PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Jordan Spieth kept it simple Sunday and won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for the ninth PGA Tour title of his young career.

Spieth started with a six-shot lead and no one got closer than three all day. He putted for birdie on all but one hole and closed with a 2-under 70 for a four-shot victory over former U.S. Amateur champion Kelly Kraft, who shot 67.

U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson shot 68 to finish third.

The scenery was as spectacular as it gets on the Monterey Peninsula. The final round was on the dull side, and that was just fine with Spieth.

“That’s a dream round when you’re leading by a bunch,” Spieth said.

It was his first 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour since the Masters, where he lost a five-shot lead on the back nine at Augusta National. The 23-year-old Texan ran off 14 straight pars until a 30-foot birdie on the par-3 17th. That allowed for an easy walk up the 18th, a closing hole even more gorgeous with a four-shot lead.

Spieth’s only other birdie was on the par-5 second when he two-putted from 12 feet.

One day after he took only 23 putts on the bumpy greens of Pebble Beach, he didn’t make hard anything, and didn’t look to be trying to make them from above the hole to avoid putting himself in a position to drop shots.

No one could put any pressure on him over the opening seven holes, which is where rallies begin at Pebble Beach.

Two-time Pebble Beach winner Brandt Snedeker, playing in the final group with Spieth, managed three birdies through six holes to get within four shots. But he narrowly missed birdie chances on the fifth and seventh holes, and he fell back with a bogey on the ninth. Snedeker closed with nine straight pars for a 70 to finish fourth.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., both shot a final round 71 to finish the tournament at 8-under 279 and tied for 10th. Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch (71) was 33rd while Adam Hadwin (73) of Abbotsford was 39th.

Kraft, a close friend of Spieth’s from Dallas, ran off four straight birdies on the front nine, and his birdie at No. 11 got him to within three shots. His last hope was missing an 8-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole.

Spieth said caddie Michael Greller told him on every tee, “Keep playing boring golf.”

“I don’t like boring golf,” he said. “But that’s what was needed today.”

He played the final 28 holes without a bogey.

Spieth became the seventh straight PGA Tour winner in his 20s, and he got back into the hunt for No. 1. He had fallen far enough behind that even by beating a strong field at Pebble Beach, it will not move him from No. 6.

But he goes to Riviera next week with a chance to reach as high as No. 2. Johnson, with this third-place finish, could go to No. 1 by winning at Riviera.

The spot now belongs to Jason Day, who shared the 36-hole lead at Pebble Beach and fell 10 shots behind with a 75 on Saturday. Day bounced back with a 67 to tie for fifth with Gary Woodland (65) and Torrey Pines winner Jon Rahm (68).

Spieth now has four top 10s in his four starts this year and already appears to be peaking as the Masters gets closer. He has shot under par in all 16 rounds he has played this year, 17 in a row dating to the Tour Championship last fall.

The only disappointment for Spieth was not winning the pro-am with country singer Jake Owen. They tied for third, four shots behind Ken Duke and Carson Daly.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Jordan Spieth had a performance that matched the magnificent views – finally – at Pebble Beach on Saturday.

Spieth took only 10 putts on the back nine, closed with a pitch that checked up inches from the cup for another birdie and shot a 7-under 65 to open up a six-shot lead going in the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Starting out the round in the weather-delayed event tied with Jason Day and Derek Fathauer, Spieth never gave anyone a chance.

Following his only bogey of the round – a 7-iron over the cliffs on No. 8 that narrowly stayed up in the rough above the putting surface – he ran off three straight birdies, made a tough, curling 6-foot par putt on the 12th and then closed with three birdies and another tough par save on his last four holes.

He was at 17-under 197 and had his largest 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour.

Brandt Snedeker did his part with a 30 on the front nine – he started on No. 10 – for a 67 to pull within two shots when he finished.

Snedeker, trying to win at Pebble Beach for the third time in five years, was at 11-under 204 and will be in the final group with Spieth, along with their amateur partners. Spieth is playing with country singer Jake Owen, while Snedeker’s partner is Nashville businessman Toby Wilt.

Dustin Johnson spent three days with Spieth and couldn’t keep up, at least not on the greens. The U.S. Open champion made three birdies over his last six holes and saved par from a shot into the Pacific Ocean on No. 18 for a 66. He was seven shots behind.

Among the Canadians making the cut, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., both head into Sunday T11 at 7-under. Taylor’s third round 68 featured a mix bag that included two eagles, three birdies, two bogies and a double bogey while Hughes caught fire with seven birdies through 17 holes before a triple bogey on 18 dropped him back to 4-under on the day.

Adam Hadwin, also of Abbotsford, was 4-under on the day and 5-under overall (T16) while Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont. rounds out the Canadian scoring at 4-under (T28) after shooting 69 on Saturday.

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Fred Couples birdied the final two holes Saturday to pull within a stroke of the leaders in the PGA Champions Tour’s Allianz Championship.

The 57-year-old Couples shot a 7-under 65 to reach 11-under 133 on The Old Course at Broken Sound.

Doug Garwood, Joe Durant, Scott McCarron and first-round leader Olin Browne shared the top spot, all birdieing the par-5 18th. Garwood shot 64, Durant 65, McCarron 66, and Browne 69. Tom Pernice Jr. had a 64 to match Couples at 11 under.

Couples birdied the first three holes, dropped a stroke on the par-4 fourth, birdied the par-5 sixth and eagled the par-4 10th. He two-putted from about 100 feet for birdie on 18.

“It was a good round overall,” Couples said. “I made some putts, obviously. That’s really about it. I didn’t do anything overwhelming, but I didn’t do much poor. A couple times I got it up-and-down to keep going. I birdied the first three holes and I absolutely butchered the fourth hole from about 80 yards. I came up way short and three-putted.”

He holed out with a wedge on the 10th.

“I forgot about that,” Couples said. “I hit a 3-wood and got it way down there and I was surprised, 90 yards, which is a perfect sand wedge. I hit it right by the hole, took a bounce and spun back in. I totally forgot about those fun things. But that was a surprise. Picked up two quick ones there. It kind of pushed me, obviously, close to everybody.”

Couples is playing in Florida for the first time since the 2006 Honda Classic.

“Glad I came,” said Couples, the Hall of Famer who won the last of his 11 senior titles in 2014. “The course is beautiful. I’ve never played here, so yesterday was a little bit of a guessing game because I had never played the course and we got rained out in the pro-am after eight holes. But I got it around and today was much better. I love the course and plan on coming back.”

McCarron won twice last year on the 50-and-over tour.

“A lot less wind today, but some tough hole locations, so it made it play tough,” McCarron said. “Yesterday was a lot tougher with the wind, but today was nice. It was windy when we started and then just kind of laid down toward the afternoon. This is such a great golf course and it’s in phenomenal shape, so it’s going to be a shootout tomorrow.”

Canadian Stephen Ames fired a sizzling 9-under 63 Saturday including an ace on the 204-yard par-3 14th hole to climb 39 spots into a share of 12th heading into Sunday’s final round. Fellow Canuck Jim Rutledge bounced back from an opening-round 80 with at 2-under 69 Saturday in 74th position.

Bernhard Langer was tied for 54th after his second straight 71. The 59-year-old German star is coming off a victory in the season opener in Hawaii, his 30th career victory on the PGA Tour Champions. He won the Allianz Championship in 2010.

Defending champion Esteban Toledo was 8 under after a 67.

Winning Ryder Cup captains Jose Maria Olazabal and Paul McGinley are making their senior debuts. Olazabal was tied for 23rd at 6 under after a 67, and McGinley was tied for 44th at 3 under after a 73.

John Daly eagled the 18th in a 75 that left him tied for 69th at 2 over.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Jordan Spieth knew the pin position on the ninth hole at Spyglass Hill as much by memory as by sight, which was a good thing considering the fog creeping across the Monterey Peninsula on Friday.

The crowd behind the green couldn’t see Spieth, only a golf ball that landed behind the flag and spun back 3 feet below the cup. Spieth tapped that in for his eighth birdie of the round and a 7-under 65 that put him atop the leaderboard in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Spieth was at 10-under 133.

Derek Fathauer was 8 under for his round at Pebble Beach and tied with Spieth at 10 under. Fathauer had to return Saturday morning to finish his round on the ninth hole. The bigger threat might be Jason Day, the world’s No. 1 player, who was 7 under through 12 holes at Spyglass when play was stopped. Day was at 9 under.

Patrick Reed, who withdrew two weeks ago from the European Tour event in Australia next week because of a respiratory infection, was at 7 under and had one hole to play at Monterey Peninsula.

Spieth mainly was thrilled that he finished just before the horn sounded to suspend play again, this time for fog.

It’s hard to know where anyone stands until three rounds are completed, let alone when only 33 out of 154 players were done with the second round. Spieth only knew that his swing was dialed in and his putter – the most dangerous club in his bag – was coming around.

“I didn’t feel any nerves out there, even though I knew I was toward the lead, just because so much could happen with three courses,” he said. “The first two rounds, it’s been easy. Tomorrow might feel a little different. But in my opinion, I’m at 10 under now. If I can try and just make two (birdies) a side at Pebble Beach each time, and make up for the bogeys with maybe another birdie, it may be good enough.”

The sun, rarely seen this week, is supposed to be make an appearance this weekend. Spieth and Day will play Pebble the final two rounds, and it typically is the easiest when the weather is benign.

What helped Spieth was going off in the third group at Spyglass and having what he considers the best greens on the rotation.

He picked up birdies on both par 3s on the back nine, had a two-putt birdie on a par 5 and made the turn in 4 under to take the lead. Then, he started to get hot with the putter. Spieth rolled in a 12-footer on No. 2, a 25-footer on No. 4 and he saved par with a 15-footer after finding a bunker on the par-3 fifth.

The most flush shot he hit all day might have been with the putter.

Spieth barely reached the front of the green on No. 6, leaving him a 60-foot putt up the hill on a soft, spongy green, Dustin Johnson was right next to him after his approach pitched 3 feet from the hole and rolled all the way back.

Johnson hit his putt so hard that he said, “I thought it was going into the crowd.”

“Second row,” Spieth said in agreement.

It was still 5 feet short.

Spieth followed with what he thinks might be the hardest he ever swung a putter, and it stopped a few inches from going in. He wasn’t so fortunate from the front of the eighth green, a similar putt up a ridge that he left 15 feet short. It led to his only bogey.

That birdie on the ninth was a good way to finish. Spieth had to wait to see how Day finished at Spyglass Hill. That was the mostly likely the only chance of anyone catching him going into the weekend.

Day’s fortunes turned on the par-5 seventh, which began a streak of four straight birdies. Only the fog delay stopped him.

Seung-Yul Noh was at 7 under with five holes, including a par 5, still to play at Pebble Beach. Pat Perez, who had to withdraw last week when he felt his surgically repaired shoulder acting up, was at 6 under at Monterey Peninsula with the par-3 ninth and its devilish green still to play.

A pair of two-time Pebble winners were still in the mix. Brandt Snedeker was at 5 under with four holes remaining at Spyglass, while Johnson shot 69 and was at 4-under 139 heading to Pebble Beach with Spieth.

Spieth will not tee off until noon, with plenty of players and footprints ahead of him.

Among the Canadians, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., shot 2-under 70 on Friday to sit T23 at 3-under heading into the weekend. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was also T23 at 3-under through 12 holes before play was suspended.

Adam Hadwin, also of Abbotsford, was 1-under through 17 (T42), Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont. is even through 15 holes (T55), Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont. finished at 3-over (T103) and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont.is at 4-over through 12 holes (T119).

DIVOTS: Spieth and country singer Jake Owen were atop the leaderboard in the pro-am. Owen holed a 40-foot putt on the third hole, raising the putter in a pose made famous by Jack Nicklaus. … Phil Mickelson had three birdies and three bogeys in his round of Spyglass, leaving him at least nine shots out of the lead. … Torrey Pines winner Jon Rahm ran off six straight birdies through the seventh hole at Pebble Beach. He played the rest of the way with 10 pars and a bogey and shot 67. He was at 4 under.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. _ Jordan Spieth could barely stand up and worried his hat would fly off in the middle of his swing.

From 176 yards downhill to the par-3 11th green at Monterey Peninsula, he ripped a 4-iron and hoped for the best. When he saw it land about 6 feet from the flag, he declared to anyone within earshot, “That’s the best shot I’ve ever hit.”

This was a snapshot of the nasty side of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Thursday, with severe conditions that once led to the term “Crosby weather” from the days when Bing Crosby was the host and Pebble could be a blend of beauty and beast.

The PGA Tour moved up tee times by an hour to try to beat the storms, but it wasn’t enough. Already saturated, the greens on all three courses began holding enough water that play had to be suspended.

Seung-Yul Noh, Joel Dahmen and Rick Lamb each shot a 4-under 68 at Spyglass Hill to share the lead, and more importantly, they were among the 75 players who finished. The rest had to return at 7:30 a.m. Friday _ with lingering rain in the forecast _ to finish the round before moving on to another course.

Spyglass has the most shelter from the wind because of the inland holes cut through a forest.

Mark Hubbard had a 3-under 69 at Pebble Beach, which is exposed along the coast. Only three players reached the green on the par-4 ninth hole into the wind. Hubbard finished his round there with a bogey and treated it like a par.

“It played more like a par 5 than any of the actual par 5s,” he said.

Spieth, even though he missed four putts inside 6 feet on the bumpy greens, was at 3-under par with two holes to play on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula. And as he walked in the final two holes in the rain, tilting his umbrella to fight the wind and rain, he was quite pleased.

“We thought it would be this way, but just rain,” Spieth said. “We didn’t expect that.”

The “that” was what amounted to a four-club wind, and the best example was the partner he has had the last three years _ Dustin Johnson, the U.S. Open champion and among the most powerful players in golf.

Johnson could barely hold up his umbrella in the wind when he stepped out from under it and smashed his drive on the 599-yard 12th hole. From the first cut of rough, he then hit a full 3-wood. And for his third shot, he had 4-iron into the green. And he was still short.

Asked if that ever happened to him on a par 5, Johnson didn’t blink before saying, “Never.”

On the next hole, typically tame at 434 yards, Johnson hit driver and had 190 yards left. He hit a 3-iron _ he normally hits 7-iron from that distance _ to the back pin to about 5 feet and made it for birdie.

“Eagle,” Johnson said when he walked off the green.

It was like that all over.

Hubbard started on the back nine at Pebble, before the strongest of the wind and the rain arrived. He made three short birdie putts, made the turn and then holed a 15-foot eagle putt on the par-5 second hole to reach 5 under. And then it was time to hang on.

“At that point, I was glad I had a cushion,” Hubbard said.

With 104 players on each course _ half of them amateurs _ footprints pile up on the soggy greens and every putt is bouncing any direction. Hockey great Wayne Gretzky, playing with Johnson, missed badly from 8 feet right before Spieth’s 4-foot par putt took a bounce to the left and lipped out.

“If the best players in the world can’t make ’em, how am I supposed to?” The Great One cracked.

Spieth had a short birdie putt on the par-5 sixth hole and declared it to be “the hardest, straight 4-foot putt I’ll have all year.” He missed it.

But he did enough right, including that 4-iron on 11th hole.

Best ever?

After play was suspended, and he was out of the moment, he backed off such a proclamation.

“Not the best I’ve ever hit in my life,” he said. “But that was up there. In competition on a Thursday? For sure. I roasted a 4-iron. My hat was flying off, or felt like it was going to. In the air, you don’t know if it’s going to be 20 yards long or 20 yards short. I can’t hit another one like that if I hit 100 of them.

“I just wish,” he said with a smile, “I had made the putt.”

Among the Canadians, Nick Taylor finished his round at 2-under (70) for a share of eighth, tied with Mackenzie Hughes who was 2-under through 17 holes (T8) when play was suspended. Adam Hadwin is 1-over through 15 holes (T58) followed by Mike Weir at 2-over 74 (T82), Brad Fritsch at 2-over through 16 (T82), and David Hearn at 5-over 77 (T138).

DIVOTS: Phil Mickelson had seven birdies through 17 holes at Monterey Peninsula. He also had two double bogeys and was 1 under with one hole to play. … Shane Lowry of Ireland opened with a 70 and said while he is accustomed to the wind and rain at home, “We wouldn’t play golf on some days like this.” Lowry and his wife are expecting their first child at the end of the month. … Danny Lee was 5 over through 12 holes when he withdrew. J.J. Henry withdrew after an 84.

TOKYO _ Board members at the club that will host the 2020 Olympic golf tournament failed to make a decision about changing their policy of excluding women as full members.

The Kasumigaseki Country Club came under scrutiny recently when the International Olympic Committee inquired about the club’s membership practice. The issue surfaced in mid-January when Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike urged Kasumigaseki to admit women as full members.

The club’s board of directors convened a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday to discuss the issue but didn’t reach any conclusions.

All 15 board members have to agree to change the club’s by-laws. Kiichi Kimura, the chairman of the board, expressed bewilderment at the predicament.

“We discussed how we should respond after we ask our members how they feel,” Kimura said. “It’s extremely annoying the situation has evolved into what it is so quickly. Right now, we’re confused.”

Founded in 1929 as a private club funded by about 300 wealthy men, Kasumigaseki is one of the oldest and most prestigious clubs in the country and has hosted more top level tournaments than any other Japanese course.

To join Kasumigaseki, an applicant needs to obtain a reference from a current member and pay 8 million yen ($70,800) to become a regular member first, then pay additional 4 million yen ($35,400) to be a full member.

The club does not allow women to become full members or play on Sundays. Only full members can play any day of the week.

OAKVILLE, ONT. – The RBC Canadian Open has launched a new VIP corporate hospitality offering for this year’s championship, which runs July 24-30, 2017 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. The Courtyard Cabanas, located between No. 16 and 17 fairways and adjacent to the new Courtyard Games area, are all-inclusive private cabanas featuring alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as full lunch and afternoon hors d’oeuvres.

The Courtyard Cabanas offer a private, Vegas-style venue featuring a sheltered interior with plush seating and outdoor patios. Available on a per day or weekly basis, hospitality buyers must pre-book Courtyard Cabanas, which includes 10 tickets per day, preferred parking, as well as wait staff for food and beverage delivery.

“The Courtyard Cabanas feature VIP amenities and are paired with views of some of the most exciting golf Glen Abbey has to offer,” said Dave Kay, Director of Business Development for Golf Canada and the RBC Canadian Open. “Whether you want to take in the action on the reachable par 5, 16^th hole, enjoy sightlines of the tricky tee-shot on No. 17, Courtyard Cabana patrons can be sure terrific golf is never too far away.”

Courtyard Cabana attendees can also enjoy friendly rivalry at the new Courtyard Games area, where guests can challenge each other to cottage-style games such as Giant Jenga, Bean Bag Toss, Washers and more.

Kay has no doubt Courtyard Cabana customers and their guests will enjoy this fresh hospitality offering.

“The initial response to our RBC Canadian Open corporate hospitality offerings for 2017 has been tremendous – from both past and new partners,” noted Kay. “The cabanas are a hip addition to our corporate hospitality product line up and I’m sure this limited opportunity will sell out. If companies are interested in acquiring one, I encourage them to secure theirs soon.”

To reserve a Courtyard Cabana call Dave Kay at 1-800-263-0009 ext. 228 or email dkay@golfcanada.ca.

For more information on RBC Canadian Open Corporate Hospitality options, please click here.