Graham DeLaet’s beard care routine is nearly as precise as his pre-shot routine these days, as the 34-year-old golfer’s facial hair has quickly become the talk of the PGA Tour.

“I trim it every day pretty much,” said DeLaet from his home in Arizona. “I shampoo and condition, and I have oils and leave-in conditioner.”

Although the golf course isn’t exactly ideal conditions for DeLaet’s bristly beard – “It gets blown around a lot,” he said – there’s no chance he’s getting rid of it any time soon.

That could make Canada’s highest-ranked male golfer one of the more recognizable athletes at the upcoming Rio Olympics. DeLaet is in the midst of a two-week break before he gets ready for a “hectic” summer that includes a likely appearance representing Canada in Rio, where golf makes its Olympic return for the first time since 1904.

Although a handful of the world’s top golfers including major champions Adam Scott from Australia, Vijay Singh from Fiji, and Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel from South Africa have withdrawn their names from Olympic consideration, DeLaet said he would welcome the opportunity.

“All these guys are getting a lot of heat in the media, but when it comes down to it, they’re grown men and can make their own decisions,” he said. “I don’t really understand it, because I think it would be an absolute thrill to play for your country. For me, it’s something I’m really looking forward to and hopefully have the opportunity to do.”

DeLaet currently sits 119th in the official world golf ranking, 23 spots ahead of David Hearn. That pair will likely represent Canada in Rio, but the final standings aren’t confirmed until July 11.

DeLaet has earned just over US$756,000 in 13 events this year on the PGA Tour. His best finish was a tie for fifth in March at the Valspar Championship, when he entered the final round just one shot back of the lead.

A balky putter ended up being DeLaet’s demise.

“I played great but putted horribly, especially on Sunday. You can’t win golf tournaments like that,” said DeLaet. “But as poorly as I putted, I still finished fifth in the tournament. That spoke to how well I played otherwise.”

DeLaet said he recently took a putting lesson from celebrated golf instructor and analyst Peter Kostis at his home club in Arizona. But he said caddy Julien Trudeau (a “very very distant relative” to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to DeLaet) has been the go-to guy for his short game.

“He makes sure my lines are right and my hands are in the right positions. I had gotten a little sloppy with my set-up,” he said. “I got back to basics and squared everything up, and the roll coming off the putter has been a lot better.”

DeLaet will be in the field next week at the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina before heading to The Players Championship in Florida and the AT&T Byron Nelson in Texas.

With so many tournaments in a row, DeLaet said the key is to stay mentally sharp.

“Physically I’ve been feeling really good this year, probably the best I have been while on the PGA Tour,” he said. “I’ve been able to practise more than I have been in the past. It’s more on the mental side that I need to stay ready.”

Although his life has changed dramatically after he and wife Ruby welcome twins Roscoe and Lyla in November, he said things have been “really fun” during his break.

“It’s a little extra work after golf, but it’s definitely better than being alone in the hotel room and having to FaceTime them,” he stated.

And do the kids like the beard?

“They tug on (it) every once and a while, but it actually hurts more when they tug on my chest hair versus the beard,” said DeLaet with a laugh. “With the beard they usually just grab a big chunk and pull.

“Not everyone is going to like the beard, but if you don’t like it, that’s fine with me,” he continued. “I’m not insulted if you don’t like my beard, I can take it.”

TORONTO – After a strong performance at the Winter Olympics, the Canadian Olympic Committee is sticking with a wintry theme for its Rio 2016 brand campaign.

The COC launched the “Ice In Our Veins” campaign Wednesday morning with the Summer Olympics just 100 days away. Tennis star Milos Raonic, sprinter Justyn Warner and diver Jennifer Abel are some of the athletes included in the spots, which were shot on a beach along Georgian Bay.

The campaign, which includes a 60-second, 30-second and series of 10-second spots, was unveiled on the Canadian team’s digital channels and via athletes’ social media channels.

With a narrator providing a dramatic reading and a tense sound bed running underneath, athletes can be seen walking and posing on the beach. A fire and ice theme runs throughout the spot, designed to highlight that the icy landscape helps strengthen will and determination.

“We want to inspire Canadians, our athletes, our partners,” said COC chief marketing officer Derek Kent. “We want people to rally behind Team Canada. They work so hard behind the scenes, out of the spotlight in between the Games.

“It’s time to start telling the athletes’ stories and that’s what this campaign does.”

The COC used a “We Are Winter” campaign for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Canada finished fourth in the overall standings with 25 medals (10 gold, 10 silver, five bronze).

Canada won just one gold medal at the 2012 London Games and finished with 18 medals overall (five silver, 12 bronze).

A wider campaign launch is scheduled for July 1. The Rio Olympics begin Aug. 5.

Golf returns to the Olympic Games for the first time since 1904 in Rio. Players on both the men’s and women’s side of the game will be fighting for one of 60 spots in their respective fields.

Players will compete for their country in a 72-hole individual stroke play competition. In the event of a tie for first, second or third place, a play-off or multiple playoffs shall be conducted to determine the gold, silver and bronze medal.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has restricted the International Golf Federation (IGF) to an Olympic field of 60 players. The Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings will be used to determine the Olympics golf rankings. The top 15 world-ranked players will be eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, players will be eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15. The qualification period ends July 11, 2016.

Building the new golf course in Rio de Janeiro in time for the Olympics once was considered the biggest obstacle.

Now there’s a new problem facing golf – getting some of the stars to play it.

The perception is worse than reality. It’s not like golf won’t have its best players in Rio the first full week in August because Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy have said they’re going, and they’re the best three players in the world.

Still, it didn’t help the sport’s pampered image when four major champions said they won’t be competing for gold, silver, bronze or even pride.

Adam Scott was the biggest name to drop out and the least surprising. The first Australian to win a green jacket, and the No. 7 player in the world, Scott has been lukewarm to the Olympics all along and has said for more than a year that it wasn’t a priority.

Louis Oosthuizen, the sweet-swinging South African and British Open champion at St. Andrews, said he wasn’t going because of family and scheduling issues. That enabled Charl Schwartzel to move into position to play for South Africa, but only for a day. Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, said he wasn’t going, either.

All are among the top 20 in the world.

The other dropout was Vijay Singh, who said the Olympics fell in a bad part of the golf schedule. That was more of a loss for Fiji, which won’t have a golfer in Rio because it doesn’t have any other players who have earned a ranking point in the last two years. Singh is a three-time major champion, former world No. 1 and a remarkable success story. He’s also 53 and hasn’t won in nearly eight years.

It’s easy to criticize these players because it’s rare in other Olympic sports for qualified athletes to stay home.

But golf isn’t like other Olympic sports, which is why it has been 112 years since it was part of the Olympic program. Canada’s George S. Lyon is the last gold medallist in golf and for years nothing more than a trivia question.

Golf ticks just about every box for Olympic values and virtues, especially with its global appeal. It misses the most important box, however, when it relates to the significance of winning a medal. It’s not the pinnacle of sport. It’s not even in the top five this year (with respect to The Players Championship, we’re talking about the four majors and the Ryder Cup).

Was it worth golf getting back into the Olympics? Absolutely. It does far more good than harm.

Officials are touting how much this will grow the game by the sheer audience of the Olympics and with governments funding the sport in countries where it is seldom played. Heroes are born in Olympic competition, and there’s no reason to believe golf – in time – will be any different.

Problems were to be expected, whether it was the format or full participation. (Golf does not having a team competition, and it might have changed the minds of some players not going.)

When a tight schedule is cited as a reason for not going, the officials carrying the Olympic torch for golf – mainly the PGA Tour – share the blame.

They have produced a schedule that causes them as little disruption as possible. If the Olympics were so important, could they not have done more to space out the biggest events that mean more to the players?

Instead, golf’s two oldest championship, the U.S. Open and the British Open, along with a World Golf Championship are played in a five-week stretch. If that’s not bad enough, the PGA Championship in New Jersey starts 10 days after the British Open in Scotland.

And when the Olympics are over, PGA Tour players have one week before the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs, the $35 million bonanza that the PGA Tour billed as the “new era in golf” before it chased a spot on the Olympic program. That’s four big tournaments in five weeks, with the Ryder Cup right behind it.

Most other sports spend the entire Olympic year building toward that one big moment. For golf, the Olympics are plopped in the middle of big moments.

The cutoff to qualify through the world ranking is July 11, meaning someone like Phil Mickelson could win the British Open and PGA Championship and be shut out of Rio. Here’s another scenario: There likely will be players – Brendon De Jonge of Zimbabwe comes to mind – who risk losing their PGA Tour cards by playing the Olympics.

The Olympics will do just fine without Scott, Oosthuizen and Schwartzel, and even a few others who may decide not to play. The depth of talent in golf is such that it can do without every eligible player in Rio.

Golf in the Olympic will still get the attention it deserves.

About the only thing that could change that is if Tiger Woods decides to play the John Deere Classic the week of the Olympics.

No more pencils, no more books…it’s time to give golf a look.

At least, that’s according to longtime educators Jim King, of Nova Scotia, and Patti Christensen, of Alberta. For them, golf is a lifelong passion, almost equal to that of their desire to educate young people. And with the Golf in Schools program, both have been able to bring that personal passion into the classroom — all while following a curriculum that delivers on a number of educational benchmarks.

“I found it connected very well with a lot of the curriculum outcomes, especially in terms of the healthy active living outcomes,” says King, who is now a staff officer with the Nova Scotia Teacher’s Union. He was the principal at Atlantic View Elementary School for the past five years.

“I didn’t feel like I was implementing anything extra for the students; I felt like it was contributing to the students’ overall academic and physical literacy success,” he continues.

The Golf in Schools program, created by Golf Canada in partnership with the PGA of Canada and Physical and Health Education Canada, has been evolving since its inception, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the focus on the student. More often than not, the young people who become involved with Golf in Schools are students who may not have had the opportunity to try golf before.

“I’m in a school where the kids may not have been exposed to golf, and I was lucky to have the parent council purchase two kits for me,” explains Christensen, the principal at Kensington Elementary School just outside Edmonton. Christensen has been a principal at Edmonton-area schools for the past 13 years and involved with Golf in Schools since 2009.

However, she has played the game nearly her whole life.

“I think the most important thing for me is that I wanted to give back to a game that has given me so much,” she explains. “My parents taught me how to golf, and I wanted to share the love of something I had with the students.”

To increase awareness for the program, Graham DeLaet was named an ambassador for Golf in Schools in mid-2015. In a press release at the time, DeLaet said that he felt it was “important to introduce golf in schools so that kids can start learning the sport early, seeing more kids with clubs in their hands, and ultimately growing the game of golf.”

King adds that he is seeing examples of that first-hand with students.

“For some, the image of golf was that it wasn’t very exciting, but this (the Golf in Schools program) completely changed their perspective,” he says.

Especially for the younger students — who get to use modified equipment — because the program is another way to introduce them, at an early age, to a sport that is gender inclusive, promotes a healthy active lifestyle, and is one they can play for life.

“The nice thing about the program is that it’s safe for the kids,” states Christensen. “The equipment is safe, the balls are big and easier to hit for the younger kids. It can be set up to be successful pretty quickly.”

For King, he was able to set up some Golf in Schools activities for all students during end-of-year field days, so even then the students outside the Golf in Schools group were able to have some fun with the equipment.

“We had stations where everybody could use the equipment and try it for themselves,” he says. “We wanted to raise awareness of golf as a lifelong sport and a great way to enjoy the fresh air.”

Away from the schoolyard or gymnasium, Golf in Schools has a component where organizers can partner with a local golf course and its head professional for continual learning.

Christensen says she is going to have some of her students volunteer at a charity golf tournament this year, and is hopeful she will secure students a couple of memberships at that club.

Meanwhile, King has brought groups of students to learn from the staff at the Links at Montague in Dartmouth, N.S., for the past two years.

“Some of the young people went on to do their summertime clinics, and others joined golf courses,” King proudly states. “The reactions and the enthusiasm from when the students were involved in the program was always very rewarding.”

Because the program aligns with governmentally assigned teaching objectives, it’s easy to pick a curriculum that fits with a teacher’s existing lesson plan. But for Christensen, she says the non-golf parts of Golf in Schools are just as important.

“Incorporating life skills into the program is very important for me. That’s going to be highlighted very strongly,” she states.

But of course, the program is about having fun as well.

As King says, “The program has grown to the point where now students will ask in September, when they come back from summer vacation, ‘When are we going to do Golf in Schools?’”

Golf in Schools

Divided into different programs by age groups, the Golf in Schools program has been implemented at close to 2,800 schools and involved more than 306,000 students. It is the single-most concentrated opportunity to get kids of all backgrounds and demographics introduced to the sport.

What’s it all about?

For teachers, the Golf in Schools program comes with instructional manuals not unlike other curriculum documents. Teachers can easily assess students’ physical proficiency with a variety of fundamental movement skills. Golf in Schools now integrates a ‘Life Skills’ component to each lesson plan, which are selected for their relevance to golf.

What life skills are learned?

The life skills component, developed through a partnership with the University of Ottawa, emphasizes core values — perseverance, focus, goal setting, emotional regulation, honesty, teamwork, respect and sportspersonship — which are transferable on and off the golf course.

Where do students go next?

If students are showing an interest in the sport, Golf Canada in partnership with the PGA of Canada and provincial golf associations are proud to run CN Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program. Parents can find junior-friendly clubs in their community that offer free clinics geared to young golfers.

More information can be found at golfinschools.golfcanada.ca

Best in class This article was originally published in the April 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.

Santee, Calif – Danville, California’s Cody Blick and Rancho Santa Fe, California’s Ryan Burgess shot a pair of 5-under 67s on Tuesday at Carlton Oaks Country Club to share the first round lead at Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada qualifying school.

Blick and Burgess are beginning their journeys as professional golfers this week, having completed collegiate careers at San Jose State and Southern Methodist University, respectively. The pair were one shot ahead of a group of five players at 4-under following the completion of round one.

Blick carded nine birdies in his early morning round to offset four bogeys, and said he knew he would need to take advantage of the good conditions before the wind picked up in the afternoon.

“The wind always picks up in the afternoon, so these morning rounds are crucial to take it low and see what you can do,” said Blick. “It seems like a ball strikers’ golf course, and so my swing coach and I just picked out our targets and stuck to it. We got it around the course pretty well today.”

Burgess, who recently completed his collegiate career at Southern Methodist University, posted the low round of the afternoon to match Blick for the head through 18 holes and credited a level-headed approach for his score.

“I kept the ball in front of me mostly and just stayed patient throughout the round. I left a couple out there but I know I gained a couple too, so that’s probably right around where I thought a good score would be,” said Burgess.

Golf Canada is proud to release our new Rules Education platform. An online portal for golfers looking to learn the details of golf etiquette, rules basics and commonly encountered situations.

Whether you’re interested in becoming a referee or just want to learn more about the game, our new rules platform offers plenty of great content including a fun and interactive way to learn the rules of golf.

Level 1
A beginner program that introduces the basic concepts and language of the Rules of Golf. Used to introduce the principles of the Rules and how to use the Rules book. The program is ideal for juniors, beginners and golfers who have had no previous experience with the Rules.

• FREE!
• 2016 Rules of Golf book (online version in PDF format)
• Online quizzes and exercises

Level 2
This course builds on the experience of Level 1 and introduces the key reference manual for officials: the Decisions on the Rules of Golf. In addition to introducing some of the fundamental rules through examples, videos and exercises, Level 2 teaches the student how to use the Decisions book effectively.

• $39.95 one-time fee
• 2016 Decisions on the Rules of Golf book (hard copy plus online version in PDF format)
• Online quizzes and exercises

Click here and begin your journey with the Rules of Golf today!

Tiger Woods registered for the U.S. Open, which was more procedure than pronouncement. Three weeks later, he played five holes during the official opening of the golf course he designed outside Houston. The next step is returning to competition, for which the timeframe remains unknown.

Monday was the first time he had played any golf holes since the Wyndham Championship in August, he said, contrary to speculation that he had played at The Medalist near his home in South Florida. He described those five holes at Bluejack National as “nice and smooth.”

“That’s harder than I have been going at it the last month,” Woods told reporters for Global Golf Post and ESPN. “Just gradually progressing. We’re just trying to progress, and I’m doing that.”

As for the return? Woods said he hasn’t set a date, which he described as frustrating. Then again, he said, he never would have thought he would be this far along five months ago at his tournament in the Bahamas, where he was in pain from two back surgeries.

Woods had to register for the U.S. Open at Oakmont (June 16-19) by the deadline Wednesday.

He offered mixed signals to reporters on when he might play again.

Woods said he has to get stronger and faster and that “I’m not hitting it very far right now.” He said he was able to hit the ball as far as he is now without too much effort, and that he’s trying to work on new drivers.

“I know I need to hit a bunch of drivers. But I can’t hit a bunch of drivers,” he said. “I’m trying to figure that out.”

Then again, he said he eventually has to get back to a competitive environment, where he has to be patient and “plod my way along.”

“I can play a lot more at home and get my playing sense back, but tournament golf is so much different,” he said. “And I’ll have to make those adjustments. And the only way to make those adjustments is to get out there in the heat and feel it.”

Here are a couple videos shared from Tiger’s Twitter account during the Bluejack National opening event.

RG: Taking a crack at the par-3 12th hole. pic.twitter.com/hqArUey34r

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 25, 2016

RG: The tee shot on the long 18th hole. pic.twitter.com/KdI9dQHi1V

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 25, 2016

Listening intently as the guest of honour spoke, 19-year-old Maddie Szeryk was amazed by what she was hearing. The travel, the pressure, the fun — it was everything good, bad and ugly of professional golf. But what made the dialogue so fascinating was from whom it was being delivered: Alena Sharp.

Coming off a career season in 2015, the 10-year LPGA Tour veteran Sharp was visiting a national team training camp in Phoenix to chat with Canada’s next wave of golf talent. And Szeryk was all ears.

“We talked a lot about life on tour; finding a good caddie; she recommended a couple books for us to read; and just the whole mental part because she said it’s totally different from college to playing professional,” explained Szeryk. “You have to stay positive. You have to play well to make money.”

Szeryk has had no trouble playing well lately. She’s entering her second season as a member of Team Canada’s national squad, beginning the year inside the top 40 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Taking home the 2015 Investors Group Ontario Women’s Amateur — held at St. Thomas Golf & Country Club, a 20-minute drive for a large contingent of relatives in nearby London, Ont. — provided a big boost, not just for her ranking but for her confidence as well.

“It was really kind of a hometown thing so I had some family come out. I didn’t play very well in the first round and then kind of got up closer and, I think I shot three or four under the last day and won, so kind of came from behind.”

The 73-70-70-68 she posted for the victory delighted the four generations of family out on the golf course, which included aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and her 101-year- old great-grandfather.

While she considers London her Canadian home, Szeryk is a dual-citizen hailing from Allen, Texas. Her Canadian parents moved to the Lone Star State before planting their roots and starting a family. That hasn’t swayed her national pride though.

“I definitely love representing Canada more because that’s where my family is from,” said Szeryk, who proudly carries a Canadian passport.

Tristan Mullally, Team Canada’s national women’s coach, sees promise instead of nationality when observing Szeryk.

“Maddie is a soft spoken and polite young lady but on the course you can see her grittiness and determination to compete at her best,” he said. “Rarely does she give anything but 100 per cent when it comes to preparing and playing. She comes from a great family who push her to work hard but love her regardless of results.”

Along with her Ontario Amateur crown and a quarter-finals appearance at the Ladies British Open Amateur, Szeryk did most of her damage last season on the NCAA circuit representing Texas A&M University.

The Sports Management major burst onto the scene in her first year setting multiple school records and recording nine top-10 finishes for the Aggies. Arguably the team’s most consistent player, the teenager was named Women’s Golf Coaches Association Second Team All-American, All-SEC and the SEC Freshman of the Year. Winning the conference’s team championship — in which she was runner-up for medalist honours — superseded all the individual accolades.

“It was pretty awesome,” she reminisced. “We were kind of the underdogs going in but we all just played so well and we played great team golf. We’re all really close and we’re best friends and always cheer each other on but it was unreal to win. Especially me being a freshman, I was like ‘Oh my god, we won!’”

Working with Mullally, Szeryk has been able to grow into a more well-rounded player. She’s always considered herself to be a strong ball-striker with her weakness lying on the greens.

“I struggle with speed because normally I’m a pretty aggressive putter. So I’ll have like 10 feet and then maybe leaving four feet (coming back) and just learning from Tristan that if you’re hitting it that firm the chances of you making it goes down.”

“Maddie can get very aggressive,” added Mullally. “We have worked to temper this a little and have the correct speed regardless of how important the putt is. But she is very strong off the tee and gives herself a ton of chances from mid-range. She is lethal from 90 yards.”

If she continues down her current path, there’s no doubt Szeryk will be challenging for LPGA Tour status in a few years. Annika Sorenstam inspired her as a kid due to the Swede’s spectacular play on the course and class off it. Nowadays the young Canadian tries to model her game after another top-ranked superstar.

“I look up to Stacy Lewis a lot. Just because she’s also from Texas and I’ve gotten to talk with her, I met her once and she had surgery on her back and I have back problems so it’s good to see that if she can do it, I can do it.”

Diagnosed with a herniated disc last September, the diminutive right-hander showed no signs of struggle most of the year. Solid runs at the Porter Cup, PGA Women’s Championship of Canada, Canadian Women’s Amateur and a first career LPGA Tour start at the CP Women’s Open made her the easy selection as the nation’s Top Female Amateur in 2015.

Szeryk is currently finishing up her second year at Texas A&M — in which she notched her first NCAA victory this February — before she returns to Team Canada in the summer and resumes her quest to join the Brooke Hendersons and Alena Sharps of the world on golf’s biggest stage.

The reality check from Sharp in that early January encounter hasn’t dissuaded Szeryk from continuing to pursue her dream. If anything, it’s only better prepared her for when it eventually becomes a reality.

Maddie’s mission This article was originally published in the April 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.

PARIS – Rory McIlroy will skip the Bridgestone Invitational and instead play at the French Open, a boost for the European Tour during a crowded summer schedule caused by the Olympics.

McIlroy won the Bridgestone Invitational two years ago, and he failed to defend his title in the World Golf Championship last year while recovering from ruptured ankle ligaments.

The Bridgestone Invitational typically is held a week before the PGA Championship. The PGA Tour moved it to the week of June 30-July 3 — two weeks after the U.S. Open and two weeks before the British Open. However, that’s the same date as the 100th edition of the French Open at Le Golf National, which will host the Ryder Cup in 2018.

The European Tour decided not to sanction the World Golf Championship in Ohio for the first time. European Tour members who play the Bridgestone Invitational will not have the earnings count toward the Race to Dubai, and the money or points will not count toward the Ryder Cup.

Henrik Stenson already has said he will not play in the Bridgestone because of the schedule, though the Swede said he would take that week off and stay in Sweden.

McIlroy has not played the French Open since 2010. The oldest national open in continental Europe is followed by the Scottish Open and the British Open at Royal Troon.

“Le Golf National might not be a pure links course, but it is traditionally firm and fast, and can throw up some tricky conditions,” McIlroy said Monday. “It’s a great test of golf, and I think playing there, as well as staying in Europe, will offer the best conditions to prepare for The Open at Troon.”

SAN ANTONIO – Charley Hoffman made a 9-foot birdie putt on the final to win the Valero Texas Open on Sunday.

The 39-year-old Hoffman closed with a 3-under 69 at TPC San Antonio for a one-stroke victory over Patrick Reed. Hoffman finished at 12-under 276 and earned $1,116,000 for his fourth PGA Tour victory.

Playing alongside Hoffman, Reed also birdied the par-5 18th for a 69. He missed birdie putts inside 8 feet on the par-3 16th and par-4 17th.

Reed, who was born in San Antonio, put the pressure on Hoffman with a tap-in birdie at the 18th after reaching the fringe on the 595-yard hole in two. His shot to the green came from the left-hand rough, and had to clear an oak tree and creek in front of the green.

Hoffman followed by hitting his third shot from a greenside bunker to set up his birdie.

Chad Collins was a career-best third at 10 under after a 69. He birdied four of the last five holes.

Third-round leader Ricky Barnes, looking for his first PGA Tour win in 222 tries, stumbled to a 74 to drop into a tie for fourth at 9 under with Kevin Chappell (68), Billy Herschel (70), Ryan Palmer (69) and Martin Piller (70). It was a career best for Piller, the husband of LPGA Tour player Gerina Piller.

Brendan Steele, the 2011 winner who led the first two rounds, had a 75 to tie for 13th at 7 under.

Reed pulled within a shot of Hoffman with a 23-foot birdie putt from the fringe at 15. Hoffman mised a 10-foot birdie try on the hole.

Reed missed a bending, right-to-left putt from 7 feet that could have tied Hoffman at 16, and missed a straighter putt from about the same distance on the next hole.

Piller birdied the 12th with a 14-foot putt to take a two-shot advantage over Reed and Hoffman.

But he gave it back with a double bogey on the par-3 13th. His tee shot plugged into the sand in the steep-faced bunker fronting the green. He blasted out – past the green – then chipped back and two putted.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., finished tied for 13th at 7 under while fellow Canadian Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was tied for 21st at 6 under.