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.

Follow @gordongolf

Canada’s top-ranked male amateur Jared du Toit continued his impressive streak on Monday, nabbing his fourth NCAA top-5 finish in his last five events at the Thunderbird Invitational.

The Kimberley, B.C., product opened an early lead in the 54-hole event with a tournament-low 64 (-7) on Sunday, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 14^th. He went on to card two rounds of 70 (-1) to close the event at 9-under par, four strokes back of medallist Collin Morikawa.

du Toit, the captain of Arizona State, put forward one of many strong efforts by the host Sun Devils, with all five members finishing inside the top-10. The all-aronud team effort led the Sun Devils to a convincing 20-stroke margin—their second victory of the season.

du Toit will lead the Sun Devils into action again from April 8-9 at the Western Intercollegiate in Santa Cruz, Calif.

Click here for full scoring.

PHOENIX – Anna Nordqvist caught up with some college friends – and left everyone else behind Sunday on another hot afternoon at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup.

The 29-year-old former Arizona State player shot a 4-under 68 to hold off fellow major champions Ariya Jutanugarn, Stacy Lewis and In Gee Chun by two strokes in record 96-degree heat at Desert Ridge.

“I have so many friends and family here. They feel like family, my U.S. family,” the 6-foot Swede said. “Couldn’t think of a better place to be. I’m just so happy to be back. I wasn’t even going to play a couple weeks ago and just ended up adding it last minute. Maybe it was meant to be.”

Nordqvist won her seventh LPGA Tour title and first since successfully defending the ShopRite LPGA Classic title last June. In the U.S. Women’s Open in July, she lost a three-hole playoff to Brittany Lang after being penalized two strokes for touching the sand with her club in a fairway bunker on the second extra hole.

“Of all the wins probably this is the one that’s going to be more special,” Nordqvist said. “If it wasn’t for me getting an opportunity to come to Arizona State University about 10 years ago, I wouldn’t be here today. This truly still feels like home, even though I’m based in Florida.”

She finished at 25-under 263, two shots off the LPGA Tour record that Sei Young Kim matched last year at Desert Ridge. The Swede had a tournament-record 61 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round.

Jutanugarn matched Nordqvist with a 68 in the final pairing, playing the back nine in 5 under. The second-ranked Thai star had a bogey-free week. She won five LPGA Tour titles last year and topped the player of the year points race and money list.

Lewis also shot 68, and Chun had a 66.

Lewis is winless in 67 events since June 2014. The 32-year-old Texan finished second for the 25th time in her career and the 12th since her last victory. She won at Desert Ridge in 2013 to reach No. 1, was second in 2014 and 2015 and tied for fourth last year.

Nordqvist made a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-4 10th to take a one-stroke lead, and pushed the margin to two with an 18-footer in the par-4 13th.

She made a 25-footer on the par-3 17th and closed with a bogey after failing to get up-and-down from the left greenside bunker on the par-4 18th.

“Saw the leaderboard on 15, but I just tried to keep my head down and do my thing,” Nordqvist said. “Felt like I played pretty solid on the front and made two good putts on 13 and 17. A little interesting at the end, but I’m so happy and proud of myself this week.”

She earned $225,000 and is projected to jump from 13th to 11th in the world ranking.

Ha Na Jang (63), Inbee Park (67) and So Yeon Ryu (69) tied for fifth at 21 under.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko also had a bogey-free week, closing with a 68 to tie for eighth at 20 under. Moria Jutanugarn, Ariya’s older sister, also was 20 under after a career-best 63.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Marc Leishman holed a 50-foot eagle putt on the 16th hole to take the lead Sunday, and he stayed there with two tough pars at the end to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational and earn a trip to the Masters.

In a final hour that featured four players having at least a share of the lead, Leishman is the only one who didn’t blink.

His final act was a pitch-and-run from 45 yards away on the closing hole at Bay Hill that ran out to 3 feet. He calmly made the par putt for a 3-under 69 and one-shot victory over Kevin Kisner and Charley Hoffman.

Canadian Adam Hadwin, fresh off his first PGA victory at the Valspar Championship last weekend, finished in sixth place, three shots back of Leishman.

The only thing missing was a handshake from the King. This was the first Arnold Palmer Invitational since the September death of the beloved tournament host.

“You see guys win and he’s waiting there on the back of the green,” Leishman said. “And to not have that is obviously very sad, but to win here is just a dream come true.”

Rory McIlroy had as good a chance as anyone, storming into a share of the lead by hooking a wedge around a tree, over the water and over the green on the 16th, then nearly holing the eagle chip.

He had a 30-foot birdie putt to tie for the lead on the 18th, and after seeing that Leishman had made eagle on the 16th, gave it a good run. The putt went 8 feet by and three-putt for a 69 to finish two shots back.

“These things happen,” McIlroy said. “But I’m pleased with how I went. Ten under for the weekend around here is good scoring, and I can take a lot of positives from it going into next week.”

Kisner and Hoffman also squandered away their chances.

Kisner had a three-shot lead at the turn, but failed to made another birdie the rest of the way. His lead began slipping away when Kisner missed the green on the par-5 12th with a sand wedge, pitched over the other side of the green and took bogey. He closed with a 73.

“I had it right there in the palm of my hand to win, and I didn’t get it done,” Kisner said.

Hoffman rallied from a 39 on the front nine to catch Kisner for the lead, only to three-putt for par on the 16th and then drop another shot from the bunker on the 17th. He made birdie on the 18th that gave him a tie for second.

“Proud of fighting back and making a birdie on the last to finish second, but obviously not what I wanted,” Hoffman said.

The timing was ideal for Leishman, beyond what he described as an honour to win at Bay Hill in the first tournament without Palmer. Instead of a blue blazer, the winner this year received a red cardigan sweater that Palmer favoured.

And instead of seeing Palmer, Leishman at least was able to share it with his family.

His two sons, ages 5 and 3, ran out to the 18th green when he finished, and his wife was off to the side. Audrey Leishman nearly died two years ago when she suffered from toxic shock syndrome, causing Leishman to hastily leave the Masters.

Now he’s going back.

He was No. 62 in the world and had only two weeks left to secure a spot in Augusta National. The victory takes care of that.

“Mr. Palmer was an awesome guy who I was lucky enough to meet a few times,” Leishman said. “To honour him was huge. And it was the first time I won a tournament with my family here. It’s all come together.”

Leishman finished at 11-under 277 and earned a three-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

For everyone else, it was a matter of falling apart.

Kisner was at 12 under and it good position to add to his lead on the par-5 12th when he pulled his wedge, then sent it across the green and had to scramble. That brought Hoffman, Leishman and McIlroy back into the tournament, and Kisner lost the lead when he took three putts from short of the 14th green.

Kisner birdie chip from the 15th green hit the flag. His approach to the par-5 16th from a fairway bunker turned away to the right and rolled out behind a bunker, leaving him no reasonable shot at getting up-and-down. His flop shot came up short and into the bunker, and he had to scramble for par.

Needing birdie to force a playoff on the 18th, he missed the fairway and the green to the left.

Tyrrell Hatton of England shot 71 to tie for fourth with McIlroy.