PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Canada’s Adam Hadwin only wants a chance to win when he tees it up on the PGA Tour, and he’s never had a chance like this one.

Birdie putts from 35 feet and 55 feet on the back nine Saturday at the Valspar Championship stretched his lead to four shots. Equally important to him was the slick, bending six-foot par putt on the final hole.

“Three shots is much easier to come back from than four shots is,” Hadwin said after a clean card of 4-under 67. “That extra shot could be everything tomorrow. That was a big putt for me, I think, mentally going into tomorrow.”

The 29-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., overcame a brief bout of nerves on the practice range with a flawless day in a strong, warm breeze on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook. That six-foot par putt made it 31 straight holes without a bogey, put him at 14-under 199 and gave him the four-shot lead over Patrick Cantlay.

It was the third time in the last four PGA Tour events the 54-hole leader was up by at least four shots, and all of them won comfortably – Jordan Spieth at Pebble Beach, Dustin Johnson at Riviera and Rickie Fowler at PGA National.

More than a big lead, there is not a lot of experience chasing Hadwin. Of the three players within six shots of him, only Jim Herman has experienced winning on the PGA Tour. Herman won the Shell Houston Open last year for his first victory. He had a 71 playing in the final group and fell five shots behind.

PGA Tour rookie Dominic Bozzelli had a 70 and was at 8-under 205.

Hadwin also had a 54-hole lead in the CareerBuilder Challenge when he shot 59 in the third round. He closed with a 70 and was runner-up to Hudson Swafford. He started that final round with a one-shot lead over Bozzelli.

Four shots is a lot bigger than one, though Hadwin said it could work both ways. He knows enough about Innisbrook to realize it can disappear quickly.

“But the other side of things is that guys are going to have to shot a good score to catch you,” he said. “To go bogey-free today, I mean, I’d love to do that again tomorrow. I think somebody would have to play an extremely good round of golf to catch me. Make some pars and make guys come and get you.”

British Open champion Henrik Stenson never made a move and struggled again getting his distance right in the wind, allowing for only a few reasonable birdie chances. He had another 71 and was seven shots behind, along with J.J. Henry (67).

David Hearn (68) of Brantford, Ont., was tied for 18th at 3 under, Graham DeLaet (72) of Weyburn, Sask., was 49th at 1 over and Nick Taylor (73) of Abbotsford was tied for 54th at 2 over.

For Hadwin, life has never been better.

It was at Innisbrook a year ago that he broke his 7-iron against a tree in anger, a starting point to learn how to smile more and worry less about golf, which he believes has led to better scores.

Plus, he’s getting married in two weeks.

A victory, perhaps even second place alone, might be enough to get Hadwin into the Dell Match Play. He won’t be going either way because his wedding is Friday (March 26) of that week.

A victory would get him into the Masters. In that case, the honeymoon might be postponed.

For now, he’s only thinking about playing good golf on Sunday and forcing everyone to catch him on the toughest track in Florida (that doesn’t convert par 5s into par 4s).

Equally compelling is the guy Hadwin will see on the first tee Sunday.

Cantlay was the No. 1 amateur at UCLA who swept all the big awards as a sophomore, and then shot 60 in the Travelers Championship the week after he was low amateur in the U.S. Open at Congressional. He played four PGA Tour events in summer of 2011 and never finished out of the top 25.

But at Colonial in 2013 as a rookie, he felt back pain. Doctors eventually diagnosed it as a stress fracture, and it took two years for him to feel healthy again. Turns out that wasn’t his biggest setback. He was walking to dinner with Chris Roth, his best friend and his caddie, a year ago February when Roth was struck and killed by a car.

From such a dark period, Cantlay managed to get his head, his back and his game in shape.

He says he is the same person who had such big expectations as an amateur.

“A few more low, highs and lows,” Cantlay said. “Gave me a little different perspective. At the time things were rolling so good all the time, I guess I didn’t think they could go any other way. But life hit me in the face pretty quick. So it’s really nice to be here playing, feeling good, and playing well.”

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Adam Hadwin knows all about going low on the PGA Tour. Still to be determined is whether that translates into a victory.

The Canadian, who shot a 59 at the CareerBuilder Challenge two months ago, ran off five straight birdies to start the back nine Friday at the Valspar Championship and posted a 7-under 64 to take a one-shot lead into the weekend.

Even playing in the afternoon in a strong breeze and crustier putting surfaces, Hadwin one-putted every hole on the back nine until he had no choice but to lag a 20-foot birdie attempt on the 18th hole to make sure it didn’t race all the way off the green and into the fairway.

He shot 29 on the back and reached the halfway point at Innisbrook at 10-under 132, one shot clear of Jim Herman.

“You can’t go out and shoot 7 under on the Copperhead Course without doing everything right,” said the native of Abbotsford, B.C. “I put myself in position off the tee box, hit a ton of fairways then just really hit the irons solidly today. … And here I am going into the weekend.”

And he still has a long way to go.

Herman, coming off a 62 in the opening round, began with 11 straight pars before trading birdies and bogeys and settling for a 71.

Tyrone Van Aswegen had a 65 and was two shots behind, followed by a group at 7-under 135 that included British Open champion Henrik Stenson (71), Russell Henley (71) and Dominic Bozzelli (68).

Graham DeLaet (71) of Weyburn, Sask., Nick Taylor (70) and David Hearn (74) of Brantford, Ont., were all at even par, tied for 52nd.

Stenson opened with a birdie to get within one shot of the lead, but he didn’t make another one until holing a 30-foot putt on the 15th. He was fooled at times by the wind, which kept him from more reasonable birdie chances. Still, the 40-year-old Swede felt his iron play getting better, and he got one bonus that had nothing to do with golf. Walking down the second fairway, 2-year-old daughter Alice saw her dad and ran out to greet him.

“She doesn’t know how to stay outside the ropes, that’s for sure,” Stenson said with a smile. “She comes running in when she sees me. That was good.”

Stenson is No. 6 in the world, the highest-ranked player at Innisbrook. The Valspar Championship will be missing its other top 10 player because Justin Thomas, who swept the Hawaii swing, had a 74 and missed the cut.

Also missing the cut was Billy Horschel, leaving him no chance of qualifying for the Dell Match Play in two weeks. Horschel, who won the FedEx Cup in 2014 and reached as high as No. 12 in the world two years ago, has not been eligible for the last four World Golf Championships.

Hadwin could make his way into Match Play with a runner-up finish, though now it’s all about winning.

He became the ninth player with a sub-60 rounds on the PGA Tour in the California desert, only to finish one shot behind Hudson Swafford. A week later, he was in the final group Saturday at Torrey Pines until fading to a 74-76 weekend.

“I’ve put myself in position the last couple of years,” Hadwin said. “I feel like the finishes have gotten stronger, and I keep kind of putting myself there going into the weekends. Just getting more comfortable out there. Learnings how I feel under pressure, and figuring out how to deal with that. I’m excited for this weekend, what it will bring, and hope to keep some of these scores coming.”

PGA Tour rookie Wesley Bryan, best known for his trick shots that made him a YouTube golf sensation before earning a tour card, had another 68 and was only four shots behind. Bryan tied for fourth in his last two starts at the Genesis Open and Honda Classic.

He would need to finish seventh to have any chance of making the 64-man field for the Match Play in two weeks.

Also at stake this weekend is a spot in the Masters for the winner. Only three players from the top 12 going into the weekend – Stenson, Swafford and James Hahn – already are eligible for the Masters.

A year ago, Herman earned his first trip to Augusta National by winning the week before the Masters at the Shell Houston Open. He’d like to take care of that sooner, and playing in the last group Saturday gives him hope.

He wasn’t stressed by following a 62 with a 71, mainly because the conditions were tougher in the afternoon. Herman also knows a 71 isn’t going to hurt him.

“Any time you make par, it’s not like you’re backing up,” Herman said.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Jim Herman was persuaded to play the Valspar Championship by an influential acquaintance, and he made it pay off Thursday with a 9-under 62 for a two-shot lead.

No, it wasn’t President Donald Trump this time.

Herman wasn’t getting much out of his game – three missed cuts and a tie for 27th – when he played the Seminole Pro-Member the day after the Honda Classic. Jack Welch, the former chairman of General Electric, came along for nine holes and liked what he saw from Herman, who said he would have had a 65 that day.

“Had a really good day there, and got urged on from Jack Welch – he’s a member there – to play here,” Herman said. “I was looking at taking two weeks off, so I was kind of a late commit to this tournament. I guess I’m certainly glad I took his advice.”

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., both shot 68s to sit in a tie for 11that 3-under par. Graham DeLaet (71) of Weyburn, Sask., was tied for 56th at even par and Nick Taylor (72) of Abbotsford was in a group at 79th at 1 over.

Herman putted for birdie on all but two holes, and except for a 35-foot putt from the fringe on No. 10 (his opening hole), the rest of his birdie putts were all from 15 feet or close. He only came close to bogey once, making an 8-foot par save on No. 2.

He wound up missing the course record by one shot, but still had a two-shot lead over British Open champion Henrik Stenson and Russell Henley. The first round did not finish because of a one-hour fog delay Thursday morning, though it should be back on schedule by the weekend.

Herman, of course, is most famous for his relationship with Trump.

After grinding on the mini-tours for longer than he cares to remember, he took a job as an assistant pro at Trump National in New Jersey and one day was summoned to play with the boss. Herman played great that day, and Trump encouraged him to give the PGA Tour another attempt.

He eventually made it, and picked up his first PGA Tour victory last year at the Shell Houston Open. Herman still has an endorsement deal with Trump, and he has the Trump golf logo on the crest of his shirt and on his golf bag.

The two weeks he missed on the West Coast Swing was to attend the inauguration.

Herman has only one top 10 since his victory in Houston last year and has slipped to No. 89 in the world, meaning he likely will need a victory in the next few weeks of he wants to return to the Masters.

This was only a start, and looming behind him is Stenson.

The powerful Swede has a plan for the tree-lined Copperhead Course at Innisbrook, and Stenson stuck to it on Thursday by hitting 3- and 4-iron off the tee when Charl Schwartzel and Bubba Watson were hitting driver.

Stenson’s strength is his irons, however, and he kept giving himself ample birdie chances.

He even laid so far back on the par-5 opening hole after making the turn that he 270 yards to the pin. He put that in the corner of a bunker next to the green and blasted out to a few feet for an easy birdie.

For the 456-yard sixth hole, Stenson hit 4-iron off the tee and another 4-iron toward the green. He missed it well to the right toward the gallery, but answered with a pitch-and-run to 3 feet for par. He also played bogey-free, needing a 12-foot par putt on the 12th hole to keep a clean card.

“When the putter feels good and the short game is in good shape, a lot of times I see it more as guaranteeing having a second shot into the green, even if it’s a longer club,” Stenson. “That’s what I’ve done around here the previous two times, and it’s worked out fine.”

Stenson tied for fourth in 2015 and tied for 11th last year.

“There’s certainly a few holes where you can try and push a little bit,” he said. “Thursday is not really the day where you need to make those kind of decisions.”

Henley opened with a bogey on No. 10 and then made eight birdies over his next 11 holes before finishing with six pars.

One day after an amateur’s shot in the pro-am hit a tree and struck Schwartzel on the wrist, he appeared to be free of pain. He just didn’t make enough putts, only had two birdies and opened with a 70.

Seamus Power of Ireland had a 66, the best score among those who played in the afternoon when the greens became crustier and the wind picked up a little more. Charles Howell III was in the group at 67.

MEXICO CITY – The only elevation that mattered at the Mexico Championship is how much higher Dustin Johnson can go.

In his first start since a five-shot victory at Riviera that made him No. 1 in the world, Johnson captured his fourth World Golf Championships title Sunday by blowing by some of golf’s biggest names and then delivering his best shot at the end to secure a one-shot victory over Tommy Fleetwood of England.

He won for the fifth time in his last 15 starts on the PGA Tour, including a major and two World Golf Championships.

And at nearly 7,800 feet above sea level at Chapultepec Golf Club, Johnson kept soaring.

He closed with a 3-under 68, and finished this one off with one of the most difficult shots in golf. Clinging to a one-shot lead, his feet on the edge of the bunker and ball below his feet, Johnson hit a three-quarter shot from 127 yards with his 54-degree wedge to the middle of the 18th green for a two-putt par.

He called it a “dink.” He also could have called it clutch.

“Probably the best shot I hit all week, especially under the circumstances, was that second shot on 18,” he said. “A fantastic shot.”

It wrapped up a spectacular week in Mexico City, which hosted this World Golf Championship after it had been at Trump Doral the last seven years. Johnson walked through the roped corridors with his arms extended to slap hands and bump fists with an energetic crowd, especially kids who called out, “Dee-Jay!”

Johnson finished at 14-under 270.

Justin Thomas had a one-shot lead over Johnson, with Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson another shot behind. It was an All-Star cast that Johnson turned into a one-man show with a 31 on the front nine to build a four-shot lead.

And just like that, it was gone.

“Around here, anything can happen,” Johnson said.

Thomas fell back with a double bogey in the water on the par-3 seventh. Neither McIlroy nor Mickelson got anything going. The challenge came from Jon Rahm, the dynamic rookie from Spain, who made an eagle and two birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine. That’s right when Johnson had his only real struggles, three-putting from 25 feet for bogey on No. 12 and taking bogey from a bunker on No. 13.

And then he was one shot behind, but only as long as it took him to get up-and-down from a bunker on the par-5 15th for birdie to tie for the lead. Johnson was flawless with pars. Rahm, who had gone 59 holes without a three-putt, took two straight for bogeys that took him out of the game.

“Sometimes you’re going to make some bogeys from those greens and unfortunately for me, it happened at the end,” Rahm said.

Johnson became the fifth player to win in his first tournament as No. 1 in the world. His fourth World Golf Championship title is second on the career list behind Tiger Woods, who won 18 times since the series began in 1999.

It was quite the consolation prize for the 26-year-old Fleetwood.

His 40-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 66 put him alone in second and secured a spot in the Masters for the first time. He moves to No. 35 in the world and is certain to stay in the top 50 over the next three weeks before the cutoff to get an invitation to Augusta National.

Rahm’s two late bogeys gave him a 68 and a tie for third with Ross Fisher, who closed with three straight birdies for a 65. That assures Fisher a place in the next WGC event in three week at the Dell Match Play.

The great theatre among the stars in Mexico City never really materialized.

Thomas bounced back from a 38 on the front nine and was still in range until closing with three pars for a 72 to tie for fifth with Thomas Pieters. McIlroy and Mickelson each shot 71 and tied for seventh. McIlroy had a two-shot lead going into the weekend and shot 70-71.

“These two rounds were the sort of rounds I would have expected the first two days, not the last two,” said McIlroy, playing for the first time in seven weeks while recovering from a rib injury.

Johnson was steady right to the end to capture his 14th career victory on the PGA Tour, and his second straight.

The greens of Chapultepec gave him fits all week. Johnson missed eight putts from inside 5 feet. In the opening round, he missed six putts from the 6-foot range or closer. His power and his clean striking allowed him to overcome that.

The most recent player to win in his debut at No. 1 was Adam Scott at the Colonial in 2014.

“It’s a tough spot to be in,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of pressure on you. I came out and played really well.”

Johnson now takes the next two weeks off before playing the Dell Match Play and the Shell Houston Open ahead of the Masters, where Las Vegas already has installed him as the favourite.

MEXICO CITY – Justin Thomas hit a 6-iron that one-hopped into the bottom of the cup. Dustin Johnson hit a wedge that never came down from a tree. In one of the 10 fairways that Phil Mickelson missed, a spectator apparently ran off with his golf ball.

Even better than the wild action Saturday in the Mexico Championship was the promise of more to come.

Thomas, going for his fourth PGA Tour victory of the season, rode a hole-in-one to a 5-under 66 to take a one-shot lead over Dustin Johnson at Chapultepec Golf Club. Right behind were Mickelson and Rory McIlroy, who saw his momentum stall when his flip wedge on No. 12 struck the pin and spun back.

Such a world-class leaderboard should have been enough to delight the crowd at Chapultepec Golf Club.

It was how they got there that made it so entertaining.

Thomas was lingering around the leaders, trying to piece together a swing, when he was caught between clubs from 239 yards away on the par-3 13th. He hit 6-iron and sent the crowd into delirium when it bounced once and disappeared into the cup.

“It looked perfect,” he said. “I think I said, ‘Go in.’ You might as well say it,” Thomas said while watching the shot on a TV monitor. “I haven’t hit too many shots exactly how I wanted. I liked this result.”

Johnson was tied for the lead when his second shot on the 16th got stuck in a tree. He had no choice but to walk back to the original spot and hit his fourth shot that settled 15 feet from the cup. Just his luck, the ball fell out of the tree as he was walking to the green.

“It happens,” Johnson shrugged after a 66. “I did make a nice putt for bogey, though, so I was definitely happy about that.”

Mackenzie Hughes (73) of Dundas, Ont., is tied for 38th at even par.

Johnson is happy when he sees any putt fall into the cup. He is swing as beautifully as he did at Riviera two weeks ago when he won by five shots, but missing seven out of 15 putts from inside 7 feet has made him wonder if the greens are conspiring against him.

“If it’s not the greens – someone is playing goalie up by the hole – the trees are catching my ball,” Johnson said.

No one was more wild than Mickelson, who used to thrive on such scrambling skills. This time, he was disappointed. Mickelson thought he had those big misses off the tee out of his system, but they returned in a big way on Saturday. He missed seven out of eight fairways in one stretch, and through 12 holes, he had more drops than he had birdies. He still managed a par when the spectator made off with his golf ball. He managed par after taking a drop from a sprinkler into bushes.

He still managed a 68, and was just two shots behind.

“I’ve shot numbers like this hitting shots like that and salvaging strokes, but I’ve been playing better than that,” Mickelson said, clearly disappointed. “That looks like the way I’ve hit it the last three years – all over the place and saving shot. I haven’t been doing that this year. I wanted to come out here and strike the ball the way I’ve been striking it, and then to hit it the way I did was disappointing.”

McIlroy was playing in the final group with Mickelson for the first time on a weekend, and his round of 70 was comparatively boring. If anything, he felt he lost a little rhythm waiting on Mickelson to get rulings on three consecutive holes to start the back nine.

“Phil rode his luck out there,” McIlroy said. “But geez, if I was hitting it off the tee like he did today, there’s no way I would shoot 68. That’s the great thing about Phil. … I would be a mess if I was hitting it the way he was today. I guess that’s the difference between us. I like to see it going down the fairway and playing nice that way, where he goes like this and shoots two better than me. So there you go.”

At nearly 7,800 feet of elevation, the final round figures to be up in the thin air. That might even include Jordan Spieth, who set the course record with an 8-under 63 and was among a dozen players within five shots of the lead.

Lee Westwood, who has played in more World Golf Championships than anyone since they began in 1999, shot 31 on the back nine for a 66 and was three behind, along with Spanish rookie Jon Rahm, who had a 67.

Johnson is trying to become the fifth player to win in his debut at No. in the world, and he still likes his position. He will be in the final group with Thomas and McIlroy.

“I have a lot of great players chasing me,” Thomas said. “I just have to go out and make a bunch of birdies.”

MEXICO CITY – Sore ribs or sore stomach, it doesn’t seem to matter to Rory McIlroy. After being gone for seven weeks, he took a two-shot lead into the weekend at the Mexico Championship with a chance to return to No. 1 in the world.

McIlroy holed out from 156 yards for eagle on the 14th hole, part of a three-hole stretch Friday when he seized control at Chapultepec Golf Club. McIlroy missed putts inside 6 feet on his last three holes – one for par, two for birdie – and still shot a 6-under 65.

“Look, I’m in a great position,” McIlroy said. “But I felt like I could have been a few more ahead.”

He got 14 hours of sleep to help overcome a stomach virus and said he was feeling a little better.

His game looked better than ever.

McIlroy was at 9-under 133, two shots ahead of Phil Mickelson (68), Justin Thomas (66) and Ross Fisher (68).

Mickelson will in the final group on the weekend for the first time since his runner-up finish to Henrik Stenson at Royal Troon in the British Open. And he got there without his longtime caddie, Jim “Bones” Mackay, who fell ill on fourth hole of the second round and turned the bag over to Mickelson’s younger brother, Tim.

Thomas, who won the opening two events of the year in Hawaii, had seven birdies and three bogeys over his last 13 holes.

McIlroy is playing for the first time since losing a playoff Jan. 15 in South Africa. He was diagnosed with a hairline fracture of his rib the next day and missed four tournaments on his schedule to make sure it healed properly. There seems to be little debate about that.

He showed that blend of power and balance in the thin air of Mexico City and struck his irons close for so much of the day. His longest birdie putt was 12 feet, and McIlroy had reason to lament the ones that got away. He missed four putts from 6 feet or closer.

“I just felt like I had a bit more energy. I had a bit more pep in my step,” McIlroy said. “I wasn’t just trying to get through the round today, I was trying to build on the score that I had and it was nice to feel like that again.”

He wasn’t alone in missing short putts.

Dustin Johnson, in his debut at No. 1, still watched a number of putts wiggle to the hole on the poa greens and a few more went in. He birdied three of his last four holes for a 66 and was among those just three shots behind and very much in the picture.

Johnson can keep the top ranking if he finishes in the top four.

“I feel like I’m hitting good putts, they’re just very difficult,” Johnson said. “I feel like someone’s playing goalie up by the hole. It’s not going my way right now, but hopefully I can roll in a few more putts this weekend. I feel like I’m hitting it great.”

The only bad hole for McIlroy was at No. 12 where he put his wedge into a bunker, barely got it out of the sand onto the collar and two-putted from 20 feet for bogey. And then he found another gear.

He hit his tee shot to 12 feet on the par-3 13th. From 156 yards out to a soft green, he tried to take a little off a 9-iron and leaned when he saw it going a little too far left of the flag. It bounced out of the rough and rolled into the cup for an eagle. He came up just short of the green on the par-5 15th, setting up a simple up-and-down for another birdie to seize control.

Just like that, he was three shots ahead and was in position to make it a lot more until missing the three putts coming in.

“I would have taken a 65 starting today and I definitely would have taken a two-shot lead going into the weekend, so I’m in a great position,” McIlroy said. “I’m kicking myself because I missed a couple of short ones coming in, but overall I’m in a good spot and looking forward to being in contention over the weekend.”

His Ryder Cup partner, Andy Sullivan, matched his low round of the tournament and was in the group at 6-under that included Johnson and Daniel Berger (66).

Missing from the mix was Jordan Spieth, who put on a highlight show when he chipped in for eagle on the 15th, and then played a clever pitch some 30 feet away from the flag and let it roll down the hill and into the cup for a birdie.

That more than wiped out a double bogey on the par-5 11th, but momentum stalled in a big way. Spieth went long at No. 1 into the hedges and out-of-bounds, leading to a triple bogey. He shot a 72 and was 1-over 143 10 shots behind.

He had one thing in common with McIlroy. Spieth also spent more time in the bathroom than in bed the night before from a stomach virus that has been the lone blight on an otherwise strong debut for this World Golf Championship in Mexico City.

OAKVILLE, ONT. (Golf Canada) – Parents can credit the imagination and artistic creativity of a 3^rd grade student this summer when their children, ages 17-and-under, gain free admission to see the stars of the PGA TOUR.

The RBC Canadian Open has unveiled its new Junior Ticket design for this year’s event which takes place July 24-30, 2017 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. The ticket design was selected from entries received from five local elementary school classes who signed on to participate in the first-ever RBC Canadian Open Ticket Design Contest.

“I’d like to thank and congratulate all the students who took part in our RBC Canadian Open Junior Ticket design contest,” said Brent McLaughlin, Tournament Director of the RBC Canadian Open. “We were thrilled with the creativity and quality of all entries we received.”

The winning illustration was selected out of more than 100 entries received. Eight finalists were identified by the tournament’s marketing team and then Golf Canada staff voted the winner. When the pencil crayons were put away, the design of Emma Hapelt, a 3^rd grade student from St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School in Oakville, Ont., was selected the winner.

The contest is a new initiative that reinforces the tournament’s commitment to being an event for fans of all ages.

“Family and junior engagement is very important to the RBC Canadian Open and we’re proud to be considered among the PGA TOUR’s most fan-friendly events,” McLaughlin added. “We pride ourselves on making sure the entire family can enjoy themselves onsite. It’s about bringing everyone together to celebrate community and Canadian golf.”

Last year, nearly 45,000 free RBC Canadian Open Junior Tickets were printed and distributed. Free Junior Tickets were also available online for download and printing.

Emma’s contest-winning submission earned her entire class a pizza party. As well, her family received two VIP Passes for the 2017 RBC Canadian Open. Emma and her family are also invited to take part in an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the golf tournament.

Complimentary Junior Tickets, applicable to kids 17-and-under, are ideal giveaways for sports teams, schools, golf tournaments and summer camps. They are available for download online here. They can also be ordered through Golf Canada’s sales department at to 1-800-263-0009 ext. 320 or via email at rbccanadianopen@golfcanada.ca.

Information regarding tickets, volunteer opportunities and corporate hospitality for the 2017 RBC Canadian Open can be found at www.rbccanadianopen.com.

MEXICO CITY – Rory McIlroy leaned over and rested his hand on the top of his driver. At the turn, waiting for the green to clear, he twirled half of a bagel in his finger and then ducked inside a tent to sit on a table. In his return to golf after seven weeks, he didn’t look to be in the best of shape Thursday at the Mexico Championship.

Only it was his stomach, not his ribs.

As for his golf? That looked to be as good as ever.

McIlroy, playing for the first time since Jan. 15 because of a hairline rib fracture, was rarely out of position, blasted a 4-iron out of the rough from 256 yards to set up an eagle and wound up with a 3-under 68. He finished the opening round at Chapultepec Golf Club one shot out of a six-way tie for the lead.

Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood, two of the four players who were in the field for the first edition of this World Golf Championships event in 1999, each shot 67 and were joined at the top by PGA champion Jimmy Walker, Ross Fisher, Jon Rahm of Spain and Ryan Moore.

Westwood and Walker each made it to 6 under until two bogeys over their final few holes.

It was an impressive return for McIlroy, and equally impressive was the debut of Chapultepec, hosting this WGC event after it spent nine years at Trump Doral.

“I’ve waited long enough to play,” McIlroy said. “I wanted to get out here and be competitive and try to shoot a good score. I don’t feel anywhere near as bad as I did in China last year when I had the same thing. So hopefully, it’s just a day thing and it will pass.”

British Open champion Henrik Stenson wasn’t so fortunate. He withdrew after 11 holes with a stomach virus.

The biggest surprise was Chapultepec, hosting the best players in the world at nearly 7,800 feet. Roberto Castro hit a tee shot 407 yards. Mickelson hit one 379 yards, his longest in recent years without hitting a cart path. Dustin Johnson, in his debut at No. 1 in the world, hit 3-wood on the 316-yard first hole that bounded over the green, into the hedges and out-of-bounds.

For all that length, no one could do better than 67. Only 27 players in the 77-man field broke par.

“Even though the golf course doesn’t play long because of the altitude, it is challenging in many other respects with the precision of the irons, the small targets that the greens present and the speed and undulation of the greens,” Mickelson said.

Westwood certainly didn’t expect to make eight birdies, and he wasn’t all that disappointed with his two bogeys at the end.

“It’s a great golf course,” Westwood said. “You’ve got to be really patient. It’s a pleasure to play a golf course where your caddie doesn’t hand you the driver walking off the previous green. You’ve got to put in a bit of thought on this golf course.”

Westwood, Mickelson, Sergio Garcia (68) and Jim Furyk (77) were all at Valderrama in 1999 for what was then the American Express Championship. It was the one WGC originally designed to travel, and when the PGA Tour couldn’t secure at sponsor at Trump Doral outside Miami, it moved to Mexico City.

The crowd was loud and energized, no cheer louder than when Justin Thomas holed a punch-and-run from 103 yards on No. 4.

That was about the time Walker reached 6 under with a birdie on the par-5 sixth hole. But he was a victim of the thin air on the par-3 seventh when his 7-iron on the 235-yard seventh hole bounced hard and went all the way to the back of the green, leading to a three-putt bogey. He went long again on No. 8, leaving him a chip that didn’t even reach the green. If it had, it might have run some 70 feet back into the fairway because of the slope.

“Good to post a 4 under, especially on a course … no one has seen it,” Walker said.

No one was more flummoxed than Johnson, who played as well as anyone and got nothing out of it on the poa greens. He won on the poa at Riviera two weeks ago by five shots. This time, he didn’t get the right bounces and turns. Johnson missed six putts from 6 feet or closer and still managed a 70.

“That’s how it goes,” he said. “The greens are a little tricky. I felt like I hit the ball really well, though. I scored poorly. I missed five putts inside 4, 5 feet. That’s the difference between playing a really good round and just playing an OK round.”

Jordan Spieth had an OK round. He had two early bogeys and had to rally to get back to 71.

Yesterday, Jordan Spieth’s first-ever signature Under Armour golf shoe, the Spieth One, made its global retail debut.

“I couldn’t be more excited to officially unveil my first signature shoe, the Spieth One, with Under Armour,” said Spieth, as he unveiled the shoe last month prior to embarking on a global tour which started in Tokyo and included stops in Seoul, Los Angeles, and Mexico City.  “I worked closely with the Under Armour footwear team to design an innovative shoe that is grounded in the details of my game.”

The Spieth One is being introduced as engineered “Down to a Science;” a nod to the concentrated level of detail by which the shoe was designed and mirrors Jordan’s precise approach to his game on the course. Jordan worked in close collaboration with Under Armour to meticulously craft this clean, bold and innovative shoe that features a number of technical design elements that were dictated by Jordan and his game.

The Spieth One has a breathable, waterproof upper to ensure performance even in the toughest golfing conditions—preventing water from entering the shoe, but allowing perspiration to escape. It also features groundbreaking Rotational Resistance Traction, which prevents the rotation of the foot during the swing from load up to impact.

The upper of the Spieth One is composed with a single seam, reducing layers and weight while enhancing the overall fit and feel. The outsole has a softer forefoot for flexibility, paired with a firm heel for stability and support.

These precise specifications are depicted in the Under Armour brand’s new golf campaign entitled “Down to a Science.”

The shoes are available at SportCheck, online at www.ua.ca and at many pro shops across Canada starting at $239.99 CDN.

Incredibly proud to help build the #SpiethOne alongside @UnderArmour & @UAGolf. Get yours here: https://t.co/em6VIuR3yn #IWILL pic.twitter.com/BdA8v9TYdO

— Jordan Spieth (@JordanSpieth) March 1, 2017

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Rickie Fowler made it interesting Sunday for as long as it took him to make two big putts to pull away in the Honda Classic.

Staked to a four-shot lead, Fowler hit one putt into a sprinkler hole, hit a tee shot into the water and watched a big lead shrink to one over Gary Woodland early on the back nine. Fowler answered with consecutive birdie putts of 40 and 25 feet and closed with a 1-over 71 for a four-shot victory.

“If I don’t make those putts, I’ve got a pretty tight race,” Fowler said.

Instead, those chasing him had the biggest problems with the closing stretch at PGA National.

Fowler effectively ended it with a shot over the water to the 3 feet that stretched his lead to five shots with two holes to play. Woodland appeared to have second place wrapped up until he three-putted the 17th, and then tried to lay up on the par-5 18th and came up short into the water. He closed with another bogey for a 69. He had to share second place – the difference of $128,000 – with Morgan Hoffmann, who missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th.

PGA champion Jimmy Walker was lurking on the fringe of contention until tee shots into the water on the 15th and 17th holes, which cost him five shots.

Tyrrell Hatton of England, who played in the final group in his first PGA Tour event in Florida, was out of the picture quickly. He still had a chance to finish alone in second, which would have gone a long way toward securing a PGA Tour card, until missing a 3-foot birdie putt on the 17th.

Fowler even got into the act when it no longer mattered. He hit his tee shot into the water on the 17th hole and made bogey, then hit a wedge into the bunker on the 18th and closed with another bogey to finish at 12-under 268.

All that mattered was the trophy, the fourth of his PGA Tour career.

Fowler jokingly referred to it as a “small collection” on Saturday evening, though it was important. He had gone 13 months and 25 starts worldwide without a victory as everyone around him was winning multiple times.

It was his first PGA Tour victory since the Deutsche Bank Championship in September 2015.

“I guess I can already plan on Hawaii for next year,” Fowler said, referring to the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua. “I can relax a little bit. This just lets us chill out in a way. There’s less pressure, less stress. I think this is something we needed going into Augusta. I like this spot we’re in right now.”

Fowler won with the lead last year in Abu Dhabi and in 2011 when he won the Korea Open, but it was the first time in five tries he converted a 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour into a trophy. In all five rounds with at least a share of the lead, he has shot over par.

A four-shot lead, which he built with two late birdies Saturday afternoon, allowed him to play smart and safe.

It just always didn’t work out that way.

He went over the green on the par-4 fourth and tried to putt it up the slope, except that it went into a sprinkler hole and led to bogey. Two holes later, Fowler hooked his tee shot into the water on the tough par-4 sixth and made double bogey.

He bounced back with a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 8, only to drop another shot on the ninth.

Woodland hit wedge into 4 feet on the 13th for a birdie to get to 10 under, suddenly one shot back of Fowler. And just like that, it was over. Fowler leaned over on his putter as he watched his 40-foot on No. 12 drop into the cup, and while he went long with a wedge on the 13th, he dropped that one in from 25 feet for birdie.

Woodland had reasonable looks at birdie over the next four holes and couldn’t get any to drop. He powered his 20-foot attempt on the 17th about 6 feet by the hole, ending is last hope.

“I thought all of them looked pretty good,” he said of his birdie chances. “It was a little deflating on 18. Thought I hit a pretty good drive and thought I would have a chance, and I just couldn’t get home and laid up in the water, which was bad.”

Hoffmann tied for second, his best finish ever on the PGA Tour.

Jhonattan Vegas made a hole-in-one on the 15th hole and closed with a 64 to tie for fourth.

Fowler’s victory and Woodland’s tie for second knocked Charles Howell III and Hudson Swafford out of the top 10 in the FedEx Cup standings, keeping them from qualifying for the Mexico Championship next week, the first World Golf Championship of the year.