Since 2006, committees have had the option of adopting a Local Rule under the Rules of Golf to allow players to use Distance Measuring Devices (DMD’s) that measure or gauge distance only. See note to Rule 14-3 of the Rules of Golf.

Since the introduction of the Note to Rule 14-3, the use of DMD’s has not been permitted at Golf Canada championships.  That decision has been ratified at the Rules Committee meeting held during the Golf Canada Annual General Meeting (AGM) each year and their use will again be on the agenda next month.

Golf Canada’s Rules Committee will meet in London, Ont. during the association’s AGM in early February, where they will discuss if DMD’s will be allowed at Golf Canada’s 2014 amateur events. The decision will be shared following the conclusion of that meeting.

Recently, the R&A’s Championship Committee has decided it will allow the use of distance measuring devices (DMDs) in R&A amateur events in 2014.

This Local Rule will be introduced for The R&A’s amateur events only.  It will not be introduced for The Open Championship or any qualifying event for The Open Championship.

For more information on the Rules of Golf, please click here.

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For more information on how to proceed in various Rules of Golf situations, guidance on the Golf Canada Handicap System and more, please consult our Rules of Golf publications – for purchase in Golf Canada’s eStore, or at your local book retailer.

It was great to see Canada’s Graham DeLaet finish runner-up at Torrey Pines and the 2014 Farmers Insurance Open. The Weyburn, Sask. native narrowly missed earning his first PGA Tour victory, tying for second just a single shot back of eventual winner Scott Stallings.

During final round coverage of the championship, a highlight from a past broadcast sparked a rules debate, specifically with reference to Rule 17, The Flagstick.

The fuel for said rules debate was provided courtesy of a CBS flashback to the 2011 Farmers Insurance Open, where Phil Mickelson needed to hole his approach for an eagle on the 72^nd hole to force a playoff.  Mickelson sent caddie Jim ‘Bones’ MacKay forward to attend the flagstick as he prepared for his eagle opportunity from approximately 75 yards. Here’s footage of the play.

The Ruling:

Rule 17-1 (Flagstick Attended, Removed or Held Up), provides the following explanation of actions pertaining to attending the flagstick:

Before making a stroke from anywhere on the course, the player may have the flagstick attended, removed or held up to indicate the position of the hole.

If the flagstick is not attended, removed or held up before the player makes a stroke, it must not be attended, removed or held up during the stroke or while the player’s ball is in motion if doing so might influence the movement of the ball.

Based on the standards set forth in Rule 17-1, Mickelson was entitled to have Bones attend the flagstick and was required to have him do so before he made his approach shot.  You’ll notice that Bones does a diligent job of vacating the area where he was attending the flagstick, in an effort to avoid a breach of the Rules, under Rule 17-3 (Ball Striking Flagstick or Attendant), which states:

The player’s ball must not strike:

a. The flagstick when it is attended, removed or held up;

b. The person attending or holding up the flagstick or anything carried by him; or

c. The flagstick in the hole, unattended, when the stroke has been made on the putting green.

Exception: When the flagstick is attended, removed or held up without the player’s authority – see Rule 17-2.

PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 17-3:

Match play – Loss of hole; Stroke play – Two strokes and the ball must be played as it lies.

Interestingly enough, while some thought Mickelson and Bones pushed the envelope on having the flagstick attended in this situation, the player and caddie are also entitled to also indicate a line of play, under Rule 8-2 (Indicating Line of Play).  Given that Mickelson’s ball lay off the green, he would be entitled to have Bones touch the putting green to indicate a line of play as long as any mark placed to indicate the line of play is removed prior to the stroke being made.  This situation is contemplated in Decision 8-2b/3, which states:

Caddie Touches Putting Green to Indicate Line of Play Before Player Chips from Off Green

Q. The caddie of a player who is preparing to play a chip shot from off the putting green touches the green with a club to indicate the line of play. What is the ruling?

A. There is no penalty. The prohibition against touching the putting green to indicate the line of play applies only if the player’s ball lies on the putting green.

While the mid-handicapper might not benefit from such advice, indicating a line of play, you can see from the video that Phil is dialed-in to within mere yards of the flag on his approach.

Back to the 2014 Farmer’s Insurance Open… Marc Leishman did provide a worthy attempt to hole out, just as Phil did circa 2011, to force a playoff with Stallings. Like Phil, he too missed.

Next time you find yourself looking to hole out, be sure to exercise your rights under Rules 8 and 17.

For more information on the Rules of Golf, please click here.

To ask a Rules of Golf question, please click here.

For more information on how to proceed in various Rules of Golf situations, guidance on the Golf Canada Handicap System and more, please consult our Rules of Golf publications – for purchase in Golf Canada’s eStore, or at your local book retailer.

UXBRIDGE, Ont. — The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) has announced the formation of three regional junior teams comprised of some of the best under 17 athletes in the province, a first for the association.

The GAO Team Ontario program was formerly was made up of a under 19 and under 17 team, now the provincial team features the 12 best under 19 athletes, regardless of age, while three regional teams in the Ottawa, York and Waterloo regions have been set up for an additional 36 male and female athletes under the age of 17. Twelve players will comprise each regional squad.

The teams were created in the Fall of 2013, based on combines held in the three regions. Each region features a head coach and a strength and conditioning coach to help the athletes train during the winter months.

“The GAO is thrilled to be expanding the pool of talented athletes and coaches in Ontario and the opportunity to enhance our support to members clubs and families in all parts of this great province,” said GAO Managing Director, Sport Mike Kelly. “As we inch closer to golf’s return to the Olympic program in 2016 and 2015 Pan-Para Pan-Am Games in Toronto, investments like these will clear the path for podium performances in the near future, hopefully paved in gold.”

The program will run from November to March and is comprised of 11 three-hour training sessions – approximately two per month. The teams will conclude the program with a five-day training camp and Regional Team Competition during March Break in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Team Ottawa

Team Ottawa is made up of athletes from Ottawa and surrounding area stretching from Almonte to Kingston. The team is led by Head Coach Adam Holden, a PGA Canada and PGA Australia Class ‘A’ Professional.  Holden is in his 12^th year coaching at the Kevin Haime Golf School in Kanata. Allen Hicks is the team’s strength and condition coach. He brings more than 20-years of experience as a physiotherapist and strength coach.

Team Ottawa consists of:

• Jake Bryson, 14, from Dunrobin, a GAO Public Player
• Christopher Carwardine, 14, from Kanata and Kanata Lakes Golf & Country Club
• Ty Celone, 14, from Long Sault and Summerheights Golf Links
• David Iaderosa, 15, from Ottawa, a GAO Public Player
• James Parsons, 15, from Almonte and Mississippi Golf Club
• Tyler Read, 13, from Brockville and Brockville Golf & Country Club
• Nicolas Valiquette, 15, from Cornwall and Canadian Golf & Country Club
• Sarah Cushing, 14, from Brockville and the Brockville Golf & Country Club
• Danielle Humilde, 14, from Greeley and Greyhawk Golf Club
• Lilian Klekner-Alt, 15, from Ottawa and Camelot Golf Club
• Diana McDonald, 15, from Kingston and Loyalist Country Club
• Kiley Rodrigues, 13, from Kingston and Cataraqui Golf & Country Club

Team York

The York team pulls together athletes from the Toronto area as far east as Peterborough and the Oakville area in the west. They are coached PGA of Canada Class ‘A’ Professional Jeff Overholt. Overholt has worked with Team Ontario in the past and is the Head Coach of the Toronto North Junior Golf Development Centre.  He was named 2013 Coach of the Year by the PGA of Ontario. Kathryn Robinson is the team’s strength and condition coach. Robinson is currently the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Specialist at York University.

Athletes on Team York  are: 

• Kyle MacDonald, 15, from Oakville and Rattlesnake Point Golf Club
• Sam Meek, 15, from Peterborough and Kawartha Golf & Country Club
• Nicklaus Naumovski, 14, from Halton Hills and Brampton Golf Club
• Lachlan O’Hara, 14, from Mississauga and Credit Valley Golf & Country Club
• Jerry Anderson; Mathew Suarez, 15, from Toronto and Mad River Golf Club
• James Wyndham-West, 15, from King City and King’s Riding Golf Club
• David Yoon, 15, from Richmond Hill and Station Creek Golf Club
• Delana Basanisi, 13, from Mississauga and Trafalgar Golf Club
• Ellice Hong, 14, from Thornhill and Glendale Golf & Country Club
• Hailey McLaughlin, 12, from Markham and Cedar Brae Golf & Country Club
• Alexandra Naumovski, 16, from Hornby and Brampton Golf Club
• Emily Zhu, 9, from Richmond Hill and Station Creek Golf Club

Team Waterloo

The Team Waterloo region includes Kitchener-Waterloo and everything south and west to the U.S. boarder. Mike Martz, PGA Class ‘A’ Professional, is the Head Coach for this team. He has more than 25 years of experience. Most recently Mike has become Certified as a Coach for New Competitors and trained as a Coach for Developing Competitors with the PGA of Canada and Golf Canada. The team’s strength and conditioning coach is Angella Lee. She is currently the strength and conditioning coach of the Whistle Bear Junior Team in Cambridge.

The athletes on the team are:

• Jackson Bowery, 16, from London and Greenhills Golf Club
• Drake Jefferson, 15, from Bayfield and Bluewater Golf Club
• Vince Friyia, 15, from Niagara Falls and St. Catharines Golf Club
• Mackenzie Raines, 14, from Kitchener and Whistle Bear Golf Club
• Thomas Code, 16, from Dorchester, GAO Public Player
• Justin DiCienzo, 13, from Niagara Falls and St. Catherines Golf Club
• Sparky MacLean, 14, from Niagara Falls and St. Catherines Golf Club
• Madeline Marck-Sherk, 16, from Ridgeway and Bridgewater Golf & Country Club
• Isabella Portokalis, 12, from London and London Hunt and Country Club
• Haley Barclay, 13, from Strathroy and Sawmill Creek Golf
• Kristen Giles, 13, from Georgetown and Cutten Fields
• Taylor Kehoe, 9, from Strathroy and Whistle Bear Golf Club

SAN DIEGO – In a tournament that was up for grabs, Scott Stallings hit a 4-iron worthy of a winner Sunday in the Farmers Insurance Open.

Stallings was in a five-way tie for the lead when he hit his second shot on the par-5 18th hole as hard as he could. It was enough to barely clear the water, and he took two putts from 40 feet for birdie and a 4-under 68 at Torrey Pines.

That was enough for a one-shot victory when no one could catch him.

It was the third career PGA Tour victory for Stallings, who earned a return trip to the Masters and should move high enough in the world ranking to qualify for the Match Play Championship next month in Arizona.

K.J. Choi had the best score of the week on the South Course with a 66 and was among those – including Saskatchewan’s Graham DeLelaet – who tied for second. The pins were set up in favourable positions for birdies, making the course play the easiest it had all week.

But that didn’t make it easy – not for Gary Woodland, Jordan Spieth, Pat Perez and so many others who squandered a good chance to win.

Woodland appeared to have the best chance to catch Stallings. He was one shot behind – with plenty of length to reach the 18th in two – until he chose fairway metal off the tee on No. 17 and hooked it into the canyon. He felt he had to make his 45-foot par putt to have any chance, and three-putted for double bogey. Woodland, who had a one-shot lead going into the final round, missed an easy birdie attempt on the 18th and closed with a 74.

“This will be hard to swallow,” Woodland said. “I felt like I kind of gave one away today.”

Marc Leishman of Australia had the last chance to force a playoff, but his drive on the 18th went well right and bounced off the cart path and a fan. He had no shot at the green in two, and his wedge for an eagle stopped a few feet to the side of the hole. His tap-in birdie gave him a 71 and a share of second.

Stallings finished at 9-under 279.

Jason Day (68) and Graham DeLaet (68) each made birdie on the last hole to tie for second. So did Perez, the San Diego native who grew up at Torrey Pines and whose father is the longtime starter on the first tee at the Farmers Insurance Open. Perez missed a 10-foot birdie chance on the 17th. He closed with a 70.

“It’s great and bad,” Perez said about his runner-up finish. “This is the one I want to win more than anything in the world, and I came up short. … I thought today would have been my day. I would like to be in that position again.”

Spieth didn’t make a birdie over the last 15 holes, and he fell back with back-to-back birdies late in the round. The 20-year-old Texan made a meaningless bogey on the last hole that only cost him a spot in the top 10. By then, his day was over. He closed with a 75.

“I just lost control of the golf ball,” Spieth said.

He also revealed that he tweaked his ankle Friday and felt it kept him from getting into the right position on his back swing.

Woodland went from a chance to win to a tie for 10th.

Deep into tournament, nearly 20 players were separated by only two shots. It was similar to when Jimmy Walker won the Sony Open two weeks ago in Honolulu, emerging from the pack with a late burst of birdies.

Stallings made six birdies over his last 11 holes, along with a pair of bogeys. Most remarkable is that he managed to hit only four fairways in the final round. But one that he did was important – the 537-yard closing hole, giving him a chance to get home in two for a birdie at worst.

He said caddie Jon Yarbrough – fired by Woodland late last year – told him in the 18th fairway, “Let’s see what you’ve got. You’ve worked your butt off.”

“I hit 4-iron as hard as I could,” Stallings said.

It was just enough to clear the water, and while it trickled off the front of the green, he could still use his putter. He lagged it up to 30 inches for a short birdie putt that turned out to be the winner.

Charley Hoffman, another San Diego native, made a hole-in-one on the third hole and closed with a 67 to tie for seventh, along with Ryo Ishikawa of Japan and Will MacKenzie, who each had a 70.

Brad Fritsch of Ottawa finished in a tie for 10th, 3 shots back.

Six players finished in the top 10 that are not in the Phoenix Open next week.

Ordinarily, a top 10 gets a player into the next open tournament. In this case, the field already is full and they only can be alternates. That list includes Justin Thomas, who was playing this week on his fourth out of seven allotted sponsor exemptions. Thomas shot 69.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Jessica Korda won the season-opening Bahamas LPGA Classic on Sunday for her second tour title, holing a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole to beat Stacy Lewis by a stroke.

The 20-year-old Korda closed with a 7-under 66 for a 19-under 273 total on Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club course. Lewis parred the final four holes – two of them par 5s – for a 66.

Korda tied Lewis for the lead with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th, then got up and down for birdie on the par-5 18th. Korda’s 4-iron approach on 18 scampered through the green to the fringe just short of the grandstand. With an official and a TV announcer holding up cords that would have interfered with her stroke, she putted under the wires to set up the winning birdie.

“That was different,” Korda said. “It was like jump rope.”

She admitted she was nervous on the winning putt.

“Incredible!” Korda said. “I could barely put the golf down and line up.”

The 2012 Women’s Australian Open winner, Korda recently started working with swing coach Grant Price. She struggled with her swing last year and felt that it led to some injuries in her left shoulder and wrist.

“I’m really just trying to hit good golf shots and get that swing down,” Korda said.

Price, Hall of Famer Nick Price’s nephew, is fighting testicular cancer.

Korda’s father, Petr, won the 1998 Australian Open tennis tournament and her mother, Regina Raichrtova also was a professional tennis player. Korda earned $195,000 and is projected to jump from 40th to 26th in the world ranking.

Lewis birdied six of the first eight holes, then dropped a stroke on the par-4 ninth. She birdied the par-5 11th and par-4 14th to reach 18 under, but closed with four straight pars. On the 18th, her flop shot from short of the green came up short and her 15-foot birdie try stopped inches from the cup.

Paula Creamer, paired with Korda all four days, had a 69 to tie for third with Na Yeon Choi, Lizette Salas and Pornanong Phatlum at 16 under. Phatlum finished with a 67, Salas had a 71, and Choi shot 72.

Lydia Ko, the 16-year-old New Zealander making her first start as an LPGA Tour member, had a 68 to tie for seventh at 15 under. She won the Canadian Women’s Open the last two years as an amateur.

Both Canadians remaining in the field saved their best golf for the final round. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp fired a 5-under 68 to climb into a tie for 18th. Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham shot a 4-under 69 and finished tied for 52nd.

SAN DIEGO – Tiger Woods was right. The South Course at Torrey Pines is playing about as tough as it did for the U.S. Open in 2008.

But that’s the only similarity.

Woods won that U.S. Open. He won’t even have a tee time in the final round at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Gary Woodland used power to his advantage Saturday – oddly enough, everywhere but on the par 5s – to pick up five birdies in his round of 2-under 70 that gave him a one-shot lead over Jordan Spieth and Marc Leishman going into a final day that won’t include Woods.

Instead of getting back into the tournament, the defending champion and eight-time winner at Torrey Pines delivered a shocking performance. Woods went seven straight holes making bogey or worse and wound up with a 79, matching his worst score on American soil.

Woods left town without speaking to reporters and with an “MDF” next to his name, which probably should have been “OMG.”

That’s the PGA Tour’s acronym for “made the cut, did not finish.” Because more than 78 players advanced to the weekend, there was a 54-hole cut for top 70 and ties. Only one other player, club pro Michael Block, had a worse score than Woods.

“You get going south on this golf course, you can definitely put up some numbers in a hurry,” Woodland said when he heard about Woods’ score. “I don’t think he’s too concerned about it.”

There’s plenty for everyone to be concerned about at Torrey Pines _ a beast of a course, thick rough, rock-hard greens, and nearly two dozen players so close to the lead that Sunday could be wide open.

Woodland was at 8-under 208. It was the highest 54-hole score to lead this tournament since Dave Rummells at 4-under 212 in 1993.

Spieth had a one-shot lead to start the third round and it was gone quickly. He missed a 30-inch par putt on the opening hole and took a double bogey on No. 5. His biggest putt might have been a 6-footer for par on the 14th, and Spieth looked confident the rest of the way to salvage a 75.

Leishman had a relatively boring round of 72 on a gorgeous day along the Pacific – one birdie, one bogey, 16 pars. That might be what it takes on this monster of a course that features rough that might even make the USGA blush.

“If you let bogeys worry you on that golf course, it’s going to be a pretty long day,” Leishman said. “You don’t have to do a whole lot wrong to have a bogey.”

The average score on the South through three rounds was 74.24, compared with 74.97 during the U.S. Open. And keep in mind, the field for the Farmers Insurance Open is almost entirely PGA Tour or European Tour players.

San Diego native Pat Perez, who used to work the practice range as a teenager during this event, salvaged a 72 and was two shots behind with Morgan Hoffman (72). Ryo Ishikawa had a 69 and was in a large group at 5-under 211 that included Nicolas Colsaerts (75) and Andres Romero of Argentina, whose 67 was the best score of the day.

“When you play with Gary, who hits it 40 yards farther than I do, it doesn’t look that hard,” Perez said. “Where he hits it is unbelievable. But it was a lot harder today.”

Twenty-two players were separated by four shots going into Sunday.

Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch shot a 72, and is three back at 211. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., carded a 69, and is four back.

Everything was in place for a good show except for the tour’s two biggest stars. In the first network telecast of the year _ and the first Sunday in golf without going against the NFL playoffs – Woods was out of the tournament and Phil Mickelson pulled out Friday night after making the cut because of muscle pain in his back.

Woodland has been heading north since winning the Reno-Tahoe Open last year. He contended at The Barclays, lost in a playoff in Malaysia and now feels confident about who’s in charge at San Diego. Yes, the South is a beast. But the Kansas native hits it a long way.

Then again, he made par on all of them, including a three-putt pars on the sixth and 18th holes. That was OK, for Woodland had nothing more than a wedge in on No. 1, and he collected a pair of birdies on the par 3s. His only lapse was a double bogey on No. 17 from a bad lie in the bunker and a three-putt.

“If I drive the ball in play, I’m playing a little different golf course than most guys are playing,” Woodland said.

Spieth, with a chance to move into the top 10 in the world with a win, hits the ball plenty far. He just wasn’t very straight. The Texan pulled his opening tee shot and struggled to find fairways the rest of the day. He hit only five of them.

The steady finish left him confident about collecting his second PGA Tour win.

“Only one shot back and a bunched leaderboard,” Spieth said. “It’s going to take a good score tomorrow. … I’m excited about tomorrow. I had some great saves down the stretch today, so take that momentum.”

Woods thought he had some momentum, coming off a birdie on the 17th hole and in the fairway on the par-5 18th with a shot at the green. He went into the water and made double bogey, then made another double bogey on the first hole with a three-putt. It was his first time with back-to-back double bogeys since the 2011 PGA Championship. And it only got worse from there.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Na Yeon Choi shot a 7-under 66 Saturday to take a one-stroke lead in the season-opening Bahamas LPGA Classic, chipping to a foot to set up a birdie on the par-5 18th hole.

The seventh-ranked Choi, a seven-time winner on the LPGA Tour, birdied three of the last four holes in her bogey-free round to reach 15 under on Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club course.

“I think the last three rounds I had a really good swing,” Choi said. “I had so many good shots. But I still have to play aggressively tomorrow. So many players have a chance.”

Lizette Salas was a stroke back. She also had a bogey-free 66.

“I’ve been bogey-free for the last two days and I’m feeling great on the greens,” said Salas, winless on the tour. “A win is always on my mind, and it’s been a goal of mine since coming close last year in Hawaii.”

Jessica Korda and Paula Creamer each eagled the 18th to reach 12 under. Korda, the second-round leader, had a 72, and Creamer shot 71.

Creamer also holed a sand wedge from 82 yards for an eagle on the par-5 11th, but had a triple-bogey 8 on No. 15.

Third-ranked Stacy Lewis was tied for fourth at 11 under with Amelia Lewis and Jenny Suh. Stacy Lewis had a 68, Amelia Lewis shot 66, and Suh had a 71.

Michelle Wie and 16-year-old Lydia Ko were in the group at 10 under. Wie followed her second-round 65 with a 72. Ko, making her first start as an LPGA Tour member, had a 71.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. shot a 70 Saturday and is tied for 25, while Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham posted a 76 to fall into a tie for 59th.

BARRANQUILLA, ATLANTICO, Colombia – One of Team Canada’s newest members, Tony Gil, led all six Canadian men in the field to finish 6th, 10-strokes back of champion Paul Howard of England.

Gil, a 15-year-old Vaughan, Ont. native, had two very strong closing rounds (71, 72) to solidify his place in the top 10. Not far behind him was National Team member Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., who closed with a 4-over 76 to finish in a tie for ninth with three others. Fellow National Team member Chris Hemmerich of Kitchener, Ont. battled his way back Saturday with an even par 72 to finish tied for 19th.

On the women’s side, Valérie Tanguay of St-Hyacinthe, Qué. led the Canadian contingent with a final round 77 to finish eighth overall. Victoria, B.C. native Naomi Ko just missed the top 10, finishing tied for 12th after closing with a 6-over 78.

The women’s event was won by Lucia Gutierrez of Peru, who closed with the low score of 12-over par (77-79-72-72).

Canadian Results – Round 4

Men: Click here for full results

6. Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.) 75-76-71-72 (+6)
T9. Garrett Rank (Elmira, Ont.) 74-71-75-77 (+9)
T19. Chris Hemmerich (Kitchener, Ont.)  78-72-78-72 (+12)
T35. Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.) 81-81-75-73 (+22)
T38. Matt Williams (Calgary) 80-82-79-72 (+25)
56. Carter Simon (Sutton, Ont.) 83-84-81-76 (+36)

Women: Click here for full results

8. Valérie Tanguay (St-Hyacinthe, Qué.) 74-85-75-77, +23
T12. Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.), 80-74-81-78, +25
T27. Jaclyn Lee (Calgary)  81-87-79-77, +36

DOHA, Qatar – Sergio Garcia birdied the third extra hole to beat Mikko Ilonen in a playoff Saturday and win the Qatar Masters for his second victory in three events.

Garcia entered the round three shots behind overnight leader Rafa Cabrera-Bello but birdied six of his last 12 for a 7-under 65, forcing Ilonen to make an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to force the playoff with a 66. They both finished on 16-under 272.

Garcia missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the last that would have given him the win in regulation, and then couldn’t make an eagle putt for the victory on the first playoff hole.

The Spaniard and Ilonen both had birdies on the second extra hole as well before Garcia sealed the victory with a tap-in birdie at the third to Ilonen’s par.

“I started the day thinking if I can shoot a 6 or 7 under, I can have a chance,” Garcia. “I’m very happy to be able to win it.”

Cabrera-Bello only managed a 69 and fell to a tie for third with Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark (68).

Garcia’s victory helped make up for last year’s disappointment in Doha, when he finished runner-up after England’s Chris Wood eagled the last hole to claim his first European Tour win. It also came on the heels of his victory at the Thailand Golf Championship in December, when he had his girlfriend Katharina Boehm caddie for him. Boehm was among the first to congratulate him after he sealed the win on Saturday.

“When things off the golf course are on good terms it is a little easier to concentrate when you don’t have too many things in your head,” Garcia said. “I am very fortunate with Kathy and with my family and all those around me, so it’s great to be playing well and to be in this winning situation with the goal now to keep improving.

“I still feel like I can do better and that is the goal.”

Ilonen was seeking just his third tour victory after ending a six-year winless drought last June at the Nordea Masters.

“I came up two shots short of my target in regulation thinking a 64 would win outright, but a 66 was good enough for the playoff,” the Finn said. “But Sergio was a bit better than me.”

Olesen had the chance to join the playoff but missed his eight-foot eagle putt on 18.

European No. 1 Henrik Stenson finished strongly with birdies on his last four holes for a 67 that put him in a tie for 28th – perhaps a good sign at the end of a disappointing tournament ahead of next week’s Dubai Desert Classic.

SAN DIEGO – Jordan Spieth turned out to be the star attraction Friday playing with Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines.

Spieth again showed game well beyond his 20 years with a 9-under 63 on the North Course, giving him a one-shot lead over Stewart Cink going into the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open. Cink drilled a 3-wood from 280 yards onto the green at the par-5 ninth on the tougher South Course for a two-putt birdie and a 71.

Woods rarely gets upstaged at Torrey Pines, where his eight professional wins include the 2008 U.S. Open.

But in his first competition in six weeks, Woods hardly looked the part as the defending champion. He did not make birdie on any of the par 5s for the second straight day, and a three-putt bogey on the par-5 ninth hole on the North gave him a 71.

He was nine shots behind.

Phil Mickelson’s ailing back wasn’t much better, though Lefty plodded along and shot 73 on the South to finish eight shots out of the lead. Mickelson contemplated pulling out to rest his back, and said only that he would give it a shot Saturday depending on how he felt.

It was the first time Spieth has played with Woods in a tournament – they played a practice round together at the Presidents Cup last fall – and the Texan felt and played as if it was any other round on the PGA Tour.

Then again, the first time he played with Mickelson, Spieth closed with a 62 at the TPC Boston last year, a round that led Mickelson to call Presidents Cup captain Fred Couples and lobby for Spieth to be picked for the team.

In both cases, Spieth was more interested with the score than the audience.

“Any time you can shoot a lower score than a 66 or 65 and you can really get it deep and be in a zone and not worry about what your score is … that’s special,” Spieth said. “That’s proving that I can play my best golf when it matters on a PGA Tour venue. Each time you can do that, you get more and more confident that you can do it more often.”

As for playing with Woods? He only shrugged.

Spieth grew up watching, idolizing and being amazed by Woods. But this was only a Friday.

“They were both rounds that I needed to move up the leaderboard,” he said about playing with Woods this week and Mickelson last year. “They weren’t in the last couple groups on Sunday, so they weren’t to win. They were to get myself up and in a position.”

Spieth was at 10-under 134 and will be in the last group Saturday with Cink and Nicolas Colsaerts, who shot 67 on the South and was two shots behind.

“I’m looking forward to playing with Jordan. I’ve never seen him hit a ball, so that will be fun,” Cink said. “It’s always exciting to see the young guys play. I’m playing really well. I’m really excited about golf right now and the way I’m playing. I’m having some fun out there and seeing a lot of good things.”

The final two rounds will be on the South, which is about 600 yards longer and on Friday played more than 4 1/2 shots harder.

Spieth didn’t hit the ball better than his opening-round 71 on the South. His putter made the difference. He rolled in a bending 18-foot birdie putt on the 10th hole and his confidence grew up there. He avoided a three-putt on the 17th by making a 15-footer for par, and he really took off down the stretch. He holed another sidehill birdie putt on the par-3 sixth from about 20 feet, and he made a 15-footer for his final birdie on the eighth hole. The rest of his birdie putts were inside 4 feet.

“The kid’s got talent,” Woods said. “He hits it a long way, phenomenal putter. He made a boat load of putts today from the 10- to 20-foot range, and on poa greens, that’s not easy to do. He was pouring them in there. He had speed to them, too. That’s what you have to do to putt on poa.

“He putted with a lot of confidence.”

That wasn’t the case for Woods, whose only birdies came on his opening hole and on his sixth hole, a flip wedge to 4 feet. He didn’t feel like he was off by much, but that’s all it took. The course is set up in such a way that the thickest grass is just off the fairway.

“I wouldn’t say it’s rusty,” Woods said. “I was just a fraction off, and at this level and on golf courses like this, if you’re just a fraction off it doesn’t take much, especially as tight as the North Course is. I had so many balls that landed in the fairway that went in the rough. Now I can’t be aggressive, I’ve got to play conservative into some of these flags. When you should be able to fire at some of these flags, I just couldn’t.”

The cut was at even-par 144, and 83 players advanced. There will be another cut to top 70 and ties after the third round.

Woods wasn’t ruling himself out just yet. He remembered the time he made the cut by two shots in 1999, and then had a 62-65 weekend to win by two shots. But that was before the South Course was lengthened. No had better than 67 the first two days this week on the South.

Brad Fritsch got around Torrey Pines 2-under par and is tied for 11th, 5-shots back of Spieth. The Ottawa native almost recorded the shot of the day, nearly holing his tee shot on the 201 yard, par-3 16th hole.

Graham DeLaet was the other Canadian to make it to weekend play in California. The Weyburn, Sask. native dropped 21 places Friday after shooting a 1-over 73. He’s tied for 50th 1-under with Woods.

Mike Weir withdrew Friday due to a neck injury. He’s reported to have had three days of physiotherapy to treat the problem. He was 5-over after the opening-round.