SEA ISLAND, Ga. – Four of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad members are set to tee-it-up on Friday at the Jones Cup Invitational at the Ocean Forest Golf Club.

Blair Hamilton (Burlington, Ont.), Eric Banks (Truro, N.S.), Hugo Bernard (Mont-St-Hilaire, Que.) and Stuart Macdonald (Vancouver) will each look to become the third consecutive Canadian to win the event. Former Amateur Squad member and dual citizen Austin Connelly of Austin, Tex., took home the honours in 2015, with current Young Pro Squad member Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., winning the hardware the year before.

The Canadian foursome will tee-it-up against a strong international field when the 54-hole stroke-play event kicks off Friday morning. Jared du Toit (Kimberley, B.C.), the fifth member of the Amateur Squad, is competing in Hawaii for Arizona State’s first event back after the break.

First contested in 2001, the Jones Cup boasts an impressive list of past participants including PGA TOUR stars Luke Donald, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker and Bubba Watson.

Click here for live scoring.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Bubba Watson repeated that he doesn’t like TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course. He also said he loves everything else about the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

“I will have to say, I have to apologize,” Watson said Friday, two days after criticizing the renovated course and saying he was only playing the tournament out of loyalty to his sponsors.

“I used the wrong words. I have nothing against the fans and the tournament. The fans have been great. I love coming here. I’ve lived here every winter for eight years. This is a beautiful place. And the reason why I’m here is because of the excitement around this golf tournament. The fans have been great.

“I used words that I shouldn’t have used. I didn’t explain myself well. My wife says that, too, when I go home. I don’t communicate very well. … It was about the golf course. I’m not a fan of the golf course.”

Two days earlier, Watson was blunt when asked about the course.

“I don’t like it,” Watson said Wednesday. “I’m not going to PC it. I don’t like it at all. … Obviously, I’m here because of my sponsors and everything. … I’ve got three beautiful sponsors that love it here.”

The long-hitting Watson has had a lot success on the desert layout that Tom Weiskopf renovated in 2014. The two-time Masters champion tied for second the last two years and has shot par or better in all 36 of his career rounds in the event, playing to a cumulative 97 under.

“I have played well because we all made the tournament bomb and gouge,” Watson said Friday after his second 2-under 69. “If you notice, the big hitters are hitting it hard and hopefully get the right breaks. … Over the last couple of years, I have made some putts. So far these two days, I just haven’t made putts.”

Watson threw socks – from sponsor Stance Socks – to some fans on the par-3 16th hole, the tournament’s signature stadium hole. He three-putted for bogey on the rowdy hole, missing a 4-footer.

“They love me again,” Watson said. “That’s why I bring the stuff, so they all love me no matter how I hit it.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Rickie Fowler overcame some bad shots for a share of the lead Thursday in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Phil Mickelson compounded his mistakes and fell back.

After an hour-long frost delay at chilly TPC Scottsdale, Fowler played the first six holes in 5 under. A group behind, Mickelson took the lead at 5 under with a birdie on his eighth hole.

While Fowler finished with a 6-under 65 to tie Shane Lowry and Hideki Matsuyama for the lead in the suspended first round, Mickelson had a 69 after dropping four strokes in a two-hole stretch.

“I made some good putts to start,” Fowler said. “Just kind of got everything going. Made a couple of bad swings. Cost me a little bit, but other than that, nice way to get off to a good start.”

Mickelson bogeyed the par-3 fourth after hitting short and right and failing to reach the green with his second, and unraveled with a triple bogey on the par-4 fifth. He drove out of bounds to the right, hit his second tee shot into the right bunker and three-putted from 50 feet.

“I hit a bad shot at the wrong time,” Mickelson said. “It’s the tightest hole out there. You miss the fairway 5 yards left, you’re in the wash, in the hazard. You miss it right of the bunker, you’re out of bounds. … I’m not going to dwell on the one bad one because there were really a lot of good ones.”

The best one was on the par-5 13th – his fourth hole of the day – when he hit a 252-yard hybrid approach to 2 1/2 feet to set up an eagle.

Winless in 48 events since the 2013 British Open, the 45-year-old former Arizona State player is working with swing coach Andrew Getson after splitting with Butch Harmon. Lefty tied for third two weeks ago at La Quinta in his season debut and missed the cut last week at Torrey Pines.

“When you don’t score as low as you feel like you’re playing, it can be frustrating, but for me, I find it to be more encouraging that I’m making a lot of birdies,” said Mickelson, the tournament winner in 1996, 2005 and 2013.

Fowler also missed the cut at Torrey Pines after winning the European Tour event in Abu Dhabi the previous week. He has four worldwide victories in the last nine months.

“I know I have been swinging well and playing well,” Fowler said. “I just didn’t make anything last week.”

Fowler opened with a birdie on the par-4 10th as the temperature crawled into the 40s, holing a 16-foot putt. He made a 35-footer on the 12th, two-putted for birdie on the 13th and made a 28-foot eagle putt on the par-5 15th after hitting a 258-yard shot over the water.

“I had a good number in there,” Fowler said. “Actually, put a 5-wood in play last week, a new one.”

The top-ranked player in the field at No. 4, Fowler bogeyed the par-3 16th after drawing an awkward lie in the right bunker. He birdied the short par-4 17th, and bogeyed the par-4 18th after driving left into the water. On his back nine, he got up-and-down for birdie from a greenside bunker on the par-5 third and closed with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-4 ninth.

Lowry birdied seven of his first 13 holes, then bogeyed the next two.

“I got to 7 under and just became a little bit tense there,” the Irishman said. “That’s something that I need to work on. … It’s a bad mistake if you don’t learn from it.”

Matsuyama was in one of the last groups to finish before play was stopped because of darkness.

India’s Anirban Lahiri was a stroke back at 66, and Bryce Molder also was 5 under with two holes left. He was one of 33 players who failed to finish.

Bubba Watson opened with a 69, finishing in fading light a day after saying he doesn’t like the renovated course and is only playing the tournament out of loyalty to his sponsors. The two-time Masters champion tied for second the last two seasons.

The crowd was estimated at 101,021. The first-round record of 118,461 was set last year with Tiger Woods in the field.

Graham DeLeat leads the Canadians in the field. The Weyburn, Sask., native is 1-over after a 72, which included a near ace at the infamous par-3 16th.

OCALA, Fla. – Lydia Ko played enough golf Thursday to catch up to the lead. She just didn’t play enough to finish the rain-delayed second round of the Coates Golf Championship.

Ko, the No. 1 player in golf making her 2016 debut, was 4-under par for her round and had a 15-foot birdie putt on her final hole at the par-4 ninth hole at Golden Ocala when the horn sounded to stop play because of thunderstorms in the area.

Ko was 7 under for the tournament, tied with Ha Na Jang.

Jang, who opened with a 65, didn’t hit a shot Thursday. She was to tee off in the afternoon, but within an hour of play being stopped, several greens already were flooded. Play was suspended for the rest of the day and will resume on Friday.

The 72-hole tournament is scheduled to end Saturday.

Haru Nomura made seven birdies for a 66 and finished two rounds at 6-under 136.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson was in a large group at 4 under that included Michelle Wie, Suzann Pettersen, U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun, Lexi Thompson and Juli Inkster, who birdied her opening hole of the second round before the storms arrived.

Henderson has three holes to play in her second round.

Ko started quickly Thursday by opening with two birdies. But she birdied only one of the par 5s, though she never missed a fairway.

“I felt more comfortable today. I was pretty pleased to see all my balls finish in the fairway,” Ko said.

Ko played with Morgan Pressel, who was 3 under, and Paula Creamer, who was even. They could tell storm clouds approaching and Creamer jokingly said that play would be stopped right before they finished. All they could do was laugh when they reached the ninth green to mark their golf balls.

“At least we don’t have to go back to the range,” Pressel said.

Ko, the 18-year-old from New Zealand, is coming off a five-victory season that included her first major (Evian Championship in France) and LPGA player of the year. She conceded to having some rust during her start on Wednesday, though she was dialed in for much of her second round until the rain arrived.

“Last year was an awesome year, so much better than I ever expected,” Ko said. “Things I only dreamt of happened. But you have to forget about it. It’s a whole new year. Obviously, you come into the year with a bit of confidence, but you never know what’s going to happen.”

Pettersen started with a 73. After making the turn, she birdied five of the next six holes – the exception was the par-5 fifth hole – to get within range. Pettersen played with Stacy Lewis (1 over) and Alison Lee, with whom Pettersen was involved in a bitter rules controversy at the Solheim Cup last year over a putt that Pettersen said was never conceded. Pettersen said there was no drama with the group and the media “want to make it another story.”

“Alison and I are pretty good friends,” she said. “I’m very happy with the way I’m playing.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Rory McIlroy started the defense of his Dubai Desert Classic title with a bogey but battled back to post a 4-under 68 on Thursday, leaving him two shots off the lead.

McIlroy bogeyed two of the easiest holes on the course – the par-5 10th, which was his first hole, and the driveable par-4 second – but also had six birdies to put him close behind leader Alex Noren of Sweden.

“I thought I did well, considering the start and having some of the shots I hit throughout the round,” McIlroy said. “A 68 was probably a fair reflection of how I played. I don’t feel like I could have really gone any lower than that but at the same time, I gave myself enough chances to make some birdies.”

Ernie Els, the most successful player in the history of the tournament with three titles and eight other top-10 finishes, matched McIlroy’s 68. The four-time major champion hit 17 greens and putted well with his new grip.

Four players were tied at 5-under 67 – Sweden’s Peter Hanson, Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Australia’s Brett Rumford and South African Trevor Fisher Jr.

Henrik Stenson of Sweden, playing alongside McIlroy, opened with a 3-under 69.

The new changes in the course, where the fairways have been made firmer and grass has been shaved off the fringe of the greens, troubled McIlroy, who has never finished outside the top 10 in his last six starts at the Emirates Golf Club.

On McIlroy’s first hole, his second shot landed on the green and rolled off into the back bunker, from where he needed two shots to come out. Then, on the par-5 dogleg 18th, he hit a towering draw with his driver but the ball went through the fairway and into the water hazard. McIlroy then hit a great third shot from 198 yards and walked away with an unlikely birdie.

“All in all, a decent day, decent score,” he said. “I think with the way the weather conditions are, it’s made the golf course quite tricky out there. I don’t think I’ll ever hit as many bunker shots.”

The United States Golf Association hosted 125 industry experts Jan. 19-20 at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena, Calif., for the Association’s Pace and Innovation Symposium.

The two-day symposium marked the third time that the USGA has brought together experts and leaders from throughout the industry to discuss the issues that often serve as barriers to participation and enjoyment of the game.

Golf Canada continues to work with the USGA and R&A in the administration of golf and the rules of golf, and pace of play is certainly one area that has been under the microscope.  A lot of research and studies have been conducted to help all of us gain a clear understanding of all the variables that affect pace of play. Ultimately, everyone has a role to play in ensuring that pace of play does not have a negative impact on a golfer’s experience.

Golf Canada will continue to work with our national and provincial partners, including course owners/operators, manager, superintendents and PGA of Canada professionals to communicate best practices and address factors that contribute to pace of play.

Here are a few aspects to consider that could improve pace of play:

• Minimize time on the tee and between shots – encourage your group to play “ready golf”, keep your pre-shot routine to a minimum and place your clubs in a convenient location in relation to the path to your next shot (i.e. close to the next tee when you’re near the green).
• Keep up with the group in front – your goal should be to keep up with the group in front, not immediately in front of the group behind.  A good rule is to arrive at the location of your next shot as the group in front is leaving your landing area.
• Tee it Forward – this initiative encourages all golfers to play the course at a length that is aligned with their average driving distance. For more information, click here.
• Other forms of play – match play, stableford, best-ball and foursomes are a few examples that take less time to play while still offering a fun and competitive environment
• Course set-up – courses should set up the course to encourage a good pace by having a reasonable height for rough, appropriate green speed for the contour of your greens, clearly identified yardage markers and fair hole locations.
• Play 9 – if you don’t have time to play a full 18-hole round, we encourage everyone to get out and play nine holes.  This is in accordance with the rules of golf and Golf Canada’s Handicap System.

If you have any suggestions, please feel free to email them to me at ahelmer@golfcanada.ca.

KELOWNA, B.C. – The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and GolfBC announced today a new official event for 2016, the GolfBC Championship, which will focus on making a positive charitable impact in the Kelowna area.

The inaugural event will take place June 6-12, 2016 at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf and Country Club in Kelowna. GolfBC, which owns and operates a collection of world-class courses throughout British Columbia and in Hawaii, will be the title sponsor as part of a four-year agreement.

“We’re thrilled to be adding a new event in the Okanagan Valley to our schedule, especially one that will be focused on charity and giving back to the community,” said Mackenzie Tour President Jeff Monday. “This event will provide a tremendous opportunity and platform for our players to achieve their goals of making the next step on the path to the PGA TOUR.”

Gallagher’s Canyon, a 6,802-yard Bill Robinson design considered to be one of the top courses in the Okanagan Valley, will host the event.

“GolfBC is very proud and excited to help bring such a prestigious event to the Okanagan. The GolfBC Championship will host some of the finest young golf talent and prepare them for the next step in their professional careers,” said Andy Hedley, Vice President of Operations for GolfBC, adding “We are very excited that this event will showcase Gallagher’s Canyon – one of GolfBC’s most distinctive and popular designs – as well as generate a significant contribution to one of our preferred charity beneficiaries, the BC Cancer Foundation.”

As with every Mackenzie Tour tournament, raising support for charity will be a key priority for the event. Last year saw charitable donations by Mackenzie Tour events increase by 60.5%, rising to a total of more than $1-million given back since 2013.

“The BC Cancer Foundation is honoured to be the benefitting charity of the Golf BC Championship,” said Lou Del Gobbo, Interim President & CEO, BC Cancer Foundation. “We know the funds from this tournament will go a long way in supporting the life-saving research taking place at the BC Cancer Agency, giving hope to over 26,000 British Columbians who will be diagnosed with cancer this year alone.”

VMC Sports & Entertainment Corp., which previously operated the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open for the past eight seasons on the Mackenzie Tour, will manage the event’s operations, with Hugh Vassos serving as Tournament Director.

“This is an exciting day for professional golf fans in the Okanagan, and our team is excited to manage this prestigious golf tournament and week-long golf festival. We look forward to engaging the local sponsors, volunteers, and the entire golf community in presenting what we believe will soon become one of the top stops on the Mackenzie Tour,” said Vassos.

The full 2016 Mackenzie Tour schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.

CALGARY – Team Alberta has been announced for the upcoming season. Twenty-six players from across the province will represent Alberta over the course of the season and will participate in a variety of provincial, national, and international events.

Returning to Team Alberta is Brendan McDougall, one of three players from last year’s team with a runner-up finish at the 2015 CN Future Links Western Championship. Landon Stellingwerff makes his return to Team Alberta after a T25 finish at the Glencoe Invitational in 2015. Logan Carver who finished T7 at the PGA Junior Masters in 2015, also makes his return to the team.

Several players from the 2015 Boy’s Development Team made the jump to Team Alberta in 2016. Those players include Max Sekulic, winner of the 2015 Nike Golf Junior Championship, Ethan Choi, 2015 Alberta Bantam Champion, and Michael Lavorato, who finished T7 at the PGA Junior Masters last year.

New to Alberta Golf’s high performance program is Chandler McDowell who represented Alberta at the Western Canada Summer Games in Wood Buffalo in 2015 where he placed third, earning a bronze medal in the individual competition. Chris Horton and Max Murchison are new players to the program. Their highlights include a T7 at the Alberta Junior Boys Championship and 23rd at the CN Future Links Western Championship.

Returning to Team Alberta on the girl’s side is Sharmaine Rapisura, who boasts a win at the 2015 McLennan Ross Tour Championship most recently. Several girls from the 2015 Development Team have been promoted to Team Alberta to join Rapisura. Kehler Koss, who finished runner up at the 2015 CN Future Links Western Championship, will be playing on the girl’s team. Annabelle Ackroyd and Jaden Baustad also join the team, with season highlights that include placing top ten in the 2015 Alberta Junior Girls Championship.

New junior girls to Alberta Golf’s high performance programs include Claire Emery, who finished 7th at the 2015 Alberta Junior Girls Championship, Lauren Koenig, who represented Alberta at the 2015 Western Canada Summer Games, Cassidy Laidlaw, who finished 15th at the 2015 Alberta Junior Girls Championship and Sydney Weber, who had a 15th place finish at the 2015 CN Future Links Western Championship.

For more information on the players, click here.

Team Alberta’s three provincial coaches will continue to lead the way in helping players reach their goals over the course of 2016 and beyond. Each player has the opportunity to spend time with their respective coach, planning and working on goals for the upcoming season, as well as the post-secondary transition. Randy Robb will provide guidance and experience to the program and Team Alberta Boys; Luke Workman will coach Team Alberta Girls; and John Deneer will coach the Boys Development Team.

“As we prepare for the first competitive events of the 2016 golf season, members of Team Alberta are working hard to improve their fitness levels and strengthen their fundamentals to help get off to a good start,” Randy Robb says. “I’m excited to help these young athletes reach their goals and prepare for college golf”.

“I am fortunate to be working with a group talented and hardworking young women on the Team Alberta Girls program. The players on the team all had a successful 2015 season, and they have been training hard over the winter months to surpass these results in 2016. With many new players joining Team Alberta for the 2016 season, the enthusiasm at our camps thus far has been outstanding.” Luke Workman explains. “I am looking forward to spring – and green grass – to see these players represent Alberta over the course of the summer”.

For more information on our provincial coaches, click here.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Bubba Watson took a big swing at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course – with his mouth, not his driver.

“I don’t like it,” Watson said Wednesday, a day before the start of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. “I’m not going to PC it. I don’t like it at all.”

The long-hitting Watson has played well on the course, tying for second the last two seasons.

“Obviously, I’m here because of my sponsors and everything,” Watson said. “I love coming here. It’s always great weather. Used to have a house here. It’s always beautiful coming here and playing here.”

He reiterated that he’s only playing the tournament out of loyalty to Phoenix-based Karsten Manufacturing, the maker of his Ping equipment, and sponsors Oakley and Stance Socks.

“I just mentioned why I’m here,” Watson said. “I’ve got three beautiful sponsors that love it here.”

Tom Weiskopf renovated the course in 2014, updating the layout he teamed with Jay Morrish to design.

“I didn’t see any reason to change it,” Watson said. “Again, they didn’t ask me. It’s just my own opinion. I didn’t see any reason to change it.

“But then you have 14, I think 490 (yards) uphill. (For) big hitters, it gets tight down there. No. 8, you’ve got the slope from right to left right in the bunkers, bunkers start at roughly 280, go to about 320. I don’t see that you need to tighten it up. So just to me it just seems like all they did is just tightened it up. Scores didn’t change. It just makes it goofier and tougher.”

The two-time Masters champion does like the par-3 16th, the tournament’s signature stadium hole.

“I think the hole is great,” Watson said. “It’s one time a year. If it was multiple times a year, it wouldn’t be fun. But to do what they have done to create what they have created, it’s a beautiful thing.”

He also praised the condition of the course.

“This is the best shape I have ever seen it,” Watson said. “The greens are running so quick right now. You’re going to make a lot of putts. That’s what I need to do.”

Phil Mickelson is playing for the third straight week after taking a long offseason break. The 45-year-old former Arizona State player missed the cut last week at Torrey Pines after tying for third in La Quinta. He won at TPC Scottsdale in 1996, 2005 and 2013.

“I love coming back here,” Mickelson said. “It’s a special place for me. I lived here for 12 years. The people here have been so nice to me and my family. … I love competing in this tournament.”

Winless in 48 events since the 2013 British Open, he’s working with swing coach Andrew Getson after splitting with Butch Harmon in early November.

“It’s been a long time since my swing is on plane and it’s on plane now,” Mickelson said. “It feels really good, feels really easy. … I just need to be a little bit patient with it, but it’s coming.”

Rickie Fowler is the top-ranked player in the field, at No. 4 a spot ahead of Watson. Fowler missed the cut at Torrey Pines after winning two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi.

“It’s always a week I look forward to,” Fowler said. “Last week was a little hiccup along the way, but looking forward to picking back up where we left off in Abu Dhabi.”

Brooks Koepka won last year for his first PGA Tour title. He beat Watson, Hideki Matsuyama and Ryan Palmer by a stroke.

“Obviously, got a lot of positive memories,” Koepka said. “I have a lot of positive thoughts going into this week. I feel good about where my game is at. I don’t think I have ever felt better.”

Brandt Snedeker is coming off a victory at Torrey Pines. He closed with a 3-under 69 in wind and rain Sunday and ended up beating K.J. Choi by a stroke Monday.

“I’m obviously playing some good golf,” Snedeker said. “Fatigue is something I worry about after a week like last week. So, yesterday, I took almost completely off. I feel better today, feel more well-rested. Played well in the pro-am, so excited about teeing it up tomorrow.”

A frost delay is expected Thursday morning, with a forecast high of 63 degrees. It is supposed to warm up a couple of degrees each day.

OCALA, Fla. – Top-ranked Lydia Ko shot a 3-under 69 on Wednesday in the Coates Golf Championship in her first round of the season, leaving her four strokes behind leader Ha Na Jang.

The 18-year-old Ko closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th, her fourth birdie on the back nine on the Golden Ocala course that features some tributes to holes at Augusta National, St. Andrews and others.

Ko tied for second last year in Ocala to reach No. 1 in the world ranking, and went on to win five times, and sweep the points-based player of the year award, Race to the CME Globe and the money title.

“First nine holes were pretty rusty, but almost felt like our whole group as we made the turn, we started making birdies,” Ko said. “On 10 it was my first birdie of the season, so it was great.

“Obviously, starting to get back into playing competitively and think more target-oriented. It’s definitely different than hitting the ball on the range. It’s a pretty solid start. I’m happy with the way I finished today and definitely the back nine, hitting a few wedges close.”

She is learning how to drive – a car.

“I got my learner’s permit, so whoever is around Orlando or around ChampionsGate, I would recommend not being on the road when I am,” Ko said. “Everybody said it’s the same as a cart, but it’s nothing like a cart. It goes so much faster.”

Jang made an 18-foot birdie putt on 18 for a bogey-free 65 and a three-stroke lead over six players. Winless on the LPGA Tour, the South Korean player also tied for second last year behind Na Yeon Choi.

“It’s perfect, no bogeys,” Jang said. “I just keep going just simple, simple, simple.”

Jang had the first hole-in-one on a par 4 in LPGA Tour history last week in the season-opening event in the Bahamas. She used a 3-wood for the albatross on the 218-yard hole.

“I got my new dog, named it Albatross,” Jang said. “I have three dogs – Birdie, Eagle and Albatross. I need one more dog, Hole-in-one.”

U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun had a 68 in her first start as an LPGA Tour member. Sei Young Kim, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Kim Kaufman, Candie Kung and Kelly Tan also shot 68.

Lexi Thompson was in the group at 69. She had only three pars on the first 14 holes, making seven birdies and four bogeys.

“It’s definitely challenging,” Thompson said. “You have to keep it in the fairway with it being tree-lined. The rough is only about an inch deep, but you’re going to get some gnarly lies and some fliers, so you’ve got to keep it in the fairway.”

U.S. Solheim Cup captain Juli Inkster, at 55 the oldest player in the field, also had a 69.

Michelle Wie birdied three of the last six holes for a 70. She missed the cut last week in the Bahamas after a bee stung her on the palm of her right hand.

Brooke Henderson also carded a 70. The 18-year-old leads the Canadian contingent. Maude-Aimee LeBlanc had a 72, while Alena Sharp had a 75.

Hyo Joo Kim, the Bahamas winner last week, opened with a 71.

Stacy Lewis had a 74, making a double bogey on par-4 ninth after driving left into the trees. She tied for second in the Bahamas for her ninth runner-up finish in a 40-event victory drought that dates to June 2014. The 11-time tour winner has 22 career second-place finishes.

Lewis played alongside Suzann Pettersen and Alison Lee, the two central figures in a Solheim Cup controversy last season in Germany.

In September, Pettersen infuriated the Americans by insisting that Lee be penalized for picking up her ball when she thought her short second putt had been conceded in a fourballs match. The U.S. then staged the biggest comeback in event history, winning 8 1/2 points in the 12 singles matches to take the cup.

They were friendly in their first pairing since the incident, with Pettersen stopping to offer assistance when Lee had a nosebleed on the first tee.

“I’m fine,” Lee said about the nosebleed. “It happens all the time. It’s happened at previous tournaments. It’s just annoying.”

Lee opened with a 72, and Pettersen shot 73.