You’re here to inquire about famous golf trophies? Great.

That’s a specialty of mine. You’ve come to the right place.

The Claret Jug? He’s the elder statesman of our group. The R&A has been giving him out to the winner of the (British) Open Championship since 1873. Talk about shelf life. All of us have tons of respect for ‘Jug.’

Every golfer wants a Green Jacket, but the Masters trophy? That guy is majestic. Someone told me it took 900 pieces of sterling silver to build the rendition of the Augusta National Clubhouse on his base. Prettiest trophy in the game in my opinion.

Fire has been real tough on the boys in Far Hills, N.J. The original U.S. Open Trophy and Havemeyer Trophy, the one they give to the United States Amateur Champion, those went up in flames in two separate fires years ago. Tragic? You bet. But the boys the USGA replaced them with look great don’t they?

Since we’re reminiscing, I recall this one time in 1963. There was no fire, but the Wannamaker Trophy? He got so hot sitting in the blazing sun at the Dallas Athletic Club, that Jack Nicklaus, the PGA Champion that year, had to wrap a towel around the guy just to hold him. Lots of funny trophy stories like that one.

Me? Well, I’ve been a fixture here at the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum for a long time. Can’t say I’m as famous as any of those other trophies. Matter of fact, a lot of people don’t even know I exist. That’s okay. Last time they played golf in the Olympics was 1904. Tough to be relevant when you’ve been away more than a century right? That’s a long time out of the spotlight. But guess what? With golf returning to the Games in Rio next summer, I’ve been enjoying quite the resurgence. Seems lots of people suddenly are interested in me again. It’s been the same for the fella who won me, George S. Lyon. Talented player. Beat Chandler Egan to win me and the Olympic gold medal in pouring rain at Glen Echo Country Club in St. Louis that year. George has been gone since 1938, but with the International Olympic Committee reinstating golf to the Games, he’s been a hot commodity. Lots of people want to know about him and his career.

Like who? Well, Golf Channel for one. They flew up to see me here in Oakville a few weeks ago. Took all kinds of footage, did a photo shoot, talked to the Hall Curator Meggan Gardner about George and me. It was an exhausting day.

Since then, I’ve been on tour. Golf Canada had me on display at Glen Abbey during the RBC Canadian Open. That was fun. Even had my picture taken with Graeme McDowell and Nick Taylor.

The very next week Alyssa Reynolds, the museum’s assistant, drove me to Akron, Ohio for the WGC Bridgestone Invitational. Nice folks at Bridgestone. Paid all our expenses for five days. In return I did a bunch of personal appearances for them. They even put me in the room during a ‘One Year before Golf Return’s to the Olympics’ news conference with Matt Kuchar, Byeong-Hun An and Henrik Stenson. Those guys are funny. Took a bunch of ‘selfies’ for social media. Cool stuff, huh?

Right after that I was back on the road. Yup, Golf Canada flew me to Vancouver for the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. Boy was I a hit with those LPGA players. They all wanted a picture. Funny how some of them wouldn’t pick me up. How come? Superstitious I guess. Don’t want to jinx their chances of being on their respective country’s Olympic teams. Can’t say I blame them.

What’s next for me? Well, it will be 112 years since golf was in the Olympics, but Canada will be the defending gold medalist next summer. They tell me because of it I’ll be in high demand leading up to the Games in Rio. That means more television, media and personal appearances with lots of questions about George and his 1904 victory.

Am I up for it? Definitely. As I was telling the other trophies here just this morning, you know, it’s kind of nice being relevant again.

JACKSON, Miss. – Peter Malnati won for the first time on the PGA Tour, closing with a 5-under 67 to capture the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Malnati finished at 18 under in a rain-soaked tournament that was forced to complete play Monday. He was one shot behind going into the final round but closed with five birdies over his final 12 holes to beat William McGirt and David Toms by one stroke.

The event at the Country Club of Jackson was delayed five times, either by rain, lightning or darkness. The final day was a long one for several golfers, with some playing as many as 30 holes.

It was a crowded leaderboard throughout Monday’s marathon round, with about 15 players moving in and out of contention. Roberto Castro led through the first two rounds but shot a 3-over 75 in the third round and finished at 16 under.

JACKSON, Miss. – Roberto Castro finished just six holes Sunday at a soggy Sanderson Farms Championship.

The way things were going, that wasn’t such a bad thing.

Castro clung to a one-stroke lead at the Country Club of Jackson after playing the first six holes in the suspended third round in 2-over par.

He’ll have to navigate 30 holes Monday to win for the first time on the PGA Tour in more than 100 career starts. He’ll have about a 30-foot putt for birdie on No. 7 when play resumes.

Play was suspended Sunday because of darkness and will resume Monday morning with the final round following immediately. Castro said he was prepared for the grind.

“Just grab your lunch at the turn and keep going,” the 30-year-old Castro said. “If you get on a good run, just ride it as long as you can.”

It’s been a soggy, stop-and-start tournament that has required plenty of patience. Several players had their second rounds stretch over three days from Friday to Sunday as rain swept through the area.

Castro was at 13 under. He started play Sunday with a four-stroke lead, but quickly fell back toward the pack with bogeys on Nos. 3 and 4. They were his first two bogeys of the tournament.

“I just hit two poor shots and paid for both of them,” Castro said.

Former tournament champion D.J. Trahan and Michael Thompson were a shot back. Boo Weekley, Patrick Rodgers and Jhonattan Vegas were among seven players two shots back.

The 42-year-old Weekley, a three-time winner on tour, said he wasn’t concerned about the long Monday ahead.

“You just get after it, do the best you can, chase it around out there and hope you come out a winner,” Weekley said.

The 23-year-old Rodgers shot a 64 in the second round to jump into contention. He was 1 under through seven holes in the third round.

“I was a little up and down today. I wasn’t my best,” Rodgers said. “But I feel good with the way I’m striking it.

Castro had his best round on the PGA Tour on Thursday, firing a 10-under 62 to take a two-stroke lead. He pushed that lead to four strokes after shooting a 67 on Friday.

But he didn’t play at all on Saturday because of the rain and struggled almost immediately on Sunday. He said course conditions had changed some because of a big drop in temperature and a little more wind.

Still, he was encouraged by his par on No. 6 just before darkness ended the round.

“A lot of golf to play tomorrow,” Castro said.

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, BC, find themselves tied for 22nd at 8 under. Nick Taylor, also of Abbotsford, follows at 7 under.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Billy Andrade won the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Sunday, beating Champions Tour points winner Bernhard Langer with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff.

Andrade two-putted from the back fringe on the par-5 18th, holing a 2 1/2-footer for his third victory of the year on the 50-and-over tour.

The 51-year-old Andrade closed with a 6-under 64 on Desert Mountain’s Cochise Course, making a 10-foot birdie putt on 18 to post at 14-under 266.

Langer missed a chance to win on 18 in regulation when his 18-foot eagle putt lipped out. He finished with a 67, then failed to get up-and-down for birdie from the right greenside rough in the playoff.

The 58-year-old German star won the Charles Schwab Cup points title for the second straight year and record third time overall, earning a $1 million annuity. He easily beat Colin Montgomerie and Jeff Maggert in the points race after entering the week third in the standings.

With players receiving a point for every $500 in the $2.5 million tournament, Langer earned 508 points with his $254,000 check to beat Montgomerie by 338 points and Maggert by 377.

Langer also won the money title for the record fourth straight year and record seventh time in eight years, finishing with $2,340,288. The two-time Masters champion successfully defended his Senior Players title in June in Massachusetts for his fifth senior major title and won last month in San Antonio for his 25th victory on the 50-and-over tour.

Montgomerie and Maggert tied for 14th at 4 under, with each earning $52,000. Maggert shot 66, and Montgomerie 67.

Andrade earned $440,000. The four-time PGA Tour winner also teamed with Joe Durant – his playing partner Sunday – to win the Legends of Golf in April and won the Boeing Classic in August.

Andrade made a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-3 13th to reach 14 under, dropped a stroke in the par-5 15th after hitting his approach over the green into a crevice between rocks. He got a big break on the par-3 17th when his tee shot struck a rock and bounced onto the green to set up a two-putt par.

Andrade had a hole-in-one in his opening 65 and followed with rounds of 67 and 70 to begin the day four strokes behind third-round leader Michael Allen.

Allen was third at 12 under after a 70. The Scottsdale resident took a one-stroke lead over Langer into the day after leading by six strokes midway through the third round.

Jeff Sluman and Mark O’Meara tied for fourth at 10 under. Sluman eagled the 18th for a 66, and O’Meara closed with a 68.

Canada’s Stephen Ames tied for 6th at 9 under.

SHANGHAI – Russell Knox raised both arms in the air, closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the heavens as if he couldn’t believe what he had just done.

Dating to when the World Golf Championship began in 1999, no one had ever won in his debut. Knox wasn’t even eligible for the HSBC Champions until he got in 10 days ago as an alternate, and then it was a mad scramble in Malaysia to get a Chinese visa in time to play.

Walking out of the Sheshan International clubhouse on Sunday with a share of the 54-hole lead, Knox noticed a billboard with names and images of past winners at the HSBC Champions – Phil Mickelson and Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson.

“Everyone who wins this tournament is a superstar,” Knox said. “I knew this would be the hardest day in my life.”

For a 30-year-old from Scotland who had never won in 92 previous tries on the PGA Tour, Knox made it look like a breeze. He broke out of a five-way tie for the lead with two quick birdies to start the back nine and was flawless the rest of the way for a 4-under 68 and a two-shot victory over Kevin Kisner.

“I always thought I was going to win a big one for my first one,” he said. “But this is going to take a long time to sink in.”

He played alongside Johnson, whose power can be so intimidating that Knox didn’t watch him hit a shot for 12 holes. In the group ahead was Jordan Spieth, on his way back to No. 1 in the world. The cheers were for Li Haotong, the 20-year-old from Shanghai who received rock-star treatment during a wild final round that ended with the best finish ever by a Chinese player on the PGA Tour.

“Incredible for me this week,” Li said. “This for me is very, very big.”

Imagine how it felt for Knox, whose unexpected trip to China ended with a most surprising victory.

Knox finished at 20-under 268 and earned $1.4 million, along with perks that include his first trip to the Masters in April.

“I got married on Saturday of the Masters,” he said. “What a great wedding anniversary we’re going to have.”

It was the fourth runner-up this year for Kisner – the other three were in playoffs. He closed with a 70, though his birdie putt on the 18th hole was worth an additional $285,000, a small consolation.

“That’s all right,” Kisner said. “I’ll keep finishing second and I’ll keep giving myself a shot, and I know I’ll win one of them.”

His birdie was expensive for Danny Willett, who closed with a 62 and tied for third with Ross Fisher (68). If Kisner had not made birdie on the final hole, Willett would have overtaken Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai on the European Tour. Willett is playing next week in the BMW Masters in Shanghai – McIlroy is not – and even if he doesn’t pass him, the Race to Dubai will come down to the final event.

McIlroy closed with a 50-foot birdie putt for a 66, ending a week in which his energy was low while recovering from food poisoning, and his putter was cold, as it has been since he returned in August from his ankle injury.

Spieth, who started the final round three shots behind, didn’t feel comfortable with his swing and didn’t make enough putts in his round of 70. Two birdies on the back nine at least allowed him to tie for seventh, and that was enough to move back to No. 1 in the world.

“Everyone is pushing each other a little bit, and when that No. 1 ranking slips away, it leaves some unrest in you and you really want to get back at it,” Spieth said.

Johnson wound up four shots behind, and with more reason than anyone to feel as though a third WGC title got away. He was one shot behind Knox on the par-5 eighth hole when his wedge covered the flag and appeared that it would land a few feet behind the hole or a tap-in birdie. Instead, it struck the pin and caromed harshly off the green and into the creek. A birdie turned into a double bogey, and Johnson never recovered. He closed with a 71.

The hopes were with Li, and the crowd stood four-deep behind the range with cameras on him at all times. The attendance this week (34,790) set a record, topping 2009 when Mickelson and Tiger Woods played in the final round.

But those hopes ended quickly. Li hooked his opening tee shot and had to scramble to make bogey. He hooked his second tee shot into the hazard and made double bogey. He didn’t make a par until the seventh hole, and only because he missed a 4-foot birdie putt.

But he kept fighting until the end, making two late birdies and saving par after a second shot into the water on the 18th, finishing tied for seventh.

“He was really off with his game, but man, did he have heart,” Spieth said. “He didn’t have his best stuff. If he did, he really could have done some damage today.”

Canada’s Richard T. Lee finished T46 at 4 under.

SHIMA, Japan – Sun-Ju Ahn won the Toto Japan Classic on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour victory and 20th Japan LPGA title, beating fellow South Korean player Ji-Hee Lee and American Angela Stanford with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff.

Ahn hit a 6-iron from 165 yards to 5 feet on the par-4 18th to set up the winning putt.

“I’m very happy,” Ahn said. “I didn’t think that I’d be able to win the tournament, but it’s a nice surprise. I’m very happy.”

Lee left a 50-footer short, and Stanford missed from 33 feet.

“About halfway I thought it might have a chance, but it broke more than I thought it would,” Stanford explained. “Sun-Ju hit a really good shot in there. If you stick it on 18, with this hole, you deserve birdie and you deserve to win.”

The 28-year-old Ahn closed with a 5-under 67 at Kintetsu Kashikojima to match Stanford and Lee at 16-under 200. Stanford also shot 67, and Lee had a 66.

Ahn has an option to take LPGA Tour membership next season and is eligible for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.

“I haven’t thought much about that yet,” Ahn said. “I’m just going to enjoy this win and this moment.”

Ahn is projected to jump from 29th to 22nd in the world ranking. She also won the Japanese tour’s Century 21 Ladies in July, and had seven career Korea LPGA victories.

The 37-year-old Stanford won the last of her five LPGA Tour titles in 2012. She dropped to 1-4 in playoffs, including a loss in the 2003 U.S. Women’s Open.

She played the first two Asian Swing events in Malaysia and South Korea, then skipped the stops in Taiwan and China.

“When I left Korea I was pretty upset because I played bad in Malaysia and Korea,” Stanford said. “I went home put my head down and wanted to get better. I’m happy with this week.”

South Korea’s Jenny Shin, the second-round leader, had a 70 to finish a stroke back.

Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn closed with a 64 – the best round of the week – to finish fifth at 14 under. She began the day tied for 29th.

Third-ranked Stacy Lewis and No. 4 Lexi Thompson topped the group at 12 under. Lewis shot a 68, and Thompson had a 69. Thompson won three weeks ago in South Korea for her second victory of the year.

Michelle Wie tied for 59th at 2 under after a 71. She was one of 21 women to play in all five events on the Asian Swing.

Canada’s Alena Sharp tied for 22nd at 8 under after  a final round 72.

JACKSON, Miss. – Rain washed out all but 40 minutes of play Saturday in the Sanderson Farms Championship, further delaying the waterlogged event.

Roberto Castro, who set the course record with a 10-under 62 in Thursday’s opening round, holds a four-shot lead at 15 under through 36 holes. Bryce Molder (69) and Jhonattan Vegas (67) are tied for second at 11 under, with Patrick Rodgers (64), Michael Thompson (67), Brian Davis (69) and D.J. Trahan (67) tied for fourth at 10 under par at Country Club of Jackson.

Canadians Nick Taylor (66) are T8, Adam Hadwin (71) T12 and Graham DeLaet (72) T25 respectively.

Seventy-six players have yet to complete their second rounds.

Play is set to resume early Sunday. After the second round is completed, the third and fourth will be played. However, tournament officials are prepared to extend play into Monday if 72 holes can’t be completed by darkness on Sunday.

Clear skies are forecast for Sunday and Monday.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Michael Allen held onto the lead Saturday in the Champions Tour’s season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship, and playing partner Bernhard Langer pulled within a stroke to easily remain in position to take the points title.

Allen shot a 1-under 69, making six birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey in breezy conditions on Desert Mountain’s Cochise Course. He had a 12-under 198 total.

The 56-year-old Scottsdale resident birdied the par-3 11th to open a six-stroke lead, then played the next four holes in 4 over. He rebounded with a birdie on the par-3 17th and parred the par-5 18th.

“I didn’t really know what my lead was,” Allen said. “It probably would have been a good idea to look at a board at that point, but I was just trying to do what I’ve been doing all week, which is just try and hit good shots, make birdies and pars. I don’t think my strategy would have changed any.”

Langer birdied the final two holes for a 68. The 58-year-old German star is competing with Colin Montgomerie and Jeff Maggert for the Charles Schwab Cup points title and a $1 million annuity.

Langer began the week third in the standings, 66 points behind Colin Montgomerie and 27 behind Jeff Maggert, in a bid to win the title for the second straight year and record third time overall.

“Obviously, I’m in a unique situation this week where I’m sort of keeping one eye on what’s happening there with Monty and Maggert and I’m trying to win the tournament at the same time,” Langer said.

With players receiving a point for every $500 earned in the $2.5 million tournament, Langer started $33,000 behind Montgomerie and $13,500 behind Maggert. With their current positions, Langer would earn $254,000, Montgomerie $40,500, and Maggert $34,000. Langer also is in position to top the money list.

Montgomerie had a 71 and was tied for 18th in the 30-man field at 1 under. Maggert was tied for 21st at even par after a 71. The runner-up in the points competition will receive a $500,000 annuity, and the third-place finisher will get a $300,000 annuity.

“Right now it’s looking good and it’s still a shootout for the title as well,” Langer said. “Michael played phenomenal on the front and wheels came off a little bit in the middle there, early back nine, and then he pulled himself together again. It’s still anybody’s ball game at this point, the tournament.”

Allen made a double bogey on the par-4 12th after driving into the desert.

“I just think let up for a shot there and it kind of, it really got me. Is that what happened carrying on? Who really knows.I felt like I overcame it all right and I didn’t feel like, ‘Oh, boy, I’m uptight and not doing well.’ I kind of just tried to shrug it off and kind of keep moving forward.”

He bogeyed the par-3 13th, then topped a long-iron approach into the water on the par-4 15th and holed a 10-footer to escape with bogey.

“I was a little out of sorts and probably just didn’t go through the routine quite properly,” Allen said. “I don’t know because it was a perfect number. … I guess it happens once in a while in golf.”

He made an 18-foot birdie putt on 17, and missed a birdie chance on 18 when he pulled his 8-footer to the right.

“I feel good,” Allen said. “I felt like I just lost my swing a little bit there and maybe really my focus more than my swing.”

Allen began the day with a two-stroke lead after opening with rounds of 65 and 64. He won the last of his seven victories on the 50-and-over tour in October 2014.

Mark O’Meara, Canada’s Stephen Ames and Billy Andrade were tied for third at 8 under. O’Meara shot 66, Ames 67, and Andrade 70. Ames was the last player to get into the field, jumping from 31st to 30th on the money list with a ninth-place tie last week at Newport Beach.

SHANGHAI – Even with two majors, five victories, a FedEx Cup title and over $22 million in earnings this year, Jordan Spieth offered an honest appraisal about the final World Golf Championship of the year. He really didn’t think he would have much of a chance in the HSBC Champions.

Now he does.

The third round at Sheshan International ended Saturday in the dark with Kevin Kisner holding a one-shot lead, Russell Knox choosing to return Sunday morning to finish the round and see if he could tie him, Dustin Johnson playing mistake-free to pull within one shot, and Li Haotong giving China hope that one of its own could win on a world stage.

And then there was Spieth, right where he has been so much of the year.

“My theory on the tour and trying to win is your lead is never safe because some guy is going to make birdies,” Kisner said after a 2-under 70. “Look at Jordan today. His name popped up. I don’t even know where he started and he was on the leaderboard.”

Some 24 hours earlier, Spieth was 12 shots behind and wondering he could even make another par. He ended Friday with two birdies, and then raced up the leaderboard in soft conditions Saturday with a 9-under 63 to go from the middle of the pack to three shots behind.

“This will be the first and only time I would say this, but I was not expecting myself to be in this position come Sunday when the week started,” Spieth said with a smile. “I came in with very little confidence in my trust of what I’m trying to do in my swing. … But yeah, I’m extremely pleased just to be in contention.”

Finishing it off doesn’t figure to be easy.

Kisner chipped in for birdie on the 15th hole to go from a two-shot deficit to a tie for the lead when Knox three-putted for bogey, and the 31-year-old American pulled ahead with a birdie on the 16th and two pars to finish at 16-under 200.

Johnson, who won the HSBC Champions the last time he was here two years ago, has made 10 birdies in his last 21 holes and shot a 65. Li wasted no time getting the Chinese gallery fired up when he opened with four straight birdies on his way to a 66.

“It’s going to be a dog fight tomorrow no matter what,” Kisner said.

Spieth felt he was struggling to avoid his club face being shut during the final month of the PGA Tour season, and he has been working on a fix that is difficult for him. But he found a swing thought on the practice range Saturday morning and hit the ball so well that he shot 63 despite missing four putts inside 10 feet.

“I’m not going to complain about the round, but I felt like the way I played could have been 10 or 11 (under) for sure,” Spieth said.

He finished with a bold move. Spieth had 239 yards to the hole, which required a precise carry over the water, on the par-5 18th. He could get there with a 3-iron if he flushed it, so caddie Michael Greller suggested he play it safe.

“Michael said, ‘It’s a bad number. Let’s lay up and make birdie with a wedge,’ Spieth said. “I said, ‘I’m not laying up from 239. So I hit a 3-wood and aimed 30 yards left of the green with a big cut. I cut it a little too much. I was trying to get in the middle of the green, and it went further right and closer to the hole.”

He missed the eagle putt from 15 feet, typical of his round. He still had another chance to win, typical of his year.

Knox birdied his opening three holes and built a two-shot lead with a birdie on the 11th. But he three-putted the 15th, narrowly avoided another bogey on No. 16 by making an 8-foot putt and missed on a short birdie attempt on the 17th. With the option to finish in the dark – as Kisner and Branden Grace did – Knox chose to wait.

Li might have wished for this day to never end.

China’s brightest young star, he played the PGA Tour China series last year and earned Web.com Tour status, and he was in range to earn a PGA Tour card this year until fading late in the season. Playing before a home crowd – he grew up in Shanghai and plays out of Lake Malaren, home of next week’s BMW Masters – he prepared Friday night to cope with the stress and pressure and turned it into the most fun he’s had on a golf course.

“I never thought I could play that good,” Li said. “Can’t believe it.”

Liang Wenchong, who tied for eighth in the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, is the only other Chinese player to finish in the top 10 in a PGA Tour event. Even though Li is only one shot behind, he kept his goal modest. He wants to finish in the top 10.

Can he win?

In an press conference in Chinese, Li answered in English with a big laugh.

“I don’t think so,” he said.

Patrick Reed (68) and Ross Fisher (65) joined Spieth at 13-under 203, with Grace playing the final three holes in 3 under for a 70. He was four shots behind. Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler each shot 68 and were eight shots behind.

SHIMA, Japan – Jenny Shin shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over fellow South Korean player Ha-Neul Kim in the LPGA Tour’s Toto Japan Classic.

Shin had her second straight bogey-free round at Kintetsu Kashikojima, reaching 13 under with a birdie on the par-3 17th and closing with a par. The 2006 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion is winless in five seasons on the LPGA Tour.

Kim had a 66. She has one victory this year in her first season on the Japan LPGA.

American Angela Stanford was 11 under along with South Korea’s Sun-Ju Ahn and Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum. Stanford, tied for the first-round lead, had a 68. Ahn, a 19-time winner on the JLPGA, shot 65, and Phatlum birdied six of first eight holes in a 66.

Canada’s Alena Sharp shot 69 and has a share of 15th at 8 under.