PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Jordan Spieth knew the pin position on the ninth hole at Spyglass Hill as much by memory as by sight, which was a good thing considering the fog creeping across the Monterey Peninsula on Friday.

The crowd behind the green couldn’t see Spieth, only a golf ball that landed behind the flag and spun back 3 feet below the cup. Spieth tapped that in for his eighth birdie of the round and a 7-under 65 that put him atop the leaderboard in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Spieth was at 10-under 133.

Derek Fathauer was 8 under for his round at Pebble Beach and tied with Spieth at 10 under. Fathauer had to return Saturday morning to finish his round on the ninth hole. The bigger threat might be Jason Day, the world’s No. 1 player, who was 7 under through 12 holes at Spyglass when play was stopped. Day was at 9 under.

Patrick Reed, who withdrew two weeks ago from the European Tour event in Australia next week because of a respiratory infection, was at 7 under and had one hole to play at Monterey Peninsula.

Spieth mainly was thrilled that he finished just before the horn sounded to suspend play again, this time for fog.

It’s hard to know where anyone stands until three rounds are completed, let alone when only 33 out of 154 players were done with the second round. Spieth only knew that his swing was dialed in and his putter – the most dangerous club in his bag – was coming around.

“I didn’t feel any nerves out there, even though I knew I was toward the lead, just because so much could happen with three courses,” he said. “The first two rounds, it’s been easy. Tomorrow might feel a little different. But in my opinion, I’m at 10 under now. If I can try and just make two (birdies) a side at Pebble Beach each time, and make up for the bogeys with maybe another birdie, it may be good enough.”

The sun, rarely seen this week, is supposed to be make an appearance this weekend. Spieth and Day will play Pebble the final two rounds, and it typically is the easiest when the weather is benign.

What helped Spieth was going off in the third group at Spyglass and having what he considers the best greens on the rotation.

He picked up birdies on both par 3s on the back nine, had a two-putt birdie on a par 5 and made the turn in 4 under to take the lead. Then, he started to get hot with the putter. Spieth rolled in a 12-footer on No. 2, a 25-footer on No. 4 and he saved par with a 15-footer after finding a bunker on the par-3 fifth.

The most flush shot he hit all day might have been with the putter.

Spieth barely reached the front of the green on No. 6, leaving him a 60-foot putt up the hill on a soft, spongy green, Dustin Johnson was right next to him after his approach pitched 3 feet from the hole and rolled all the way back.

Johnson hit his putt so hard that he said, “I thought it was going into the crowd.”

“Second row,” Spieth said in agreement.

It was still 5 feet short.

Spieth followed with what he thinks might be the hardest he ever swung a putter, and it stopped a few inches from going in. He wasn’t so fortunate from the front of the eighth green, a similar putt up a ridge that he left 15 feet short. It led to his only bogey.

That birdie on the ninth was a good way to finish. Spieth had to wait to see how Day finished at Spyglass Hill. That was the mostly likely the only chance of anyone catching him going into the weekend.

Day’s fortunes turned on the par-5 seventh, which began a streak of four straight birdies. Only the fog delay stopped him.

Seung-Yul Noh was at 7 under with five holes, including a par 5, still to play at Pebble Beach. Pat Perez, who had to withdraw last week when he felt his surgically repaired shoulder acting up, was at 6 under at Monterey Peninsula with the par-3 ninth and its devilish green still to play.

A pair of two-time Pebble winners were still in the mix. Brandt Snedeker was at 5 under with four holes remaining at Spyglass, while Johnson shot 69 and was at 4-under 139 heading to Pebble Beach with Spieth.

Spieth will not tee off until noon, with plenty of players and footprints ahead of him.

Among the Canadians, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., shot 2-under 70 on Friday to sit T23 at 3-under heading into the weekend. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was also T23 at 3-under through 12 holes before play was suspended.

Adam Hadwin, also of Abbotsford, was 1-under through 17 (T42), Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont. is even through 15 holes (T55), Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont. finished at 3-over (T103) and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont.is at 4-over through 12 holes (T119).

DIVOTS: Spieth and country singer Jake Owen were atop the leaderboard in the pro-am. Owen holed a 40-foot putt on the third hole, raising the putter in a pose made famous by Jack Nicklaus. … Phil Mickelson had three birdies and three bogeys in his round of Spyglass, leaving him at least nine shots out of the lead. … Torrey Pines winner Jon Rahm ran off six straight birdies through the seventh hole at Pebble Beach. He played the rest of the way with 10 pars and a bogey and shot 67. He was at 4 under.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. _ Jordan Spieth could barely stand up and worried his hat would fly off in the middle of his swing.

From 176 yards downhill to the par-3 11th green at Monterey Peninsula, he ripped a 4-iron and hoped for the best. When he saw it land about 6 feet from the flag, he declared to anyone within earshot, “That’s the best shot I’ve ever hit.”

This was a snapshot of the nasty side of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Thursday, with severe conditions that once led to the term “Crosby weather” from the days when Bing Crosby was the host and Pebble could be a blend of beauty and beast.

The PGA Tour moved up tee times by an hour to try to beat the storms, but it wasn’t enough. Already saturated, the greens on all three courses began holding enough water that play had to be suspended.

Seung-Yul Noh, Joel Dahmen and Rick Lamb each shot a 4-under 68 at Spyglass Hill to share the lead, and more importantly, they were among the 75 players who finished. The rest had to return at 7:30 a.m. Friday _ with lingering rain in the forecast _ to finish the round before moving on to another course.

Spyglass has the most shelter from the wind because of the inland holes cut through a forest.

Mark Hubbard had a 3-under 69 at Pebble Beach, which is exposed along the coast. Only three players reached the green on the par-4 ninth hole into the wind. Hubbard finished his round there with a bogey and treated it like a par.

“It played more like a par 5 than any of the actual par 5s,” he said.

Spieth, even though he missed four putts inside 6 feet on the bumpy greens, was at 3-under par with two holes to play on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula. And as he walked in the final two holes in the rain, tilting his umbrella to fight the wind and rain, he was quite pleased.

“We thought it would be this way, but just rain,” Spieth said. “We didn’t expect that.”

The “that” was what amounted to a four-club wind, and the best example was the partner he has had the last three years _ Dustin Johnson, the U.S. Open champion and among the most powerful players in golf.

Johnson could barely hold up his umbrella in the wind when he stepped out from under it and smashed his drive on the 599-yard 12th hole. From the first cut of rough, he then hit a full 3-wood. And for his third shot, he had 4-iron into the green. And he was still short.

Asked if that ever happened to him on a par 5, Johnson didn’t blink before saying, “Never.”

On the next hole, typically tame at 434 yards, Johnson hit driver and had 190 yards left. He hit a 3-iron _ he normally hits 7-iron from that distance _ to the back pin to about 5 feet and made it for birdie.

“Eagle,” Johnson said when he walked off the green.

It was like that all over.

Hubbard started on the back nine at Pebble, before the strongest of the wind and the rain arrived. He made three short birdie putts, made the turn and then holed a 15-foot eagle putt on the par-5 second hole to reach 5 under. And then it was time to hang on.

“At that point, I was glad I had a cushion,” Hubbard said.

With 104 players on each course _ half of them amateurs _ footprints pile up on the soggy greens and every putt is bouncing any direction. Hockey great Wayne Gretzky, playing with Johnson, missed badly from 8 feet right before Spieth’s 4-foot par putt took a bounce to the left and lipped out.

“If the best players in the world can’t make ’em, how am I supposed to?” The Great One cracked.

Spieth had a short birdie putt on the par-5 sixth hole and declared it to be “the hardest, straight 4-foot putt I’ll have all year.” He missed it.

But he did enough right, including that 4-iron on 11th hole.

Best ever?

After play was suspended, and he was out of the moment, he backed off such a proclamation.

“Not the best I’ve ever hit in my life,” he said. “But that was up there. In competition on a Thursday? For sure. I roasted a 4-iron. My hat was flying off, or felt like it was going to. In the air, you don’t know if it’s going to be 20 yards long or 20 yards short. I can’t hit another one like that if I hit 100 of them.

“I just wish,” he said with a smile, “I had made the putt.”

Among the Canadians, Nick Taylor finished his round at 2-under (70) for a share of eighth, tied with Mackenzie Hughes who was 2-under through 17 holes (T8) when play was suspended. Adam Hadwin is 1-over through 15 holes (T58) followed by Mike Weir at 2-over 74 (T82), Brad Fritsch at 2-over through 16 (T82), and David Hearn at 5-over 77 (T138).

DIVOTS: Phil Mickelson had seven birdies through 17 holes at Monterey Peninsula. He also had two double bogeys and was 1 under with one hole to play. … Shane Lowry of Ireland opened with a 70 and said while he is accustomed to the wind and rain at home, “We wouldn’t play golf on some days like this.” Lowry and his wife are expecting their first child at the end of the month. … Danny Lee was 5 over through 12 holes when he withdrew. J.J. Henry withdrew after an 84.

TOKYO _ Board members at the club that will host the 2020 Olympic golf tournament failed to make a decision about changing their policy of excluding women as full members.

The Kasumigaseki Country Club came under scrutiny recently when the International Olympic Committee inquired about the club’s membership practice. The issue surfaced in mid-January when Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike urged Kasumigaseki to admit women as full members.

The club’s board of directors convened a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday to discuss the issue but didn’t reach any conclusions.

All 15 board members have to agree to change the club’s by-laws. Kiichi Kimura, the chairman of the board, expressed bewilderment at the predicament.

“We discussed how we should respond after we ask our members how they feel,” Kimura said. “It’s extremely annoying the situation has evolved into what it is so quickly. Right now, we’re confused.”

Founded in 1929 as a private club funded by about 300 wealthy men, Kasumigaseki is one of the oldest and most prestigious clubs in the country and has hosted more top level tournaments than any other Japanese course.

To join Kasumigaseki, an applicant needs to obtain a reference from a current member and pay 8 million yen ($70,800) to become a regular member first, then pay additional 4 million yen ($35,400) to be a full member.

The club does not allow women to become full members or play on Sundays. Only full members can play any day of the week.

OAKVILLE, ONT. – The RBC Canadian Open has launched a new VIP corporate hospitality offering for this year’s championship, which runs July 24-30, 2017 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. The Courtyard Cabanas, located between No. 16 and 17 fairways and adjacent to the new Courtyard Games area, are all-inclusive private cabanas featuring alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as full lunch and afternoon hors d’oeuvres.

The Courtyard Cabanas offer a private, Vegas-style venue featuring a sheltered interior with plush seating and outdoor patios. Available on a per day or weekly basis, hospitality buyers must pre-book Courtyard Cabanas, which includes 10 tickets per day, preferred parking, as well as wait staff for food and beverage delivery.

“The Courtyard Cabanas feature VIP amenities and are paired with views of some of the most exciting golf Glen Abbey has to offer,” said Dave Kay, Director of Business Development for Golf Canada and the RBC Canadian Open. “Whether you want to take in the action on the reachable par 5, 16^th hole, enjoy sightlines of the tricky tee-shot on No. 17, Courtyard Cabana patrons can be sure terrific golf is never too far away.”

Courtyard Cabana attendees can also enjoy friendly rivalry at the new Courtyard Games area, where guests can challenge each other to cottage-style games such as Giant Jenga, Bean Bag Toss, Washers and more.

Kay has no doubt Courtyard Cabana customers and their guests will enjoy this fresh hospitality offering.

“The initial response to our RBC Canadian Open corporate hospitality offerings for 2017 has been tremendous – from both past and new partners,” noted Kay. “The cabanas are a hip addition to our corporate hospitality product line up and I’m sure this limited opportunity will sell out. If companies are interested in acquiring one, I encourage them to secure theirs soon.”

To reserve a Courtyard Cabana call Dave Kay at 1-800-263-0009 ext. 228 or email dkay@golfcanada.ca.

For more information on RBC Canadian Open Corporate Hospitality options, please click here. 

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Hideki Matsuyama was the last man standing at golf’s biggest party – again.

Matsuyama won the Waste Management Phoenix Open on the fourth hole of a playoff for the second straight year, outlasting Webb Simpson on Sunday at TPC Scottsdale.

Matsuyama won with a 10-foot birdie putt on the short par-4 17th, the same hole where the 24-year-old Japanese star finished off Rickie Fowler a year ago.

“I just had faith and believed that my chance would come again, and I just waited and waited, had patience,” Matsuyama said. “Finally, that last one went in.”

Matsuyama closed with a 5-under 66, parring the final three holes to match Simpson at 17-under 267. On the par-4 18th in regulation, Matsuyama’s 20-foot birdie try to win in regulation stopped just short.

“I don’t know how it stayed out,” Matsuyama said. “But you can’t be short on a putt like that.”

Simpson birdied three of the last four for a 64, the best round of the day.

“To shoot 7 under on Sunday, birdieing 17 and 18 is a great feeling, knowing I had to do it,” Simpson said. “But Hideki is a great player, obviously. I knew he’d be a tough competitor in the playoff. I wish I could have a couple of putts back and hit them a little harder.”

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., entered the day tied for third but shot a 71 in his final round to finish tied for ninth. Adam Hadwin (66) of Abbotsford, B.C. tied for 12th.

The tournament drew an estimated 58,654 fans Sunday to break the weekly record with 655,434. The previous mark of 618,365 was set last year. A record 204,906 packed the grounds Saturday.

Matsuyama has thrived in the party atmosphere, tying for fourth in 2014 and tying for second in 2015 before winning the last two years.

“There’s nothing like it in golf,” Matsuyama said. “Playing in front of the number of fans and gallery this past week, great motivation. I just try to have fun with it, and at the same time, keep my focus.”

Matsuyama and Simpson took advantage of third-round leader Byeong Hun An’s collapse. Three strokes ahead of Matsuyama and four ahead of Simpson with nine holes left, An bogeyed Nos. 10 and 11 and closed with two more on 17 and 18. The South Korean player had a 73 to finish sixth at 14 under.

“Just didn’t work out today,” An said.

Matsuyama won his second PGA Tour title of the season and fourth overall. He has won five worldwide events in the last 3 1/2 months, also taking the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, two tournaments in Japan and Tiger Woods’ unofficial Hero World Challenge.

“It’s been a good run,” Matsuyama said. “I’m going to ride it as long as I can.”

He becomes the sixth player to successfully defend a title in the event and the first to do it at TPC Scottsdale. The other five are Hall of Famers Ben Hogan (1946-47), Jimmy Demaret (1949-50), Lloyd Mangrum (1952-53), Arnold Palmer (1961-63) and Johnny Miller (1974-75).

Matsuyama broke a tie with Shigeki Maruyama for the most victories by a Japanese player, and became the first to win playoffs in an event two straight years since Ernie Els in the Sony Open in Hawaii in 2003-04.

Matsuyama and Simpson matched pars on the first three extra holes, playing the 18th twice and the par-4 10th before heading to 17. Simpson’s drive on the 332-yard hole ended up on the right edge of the green, with a bunker blocking his path to the back pin position.

“That pin is so hard,” Simpson said. “That is the one place you can’t really be.”

Instead of trying to hit over the bunker, he putted and left himself a 25-footer that burned the right edge.

Louis Oosthuizen finished a stroke back after a 65. The South African birdied Nos. 14, 15 and 17, then hit in the right bunker on 18 and scrambled to save par.

“I will take a lot out of this week, especially on putting,” Oosthuizen said.

Fowler also shot a 65 to match J.J. Spaun (67) at 15 under.

Phil Mickelson tied for 16th at 10 under after a 71. He made a run with four front-nine birdies, then played the back nine in 4 over with a double bogey on 17, four bogeys and two birdies. The 46-year-old former Arizona State star played his 100th round in the event he won in 1996, 2005 and 2013.

“It was a disappointing way to finish it, but it’s very encouraging with the way I have been playing,” Mickelson said. “And the way I got myself into contention there with nine holes to go was fun.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Byeong Hun An took a one-stroke lead Saturday in the Waste Management Phoenix Open in front of a golf-record crowd of 204,906.

The South Korean player shot a 6-under 65 at TPC Scottsdale to reach 16-under 197. An won the 2009 U.S. Amateur at 17 to become the youngest winner in event history, and took the European Tour’s 2015 BMW PGA Championship for his biggest professional victory.

Scotland’s Martin Laird was second after a 65. Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama (68) was 12 under along with John Peterson (63), Canadian Graham DeLaet (65) of Weyburn, Sask., and Michael Kim (66).

Adam Hadwin (70) of Abbotsford, B.C., is 6 under and tied for 35th.

The event has drawn 596,880 for the first six days, setting records each day. With 70,000 to 90,000 expected Sunday, the tournament will shatter the overall record of 618,365 set last year.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. _ Brendan Steele and Byeong Hun An led the way at golf’s biggest party, Phil Mickelson had a classic Lefty adventure, and Justin Thomas cooled off in the desert.

An ran in a 35-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th Friday for his second straight 5-under 66 and a share of the Waste Management Phoenix Open lead. Steele had a 67 to match An at 10-under 132 at TPC Scottsdale.

Mickelson bogeyed the final two holes for a 70 that left him six strokes back, while playing partner Thomas had a 73 to miss the cut by a stroke. Thomas was coming off a two-week break after sweeping the Hawaii events _ and shooting 59 at Waialae _ for his second and third victories of the season.

Mickelson tried to pull off a low-percentage shot from the left rough on the par-4 eighth _ his 17th hole. Behind a small tree nearly 200 yards from the green, Lefty attempted to hit a sweeping slice with a driver, but the line drive didn’t cut as much as he wanted and rocketed through the large gallery lining the right side.

“I didn’t really have much,” Mickelson said. “I was trying to get something that would cut it. It was sitting in the rough. The only play was to pitch out, but that’s not really, you know, what I like to do.”

On the par-4 ninth, he took two shots to escape the right greenside bunker.

“It sucks, finishing with two bogeys,” Mickelson said.

The 46-year-old former Arizona State player won the event in 1996, 2005 and 2013. He’s making his third start in his return from two sports hernia surgeries.

“There’s no reason why I couldn’t get it going tomorrow and be in it,” Mickelson said.

An had a far better finish, holing the long putt on 18 for his third birdie in four holes.

“I look forward to playing those holes, 16, 17, 18 _ great finishing holes,” the South Korean player said. “I love people making noise. I really don’t mind, as long as they don’t make sudden noise.”

There were a lot of people to make noise. The crowd was estimated at 169,004, breaking the Friday record of 160,415 set last year and pushing the five-day total to 391,874. Saturday is the biggest day for spectators, with a record 201,003 packing the massive grounds last year. The week mark of 618,365 was set a year ago.

Graham DeLaet (69) of Weyburn, Sask., is tied for 11th at 6-under par, while Adam Hadwin (66) of Abbotsford, B.C., jumped up the leaderboard and into a tie at 21st at 5 under. David Hearn (70) of Brantford, Ont., Nick Taylor (71) of Abbotsford, and Mackenzie Hughes (71) of Dundas, Ont., all missed the cut.

Steele also birdied three of the last four, holing an 18-footer on the short par-4 17th and a 15-footer on 18.

“I played well the last few weeks,” said Steele, the winner of the season-opening Safeway Open. “Obviously, the win a couple months ago, and then I’ve got good results on this course before. Everything feels pretty good.”

Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama was a stroke back at 9 under along with first-round leader Matt Kuchar, Martin Laird and Sung Kang.

Matsuyama bogeyed the 18th for a 68 after his 132-yard shot to the back right pin fell short into a small bunker.

“I thought I could go for the pin and came up a little short,” Matsuyama said through a translator. “Little disappointing, but I played well all day.”

Last year, Matsuyama beat Rickie Fowler in a playoff. The Japanese star won four times worldwide late last year.

Kuchar followed his opening 64 with a 69. He’s coming off a seven-week break.

“It’s one thing to play at home and feel pretty good about your game,” Kuchar said. “It’s another thing to come out on the PGA Tour and compete in a tournament. I come with little expectations.”

Martin Laird (66) and Sung Kang (65) joined Kuchar at 9 under.

“It was a clean card in terms of bogeys, but my golf game wasn’t very clean,” Laird said. “I struggled a little bit with my irons all day, but my putting was probably the best I’ve putted in a long time.”

Fowler (68), Louis Oosthuizen (67), J.J. Spaun (64) and Michael Kim (66) were 7 under. Oosthuizen closed with a double bogey after hitting left into the water on 18.

Jordan Spieth was 4 under after a 68. He was 6 under on the first 13 holes, dropped a stroke on the difficult par-4 14th and made a double bogey on 18 after driving into the water.

“I have been hitting the ball great this whole year and going back into late last year,” Spieth said. “I have just been kind of looking for that groove putting, and it’s almost there.

John Rahm, playing with Fowler and Spieth, shot a 69 to reach 3 under. The former Arizona State player won last week at Torrey Pines for his first PGA Tour victory.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Matt Kuchar hardly looked like a guy coming off a seven-week break Thursday in the first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Kuchar eagled the par-5 13th and added two late birdies and a big par save on the rowdy par-3 16th hole in an opening 7-under 64 at TPC Scottsdale.

“It was so nice to be home,” Kuchar said. “Our kids got to play basketball. This is basketball season back home. I have always been travelling out west, so it was fun for me to be home, be dad, go to basketball games and practices. But we had such good weather, I got good practice in. My boys are now 7 and 9 and they’re into golf, as well. In the afternoons, we’d sneak out and play a few holes. Wasn’t too rusty.”

Playing in perfect afternoon conditions in front of a crowd estimated at 103,420, Kuchar took a one-stroke lead over defending champion Hideki Matsuyama and Brendan Steele.

“Someone told me it was 5 million,” Kuchar joked about the crowd. “So many people out here. It’s a good buzz. It’s a good vibe.”

He made a 25-foot eagle putt on 13.

“Chased a 3-wood up on the corner of the green, and it was a pretty straightforward 25-footer,” Kuchar said. “That was a lucky place to be on that hole. Some of these pins were hard to get at. That was one that was hard to get at.”

The seven-time PGA Tour winner ran in a 6-footer for birdie on the par-5 15th. He got up-and-down for par from the left bunker on the triple-deck stadium 16th, making a 12-foot putt, and chipped to inches from the front fringe on the short par-4 17th to set up his final birdie in the bogey-free round.

“I got some great work in this week with my instructor, Chris O’Connell, and it showed off with some great hitting out there,” Kuchar said.

Matsuyama had a bogey-free round in the morning. Last year, he beat Rickie Fowler in a playoff.

“I wish I knew why I play well here,” Matsuyama said through a translator. “I did hit the ball very well today, hit a lot of greens, a lot of good shots.”

He won four times worldwide late last year, taking the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in China, two events in Japan and Tiger Woods’ unofficial Hero World Challenge in December.

Steele holed out from 194 yards for eagle on the par-4 14th

“We were trying to land it about 10 yards short,” said Steele, the Safeway Open winner in October to start the season. “Little outside right, and I pulled it just a touch. It landed about a yard left and about 4 yards short and went in the hole.”

John Peterson, Robert Garrigus, Scott Brown, Byeong Hun An and Chris Kirk shot 66.

“I was very patient,” said Peterson, the 2011 NCAA individual champion at LSU. “Usually, I’m not a very patient person, but this morning I was first off and I had great greens on the first nine holes.”

Fowler, 2015 winner Brooks Koepka, two-time champion J.B. Holmes, Steve Stricker, Martin Laird, Webb Simpson, Graham DeLaet and Alex Cejka were at 67. Stricker is making his first start of the year. He will be 50 on Feb. 23.

Sung Kang also was 4 under on the final hole when play was suspended because of darkness.

Fowler made a 16-foot par save on the par-4 11th – his second hole of day – after driving into the water.

“To par the first three holes was nice. I could have easily been 3 over,” Fowler said.

He was three strokes better than playing partners Jordan Spieth and John Rahm, the former Arizona State player who won Sunday at Torrey Pines for his first PGA Tour victory.

Spieth also saved par on 11 after hitting into the water, rolling in a downhill 50-footer. He struggled to find the fairways, and had a three-putt bogey on the par-4 17th – missing from 1 1/2 feet.

Phil Mickelson opened with a 68 in his third straight start in his return from two sports hernia surgeries to top playing partners Justin Thomas and Adam Hadwin, the latest players to shoot 59.

The 46-year-old Mickelson parred the final nine holes after birdieing Nos. 8 and 9 to get to 3 under.

“I’ll take 3 under,” Mickelson said. “I’ve got to get it a little bit better off the tee tomorrow. My iron play has been pretty good, so I should be able to make some birdies if I get the ball in play.”

The former Arizona State player won at TPC Scottsdale in 1996, 2005 and 2013.

Thomas birdied 16 and 17 in a 69, and Hadwin shot 71.

Thomas has won three of his last five PGA Tour starts, successfully defending his title in Malaysia in October and sweeping the Hawaii events last month – shooting the 59 in the first round of his Sony Open victory. He’s trying to become the first to win three straight PGA Tour events since Rory McIlroy in 2014.

MISSISSAUGA, ON – Landmark Sport Group Inc. and Golf Canada today announced the second annual RBC Canadian Open 5K Golf Run will be held Saturday, July 22^nd, 2017 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

The RBC Canadian Open 5K, which is open to golf fans, runners and walkers, takes participants through a five kilometre route of the Glen Abbey Golf Club layout. The route begins at the first tee of Glen Abbey’s championship course set up and finishes alongside the iconic 18^th green.

All registered participants receive a 2017 RBC Canadian Open Anyday ticket, a race t-shirt, medal and the opportunity to experience a PGA TOUR event venue just days prior to tournament week.

“The RBC Canadian Open 5K Run exposes our sport and the golf course to a completely new audience of non-golf, health enthusiasts,” said Brent McLaughlin, RBC Canadian Tournament Director. “Last year was a terrific starting point to engage a new audience and create a longer celebration window for Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship. We look forward to welcoming even more participants in 2017.”

Walk and running enthusiasts can take part in a timed running event, while passionate golf fans can enjoy the atmosphere of the Glen Abbey Golf Club just days prior to the arrival of top PGA TOUR players. The event welcomed more than 350 participants in 2017 and organizers are bullish that number will increase for the second rendition of the event.

“We are extremely excited to work with Golf Canada to bring back the RBC Canadian Open 5K Golf Run for a second year,” said Race Director, Brody Coles. “This event is such a fun way to kick off the tournament and give runners and golfers alike the chance to experience Glen Abbey Golf Club in a truly unique way.”

In addition to the 5K run, participants are invited to enjoy live coverage of The Open Championship on large screens, and relax post-race in the Coors Light Beer Gardens.

Early bird registration begins at $50. Participants can register and find more information by visiting www.golfrun.ca.

SAN DIEGO – Jon Rahm of Spain added his name to the burgeoning list of young stars Sunday with his big game and a big finish at Torrey Pines.

Rahm made two eagles over the final six holes, the last one a 60-foot putt from the back fringe on the par-5 18th hole for a 5-under 67 to win the Farmers Insurance Open by three shots for his first PGA Tour victory.

Rahm, who turned 22 in November, beat Phil Mickelson’s mark as the youngest champion at this tournament. He also became the first player in 26 years to capture his first PGA Tour title at Torrey Pines.

Starting the final round three shots out of the lead, Rahm made up ground in a hurry.

He hit 4-iron into 18 feet on the par-5 13th and holed the eagle putt to tie for the lead. He stuffed a wedge into 5 feet on the 17th to take the lead, and he finished with his long eagle putt that broke hard to the right and peeled back to the left and dropped in on the side of the cup.

Rahm, leaning forward during its 60-foot journey to the hole, unleashed a double fist pump as he hugged his caddie. He watched a replay of the last eagle putt, along with his celebration, and said, “I don’t even remember doing it.”

On a day in which nine players had at least a share of the lead, the final 20 minutes only mattered for positions.

Rahm finished at 13-under 275, three shots ahead of Charles Howell III (68) and C.T. Pan of Taiwan, who had a 70. Brandt Snedeker and Patrick Rodgers, tied for the lead going into the final round, fell back with too many mistakes on the back nine.

The way Rahm finished, it might not have mattered.

All four PGA Tour events to start the new year now have been won by players in their 20s – Justin Thomas (23) won both event in Hawaii, and Hudson Swafford (29) won last week in the California desert.

Rahm might have won for the first time, though this was hardly a surprise.

He won the Ben Hogan Award his final two years at Arizona State as the top college player, along with the Jack Nicklaus Award his senior year as the best golfer. He spent 60 weeks at the No. 1 amateur in the world. Two years ago in the Phoenix Open, he tied for fifth while still at Arizona State.

And when he turned pro last summer, he earned his PGA Tour in four starts, tying for third in the Quicken Loans National at Congressional and finishing runner-up by one shot at the RBC Canadian Open.

Mickelson knew it was coming. His brother, Tim Mickelson, was Rahm’s coach at Arizona State and now is his agent.

“I think he’s more than just a good young player,” Mickelson said. “I think he’s one of the top players in the world. I think there’s an intangible that some guys have where they want to have the pressure, they want to be in that tough position, they want to have everything fall on their shoulders. And he has that.”

The victory gets Rahm into the Masters for the first time, along with other big events. He moves into top 50 in the world, and if he can stay there for three weeks he will get into two WorldGolf Championships in March.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., had another disappointing day, shooting 76 to finish in a tie for 49th place. He placed second at the CareerBuilder Challenge last week after a 13-under 59 in the third round.

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., (74) and Nick Taylor, also of Abbotsford (72) were tied for 54th while Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch (76) finished in a tie for 67th.

Snedeker was trying to become only the fourth back-to-back winner at Torrey Pines, but he was slowed by a pair of bogeys in a five-hole stretch around the turn and closed with a 73. Rodgers was tied for the lead until he made bogey from the bunker on the tough par-4 12th, and then fell back when his approach from the rough on the 14th hole came out too high and struck a tree, leading to bogey. He closed with a 72 and tied for fourth.

Howell closed with a 68. It was his third time to finish runner-up at Torrey Pines. He made a long eagle putt on the 13th and finished with a birdie. By then, however, Rahm was one shot ahead and waiting in the middle of the 18th fairway.

Pan ran off three straight birdies around the turn to tie for the lead, but he had to settle for pars the rest of the way, including a three-putt par on the 13th.

That set the stage for Rahm, and he burst through.

He became only the fourth international player to win this tournament, but it’s an impressive list – Jason Day two years ago, Gary Player in 1963 and his fellow Spaniard, Jose Maria Olazabal, in 2002.