CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Erica Popson won the Symetra Classic on Sunday for her first Symetra Tour title, rallying for a two-stroke victory.

The 25-year-old former Tennessee player made a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th and parred the par-3 18th for a 2-under 70 and an 8-under 208 total at Raintree Country Club.

“I feel like I’ve been playing some good golf this year and putting myself up there, and kind of tanking, to be honest, on the last day,” Popson said.“

She earned $22,500 to jump from 45th to fourth on the money list with $27,946. The final top 10 will earn LPGA Tour cards for next season.

“I’ve been struggling for a long time,” Popson said. “To have something like this is, it’s unreal and definitely a big confidence-booster going forward.”

She birdied Nos. 3 and 6, bogeyed No. 9 and made seven straight pars before the birdie on 17.

“I hit a couple of bad wedges,” Popson said. “I chunked one on 9 and then I chunked another one on 10, both with wedges. I just kept telling myself, ‘Let’s write the good story this week and see what happens.’ I just come out with no expectations today. ‘Play the best I can and worry about me and see what happens.’ And it turned out pretty good.”

Second-round leader Kendall Dye tied for second with Jenni Jenq and Australia’s Emma de Groot.

A day after shooting a tournament-record 65, Dye birdied two of the last three holes for a 76. She birdied the par-5 fourth to reach 11 under, then played the next 11 holes in 7 over with two double bogeys and three bogeys.

Jenq shot a 68, and de Groot closed with a bogey for a 71.

Three Canadians tied for 5th spot. Augusta James of Bath, Ont. (76), Ann-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City (71) and Sara Maude Juneau of Fossambault-sur-le-Lac, Que., all finished at 5 under.

Money leader Madelene Sagstrom missed the cut after winning two of the first five events of the season. The Swede has earned $93,714 to join Cindy LaCrosse ($94,578 in 2010) and Vicky Hurst ($93,107 in 2008) as the only players in tour history to top $90,000 in a season.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Jason Day saw The Players Championship at its easiest and toughest, all in the span of nine hours Saturday on what felt like two golf courses.

He set a record when it felt like a shootout.

He was even stronger when the TPC Sawgrass turned into a battle for survival.

And when a long, wild and utterly exhausting day was finally over, the world’s No. 1 player could take solace that he still had a four-shot lead.

“I want to say this was the toughest day I’ve ever had to play in my life,” Day said after gutting out a 1-over 73 going into the final round. “I want to win this tournament so bad. I really do. … But right now, I’m just trying to focus on trying to play well tomorrow. I mean, that’s all you could do is just try to survive.”

The difference between morning and afternoon was more like night and day.

Day finished his storm-delayed second round with a 66 to set the 36-hole record at 15-under 199, and it appeared he would take aim at more records. And then it all changed. The PGA Tour rolled the greens one more time. The wind picked up. The air dried out. The sun baked out the course.

Suddenly, the greens were like putting on glass.

Day four-putted from 18 feet for a double bogey. He made another double bogey two holes later. But right when it looked like he would fall victim to the fierce conditions, the 28-year-old Australian played the final 10 holes with three birdies and seven pars to reach 14-under 202 and keep his big lead.

More than excited about a chance to win the PGA Tour’s premier event, he is worried about facing similar conditions Sunday.

“That would just ruin everything,” he said. “That won’t make it fun for … we were out there for nearly six hours today trying to play 18 holes. They made the course pretty much nearly unplayable. If they do make it like that, then I’m just going to have to grind my hardest to win the tournament, and I’m OK with that.

“I won’t stop until it’s done, and I can rest after that.”

It wasn’t unplayable for everyone.

Ken Duke in the round of a lifetime made six birdies over his last seven holes for a 65, which was more than 10 shots better than the average score. He was tied for second with Hideki Matsuyama, who made seven birdies in his round of 67. Joining them at 10-under 206 was Alex Cejka, who shot a 72 that felt much lower.

Canadians Adam Hadwin, of Abbotsford, B.C., and David Hearn, of Brantford, Ont., are 2 under and tied for 34th. Hadwin shot a 74 in his third round while Hearn had a 72.

“I don’t know what they did to the golf course overnight, but it was playing like a U.S. Open,” Cejka said. “It was just lightning-fast greens.”

Sixth of the 76 players who made the cut had a double bogey or worse.

There were 149 three-putts – or worse – in the third round. Sergio Garcia took six putts from just off the sixth green. Paul Casey took five putts from about 8 feet on the 15th hole. There was rare a lag putt. The putts wouldn’t stop rolling.

“A 10-foot putt felt like it was 60 feet away,” Day said.

There was still the traditional trouble at the Stadium Course. Russell Knox hit three shots in the water on the island-green 17th and made a 9 that ruined his round (he shot 80) and his chances. Kevin Chappell had to play his second shot with his feet on the planks framing the water on the 18th hole. Having made two eagles, he closed with a double bogey to fall six shots back after a 70 that felt a lot better.

Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson and defending champion Rickie Fowler all missed the cut when the storm-delayed second round was completed Saturday morning. Canada’s Nick Taylor, of Abbotsford, and Graham DeLaet, of Weyburn, Sask., also missed the cut. If there was a consolation, it was not having to take on Sawgrass and its scariest.

Two Canadians did make the cut. Abbotsford, B.C.’s Adam Hadwin had a 74, while Brantford, Ont.’s David Hearn shot 72. The pair are now tied for 34th at 2 under.

Day had his moments.

His first blunder was a four-putt double bogey on the sixth hole, which started with an 18-foot birdie putt that he nearly made. It could have been worse. His 5-foot putt for double bogey nearly spun out of the cup. He answered with a wedge to 2 feet for birdie, but then had more trouble off the green at the par-3 eighth. This time, he had to make a 6-foot putt for double bogey.

And while his card was clean on the back nine, the biggest break of all came at the 15th. He was short of the green in three, certain to drop at least two shots, when Day chipped in from just over 50 feet for par. Then, he pounded a 3-wood and hit a towering 8-iron to 6 feet on the par-5 16th. He missed the putt and had to settle for birdie, made a 10-foot par putt on the 17th and finished with a solid par.

One more round, and no one is sure what to expect now.

The average score the opening two rounds was 71.02. It was 75.59 on Saturday, helped by 86 scores of double bogey or worse. There were 163 rounds under par the opening two rounds, and only six on Saturday.

“To have two doubles on the front side and then play some nice golf on the back to really kind of keep that distance between me and the rest of the guys was nice,” Day said. “But really hoping they slow the greens down tomorrow.”

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Blue skies and a beaming sun set the stage for the second round of the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. Mary Parsons and Tony Gil continued their fine play at The Dunes at Kamloops Golf Club, as each extended their leads atop their respective divisions.

Mary Parsons collected five birdies, including two across a bogey-free back nine, to reach 3-under 69 on the day. The native of Delta, B.C., is now 9-under for the tournament and tops the Junior Girls Division by six strokes. Team Canada Development Squad member and Mississauga, Ont., native Chloe Currie maintained her hold on second with a 1-under second-round performance that included five birdies.

An eagle and five birdies propelled Amanda Minni, also of Delta, B.C., from T6 into third-place at 2-under. Sumie Francois from Burnaby, B.C., collected seven birdies to card the low-round of the day – a 5-under 67.

Women’s Development Squad members Tiffany Kong (Vancouver) and Grace St-Germain (Orleans, Ont.) are tied for seventh at 3-over 147 alongside former teammate Alisha Lau of Richmond, B.C. Fellow British Columbians Hannah Lee of Surrey and Kathrine Chan of Richmond round out the National Team contingent and sit T12.

Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont., opened the second round with consecutive birdies and would go on to collect four more en route a 4-under 68 performance. The Team Canada Men’s Development Squad member is four strokes clear of Surrey, B.C., product Po Su. The 16-year-old Su tallied nine birdies on the day to climb into second after beginning the round at T24. Ethan Choi of Pincher Creek, Alta., is third after shooting 69.

Calgary’s Alexander Smith, a member of the Men’s Development Squad, shot 68 to move into a tie for sixth. Completing the Team Canada quartet in attendance are A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C., and Charles-Éric Bélanger of Quebec, who are T14 and T29, respectively.

The top six competitors in the Junior Boys division will receive exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship from August 1-4 at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L. In the case of ties, exemptions will be awarded via a hole-by-hole playoff. All finishers within the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls division will gain exemptions into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship to be played at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S., from August 2-5.

The final round of competition will see the Junior Boys Division begin the day at 7 a.m. PT before the Junior Girls take to the course at 11 a.m. PT. Additional information, including start times and scoring, is available here.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Kendall Dye of Edmond, Okla. carded a Symetra Classic tournament-record 7-under 65 on Saturday to take a one shot lead into the final-round on Sunday. Dye moved to 10-under, 134 and will aim for her second career win. Augusta James of Bath, Ont., drained a 30-footer on her last hole to shoot a 5-under, 67 and is 9-under, 135. Erica Popson of Davenport, Fla., turned in a 4-under 68 to move to solo third at 6-under, 136.

The cut was made at 1-over, 145 and 70 players will tee it up in groups of two on Sunday.

Dye made nine birdies on the day including three in a row to end the round.

“It was all about my putter,” said Dye, who one-putted the final five holes. “Normally, I find fairways and greens, but today it was hard work and I had to get up-and-down. Once I got a putter in my hand, I was making it or getting real close. It was nice to see them go in.”

Dye attempted just 24 putts on the day. For the first time in 20 plus years, Dye changed her putting grip this week.

“I was tired of insanity, doing the same thing over and over and not seeing the ball go in so I switched it up because it couldn’t have got any worse,” said Dye, who googled videos of Jordan Spieth. “I knew this course set up to my eye, it is a course similar to the one I grew up playing in Oklahoma City and you have to move the ball both ways and I love that.”

Dye struggled on the LPGA in 2015 and is off to a hot-and-cold start in 2016. She has one top 10 finish, but also missed back-to-back cuts in early April.

Dye and James will play in the final group on Sunday and tee at 1:10 p.m.

Golf Canada gave Special Olympics BC (SOBC) athletes and coaches the opportunity to showcase their abilities and hone their skills at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship in Kamloops on May 11.

Twenty-five golfers from SOBC – 100 Mile House, Kamloops, Kelowna, Quesnel, Surrey, Trail, and Victoria opened the day with a nine-hole competition, followed by a clinic for the athletes and SOBC coaches with a PGA of Canada professional to cover key lessons from the day.

The top-scoring female golfer was SOBC – Victoria’s Kelsey Simpson, and the top-scoring male golfer was Ryan Courtemanche of SOBC – Kelowna.

Golf is one of SOBC’s fastest-growing sports, and the support from Golf Canada provides great opportunities to help build the game.

“For the past two years we’ve been working with Golf Canada on a partnership, and this is the outcome of that partnership. This is the first time that Special Olympics athletes have been a part of their series,” Special Olympics Canada Vice President, Sport, Blair McIntosh told CFJC.

There are now 1,675 registered Special Olympics golfers nationally, including approximately 400 in B.C. The Special Olympics Canada 2014 Summer Games in Vancouver had the first National Games golf competition, and Special Olympics Team Canada 2015 marked the first time the national team included golfers.

This spring and summer, there will be great SOBC competition on greens and fairways around the province as Golf Regional Qualifiers are being hosted by SOBC – Creston (May 14), Kamloops (June 18), Surrey (July 2), Sunshine Coast (July 10 for Regions 4 and 5), Victoria (June 12), and Quesnel (June 25 to 26). For all except SOBC – Sunshine Coast, this will be their first time hosting Golf Regional Qualifiers. Competitors are seeking to advance to the 2017 Special Olympics BC Summer Games.

SOBC – Kamloops golfer Andrew Mitchell told CFJC that he first started playing golf at age six or seven, but subsequently stepped away from it, and Special Olympics brought him back in.

“I like being able to get out with friends and family members. It’s just kind of a fun game to play. You get better at it as you go,” Mitchell said.

SOBC – Victoria’s Scott Jones seemed to have a great day on the links in Kamloops.

“This is a great life. Golf is my dream, golf is my business, golf is my blood. Golf is my everything,” he told CFJC.

RALEIGH, N.C. – J.J. Spaun and Brady Schnell share the lead at 9-under 133 after 36 holes at the Rex Hospital Open, with 11 players within two shots of the lead heading into the weekend.

Spaun held a one-shot lead entering Friday after a first-round 63, but was up-and-down during his second round with a 1-under 70 that included three birdies and two bogeys.

Schnell began his second round on the back nine at TPC Wakefield Plantation and birdied Nos. 12, 13 and 14 before adding another birdie at the par-3 16th to reach 4-under-par through seven holes. The fast start gave way to a slew of pars over the final 11 holes for Schnell, who wound up posting a second-round 67 to tie Spaun atop the leaderboard.

This is the first time either Spaun or Schnell has held a share of the lead after the first two rounds at a Web.com Tour event.

“If they said 9-under without even pegging it, I would have said, ‘You’ve got a deal,’” Spaun said. “I’m happy with the way I played today and yesterday obviously. Today was just one of those days where you can’t really get any momentum going, but I’m in a good position. I’m happy.”

At the event’s halfway point, Spaun – who finished first on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s Order of Merit last year – has missed only four greens through 36 holes. The difference in his two rounds, he said, was posting just 28 putts on Thursday compared to 32 recorded on Friday.

“I felt like I played overall pretty solid,” Spaun said. “I would just like to have a few more putts go in, but, hey, a lot of putts were going in yesterday so it kind of evened out.”

Schnell is making his 50th career Web.com Tour start this week at the Rex Hospital Open. The 31-year-old made a career-high 20 starts in 2015, notching the first two top-10s of his career, including a T8 at the Club Colombia Championship Presented by Claro. Schnell finished 81st on the Regular Season money list, but finished T5 at the Tour’s Qualifying Tournament in December to secure exempt status subject to the third reshuffle of the 2016 season.

Entering the week in Raleigh, Schnell had missed the cut in his last four starts, but said he drew inspiration from James Hahn’s win at the Wells Fargo Championship last week, a victory that came to fruition after missing eight consecutive cuts prior to his victory.

“It’s always good to be right up near the lead,” Schnell said. “Especially with how things have been progressing for me lately, it’s nice to see the top of the leaderboard. I feel good going into the weekend, so I’ve just got to go make it happen.”

Jason Millard (68), Chris Wilson (70), Julian Etulain (66), Chase Marinell (68) and Dominic Bozzelli (66) are all just one shot back of the leaders at 8-under for the tournament.

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – The Pacific edition of the CN Future Links Championships opened Golf Canada’s 2016 competitive season today at The Dunes at Kamloops Golf Club. Tony Gil and Mary Parsons each shot rounds of 6-under 66 to lead the Junior Boys and Junior Girls Divisions, respectively.

Gil, who is beginning his third year as a member of Team Canada’s Development Squad, tallied four straight birdies between holes seven to 10 en route to a bogey-free round. The native of Vaughan, Ont., holds a three-stroke lead over Khan Lee of Surrey, B.C., who sits T2 alongside Calgarian Conaire Kehoe at 3-under. Kehoe, notched an eagle and four birdies on the day, including three across a bogey-free back nine.

Four players are tied for fourth, including Development Squad member A.J. Ewart. The 17-year-old bogeyed the third hole, but added three birdies on the day to reach 2-under. A product of Coquitlam, B.C., Ewart sits knotted with British Columbians Michael Crisologo (Richmond) and Gavin Ciulla (Surrey), as well as Ethan Choi of Pincher Creek, Alta.

Completing the Men’s Development Squad contingent are Alexander Smith of Calgary and Charles-Éric Bélanger of Quebec. Smith sits T24 at 1-over while Bélanger is T44 after an opening-round 76.

Delta, B.C., native Mary Parsons notched an eagle on the par-5 second hole and added eight birdies to finish with a 66. The 16-year-old is four shots clear of two members of Team Canada’s Women’s Development Squad: Chloe Currie of Mississauga, Ont., and Tiffany Kong of Vancouver. The pair each collected three birdies on the day and were bogey-free across their final 14 holes.

Two British Columbians – Tiegan Taylor of Kelowna and Abigail Rigsby of Courtenay – carded rounds of 1-over 73 to open the tournament at T4. Taylor collected a trio of birdies on the day, while Rigsby’s bogey on the final hole broke her string of 17-straight pars.

Grace St-Germain, who claimed the Junior Girls title at this event in 2015, is T6 at 2-over-par. British Columbians Kathrine Chan of Richmond and Hannah Lee of Surrey – who are T16 and T22 respectively – complete the quintet of Women’s Development Squad members at the event.

The top six finishers in the Junior Boys division will earn exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L., from August 1-4. In the case of ties, exemptions will be decided via a hole-by-hole playoff. All competitors in the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls division will gain exemptions into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. The tournament will be conducted from August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.

The second day of competition will see the Junior Girls Division tee-off at 7 a.m. before the Junior Boys take to the course at 8:50 a.m. Additional information, including pairings and up-to-date scoring is available here.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The sky was getting so dark that Jason Day could barely see the flag on the 14th hole, much less the small crowd that waited out a two-hour storm delay Friday at The Players Championship. The way he was playing, he sure could hear them.

His 5-iron from 190 yards into a strengthening wind rolled to the back of the green and settled 2 feet away.

“A great shot,” said Day, who can be stingy with self-praise.

His second big birdie to end his long day stretched his lead to three shots before it was too dark to continue, and Day stepped into a van for a short drive to the clubhouse. His first task was to check the wind for the morning when he had to finish four holes.

He already was 14-under par. He was on a record-setting pace at the TPC Sawgrass. And he could only think about pushing.

“I’m at 14-under par, I’ve got a good lead going on, I just can’t sit back,” Day said. “I need to keep pushing forward. And the moment that I lose a little bit of focus and make a few mental errors and mistakes, that’s when I let the field back in. And I just can’t afford to do that.”

Shane Lowry had a 68 and was at 11-under 133, a solid round that only got going when he hit a wedge so badly that it didn’t each reach the island green at the par-3 17th. He managed to escape with bogey, and then holed a wedge from about 180 yards on the 18th hole for eagle.

Two tough pars at the end of his round meant he was likely to be in the final group with Day. Not bad for a guy who was hitting it so badly Wednesday that he was dreading the thought of even playing.

“I thought I’d be booking a plane ticket now, how I was feeling on Wednesday,” Lowry said. “Yeah, golf is a funny game. Sometimes low expectations brings good results and high expectations brings no results.”

Jordan Spieth was just hopeful of a Saturday tee time, as was Phil Mickelson.

Spieth, looking frustrated as ever, got to the projected cut of 2 under with back-to-back birdies to start the back nine, only to catch a bad break when a rake kept his ball from rolling into the bunker and stayed on the steep slope leading to the sand. The best he could do was chip over the green and he made bogey, and his tee shot was wild to the right on the 15th when they stopped because of darkness. Spieth was at 1 under.

Mickelson had to make an 8-foot par putt on the par-5 16th to stay at 1 under. He was to return at 9:15 a.m. to play the 17th and 18th, likely needing a birdie on one of them to make the cut.

Defending champion Rickie Fowler shot 71 and was at 1-under 143. He needed help to make the cut.

Greg Norman set the 36-hole record of 14-under 130 at The Players in 1994, the year the Shark made only one bogey the entire week. Day looks just as good and has yet to drop a shot over the 32 holes he has played. He ended his day with a 40-foot birdie putt down the slope at No. 13 and the 5-iron for his tap-in birdie at the 14th.

“Hopefully, I can hit some good, solid shots coming in and at least try to get a couple more birdies,” Day said.

Alex Cejka and Jonas Blixt each shot 67 and were at 10-under 134, along with Cameron Tringale (69).

Another day of calm and soft greens in the morning led to more record-tying performances, and a few irritated golfers who could have gone even lower. Colt Knost made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th to reach 10 under, only to three-putt the 18th and have to settle for a course record-tying 63.

“I was a little nervous over the second one,” Knost said about his 5-footer for par and a 62. “I knew what it was for. But I didn’t hit a bad putt. I hit it on the left lip and it just stayed there. So a little disappointing, but still, I would have taken 9 under before I started today.”

Then came Rory McIlroy, 7 under through seven holes when he made a 50-foot eagle putt from just off the 16th green. His momentum slowed, but he still came to the par-5 ninth needing a birdie to become the first player to shoot 62 on the Stadium Course at Sawgrass.

McIlroy opted to lay up from 271 yards because going for the green historically has not worked out well for him on No. 9. Laying up wasn’t much better. He chunked a wedge, chunked a chip and made bogey for a 64.

“I wanted to make birdie and shoot 62,” he said. “So yeah, I’m disappointed, but there’s still two more days to go. That’s the nice thing. I’m in good position heading into the weekend. … Hopefully, I’m not too far behind.”

Even with a storm delay, there was no shortage of excitement.

The biggest thrill belonged to Will Wilcox, who hit pitching wedge for a hole-in-one on the island-green 17th. It was the first ace on that hole in 14 years.

Abbotsford, B.C., native Adam Hadwin tops the Canadian contingent at 4-under to sit T48. David Hearn from Brantford, Ont., matched his opening round of 71 and is T65. Nick Taylor, also from Abbotsford, B.C., and Weyburn, Sask., product Graham DeLaet are 2-over and 3-over, respectively.

It was only fitting that on the same day the 2016 HBC Olympic golf uniform was unveiled, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame & Museum also uncovered a rare treasure within its collection commemorating George S. Lyon’s 1904 Olympic victory.

This program is from a dinner hosted by Lambton Golf & Country Club in honour of its member’s victory. The celebration exemplifies the pride and joy that his fellow members, as well as all Canadians, felt following his win.

The interior of the program includes the toasts given before the evening’s festivities and the menu served.

The Olympic trophy is featured on the back.

Hopefully, the tradition will continue and a similar dinner will be held for a Canadian in August.

RALEIGH, N.C. – J.J. Spaun matched a career-best, 8-under 63 to take a one-shot lead at the Rex Hospital Open. The 25-year-old posted six birdies and an eagle at the par-5 15th in the opening round to take his second opening-round lead of 2016. Chris Wilson and Canadian Ryan Yip are just one shot back of the lead after 7-under 64s.

“Yeah, today was one of those days where everything was kind of clicking, driving it well, hitting irons well, finishing up putts,” Spaun said. “It was just one of those days where everything was kind of firing on the right cylinder.”

Spaun, No. 1 on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit a year ago, opened the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by NACHER in March with an 8-under 63 before finishing in a tie for seventh.

“Just trying to stick to game plans, don’t try to be too conservative. I think that’s what I learned from Chitimacha,” Spaun said. “I came out firing the first day and then kind of cooled off the last three rounds.”

Spaun’s 2016 campaign has included the Northern Trust Open Exemption, awarded annually to a top golfer who represents the advancement of diversity in golf, and wouldn’t otherwise be eligible to compete in the PGA TOUR’s long-standing event at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California.

Rounds of 77-75–152 (10-over) left Spaun on the outside of the cut line, but nevertheless set the tone for a solid 2016 season on the Web.com Tour, where he has notched a pair of top-25 finishes, including a season-best T7 at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by NACHER. He is currently 41st on the Tour’s money list with $33,177 in earnings.

Wilson, an Ohio native, recently joined TPC Wakefield Plantation after moving to Raleigh for his wife’s new job in January. His 64 marked a career-best over the course of 97 career Web.com Tour events. His T8 finish at the 2014 Rex Hospital Open is one of six career top-10s on the Web.com Tour. Despite missed cuts in six of his first seven starts of 2016, Wilson is confident in where his game is headed.

“Ball-striking hasn’t been quite crisp enough and struggled a little bit with the putting,” Wilson said. “I made a few tweaks in my setup with both, and things are trending in the right direction now.”

Yip, the self-taught 31-year-old from Calgary, birdied five of his last six holes to tie his career best. He credited his new coach (the first of his career) and a new pair of Air Jordan 9s that he was wearing for the first time during Thursday’s opening round.

The former Kent State Golden Flash previously posted career-best 64s at the first round of the 2015 Digital Ally Open (T3) and the 2016 Brasil Champions presented by Embrase, where he missed the cut after a second-round 75.

“I’ve been working with my coach back home, found something, got a new pair of shoes and seems to be working,” said Yip, who created the shoes with existing spikes.