where it goes.” – Cameron Davis on rebounding from his disappointing finish on Wednesday for the final two rounds.

MORE PLAYER NOTES:

Jared Sawada

26-year old Jared Sawada played collegiate golf at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He has played in the PGA TOUR’s Sony Open in Hawaii twice, including a T69 finish in 2017.

Miscellaneous notes:

• Weather: 17 degrees Celsius, partly sunny with occasional showers, winds 15 km/h.
• Canadians in position to earn status: Stuart Macdonald (-3/T8), David Rose (-1/T11), Eric Banks (+2/T32), Raoul Menard (+3/T39), Matthew Whittaker (+3/T39).
• Play was suspended for 42 minutes due to dangerous weather in the area at 2:08 p.m.
• Keelan Kilpatrick recorded an ace on the fourth hole, using a pitching wedge from 134 yards.
• Click here for scores.

AUSTIN, Tex. – Defending champion Jason Day lasted only six holes at the Dell Technologies Match Play until a heavy heart forced an early departure.

Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth might not be far behind.

The opening round of golf’s most unpredictable tournament took a stunning turn Wednesday when the third-seeded Day abruptly conceded his match to Pat Perez, then wiped away tears as he revealed his mother has lung cancer. Day withdrew to be with her in Ohio for surgery on Friday.

“It’s been a very, very hard time for me to even be thinking about playing golf,” Day said. “And I know my mom says not to let it get to me, but it really has. So I just need some time away with her to make sure that everything goes well because this has been very, very tough for me. So I’m going to do my best and try and be there the best I can for her because she is the reason that I’m playing golf today.”

Dustin Johnson had no trouble in his debut as the No. 1 seed. He had five birdies in his opening eight holes at Austin Country Club and there wasn’t much Webb Simpson could do, but try to extend the match as long as he could. It lasted 15 holes in a 5-and-3 victory.

“Got a long way to go, but getting the first match in the books with a win is definitely a head start,” said Johnson, who is trying to win his third straight tournament.

McIlroy (No. 2) and Spieth (No. 5) face critical matches the rest of the way.

McIlroy, the 2015 champion and a semifinalist last year, appeared to seize control against Soren Kjeldsen when he won three straight holes to take the lead, including a 410-yard drive on the par-5 12th hole and another drive over the water to the edge of the green on the 317-yard 13th hole into the wind.

Kjeldsen, crisp as ever with his short irons, ran off four straight birdies to end the match. He took a 1-up lead with a wedge in tight on the par-5 16th, and then his pitching wedge that landed inches from the cup and settled 2 feet away for a birdie on the 17th to end it. Kjeldsen was 6 under on the round.

It was the first time McIlroy had lost his opening match since 2013 when Match Play was single elimination.

“If I had played anyone else, I might have won,” McIlroy said. “Overall, I can’t be too disappointed. But at the same time, when standing on the 14th tee just having won three holes in a row, I thought I had him going into a tough stretch of the golf course. But he put up three birdies in a row, and you can’t do anything about that.”

Spieth didn’t put much of a fight against Hideto Tanihara of Japan, making his debut in Match Play.

With the Texas crowd on his side, Spieth missed a short birdie attempt that would have given him the lead on No. 5.

Two holes later, Tanihara poured in an 18-foot birdie putt and Spieth couldn’t match him. And he never caught up. Spieth didn’t win a hole until the 14th – with a bogey – and Spieth gave him the next hole when his wedge sailed over the 15th green.

Spieth and McIlroy are not done yet, though they need some help.

The best record from the 16 four-man groups advance to the knockout stage on Saturday. Ties are determined by a sudden-death playoff, and head-to-head matchups do not count.

“I obviously have to take care of my end of the bargain tomorrow,” Spieth said, who next faces Yuta Ikeda.

Hideki Matsuyama (No. 4) wasn’t all that happy, either. He missed a 6-foot birdie putt against Jim Furyk and had to settle for a halve. Sergio Garcia, meanwhile, was thrilled to get a halve against Shane Lowry.

The Spaniard never led on the back nine and was 1 down going to the 18th. Lowry hit driver well left into the shaggy grass of a hazard, did well to get it on the green but then three-putted for a bogey.

Justin Thomas (No. 6), fell behind for the first time in his match against Chris Wood on the 13th hole. Thomas won the next two and then closed him out on the 17th. Next up for the PGA Tour’s only three-time winner this season is Kevin Na.

“I didn’t know I was playing him until you just told me,” Thomas said. “I guess that can tell you how I’m viewing everything this week. I’m just going to play golf.”

Only nine of the 32 matches went the distance. Charl Schwartzel had the shortest day, ending his match against Byeong Hun on the 13th hole.

Perez went 2 up early on Day, including a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 4 that swirled into the cup. But on the par-5 sixth, Day was listless and chopped his way to a double bogey when he shook hands and walked off the course.

Day never let on that his mother, Dening, was diagnosed with lung cancer at the start of the year. The prognosis was bleak in Australia – he said doctors told her she only had 12 months to live – so he brought her to Ohio in the last month for a new round of tests.

He said doctors have been more optimistic, and Friday’s surgery will determine a plan for recovery.

The inaugural World Masters Golf Championship has been launched with a call to all amateur golfers over 50 years of age to take up this unique opportunity to play on the iconic links of Scotland.

The World Masters Golf Championship provides the opportunity to play competitive golf on outstanding courses in a fun, social environment. The event is open to all golfers with an official handicap who are over 50 years of age as at 17 September, 2017 with Golf Canada members are entitled to a £30 discount off the entry fee.

The Championship will be staged over four days from September 18-21 on some of the best courses in the world. Follow in the footsteps of legends and take your opportunity to play some of the great courses of Scotland, included amongst them Royal Troon, Prestwick and Dundonald.

The World Masters Golf Championship is the brainchild of Hamish Grey (formerly CEO of Scottish Golf) and Andy Salmon (formerly CEO of the Ladies’ Golf Union and Deputy CEO of Scottish Golf), who have over 50 years of experience in sport and golf event management between them.

‘The idea is to stage an annual celebration of golf with a top quality championship for club-level amateur golfers here at the Home of Golf – playing competitive golf in a fun, social environment on some of the world’s leading golf courses,’ said Grey.

The format is individual stableford with prize categories based on handicap and age – along with the overall prize and title of World Masters Golf Champion.  Staged over four days there are two packages on offer –

Flight one:

Play Prestwick, laid out by Old Tom Morris, who was the Club’s Professional, the original home of the Open Championship which has been staged a total of 24 times on the links at Prestwick;

Western Gailes, a stunning links course that has hosted Open qualifying and major amateur events such as the European Team Championships featuring a young Rory McIlroy, amongst others; and

Glasgow Gailes, another classic links that hosts Open Qualifying and many major amateur events – where Colin Montgomerie qualified for the 2016 Open staged at nearby Royal Troon.

Flight two:

Play Dundonald, the links course of Loch Lomond Golf Club, Dundonald hosted the last two editions of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Ladies’ Open and two months prior to the World Masters Golf Championship will host the 2017 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open Championship;

Kilmarnock (Barassie), boasting 27 holes of pure links fun, Kilmarnock (Barassie) has also hosted Open Qualifying as well as numerous Scottish amateur tournaments and the European Youths Team Championship; and

Ayr Belleisle, a James Braid designed gem that in the true traditions of Scottish golf is a public course owned by the local authority.

Limited to 240 entrants, the top 120 participants after three rounds will qualify to play the nine-time Open Championship venue, Royal Troon, and follow in the footsteps of legends such as 2016 Open Champion Henrik Stenson. The remaining 120 participants will have the opportunity to play the excellent Glasgow Gailes.

This celebration of golf will be started with a welcome reception on Sunday, September 17 and conclude with a gala dinner on the evening of September 21.

Email members@golfcanada.ca for information on discounts for Golf Canada members.

Canadian amateur golfer Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., collected a one-stroke victory on Wednesday at National Women’s Golf Association (NWGA) event at Dubsdread Golf Course in Olrando, Fla.

Costabile opened the 54-hole event with a tournament-low 65 (-5) to jump out to the early lead, followed by rounds of 69 (-1) and 70 (E). The 18-year-old’s efforts landed her with a score of 6-under par for tournament, one stroke ahead of runner-up Laura Restrepo.

In 2016, Costabile registered T11 and T20 finishes at the Ontario Women’s Amateur and Canadian Women’s Amateur, respectively. She also represented Canada at the 2014 World Junior Girls Championship.

Click here for full scoring.

Toronto, Ontario – Levelwear, a global sport and lifestyle apparel brand, announced today it has been named official golf apparel and headwear sponsor of the RBC Canadian Open and the CP Women’s Open, beginning with the 2017 Championships.

Sponsoring both of Canada’s National Open Golf Championships, Levelwear deepens its presence in the golf industry in Canada and provides a platform to demonstrate the company’s golf and licensing apparel expertise.

Levelwear becomes the exclusive provider of RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open volunteer uniforms as well as branded apparel and headwear both on the event grounds and at select off-site retail locations. The product offering will include its polos, mid-layer and lightweight outerwear garments, as well as pieces from their lifestyle collection of casual cottons and their wide assortment of premium headwear. Known for innovative design and treatment, each piece of apparel will be carefully crafted by the Levelwear in-house design team to create memorable pieces of commemorative merchandise for the spectators and fans.

Levelwear’s investment in these two quintessential properties further enhances its commitment within the golf marketplace in Canada. In January, Levelwear signed ‘Mr. Northern 59,’ Adam Hadwin as a global brand ambassador for its golf and lifestyle apparel. In addition, Levelwear also sponsors fellow PGA TOUR member and Canadian, Brad Fritsch as a Global Brand Ambassador. Levelwear has established business relationships with roughly 80 of the top 100 golf courses in both Canada and the U.S.

Golf Canada owns and operates the RBC Canadian Open, set to run July 24-30, 2017 at Glen Abbey Golf Club, as well as the CP Women’s Open which takes place August 21-27, 2017 at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

The RBC Canadian Open is the third-oldest national open golf Championship next to the British Open and the U.S. Open. Golf Canada will also be bringing the CP Women’s Open back to the nation’s capital in Ottawa to coincide with Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations.

“We have a deep heritage in golf and in Canada. These are the two most iconic golf Championships in Canada. With the history, heritage and connection these properties have with golf fans, we are excited to leverage that equity to build some truly unique Levelwear offerings,” stated Hilton Ngo, President of Levelwear.

Levelwear has established enduring business verticals in licensed and team sports, golf apparel, and men’s and women’s lifestyle wear, with core strengths of innovation, decoration and industry leading service.

“We are extremely excited to have Levelwear as our new apparel and headwear partner this upcoming season,” said Brent McLaughlin, Tournament Director for the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open.  “Levelwear’s depth of innovation, decoration and service will be able to provide consumers with quality licensed merchandise to commemorate Canada’s most historic golf championships.”

Levelwear holds licensing partnerships with some of the top global brands, including the NHL and NHLPA, NBA, 150 US Colleges, the CFL, Hockey Canada and various soccer properties globally. At the PGA Show in Orlando, Levelwear unveiled its fall 2017 collection featuring a new women’s transitional activewear line –  Levelwear Verve, a modern collection of men’s polos, and the Insignia Program, a highly innovative logo treatment collection, that gives a rich gloss metallic like finish with custom embellishments. For more information, please visit www.levelwear.com.

Denver, Colorado’s Wyndham Clark and Sydney, Australia’s Cameron Davis each opened with a 5-under 66 on Tuesday at the Country Club at Soboba Springs to share the first round lead at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s USA West #2 Q-School.

Clark, a senior at the University of Oregon playing as an amateur, carded three birdies, two eagles and three bogeys, while Davis, the reigning World Amateur Individual champion, rebounded from an early double bogey with seven birdies to co-lead by one over Costa Mesa, California’s Jake Knapp and Mililani, Hawaii’s Jared Sawada through one round.

Clark was 1-over through eight holes before making an eagle on the 18th hole (his ninth), part of a stretch that saw him go 7-under for six holes.

“The eagle really got my round started. I had it really going for about six holes after that. It was good,” said Clark.

Davis, meanwhile, bounced back from his early stumbles with a flawless finish to his round to reach 5-under.

“I was hitting the ball pretty well all day,” said Davis. “I had a bit of a stumble on the third hole – I hit it right up against a tree I was actually aiming for. After that I played the back nine really well and didn’t make any mistakes.”

Golf Canada National Amateur Squad member Stuart Macdonald of Vancouver opened with a 3-under 68. Read his Q&A with the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada here.

CURRENT SCORES FOR MACKENZIE TOUR STATUS: After 72 holes this week, every player inside the top 40 and ties will earn Mackenzie Tour status for 2017. Below is a breakdown of where the cut-offs stand:

1st (Exempt for 2017 season): -5/T1

5th (Exempt for first 8 events, subject to 2nd reshuffle): -3/T5

16th (Exempt for first 4 events, subject to 1st reshuffle): -1/T7

40th (Conditional status): +1/T35

If you’re a Tiger Woods fan, you will not be disappointed when The 1997 Masters: My Story (256 pages, Grand Central Publishing) is released on Monday, March 20. Actually, you don’t need to keep reading this. Just buy the book.

But if you’re more a fan of the fine and literate writing we have been accustomed to during the long and highly respected career of Tiger’s collaborator on the book, Lorne Rubenstein, well, you might want to read on.

I’ve known Rubenstein, an honoured member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, for more than 30 years. So when he tells me, “I’m not doing any interviews for the book. It’s Tiger’s book, not mine,” he means it. Even the note from the publisher accompanying my review copy did not mention Rubenstein’s name.

Disappointing, to be sure, as Rubenstein was the ideal choice to lift, clean and place all the interviews with Tiger and other historical information into what is unquestionably an interesting read.

More of that process can be gleaned by a publicity piece Rubenstein wrote for the publisher, citing the time they spent together in Tiger’s office as well as the many phone calls.

“I was provided the opportunity to dig deep into the mind of a golfer who had accomplished amazing things in the game,” says Rubenstein, who was at that 1997 Masters.

“Tiger’s recollections went from one story to another, and from one period in his career to another. We were having a conversation as much as I was conducting an interview. This led to many time shifts in the book. Tiger reflected on other majors he won, and as he considered matters both on and off the course: his workout regime, the equipment he used, and changes in equipment over the years, his childhood and relationship with his parents, incidents of racism that he had encountered, his views on where he is now in his game and life off the course.”

As the title states, the book is a blow-by-blow account of the 1997 Masters where Tiger, just 21 years old, won by an astounding 12 shots. Guided by video of that historic victory, Tiger walks the reader through not only every shot, but also the mental and psychological machinations that produced an astounding rebound from that 40 on his opening nine holes.

It also gives, as Rubenstein states above, guarded glimpses into his early life, amateur career, and his off-course existence which, as we all know, had more than its share of notoriety. Architectural buffs will enjoy his opinionated evaluation of the changes to Augusta National since he won there for the first time.

It is written in the first-person and represents as close as any of us, except Rubenstein, will have to a conversation with one of the game’s most fascinating and talented and, simultaneously, infuriatingly private individuals.

So, in hindsight, you have to respect Rubenstein, the author of 13 previous books, for his editorial laryngitis. Now you can go buy the book.

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