SAN DIEGO – Patrick Rodgers had a clean scorecard to match a picture-perfect Saturday at Torrey Pines and shot a 5-under 67 to share the lead with defending champion Brandt Snedeker in the Farmers Insurance Open.

Snedeker, trying to become only the fourth player to win back-to-back at Torrey Pines since the tournament began in 1952, didn’t get much out of his round of 70. His three birdies were all inside 6 feet, and the longest putt he made was for par.

Even so, being tied for the lead is a better spot than his last two victories. He rallied from seven shots behind in 2012 and won in a playoff against Kyle Stanley, who made triple bogey on the final hole. Last year, he made the cut on the number and was six shots behind going into the final round.

That doesn’t figure to make it any easier.

Snedeker and Rodgers were at 9-under 207, and 15 players were within three shots of the lead.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., shot a 74 to fall to 4 under. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., (73) and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., (74) were 2 under.

Rodgers is the latest player from the high school class of ’11 with a chance to shine, an athletic and powerful player who has been patiently waiting his turn. He picked up a little extra motivation from watching one of his best friends, former roommate Justin Thomas, sweep the Hawaii swing.

Before Thomas, it was Jordan Spieth who picking up big trophies at an alarming rate.

“I can’t sit here and say it hasn’t been hard at times,” Rodgers said. “Obviously, these are my best friends so I’m happy every time they have success. But on a personal level, I mean, those are the guys that I’ve always competed with and so it definitely tests my patience to see them have success and it’s incredibly motivating.”

And it’s not just Rodgers.

Also in range of a victory Sunday are two others from that class of 2011. C.T. Pan of Taiwan, who played at Washington, birdied three of his last five holes for a 69 and was one shot behind. Ollie Schniederjans struggled on the back nine but still managed a 71 and was two shots behind.

Also in the mix was Pat Perez, who grew up at Torrey Pines and whose father, Mike, is the starter on the first tee. Perez shot a 67 and goes into the final round just two shots behind.

Not to be forgotten was Phil Mickelson, who played on the opposite end of the course as the leaders and shot 68 to get within four shots. Mickelson is a three-time winner of the tournament, but not since 2001.

Justin Rose, who started the third round with a one-shot lead, fell behind on the second hole and never caught up. He shot 73 and was in the large group at 7-under 209.

But it starts with Snedeker, the Tennessee native who loves the poa annua greens on the West Coast. A two-time winner at Torrey, he also has won at Pebble Beach. Snedeker has learned to accept the bad bounces, which is one reason he believes he does well.

His patience was tested on Saturday. Snedeker hit the ball so well that he only came close to bogey twice _ his lone dropped shot was on No. 12 _ and he missed seven birdies putts from the 15-foot range and closer.

“It was tested a lot,” Snedeker said. “That’s part of it. If you’re going to love poa, you have to love days like this, too, where you hit a lot of great putts and they just don’t want to go in for whatever reason. … I didn’t let it affect my game plan, didn’t let it affect the way I thought out there or did anything like that. This golf course does a great job of trying to make you do that, so proud of the way I hung in there.”

Rodgers was helped by a new putter from Odyssey that he put in the bag two weeks ago, in part because he liked the look, and in part because it’s called “Indianapolis.” That’s where Rodgers grew up, and the putter was named because of its technology came from Indy race cars.

SAN DIEGO – Justin Rose already achieved what he wanted Friday in the Farmers Insurance Open. One last birdie for the lead made the day a little bit better

Spooked by the bumpy greens late in the day at Torrey Pines that cost him two bogeys, Rose rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-5 closing hole on the South Course for a 1-under 71 that gave him a one-shot lead going into a weekend that no longer has as much star power.

Tiger Woods missed the cut in his return to the PGA Tour after 17 months. Perhaps more shocking was that Jason Day and Dustin Johnson also missed the cut, as did Rickie Fowler. Phil Mickelson was on the bubble until making a birdie on the 18th for a 72 to make the cut with one shot to spare.

Rose, who was at 8-under 136, now gets two more cracks at the South Course, where the average score for two days was 73.8.

“Everyone has played both courses now, and now we get to play the bruiser for the next two days,” Rose said. “So you just want to basically put yourself within shot.”

Brandt Snedeker saved par from a shot that nearly went out-of-bounds on No. 12, rammed in a birdie putt on the 13th and held on for a 69. He was one shot behind as he tries to join J.C. Snead, Woods and Mickelson as the only back-to-back winners since this event began in 1952.

Adam Hadwin of Canada, coming off a 59 and a runner-up finish last week in the California desert, shot a 71 and joined Snedeker at 7-under 137.

The cut was at even-par 144.

“I actually think the cut mark is incredibly low for two days around here,” Rose said. “Pretty much everyone who’s made the cut is still in the golf tournament.”

It still was too high for Woods.

He opened with a birdie on the par-5 10th on the North Course. He added another birdie on the par-5 fifth. He threw in a pair of bogeys and never looked like he was going to be sticking around for the weekend. Woods shot 72 and missed the cut at Torrey Pines for the first time.

“I just didn’t make enough birdies,” Woods said. “It’s frustrating not being able to have a chance to win the tournament.”

On a course where he has won eight times, Woods has failed to finish 72 holes in his last three starts at Torrey Pines.

Day, the No. 1 player in the world, missed the cut for the second straight year at Torrey Pines as he struggled with his putter even on the new, smoother greens on the North Course. Johnson had a chance to rally to make the cut until he missed a 6-foot par putt and three-putted for par on his last two holes.

The tournament had 10 of the top 25 players in the world. Only five of them – Hideki Matsuyama, Rose, Paul Casey, Mickelson and Emiliano Grillo – survived.

“If you’re not sharp and not striking it well, it’s a difficult place to play,” Mickelson said.

Lefty hasn’t won at Torrey since his back-to-back victories in 2000-01 – before Rees Jones got his hands on it to beef it up for the 2008 U.S. Open – and while he was hovering on the cut line, he finished just seven shots behind and felt he was still in the game .

Rose had complete control of his game and was making enough putts to reach 9 under with a birdie on the 10th. He followed with a tee shot off the cart path and on a slope of deep grass leading to the 12th tee, but hacked it down to 18 feet on the fringe and holed it for a par.

But the middle of the back nine became aggravating when he missed a 6-foot par putt on the 14th, an 8-foot par putt on the 15th and a 5-foot birdie putt on the 16th.

“When the situation gets like that, you start to see not only some of the good stuff happening, but some of the bad stuff happening,” Rose said. “But it was really nice to finish the way I did on 18 because … it was pretty hard to keep it out of the water at that point.”

The greens that kill so many players’ confidence is where Snedeker thrives. The Tennessee native loves putting on poa annua, having won twice at Torrey and once up the coast at Pebble Beach. And he was at it again, keeping pace with Rose. But even Snedeker took his medicine with a 30-inch putt that spun out of the cup.

“Just have to take that with a grain of salt,” he said. “I’m right where I love to be here on the weekend, and this course isn’t getting any easier.”

SAN DIEGO – Tiger Woods had a rough return to the PGA Tour on Thursday but two Canadians found themselves in the top 3 after the first round.

Woods, playing in a PGA Tour event for the first in 17 months, fell apart on the back nine of the South course at Torrey Pines and wound up with a 4-over 76, leaving him in danger of missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open.

He was 11 shots behind Justin Rose, who shot a 65 on the shorter North Course.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., was one stroke back of Rose after a 6-under 66. Hadwin is coming off a second-place finish at the CareerBuilder Challenge that saw him shoot a 13-under 59 in the third round.

“I don’t want to say it was as good as a 59, but it was pretty darn good,” Hadwin said.

Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch was tied for third at 5-under, Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., sat at 4-under and Nick Taylor, also of Abbotsford, was 3-under.

Woods didn’t hit a fairway after No. 7 and had to cope with thick rough he had not seen in some time. Woods said he had a hard time adjusting to the pace of play from being in threesomes for the first time since he last played a PGA Tour event at the Wyndham Championship in August 2015.

“Honestly, it was just weird waiting that much,” he said. “Not used to doing that. At home, I guess we’re flying a little quicker than this. It was just a different rhythm.”

His game was greater concern than having to wait.

This was a battle from the start, when his opening tee shot went into the right rough and he hit a big cut closer to the gallery than the green. Woods did well to keep his score from getting out of hand early, with four tough par saves on the front nine to limit the damage.

He started the back nine with 10-foot birdie putts on the 10th and 11th holes, and with two par 5s ahead of him, starting to believe this could be a strong start.

“And it went the other way,” Woods said. “I hit bad tee shots and made a bad three-putt and laid up from the rough into rough. I just kept compounding problems and mistakes out there.”

Starting with No. 12, he played the next six holes in 6 over, with a double bogey on the 15th hole the biggest blow.

Woods snap-hooked his tee shot over the crowd and into a deep ravine, letting the driver fall from his hands in disgust. He couldn’t immediately find his ball amid sand dunes and ice plants, instead finding a spot to take his penalty drop. He hooked a long iron through eucalyptus trees into more rough and couldn’t get it closer than 20 feet.

At least he ended with a birdie and a smile, which looked to be more of a relief _ not only for Woods, but for Jason Day and Dustin Johnson.

The star group sure didn’t play like one, with all three players frustrated at times by the bumpy poa annua greens in the afternoon. Day, the No. 1 player in the world, missed five putts from the 4-foot range. He opened with a 73. Johnson made a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 72.

None of them ever were better than 1 under at any point in the round.

“I was fighting out there all day,” Woods said. “Didn’t really hit it that good. Greens were a little tough out there with some of the putts. I had a round which I let get away in the middle part of the back nine, and unfortunately, did hit very good shots.”

Even so, the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open hasn’t had this much energy since Woods won the tournament in 2013 for the eighth time at Torrey Pines. The gallery covered every inch of space behind the ropes from tee-to-green on the first hole, standing six-deep around the green.

“You’re concentrating extra hard out there because obviously this is a tough golf course, but you want to make sure that you’re playing well,” Day said. “Tiger’s back, the cameras are on you, so … I’m trying to do my best. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the way that everyone wanted to start, but I gave it 100 per cent.”

When the group left the fifth green and walked up the hill to the sixth tee, only a half-dozen people remained behind.

Rose had a quiet time over on the North Course, which was renovated by Tom Weiskopf and has new and smooth greens. He had two eagles over his last five holes to take the lead by one shot over Hadwin.

Hadwin has the best score on the South Course, which hosted the 2008 U.S. Open.

LOS ANGELES – Tiger Woods is roaring into the new year, preparing to play four times in five weeks in his return to the PGA Tour after a 15-month absence. One of his stops includes a return to his hometown tournament in Los Angeles, where he made his first start on the pro tour as a skinny 16-year-old.

Woods has stayed away from Riviera, which hosts the newly renamed Genesis Open next month, since 2006. He loves the venerable course nestled in a posh residential neighbourhood overlooking the Pacific Ocean, but has never won there.

And that led him to avoid it.

“I’ve just never played it well,” he said Monday as occasional rain pelted the already soggy course. “That’s the only reason.”

Woods debuted at Riviera in 1992 on a sponsor’s exemption. The teenager from nearby Orange County shot 72-75 to miss the cut.

“I felt fine on that first tee but as I took the club back, I never felt nerves like that,” he recalled. “I was skinny. I looked like a 1-iron. I didn’t weigh a lot. I had a lot of speed.”

Woods birdied his first hole and thought to himself: “That’s how you want to start off your PGA Tour career.”

On his second hole, his shot smacked a fence and before long the teenager was 17 shots behind Davis Love III after 36 holes. Love eventually lost in a playoff to Fred Couples.

“I have so far to go,” Woods recalled thinking. “I’m not that good.”

But by 1997, he was Masters champion and well on his way to winning 79 PGA Tour career titles.

“Twenty-five years later, here we are,” said Woods, whose best finish at Riviera was a tie for second in 1999.

From the end of 1999 to early 2000, Woods either won or was runner-up in 10 of 11 PGA events.

The exception was Riviera, where he tied for 18th.

The last time he played Riviera was in 2006. Woods was among those who got caught out in the rain without an umbrella. He made the cut on the number, but then withdrew the next morning because of the flu.

Although Riviera is considered his hometown tournament, Woods is partial to Torrey Pines near San Diego, where he’ll start his season on Thursday in the Farmers Insurance Open. He’s won that tournament seven times along with a U.S. Open playing on a bad knee at the La Jolla course.

Woods will be testing his surgically repaired back starting at Torrey Pines. Next week, he’ll jet to Dubai for an event before returning to Los Angeles for the Feb. 13-19 Genesis Open and then playing the Honda Classic in Florida. A lot of travel in a short time for the 41-year-old.

“If my back feels good, I know I can prepare enough and I know I can play,” he said. “I need to have my health at a state where I can prepare. When I feel that way, I know I can shoot scores and win golf tournaments.”

Plagued by injuries after his first back surgery in 2014, Woods had two more surgeries in the fall of 2015 and didn’t play again until his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas last month. He finished 15th in the 17-man field.

“I just need to get out there and do it,” Woods said. “I feel like I’m strong enough, I can handle the workload. Feeling good about it and doing it are two different things.”

Three weeks into the new year, Woods already has the Masters on his mind.

“I would love to play and I would love to win,” he said. “I’m hoping I can get everything right, so yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

A routine putt had Adam Hadwin rattled.

All that stood between the Canadian golfer and a third-round score of 59 at the PGA Tour’s CareerBuilder Challenge on Saturday was three-foot putt on the 18th hole. A shot that he’s made time and time again over his golf career suddenly seemed daunting with history on the line.

“It’s amazing that it came down to that one putt basically. I was extremely nervous, I was shaking,” Hadwin said Monday. “The first thought that entered my mind was, ‘don’t miss,’ and the second thought was that I had done it thousands of times and I just needed to it once more, and finish off the good round.”

Hadwin made the shot, becoming just the eighth golfer, and first Canadian, to shoot a round below 60 on the PGA Tour.

Hadwin’s previous lowest round in competition was 62 at a Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada event early in his pro career. He admitted he was thinking about history and doing the math in his head on Saturday.

“You don’t get into that rhythm or mindset very often,” he said. “It didn’t seem to matter what I did. If I was putting from eight, 10, 16, or 20 feet, I made everything.”

Hadwin ended up second at the CareerBuilder Challenge, earning just over US$626,000. He said celebrations were muted after his historic round as he knew he was entering Sunday’s final 18 with a chance to win a PGA title.

“I had dinner and went to bed, the same thing I did all week,” Hadwin. “My father is down here, my fiancee travels with me, and I had my godfather here. We went home, had some steaks and a glass of wine with dinner. Nothing changed.”

Hadwin nailed a lengthy birdie putt on the 17th hole Sunday to come into the final hole of the tournament just one shot back of the lead. But couldn’t convert a birdie on the 18th as Hudson Swafford captured his first PGA Tour title.

Hadwin knocked in a tricky shot for par to secure second place and his highest payday on Tour.

This was the second year in a row Hadwin was in the final group at the CareerBuilder Challenge. He said he feels comfortable playing golf in the desert and is familiar with the courses in La Quinta, Calif.

He also said the Canadian fan support was special.

“There was a lot of support, and I think it helped. It made me feel pretty good about what I was doing, and it definitely adds to my confidence,” he said.

There will be time for more celebrations soon. Hadwin and his partner Jessica Dawn will be married in March at a ceremony in Phoenix. He proposed in May in a game of hangman, spelling out “Will you marry me” in blank spaces as the puzzle’s solution.

“Everything is coming together, but I’m going to take zero credit for everything so far,” he said with a laugh.

Hadwin has been on the PGA Tour since 2015 after he won twice on the Web.com Tour circuit and earned full status thanks to his position on the money list. His previous best finish on the PGA Tour was a tie for fourth at the 2011 RBC Canadian Open at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, about an hour away from where he grew up in Abbotsford, B.C.

He said his result Sunday is going to be good for his confidence this season.

“The first couple of days I felt like I was playing pretty well. But to make everything on Saturday and have one of those days, it got me back into the tournament and I created a little history in the round as well,” he said. “I was happy to be in this position early in the year. It sets me up for future events, shows I can compete, hang in there, and have a chance to win golf tournaments.”

Hadwin is back in the PGA Tour field this week at the Farmers Insurance Open along with fellow Canadians Graham DeLaet, Brad Fritsch, Mackenzie Hughes, and Nick Taylor. This week also marks the return of Tiger Woods to the PGA Tour for the first time since August 2015.

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Hudson Swafford won the fittingly named CareerBuilder Challenge on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title, following three straight birdies with a closing par for a one-stroke victory.

Swafford shot a 5-under 67 on the Stadium Course at PGA West to finish the three-course, pro-am event at 20-under 268. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., came back with a 70 after his third-round 59 to finish second.

“It was just kind of an average week until yesterday, really,” said Hadwin. “To go out and do what I did and put myself in the position to win a golf tournament and to be right there coming up the last with a chance to win still, it just sets up the year and puts a lot of pressure off the rest of the year now. Today, mixed with a good fall, it’s just a lot of positive momentum moving forward and confidence that I can compete out here.”

Brian Harman and Bud Cauley each shot 69 to tie for third at 18 under.

Swafford tied Cauley for the lead with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th, then pulled away on the 16th and 17th – a day after he dropped three strokes.

On the par-5 16th, he hit a 3-wood to 12 feet – staying out of the 18-foot deep bunker that he hit into Saturday en route to a double bogey – and two-putted to take the outright lead. He hit to 1 1/2 feet on the par-3 17, the rocky island green called Alcatraz, but Hadwin made a 25-footer to stay within a stroke.

It's not over yet!

Adam Hadwin pulls within one of Hudson Swafford as they head to No. 18.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/HyW9eBoPMT

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 22, 2017

Swafford found the fairway on the par-4 18th with water along the left side, then avoided the water again with an approach to the right side of the green. He lagged his 20-footer to 2 inches for the victory.

Hadwin’s final drive settled in the dormant grass an inch from the green rough and his approach stayed right and settled into thick dormant rough. The Canadian saved par to finish second alone.

“Somebody told me at the end of the day that I had the second loudest cheer going off the first hole besides Mickelson,” Hadwin said. “So, they come out in full support for all of us Canadians. To be able to play well in front of family and friends and lots of people that I know was pretty exciting.”

Five strokes behind leader Chad Campbell after five holes, Swafford birdied Nos. 7-9 to join Campbell and Hadwin atop the leaderboard.

Campbell holed out from 108 yards for eagle on the par-5 fifth, then made a triple bogey on the par-3 sixth – hitting into the water and three-putting. He finished with a 71 to tie for sixth at 16 under.

Phil Mickelson shot a 70 to tie for a 21st at 11 under in the 46-year-old Hall of Famer’s return from two sports hernia surgeries.

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Adam Hadwin shot a 13-under 59 on Saturday in the CareerBuilder Challenge for the ninth sub-60 round in PGA Tour history and the second in 10 days.

In cool, clear conditions in the desert after rain the previous two days, the 29-year-old Canadian made a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th and got up-and-down for par – making a 3-footer – from just off the green on the par-4 18th at La Quinta Country Club.

“Wow! I don’t really know what to say just yet. I think it’s still sinking in,” Hadwin said. “I think everybody talks about kind of they were in a zone and I think that’s kind of what happened. I was thinking about it. I knew exactly where I was. I knew exactly what I needed to do. It just didn’t seem to matter.”

Justin Thomas had an 11-under 59 last week in Hawaii in the first round of his Sony Open victory. Hadwin matched David Duval’s tournament record, a 13-under 59 on the Arnold Palmer Private Course in the final round of his 1999 victory. Jim Furyk shot a tour-record 12-under 58 last year in the Travelers Championship.

Hadwin took the lead at 17-under 199 after starting the day tied for 49th at 4 under, a stroke below the eventual cut. He played the first two days at PGA West, shooting 71 on the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course and 69 on the Stadium Course – the site of the final round Sunday.

“The Stadium Course is a much tougher course than La Quinta,” Hadwin said. “It’s a Sunday. I got a chance to win a golf tournament. That’s what you want going into Sunday, and I’m excited about that. … They say one of hardest things in golf is to follow up a low round. I have to figure out a way to convince myself that I just shot 67.”

The former Louisville player is the first Canadian – he was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and grew up in Abbortsford, British Columbia – to break 60 on the tour. He’s also the first to accomplish the feat on a par-72 course since Duval, and the only non-winner to do it.

“I think what gives sort of me the most confidence is that I knew exactly what I needed to do and through that whole process, if anything, I was thinking 58,” Hadwin said. “So, to be able to do it when I needed to. I know I was nervous. The putt barely went in on 17, and I only had 6 feet.

“I was happy to see the putt drop on 18. Last thing I wanted to do was miss a 3-footer for 59. So, I was more relieved than anything walking off that green.”

Hadwin had 13 birdies in the bogey-free round. He opened with a par with the temperature in the low-50s, birdied the next six and added a birdie on No. 9 for a front-nine 29. He birdied Nos. 11-15 to get to 12 under. He had had 21 putts, hit 12 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation.

Hadwin credited playing partner Colt Knost for keep him relaxed.

“He’s a character and so everything was very light, Hadwin said.

Said Knost: “We have been talking all week. We always talk when we play. So, I kept just trying to make it the same way, have fun with it and just talk to him and treat it like it’s a normal round. He knew where he stood, yeah. He was kind of joking about it. He was just focused on what he was doing. He did a great job.”

Rookie Dominic Bozzelli was a stroke back after a 69 on the Nicklaus layout.

“I’ve been riding a hot putter these last couple days,” Bozzelli said.

Second-round leader Hudson Swafford was 15 under with Bud Cauley, Brian Harman and Chad Campbell.

Swafford shot a 71 on the Stadium Course, making a double bogey after hitting left into the 18-foot deep bunker on the par-5 16th and dropping another shot on the par-3 17th after barely reaching the island green.

Cauley, Campbell and Harman played at La Quinta, the easiest of the three courses. Cauley shot 65, Campbell 66, and Harman 69.

“I hit a lot of good iron shots, drove it well for the most part, and was able to roll a few putts in,” Cauley said.

Phil Mickelson closed with a watery double bogey for a 73 on the Stadium Course, leaving him eight strokes back in his return from two sports hernia surgeries. The 46-year-old Hall of Famer had surgery Oct. 19 and again Dec. 12. Caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay also is making a comeback after having both knees replaced.

59!

Adam Hadwin becomes the eighth player in PGA TOUR history to shoot a 59. pic.twitter.com/RUi7KukWMQ

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 21, 2017

Adam Hadwin (Getty Images)

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Hudson Swafford a remis une deuxième carte consécutive de 65 (moins-7), vendredi, et il détient un coup d’avance en tête au Défi CareerBuilder.

La deuxième ronde a pris fin tout juste avant l’arrivée d’un orage sur les parcours désertiques.

À la recherche d’une première victoire en quatre saisons sur le circuit de la PGA, Swafford a évité les bogueys sur le parcours Jack Nicklaus, après avoir joué jeudi à La Quinta.

Dominic Bozzelli, meneur après la première ronde, et Danny Lee partagent le deuxième rang. Bozzelli a enchaîné son 64 sur le parcours Stadium avec un 67 à La Quinta. Lee, qui est originaire de la Nouvelle-Zélande, a bouclé son parcours à La Quinta en 64 coups.

Phil Mickelson a disputé ses six derniers trous sous une pluie intermittente au sein de l’avant-dernier groupe à avoir amorcé la deuxième ronde au 10e trou du parcours Jack Nicklaus. L’ambassadeur du tournoi avait joué 68 à La Quinta, jeudi, et il est passé à moins-10 grâce à une ronde de 66. Mickelson effectue un retour au jeu après avoir été opéré deux fois pour des hernies l’automne dernier.

Brad Fritsch, d’Ottawa, Adam Hadwin, d’Abbotsford, en Colombie-Britannique, et Nick Taylor, aussi d’Abbotsford, font partie du groupe à égalité au 49e rang à moins-4. Fritsch a joué une ronde de 68 sur le parcours Nicklaus, Hadwin a inscrit un score de 69 sur le parcours Stadium et Taylor a joué 68 à La Quinta.

David Hearn, de Brantford, en Ontario, suit à moins-3 après une ronde de 70 sur le parcours Stadium. Graham DeLaet, de Weyburn, en Saskatchewan, se retrouve à moins-2 après avoir inscrit un pointage de 69 à La Quinta.

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Hudson Swafford beat the rain Friday in the CareerBuilder Challenge, and Phil Mickelson played his best in the worst of the conditions.

Then, there’s Danny Lee.

“I actually wanted to play in the rain, so I could experiment with myself,” Lee said. “Hopefully, it rains tomorrow.”

The New Zealander probably won’t get his wish Saturday, but another storm could pass through the desert oasis Sunday afternoon.

Swafford finished just before the rain moved in, shooting his second straight 7-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead. Winless in his four-year PGA Tour career, the former Georgia star had a bogey-free round on the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West after opening the pro-am tournament Thursday at La Quinta Country Club.

“Managed to keep the ball in the fairway,” Swafford said. “That gives you a lot of nice approach shots into greens. I’m driving the ball beautifully.”

Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch (68) and Nick Taylor (62) and Adam Hadwin (69), both of Abbotsford, B.C., were the top Canadians heading into the weekend at 4 under.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., (70) was at 3 under, with Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., (69) another stroke back at 2 under.

The rain-seeking Lee and first-round leader Dominic Bozzelli were tied for second.

Lee closed with a birdie for a 64 at La Quinta, far exceeding his expectations after a month off.

“Just trying to break 80, seriously,” Lee said. “Trying to not shoot something overly ridiculous, since I’m playing with the amateurs.”

Bozzelli followed an opening 64 on PGA West’s Stadium Course with a 67 at La Quinta.

“It wasn’t my best today, but I was able to save par, made some pretty big par saves throughout the round and kept it going,” Bozzelli said. “Actually, pretty lucky that weather held off a little bit longer than I thought it would.”

The tee times were moved up an hour to 7:30 a.m., and Swafford and many players finished before the storm rolled in over the San Jacinto Mountains at about 1 p.m.

“I had a full rain suit, five towels in the bag,” said Swafford, coming off a tie for 13th last week in Hawaii in the Sony Open. “My caddie was griping all day about how heavy it was. But I made a few birdies early and he said the bag was getting a little lighter.”

Mickelson got to use all of his rain gear, playing the final six holes in intermittent showers in the second-to-last group off the 10th tee on the Nicklaus course. The tournament ambassador followed an opening 68 at La Quinta with a 66 to reach 10 under in his return from two sports hernia surgeries.

“I hit a lot more good shots today than I did yesterday, but I’m still hitting some really bad ones,” said Mickelson, the 2002 and 2004 winner. “And that’s fine. It’s to be expected. I knew that was going to happen, but I’ve been able to kind of manage those and get away with some pars.”

The 46-year-old Mickelson had surgery Oct. 19 – three days after tying for eighth in the season-opening Safeway Open – and again Dec. 12.

Lefty made a 15-foot eagle putt on the par-5 11th – his second hole – and holed a bunker shot for birdie on the par-4 first. In the rain, he birdied Nos. 4-6 and closed with three pars with the wind picking up.

“It was really hard in these conditions,” Mickelson said. “I actually made some birdies in these conditions, so I felt very fortunate with the score that I had in this weather. The back nine I played some really good golf.”

Brendan Steele, the Safeway winner from the nearby mountain town of Idyllwild, was two strokes back at 12 under with Brian Harman. Steele shot a 64 on the Nicklaus layout, birdieing four of the last six holes.

“It was nice of them to move the tee times up for us as it starts to rain right now,” Steele said. “I was able to get done just in time and took advantage of some good conditions.”

Harman had a 65 on the Stadium Course, the toughest of the three layouts and the site of the final round.

DIVOTS: Defending champion Jason Dufner shot a 66 on the Nicklaus layout to reach 7 under. … Patrick Reed, the top-ranked player in the field at No. 9, was 4 under after a 71 on the Nicklaus course. He won in 2014, shooting 63-63-63-71 to break the PGA Tour record for relation to par for the first 54 holes at 27 under and become the first player in tour history to open with three rounds of 63 or better. … Bill Haas, the 2010 and 2015 winner, also was 4 under. He’s playing alongside Mickelson.