SAN DIEGO – Diana M. Murphy, of St. Simons Island, Ga., has been elected to serve a one-year term as the 64th president of the United States Golf Association (USGA). The election of officers and the 15-member USGA Executive Committee also took place today during the USGA Annual Meeting.

As president, Murphy assumes the leadership of the more than 300 professional staff and nearly 1,200 volunteers who serve on more than 30 USGA committees.

“Although golf will always face challenges, the great golfers – such as Bob Jones, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and my dear friend Louise Suggs – had one trait in common: they were optimistic about their games and the game,” said Murphy after her election. “It is a time for all of us, together, to be positive about golf and act accordingly.”

A full version of Murphy’s speech can be found here.

Murphy has been formally associated with the USGA since 1996, when she began a 12-year tenure on the USGA Membership Committee. She joined the Executive Committee in 2011, and has chaired several committees, including the Championship (2015), Commercial (2012-13), Compensation (2014-15), Finance (2012-14) and U.S. Senior Amateur Championship (2014) committees. She was elected treasurer in 2013 and vice president in 2014 and 2015.

Murphy, 59, is the managing director of Rocksolid Holdings, LLC, a private-equity firm focused on small business and real estate in the Southeast. She is also managing director of the Georgia Research Alliance Venture Fund, which supports the state’s public and private research universities. Past appointments include managing director of Chartwell Capital Management Company, a private-equity firm in Jacksonville, Fla., for 11 years, and senior vice president of The Baltimore Sun Company for 15 years.

An active community supporter, Murphy has served on the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Georgia since 2006, spearheading the establishment of the Elizabeth F. Correll Teen Center in 2008, among other activities. She is a member of the executive committee of the College of Coastal Georgia, and played an instrumental role in developing its master plan as it moved from a two-year to a four-year institution. She is the non-executive chairman of Landstar System Inc. and a board member of CTS Corporation, both public companies.

Murphy earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from West Virginia University in 1978, and holds an advanced executive business degree from Northwestern University.

She is the second woman in the association’s 121-year history to serve as president, following Judy Bell, who was president in 1996 and 1997.

Two other current members of the Executive Committee have been elected to serve as officers. They are: Sheila C. Johnson, of Middleburg, Va., continuing as secretary, and George J. Still Jr., of Atherton, Calif., as treasurer.

The other 10 current members of the Executive Committee who are continuing their service are: William E. Fallon, of Pittsburgh, Pa.; J. Stuart Francis, of Hillsborough, Calif.; C. Malcolm Holland III, of Dallas, Texas; G. Thomas Hough, of Atlanta, Ga.; Robert D. Kain, of Gates Mill, Ohio; Martha J. Lang, of Birmingham, Ala.; Gregory B. Morrison, of Duluth, Ga.; Asuka Nakahara, of Merion, Pa.; Mark E. Newell, of McLean, Va.; and Mark P. Reinemann, of Pewaukee, Wis.

Two new members were elected to the Executive Committee for 2016: J. Michael Bailey, of Salt Lake City, Utah; and Clifford J. Shahbaz, of Portland, Ore. Robert C. Weber, of Hobe Sound, Fla., has been elected general counsel.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Rickie Fowler broke down in tears in the media center after his playoff loss Sunday in the Waste Management Phoenix Open, overcome by emotion talking about his family.

“The hard part is having all my friends and family and grandpa and my dad who haven’t seen me win,” Fowler said. “But I will be able to kind of hang with them tonight. I’ll be all right.”

He hit two balls into the water on the par-4 17th hole – the first in regulation and the second on the fourth and final extra hole – to give Hideki Matsuyama an unexpected victory.

“This one hurts,” Fowler said.

He blew a two-shot lead on the 317-yard 17th in regulation when he blasted a driver through the green and into the water, with the ball traveling nearly 360 yards.

“I’m hitting a chip-cut driver,” Fowler said. “Usually, don’t expect it to hit on the downslope and then go 360.”

Using a 3-wood on the hole in the playoff, he pulled his drive into the lake just short of the green.

“Hit it solid,” Fowler said. “Just hit it a little high on the face and it just got up and left a little quicker than I was expecting and wanted.”

Matsuyama birdied the hole in regulation to tie for the lead, chipping to 2 1/2 feet. In the playoff, he chipped to 6 feet and two-putted for the win after Fowler missed his 10-foot par putt.

“Surprised and sad that Rickie finished that way, but all I can do is my best,” Matsuyama said through a translator. “I was lucky to come out on top.”

Fowler forced the playoff with a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th after Matsuyama made an 18-footer. They each shot 4-under 67 to finish at 14-under 270 at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course.

“The putt I made there was probably the best putt I have ever made in my life,” Matsuyama said.

The playoff was just as dramatic.

On the par-4 10th on the third extra hole, Fowler saved par with a 12-foot putt after driving into the left rough and skulling his approach long and right. Matsuyama made a 5-footer to extend the playoff.

They played the 18th hole twice to open overtime. On the first extra hole, Fowler chipped to a foot to set up a par after leaving his wedge approach short and right. Matsuyama rolled his 25-foot putt inside a foot. On the second playoff hole, Matsuyama matched Fowler’s 15-foot birdie putt to extend it.

“Maybe from the outside it looked calm, but then I was nervous inside,” Matsuyama said.

The crowd of 65,330 pushed the week total to a record 618,365, shattering the mark of 564,368 set last year. The event broke its own golf record Saturday at 201,003 after drawing a Friday-record 160,415.

“It was a blast playing in front of all these people,” Matsuyama said. “I’d say probably 99 percent were cheering hard for Rickie, but that gave me the motivation to go out and do it and win.”

Matsuyama won the 2014 Memorial for his only other PGA Tour title, beating Kevin Na on the first extra hole. The 23-year-old Japanese player tied for second last year in Scottsdale, a stroke behind Brooks Koepka.

Fowler missed a chance for his fifth worldwide win in nine months. He started the run in May at The Players Championship, and won the Scottish Open the week before the British Open, the Deutsche Bank Championship in September and the European Tour event two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi.

“With how good I’m playing, I know I can win,” Fowler said. “That’s the hard part.”

Fowler chipped in from 50 feet for birdie on the par-4 10th to take the lead and added birdies on the par-5 13th and 15th holes to pull two shots ahead. He missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th, the tournament’s signature stadium hole, before giving Matsuyama a chance with the long tee shot on 17.

“It didn’t look very good,” Matsuyama said. “Then Rickie opened the door for me, and I was able to walk through it.”

Harris English shot a 66 to tie for third at 12 under.

Abbotsford, B.C., native Adam Hadwin was the top Canadian after shooting a 3-under 68 on Sunday. Hadwin rose 14 spots to 17th place with a 6-under 278 for the tournament. Nick Taylor, also from Abbotsford, shots a 2-over 73 and entered the clubhouse with a 5-over 289.

Third-round leader Danny Lee had a 73 to drop to fourth at 11 under. The South Korean-born New Zealander began the day three strokes ahead of playing partners Fowler and Matsuyama.

Phil Mickelson followed his third-round 65 with a 71 to tie for 11th at 8 under. The 45-year-old former Arizona State won the event in 1996, 2005 and 2013.

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Esteban Toledo parred the third playoff hole Sunday to win the Allianz Championship over Billy Andrade on a cold, windy day at Broken Sound Club.

Toledo made a 4-foot par putt after Andrade’s 5-foot par try lipped out on the par-4 17th hole. Three of Toledo’s four PGA Tour Champions titles have come in playoffs. Toledo (67) and Andrade (68) finished at 11-under 205.

Andrade had a chance to win in regulation but missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. It looked like he was going to lose on the first playoff hole when his second shot landed in the palmetto bushes, but he saved par.

It was the fourth playoff in the last seven years at the Allianz Championship.

Tom Byrum shot the best round of the tournament, an 8-under 64, to jump from 32nd into a third-place tie with Jeff Sluman (70).

Tom Lehman could have made it a three-way playoff, but he failed to birdie the par-5 18th, which played the easiest on the course (4.47). A bogey dropped Lehman (72) into fifth place.

Second-round leader Corey Pavin extended his advantage to two shots on the front nine but made six bogeys and faded to 10th after a 75. Pavin has just one victory in 112 starts on the PGA Tour Champions, and that came at the 2012 Allianz Championship.

Canada’s Stephen Ames carded a final round 72 to tie for 15th. Compatriot Rod Spittle finished with a share of 19th after a 69 Saturday.

SEA ISLAND, Ga. – Blair Hamilton’s best efforts to become the third consecutive Amateur Squad member to win the Jones Cup came up short on Sunday, carding a final round 76 to finish runner-up at the Ocean Forest Golf Club.

The Burlington, Ont., native held a share of the lead heading into Sunday’s final but could not hold off the surging world No. 5 ranked Beau Hossler of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., who fired a 2-under 70 to leapfrog Hamilton for the victory. With the win, Hossler earned the largest margin of victory for any champion in Jones Cup history (six strokes).

Hamilton, a senior at the University of Houston, finished at 4-over par (71-73-76) to share runner-up honours with Matthew NeSmith of North Augusta, S.C.

Fellow Team Canada members Stuart Macdonald (Vancouver) and Hugo Bernard (Mont-St-Hilaire, Que.) were also in action, finishing T35 and 77^th, respectively.

Former Amateur Squad member and dual citizen Austin Connelly of Irving, Tex., and Young Pro Squad member Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., were past champions in 2015 and 2014.

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BOGOTA, Colombia – Sebastian Munoz won his hometown Club Colombia Championship on Sunday for his first Web.com Tour victory, two-putting for birdie from 45 feet on the par-5 18th for a one-stroke victory.

Playing on a sponsor exemption, Munoz became the first Colombian winner in the history of the tour.

The 23-year-old former North Texas player finished off a 5-under 66 in the morning in the completion of the suspended third round and shot a 71 in the afternoon at Bogota Country Club. He finished at 12-under 272 and earned $126,000.

Matt Atkins and Richy Werenski each shot 68 to tie for second.

Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Taylor Pendrith carded a 69 to share 4th with American Trey Mullinax (70) at 10 under.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Danny Willett withstood the pressure and made a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win the Dubai Desert Classic title by one shot on Sunday.

The 28-year-old Willett closed with 3-under par 69 at Emirates Golf Club to finish on a 19 under 269, one shot better than fellow Englishman Andy Sullivan (68) and Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello (69).

Both Sullivan and Cabrera-Bello had set the marker with birdies on the final hole to take the clubhouse lead. Willett was one-over par for his last four holes after a bogey on the 14th.

But he made the birdie when it mattered most. He had to lay up from the rough on the 18th hole, and his third shot left him with a difficult downhill putt, which he read to perfection.

It was the fourth European Tour victory for Willett, who finished second in the Race to Dubai to Rory McIlroy last year.

The two pre-tournament favorites – McIlroy (65) and Henrik Stenson (66) – finished tied for sixth on 273.

Korea’s Byeong Hun-An (65) and Spain’s Alvaro Quiros (65) were in joint fourth on 272.

“I am just ecstatic,” said Willett, who made six birdies during the final round to go along with bogeys on the 2nd, 9th and 14th holes. “You can’t buy that feeling, you know, what it’s like coming down the back nine, the back three, in contention of a golf tournament. It’s something that you can’t pay for in life. You’ve got to earn it.

“Obviously, coming down the last with all the situations that were going on – Sully (Sullivan) just birdied, Rafa (Cabrera-Bello) hit it two-on . it was just nice to know that I can dig deep there and produce what I can.”

For Sullivan, it was the second straight runner-up finish in Dubai, having finished behind McIlroy at the DP World Tour Championship in November. But the 28-year-old Englishman was feeling more sorry for the small group of supporters from his home town of Nuneaton, who were following him around.

“Every time they have been there, I think I’ve done well. It’s been awesome,” said Sullivan, who had his “Team Sulli” in attendance during November’s tournament as well.

“I feel a little bit gutted for the two times they come to Dubai and I have been a bridesmaid both times, but I’m sure they are proud,” he said. “Fair play to Dan, holing that putt, that was a tough putt.”

McIlroy was happy with his closing 65, but disappointed he could not do any better than 15 under.

“It’s sort of a week of what could have been. There was a lot of really good golf in there. I played a lot of great shots and made a lot of birdies, but just made a few too many mistakes, as well,” said the Northern Irishman.

“I’ll rue the two front nines that I played on Friday and Saturday. Played the combined front nine 5-over par there and if I had not of done that, things could have been different.”

OCALA, Fla – Canadian Brooke Henderson had to settle for second Saturday at the LPGA Tour’s Coates Championship.

The 18-year-old native of Smiths Falls, Ont., finished two shots back of Ha Na Jang, who captured her first career LPGA Tour title. Jang made a late birdie to take the lead en route to a final-round 72.

Henderson also shot a 72 but had two bogeys over the final five holes.

“Starting the day, if I would have finished second, I would have been very happy,” Henderson said.

“A couple putts on the back nine kind of cost me, but overall it was a good day, and I’m right in position where I want to be.”

Jang reclaimed the lead with a 5-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole.

“It’s amazing how I feel right now,” said the 23-year-old Korean, who was in tears after making one last birdie that only affected the margin.

She finished at 11-under 277 and earned $225,000.

Lydia Ko, the LPGA player of the year making her 2016 debut, was tied with Jang after they completed the third round Saturday morning at Golden Ocala.

Ko, however, fell apart in the middle of the final round. She made three straight bogeys to finish the back nine, then hit her tee shot into the water and made double bogey on the par-3 11th to fall five shots behind. She ran off three straight birdies late in her round to try to stay in it.

Ko closed with a 75 and tied for third, three shots behind.

“I just couldn’t get anything going today,” Ko said. “I wasn’t hitting the ball great, and the putts weren’t dropping, either. When those two combinations go, you know you’re not going to make a lot of great birdies. But I finished strong, so I’ll take that.”

Henderson had the lead until a pair of three-putt bogeys over the final five holes as the rain worsened, forming puddles on the edges of the green. The greens crew used leaf blowers on some of the puddles to help the water evaporate.

Henderson tried to lay up on the par-5 18th with a hybrid and came within an inch of the hazard. With an awkward stance and a tough lie, she chunked a wedge to the front of the green, some 75 feet away, and did well to two-putt for par.

She posted at 9-under 279, and then waited to see if it would be enough for a playoff.

Sei Young Kim was at 9 under and had a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole that misses on the right edge. Kim then missed the 3-foot par putt and finished at 8-under 280. Suzann Pettersen was in range until she fell back with consecutive bogeys.

Lexi Thompson also had a chance until a peculiar decision on the par-3 15th. Thompson was two shots out of the lead when she chose to putt through about 6 feet of wet, Bermuda rough because the green sloped away from her. The ball moved only about 4 feet, and then she used putter again and barely got it out of the thick grass and onto the green. Thompson made double bogey.

Jang was 2 over for the final round after a three-putt bogey on the 14th and one shot behind. Henderson was on the 17th and three-putted to slip into a tie, and Jang pumped her fist when she made a 5-foot birdie on the 16th to take the lead.

She made a par without stress on the 17th, and played the 18th to perfection. The only nervous moment was her third shot to the 18th, which featured a back pin with a puddle on the back edge and wet rough over the green. Jang’s wedge flew all the way to the pin and checked up on the soft surface. She needed only two putts from 6 feet to win, and rolled in the centre for birdie.

Jang was 15th on the LPGA money list last year as a rookie, when she was runner-up four times. The player of the year on the Korean LPGA in 2013, Jang is projected to move into the top 10 in the Rolex Women’s World Ranking. She was a runner-up at the Coates Golf Championship last year.

“I’m really comfortable at this golf course, and then very confident because of really good last year,” she said.

U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun had a 70 and joined Ko and Kim at 8-under 280.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Danny Lee knew there was a huge crowd Saturday at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He still was amazed when told just how many people packed TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course.

“Two-hundred thousand?” Lee asked, making sure he heard right.

Actually, an estimated 201,003 – the largest crowd in golf history.

“Wow! This is crazy,” Lee said.

Lee had some pretty good numbers of his own on a sunny, warm afternoon at golf’s biggest party, shooting a 4-under 67 to move three strokes ahead of friend Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama with one round left.

“Taking slow breath out there really helps,” Lee said about the wild atmosphere.

The previous largest crowd at the Stadium Course was 189,722 in 2014. The event also set a day record Friday at 160,415, and has drawn 535,035 for the first six days – close to the weekly mark of 564,368 set last year.

“I’m just trying to enjoy myself and I am,” Lee said. “It’s so much fun out there, so many people just cheering for Rickie instead of me, unfortunately. But I’m having fun.”

Lee had six birdies and two bogeys to reach 13-under 200. The 25-year-old South Korean-born New Zealander won the Greenbrier Classic last year for his first PGA Tour title.

“Winning at the Greenbrier Classic gave me a lot of confidence,” Lee said. “It kind of taught me how to be on the top and what I need to work on and what it takes to win a golf tournament.”

He’s making his fourth appearance in the event after missing the cuts the last three years.

“I always struggled with my tee-shot game out here,” Lee said. “This week, I have been driving it really nicely.”

Fowler parred the final five holes for a 70. Matsuyama had a 68.

“I just didn’t get much out of the round,” said Fowler, at No. 4 the top-ranked player in the field. “Just kind of managed it well and played with what I had to get around.”

Second-round leader James Hahn had a 74 to fall into a tie for seventh at 7 under. Tied with Lee for the lead at 12 under after the 11th hole, he dropped five strokes on the next three holes.

Hahn bogeyed the par-3 12th and made double bogeys on par-5 13th and par-4 14th. He drove left into the desert on 13, then hit his tee shot out-of-bounds to the right on the long, uphill 14th after a fan distracted him at the top of his swing.

Lee birdied Nos. 2-4, making a 21-footer on the par-4 fourth, and holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the par-4 eighth.

After a three-putt bogey on the par-4 11th left him tied with Hahn, Lee got up-and-down for par from the greenside bunker on 12 to pull ahead. Hahn and Fowler bogeyed the hole from the same bunker.

Lee birdied 13, but gave back the stroke with a bogey on the par-5 15th after driving left into the water. The 2008 U.S. Amateur champion got back to 13 under with a 9-foot birdie putt on the short par-4 17th.

Fowler got a break on the 15th when his hybrid from the right rough ballooned short and right and stopped a foot short of the water.

“It came out soft and floated on me,” Fowler said. “Got a little lucky there.”

He won two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi for his fourth worldwide victory in nine months.

Matsuyama chipped in for birdie on the par-4 14th and two-putted for birdie on 15. The 23-year-old Japanese player tied for second last year, a stroke behind Brooks Koepka.

“I didn’t putt very well today,” Matsuyama said through a translator. “I didn’t drive the ball very well, but I did get it around. I’m happy with that.”

Bryce Molder and Boo Weekley were 9 under. Molder closed with an 18-foot putt on the par-4 ninth for a 64, the best round of the week. Weekley birdied three of the last four holes for a 65.

Phil Mickelson was 8 under after 65. The 45-year-old former Arizona State player made an unlikely birdie on 15 when his hybrid from 255 yards went so far right that it crossed the lake and ended up in the 11th fairway. He hit a wedge to 15 feet and made the putt.

“It was the worst shot of the year and I ended up making a birdie,” said Mickelson, the tournament winner in 1996, 2005 and 2013.

Bubba Watson had his first over-par round ever at TPC Scottsdale, shooting a 73 to drop to 2 under. He shot par or better in his first 36 rounds in the tournament.

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Corey Pavin birdied his last hole Saturday to shoot a 4-under 68 and take a one-shot lead over Tom Lehman into the final round of the Allianz Championship.

Pavin’s only win in 111 starts on the PGA Tour Champions came at the 2012 Allianz. He is at 10-under 134 after two trips around The Old Course at Broken Sound Club.

Lehman also birdied the par-5 closing hole for a 68. He won the 2011 Allianz Championship.

Joe Durant shot a bogey-free 66 and is tied for third with Jeff Sluman at 8-under 136.

Doug Garwood, who started on the back nine, made a run at a 59 but finished bogey-double, bogey for a 65. He was 10-under through 14 holes.

Garwood went to college at Fresno State with Kevin Sutherland, the only player to shoot 59 on the Champions tour.

After a 68 today, Canada’s Stephen Ames sits T18 at 5-under 139 heading to Sunday’s final round. Compatriot Rod Spittle had a 70 and is T39 (143).

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Danny Willett shot a second successive round of seven-under par 65 to enjoy a one-shot advantage on top of the Dubai Desert Classic leaderboard after the third round Saturday.

The Englishman, who made a gallant attempt to win the European Tour number one crown but eventually finished second to Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai, moved to 16-under par for the tournament, with 2012 champion Rafael Cabrera-Bello in second place at 15-under with his third consecutive round of 67.

Defending champion McIlroy saved his round with another blistering back nine performance, but will begin the final day eight shots behind Willett at 208 after a four-under par 68 round.

England’s Andy Sullivan (66), who finished runner-up to McIlroy in November’s DP World Tour Championship, was third at 202, Netherland’s Joost Luiten (67) fourth at 203 and recent Joburg Open winner, Hadyn Porteus of South Africa, fifth at 204.

Four-time major champion Ernie Els, who started the day just one shot behind the leader, struggled to a two-over par 74 round and fell back to a tie for 28th place at seven-under par.

Willett’s only bogey of the day came on the par-4 12th hole, one of the toughest on the course. But he made amends in stunning fashion when he made a 40-feet eagle putt on the next hole, the par-5 13th, and jumped out of the logjam as a sole leader.

Another birdie on the 17th gave him further cushion, and Willett said after the round: “Back-to-back 65s don’t happen that often. Just some great golf yesterday and today. Kept the ball under fantastic control with some crosswinds, hit it in there close. Did everything right really.

“A couple hiccups in there today where it could have been a little different but kept the head on and kept moving forward.

“I think if anyone says they don’t think about it (how the round will play when leading), they are lying. You think about it, you get into your head, you kind of go through scenarios, bad and good and try to even them out so that when you come out.”

Cabrera-Bello, who was fast off the blocks with an eagle on the third, where he holed his bunker shot, and a long, 30-feet birdie putt on the fourth, wasn’t getting carried away about the possibility of winning a second Desert Classic.

“That really would be amazing, but there’s still a lot to play for. I need to play aggressive, keep playing as good as I have been to give myself a chance,” Cabrera-Bello said.

“Lots of players are not far off the lead and all of them are going to have a chance tomorrow and they are definitely as hungry as I am, if not more. So I just have to play my best, stay positive, and try to make lots of birdies.”

McIlroy, who played the back nine in six-under par, did not rule out his chances on Sunday, but admitted it would be a tough task.

“I would have to play the front nine much better than I have the last two days. I’ve played it in five-over and that’s just not good enough,” said the world number two, who could also slip to third in the world ranking if he did not finish inside the top-eight.

“It’s going to be a long shot. I came back from seven shots behind at Wentworth (2014 PGA Championship), so it’s not out of the realms of possibility, but this is a great field and I’ll need the wind to blow this afternoon.”