CHONBURI, Thailand – Jamie Donaldson of Wales enjoyed a sizzling opening round of 9-under-par 63 to take a three-stroke lead over three players including 2013 winner Sergio Garcia in the Thailand Championship on Thursday.

Donaldson, who hasn’t won in 16 months, birdied his first four holes and the last two at Amata Spring Country Club, and said, “I couldn’t really do things wrong.

“I never really missed any fairways. The good par save on nine was the key to keep the momentum going after pushing the tee shot a little bit. I got up and down there from about 20 feet.”

Garcia, who lifted his 23rd career title in Vietnam last weekend, and locals Chinnarat Phadungsilp and Chanat Sakulpolphaisan were at 6 under.

Garcia was on par after his second bogey on the 10th hole, then reeled off six birdies over the last eight holes.

“It was a wonderful back nine,” he said.

Chinnarat spoiled his round with a double bogey on the 15th hole, while Chanat bogeyed the 16th.

Martin Kaymer, who lost to Lee Westwood by one shot 12 months ago, shot a bogey-free 68 to lie five behind Donaldson, while Westwood began with a 1-under 71, as did Bubba Waston, who won the World Challenge in the Bahamas last weekend.

Nathan Holman, who won his home Australian PGA title last week, carded a par 72.

Richard T Lee of Toronto opened at even-par to hold a share of 46th place. B.C.-raised Lindsay Renolds, a former Team Canada National Squad member, is one-stroke back of his fellow Canadian.

On Tuesday, Dec. 9, members of Golf Canada’s staff rallied their holiday cheer to surprise a local Brampton school with a Christmas miracle. As proud partners of WestJet, Golf Canada adopted a Brampton school into the Golf in Schools program by gifting the full elementary kit, equipped with the teacher-friendly Learning Resource.

For our #WestJetChristmas miracle we gave #GolfinSchools to 750 kids in Brampton. @WestJet for a terrific program. https://t.co/8R236oBxVX

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) December 9, 2015

Golf Canada’s miracle is part of WestJet’s global campaign this year that is spreading the holiday spirit through 12,000 miracles—the number of WestJet employees. Today’s miracle also marks the 161^st Golf in Schools adoption so far this year, which is the primary avenue for schools to receive the program.

Golf in Schools introduced a brand new curriculum this year, incorporating a Life Skills component that carefully integrates the eight skills throughout all lesson plans. Also new this year, Golf in Schools welcomed Canadian PGA TOUR star Graham DeLaet as an ambassador of the program, which is now available to elementary, intermediate and high schools across the country.

Click here to adopt a school in your community.

Click here to learn more about the #WestJetChristmas campaign.

Final Qualifying for the 2016 Web.Com Tour begins Thursday, December 10th at the Champion and Fazio courses at Palm Beach Gardens in Florida, where 15 Canadians will attempt to gain or improve their playing rights for the PGA Tour’s developmental circuit.

Wil Bateman of Edmonton, Cam Burke of New Hamburg, Ont., Devin Carrey of Burnaby, B.C., Albin Choi of Toronto, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Lucas Kim of Toronto, Matt McQuillan of Kingston, Ont., Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., Chris Ross of Dundas, Ont., Justin Shin of Maple Ridge, B.C., Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., Kevin Spooner of Vancouver, Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., Eugene Wong of North Vancouver, B.C., and Ryan Yip of Calgary will all get their chance to determine their priority ranking for the Web.Com Tour’s 2015-16 season.

The medalist and ties receives full status. The top 10 and ties earn exempt status through the Tour’s third reshuffle. The top 45 and ties earn exempt status through the second reshuffle. And, players finishing 46th and higher earn conditional status.

Taylor Pendrith and Eugene Wong have already exempt through the first reshuffle by virtue of top-5 finishes on Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour China respectively.

The event has been reduced to 72 holes for the first occasion.

On the final hole of the fourth round of the 2015 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club, Jason Day sank an unbelievable 22-foot birdie putt which helped him capture his fourth career victory on the PGA TOUR.

That putt comes in at No. 5 on the PGA TOUR’s 10 Best Shots of 2015 list.

For those who weren’t there to witness it live, or missed the telecast, you can watch it below. Congrats Jason!

NASSAU, Bahamas – PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem jokingly said he was relieved to see Tiger Woods still alive after reading such gloomy reports from his press conference in the Bahamas about his back issues. Finchem didn’t come away with a feeling that Woods was finished.

As for his own future? That’s equally vague.

Finchem’s latest four-year contract will expire in June, which would complete 23 years as the commissioner. But even with a succession plan in place – he named Jay Monahan the deputy commissioner in March – it didn’t sound as though Finchem was counting the days. Far from it.

“It’s a little ill-defined at the moment,” Finchem said. “We have a great succession plan in progress. There are a couple of three major kind of projects I’d like to get pushed a little bit. The timing of what that means is still up in the air. The board is very comfortable about that.”

Finchem turns 69 next year, though the PGA Tour policy board recently extended the age limit of board members to 75. So that’s not an issue. Of greater interest are the projects to which he refers. Finchem didn’t indicate that he wants to close the book on them, saying later that he wanted “to get at least a little momentum.”

Among the possible projects:

– The policy board at its last meeting approved a massive capital campaign project for improvements to The Players Championship and TPC Sawgrass. For all that Finchem has done in his two decades, The Players always has been among his highest priorities.

– Golf returns to the Olympics next year in Rio de Janeiro for the first time since 1904, though the work is not done. Golf will be part of the Olympic program in Rio and in Tokyo for 2020. But the big hurdle is securing its place for 2024 and beyond. The IOC will decide that in 2017, though it helps that most of the top stars plan to compete.

– Most intriguing is the possibility of a global tour. Finchem first mentioned it five years ago. He didn’t have a clear view of what form it would take other than to say that “at some point in time, men’s professional golf will become integrated globally.” This constitutes a long-term project that he would like to “get pushed a little bit.” It also requires plenty of cooperation with other tours, particularly in Europe and in Asia.

Two other possibilities:

– An early start on the next round of TV negotiations. The contracts are up in 2021, though it’s never too early to start.

– The contract for the title sponsorship of the FedEx Cup ends after 2017. By the same token, the tour has some title sponsorships that end after 2016, and the 2017 schedule could feature plenty of moving parts. But renewals and scheduling – and television – are issues that will continue to be part of PGA Tour business.

It’s unlikely that Finchem will step down at the end of June. The questions are how much longer he wants to stay and what role he might take after retirement.

“I love doing what I’m doing,” he said. “From an organizational standpoint, there are times when it’s time to make transition and at the same time have a fresh course. I think that’s where we’re going to be headed. It’s a question of identifying that. Having said that, if the board – and I’m assuming Jay – want me to do some things post being in this job, I’d be available, assuming I could do some things that wouldn’t put me front and center.

“I don’t know what that means, either, at this point.”

Golf Canada, the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, the PGA of Canada and CCMC Sports — whose golf media and marketing portfolio includes SCOREGolf Magazine, SCOREGolf.com and SCOREGolf TV on TSN — are pleased to announce a new marketing and sales alliance that will see Canadian golf’s major powerbrokers come together to offer corporate Canada unprecedented opportunity to engage in a sport that sees more participation by Canadians than any other.

As part of the agreement, CCMC Sports will support corporate hospitality and sponsorship sales efforts for Golf Canada’s RBC Canadian Open and Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, as well as Golf Canada’s grassroots development programs and advertising across Golf Canada media properties, including golfcanada.ca. CCMC Sports also assumes publishing rights to Golf Canada Magazine, the association’s bilingual membership publication, beginning January 1, 2016.

“We’re excited to partner with CCMC Sports. This agreement opens up new avenues for Golf Canada to grow our corporate hospitality, sponsorship and media revenue,” said Gavin Roth, Golf Canada Chief Commercial Officer. “Working with CCMC and their collection of leading golf properties also allows for a holistic, one-stop approach to taking hospitality, sponsorship and media assets to corporate Canada.”

The newly formed consortium makes for a powerful golf sales force that will utilize its many collective assets. Representing multiple-level professional and amateur golf tournaments, grassroots initiatives, developmental programs, nearly 3,700 PGA professionals at more than 1,500 Canadian golf facilities, and multiple media arms, the alliance will be able to meet a company’s every need when it comes to investing in and supporting Canadian golf.

“The PGA of Canada is excited about the collaborative efforts of all the industry leaders involved and believe the deliberate and organized approach will resonate with and engage corporate Canada,” said Gary Bernard, Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of Canada.

“We’re thrilled to be in a partnership with CCMC — a proven leader in Canadian golf business— that brings together the key organizations in Canadian golf to enable the corporate community to create comprehensive marketing programs that will help to grow the game and their business,” added Jeff Monday, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada President.

CCMC Sports has also renewed its deal with PGATOUR.COM, which sees it represent golf’s most widely visited website in the Canadian marketplace.

“We are happy to continue our longstanding partnership with CCMC Sports for digital ad representation in the Canadian market. SCOREGolf is a natural fit for PGA TOUR Digital and we have great trust in their expertise in the Canadian golf industry,” said Luis Goicouria, Senior Vice-President of Digital Platforms and Media Strategy for the PGA TOUR.

CCMC Sports — with its 30-plus years of experience in sales, brand marketing, sponsorship, publishing and supporting clients through an integrated sports model that utilizes traditional, social and interactive media — assumes the responsibility of representing the alliance in the marketplace. The Toronto-based company, with offices in Vancouver and Montreal, has recently augmented its media division with an exclusive sales and content deal with Send To News, which delivers sports highlights, including golf, to the websites of nearly 200 newspapers across Canada, making it the biggest provider of sports video in the country.

“We at CCMC Sports are privileged to have been named the exclusive sales and marketing agent on behalf of the four most prestigious and powerful brands the game of golf in this country has to offer,” said Kim Locke, CCMC Sports President. “Canadians are addicted to the game of golf, and we believe that this co-operative consortium of brands — Golf Canada, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, PGA of Canada, PGATOUR.COM and SCOREGolf — will provide us with the tools to excite corporations across the country to become true partners of the game for years to come.”

NASSAU, Bahamas – Jordan Spieth and his caddie shared the kind of hug on the 18th green normally seen only by winners.

They were six shots behind when they finished the Hero World Challenge, and it was clear this moment wasn’t about Sunday at Albany Golf Club. This was about the realization that the year was finally over, the kind of year a player never wants to end.

The Masters made it special. The U.S. Open made it incredible. The FedEx Cup made it lucrative. The No. 1 ranking made it satisfying.

When the 22-year-old Texan made his final full swing of the year and was walking toward the green, caddie Michael Greller walked alongside him.

“Michael said, ‘Hey, man, it’s been an honor to be in the passenger seat, sitting shotgun for this ride this year. Thanks for everything,'” Spieth said. “Obviously, I thanked him. It’s been a team effort this year, just as we always stress. But yeah, there was certainly a sigh of relief.”

It’s time to take a break, even if it’s a short one.

He leaves in just over three weeks for Maui, where the new year starts at Kapalua and Spieth will have to figure out an encore from winning two majors to get halfway to the Grand Slam, five tournaments overall, a record $12 million in PGA Tour earnings and a sweep of all the major awards.

Except that he’s not looking at it as a new year. It’s simply a break.

He had a chance to win the Australian Open last week in Sydney until Matt Jones recovered on the back nine. Spieth was in range at the Hero World Challenge until Bubba Watson didn’t give anyone much of a chance and won by three shots.

Spieth was on a victory lap these last two weeks, and he said he spent more time on the beach than on the putting green, with no regrets. He played 28 times this year, including the Presidents Cup. He won or finished second 10 times. He was a combined 54-under par in the four majors. He was due a working vacation.

Even so, he’s always looking ahead.

“I think these last two weeks, the fact that I didn’t win when I had a chance, may actually be a good thing for me,” he said. “I’m going to look at it positively that you can’t settle down, you’ve got to work a little bit harder. Everyone is playing a high level of golf right now, and they’re going to carry that into next season. So if I want to stay at the top, I’m going to have to outwork them. And that’s going to be challenging.”

He was headed home to Dallas on Monday for his three-week break. His first order of business was to play golf.

Spieth is taking his father, Shawn, and agent Jay Danzi to Augusta National to enjoy the privileges of being the Masters champion. He also plans to play with Augusta member and AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson.

And that’s a fitting way to end the year.

Spieth joined Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players since 1960 to win the first two legs of the Grand Slam, and he came closer than all of them to getting the third leg. He was tied for the lead at the British Open with two holes to play until finishing one shot out of a playoff. He was in the final group of the PGA Championship and was runner-up by three shots to Jason Day.

Even so, the Masters is what made his year.

He opened with a 64 to build a three-shot lead, set the 36-hole record with a 66 on Friday and never gave anyone much hope after that. When it was, he tied the 72-hole record set by Tiger Woods in 1997.

“Before the tournament, we were one of the favorites,” he said. “And then after the first round, it’s on us. Every question is, ‘You’re supposed to win.’ Without saying it, ‘It’s on you. What are you thinking now?’ It’s tough to sleep on that. And we did it so well.”

With a green jacket on the line, it’s not easy protecting such a big lead.

As he told the story, it brought him back to his first big tournament where he lost the lead.

He was 11.

The winner was a kid named Eddie DeVane.

“I had a two-shot lead with one hole to play,” Spieth said. “I played it smart – I laid up. The kid made par and I made triple. He cruised to a two-shot victory.”

Two of North America’s most successful women amateur golfers have become Honorary Members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

Canadian Marlene Stewart Streit, the only player to win the British, Canadian, U.S. and Australian women’s amateur titles, and America’s Judy Bell, a former Curtis Cup captain and player and United States Golf Association president, accepted invitations to become Honorary Members.

They follow Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Dame Laura Davies, Renée Powell, Belle Robertson MBE, Lally Segard, Annika Sorenstam and Louise Suggs, who sadly passed away in August, in becoming Honorary Members. A further eight women have also become Members of the Club.

Stewart Streit said, “I am absolutely delighted to be invited to join such a historic and prestigious institution in golf. I would never have dreamt of this all those years ago when I started out playing golf but I have enjoyed every moment of it. I am extremely proud and grateful to receive this honour and it means a great deal not just to me but to Canadian golf as a whole.”

Bell said, “I’m honoured to follow in the footsteps of so many great players and people who have been so influential in the game. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club enjoys such a special place at the heart of golf and I am thrilled to be part of it. Golf has been very good to me over the years and this is a wonderful distinction to receive. ”

Gavin Caldwell, Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, said, “It is a privilege to welcome two women who have enjoyed such long and distinguished careers in golf to The Royal and Ancient Golf Club. Both Marlene and Judy have made substantial contributions to golf through their outstanding achievements as players and their tireless work in supporting the development of the sport. They are both wonderful examples to follow and tremendous ambassadors for golf.”

Stewart Streit’s remarkable career saw her win 11 Canadian Ladies Open Amateurs, nine Canadian Ladies Close Amateurs, four Canadian Ladies’ Seniors and three U.S. Senior Women’s Championships. After winning the Ladies’ British Amateur Championship at Royal Porthcawl in 1953, she went on to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1956 and the Australian Women’s Amateur in 1963.

In 1951 and 1956, Stewart Streit, who was born in Cereal, Alberta, was named Canada’s top athlete of the year. She went on to establish the Marlene Streit Awards Fund to support promising young golfers. In 2004, she became Canada’s first member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and is also a Member of the Order of Canada, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

Bell, who was born in Wichita, Kansas, took up golf at the age of ten and in 1952 reached the semi-final of the U.S. Junior Girls’ Championship in California where she was defeated by Mickey Wright. Bell went on to play in two American Curtis Cup teams in 1960 and 1962 and captained the team in 1986 and 1988. She set the then lowest score, a 67, in the U.S. Women’s Open in 1964, and, in a successful amateur career, won the Broadmoor Invitational title three times, the Florida East Coast Championships three times, the Palm Beach Invitational, the 1958 South Atlantic Championship, and the 1963 Trans-Mississippi title.

In 1996, Bell became the first woman to be named president of the USGA. She joined the USGA’s junior championship committee in 1961 and went on to act as a Rules official at the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women’s Open. Bell served on the USGA’s women’s committee for 16 years and became the first female member of the USGA executive committee. She was nominated to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Quebec’s Maude-Aimée LeBlanc finished with panache, earning her LPGA Tour card for 2016 at the end of the five qualifying rounds in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The Sherbrooke, Que., native recorded a 1-under 71 in the final round Sunday. Her cumulative record of 350 (-10) saw her finish tied for fourth, a single-stroke behind second. She will head into her second year with full status on the LPGA Tour, having previously qualified in 2011.

LeBlanc wasn’t the only Canadian to earn LPGA status for 2016. Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec finished tied for 36th at even-par 360, while Samantha Richdale finished a shot back at 361 (T41) to earn conditional status.

Jessica Wallace earned Symetra Tour status for 2016 by virtue of tying for 64th at 6-over 366.

NASSAU, Bahamas – Bubba Watson wasn’t even planning to play in the Hero Challenge. He left no doubt Sunday who was going to win.

Watson quickly stretched his two-shot lead by making four birdies in seven holes. He was never seriously challenged, sailing home to a 6-under 66 for a three-shot victory over Patrick Reed at Albany Golf Club and a trophy from tournament host Tiger Woods.

Watson turned down his invitation a few months ago because he didn’t have a passport for his newly adopted daughter, Dakota. But when PGA champion Jason Day backed out to stay home with his newborn daughter, Watson’s wife was able to expedite all the right documents for the family to come over to the Bahamas.

He left with a $1 million payoff and a firm grasp on No. 4 in the world the rest of the year.

“I guess I’ve got to thank Jason Day for backing out. I have to thank the U.S. government and passport office for getting Dakota a passport so we could be here,” Watson said. “For us, it’s a good ride, a fun ride.”

Even if it didn’t feel easy to him, it sure looked that way.

Watson didn’t make a bogey all weekend until the final hole, when he jokingly asked NBC field reporter Notah Begay how many shots he needed to win. He played it safe and made bogey, and all that cost him was the tournament record. Watson finished at 25-under 263, one shot from Jordan Spieth’s record last year at Isleworth.

Reed also had a 66 to finish alone in second, moving him to No. 10 in the world for the first time. Rickie Fowler had a 64 to finish third.

Spieth tried to stay in range and was three shots behind until he missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole and never converted many chances after that. He ended his year with a 67, and walking up the 18th, he and caddie Michael Greller allowed for a quick reflection.

“Michael said, ‘Hey, man, it’s been an honor to be in the passenger seat, sitting shotgun for this ride. Thanks for everything,'” Spieth said. “I obviously thanked him. It’s been a team effort this year, just as we always stress. But yeah, there was certainly a sigh of relief.”

The Masters and U.S. Open champion strengthened his grip on No. 1 in the world, and headed off to a three-week vacation before going out to Maui for the first tournament of what figures to be a tough encore. First up: A trip to Augusta National this weekend to play with his father.

Watson’s year is not finished. He was headed to New York on Sunday night to catch a flight to Asia for the Thailand Open.

The two-time Masters champion already had a two-week trip away from his family, and he didn’t want to do that again. So when there was uncertainty about getting his daughter a passport for the Bahamas, he decided he would stay home this week and asked the tournament to let him know if anyone pulled out.

Day withdrew, Watson’s wife spent eight hours in an Arizona office trying to get all the paperwork and they were on their way.

Watson seized control with seven birdies and an eagle on Saturday in ideal weather for a two-shot lead over Paul Casey, and he started fast with birdies on the second and third holes to keep his distance. No one got closer than two shots all day, and as Fowler made a move with a 30 on the front nine, Watson answered with two straight birdies to start the back nine, and then it was a matter of finishing.

Justin Rose, who lives at Albany and has lingered at the bottom of the leaderboard all week, set the course record with a 62.

For Watson, the next step is to be a more consistent winner. This was the ninth victory worldwide in his career, and the second straight year he has won multiple times.

“I want my name to be close to that leaderboard every tournament, every year, so people are always talking about Bubba Watson, about how consistent he is and good he is,” Watson said. “That’s my whole focus right now, every year getting better and better.”