PRATTVILLE, Ala. – Yani Tseng closed with an eagle and a birdie for an 8-under 64 and a one-stroke lead Friday in the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic.

Tseng hit a 6-iron to 4 feet to set up the eagle on the par-5 eighth hole just before play was delayed for about 90 minutes because of lightning and rain, then took the outright lead on the par-4 ninth with her sixth birdie of the day.

“I can’t wait to come out tomorrow,” Tseng said. “It will be a brand new day, but we’ll keep the same strategy and make as many birdies as I can.”

Ranked No. 1 in the world for 109 weeks, the 26-year-old Taiwanese player has slipped to 75th and is winless in 85 events since the 2012 Kia Classic. The 15-time tour winner tied for second in March in the LPGA Thailand for her only top-10 finish of the year.

“I’ve been working on my game forever, like every day,” Tseng said. “It’s just exciting. I really want to win a tournament for sure. We only have probably seven, eight tournaments left, but it’s never too late. Just very happy my game’s really coming back. … It doesn’t matter if it’s this week or next week or next year, just try to be patient as much as I can and stay positive.”

Third-ranked Stacy Lewis, the 2012 winner, played alongside Tseng.

“You can see she’s confident,” Lewis said, “She’s firing at pins that are tucked and hidden. She hits it so far and hits the irons so high that they have a lot of spin, so she’s able to kind of attack pins that nobody else is. … It’s fun to see her playing the way she should be.”

Tseng reached 10-under 134 on the links-style Senator Course with her lowest round since a 63 in the 2013 LPGA Thailand.

“It just feels like this course suits my game,” Tseng said. “I feel very comfortable and confident out there. I’m just kind of getting back to enjoy playing golf again and it was so much fun to play with Stacy. She made a bunch of birdies and we kind of kept that momentum keep going. … Stacy’s amazing. I don’t know how to describe the feeling because we are good friends, but at the same time we’re competitors, too.”

Austin Ernst was second after a 65, and playing partner Lexi Thompson, the 2011 winner at age 16, was third at 8 under after a 67.

Sydnee Michaels and Julieta Granada were still on the course at 7 under when play was suspended for the day because of more rain and darkness. Michaels had four holes left, and Granada two.

Lewis topped the group at 6 under after a 68. Second last year in Prattville, the Texan is coming off a playoff loss to Lydia Ko on Sunday in British Columbia in the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

“I still haven’t put it all together,” Lewis said. “A bit of a frustrating round. I had a good front nine, had it going, played 10 really good holes and then just kind of stalled the last eight.”

Ernst also eagled the eighth hole and had eight birdies and three bogeys. The 23-year-old former LSU player won the Portland Classic last year for her lone LPGA Tour title.

“I’ve been playing well. It’s really just a matter of getting some putts to fall,” Ernst said. “I hit it really well today. I had a few holes that where I kind of hit some loose shots, but kind of just took my bogey and kind of went on with it. And then I had probably three wedge shots that I hit up within a foot and I just went up and tapped them in. I think I hit two more where I had about 3 feet.”

Canadian teen Brooke Henderson was 3 under after a 70. The 17-year-old Henderson won her first LPGA Tour title two weeks ago in Portland, Oregon.

“I would have liked a little more today, but overall it was a pretty solid round and I gave myself quite a few opportunities,” Henderson said.

Fellow Canadian Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., sits T37 at 1-under.

EDISON, N.J. – Jordan Spieth lost out on a chance to play the weekend at The Barclays.

He also lost his No. 1 ranking.

Bubba Watson, momentarily distracted by a rare warning for taking too long to play a shot, recovered with a birdie on the 18th hole at Plainfield Country Club for a 2-under 68 and a one-shot lead going into the weekend at the opening FedEx Cup playoff event.

On an otherwise sleepy afternoon at a course where no one could get some separation, two peculiar moments stood out – a bad time for Watson, bad golf from Spieth.

Trying to rally to make the cut, Spieth hit into a hazard on the 12th hole, and a bogey later became a double bogey when he was penalized one shot for stepping on his ball during the search. He had a 73, the first time since the Tour Championship last year that he had consecutive rounds over par.

He missed the cut by five shots. That means Rory McIlroy, who isn’t playing this week, returns to No. 1.

“I’ve reached that peak already and I know it’s going to be close enough to where if I just get the job done next week, I’ll be back in that ranking,” Spieth said. “But again, that ranking, it’s great once you reach it but it’s not something that I’m going to live or die on each week.”

McIlroy becomes the 14th player since the world ranking began in 1986 to get to No. 1 without playing that week.

Watson is in good shape through 36 holes to claim his own No. 1 ranking – a victory would move him to the top of the FedEx Cup. Much like the world ranking right now, that figures to change by the week.

Ultimately, what matters to Watson, Spieth and others is winning the Tour Championship to capture the $10 million bonus.

Halfway through this event, no telling what else will happen over the next two days.

PGA Tour rookie Justin Thomas had a few late bogeys for a 69 and shrugged when asked if he was happy with his score. He was seven shots back.

“This is a course where if you make the cut, you have a chance to win,” Thomas said.

Watson was at 7-under 133.

British Open champion Zach Johnson made five birdies to go with four par-saving putts from outside 8 feet for a 65. He was one shot out of the lead, along with Henrik Stenson (66), Tony Finau (69) and Jason Dufner (68).

Watson typically struggles on courses with blind shots, and Plainfield has plenty of them. But he’s picking out targets, smashing his driver close to the green on the shorter holes and getting by just fine.

The bad time came on No. 16 with a difficult pin position, made even tougher by the fact Watson watched Spieth’s shot roll back some 100 feet off the green. Watson took longer than 40 seconds – 1 minutes, 2 seconds to be exact – and was given the bad time. One more bad time would have led to a one-shot penalty. Watson said he rushed his next shot from the fairway and came up 30 yards short of the green, leading to bogey.

Asked about his round, the first thing he brought up was the bad time, which he thought was “hilarious.” He spoke to the rules official after the round.

“I told them, `I’m not mad at anybody about the bad time.’ I went over the time, which is the right ruling,” he said. “It’s just on a hole like that, one of the toughest holes we’ve ever played besides 2011 when we played the same pin placement, it’s very difficult.

“But yeah, I’m very happy about my round,” he said. “I’m excited where I’m at. I made the cut and I’m in the last group. Hopefully, I’m here talking to y’all tomorrow about something else crazy that happened.”

Spieth made 10 bogeys and two double bogeys over 36 holes. He had one stretch on the front nine of four bogeys in five holes. The exception was a birdie. But after starting the back nine with back-to-back birdies to get within two shots of the cut line, his long approach on the par-5 12th found a hazard of thick grass.

Spieth said he told his caddie he was going to play the shot if he could see the ball, and take a penalty drop if he could not see it. Instead, he stepped on it. He thought because he announced that he might take a penalty that stepping on the ball didn’t matter. Spieth, instead of getting into a long explanation with a rules official on the next hole, waited until after the round and accepted the additional one-shot penalty.

Ultimately, it didn’t matter. He still missed the cut for the third time this year. He has a week before he tees it up next week in the TPC Boston, which has a Labor Day finish. And he sounded frustrated when he said, “I’m definitely searching for answers.”

Some players have a month to search by missing the cut, making it impossible to move into the top 100 in the FedEx Cup and advance to the top 100. That group included Tim Clark and Graham DeLaet. Adam Scott also missed the cut and is likely to fall out of the top 100 at the end of the tournament Sunday.

Brantford, Ont., product David Hearn followed up an opening-round 70 with a round of 69 to reach 1-under 139 and a share of 32nd place. Nick Taylor is even-par  and sits T40.

ENDICOTT, N.Y. – Before Gene Sauers entered the interview room at En-Joie Golf Club, he grinned as he looked at his round details.

“I’ve always loved this course,” Sauers said. “It’s good for me.”

On Friday, it was very good for him. Sauers shot a 6-under 66 to tie Paul Goydos for the first-round lead in the Champions Tour’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Open. John Huston, the tournament winner four years ago, was a stroke back along with Ian Woosnam.

Peter Senior, a late addition to the field, was another shot back and tied for fifth with Bob Friend, Steve Jones, Rod Spittle, Jeff Maggert, and Willie Wood, who won here in 2012. Defending champion Bernhard Langer had a 71.

John Cook was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. He made an eight at No. 16 and signed for a seven.

Sauers had four birdies on the front nine and three on the back, his lone blemish on the day a bogey at the par-3 seventh when he drove into a greeenside bunker and couldn’t get up and down. He hit 11 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens in regulation on the short and narrow tree-lined course. He rolled in a pair of 10-foot birdie putts that broke left to right at Nos. 13 and 17.

“I’ve always had trouble putting. Now, it’s the best part of my game,” he said.

The 53-year-old Sauers, winless on the Champions Tour, was the 54-hole leader at last year’s U.S. Senior Open at Oak Tree National. But he missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole to fall into a playoff and lost to Colin Montgomerie. Still, he finished just inside the top 20 on the money list, his highest standing ever, compliments of three top-three finishes in his first five tournaments.

“I’ve been playing pretty well,” Sauers said. “I just haven’t got the job done. I just have to keep fighting.”

With his short game in top form, Goydos had four birdies on the front nine and another at No. 10 as he converted three putts inside 6 feet and two others within 6 inches. A 25-foot birdie putt at No. 17 forged a tie for the lead.

“From tee to green, I played as well as I have all year,” Goydos said. “It was a nice start.”

Huston, who is vying to become the first repeat winner of the event, had eight birdies, a bogey and a double bogey. Despite hitting just 7 of 14 fairways, Huston moved into contention with his play on the firm greens. He needed just 26 putts.

Michael Allen had four birdies in a five-hole span on the front nine and tacked on two more birdies on the first three holes along the back side to reach 5 under. A three-putt bogey at the par-4 11th hole began a slide, and Allen followed with bogeys at Nos. 14 and 15 to fall back into a tie for 11th at 3 under with Kevin Sutherland and eight other players.

Sutherland, who became the first player in Champions Tour history to shoot a 59 when he accomplished the feat here a year ago in the second round, had an up-and-down day with five birdies and two bogeys in 69.

The round was played under ideal partly cloudy conditions, with temperatures in the 70s and just the hint of a breeze. Kenny Perry said the 6,974-yard course was as firm as he’d ever seen it and predicted a bunch of low scores.

They just weren’t as low as expected. The first-round leader in each of the previous five Champions Tour tournaments at En-Joie shot 65.

Sauers wasn’t complaining.

“There’s always low rounds out there,” Sauers said. “You’ve just got to give yourself opportunities.”

Among those who failed to break par were Tom Purtzer (74), Mark Calcavecchia (75), and Woody Austin (77).

Austin, who entered the tournament ranked ninth in points and has six top 10 finishes in 2015, had five bogeys and a double-bogey 6 along with two birdies as he hit only seven fairways. A year ago, he finished tied for second here with Allen.

Montgomerie, the Schwab Cup points leader, is not playing for a second straight week because of commitments in Europe, giving Maggert and Langer a chance to take over the top spot. Montgomerie has 2,873 points, Maggert 2,707 and Langer 2,604 in what has become a three-way competition with only four more events until the Schwab Cup Championship in November.

St. Catharines, Ont., native Rod Spittle carded five birdies en route to a 4-under 68. Stephen Ames finished the day at even-par.

CAMLACHIE, Ont. – It came down to the wire at the 2015 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship as Terrill Samuel of Etobicoke, Ont., captured a trio of titles at Sawmill Creek Golf Resort and Spa.

Samuel, 54, was crowned the Senior (50+), Mid-Master (40+) and Mid-Amateur (25+) champion after carding 3-under for the competition.

“It feels great. It was a wonderful tournament and I had a great time. It’s very exciting to win the Championship,” said Samuel, who also won the 2012 Canadian Senior Championship. “I think it really helps that you’ve done it before because you can believe in yourself. But it also relaxes you because you have won and you’re not trying to do your first.”

The Weston Golf and Country Club member entered the final round tied with Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont., and edged the competition with a 1-over par final round. Samuel opened the tournament with a 3-under 68 followed by a 70 on day two.

“I played with Judith Kyrinis for three days and she played absolutely flawlessly. She barely missed a shot and every time I would hit a bad shot, it seemed I had a horseshoe and had a good break,” said Samuel, who was in a draw with Kyrinis heading into the final hole. “I actually didn’t feel good at first because I thought she probably deserved to win the tournament as opposed to myself, but I guess it’s good to be lucky sometimes.”

Kyrinis shot a final round 74 to finish two strokes behind to finish runner-up. The 51-year-old matched Samuel round-for-round, but shot a double-bogey on the 18^th hole to finish second in the Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master and Senior divisions.

Mary Ann Hayward of Aurora, Ont., rounded out the top three in all three divisions after posting 2-over par for the tournament. The Canadian Golf Hall of famer, who has three Canadian Women’s Senior titles, rebounded from a 4-over par front nine during the final round with an eagle-birdie-par to finish 1-over for the final round.

With the victory, Samuel gains entry into the 2015 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Hillwood Country Club in Nashville, Tenn., from September 26 to October 1.

“That was the best part really, it was great to get that exemption,” said Samuel who was headed to a qualifier for the U.S.G.A event next week.

The Inter-Provincial Team and Super Senior divisions that were played concurrently with the first two rounds of play were awarded on Thursday and saw Team Ontario alongside Joey Bush emerge victorious.

The host provincial team finished the two-round championship at 3-under par and was comprised of Hayward, Uxbridge, Ont., native Gail Pimm and Debbie Court of Mississauga, Ont.

In the Super Senior division, Bush, 64, of Aurora, Ont., captured the over-60 Super Senior Championship title after finishing 11-over par through the opening 36 holes.

Additional information regarding the 2015 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship is available here.

VYSOKY UJEZD, Czech Republic – Matthew Fitzpatrick and Pelle Edberg both shot a 5-under 67 on Friday to share the lead after the second round of the Czech Masters.

It was the second flawless round for the 20-year-old Fitzpatrick at the Albatross Golf course near Prague.

“It was very consistent today,” the Englishman said. “I played nicely and hit a lot of greens again which is always important to keep making pars and then take your chances when you have them. “

Fitzpatrick holed a 20-foot putt for eagle on the par-5 12th and finished his round with his third birdie of the day on the 18th for an 11-under total of 133.

“The putt on the 18th was a nice way to finish with a birdie, to pick up one more and move to the top,” he said.

The 36-year-old Edberg of Sweden had six birdies, including four on the front nine, and a bogey.

“Like yesterday I putted really well,” Edberg said. “I holed a lot of putts and it was good off the tee and had some nice irons, so it added up to a good score.”

Both Fitzpatrick and Edberg are seeking their first European Tour victory.

Thomas Pieters of Belgium was one shot back after carding a 68.

Fitzpatrick, Edberg and Pieters were all in a group of four to start the second round one stroke behind overnight leaders Eduardo De la Riva and Renato Paratore. De la Riva only managed a 76 to plummet down the leaderboard, while Paratore was tied for ninth after a 73.

NEW GLASGOW, N.S. – Garrett Rank successfully defended his Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title at the 2015 edition of the national championship. Hosted by Abercrombie Country Club in New Glasgow, N.S., Rank led wire-to-wire and completed his title defence with a final-round of 1-under 69 to finish 3-under 277 in the competition.

“This means a lot to me. I worked really hard on my game this summer,” reflected the champion. “To win another national championship feels really good. I played solid again today and gave myself a lot of chances. I was just really steady.”

The native of Elmira, Ont., opened with an even-par 36 across the front nine and totaled four birdies on the day. With the victory, Rank has captured his second consecutive President’s Cup as Canadian Mid-Amateur champion, following a thrilling 2014 playoff victory. He joins a list of five past champions who have claimed more than one title at this event.

“This championship allows you to meet the different guys and hear their stories,” said Rank. “Playing with Dave (Bunker) again was nice. There are guys here like Graham Cooke who has won this tournament seven times. It’s great to play against those guys and then also learn what they do and where they come from.”

The 27-year-old has earned his way into the field for the 2016 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. It will be his second foray into Canada’s National Open Championship after playing in the 2015 edition by way of last year’s victory in this tournament. The 107^th playing of the RBC Canadian Open is slated to take place July 18-24, 2016.

“I’m excited to get back to the RBC Canadian Open,” added the former University of Waterloo Warrior. “Playing this year was a great experience. I’ll be able to play a little more settled next year. I won’t have as many nerves. I know if I play my game and if I play the way that I can play, I can compete out there.”

Finishing in second place was Dave Bunker. The native of Woodbridge, Ont., collected back-to-back birdies on holes 3 and 4 before finishing the day at 2-over 72. Michel Landry of Saint John, N.B., carded three birdies across the back nine to complete the competition in third place at 7-over 287.

With his four-day total of 4-over 284, Bunker captured the over-40 Mid-Master division of the championship. “I had a really good start. I felt really good,” said Bunker, who notched two birdies across his first four holes. “I ran into some trouble on holes 11 and 12. That kind of put me out of the chance to catch Garrett. In the end, a 72 is not a bad round in the wind and in the conditions we played through today.”

This is the seventh Mid-Master title for the 50-year-old. “I feel great about that. It means that I’m playing well because there are so many really good players over 40. To be able to finish second overall is really good. Garrett is a great person, first of all. He’s also a really good player. This is really good for him. He deserves everything he’s getting with the chance to play in the RBC Canadian Open again.”

Bunker finished six-strokes clear of Matlock, Man., product Garth Collings, who completed the tournament with a 1-over 71 showing. Three players finished tied for third at 295 – Calgary’s Kevin Temple; Moncton, N.B., native Stu Musgrave; and Glenn Robinson of Middle Sackville, N.S.

Played concurrently with the first 36 holes of the competition, Team Ontario emerged victorious in the inter-provincial team championship to claim the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy. Garrett Rank and teammates Kevin Fawcett of Toronto and Josh Hunke from New Hamburg, Ont., totaled 5-over 285. Playing in their home province, the members of Team Nova Scotia took runners-up honours with an 8-over 288 score while Team New Brunswick captured third-place at 12-over 292.

Additional information regarding the 2015 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship is available here.

CAMLACHIE, Ont. – Team Ontario emerged as provincial senior team champions as Joey Bush claimed the Super Senior division following second-round play at the 2015 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship at Sawmill Creek Golf Resort and Spa in Camlachie, Ont.

The team of Gail Pimm (Uxbridge, Ont.), Mary Ann Hayward (Aurora, Ont.), and Debbie Court (Mississauga, Ont.) finished at 11-over 295.

The winning team was led by a second-round even-par performance from Golf Hall of Fame member Mary Ann Hayward while Pimm and Court both shot 7-over 78 in the second round of the championship.

“We always have good battles with B.C., so it’s nice to have Alberta in the mix. Ontario hasn’t won too many of the team titles this year, so it’s good,” said Hayward.

Team Alberta finished two strokes back of the winners at 13-over par. The team comprised of Kim Carrington (Calgary, Alta.), Gail Barros (Edmonton, Alta.), and Susan Thomson (Calgary, Alta) began the second round in third – three strokes behind second-place Team Quebec.

Hélène Chartrand (Pincourt, Que.), Marie-Therése Torti (Candiac, Que.) and Marlène Desbiens (Clermont, Que.) of Team Quebec claimed third-place at 17-over par.

Joey Bush, 64, of Aurora, Ont., took the over-60 Super Senior Championship title after finishing 11-over par through two rounds. The Super Senior division was played concurrently with the first two rounds of the tournament.

“I’m ecstatic. I have never won anything like this before in my life,” said Bush, who considered withdrawing after a poor practice round. “I went out yesterday, played and missed two fairways, so that gave me all the confidence and I have a great caddy on the bag.”

Finishing in solo second in the Super Senior division was Janice Roberts Wilson of Flagler Beach, Fla. A hole-in-one on the 140-yard ninth hole on Thursday helped Wilson reach 6-over par on the day and 14-over par for the championship.

Holly Horwood of Vancouver B.C., Ruth Maxwell of Dartmouth, N.S., Victoria’s Alison Murdoch and Kathie Houghton of Thornbury, Ont., finished tied for third at 16-over par.

Separating themselves from the pack were first-round co-leaders Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont., and Etobicoke, Ont., product Terrill Samuel who again mirrored each other’s scores with second rounds of 1-under par. The pair reached 4-under for the championship to open a 5-shot advantage in the Senior (50+), Mid-Master (40+) and Mid-Amateur (25+) divisions.

“What you want to do after the first two days is have a chance,” said Samuel, who captured the 2012 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship. “It’s nice to have one under the belt so there’s less pressure.”

Samuel, 54, had a strong start, carding a 3-under 32 on the front nine. Kyrinis, who was in a grouping with Samuel again, tallied four birdies en route to her second-round 70.

“Playing with Terrill is great because we’re always rooting for each other to make those putts and make some birdies. You’re always trying to play catch-up or get ahead of her, so it was very enjoyable the last two days,” said the 51-year-old Kyrinis.

Mary Ann Hayward sits in third place in the Senior, Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master divisions. Her even-par second-round puts her at 1-over 143 heading into the third and final round.

A total of 78 players finished 176 or better to advance to the final round which begins at 7:30 a.m. EDT.

The champion of this year’s Canadian Women’s Senior division will receive an exemption into the 2015 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Hillwood Country Club in Nashville, Tenn., from September 26 to October 1.

For additional information, including tee times and scoring, click here.

In his first tournament as No. 1 in the world, Spieth had a pair of three-putt bogeys, hit a tee shot in the water, shot 40 on his back nine and wound up with a 4-over 74 in the opening round of The Barclays. It was his highest score since a 75 in The Players Championship, the last time he missed a cut.

“Just lost a little bit of focus,” Spieth said. “All in all, I’m just going to take today as a fluke round. I still believe I’m playing well. It just happened to be an off day on a day where it counted.”

Bubba Watson and Tony Finau powered their way around Plainfield Country Club and each had a 5-under 65. They were in a four-way tie for the lead that included Spencer Levin and Camilo Villegas, players who are in dire need of a good week.

Villegas only got into the top 125 to qualify for the playoffs last week at the Wyndham Championship, with two shots to spare. That was pressure. Now he feels as though he has nothing to lose as he tries to get into the top 100 who advance to the second event next week at the TPC Boston.

“Last week was an important week,” said Villegas, who is No. 123. “It hasn’t been the best of years, and just to be able to sneak in here and give myself a chance … I get off to a good start, and three more rounds to go and keep it going.”

Levin secured his spot in the playoffs with a 63 in the final round at the Wyndham, moving up seven spots to No. 115. Much like Villegas, he felt relieved to have made it to The Barclays, and everything else is gravy. He rolled in three early birdies and dropped only one shot on a mild, blustery day.

“This is a nice stress to have,” he said. “I’m happy with where I am right now and who knows? Maybe I can keep it going.”

Spieth has nothing to lose except the No. 1 ranking he has held for all of two weeks.

With two majors among his four wins, and nine top-three finishes this year, he is No. 1 in the FedEx Cup and virtually assured of getting to the finale at East Lake with a clear shot at the $10 million bonus. He can afford an off week or three. He just didn’t like it.

Playing alongside Watson and Jason Day – the top three in the FedEx Cup – Spieth didn’t miss a fairway on the back nine and was 2 under at the turn, three shots behind Watson. From the fairway on No. 1 to a back pin, he got too aggressive and went over the green, leading to bogey. Facing a 20-foot birdie putt on the next hole, he left in woefully short and backed off the par putt twice before missing it. And then he put his next shot in the water.

The round ended with another three-putt bogey.

Spieth could lose the No. 1 ranking to Rory McIlroy, who is not playing this week as a precaution coming off an ankle injury. The next step for Spieth?

“Do what I’ve done best – bounce back,” he said. “I come back strong tomorrow. I’m not a big fan of the course. It doesn’t fit me very well particularly, but I’ve also won on courses that I didn’t think fit me very well. So I know I can still shoot a low round if I hit the shots that I need to hit, that I’m trying to hit.

“Typically when I hit the fairways, I’m not over par. And that’s what was weird about the round.”

Watson wasn’t hitting all the fairways, but at times that was to his advantage. The greens are pitched in such a way that some shots have to carry to the hole, allowing for spin to make sure it stays below the hole. That’s what caused Spieth problems.

From the rough, Watson was able to land short of the flag and have it roll up toward the hole. That set up ample birdies.

Ditto for Finau, the power Utah rookie.

“So No. 9 today with that pin just on top of the ridge, if you draw a decent lie in the rough, it’s almost easier to just run something up instead of worrying about the spin if you’re hitting from the fairway,” Finau said.

He had the wildest round. Finau opened with three straight birdies, followed with three straight bogeys, made one par and then ran off three more birdies.

Paul Casey and Jason Dufner were in the large group at 66. Day joined Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler in the group at 68.

Day pulled out of the pro-am Wednesday after tweaking his back. Oddly enough, he had wanted an MRI on his back before the playoffs to make sure everything was in order. He felt the twinge removing a light box from under his motor home, and decided to have the MRI on Wednesday. It showed everything in good order, and while the PGA champion rubbed his back after a few hooked tee shots, he felt good enough.

Defending champion Hunter Mahan birdied his opening hole and went on to shoot 78. Justin Rose had a 77, while defending FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel had a 76.

PRATTVILLE, Ala. – Brittany Lang birdied five of the first seven holes in windy conditions and shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic.

Added to the U.S. Solheim Cup team Monday as one of Juli Inkster’s two captain’s picks, Lang had a two-stroke lead over Tiffany Joh, Sydnee Michaels and Ryann O’Toole.

“It was just one of those days. It was so enjoyable,” Lang said. “I wasn’t thinking about a whole lot. I was just super committed to seeing my shots. It was so much fun.”

The 30-year-old Texan won the 2012 Manulife Financial LPGA Classic in Canada for her lone LPGA Tour title. She was second this year in the Ontario event and has three other top-10 finishes.

“I’m in a really nice place right now,” Lang said. “I had one of my better years … and the Solheim pick’s over with. I’m just in a really comfortable place, so I just felt really relaxed out there.”

Lang birdied Nos. 1, 3-5 and 7 in her morning round on the Senator Course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail’s Capitol Hill complex. She birdied Nos. 11-12, dropped strokes on Nos. 13-14 and rebounded with birdies on Nos. 16-17.

“The birdies on 16 and 17 were pretty big after the bogeys on 13 and 14,” Lang said. “Not stupid bogeys, small misses, but I stayed aggressive, so I was excited with that. Stayed aggressive and made two bogeys, but it was really good to birdie 16 and 17.”

O’Toole had five birdies in a seven-hole stretch in the middle of her morning round.

“It’s been windy all week, so I was expecting that,” O’Toole said. “What I noticed was the greens were even faster than yesterday or Tuesday. … It took me five holes to get really thinking that if you’re above the hole, you just had to tap it. Breaks were breaking double of what you saw because of the speed change. So, it took me a little bit to get used to that.”

Julieta Granada, Hyo Joo Kim, Ariya Jutanugarn, Therese Koelbaek and Simin Feng were three strokes back at 68.

Stacy Lewis, the 2012 winner, had a 70. Second last year in Prattville, she’s coming off a playoff loss to Lydia Ko last week in the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

“The golf course was playing really hard early this morning and I didn’t really get anything going, then couldn’t get any putts to fall there on the back nine, so kind of a frustrating day,” Lewis said.

The third-ranked Lewis bogeyed the par-4 third hole and rallied with birdies on Nos. 8-9 and 11.

“The wind was blowing early this morning,” Lewis said. “I don’t think I ever hit 4-iron into the third hole before, so I was just hitting clubs into holes that I’ve never hit.”

Lexi Thompson, the 2011 winner at age 16, opened with a 69.

Canadian teen Brooke Henderson had a 71. The 17-year-old Henderson won her first LPGA Tour title two weeks ago in Portland, Oregon.

Mi Jung Hur, the winner last year at a tournament-record 21-under 267, shot a 74.

VYSOKY UJEZD, Czech Republic – Both Eduardo De la Riva and Renato Paratore shot a 7-under 65 to take a shared lead after the first round at the Czech Masters Thursday.

The 33-year old Spaniard De La Riva recovered from an early bogey on the 2nd with six birdies. He finished his round by holing for an eagle on the par-4 18th from the fairway with one of the shots of the day to join Paratore at the top of the leaderboard.

“Today, I played very solid,” De La Riva said. “It’s very good to finish with 2 in a par 4. This 18th is a very difficult hole. So, I’m very happy.”

The 18-year-old Italian Paratore produced a flawless round with seven birdies.

“Today, I played really solid from the tee to the green and on the back nine I putted really well,” he said. “So I’m happy with a 65. It is my best round on The European Tour.”

Both leaders are seeking the first European Tour victory at the Albatross Golf course near Prague.

A group of four, Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick and Sam Hutsby, Pelle Edberg of Sweden and Thomas Pieters of Belgium were one stroke back after carding 66.