ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Golf’s new “Big Three” has been around for only a few months, and already there’s talk of the exclusive group being expanded.

Rickie Fowler is back in the conversation after his fourth worldwide victory in the last nine months, over a stellar field at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

On Monday, the American found himself at a career-high No. 4 in the rankings, with only Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy above him. But to merit inclusion in the sport’s golfing elite, Fowler knows he needs to add a major to his increasingly impressive resume.

He gets his first chance at the Masters in April.

“I’d like to jump in and be a part of that crew,” said Fowler, sitting beside the huge Falcon Trophy awarded to the Abu Dhabi champion. “The goal right now with where my game’s at – it’s the best it’s been this early in the season in my career – I’m working on getting ready for Augusta.

“I’d like to have my shot at getting the green jacket there.”

Fowler had never previously won a tournament in the first four months of a year. He’s been a slow starter to seasons – he tied for 66th in Abu Dhabi in 2015, 17 shots behind unheralded French winner Gary Stal – making the Masters even tougher to win.

But this is a different Fowler, who acknowledges that his work on the range with celebrated coach Butch Harmon is starting to pay off.

His playoff win at The Players Championship last May started his winning run that has also taken in the Scottish Open and the Deutsche Bank, and made him believe more in himself.

“From The Players on, just being in the situation, contention, Sunday, final round, against the best players in the world and just believing and having the confidence that, hey, if I go hit the shots, I’m winning, no question,” Fowler said.

“It’s nice to have that added confidence now. Really having the belief and knowing that come Sunday when I’m in the mix, I know I can go get it done.”

That experience likely helped in Abu Dhabi when Alejandro Canizares and Thomas Pieters both came within one shot of Fowler’s final-round lead, which started at two strokes and had grown to four by No. 6. Fowler pulled off some clutch putts and two chip-ins – from a greenside bunker from 30 yards at No. 8 for eagle, and from just off the green at No. 17.

“Being able to do that, you get such an adrenaline rush and such a boost from it, and it’s so rewarding,” said Fowler, who won by one shot from Pieters. “I felt really comfortable in some of those situations.”

In 2014, Fowler finished in the top five in all four majors and his fifth place at the Masters was his best at Augusta.

He said Sunday that, with a rare early-season victory in the bag, all roads now lead to Augusta.

“It’s a great way to start,” Fowler said. “Nice to have the game where it’s at right now going into the season, instead of trying to work on things and trying to find stuff.

“Right now, I can go and fine-tune and really build ultimately for Augusta. … The ultimate goal this year is to go win a major and this is a step in the right direction.”

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Jason Dufner won the CareerBuilder Challenge with a par on the second hole of a playoff Sunday, taking advantage of David Lingmerth’s shot off the rocks that bounced into the water.

Dufner finished with a 2-under 70 on PGA West’s TPC Stadium Course to match Lingmerth at 25-under 263. Lingmerth shot a 65, matching the best score of the day on the difficult course that was used in the tournament for the first time since being dropped after its 1987 debut.

Dufner made two great par escapes to stay alive.

In regulation on the island-green 17th called Alcatraz, he pulled his 8-iron tee shot left and the ball bounced into a narrow sandy area between rocks that circle the putting surface. Maneuvering his club around the rocks, he hooded the clubface and hooked a chip that struck the flagstick and stopped inches away.

On the first extra hole on the par-4 18th with rocks and water running the length of the left side, Dufner hit his 3-wood drive near the lip in the front of a right-side bunker. Unable to reach the green, he blasted out 100 yards to set up a 110-yard third shot that he hit to 11 feet.

Lingmerth hit his approach from the right rough to 23 feet, but missed the birdie try. Dufner then holed his putt to send the playoff back to the 18th tee.

Dufner switched to a driver and followed Lingmerth into a grass bunker on the right side. Lingmerth’s approach from 184 yards crashed into the rocks along the edge of the fairway and shot left into the water.

Dufner hit the front of the green with his second shot and two-putted for par, holing a 5-footer after Lingmerth missed his par try from 22 feet.

The 38-year-old Dufner earned $1,044,000 for his fourth victory on the PGA Tour and first since the 2013 PGA Championship. He shot a 64 on Thursday on the Nicklaus Tournament Course for a share of the lead, had a 65 on Friday on the Stadium Course to take a one-shot advantage, and added a 64 on Saturday at La Quinta Country Club to pull two shots ahead.

Lingmerth also lost a playoff in the 2013 tournament on PGA West’s Palmer Private Course. That year, the Swede dropped out on first extra hole after hitting his approach into the water and making a bogey. Brian Gay went on to beat Charles Howell III with a birdie on the second hole.

Phil Mickelson shot a 68 to tie for third at 21 under in his first start since the Presidents Cup in October and first since splitting with swing coach Butch Harmon to work with Andrew Getson.

Kevin Na and Andrew Loupe also shot 68 to finish alongside Mickelson.

Canadian Adam Hadwin shared the lead with Dufner thru 9 holes Sunday, but went 2-over on the back nine to finish in a tie for 6th with Americans Luke List and and Jamie Lovemark at 20-under.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Rickie Fowler puffed his cheeks and shook his head. What looked like being a procession to the Abu Dhabi Championship title ended up being a squeeze for the American on Sunday.

It needed two moments of inspiration in the final round to seal a one-shot victory – and spark more talk about Fowler’s place in golf’s current elite.

Dressed in his trademark Sunday orange, Fowler rebounded from a double-bogey at No. 7, which helped trim his lead over a congested pack of challengers from four strokes to one, by chipping in from 30 yards for eagle from a bunker at No. 8.

Then, at No. 17, Fowler holed a chip from just off the green for a birdie that shook off playing partner Thomas Pieters, the Belgian who emerged from the bunch to chase Fowler all the way down the stretch.

“It was not how it was planned,” a smiling Fowler said of the tight finish, “but came out on top.”

Fowler, who held a two-stroke lead after a third-round 65, shot a 3-under 69 for 16-under 272 overall. Pieters (67) was runner-up, with fast-finishing Rory McIlroy (68) and Henrik Stenson (67) tied for third.

There was satisfaction for Fowler with claiming his fourth win worldwide in nine months, after victories at The Players Championship, the Scottish Open, and the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2015. This win will move him from No. 6 to No. 4 in the rankings, for a first-ever spot in the world’s top five.

The so-called “Big Three” of Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and McIlroy may need to be enlarged.

“I want to be part of the crew. It would be a pretty good foursome,” Fowler said. “I think I mentioned through the summer at some point, I said I was a sneaky fourth. We’ve got to take care of a major and then maybe I can join the crew.”

The win was extra special for Fowler, considering Spieth (No. 1), McIlroy (No. 3) and Stenson (No. 5) were in the field – arguably the strongest the European Tour will have this year.

Spieth tied for fifth – five shots behind Fowler – after a 68 and acknowledged after his final round that he was “beat up, mentally and physically,” having played in South Korea, China, Australia, Bahamas, Hawaii and now Abu Dhabi since October.

“I’m very tired. I am,” Spieth said. “I’m not 100 percent right.”

The championship went down to the wire. Fowler took a two-shot lead over Pieters down the par-5 18th and found a greenside bunker with his approach. Pieters gave himself a putt for eagle, which he missed left by an inch.

Fowler had two putts to win and he needed them both, with his winning effort from 2 feet.

“I didn’t do much wrong today,” said the big-hitting Pieters, who moved to within one shot of Fowler with a birdie on No. 13 but only parred his way to the 18th. “Next time maybe some more putts drop, that’s it.”

This is the first time Fowler has won during the first four months of a year. He has made a fashion statement this week by wearing high-top golf shoes and ankle-tight jogger pants, but he’s sent out a golfing message, too.

“Nice to have the game where it’s at right now going into the season, instead of trying to work on things,” he said. “I’d say this is really the first time in my career I’ve had that.”

It was another near miss for McIlroy, who adds a third place to his four runner-up finishes in Abu Dhabi at what is always his first event of each year.

McIlroy started the final round three shots behind Fowler and only came on strong late on, chipping in for birdie on No. 16 and rolling in a 35-foot eagle putt on No. 18.

“Seems like this could be the tournament that I just can’t quite master,” said McIlroy, who was making his 2016 debut after two months off. “But still a good finish and a lot of good golf there.”

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Jason Dufner birdied seven of his final nine holes Saturday at La Quinta Country Club to take a two-stroke lead in the CareerBuilder Challenge.

Dufner finished with an 8-under 64 to reach 23-under 193 with one round left at PGA West’s TPC Stadium Course. He opened with a 64 on Thursday on the Nicklaus Tournament Course for a share of the lead and had a 65 on Friday on the Stadium Course to take a one-stroke advantage.

“I made the turn at 1 under, and told the guys we were going to have a good back nine,” Dufner said. “I told my caddie and my amateur partners, ‘I’m about to do something good.’ So, when you start thinking like that, good things happen. So, that’s just kind of where my mindset is right now.”

Jamie Lovemark was second after a 65 on the Stadium Course.

“Any time you go out there and shoot 7 under, it’s a good day, no matter what,” Lovemark said. “I was pleased with the way I played the entire round. I’m in good position to compete for a win tomorrow.”

Adam Hadwin had a 64 on the Nicklaus Course to get to 20 under. The Canadian missed a chance to get closer, bogeying the par-5 15th after hitting into the water and closing with three pars.

“It’s just going to be a question of handling the nerves and making sure those putts kind of keep hitting the lines tomorrow,” Hadwin said.

Phil Mickelson was tied for fifth at 17 under in his first start since the Presidents Cup in October and first since splitting with swing coach Butch Harmon to work with Andrew Getson. Lefty had a bogey-free 66 at the Stadium Course, holing a flop shot for birdie on the 10th hole.

“It’s been a good three days,” Mickelson said. “It’s been a good start.”

Dufner started the birdie spree on the first hole, hitting a lob wedge to 10 feet. He made a 20-footer on No. 3, hit a 9-iron out of a bunker to 3 feet on 4, two-putted the par-5 fifth and sixth, and made it five in a row with a 12-footer on 7. He rolled in another 12-footer on 9 for his 10th birdie of the day.

“I don’t worry about zones and talking about stuff like that,” Dufner said. “I’m just trying to hit each shot as good as I can and not let results and outcome dictate how I feel or how I think out there. … I’m just playing golf like I should.”

The 2013 PGA Championship winner earned his PGA Tour card at PGA West in 2008. He’s comfortable on the Stadium Course, the Pete Dye-designed layout that is being used in the tournament for the first time since being dropped after its debut in 1987.

“Conditions are perfect for scoring,” Dufner said. “I’m not too worried about what other people are saying about golf courses. I feel like I can play pretty good. You got a lot of scoring clubs in your hand on that course.”

The Stadium Course had a three-day average of 70.908. The Nicklaus Course finished at 68.930, and La Quinta at 69.149. The cut was at 9 under, with 70 players returning to the Stadium Course on Sunday.

“I don’t feel as though this is a similar final-round course like we’ve had in the past,” Mickelson said. “You could get away with some wayward shots and still shoot in the 60s. But if you come out here and play a little sloppy, you’re going to shoot in the mid- to high-70s. It’s a very penalizing course for anything less than perfectly struck shots.”

David Lingmerth was five strokes back at 18 under after a 62 on the Nicklaus Course. The Swede had six straight birdies from No. 14 to No. 1, eagled the par-5 fifth, birdied the seventh and closed with two pars.

“I was hoping to catch up and get a little bit closer than I am right now,” Lingmerth said.

Kevin Na matched Lingmerth with a 62 on Nicklaus Course, playing his last seven holes in 8 under with an eagle and seven birdies to get to 17 under. “Every shot was at the flag,” Na said.

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., shot a 69 for a second straight day to reach 11-under and sits T35.

DIVOTS: Dufner tied for ninth in his last two PGA Tour starts, at the RSM Classic in November and the Sony Open last week in Hawaii. In between, he teamed with Brandt Snedeker to win the Franklin Templeton Shootout. … Defending champion Bill Haas was 15 under after a 69 on the Stadium Course.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler were part of a five-way tie for the lead at the Abu Dhabi Championship after Andy Sullivan made a triple-bogey in fading light to relinquish a two-shot advantage late in a fog-affected third round on Saturday.

Sullivan drove into a bush, couldn’t find his ball, returned to the tee and eventually made a 7 at No. 9 in a dramatic finish to the day’s play, which ended with most of the field yet to finish their third rounds.

Sullivan dropped to 9 under and was a shot behind McIlroy, Fowler, Branden Grace, Ian Poulter, and Joost Luiten, who all have holes to play early Sunday before starting the final round.

“It’s a really bunched leaderboard,” said McIlroy, who ended his second round on Saturday morning with a birdie-eagle finish to be tied for second. “It will be a bit of a sprint to the finish.”

There are 21 players within three shots of the lead – and Jordan Spieth is among them.

The top-ranked American started the third round seven shots back and finished it in the gathering gloom and in a six-ball – a career-first – after barely beating the horn on the 9th tee. Indeed, the claxon sounded at the top of his backswing as he rushed to avoid an early morning return on Sunday.

Spieth is three shots back after a 4-under 68, and in need of what he called a “crazy round” to take victory in his first regular European Tour event.

Sullivan is one of five players a shot behind – with 2012 champion Robert Rock, Henrik Stenson, Thomas Pieters, and Rafael Cabrera-Bello – after his nightmare on his ninth hole, when he went way right off the tee. He searched for his ball in two separate bushes – McIlroy even came to help him – but had to reload.

Sullivan’s second drive found the rough on the right, his approach was short, his chip onto the green poor, and he two-putted from 10 feet.

“It wasn’t great to see,” McIlroy said. “I was hoping he would have made that putt just to give him a little bit of momentum going into tomorrow.”

McIlroy chased down Sullivan in the final round of the season-ending World Tour Championship in November, to clinch the Race to Dubai title. This time, it has happened earlier – and it was Sullivan who imploded.

The other member of the final group was Bryson DeChambeau, the American amateur with the self-styled nickname of “The Golf Scientist,” who plays with a set of home-made clubs that are all the same length. He started the third round tied on 8-under par with McIlroy, but dropped back to 7 under by the time play was suspended. The group still had nine holes to play.

DeChambeau removed his earphones, took off his flat cap, and approached McIlroy on the practice green ahead of his first round with the four-time major winner.

“I’m Bryson, nice to meet you,” DeChambeau said. And in another display of reverence, the U.S. Amateur and NCAA champion applauded when McIlroy’s name was announced on the first tee.

DeChambeau was about to learn just how much pressure is involved in contending in a top-class field at a high-profile professional event. He drove into the bunker on No. 1, then drove into the tree on the right on No. 2 to make bogey.

Fowler shot 68 in the second round and continued that form by picking up three birdies in the 10 holes he managed in the third round. Poulter, playing with a taped-up thumb that he “took a chunk out of” on Thursday, made four birdies in five holes around the turn and was 5-under after 13 holes of his third round.

Play started nearly three hours late – for the second straight day – because of thick morning fog.

Resuming on No. 14, McIlroy made three straight pars, to take his number for the round to 15, before landing approach shots inside two feet on Nos. 17 and 18. He nearly holed a wedge shot on No. 17, before hitting a 5-wood from 268 yards to 18 inches on the last. He tapped in his eagle putt for a 70.

KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii – Duffy Waldorf made a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole to beat Tom Lehman by a stroke Saturday in the PGA Tour Champions’ season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship

The 53-year-old Waldorf shot a 6-under 66 to finish at 18-under 198 at Hualalai Golf Course. He played all 54 holes without a bogey, becoming the fourth player and second winner to accomplish the feat in the tournament. John Cook also was bogey-free in his 2013 victory.

Waldorf has two victories in his last three starts, winning the Toshiba Classic in November for his first senior title. He won four times on the PGA Tour.

Lehman also closed with a 66. After Waldorf holed his birdie putt on the par-4 18th, Lehman left his 15-footer inches short.

Two strokes behind Lehman was six holes left, Waldorf made a 5-foot birdie putt on the par-4 13th and pulled even with a 15-footer on the par-4 16th. Waldorf got up-and-down from the rough on the par-3 17th, saving par with a 7-foot putt.

Waldorf opened with rounds of 67 and 65 to take a one-stroke lead into the final round. He earned $300,000 in his first appearance in the event for major champions from the last five years, tournament winners the last two seasons and sponsor invitees.

Davis Love III was third at 15 under after a 68. The U.S. Ryder Cup captain was making his sixth senior start after playing the PGA Tour’s Hawaii events the last two weeks. He won the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship in August.

Jay Haas (65) and Joe Durant (68) were 14 under, and Fred Couples (66) and Kenny Perry (67) were another stroke back.

Tom Watson, two strokes behind Waldorf entering the round after bettering his age Friday with a 65, had a 71 to drop into a tie for 11th at 11 under. The 66-year-old Watson is winless since the 2011 Senior PGA Championship.

After careful consideration and additional discussion among our Board of Directors and Handicap Committee, Golf Canada will align with all Handicap Rules changes announced by the USGA at the end of last year. This also includes the provision that applies to unaccompanied rounds.

These changes are part of a bigger picture to unify the Handicap rules, and support the possible formation of a World Handicap System, which we wholeheartedly endorse.

KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii – Tom Watson bettered his age Friday in the Mitsubishi Electric Championship, leaving him two strokes behind leader Duffy Waldorf in the PGA Tour Champions’ opener.

The 66-year-old Tom Watson had a 7-under 65 at Hualalai Golf Course to move into a tie for fifth place. Waldorf also shot 65 to reach 12-under 132.

“Today, the wind laid down,” Watson said. “I took advantage of those conditions, hit some good shots. I was very happy about my overall performance today. It was pretty good for an old guy, 66.”

Watson won at Hualalai in 2010 and has 14 senior titles, the last in 2011 in the Senior PGA Championship. He won eight major titles and had 39 victories on the PGA Tour.

“I still enjoy preparing for a tournament and I don’t enjoy playing poorly,” Watson said. “Days like today make me feel like I’m doing something useful out here.”

Waldorf had a one-stroke lead over Davis Love III, Tom Lehman and Tom Pernice Jr. with a round left in the event for major champions from the last five years, tournament winners in the last two seasons and sponsor invitees.

“My iron play’s been a little off, but I’ve been able to save myself when I got in trouble,” Waldorf said. “When I do hit a good shot or play a par 5 I’ve been able to make birdie, so I’m really getting a lot out of my game right now. I’m going to have to play a lot better tomorrow to have a chance.”

Lehman had a 65, and Love and Pernice shot 67. Lehman played the four par-5 holes in 7 under with three eagles and a birdie. He made a 25-foot putt on No. 4, just missed another eagle on No. 7 to set up a tap-in birdie, and holed a 3-footer on 10 and a 45-footer on 14.

“I did it on the Hogan Tour in Reno in 1991,” Lehman said about making three eagles in a round. “I’m not sure if I’ve done it since then but I remember specifically that I shot 62 that day, made three eagles. You don’t hear that very often, especially without holing one from the fairway on a par 4, so the par 5s were very good to me.”

Love played in the PGA Tour’s Hawaii events the last two weeks. The U.S. Ryder Cup captain tied for 29th at Kapalua in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and made the 36-hole cut but failed to advance to the final round in the Sony Open in Honolulu. He won the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship in August at 51 years, 4 months, 10 days to become the third-oldest champion in tour history.

“I drove the ball better today than I did yesterday and just didn’t get quite as much out of it, but I’m happy with the way I’m hitting it,” Love said. “Just got to get the wedges, 8-irons, 9-irons a little bit closer to the hole. Had a lot of opportunities today and hopefully I can do that tomorrow.”

Watson was tied with Olin Browne (66) and first-round leader Joe Durant (69).

MAZATLAN, Mexico – West Vancouver, B.C., native David Rose shot a final-round 70 to claim medalist honours and earn full status  on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica in 2016.

The 26-year-old began the day with a two-stroke lead over American William Kropp. Rose finished at 15-under to claim a one-stroke victory over Mexico’s Gerardo Ruiz.

Rose – a former Lynn University Fighting Knight and the 2011 B.C. Amateur champion – becomes the second Canadian in as many weeks to finish atop the leaderboard at PGA Tour Latinoamérica Q-School. He joins Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., who earned fully exempt status on tour last week in Sebring, Fla.

Complete results from the PGA Tour Latinoamérica Qualifying Tournament in Mexico can be found here.

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Jason Dufner knows his way around PGA West’s TPC Stadium Course and the adjacent Nicklaus Tournament Course. He learned out of necessity at the 2008 PGA Tour qualifying tournament.

“I probably played each four or five times before that Q-school started,” Dufner said. “I played unbelievable. I think I shot 24 or 25 under for the six rounds. And to be honest with you, this is kind of where everything started for me, because then in 2009 I had a really nice season. That’s kind of when I started playing some good golf. He thought back to that experience Friday in the CareerBuilder Challenge when he shot a 7-under 65 on the Stadium Course to take a one-stroke lead over Jamie Lovemark.

“I remember a lot of the shots and how the course played,” Dufner said.

The Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course is back in the event rotation after being dumped following its debut in 1987, and the Nicklaus Tournament Course is being used for the first time. They got in when the Palmer and Nicklaus private layouts dropped out.

The Stadium Course has mellowed over the years and equipment technology has helped tame it – a bit.

“It’s a difficult golf course,” Dufner said. “There’s a little bit of room to play off the tee, but if you get off the path a little bit, you can get into some trouble. He’s (Dye’s) got some water out there. He’s got some tricky bunkers. You get some uneven lies here and there. … It’s definitely the most difficult of the courses we have played here.”

Dufner parred the final four holes, escaping trouble on the par-5 16th after his drive strayed to the left. The 2013 PGA Championship winner played the front nine in 6-under 30, bogeyed the 10th after hitting into the greenside water, and added birdies on 12 and 14. He was forced to lay up on all four par-5 holes and took advantage of many short approach shots.

“Any time I’m inside of 130 yards I feel pretty good,” Dufner said. “I had some really good numbers with my wedges, which helps. I wasn’t in between on too many of them.”

Dufner’s drive on 16 perched on a ledge of dormant grass above one of the deep bunkers that line the left side. The ball at knee level, he slashed it 100 yards down the fairway before slipping to his hands and knees on the steep bank.

“I thought I would have a good go at that green in two and maybe get another birdie or possibly even an eagle and walked away with a 5, but no damage done,” Dufner said.

He had only 22 putts, one-putting 11 of 12 greens in the middle of the round.

Dufner had a 15-under 129 total. He opened with a 64 on Thursday on the Nicklaus Course, will play La Quinta on Saturday, and return to the Stadium Course for the final round Sunday.

Lovemark had a 65 on the Nicklaus Course. He holed out from 105 yards for eagle on the par-4 first, his 10th hole of the day.

“Got a little tired coming down the stretch,” Lovemark said. “There’s some long rounds out here.”

Defending champion Bill Haas was three strokes back along with Jason Gore, Anirban Lahiri, Andrew Loupe and Adam Hadwin. Haas shot 66, Gore 64, and Lahiri 68, all at the Nicklaus Course. Loupe had a 66 on the Stadium Course, and Hadwin a 66 at La Quinta.

Phil Mickelson was 11 under in his first start since the Presidents Cup in October and first since splitting with swing coach Butch Harmon to work with Andrew Getson. The 45-year-old Mickelson had a 65 on the Nicklaus Course.

“I’m probably a week away, if I’m being honest,” Mickelson said. “But I’ve also won with a lot less game than I have right now. I still expect to get in contention and have a good weekend, but a lot of iron shots are 12, 15 feet off.”

Dufner has tied for ninth in his last two PGA Tour starts, at the RSM Classic in November and the Sony Open last week in Hawaii. In between, he teamed with Brandt Snedeker to win the Franklin Templeton Shootout.

“I feel good. I’m confident,” Dufner said.

Weyburn, Sask., native Graham DeLaet registered a 3-under on the day and sits T24 at 8-under 136. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., matched Delaet’s 69 and is tied for 70th. Brantford, Ont., product David Hearn is T88 at a combined 4-under 140.

DIVOTS: The Stadium Course had a stroke average of 70.218 for a two-day mark of 71.029. The Nicklaus Course has averaged 69.145 overall, and La Quinta 69.328. … Chesson Hadley made a double-bogey 5 on the island-green 17th on the Stadium Course after trying to hit out of the rocks and going into water, then holed out from 142 yards for eagle on 18. He shot 73 and was tied for 113th at 2 under. … Nick Taylor had a hole-in-one on the 205-yard sixth on the Stadium Course. He was tied for 70th at 5 under after a 69. … Patrick Reed, the 2014 winner, was tied for 54th at 6 under after a 69 on the Nicklaus Course.