It is with great sadness that Golf Canada, Alberta Golf, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and the entire golf community mourns the peaceful passing of Betty Stanhope-Cole who passed away on January 27, 2017 at the age of 79, after a brief battle with cancer.

Born on September 21, 1937 in Calgary, she is survived by her son Rob and daughter Jackie (Hiebert), along with four grandchildren (Brian, Tyler, Talia and Tanner).

Stanhope-Cole saw success at every level of her amateur golf career.  As a junior, she won the Alberta Junior Girls championship from 1955-1957 and the Canadian Junior Girls Championship in 1956. She would later win the Alberta Ladies’ Amateur Championship a record 17 times between 1957 and 1984.

Stanhope-Cole also competed on 29 interprovincial teams (25 for Alberta, two for Ontario and two for Saskatchewan) in addition to winning the Saskatchewan Ladies’ Championship in 1966. Her career was capped off by winning the 1957 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, a win she noted as being her biggest golfing achievement.

Internationally, she represented Canada a total five times, three at the World Amateur Team Championship (1964, 1974, 1976) and twice at the Commonwealth Team Championship (1963, 1971).

Her impact on the game was also felt at the administrative level, as National Director of Rules and Handicap from 1980 to 1983 with the former Canadian Ladies Golf Association. She also spent 10 years working with the Alberta Golf Association (now Alberta Golf) serving as Player Development Director, Rules Director, Zone Chair and as a member of the association’s Tournament Committee.

Stanhope-Cole’s successful amateur career was recognized with her induction into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum in 1991, the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1980, Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame in 1993, and the Alberta Golf Hall of Fame in 2005.

A celebration of life will be held at Highlands Golf Club on February 13, 2017. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alberta Kidney Foundation.

Statement from Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Sandra Post:

“Betty came from a tremendous era for female golfers. Even though she was born out west, she played across the country and won championships in Saskatchewan and Ontario. She had a great long game and represented Canada well.”

Photos of Betty Stanhope-Cole are available for download here.

PGA of Canada pro Matt Wilson named Golf Canada’s Director, Next Generation Performance to lead strategy to strengthen Canadian golf development system

Six months after golf made its historic return after 112 years to the Olympic Games, Golf Canada is adding a new layer to its high-performance programming to improve its support of its next generation of Canadian golfing talent.

What is “Next Generation” programming? Simply put, it’s about improving the support for, and taking an aligned approach to, players demonstrating performance characteristics, as well as recognizing and supporting the coaches working with those players.

Depth of talent can have a direct impact on success at the highest levels of international competition. Ensuring we have stronger alignment in our development strategy across the country is critical.  It is important for Golf Canada to have line of sight to upcoming performance players—ensuring they are getting the support required to make the best decisions possible with respect to their training and competition.

The focus of Golf Canada’s Next Generation strategy is to grow the number and improve the quality of players moving through the Canadian golf development system, ultimately strengthening the pipeline of athletes considered to represent Team Canada at every level.

For Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer and interim CEO Jeff Thompson, strengthening the competitive talent pipeline with a depth of strong, capable athletes requires a closer connection to provincial high performance programs as well as identified golfing ‘hotbeds’ across the country.

“We have identified a gap that exists when we look at the level of our junior golfers versus international benchmarks,” said Thompson. “A greater focus on next generation activities provides the ability to build a stronger pool of performance coaches, enhance dialogue amongst coaches and share best practices. The end goal is a deeper roster of athletes capable of success against the world’s best at every level of international competition.”

As part of Golf Canada’s commitment to Long-Term Player Development, Next Gen activities add a new layer of junior development to a National Golf program that features a Development Squad, Amateur Squad and Young Pro Squad in addition to Canada’s quadrennial Olympic Golf Team.

LPGA Tour and PGA Tour respective champions Brooke Henderson, Nick Taylor and Mackenzie Hughes are leading the charge among a new wave of Canadian talents experiencing success at the highest levels of competitive golf.

Strongly supported by Own the Podium, Next Generation is about identifying high potential athletes earlier in their competitive path—developing champions more often by design and not by chance.

The process involves working in lock step with the provincial high performance programs as well as PGA of Canada coaches supporting aspiring talent in communities across the country.

PGA of Canada professional Matt Wilson tapped to lead Golf Canada’s Next Gen Performance…

Following a comprehensive national and international search, PGA of Canada member Matt Wilson of Newmarket, Ont. has been hired by Golf Canada as Director, Next Generation Performance.

Wilson, who has garnered coaching and high performance experience both in Canada and the United States, will work closely with provincial golf associations and PGA of Canada professionals as well as Golf Canada’s National Team Coaches and Sport Science consultants to further develop and execute on Next Generation initiatives, all of which will lead to building a stronger Team Canada program.

“Matt brings a unique skill set to this newly created position, which we feel will be critical in ensuring Canada continues to fill the pipeline with high performance athletes,” said Thompson. “He is an experienced PGA Class A professional and one of few PGA of Canada members to have received his certification in both Coach of New Competitors and Coach of Developing Competitors. With Matt’s experience and skill set, Next Generation activities will play an important role in strengthening both the depth and level of Canada’s high performance players, whether that is at the club, provincial level and ultimately through to our National Team programs.”

Wilson is familiar with Golf Canada’s National Team program having captained Team Canada at both the 2015 and 2016 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan and assisted Team Canada coaches at various training camps as well as the 2016 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

Great week supporting @ratcliffegolf & the @TheGolfCanada Dev. Team at the Toyota World Junior. Great experience! pic.twitter.com/wbkTiXWO1f

— Matt Wilson (@mattwilsongolf) June 20, 2015

He is the recipient of numerous teaching and coaching recognition awards, most recently being named by Golf Digest as one of the Best Young Teachers in America and by US Kids Golf as a Top-50 Kids Teacher (2014 & 2015; honorable mention in 2011 & 2012).

“I am thrilled to be joining Golf Canada.  The opportunity to have a positive impact on Canadian golf and continue to build on the tradition and history of excellence that has been established is incredibly exciting. As a coach, I’ve stressed to athletes that growth stems from the pursuit of incremental improvement and the aggregation of marginal gains. To me, the Next Generation initiatives and focus on supporting a broader pool of athletes and coaches, represent a way for Golf Canada to continue to improve the quality of our international performances and ensure long-term success.”

As an accomplished golf coach, Wilson has an established track record of successfully elevating the performance of developing competitors as well as facilitating personal-best performances at the Junior, NCAA, Amateur, and Professional levels.

He has most recently served as Director of Instruction at La Rinconada Country Club in Los Gatos, California (June 2014 to present) where he managed a junior golf development program that supports eight national, 14 regional level athletes and 30 club level athletes with holistic, year-round programming. He has also coached multiple athletes competing full-time on the LPGA and Symetra Tours, and has been a volunteer assistant coach with the Stanford University men’s golf team since January 2015.

Wilson earned a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) from Long Island University in Brooklyn and was a NCAA athlete and captain on the men’s golf team. He is currently working towards a Graduate Certificate in High Performance Coaching and Technical Leadership from the University of British Columbia.

Wilson assumes his role as Director, Next Generation Performance beginning February 7, 2017.

MISSISSAUGA, ON – Landmark Sport Group Inc. and Golf Canada today announced the second annual RBC Canadian Open 5K Golf Run will be held Saturday, July 22^nd, 2017 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

The RBC Canadian Open 5K, which is open to golf fans, runners and walkers, takes participants through a five kilometre route of the Glen Abbey Golf Club layout. The route begins at the first tee of Glen Abbey’s championship course set up and finishes alongside the iconic 18^th green.

All registered participants receive a 2017 RBC Canadian Open Anyday ticket, a race t-shirt, medal and the opportunity to experience a PGA TOUR event venue just days prior to tournament week.

“The RBC Canadian Open 5K Run exposes our sport and the golf course to a completely new audience of non-golf, health enthusiasts,” said Brent McLaughlin, RBC Canadian Tournament Director. “Last year was a terrific starting point to engage a new audience and create a longer celebration window for Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship. We look forward to welcoming even more participants in 2017.”

Walk and running enthusiasts can take part in a timed running event, while passionate golf fans can enjoy the atmosphere of the Glen Abbey Golf Club just days prior to the arrival of top PGA TOUR players. The event welcomed more than 350 participants in 2017 and organizers are bullish that number will increase for the second rendition of the event.

“We are extremely excited to work with Golf Canada to bring back the RBC Canadian Open 5K Golf Run for a second year,” said Race Director, Brody Coles. “This event is such a fun way to kick off the tournament and give runners and golfers alike the chance to experience Glen Abbey Golf Club in a truly unique way.”

In addition to the 5K run, participants are invited to enjoy live coverage of The Open Championship on large screens, and relax post-race in the Coors Light Beer Gardens.

Early bird registration begins at $50. Participants can register and find more information by visiting www.golfrun.ca.

SAN DIEGO – Jon Rahm of Spain added his name to the burgeoning list of young stars Sunday with his big game and a big finish at Torrey Pines.

Rahm made two eagles over the final six holes, the last one a 60-foot putt from the back fringe on the par-5 18th hole for a 5-under 67 to win the Farmers Insurance Open by three shots for his first PGA Tour victory.

Rahm, who turned 22 in November, beat Phil Mickelson’s mark as the youngest champion at this tournament. He also became the first player in 26 years to capture his first PGA Tour title at Torrey Pines.

Starting the final round three shots out of the lead, Rahm made up ground in a hurry.

He hit 4-iron into 18 feet on the par-5 13th and holed the eagle putt to tie for the lead. He stuffed a wedge into 5 feet on the 17th to take the lead, and he finished with his long eagle putt that broke hard to the right and peeled back to the left and dropped in on the side of the cup.

Rahm, leaning forward during its 60-foot journey to the hole, unleashed a double fist pump as he hugged his caddie. He watched a replay of the last eagle putt, along with his celebration, and said, “I don’t even remember doing it.”

On a day in which nine players had at least a share of the lead, the final 20 minutes only mattered for positions.

Rahm finished at 13-under 275, three shots ahead of Charles Howell III (68) and C.T. Pan of Taiwan, who had a 70. Brandt Snedeker and Patrick Rodgers, tied for the lead going into the final round, fell back with too many mistakes on the back nine.

The way Rahm finished, it might not have mattered.

All four PGA Tour events to start the new year now have been won by players in their 20s – Justin Thomas (23) won both event in Hawaii, and Hudson Swafford (29) won last week in the California desert.

Rahm might have won for the first time, though this was hardly a surprise.

He won the Ben Hogan Award his final two years at Arizona State as the top college player, along with the Jack Nicklaus Award his senior year as the best golfer. He spent 60 weeks at the No. 1 amateur in the world. Two years ago in the Phoenix Open, he tied for fifth while still at Arizona State.

And when he turned pro last summer, he earned his PGA Tour in four starts, tying for third in the Quicken Loans National at Congressional and finishing runner-up by one shot at the RBC Canadian Open.

Mickelson knew it was coming. His brother, Tim Mickelson, was Rahm’s coach at Arizona State and now is his agent.

“I think he’s more than just a good young player,” Mickelson said. “I think he’s one of the top players in the world. I think there’s an intangible that some guys have where they want to have the pressure, they want to be in that tough position, they want to have everything fall on their shoulders. And he has that.”

The victory gets Rahm into the Masters for the first time, along with other big events. He moves into top 50 in the world, and if he can stay there for three weeks he will get into two WorldGolf Championships in March.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., had another disappointing day, shooting 76 to finish in a tie for 49th place. He placed second at the CareerBuilder Challenge last week after a 13-under 59 in the third round.

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., (74) and Nick Taylor, also of Abbotsford (72) were tied for 54th while Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch (76) finished in a tie for 67th.

Snedeker was trying to become only the fourth back-to-back winner at Torrey Pines, but he was slowed by a pair of bogeys in a five-hole stretch around the turn and closed with a 73. Rodgers was tied for the lead until he made bogey from the bunker on the tough par-4 12th, and then fell back when his approach from the rough on the 14th hole came out too high and struck a tree, leading to bogey. He closed with a 72 and tied for fourth.

Howell closed with a 68. It was his third time to finish runner-up at Torrey Pines. He made a long eagle putt on the 13th and finished with a birdie. By then, however, Rahm was one shot ahead and waiting in the middle of the 18th fairway.

Pan ran off three straight birdies around the turn to tie for the lead, but he had to settle for pars the rest of the way, including a three-putt par on the 13th.

That set the stage for Rahm, and he burst through.

He became only the fourth international player to win this tournament, but it’s an impressive list – Jason Day two years ago, Gary Player in 1963 and his fellow Spaniard, Jose Maria Olazabal, in 2002.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Brittany Lincicome won the LPGA Tour’s Pure Silk Bahamas Classic on Sunday in wind and some late rain, beating U.S. Solheim Cup teammate Lexi Thompson with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff.

Playing a group ahead of Thompson, Lincicome birdied the par-5 18th – after dropping strokes on 14 and 17 – for a 5-under 68 and 26-under 266 total. Thompson played the 18th as strong sideways rain blew through the Ocean Club, holing a 3-footer for her third straight par and a 70.

The first U.S. winner since Brittany Lang in the U.S. Women’s Open, the 31-year-old Lincicome won her seventh tour title and first since the 2015 ANA Inspiration. She’s projected to jump from 48th to 34th in the world ranking.

In the playoff on 18, Lincicome hit her second shot to 20 feet and tapped in for birdie. Thompson went through the green in two and missed a 15-footer to end the tournament.

Stacy Lewis, undone by a triple-bogey 7 on No. 14, was third at 25 under after a 71, and Gerina Piller (71) completed the Solheim Cup quartette atop the leaderboard at 24 under.

Lewis was second in 2014 and tied for second last year. She’s winless since June 2014.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., finished in a tie for 21st at 13-under 279. The 19-year-old shot a 70 in her fourth round. Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., tied for 24th at 12 under and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was tied for 47th at 9 under.

Nelly Korda birdied the two late par 5s in a 67 to tie for fifth at 21 under in her first start as an LPGA Tour member. The 18-year-old Korda is the sister of Jessica Korda _ the 2014 winner who shot a 65 on Sunday to tie for 16th – and daughter of former tennis player Petr Korda.

Pornanong Phatlum matched Nelly Korda at 21 under, also finishing with a 67.

SAN DIEGO – Patrick Rodgers had a clean scorecard to match a picture-perfect Saturday at Torrey Pines and shot a 5-under 67 to share the lead with defending champion Brandt Snedeker in the Farmers Insurance Open.

Snedeker, trying to become only the fourth player to win back-to-back at Torrey Pines since the tournament began in 1952, didn’t get much out of his round of 70. His three birdies were all inside 6 feet, and the longest putt he made was for par.

Even so, being tied for the lead is a better spot than his last two victories. He rallied from seven shots behind in 2012 and won in a playoff against Kyle Stanley, who made triple bogey on the final hole. Last year, he made the cut on the number and was six shots behind going into the final round.

That doesn’t figure to make it any easier.

Snedeker and Rodgers were at 9-under 207, and 15 players were within three shots of the lead.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., shot a 74 to fall to 4 under. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., (73) and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., (74) were 2 under.

Rodgers is the latest player from the high school class of ’11 with a chance to shine, an athletic and powerful player who has been patiently waiting his turn. He picked up a little extra motivation from watching one of his best friends, former roommate Justin Thomas, sweep the Hawaii swing.

Before Thomas, it was Jordan Spieth who picking up big trophies at an alarming rate.

“I can’t sit here and say it hasn’t been hard at times,” Rodgers said. “Obviously, these are my best friends so I’m happy every time they have success. But on a personal level, I mean, those are the guys that I’ve always competed with and so it definitely tests my patience to see them have success and it’s incredibly motivating.”

And it’s not just Rodgers.

Also in range of a victory Sunday are two others from that class of 2011. C.T. Pan of Taiwan, who played at Washington, birdied three of his last five holes for a 69 and was one shot behind. Ollie Schniederjans struggled on the back nine but still managed a 71 and was two shots behind.

Also in the mix was Pat Perez, who grew up at Torrey Pines and whose father, Mike, is the starter on the first tee. Perez shot a 67 and goes into the final round just two shots behind.

Not to be forgotten was Phil Mickelson, who played on the opposite end of the course as the leaders and shot 68 to get within four shots. Mickelson is a three-time winner of the tournament, but not since 2001.

Justin Rose, who started the third round with a one-shot lead, fell behind on the second hole and never caught up. He shot 73 and was in the large group at 7-under 209.

But it starts with Snedeker, the Tennessee native who loves the poa annua greens on the West Coast. A two-time winner at Torrey, he also has won at Pebble Beach. Snedeker has learned to accept the bad bounces, which is one reason he believes he does well.

His patience was tested on Saturday. Snedeker hit the ball so well that he only came close to bogey twice _ his lone dropped shot was on No. 12 _ and he missed seven birdies putts from the 15-foot range and closer.

“It was tested a lot,” Snedeker said. “That’s part of it. If you’re going to love poa, you have to love days like this, too, where you hit a lot of great putts and they just don’t want to go in for whatever reason. … I didn’t let it affect my game plan, didn’t let it affect the way I thought out there or did anything like that. This golf course does a great job of trying to make you do that, so proud of the way I hung in there.”

Rodgers was helped by a new putter from Odyssey that he put in the bag two weeks ago, in part because he liked the look, and in part because it’s called “Indianapolis.” That’s where Rodgers grew up, and the putter was named because of its technology came from Indy race cars.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Stacy Lewis had two back-nine eagles Saturday in the LPGA Tour’s season-opening Pure Silk Bahamas Classic to put herself in position again to end a long winless streak.

Lewis shot a 10-under 63 at Ocean Club to match Lexi Thompson atop the leaderboard at 23-under 196, one off the tour 54-hole record for relation to par set by Annika Sorenstam in the 2003 Mizuno Classic.

“That was probably the best round I think I’ve ever shot on tour in relation to par, so just a cool day,” Lewis said. “I didn’t exactly hit it perfect, got away with a few shots, but just took advantage of it. I didn’t even know what I shot there at the end of the day.”

Lewis was second in the event in 2014 and tied for second last year, one of her 11 runner-up finishes since her last victory in June 2014. She has 11 tour victories, including two majors.

Lewis holed out from the fairway for eagle on the par-5 11th, birdied the next two, and dropped a stroke on the par-4 14th. She birdied the par-3 17th and made a 12-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th. She had four birdies on the front nine.

“I knew I needed to be aggressive out there today, and it wasn’t pretty at times, wasn’t perfect, but the scorecard turned out great,” Lewis said. “You’ve just got to take advantage. When those miss-hits work out good, you take advantage of it, and that’s what I did today.”

Thompson followed her tournament-record 61 on Friday with a 66. She birdied the final four holes on the front nine and added two more on 14 and 15.

“Coming out here with no wind, it’s just you have to make a lot of birdies to make a move on anybody,” Thompson said. “I shot 7 under and I’m tied, so it’s crazy, but we will see what tomorrow will bring.”

Gerina Piller was a stroke back, birdieing the final two holes for her second straight 65. Brittany Lincicome, the leader after each of the first two round, had a 69 fall two shots behind.

“Really just keeping it in the fairway and keeping it close, and I have had several tap-in birdies, which always helps,” Piller said. “The greens are in great condition and that helps when you hit the ball on line.”

Lewis will join U.S. Solheim Cup teammates Thompson and Piller in the final group Sunday.

“That’s where I wanted to be,” Lewis said. “When I walked up on 18, kind of said I needed that putt to make sure I was in that last group. I think it’s important just to kind of know what’s going on. I did a good job of not looking at leaderboard today, and I want to continue doing that so you get a feel for what’s going on. It’s definitely the goal. The goal coming in this week was to have a chance on Sunday, and I did that, so now it’s just go out there and play golf.”

Israel’s Laetitia Beck ended the run of U.S. players on the leaderboard, shooting a 66 to get to 16 under. Nelly Korda matched Lewis for the round of the day with a 63 to jump from tie for 32nd to a tie for sixth at 15 under in her first event as a tour member. The 18-year-old Korda is the sister of tour player Jessica Korda and daughter of former tennis player Petr Korda.

“I’m so happy to be out here. It’s been my dream,” Korda said. “I was definitely nervous my first day and my first nine holes, and I’m glad I kind of got those nerves out of way, and now I can play some golf.”

Canadian Brooke Henderson was tied for 23rd at 10 under after a 73. Fellow countrywoman Alena Sharp also holds a share of 23rd after firing a 6-under 67.

U.S. Solheim Cup captain Juli Inkster was 7 under after a 70. She’s starting her 35th tour season.

Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn had a 72 to get to 3 under. She won five times last season and took the LPGA Tour player of the year award.

Lewis will join Thompson and Piller in the final group Sunday.

“That’s where I wanted to be,” Lewis said. “When I walked up on 18, kind of said I needed that putt to make sure I was in that last group. I think it’s important just to kind of know what’s going on. I did a good job of not looking at leaderboard today, and I want to continue doing that so you get a feel for what’s going on. It’s definitely the goal. The goal coming in this week was to have a chance on Sunday, and I did that, so now it’s just go out there and play golf.”

The remaining two of four PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Qualifying Tournaments came to a close on Friday in Argentina and Colombia, with three more Canadians earning status in 2017.

In total, six Canadians have earned status on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica by way of Q-school. The Canucks were led by Nova Scotia’s Ally Tidcombe, who finished solo fourth at the Argentina event for the strongest finish by a Canadian. With the result, Tidcombe is exempt through the first half of the season (subject to reshuffle for second half).

Also finishing inside the top-10 was Devin Carrey of Burnaby, B.C., who’s 7^th place result at the Mexico event gives him a ticket to join Tidcombe with status for the first half of 2017. The remaining four countrymen earned conditional status by finishing inside the top-30 at their respective events. Below is the full list of Canadians to earn status:

• Ally Tidcombe (exempt through first half)
• Devin Carrey (exempt through first half)
• Patrick Williams (conditional status)
• David Rose (conditional status)
• Matt Hill (conditional status)
• Russell Budd (conditional status)

Canada has seen recent success on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, with Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) finishing sixth on the 2016 money list.

SAN DIEGO – Justin Rose already achieved what he wanted Friday in the Farmers Insurance Open. One last birdie for the lead made the day a little bit better

Spooked by the bumpy greens late in the day at Torrey Pines that cost him two bogeys, Rose rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-5 closing hole on the South Course for a 1-under 71 that gave him a one-shot lead going into a weekend that no longer has as much star power.

Tiger Woods missed the cut in his return to the PGA Tour after 17 months. Perhaps more shocking was that Jason Day and Dustin Johnson also missed the cut, as did Rickie Fowler. Phil Mickelson was on the bubble until making a birdie on the 18th for a 72 to make the cut with one shot to spare.

Rose, who was at 8-under 136, now gets two more cracks at the South Course, where the average score for two days was 73.8.

“Everyone has played both courses now, and now we get to play the bruiser for the next two days,” Rose said. “So you just want to basically put yourself within shot.”

Brandt Snedeker saved par from a shot that nearly went out-of-bounds on No. 12, rammed in a birdie putt on the 13th and held on for a 69. He was one shot behind as he tries to join J.C. Snead, Woods and Mickelson as the only back-to-back winners since this event began in 1952.

Adam Hadwin of Canada, coming off a 59 and a runner-up finish last week in the California desert, shot a 71 and joined Snedeker at 7-under 137.

The cut was at even-par 144.

“I actually think the cut mark is incredibly low for two days around here,” Rose said. “Pretty much everyone who’s made the cut is still in the golf tournament.”

It still was too high for Woods.

He opened with a birdie on the par-5 10th on the North Course. He added another birdie on the par-5 fifth. He threw in a pair of bogeys and never looked like he was going to be sticking around for the weekend. Woods shot 72 and missed the cut at Torrey Pines for the first time.

“I just didn’t make enough birdies,” Woods said. “It’s frustrating not being able to have a chance to win the tournament.”

On a course where he has won eight times, Woods has failed to finish 72 holes in his last three starts at Torrey Pines.

Day, the No. 1 player in the world, missed the cut for the second straight year at Torrey Pines as he struggled with his putter even on the new, smoother greens on the North Course. Johnson had a chance to rally to make the cut until he missed a 6-foot par putt and three-putted for par on his last two holes.

The tournament had 10 of the top 25 players in the world. Only five of them – Hideki Matsuyama, Rose, Paul Casey, Mickelson and Emiliano Grillo – survived.

“If you’re not sharp and not striking it well, it’s a difficult place to play,” Mickelson said.

Lefty hasn’t won at Torrey since his back-to-back victories in 2000-01 – before Rees Jones got his hands on it to beef it up for the 2008 U.S. Open – and while he was hovering on the cut line, he finished just seven shots behind and felt he was still in the game .

Rose had complete control of his game and was making enough putts to reach 9 under with a birdie on the 10th. He followed with a tee shot off the cart path and on a slope of deep grass leading to the 12th tee, but hacked it down to 18 feet on the fringe and holed it for a par.

But the middle of the back nine became aggravating when he missed a 6-foot par putt on the 14th, an 8-foot par putt on the 15th and a 5-foot birdie putt on the 16th.

“When the situation gets like that, you start to see not only some of the good stuff happening, but some of the bad stuff happening,” Rose said. “But it was really nice to finish the way I did on 18 because … it was pretty hard to keep it out of the water at that point.”

The greens that kill so many players’ confidence is where Snedeker thrives. The Tennessee native loves putting on poa annua, having won twice at Torrey and once up the coast at Pebble Beach. And he was at it again, keeping pace with Rose. But even Snedeker took his medicine with a 30-inch putt that spun out of the cup.

“Just have to take that with a grain of salt,” he said. “I’m right where I love to be here on the weekend, and this course isn’t getting any easier.”

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Brittany Lincicome and Lexi Thompson led a U.S. Solheim Cup breakaway Friday in the LPGA Tour’s season-opening Pure Silk Bahamas Classic.

Lincicome shot an 8-under 65 to reach 17-under 129 at Ocean Club Golf Course, and Thompson had a career-best 61 to pull within a stroke.

“The way it’s been going the last two days, the putter has been making everything, which is obviously really fun. If I can keep that up, then it could be good on Sunday,” Lincicome said. “I’m just playing well, and still made everything today. Putter is on point right now and it’s exciting to see.”

Thompson was asked about the possibility of shooting 59.

“I thought about it, but I just wanted to keep on playing my own game and see where it goes,” Thompson said. “I was just pin-seeking the whole day. I was just trying to stay with my routine and have good tempo with my golf swing. That’s just all I’ve been working on.”

Lincicome broke the tournament 36-hole mark, and Thompson shattered the course record of 64 that Lincicome set Thursday. Lincicome had a hole-in-one on the par-3 12th, using a 7-iron from 161 yards.

“When it went in I was like, ‘Do I jump up and down or do I just wave my arms?’ There are so many thoughts that went through my head, but obviously it’s pretty fun,” Lincicome said. “I didn’t feel like I hit the greatest shot, but got away with it and pretty impressive.”

Gerina Piller was third at 14 under after a 65, and Stacy Lewis completed the Solheim Cup quartette at 13 under. Lewis had a 67.

“I’ve really been focusing on trusting my line and trusting my speed, trusting my stroke,” Piller said. “I feel like in my golf game, the long game tee to green I’m a feel player and it seems like my tendency to get on the greens, I kind of lock down and kind of get very mechanical. So really just focusing on really trusting what I have and trusting the line, speed that I choose.”

P.K. Kongkraphan and Megan Khang each shot 69 to reach 11 under. Canadian star Brooke Henderson (65) was 10 under along with Xi Yu Lin (67) and Austin Ernst (68).

U.S. Solheim Cup captain Juli Inkster made the cut, following an opening 70 with a 72. She’s starting her 35th season on the LPGA Tour

Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn advanced to the weekend on the number with rounds of 75 and 69.

She won five times last season and took the LPGA Tour player of the year award.

Michelle Wie dropped out, shooting 73-74.