PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Jason Day wanted to win The Players Championship so badly that he wasn’t going to let anything stop him.

Not the super slick greens that nearly derailed him Saturday. Not the three muffed chips that turned potential birdie into a unsettling bogey as he made the turn Sunday. And certainly not the best field in golf.

With another command performance, Day put his stamp on No. 1 in the world by never letting anyone closer than two shots in the final round, playing bogey-free on the back nine of the TPC Sawgrass for the fourth straight day and closing with a 1-under 71 for a wire-to-wire victory.

It was his seventh title in the last 10 months.

And the 28-year-old Australian wants to win a lot more.

“I want to be to be able to be looked back on and know that ‘he was one of the greats in the game.’ If I have the opportunity to do that, I’m going to try my best,” Day said after his four-shot victory. “And I have the opportunity to do that right now, try and work has hard as I can to really leave my footprint in this game.

“I’m very motivated to win as much as I can right now.”

He stomped his way all over everyone at The Players Championship, even though he had a few nervous moments.

Day made bogey on No. 6, had to make a 15-foot par putt on the next hole and really looked out of sorts from just 40 feet right of the green on the par-5 ninth. He muffed three straight chips and had to make a 6-foot putt just to escape with bogey, dropping his lead to two shots.

“If I walk away with a double bogey there, I let everyone (back) in the field,” he said. “I was right there next to the green in two and felt like an amateur chopping my way to the pin. That putt was probably the most crucial putt of this tournament for me.”

Two 15-foot birdies over the next three holes restored his margin and sent him on his way. The last hurdle was finding land on the island-green 17th, and he cleared the water with about 10 feet to spare.

Day’s seven victories dating to the Canadian Open include the PGA Championship, The Players, a World Golf Championship and a pair of FedEx Cup events, all some of the strongest fields in golf. He became the first wire-to-wire winner in 16 years at Sawgrass, and he joined Tiger Woods, Johnny Miller and Tom Watson as the only players to go wire-to-wire twice in the same season dating to 1970.

Day finished at 15-under 273 and earned $1.89 million, the richest payoff in golf.

Kevin Chappell, who finished one shot behind Day at Bay Hill, was 5 under over his final 10 holes for a 69. He picked up a consolation check of $1,134,000 and moves just outside the top 30 in the world, giving him a spot in the next two majors.

“That’s getting a little old,” Chappell said of his two runner-up finishes to Day. “I’m not sure what Jason’s scrambling stats were, but they were much better than mine on the week.”

Day got up-and-down 85 per cent of the time this week, best at Sawgrass.

He now has won 10 times on the PGA Tour – only Rory McIlroy with 11 has won more among players in their 20s.

“It’s no coincidence he’s No. 1 in the world,” Justin Thomas said after closing with a Sunday-best 65 to tie for third. “He drives it extremely far, extremely straight. He hits it to the moon, so he can access pins that most people can’t. His short game is ridiculous. I think I’ve pretty much covered it all there when it comes to the golf.”

Day is the third No. 1 player to win The Players Championship, joining Greg Norman (1994) and Woods (2001 and 2013).

Thomas, who started 11 shots behind, stuck around Sawgrass to see if 10-under 278 would have a chance. He wound up tied for third with Matt Kuchar (68), Colt Knost (69) and Ken Duke (72).

Canada’s David Hearn, of Brantford, Ont., shot a 71 on Sunday to finish tied for 28th at 3 under for the tournament. Adam Hadwin, of Abbotsford, B.C., tied for 39th at 1 under.

Hideki Matsuyama, playing in the final group with Day, was 3 over after three holes and quickly out of the mix.

The pressure didn’t come from anyone else. Day brought it on himself. He only hit three greens on the front nine, and let evil thoughts of blowing the lead creep into his head until he steadied himself with the bogey putt on No. 9 and the two birdies on the 10th and 12th holes.

Day now has a large lead in the world ranking over Jordan Spieth, who missed the cut, and McIlroy at No. 3, who was never a factor on Sunday at Sawgrass. Dating to his 81 last year at The Players to miss the cut, Day has finished out of the top 10 only seven times in his last 20 starts.

Adam Scott referred to his run as “Tigeresque.”

“That’s one of the hardest things to do when you are hot like that, to keep pushing,” Scott said. “But he has a very strong desire to achieve so much, and I think probably his goals are changing throughout this period, and he’s expecting more and more of himself. He’s got that ability to push himself and accomplish.”

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Jason Day saw The Players Championship at its easiest and toughest, all in the span of nine hours Saturday on what felt like two golf courses.

He set a record when it felt like a shootout.

He was even stronger when the TPC Sawgrass turned into a battle for survival.

And when a long, wild and utterly exhausting day was finally over, the world’s No. 1 player could take solace that he still had a four-shot lead.

“I want to say this was the toughest day I’ve ever had to play in my life,” Day said after gutting out a 1-over 73 going into the final round. “I want to win this tournament so bad. I really do. … But right now, I’m just trying to focus on trying to play well tomorrow. I mean, that’s all you could do is just try to survive.”

The difference between morning and afternoon was more like night and day.

Day finished his storm-delayed second round with a 66 to set the 36-hole record at 15-under 199, and it appeared he would take aim at more records. And then it all changed. The PGA Tour rolled the greens one more time. The wind picked up. The air dried out. The sun baked out the course.

Suddenly, the greens were like putting on glass.

Day four-putted from 18 feet for a double bogey. He made another double bogey two holes later. But right when it looked like he would fall victim to the fierce conditions, the 28-year-old Australian played the final 10 holes with three birdies and seven pars to reach 14-under 202 and keep his big lead.

More than excited about a chance to win the PGA Tour’s premier event, he is worried about facing similar conditions Sunday.

“That would just ruin everything,” he said. “That won’t make it fun for … we were out there for nearly six hours today trying to play 18 holes. They made the course pretty much nearly unplayable. If they do make it like that, then I’m just going to have to grind my hardest to win the tournament, and I’m OK with that.

“I won’t stop until it’s done, and I can rest after that.”

It wasn’t unplayable for everyone.

Ken Duke in the round of a lifetime made six birdies over his last seven holes for a 65, which was more than 10 shots better than the average score. He was tied for second with Hideki Matsuyama, who made seven birdies in his round of 67. Joining them at 10-under 206 was Alex Cejka, who shot a 72 that felt much lower.

Canadians Adam Hadwin, of Abbotsford, B.C., and David Hearn, of Brantford, Ont., are 2 under and tied for 34th. Hadwin shot a 74 in his third round while Hearn had a 72.

“I don’t know what they did to the golf course overnight, but it was playing like a U.S. Open,” Cejka said. “It was just lightning-fast greens.”

Sixth of the 76 players who made the cut had a double bogey or worse.

There were 149 three-putts – or worse – in the third round. Sergio Garcia took six putts from just off the sixth green. Paul Casey took five putts from about 8 feet on the 15th hole. There was rare a lag putt. The putts wouldn’t stop rolling.

“A 10-foot putt felt like it was 60 feet away,” Day said.

There was still the traditional trouble at the Stadium Course. Russell Knox hit three shots in the water on the island-green 17th and made a 9 that ruined his round (he shot 80) and his chances. Kevin Chappell had to play his second shot with his feet on the planks framing the water on the 18th hole. Having made two eagles, he closed with a double bogey to fall six shots back after a 70 that felt a lot better.

Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson and defending champion Rickie Fowler all missed the cut when the storm-delayed second round was completed Saturday morning. Canada’s Nick Taylor, of Abbotsford, and Graham DeLaet, of Weyburn, Sask., also missed the cut. If there was a consolation, it was not having to take on Sawgrass and its scariest.

Two Canadians did make the cut. Abbotsford, B.C.’s Adam Hadwin had a 74, while Brantford, Ont.’s David Hearn shot 72. The pair are now tied for 34th at 2 under.

Day had his moments.

His first blunder was a four-putt double bogey on the sixth hole, which started with an 18-foot birdie putt that he nearly made. It could have been worse. His 5-foot putt for double bogey nearly spun out of the cup. He answered with a wedge to 2 feet for birdie, but then had more trouble off the green at the par-3 eighth. This time, he had to make a 6-foot putt for double bogey.

And while his card was clean on the back nine, the biggest break of all came at the 15th. He was short of the green in three, certain to drop at least two shots, when Day chipped in from just over 50 feet for par. Then, he pounded a 3-wood and hit a towering 8-iron to 6 feet on the par-5 16th. He missed the putt and had to settle for birdie, made a 10-foot par putt on the 17th and finished with a solid par.

One more round, and no one is sure what to expect now.

The average score the opening two rounds was 71.02. It was 75.59 on Saturday, helped by 86 scores of double bogey or worse. There were 163 rounds under par the opening two rounds, and only six on Saturday.

“To have two doubles on the front side and then play some nice golf on the back to really kind of keep that distance between me and the rest of the guys was nice,” Day said. “But really hoping they slow the greens down tomorrow.”

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The sky was getting so dark that Jason Day could barely see the flag on the 14th hole, much less the small crowd that waited out a two-hour storm delay Friday at The Players Championship. The way he was playing, he sure could hear them.

His 5-iron from 190 yards into a strengthening wind rolled to the back of the green and settled 2 feet away.

“A great shot,” said Day, who can be stingy with self-praise.

His second big birdie to end his long day stretched his lead to three shots before it was too dark to continue, and Day stepped into a van for a short drive to the clubhouse. His first task was to check the wind for the morning when he had to finish four holes.

He already was 14-under par. He was on a record-setting pace at the TPC Sawgrass. And he could only think about pushing.

“I’m at 14-under par, I’ve got a good lead going on, I just can’t sit back,” Day said. “I need to keep pushing forward. And the moment that I lose a little bit of focus and make a few mental errors and mistakes, that’s when I let the field back in. And I just can’t afford to do that.”

Shane Lowry had a 68 and was at 11-under 133, a solid round that only got going when he hit a wedge so badly that it didn’t each reach the island green at the par-3 17th. He managed to escape with bogey, and then holed a wedge from about 180 yards on the 18th hole for eagle.

Two tough pars at the end of his round meant he was likely to be in the final group with Day. Not bad for a guy who was hitting it so badly Wednesday that he was dreading the thought of even playing.

“I thought I’d be booking a plane ticket now, how I was feeling on Wednesday,” Lowry said. “Yeah, golf is a funny game. Sometimes low expectations brings good results and high expectations brings no results.”

Jordan Spieth was just hopeful of a Saturday tee time, as was Phil Mickelson.

Spieth, looking frustrated as ever, got to the projected cut of 2 under with back-to-back birdies to start the back nine, only to catch a bad break when a rake kept his ball from rolling into the bunker and stayed on the steep slope leading to the sand. The best he could do was chip over the green and he made bogey, and his tee shot was wild to the right on the 15th when they stopped because of darkness. Spieth was at 1 under.

Mickelson had to make an 8-foot par putt on the par-5 16th to stay at 1 under. He was to return at 9:15 a.m. to play the 17th and 18th, likely needing a birdie on one of them to make the cut.

Defending champion Rickie Fowler shot 71 and was at 1-under 143. He needed help to make the cut.

Greg Norman set the 36-hole record of 14-under 130 at The Players in 1994, the year the Shark made only one bogey the entire week. Day looks just as good and has yet to drop a shot over the 32 holes he has played. He ended his day with a 40-foot birdie putt down the slope at No. 13 and the 5-iron for his tap-in birdie at the 14th.

“Hopefully, I can hit some good, solid shots coming in and at least try to get a couple more birdies,” Day said.

Alex Cejka and Jonas Blixt each shot 67 and were at 10-under 134, along with Cameron Tringale (69).

Another day of calm and soft greens in the morning led to more record-tying performances, and a few irritated golfers who could have gone even lower. Colt Knost made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th to reach 10 under, only to three-putt the 18th and have to settle for a course record-tying 63.

“I was a little nervous over the second one,” Knost said about his 5-footer for par and a 62. “I knew what it was for. But I didn’t hit a bad putt. I hit it on the left lip and it just stayed there. So a little disappointing, but still, I would have taken 9 under before I started today.”

Then came Rory McIlroy, 7 under through seven holes when he made a 50-foot eagle putt from just off the 16th green. His momentum slowed, but he still came to the par-5 ninth needing a birdie to become the first player to shoot 62 on the Stadium Course at Sawgrass.

McIlroy opted to lay up from 271 yards because going for the green historically has not worked out well for him on No. 9. Laying up wasn’t much better. He chunked a wedge, chunked a chip and made bogey for a 64.

“I wanted to make birdie and shoot 62,” he said. “So yeah, I’m disappointed, but there’s still two more days to go. That’s the nice thing. I’m in good position heading into the weekend. … Hopefully, I’m not too far behind.”

Even with a storm delay, there was no shortage of excitement.

The biggest thrill belonged to Will Wilcox, who hit pitching wedge for a hole-in-one on the island-green 17th. It was the first ace on that hole in 14 years.

Abbotsford, B.C., native Adam Hadwin tops the Canadian contingent at 4-under to sit T48. David Hearn from Brantford, Ont., matched his opening round of 71 and is T65. Nick Taylor, also from Abbotsford, B.C., and Weyburn, Sask., product Graham DeLaet are 2-over and 3-over, respectively.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Jason Day created a far better memory Thursday than his last round at the TPC Sawgrass. Not only was he 18 shots better, the world’s No. 1 player tied the course record with a 9-under 63 that gave him a two-shot lead in The Players Championship.

In a game that can defy logic, and on a course that can be perplexing, Day had a simple explanation for bouncing back from last year’s 81.

“I’m playing a lot better than I was last year,” he said.

The 28-year-old Australian was in such control that he putted for birdie on every hole and felt so good on the greens that he thought he might make them all. He made nine of them, and his longest par putt was 30 inches.

“Tee to green was pretty decent – was actually really good – and then once I got on the green, I felt like I could hole everything,” he said.

It helped that there was hardly any wind on a steaming morning that made Sawgrass more vulnerable than usual. Day had only the fifth round of 63 at the Stadium Course in the 35 years of The Players Championship, and he still only had a two-shot lead.

Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Bill Haas were among the five players at 65. Ernie Els, who just last month took six putts from the 3-foot range on the opening hole at the Masters, ran off six birdies and an eagle to lead the group at 66. There were 29 rounds in the 60s among the early starters.

Jordan Spieth did not have one of them.

Spieth, in his first tournament since he lost a five-shot lead on the back nine at Augusta National, played alongside Day and laboured his way to a 72. Spieth, who says he has put the Masters behind him, had another poor finish.

With three straight birdies, he was trying to at least stay in Day’s neighbourhood. Then Spieth made bogeys on two straight holes, answered with a birdie, and then ended his round of 72 with a double bogey by taking five shots to get up-and-down from a bunker behind the green on the par-5 ninth.

“I hit it seven times,” Spieth said. “I hit two fantastic shots, and then not really sure after that.”

Masters champion Danny Willett opened with a 70 in his first competition since slipping on the green jacket.

Rose looked at the pin positions and had a good feeling, especially on the island-green 17th. It was at the front, with a ridge serving as a backboard. By mid-afternoon, only four shots found the water. And with hardly any wind and greens still moderately soft, good scores were available.

“If there was a day to get the course, today was it,” Rose said.

Day wasted no time.

He knocked in a 30-foot putt on his first hole, caught a good break on the par-5 11th by having a clear gap out of the pine trees that set up a birdie from the bunker, and made it three straight birdies with a wedge into 6 feet on the 12th.

He felt tired. But there was no stress.

Day only got into what looked like trouble on two occasions. He had a stick behind his ball from the pine straw on the par-5 second hole and sent that shot well out to the right. But he hit a perfect pitch that just landed on the green and rolled down to a foot for a birdie.

On the seventh, Day’s drive hit the back end of a bunker and kicked forward down a slope and just inside the red hazard line of a pond, about a yard from the water. He worried about his wedge going long, but it settled 15 feet away for a birdie.

That’s when he started thinking about the course record, last match by Martin Kaymer two years ago in the opening round of his victory.

“Then I’m like, ‘OK, I think I can birdie 8 and 9, and that’ll clip the course record.’ It would be nice to shoot 10 under,” he said.

His 40-foot birdie attempt on the par-3 eighth looked good ball the way, and Day began to backpedal as the ball got closer to the cup, a move he first made famous when he won the PGA Championship last year. He threw up his head in disbelief when it caught the right lip, and he tapped in for par.

And then on the par-5 ninth, he hit another great bunker shot that curled back toward the cup and settled inches away for his ninth birdie and a 63, allowing him to join Kaymer, Roberto Castro (2013), Greg Norman (1994) and Fred Couples (1992).

Abbotsford, B.C.’s Nick Tayor was the leading Canadian after 18 holes. He’s 5-under after a 67 and tied for 13th.

Ten years ago on the final time The Players Championship was played in March, before moving to May in 2007, it was Canadian Stephen Ames who captured his second PGA Tour title at the iconic event.

After three rounds, Mike Weir was just three shots back and tied for fourth. It was shaping up to be a Canadian Sunday before Weir faded and Ames pulled away from the pack for an eventual six-shot win, his biggest on the PGA Tour at an event many dub the ‘Fifth’ major – thanks to its tremendous field and recognizable, challenging course (the TPC Sawgrass ‘Stadium’ course, which has hosted each iteration of the event since its inception in 1982.

This year will mark the 42nd playing of the PGA Tour’s marquee event, and even though a decade has gone by since a Canadian victory, there will still be the usual contingent of today’s Canadian PGA Tour stars like Graham DeLaet, David Hearn, Nick Taylor, and Adam Hadwin in the field.

And, there’s no shortage of Canadian connections to the event in Jacksonville, FL.

“Thousands of international travelers come to Northeast Florida every year for The Players Championship, and, historically, Canadians have always been at the top of the list,” explains Players Championship tournament director Matt Rapp.

The Players has consistently had the strongest field of any golf tournament on the calendar, including the major championships. This year, the rumour mill is swirling if Tiger Woods will be making his return to professional golf at The Players, beginning May 12th.

However, even without Woods (who is a two-time champion), and after Rickie Fowler’s history-making finish in 2015 (trailing by five shots with only six holes left, Fowler played the final six holes at 6-under-par to force a playoff. He went on to win the playoff after landing his tee-shot on the par-3 17th five feet from the hole), the 2016 edition of the tournament is set to be another strong one.

“The tournament draws the best field in golf every single year. The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass offers the purest test in golf – challenging everyone and favouring no one,” explains Rapp. “The fact that the best players in the sport come to compete on golf’s greatest stage sets this tournament apart from any other event all year.”

Rapp also says the tournament will also introduce a new fan experience for 2016 called ‘The PLAYERS Club’ where a special ticket gives fans access to the clubhouse, special suites on the iconic 17th and 18th holes, unlimited food and beverages, valet parking, and a $500 gift card to the golf shop.

“This provides that ultra-luxury hospitality experience some fans are looking for,” says Rapp. “It’s a perfect setting for any trip,” states Rapp. “There’s access to miles of beautiful beaches and world-class accommodations just minutes from the course. If you’re a golfer, there are more than 70 courses in the area to play. Mix in great dining options, and it makes for a special visit.”

Graham DeLaet is also hoping his fifth visit to The Players is a special one. Canada’s highest-ranked male golfer’s best finish at TPC Sawgrass is a tie for 26th.

This year’s Players comes during a busy stretch for DeLaet, and he recently told the Canadian Press that staying mentally sharp will be the key for him, especially around the difficult TPC Sawgrass layout.

“Physically I’ve been feeling really good this year, probably the best I have been while on the PGA Tour,” he told the wire service. “I’ve been able to practice more than I have been in the past. It’s more on the mental side that I need to stay ready.”

With Canadians in the field looking for a victory, a past Canadian champion, and some fine hospitality awaiting Canadians to chose to visit Jacksonville, Rapp says it’s an idyllic time to consider adding The Players to your list of tournaments to visit in the future.

“It’s a bucket list item for many to be here in-person, and will certainly be no different this year,” he explains.

Click here to learn more about The Players Championship.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – James Hahn beat Roberto Castro with a par on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff Sunday in the Wells Fargo Championship to snap a three-month slump.

Hahn, who failed to make the cut in his previous eight tournaments and hadn’t shot a round in the 60s since February, made a 4-foot putt on the par-4 18th to win his second career PGA Tour title.

Castro’s tee shot on the playoff hole found the creek on the left side of the fairway and his third shot landed in a spectator’s shoe on the side of the green, leading to a bogey.

Hahn bogeyed the 18th in regulation for a 2-under 70, and Castro had a 71 to finish at 9 under, one shot ahead of Justin Rose (71). Hahn also won the 2015 Northern Trust Open at Riviera.

Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson both shot 66 to tie for fourth at 7 under with third-round leader Rickie Fowler (74) and Andrew Loupe (71).

Both Castro and Hahn had chances to win in regulation.

Castro broke a tie when he rolled in a birdie putt from 6 feet on the 15th hole to get to 11 under. But he quickly gave the lead up with bogeys at 16 and 17 on the “Green Mile,” the toughest closing holes on the PGA Tour.

That gave Hahn a one-shot lead and a chance to put pressure on Castro on the 18th hole if he made par. But Hahn rolled a 7-foot putt past the hole and took a bogey.

Castro, playing with Fowler in the group behind Hahn, got up-and-down from the rough on right side of the fairway on 18 and went on to make a 6-foot par putt to force the playoff.

Like Castro, the 18th hole ultimately proved to be the undoing for McIlroy and Mickelson, too.

McIlroy played the 493-yard hole in 4-over par for the week, including a bogey Sunday when his approach shot landed behind a rock on the other the side of the creek that runs along the left side of the hole. Lefty was left to ponder what could have been had it not been for a quadruple-bogey 8 on the hole Saturday.

“I hit a lot of good shots over the weekend, but unfortunately, one bad hole yesterday kind of cost me,” Mickelson said.

McIlroy had seven birdies in between his bogeys the first and last holes.

“Anytime you walk off the golf course and shoot 66, you can’t be too disappointed,” McIlroy said. “But I think in the circumstances having a feeling like I had a chance on the back nine to post a number for the guys to at least think about it and I didn’t.”

McIlroy also took a gut shot on 15 when failed to hole a birdie putt, prompting him to immediately drop his hands to his knees as he bent over in disbelief.

Both players said they were pleased with how they finished and feel good about their games heading into The Players Championship next week.

Adam Hadwin, of Abbotsford, B.C., finished 4 over and tied for 61st while fellow Canadian Graham DeLaet, of Weyburn, Sask., shot a 6 over in his final round and was 8 over for the tournament.

Fowler talked Saturday about how he feels more prepared to handle the pressure of playing in the final group of Sunday.

But he struggled from the start, and his approach shot on the seventh hole that sailed over the water hazard and landed in the backyard by a house typified his control problems. He finished with a double bogey.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Rickie Fowler is looking to jumpstart his season at a course where he first won on the PGA Tour.

Fowler shot a 4-under 68 on Saturday to take the third-round lead at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Fowler, who broke through at Quail Hollow Club in 2012 for his first tour title, had a one-stroke lead over Roberto Castro, with Justin Rose and James Hahn two strokes back.

Fowler won The Players Championship and Deutsche Bank Championship last year and took the European Tour event in Abu Dhabi early this year. Though he blew a late lead and lost the Phoenix Open in a playoff this season, he has the confidence to handle pressure situations in the final round. That’s something he admitted he didn’t have five years ago.

“It’s completely different,” Fowler said. “I would say before (it was) maybe not the complete belief or knowledge of knowing what to do and how to win to get the job done. But now it’s fun to go out there and go take care of business.”

Castro was atop the leaderboard most of the day, but bogeyed the 18th hole for a 71.

Winless on the tour, he said he’s looking forward to playing with Fowler in the final group Sunday.

“If you want to win a tournament out here and really win a marquee event like this one, you’re going to have to grab your hat and play with one of the top five players in the world probably the final round,” Castro said. “So that’s what I’ve got tomorrow so I’m excited about it.”

Fowler parred the first seven holes Saturday before heating up with three straight birdies on Nos. 8-10. It appeared things were starting to crumble after bogeys on 10 and 12, but Fowler came back strong with three straight birdies starting on No. 14 to pull into a tie for the lead.

He had a little luck along the way.

Fowler avoided potential trouble on the 18th hole when his ball held up in the high grass instead of rolling into the creek along left side of the fairway. Playing with the ball well above his feet, Fowler ripped an iron onto the green and saved par.

Phil Mickelson and defending champion Rory McIlroy struggled, dropping eight shots behind Fowler.

Mickelson, looking for his first win at the Quail Hollow Club in 13 starts, was in contention until a quadruple-bogey 8 on his old nemesis, the 18th hole. He finished with a 76.

He found the creek on his approach shot and, after taking a drop, needed three chips before finding the green and two-putting for an 8.

Mickelson’s struggles on the final hole at Quail Hollow have been well documented. In the 51 career rounds, he is 21 over on No. 18 – a hole he said earlier this week simply doesn’t set up well for the left-hander.

McIlroy, the tournament’s only two-time winner, had two bogeys in the first four holes and shot 73.

The two-time tournament champion who shot 11-under 61 last year in the third round on his way to a runaway victory, couldn’t muster that same magic on Saturday.

He struggled throughout his round with his accuracy off the tee and putting. A double bogey on the ninth hole and bogey on the 11th seemed to zap him of any momentum and likely a chance at becoming the tournament’s first three-time winner.

McIlroy said the course is “tricky,” especially on the back nine but said his game still isn’t where it needs to be.

“There’s been spells where it’s been good and I’ve had a couple of chances to win this year, but it’s a work in progress,” said McIlroy, who has not won on the PGA Tour this season. “I’m trying to stay patient, as patient as possible, but there are definitely times out on the course where I get quite frustrated.”

Adam Hadwin, of Abbotsford, B.C., and Graham DeLaet, of Weyburn, Sask., are both 2 over for the tournament and tied for 51st.

Rose has quietly put himself in contention on Sunday after rounds of 70, 70 and 69.

He said the course, which will host the PGA Championship next year, is playing extremely hard especially given the gusty wind this week.

“This type of scoring would definitely hold up in a PGA Championship,” Rose said. “They’re not looking for us to shoot even par like a U.S. Open. Single digits under par is really good golf and it’s a sign of a great golf course.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Phil Mickelson said this week it is “imminent” that he’ll win the Wells Fargo Championship sooner or later.

The 46-year-old is in contention once again at one of his favourite tournaments, although he will need to outplay former champions Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler to make good on that prediction this week.

Andrew Loupe topped the leaderboard Friday at 8 under after a 71, an up-and-down round with four birdies and three bogeys. Roberto Castro was a stroke back after a 66, the best round of the day. He eagled No. 18, one of the toughest closing holes on the PGA Tour.f

Chesson Hadley and Mark Hubbard were two shots back. Hadley had a 67, and Hubbard shot 68.

But big names were looming.

Fowler shot a 68, and Mickelson had a 70 to reach 5 under. McIlroy, the defending champion and only two-time winner of the event, bogeyed the final two holes for a 69 to drop six strokes back.

Mickelson has tied for fifth or better six times in 12 starts at Quail Hollow, but has never won.

While Mickelson said it’s “still a little early” to start thinking about winning. He was striking the ball well the past week in practice, but can’t put his finger on why he’s missing so many fairways with his driver.

“My touch around the greens, my short game is as good as it’s been in a long time and I think it will save me if I happen to not strike it well,” Mickelson said. “If I do strike it well, I think there’s a really low round in there.”

He’s winless since the 2013 British Open.

Fowler had five birdies and one bogey before saving par with a 13-foot putt on 18.

Playing partner McIlroy’s round didn’t end as well.

McIlroy got rolling when he chipped in for eagle from just off the green on the par-5 seventh hole. He followed that with three birdies in the next four holes to get to 4 under for the tournament and looked as if he was going to start a big run. But three bogeys on the back nine stunted his momentum.

“Rory and I definitely enjoy the times we get to play together,” Fowler said. “It was fun to kind of get each other going a bit and kind of feed off each other. It would have been nice to get a few more for the both of us.”

Despite the poor finish, McIlroy called it a step in the right direction after going nearly a month without playing competitive golf.

Now McIlroy is hoping to carry a little weekend magic over from last year. He shot 14 under on Saturday and Sunday last year to win by seven strokes.

“If I get off to a fast start (on Saturday), then I’ll be right there back in the tournament,” McIlroy said.

The 27-year-old Loupe has three top-10 finishes this season, but is still looking for his first victory. Despite the lead, he knows there is a lot of work to be done.

“It’s halftime,” Loupe said. “There’s a lot of good golfers right behind me. Just do my best to stay in this very moment.”

For the second straight day, there were some bizarre moments at Quail Hollow Club.

One day after a spectator was escorted from the property by police for tossing a ball with an earplug attached to it at McIlroy and Fowler while they were on the tee box, Zac Blair was disqualified after hitting his head with his putter – and then using the bent club to finish out the hole.

Blair said in a statement he didn’t notice the putter was bent until the next hole, at which time he immediately turned himself in by notifying a PGA Tour official of the situation.

“Going forward I’m going to do my best to not let my emotions get in the way out on the golf course,” Blair said in the statement.

There were some bizarre shots, too.

Jason Kokrak’s ball landed in an elevated tent near the 18th green. With tables and chairs on each side of him and fans holding glasses of wine on either side of him, Kokrak chipped off the green artificial grass rug through a small opening “Tin Cup” style to 17 feet of the hole before two-putting for bogey. Unlike the fictional Roy McAvoy, Kokrak failed to make the cut.

Adam Hadwin, of Abbotsford, B.C., and Grahaem DeLaet, from Weyburn, Sask., are the only Canadians that will tee off on Saturday. DeLaet had a 71 and is 1 under while Hadwin shot a 74 and is 1 over for the tournament. Hamilton’s Mackenzie Hughes, David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor failed to make the cut.

Jim Furyk, playing in his first tournament in eight months in his return from a wrist injury, also missed the cut with rounds of 73 and 75.

PGA TOUR – In response to the wildfires ravaging Fort McMurray, Alta., the Graham and Ruby Delaet Foundation put into place this week a plan to assist in the battle against the devastation.

For each birdie Graham makes at this week’s Wells Fargo Championship, he will donate $500 to the Canadian Red Cross to help those affected by the fires.

“In all honesty, I didn’t see a lot of news about it here, but began looking more into it and found that it’s really a crisis, a disaster,” DeLaet said. “We just thought this may be a way to raise not just money, but also awareness for the people down here, who may not know much about what’s going on up there.”

As of Thursday night, more than 210,000 acres had fallen victim to the wildfires in Fort McMurray, an 800 percent increase from the night before. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it the “largest fire evacuation in Alberta’s history.” By Thursday evening, upwards of 90,000 people had been forced to evacuate, with 70 percent of the homes in nearby Beacon Hill having been lost to the fires.

Fort McMurray is northwest of where DeLaet grew up in Weyburn, Sask.

“The support has been unreal,” said DeLaet. “Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor have also agreed to jump on board and donate $500 for each birdie. So, hopefully, it will raise both funds and awareness. That’s important to us.”

In Thursday’s first round, DeLaet posted a pair of birdies en route to a 1-under 71, while Hadwin and Taylor each made three birdies, worth a total of $4,000.

Not only has the inferno ripped the heart out of community and country, but it has also reduced to a charred terrain the Fort McMurray Golf Club, where the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada had contested the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON the last five years.

“The region has been a wonderful host for the Mackenzie Tour, displaying the strong community spirit and hospitable demeanour of the people there, particularly the volunteers and the staff at Fort McMurray Golf Club,” said Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada President Jeff Monday. “To assist with upcoming relief efforts for the community, the Mackenzie Tour and the Syncrude Boreal Open will be making a donation to the Canadian Red Cross in Alberta.”

Though the dollar amount may be no match to that of DeLaet, Hadwin and Taylor, but the symbolic gesture being made this week by Arizona native Conrad Shindler in this week’s Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canda Q-School is every bit as significant. For each birdie he makes in Courtenay, B.C., Shindler will donate $10 to the Canadian Red Cross and $25 for each eagle. Shindler is the same individual who, in 2013, donated his entire $15,000 winner’s paycheck from anAdams Tour event to the relief efforts after an EF5 tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma.

“It’s just devastating to see. I played up there in Fort Mac a few years ago, and I stayed with a really nice family that week. I’m pretty sure their house is gone,” said Shindler, who is tied for second place at 10-under through three rounds this week. “I just felt like it was the least I could do, because when you see something like that it’s so much bigger than golf. When I played there a few years ago, I could really tell how much the people up there cared about their city, so this is the very least I could do.”

This week’s call to action is nothing new to the DeLaets, either. In 2013, Graham and Ruby spearheaded a similar campaign to help the victims of flooding in Alberta and Calgary.

The Graham & Ruby DeLaet Foundation is encouraging others like Shindler to help in the fight against the wildfires with donations of their own.

For more information or to donate, go to www.myevent.com/grahamdelaet.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Steve Wheatcroft and Andrew Loupe each shot 7-under 65 on Thursday in rain and steady wind to share the first-round lead in the Wells Fargo Championship, while Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler dodged a thrown golf ball with an earplug attached to it.

As if battling a lengthy and saturated course wasn’t enough, playing partners McIlroy and Fowler endured a bizarre event on the sixth tee box when a spectator hurled the dressed-up golf ball their way as Fowler was preparing to hit.

“So random,” Fowler said. “The guy tried to say it was a gift. I don’t know why you would give a gift of a golf ball with an earplug attached to it.”

The fan was escorted from the property by police.

“It was one of those things,” McIlroy said. “It was a golf ball with an ear plug stuck on it, so it was sort of strange.”

Fowler, the 2012 winner, finished with a 71, leaving him six shots behind Wheatcroft and Loupe, who were also paired together. McIlroy, the only two-time winner of the tournament, shot a 73 after a bogey-plagued start to his title defence. He won by seven shots last year, finishing at 21 under.

India’s Anibarn Lahiri was a shot back after a 66.

Phil Mickelson, who has finished in the top five six times in 12 starts at the Wells Fargo Championship but never won, opened with a 69.

“I have been able to play well here over the years, but just haven’t been able to breakthrough and get a victory,” Mickelson said. “But I will keep knocking on the door and hopefully keep giving myself a chance.”

But the talk of the tournament came after McIlroy hit his tee shot on the green on the 250-yard, par-3 sixth hole. When Fowler stepped up to the tee he saw something fly by his left side, startling him for a moment.

He didn’t know what it was until it stopped rolling.

McIlroy wound up with a birdie, while Fowler and the other member of their threesome, Hideki Matsuyama, carded 3s.

The 27-year-old Loupe, who has three top-10 finishes this season, shot 31 on the front nine. Wheatcroft did his work on the four par 5s, playing them in 6 under with two eagles and two birdies.

“Kind of felt like I was trying to keep up the whole time with Steve,” Loupe said. “We both had it rolling early. Just solid golf for the most part, just looking to keep that momentum going.”

McIlroy has some work to do to get into contention if he hopes to become the first three-time winner.

He called his first competitive round since the Masters a “tale of two nines.”

The world’s No. 3-ranked player shot a 4-over 40 while starting on the back side, then got things headed in the right direction with four birdies on the front.

“I was sort of still in range mode on the front nine,” McIlroy said. “I didn’t really have my scoring head on.”

McIlroy, who turned 27 on Wednesday, wasn’t pleased with how he played in the soggy conditions but said the strong finish gave him something strong to build on for Friday.

“I need to go out and shoot a good round, something in the 60s, and get myself back into the tournament going into the weekend,” said McIlroy, who has spent the last three weeks working to fix his swing.

Jim Furyk shot a 73 in his return from an eight-month layoff because of a wrist injury.

Furyk had “no pain, no apprehension,” but said he wasn’t planning to hit many practice balls after the round – which didn’t exactly upset him.

“I don’t enjoy hitting balls, so actually it’s kind of fun,” Furyk said. “I’m not really allowed to or can’t, so I’m enjoying that part of it.”

Top-ranked Jason Day and No. 2 Jordan Spieth did not enter the event, and No. 8 Dustin Johnson withdrew earlier in the week because of unspecified reasons.