LAKE WALES, Fla., – Amateur Ya-Chun Chang (Chinese Taipei), 15, carded a 2-under 70 on Saturday to take the 36-hole lead at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic at 6-under, 138.

If Chang wins on Sunday, she will become the youngest in the 36-year history of the Symetra Tour to win. Chang would be just the fourth amateur to win (Cristie Kerr – 1995, Kellee Booth – 1999, Hannah O’Sullivan – 2015).

Kana Nagai (Tokyo, Japan), 18, is just one shot back at 5-under, 139 after a 1-under 71. Peiyun Chien (Chinese Taipei) and Samantha Richdale (Kelowna, B.C.) are two shots back at 4-under, 141.

Canada’s Richdale posted an even-par 72 on Saturday to put herself in contention heading into Sunday. After the final-round, Richdale will fly to Los Angeles and then on Monday morning she will fly to Honolulu to get ready for the LOTTE Championship on the LPGA. Richdale has partial LPGA Tour status courtesy of a T41 finish at 2015 LPGA Qualifying Tournament.

“If I play well in Hawaii, I can reshuffle and get better status,” explained Richdale. “I just have to see how things go.”

The 3-time Symetra Tour winner is in her 11th year on Tour. She spent three years playing on the LPGA Tour from 2010-2012.

“I’m not hitting the ball as well as I’d like, my greens in regulation are down, but I hit some better shots coming in today,” said Richdale. “I’ve played this course quite a few times and I’m pretty comfortable out here so I feel pretty good going into Sunday.”

The cut was made at 5-over and 69 players will tee off on Sunday. Chang will play in the final group with Nagai and Chien at 11:32 a.m.

Full Canadian results:

Cartagena, COL – Kevin Tway birdied the par-5 finishing hole on Saturday and jumped into the 54-hole lead at the Servientrega Championship Presented by Efecty. Tway fired a flawless 6-under 66 which put him at 11-under-par 205, one ahead of second-round leader Brad Fritsch, who got up and down for birdie on 18 to pull within a shot of Tway.

Argentina’s Jorge Fernandez-Valdes parred the final five holes, shot 2-under 70 and finds himself two off the pace in third place.

Ollie Schniederjans (66) and Timothy Madigan (67) are 8-under-par after three trips around TPC Cartagena at Karibana.

“It was definitely playing tough out there,” said Tway, about the blustery conditions. “The wind probably kicked up around hole 7. So from then on, you’ve just got to try and survive and give yourself as many opportunities as possible.”

Tway took advantage of the front nine, going out in 3-under 33. The 27-year-old from Edmond, Oklahoma knew the importance of getting off to a fast start. Through 54 holes, the back side of TPC Cartagena is playing a half-shot harder than the front.

“Everyone knows when they get to the back nine it’s going to be windy,” said Tway, who has played the second nine 5-under in three tries. “You kind of just have to pick a shot that you can see and commit to it.”

Tway has rolled the flat stick very well this week. The four-time All-American at Oklahoma State University played throughout the Midwest, “where it is windy all the time.” Those experiences have helped Tway not get discouraged on the greens when a gust comes up because he knows how to resort back to feel when standing over the ball.

“Putting is very difficult,” said Tway, who grew up in Oklahoma. “You take the wind into consideration more than usual. Sometimes you don’t even look at the break; you just kind of play what the wind is doing.”

Tway, whose favorite golf memory is caddying for his father, Bob Tway, in the Par 3 Contest at the Masters, has never led heading into the final round of a Web.com Tour event. In 2013, Tway earned his first Tour victory at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft, where he defeated Spencer Levin in a playoff. Now a veteran on Tour, the five-year pro’s strategy for Sunday is to battle the golf course instead of fending off his competition.

“You have so much to handle on the course that I’m not really going to be thinking about leading or not,” said Tway. “You’ve just got to try and hit each shot the best you can and fight the conditions.”

Fritsch struggled with the wind throughout the day. The 38-year-old Ottawa resident was forced to back off a few times when a gust would knock him off the ball. Down two on the final green, Fritsch caught a break when the wind died down for a moment. The brief lapse allowed Fritsch to drain his birdie try to stay within striking distance of Tway.

Fritsch played the first 36 holes with Tway and is familiar with his game. Knowing he can’t overpower a course like the long-hitting Tway, the Edmonton, Alberta, Canada native will try and make his move early before the flagsticks start to bend.

“Just try and get off to a real good start,” said Fritsch, who is 7-under on the opening nine this week. “The front nine is the easier nine when it’s windy and then you just try and survive on the back nine.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Jordan Spieth set a Masters record on Friday by leading the tournament for the sixth straight round.

He sure didn’t seem to be in a mood to celebrate.

Spieth led by as many as five shots after a fast start, and then, just like everyone else on this wickedly windy day, he had to hang on for dear life. Spieth holed a 15-foot par putt on the 18th hole for a 2-over 74 that gave him a one-shot lead over Rory McIlroy.

“I’m still in the lead. I couldn’t ask for much better than leading,” Spieth said. “I’m a bit disappointed right now, fresh off the round. Two over on the last three holes will leave you that way.”

McIlroy, who needs a green jacket to complete the Grand Slam, played the last six holes in 3 under for a 71 to match the low round of the day. Conditions were so brutal that it was the first time since the third round in 2007 that no one broke 70.

“I know I’m in a good position going into the weekend,” McIlroy said. “And I’m happy with that.”

The prospects of Spieth and McIlroy in the final group at any major, much less the Masters, is tantalizing. Both of them realize that this is far from the duel. With more wind expected on Saturday, it feels more like everyone against Augusta National. And right now, the odds are with the golf course.

The way Spieth came back to the field, the Masters is wide open.

He was at 4-under 140, the highest 36-hole lead since that frigid, windy Masters in 2007.

Danny Lee bogeyed his last two holes for a 72 and was two shots behind, along with Scott Piercy (72). The only other players who remained under par were Hideki Matsuyama (72), Brandt Snedeker (72) and Soren Kjeldsen (74).

Dustin Johnson birdied all the par 5s for a 71 and was in the group at even par that included U.S. Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau, who felt the sting of Augusta on the final hole. DeChambeau was playing the best round of the day at 3 under and just one shot out of the lead. But he hooked his tee shot into the trees and had to return to the tee, hooked the next one and made triple bogey for a 72.

Still in the mix was Jason Day, who sputtered along to a 73 but was only five shots behind.

“It almost feels like a U.S. Open where you need to survive,” Day said. “And I’m trying my best to survive right now.”

Spieth finished a round over par at Augusta for the first time in his three Masters appearances. Coming off his wire-to-wire victory last year, that par save from the bunker on the 18th allowed him to set a record for most consecutive rounds in the lead. Arnold Palmer was atop the leaderboard for six straight rounds in 1960 and the opening two rounds in 1961, though he shared in those last two rounds.

Even so, it was hard to get past Spieth’s mistakes – a four-putt double bogey on No. 5, a three-putt bogey on No. 16. Frustration began to set in on the 10th when Spieth posed over his approach until it came up short of the green. “How is that into the wind?” he said, before turning and having a stern conversation with himself.

McIlroy was as many as eight shots behind and never lost sight of the difficult conditions. He picked up birdies on the two par 5s on the back, and holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 16th before finishing with a par save out of the trees.

“I was at 8 under and you finish at 4. That’s kind of tough,” Spieth said. “I felt like I played better than 4 over from the fourth hole on.”

The gusts topped out at 30 mph on Friday, and it’s not expected to get easier. Throw in the pressure on Spieth to become only the fourth back-to-back winner at the Masters, and a burden on McIlroy to finish off the Grand Slam, and this could be theater at its finest.

“Tomorrow is going to be more difficult than today,” Spieth said. “Even par is one heck of a score tomorrow.”

He said anyone breaking par Saturday could move into the lead from as far back as 25th place.

Spieth’s par on the last hole not only kept him in the lead, it sent Phil Mickelson home for the weekend because of the 10-shot rule. Mickelson shot a career-high 79 and finished at 7-over to miss the cut.

Tom Watson missed the cut by two shots in his final Masters appearance, walking up the 18th fairway to a standing ovation and warm applause. He parred his last four holes for a 78 and said later, “I’m glad I don’t have to play that 18th hole anymore.”

Spieth, McIlroy and everyone else have two more days to endure to see who claims the green jacket.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Jordan Spieth was frustrated Friday when Masters officials put his group on the clock ahead of the toughest stretch at Augusta National.

Spieth, Paul Casey and Bryson DeChambeau were told on the 11th hole – the toughest in the second round – that they were being timed for being out of position. Spieth hit his approach some 75 feet from the hole and was heard saying to his caddie, “I’m being … timed. I want to take my time, wait out the gusts.”

He two-putted for par, escaped with a par from the bunker short of the 12th green and the group was back in position a short time later.

Under pace-of-place guidelines, a player is warned if he goes over his allotted time while on the clock, and the second violation is a one-shot penalty.

Spieth chose his words carefully when asked if it was fair for his group to be put on the clock.

“I wouldn’t say it was unfair,” he said. “I would say that … have fun getting put on the clock at 11 of Augusta, and then play 11 and 12 rushing with gusting wind. It’s not fun. It’s not fun at all.”

He said the group also was put on the clock at the 17th.

Spieth had a 2-over 74 and had a one-shot lead over Rory McIlroy.

Guan Tianlang, the 14-year-old amateur from China, was given two bad times in 2013 and assessed a penalty shot in the second round. He still made the cut.

CARTAGENA, Colombia – Brad Fritsch took advantage of calm conditions at TPC Cartagena at Karibana, on Friday morning, and fired a 7-under-par 65 to move into the lead. The Canadian’s 8-under 136 total is good for a one-stroke advantage over PGA TOUR veteran Jonathan Byrd (67), and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica alum Jorge Fernandez-Valdes (68) after 36 holes of the Servientrega Championship presented by Efecty.

Jason Millard (-6), who finished No. 5 on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit last season, and Irishman Seamus Power (-6) are two back heading into the weekend.

“Playing today in the morning was such an advantage,” said Fritsch, who teed off at 6:30 a.m. “If there was ever a good draw, this was the one.”

Starting on 10, Fritch recorded four straight pars before getting into red numbers with birdies at 14 and 15. His only blemish of the day came at the par-4, 16th where he made bogey. Fritch bounced back two holes later with a birdie at the par-5, 18th to turn in 2-under.

On his inward nine, Fritsch recorded three birdies to tie for the lead at 6-under. The 38-year-old pro cemented himself atop the leaderboard with an eagle at the par-5, eighth hole. With 210 yards from the middle of the fairway, Fritsch elected to hit a mid-iron and landed it just short of the green.

“I hit a 7-iron,” said Fritsch, who guessed his ball would carry an extra 30 yards downwind. “I just tried to one-bounce it on the green and it just missed the bunker on the left.”

The ball settled 25 feet from the cup. With some help from Kevin Tway, who hit a pitch along the same line, the Holly Springs, N.C., resident drained the putt for three, which put him 8-under for the tournament.

Fritsch is not known as a great chipper of the golf ball but was force to lean on his short game to break par in the tough conditions Thursday afternoon. The Edmonton, Alberta, native made five birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey en route to a one-under score.

“I got up and down nine or 10 times yesterday,” said Fritsch about his first-round 71. “I just had to survive yesterday and that was the goal.”

Fritsch has held at least a share of the 36-hole lead three times in 135 starts on the Web.com Tour. The 16-year pro has never won an official Tour event and relishes the chance to change that this weekend.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Fritsch. “It’s a very good challenge.”

Byrd could not believe how limp the flags around the first hole were when he walked up onto the tee box. Playing in still conditions, the five-time Tour winner went 6-under-par in his first 14 holes. Late in the round the breeze started to pick up and Byrd closed-out his day bogey-birdie-bogey-par and signed for a 5-under score.

“Every little breath of wind you feel, you thought it was coming,” said Byrd, who was waiting for it to start howling. “We probably got the better wave and that first nine was just there for the taking.”

Fernandez-Valdes has been in contention quite a few times in his two years on Tour, most recently at last year’s Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco. With two rounds left to decide a winner, the 24-year-old from Cordoba, Argentina has a chance to become the fourth Argentinian to win on Tour and first since Emiliano Grillo at the 2015 Web.com Tour Championship.

“I think all the experience is good,” said Fernandez-Valdes, who has competed in 50 Tour events entering this week. “I just got to keep doing my thing and stick to my strategy. I’m 100 percent sure that will help me this weekend.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Bryson DeChambeau says he didn’t get flustered when his tee shot on the 18th hole went into a holly bush, or when his do-over was even worse.

The U.S. Amateur and NCAA champion put his philosophy of execution over emotion to a strenuous test on a disastrous finish at Augusta National Friday. One shot off the Masters lead and trying to polish off the day’s best round, DeChambeau went for a low drive so it wouldn’t get waylaid by the wind.

Instead, the ball went left into the shrubbery and was unplayable. He went back to the tee and sent it even farther to the left, near a green fence and well off the fairway.

He and a rules official had to hike through a woodsy area and weave their way through tables to take a drop next to a road, some 40 yards from where the errant ball landed. The end result was a closing triple bogey and an even par round left the 22-year-old tied for eighth, four shots behind playing partner Jordan Spieth.

A par on the 18th would have had left him one shot off the lead, tied with Rory McIlroy for second.

DeChambeau’s said he never lost his cool.

“Even when I duck-hooked it twice, I was like, ‘You know what, it’s just a good opportunity to show my character and good grace as well,'” he said.

In other words, be professional when it would be easy to behave otherwise. A professional is exactly what DeChambeau will be after the Masters, his final event as an amateur.

He’s already in select company with Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ryan Moore as the only players to pull off the NCAA/U.S. Amateur double.

DeChambeau, playing in a Ben Hogan-style cap, had six birdies in his second straight even-par round, including two on Amen Corner. He did that in front of huge throngs of fans following his group, which included Spieth.

“He’s not scared of the moment,” Spieth said. “Doesn’t matter what the moment is. It was just one bad swing away on 18 from being the one that’s (tied for second) or even tied for first… Look for him on the weekend to be a contender.”

DeChambeau insisted nerves weren’t an issue in the end.

“I’m comfortable. I’m loving it out here,” the former SMU star said. “It’s a great experience. I’m learning a lot from it. There’s nothing bad that I can take away from today. I mean, I may go bang my head a couple of times against the wall. No, I’m just kidding.

“Thirty-six holes of golf left, and anything can happen.”

Even before that final hole, DeChambeau said the round wasn’t the best he’s played. He cited the U.S. Amateur, which he won by the widest margin in a title match since 2009.

“It was great golf,” he said. “There’s no doubt, it was beautiful golf. It just wasn’t my A-plus-plus.”

He said what went through his mind when he saw his name on the leaderboard was simply: “I belong.”

LAKE WALES, Fla. – Marissa Steen (West Chester, Ohio) made a 30-foot putt for birdie on her first hole and used the early jolt to post a 6-under 66 to lead the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic on Friday. Samantha Richdale (Kelowna, British Columbia), Ya-Chun Chang (Chinese Taipei) and Kana Nagai (Tokyo, Japan) are two shots off the lead at 4-under 68.

There are three teenagers in the top eight – Chang (15), Nagai (18) and Greta Voelker (18), who posted a 2-under 70 and is T8. There are also seven different countries represented inside the top eight.

Steen, a 3-time Symetra Tour winner, made three birdies on her outward nine and three birdies heading in.

“I hit the ball solid all day and the first two birdies I made were both long putts, one was a 30-footer and on the par-3 15th I made a 35-footer,” said Steen, who played on the LPGA in 2015. “Those two freed me up and then I started to hit shots closer.”

Steen, who finished T8 at the IOA Championship to open the year in February, used the time in between events to visit friends and prepare for this busy stretch. She went home to Ohio for a bachelorette party and also played in some NWGA mini tour events, winning one.

“I thought about playing some Monday Qualifiers on the LPGA, but at the beginning of the year I thought I just needed reps,” explained 26-year-old Steen. “I just wanted to get six competitive rounds under my belt before coming here.”

Her plan seems to have worked to perfection as she hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation and needed just 29 putts.

After winning three times in 2014 on the Symetra Tour, Steen battled injuries on the LPGA Tour in 2015 including three cracked ribs and missed the cut in her final eight starts.

“It was a really tough year,” admitted Steen. “I was so excited to go out there (LPGA) and I had never had an injury before and I didn’t know how to handle it. When I was no longer hurt, I started to press and felt like I had already not played my best in the first three or four months of the season. Then, it became mental and it was me getting in my own head all season. I definitely learned a lot of lessons.”

Steen said that club selection was also an issue on the LPGA because she was trying to do too much.

“I tried to go for broke a lot and hit heroic shots all season,” explained Steen. “I played below the hole today and took a 30-footer, but otherwise I need to take a two-putt and move on.”

Of course Steen’s top priority is returning to the LPGA, but she’s more focused on improving year-over-year then results in every event.

“Ever since I started playing golf, I’ve always said that if I can play better than the year before and keep improving to become the best golfer I can be then that is my real goal,” said Steen. “Focusing on the money list or being in the top 10 every week doesn’t work for me. I just go out and hit the best shots I can and it seems to be working.”

Steen said she is hitting the ball better than ever and is now more confident than ever.

“If I’m not confident in myself then who else is going to believe in me,” said Steen. “I just need to get out of my own way because that is one thing that has always held me back.”

Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Augusta James of Bath, Ont., sits T8 at 2-under. Lorie Kane, who was named for induction into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame as part of its 2016 class, opened at even-par.

Canadians in the field:

• T2: Samantha Richdale: -4 (68)
• T8: Augusta James: -2 (70)
• T19: Lorie Kane: E (72)
• T48: Rebecca Lee-Bentham: +2 (74)
• T64: Brittany Marchand: +3 (75)
• T64: Jessica Wallace: +3 (75)
• T84: Jennifer Kirby: +4 (76)
• T84: Sara-Maude Juneau: +4 (76)
• T107: Sue Kim: +6 (78)
• T153: Megan Osland: +13 (85)

MOKA, Trinidad & Tobago – Team Canada Men’s Development Squad won a one-hole playoff on Friday to finish second place and punch their ticket to the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan this upcoming June.

Canada’s struggles in Friday’s closing round made for an interesting finish down the stretch at St. Andrews Golf Club. The foursome let a seven-stroke advantage slip away to enter a playoff with host nation Trinidad & Tobago, eventually going on to win a nail-biting one-hole playoff.

The Mexican squad also earned a spot in Japan by cruising to a 13-stroke victory with an aggregate total of 652 (+4). They were led by Luis Carrera, who closed at 213 (-3) as the only competitor to score under-par for the tournament.

The Canucks were paced by Coquitlam, B.C., product A.J. Ewart, who led the team at 219 (+3) despite struggling with a final-round 80. Vaughan, Ont., native Tony Gil came in at 220 (+4) while teammate Jack Simpson of Aurora, Ont., ended with a 230 (+14). Quebec’s Charles-Éric Bélanger rounded out the squad, posting a 240 (+24).

The 2016 event will be contested in Japan from June 14–17. It is the world’s only junior golf championship in which 20 national teams—including winners of regional qualifiers held across six continents and 60 national teams—compete for the world championship trophy.

In 2015, the Men’s Development Squad placed sixth 15 strokes behind champion Japan. The best Canadian finish came in both 1994 and 2002 when the team took home runner-up honours.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Jordan Spieth atop the leaderboard might be the latest tradition at Augusta National.

One year later, he’s still the man to beat at the Masters.

Six tough par saves and six birdies sent Spieth to a 6-under 66 on Thursday and a two-shot lead in a strong wind that made Augusta National play tough for just about everyone except the defending champion.

Coming off his wire-to-wire victory last year, Spieth now has five straight rounds in the lead, and six out of the last seven when he was tied or leading. One more and he would match the longest streak since Arnold Palmer in 1960 and the opening two rounds of 1961.

And just like last year, now it’s time for the rest of the field to try to catch him.

“We’re through one round,” Spieth said. “There’s going to be a lot of different changes. There are going to be a lot of different birdies, bogeys and everything in between. We know how to win this golf tournament, and we believe in our process. And if the putts are dropping, then hopefully it goes our way.”

They were dropping, which is why Spieth had the only bogey-free round on a day where the wind made that seem unlikely.

He had a two-shot lead over Danny Lee and Shane Lowry.

Canada’s Mike Weir had a 4-over 76.

The battle among the modern “Big Three” and other top players expected to contend did not take shape.

Jason Day, the No. 1 player in the world and Masters favorite, was on the verge of catching Spieth until a mini-meltdown. He three-putted for bogey on the par-5 15th, pulled his tee shot into the water on the par-3 16th and made triple bogey, and then sailed the green on the 17th for another bogey. Just like that, the Australian was back to even par.

“It could happen to anyone,” Day said. “Even though I gave up five shots in three holes, I’m only six back. I know I can catch up.”

Right when Day was falling apart, McIlroy holed an 18-foot eagle putt on the 13th and looked to be on his way in his bid to win a green jacket and complete the career Grand Slam. He was within two shots of the lead until he three-putted the 16th for bogey and missed the 18th green to the right, was plugged in a bunker and dropped another shot for a 70. Even so, it was his best start since 2011.

“If somebody had given me a 70 on the first day, I would have taken it,” McIlroy said. “I’m a little disappointed in the way I finished.”

Bubba Watson, a two-time champion, had a 41 on the back nine and shot 75. He wasn’t even low Watson – 66-year-old Tom Watson, in his last Masters, shot 74. Adam Scott, coming off two victories in Florida last month, opened with a 76.

Rickie Fowler had his worst score ever at Augusta National by posting an 80, with 44 of those shots coming on the back nine.

Spieth simply picked up where he left off a year ago.

Never mind that he discovered a hairline crack in his driver during Wednesday practice and had to find a backup for the opening round. Or that he was hearing questions about what was wrong with his game from not having seriously contended in the last two months.

Spieth was at Augusta National, a course that feels like home for the 22-year-old Texan.

“That was a flawless round of golf,” said Paul Casey, who played with Spieth and posted a solid 69. “I played a wonderful round of golf, but it was great to have a front row seat to watch that.”

For all the birdies – none longer than 12 feet – the pars make Spieth look so tough to beat.

He settled himself early with a beautiful pitch across the first green to 2 feet. He pumped his fist with a tough pitch over the bunker and to the upper tier on No. 4. He gambled with a 4-iron through a tiny gap in the trees on the 11th and made it pay off with another par. On 16, he kept his card clean by ramming in a 15-foot par putt.

By the end of the day, no one could do better.

Casey was among five Europeans at 69, joining Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Soren Kjeldsen. Two more were at 70 – McIlroy and Danny Willett, along with Americans Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy.

Nine players couldn’t break 80, a group that included Ernie Els, who took six putts from 2 feet on the opening hole for a 9. He played the rest of the day at 1 over.

The day ended with a name at the top that was familiar.

“I would have signed for 2 under today and not even played the rough, knowing the conditions that were coming up,” Spieth said. “Just scored extremely well, which is something I’ve been struggling with this season. If I can kind of straighten out things with the iron play, hopefully we’ll be in business. But yeah, I’m extremely pleased with that round today. I felt like we stole a few.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Big Three for Jason Day on Thursday: 15, 16 and 17.

Had any of those holes gone better, golf’s Big Three would all be on the first page of the Masters leaderboard.

But Day went bogey-triple bogey-bogey on those three holes, dropping five shots down the stretch to finish the day at even-par 72.

That’s six behind the leader, second-ranked Jordan Spieth, and four in back of No. 3 Rory McIlroy, who finished at 2 under, in a tie for ninth.

“I felt I played some really good golf going up until then,” said Day, who won the PGA Championship last year and is currently atop the world ranking. “I was at 5-under par. But if you get yourself out of position here at this course, it’s very difficult to salvage par.”

Here’s what “out of position” looked like with the wind whipping around the back nine:

– On the par-5 15th, Day laid up and gave himself an awkward yardage for his pitch across the pond. He ended up easing up on a 52-degree wedge from 83 yards and pushing it right, above the hole, then three-putted for bogey.

– On the par-3 16th, he was trying to tuck a shot onto the small slice of green between the water and the hole, which was positioned in the centre left. “I just pulled it a little to the left,” and into the water, he said. After the penalty, not wanting to make that mistake again, he hit his third shot to the right. That forced him to hit a 40-foot putt on a 90-degree angle away from the hole, hoping to work it down the slope and near the cup; very hard to get down in two, and he didn’t.

– On 17, he yanked his tee shot under trees on the left, punched out to the right of the green and couldn’t get up and down to save par.

“Four bad holes, really, in among some really terrific golf,” Day said.

Thanks to an eagle 3 on the par-5 second and a birdie on No. 8, Day finished the front in 31. That 41 on the back brought made it an even-par round that was anything but ordinary.

“If I’d shot 41 on the front and 31 on the back side, I’d be celebrating,” he said. “It’s just a number. I’ve just got to understand that the next two days are going to be really difficult, with the wind conditions.”

The breezes are expected in the 15 mph range the next two days. That, in Day’s view, means nobody will run away with the tournament.

His job: Stay patient and stick around. Which, he said, shouldn’t be that hard.

“I’m not frustrated with how it all unfolded at the end,” Day said. “I’m not saying I don’t care. I can’t dwell on the past. I just have to keep fighting.”