Jordan Spieth returned to Augusta National last week for the first time since his four-shot victory in the Masters. He saw his name on the permanent Masters trophy. He was treated like an honorary member. And he checked out the new Champions Locker Room.

Augusta National has champions share a locker, and the 22-year-old Texan was curious.

“I walked up to see who I was with,” Spieth told Golfweek magazine. “And I share a locker with Arnold Palmer. So it was a very special moment there.”

He might have recognized one other thing in that locker room – his 60-degree wedge that he used to win the Masters.

The club asks champions to donate one club that was meaningful in their victory. That wedge is what Spieth used to hit a flop shot over the edge of a bunker on the 18th hole in the third round for an unlikely par save to keep his lead at four shots.

After next year’s Masters, the club will be brought down to the Grill Room with the rest of the clubs donated over the years.

LAS VEGAS – MGM Resorts International today announced a partnership with PGA TOUR star Graham DeLaet. Joining the company’s roster of PGA and LPGA TOUR professionals, DeLaet will serve as an ambassador for MGM Resorts’ portfolio of destination resorts and wear an MGM Resorts’ logo hat while competing in PGA TOUR events.

During the 2014-2015 PGA TOUR season, DeLaet made three Top 10 finishes, including T4 at the Travelers Championship, and a T7 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

“I’ve had the luxury of playing golf and staying at MGM Resorts International’s properties throughout my time on TOUR, and I am excited to partner with the company and join their team of ambassadors,” Graham DeLaet said. “I am proud to be sporting the MGM Resorts’ logo on my hat to promote the partnership while competing on the PGA TOUR.”

DeLaet joins other PGA and LPGA TOUR players as part of MGM Resorts’ brand ambassadors: Jimmy Walker, Natalie Gulbis, Ryan Moore and Pat Perez, to name a few.

Lance Evans, vice president of Marketing Partnerships for MGM Resorts International, said, “As one of the top golfers from Canada, Graham is a tremendous athlete who is respected on and off the course, making him a terrific fit to represent MGM Resorts.”

DeLaet’s debut as an MGM Resorts’ ambassador – which will see him wearing the logo on his shirt – will take place in January at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

NAPLES, Fla. – Jason Dufner and Brandt Snedeker birdied the last two holes in a best-ball format and won the Franklin Templeton Shootout by two shots on Saturday.

The team of Dufner and Snedeker finished at 30-under 186 at Tiburon Golf Club.

Harris English and Matt Kuchar, who have finished first, second and second the past three years, shot 28 under for second.

Charley Hoffman and Daniel Berger, who had the second-round lead while playing in their first Shootout, finished at 27 under.

Dufner-Snedeker, starting one shot back, had six birdies on the front nine. They followed with birdies on Nos. 10, 12, 13, 17 and 18.

English-Kuchar missed some of the putts they made in the 2013 title. One of the putts that left Kuchar particularly frustrated was a 4-footer he sent long on No. 15.

Canadian Mike Weir was paired with Seon O’Hair. The pair finished tied for 7th with Retief Goosen & Danny Lee -19.

NAPLES, Fla. – Charley Hoffman and Daniel Berger had a one-stroke lead after Friday’s second round of the Franklin Templeton Shootout

Hoffman-Berger had birdies on the last three holes to finish 8 under for the day and 20-under 124 for the tournament. They led Brandt Snedeker and Jason Dufner and opening-day leaders Matt Kuchar and Harris English by a stroke.

Hoffman-Berger birdied Nos. 2-4, 12-13 and 16-18 to go ahead.

“Obviously, we all want to win,” Berger said. “But we just go in there with some low expectations and just keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

Five teams are within five shots of the leaders after the modified alternate-shot format.

Dufner-Snedeker opened the day with three straight birdies, got to 15 under at No. 6, then bogeyed No. 9. They birdied three of their first four holes on back nine before getting more birdies on Nos. 16 and 17.

Mike Weir and Sean O’Hair are 12-under and share 10th with Kenny Perry and Steve Stricker.

The final round will be Saturday, with a best-ball format.

NAPLES, Fla. -Matt Kuchar and Harris English made a run at the record in the first round of the Franklin Templeton Shootout.

They’re in the lead with a 14-under 58 at the Tiburon Golf Club. Billy Horschel-Hunter Mahan and Graeme McDowell-Gary Woodland are tied for second with 59s.

Kuchar and English opened with an eagle on No. 1 and followed with three straight birdies. They had two birdies from Nos. 5-9 and three straight birdies from Nos. 13-15 on the back nine. They finished with an eagle on No. 17 and birdie on No. 18.

“Having Kooch as a backup guy is pretty good,” English said. “I know if I mess up or I miss a putt, I wouldn’t want anybody else hitting a shot or putting behind me.”

Second-ranked Jason Day, who won last year’s event with Cameron Tringale, withdrew last week. Kuchar and English got close to the tournament record of 55, set by Day and Tringale last year.

“Having a partner lets you be a little bit more aggressive, lets you be a little more free-swinging,” Kuchar said. “We’ve just formed a good partnership and get in a pretty good groove out there.”

Since being paired in 2013, Kuchar and English have gone 79 under in their seven rounds. That’s an average of a little better than 11 under per round.

Horschel-Mahan birdied their first three holes and went birdie-eagle-birdie to end their day. They also eagled No. 14.

The format Friday will be modified alternate shot. Horschel said they’d be pleased to go 13 under again.

“I think we’re going to come in here with some pretty big smiles on our face,” he said.

Canada’s Mike Weir and former RBC Canadian Open champion, Sean O’Hair, are T11th at -7 with Steve Stricker and and Kenny Perry.

NASSAU, Bahamas – PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem jokingly said he was relieved to see Tiger Woods still alive after reading such gloomy reports from his press conference in the Bahamas about his back issues. Finchem didn’t come away with a feeling that Woods was finished.

As for his own future? That’s equally vague.

Finchem’s latest four-year contract will expire in June, which would complete 23 years as the commissioner. But even with a succession plan in place – he named Jay Monahan the deputy commissioner in March – it didn’t sound as though Finchem was counting the days. Far from it.

“It’s a little ill-defined at the moment,” Finchem said. “We have a great succession plan in progress. There are a couple of three major kind of projects I’d like to get pushed a little bit. The timing of what that means is still up in the air. The board is very comfortable about that.”

Finchem turns 69 next year, though the PGA Tour policy board recently extended the age limit of board members to 75. So that’s not an issue. Of greater interest are the projects to which he refers. Finchem didn’t indicate that he wants to close the book on them, saying later that he wanted “to get at least a little momentum.”

Among the possible projects:

– The policy board at its last meeting approved a massive capital campaign project for improvements to The Players Championship and TPC Sawgrass. For all that Finchem has done in his two decades, The Players always has been among his highest priorities.

– Golf returns to the Olympics next year in Rio de Janeiro for the first time since 1904, though the work is not done. Golf will be part of the Olympic program in Rio and in Tokyo for 2020. But the big hurdle is securing its place for 2024 and beyond. The IOC will decide that in 2017, though it helps that most of the top stars plan to compete.

– Most intriguing is the possibility of a global tour. Finchem first mentioned it five years ago. He didn’t have a clear view of what form it would take other than to say that “at some point in time, men’s professional golf will become integrated globally.” This constitutes a long-term project that he would like to “get pushed a little bit.” It also requires plenty of cooperation with other tours, particularly in Europe and in Asia.

Two other possibilities:

– An early start on the next round of TV negotiations. The contracts are up in 2021, though it’s never too early to start.

– The contract for the title sponsorship of the FedEx Cup ends after 2017. By the same token, the tour has some title sponsorships that end after 2016, and the 2017 schedule could feature plenty of moving parts. But renewals and scheduling – and television – are issues that will continue to be part of PGA Tour business.

It’s unlikely that Finchem will step down at the end of June. The questions are how much longer he wants to stay and what role he might take after retirement.

“I love doing what I’m doing,” he said. “From an organizational standpoint, there are times when it’s time to make transition and at the same time have a fresh course. I think that’s where we’re going to be headed. It’s a question of identifying that. Having said that, if the board – and I’m assuming Jay – want me to do some things post being in this job, I’d be available, assuming I could do some things that wouldn’t put me front and center.

“I don’t know what that means, either, at this point.”

NASSAU, Bahamas – Jordan Spieth and his caddie shared the kind of hug on the 18th green normally seen only by winners.

They were six shots behind when they finished the Hero World Challenge, and it was clear this moment wasn’t about Sunday at Albany Golf Club. This was about the realization that the year was finally over, the kind of year a player never wants to end.

The Masters made it special. The U.S. Open made it incredible. The FedEx Cup made it lucrative. The No. 1 ranking made it satisfying.

When the 22-year-old Texan made his final full swing of the year and was walking toward the green, caddie Michael Greller walked alongside him.

“Michael said, ‘Hey, man, it’s been an honor to be in the passenger seat, sitting shotgun for this ride this year. Thanks for everything,'” Spieth said. “Obviously, I thanked him. It’s been a team effort this year, just as we always stress. But yeah, there was certainly a sigh of relief.”

It’s time to take a break, even if it’s a short one.

He leaves in just over three weeks for Maui, where the new year starts at Kapalua and Spieth will have to figure out an encore from winning two majors to get halfway to the Grand Slam, five tournaments overall, a record $12 million in PGA Tour earnings and a sweep of all the major awards.

Except that he’s not looking at it as a new year. It’s simply a break.

He had a chance to win the Australian Open last week in Sydney until Matt Jones recovered on the back nine. Spieth was in range at the Hero World Challenge until Bubba Watson didn’t give anyone much of a chance and won by three shots.

Spieth was on a victory lap these last two weeks, and he said he spent more time on the beach than on the putting green, with no regrets. He played 28 times this year, including the Presidents Cup. He won or finished second 10 times. He was a combined 54-under par in the four majors. He was due a working vacation.

Even so, he’s always looking ahead.

“I think these last two weeks, the fact that I didn’t win when I had a chance, may actually be a good thing for me,” he said. “I’m going to look at it positively that you can’t settle down, you’ve got to work a little bit harder. Everyone is playing a high level of golf right now, and they’re going to carry that into next season. So if I want to stay at the top, I’m going to have to outwork them. And that’s going to be challenging.”

He was headed home to Dallas on Monday for his three-week break. His first order of business was to play golf.

Spieth is taking his father, Shawn, and agent Jay Danzi to Augusta National to enjoy the privileges of being the Masters champion. He also plans to play with Augusta member and AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson.

And that’s a fitting way to end the year.

Spieth joined Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players since 1960 to win the first two legs of the Grand Slam, and he came closer than all of them to getting the third leg. He was tied for the lead at the British Open with two holes to play until finishing one shot out of a playoff. He was in the final group of the PGA Championship and was runner-up by three shots to Jason Day.

Even so, the Masters is what made his year.

He opened with a 64 to build a three-shot lead, set the 36-hole record with a 66 on Friday and never gave anyone much hope after that. When it was, he tied the 72-hole record set by Tiger Woods in 1997.

“Before the tournament, we were one of the favorites,” he said. “And then after the first round, it’s on us. Every question is, ‘You’re supposed to win.’ Without saying it, ‘It’s on you. What are you thinking now?’ It’s tough to sleep on that. And we did it so well.”

With a green jacket on the line, it’s not easy protecting such a big lead.

As he told the story, it brought him back to his first big tournament where he lost the lead.

He was 11.

The winner was a kid named Eddie DeVane.

“I had a two-shot lead with one hole to play,” Spieth said. “I played it smart – I laid up. The kid made par and I made triple. He cruised to a two-shot victory.”

NASSAU, Bahamas – Bubba Watson wasn’t even planning to play in the Hero Challenge. He left no doubt Sunday who was going to win.

Watson quickly stretched his two-shot lead by making four birdies in seven holes. He was never seriously challenged, sailing home to a 6-under 66 for a three-shot victory over Patrick Reed at Albany Golf Club and a trophy from tournament host Tiger Woods.

Watson turned down his invitation a few months ago because he didn’t have a passport for his newly adopted daughter, Dakota. But when PGA champion Jason Day backed out to stay home with his newborn daughter, Watson’s wife was able to expedite all the right documents for the family to come over to the Bahamas.

He left with a $1 million payoff and a firm grasp on No. 4 in the world the rest of the year.

“I guess I’ve got to thank Jason Day for backing out. I have to thank the U.S. government and passport office for getting Dakota a passport so we could be here,” Watson said. “For us, it’s a good ride, a fun ride.”

Even if it didn’t feel easy to him, it sure looked that way.

Watson didn’t make a bogey all weekend until the final hole, when he jokingly asked NBC field reporter Notah Begay how many shots he needed to win. He played it safe and made bogey, and all that cost him was the tournament record. Watson finished at 25-under 263, one shot from Jordan Spieth’s record last year at Isleworth.

Reed also had a 66 to finish alone in second, moving him to No. 10 in the world for the first time. Rickie Fowler had a 64 to finish third.

Spieth tried to stay in range and was three shots behind until he missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole and never converted many chances after that. He ended his year with a 67, and walking up the 18th, he and caddie Michael Greller allowed for a quick reflection.

“Michael said, ‘Hey, man, it’s been an honor to be in the passenger seat, sitting shotgun for this ride. Thanks for everything,'” Spieth said. “I obviously thanked him. It’s been a team effort this year, just as we always stress. But yeah, there was certainly a sigh of relief.”

The Masters and U.S. Open champion strengthened his grip on No. 1 in the world, and headed off to a three-week vacation before going out to Maui for the first tournament of what figures to be a tough encore. First up: A trip to Augusta National this weekend to play with his father.

Watson’s year is not finished. He was headed to New York on Sunday night to catch a flight to Asia for the Thailand Open.

The two-time Masters champion already had a two-week trip away from his family, and he didn’t want to do that again. So when there was uncertainty about getting his daughter a passport for the Bahamas, he decided he would stay home this week and asked the tournament to let him know if anyone pulled out.

Day withdrew, Watson’s wife spent eight hours in an Arizona office trying to get all the paperwork and they were on their way.

Watson seized control with seven birdies and an eagle on Saturday in ideal weather for a two-shot lead over Paul Casey, and he started fast with birdies on the second and third holes to keep his distance. No one got closer than two shots all day, and as Fowler made a move with a 30 on the front nine, Watson answered with two straight birdies to start the back nine, and then it was a matter of finishing.

Justin Rose, who lives at Albany and has lingered at the bottom of the leaderboard all week, set the course record with a 62.

For Watson, the next step is to be a more consistent winner. This was the ninth victory worldwide in his career, and the second straight year he has won multiple times.

“I want my name to be close to that leaderboard every tournament, every year, so people are always talking about Bubba Watson, about how consistent he is and good he is,” Watson said. “That’s my whole focus right now, every year getting better and better.”

NASSAU, Bahamas – The first time Jordan Spieth saw Albany Golf Club, he predicted Bubba Watson would love the place because it looked so open off the tee.

With virtually no wind, Watson showed just how much he liked it Saturday in the Hero World Challenge. He had seven birdies, holed out a 7-iron for eagle and matched the course record with a 9-under 63 to build a two-shot lead going into the final round.

The record he tied belonged to Paul Casey, who shot his 63 about 10 minutes earlier and was two shots behind.

Tee times were moved up Saturday to avoid a forecast of thunderstorms in the afternoon. With little wind, there was no stopping a world-class field from having their way on the Ernie Els design on the far end of New Providence island.

“The key for me around this golf course, I think for everybody as we’re seeing, when there’s no wind – light wind – we can score,” Watson said. “We’re all good players, don’t get me wrong. We’re all top 50 in the world. But with no wind, this golf course is a little bit easier to make birdies.”

Casey had nine of them through 13 holes, and that wasn’t even enough to get in the lead.

“And then when I started to miss putts, I went back to pars again, which was a shame,” Casey said. “Because obviously, Bubba … I don’t know where Bubba was. I wasn’t thinking too much about a course record, but I was thinking it would have been nice to shoot 10 (under) or more.”

Watson was at 19-under 197, one short of the 54-hole tournament record Spieth set last year on his way to a 10-shot victory at Isleworth.

This is the first time the World Challenge is being played at Albany after one year at Isleworth and 14 years at Sherwood Country Club in California.

Spieth, in a three-way tie for the lead with Jimmy Walker and Bill Haas at the start of the day, had a 68 and fell four shots behind.

“I shot 68 and got lapped,” Spieth said. “It was a day where you really needed to shoot lower. Par for the course is 5 under, especially in these conditions.”

Watson wasn’t even planning to be in the Bahamas. He originally decided to skip the tournament because he didn’t have a passport for his newly adopted daughter, Dakota, and because he’s going to Thailand next week, the two-time Masters champion didn’t want to be away from his kids for two weeks in a row.

But when Jason Day withdrew to stay home in Ohio with his newborn daughter, Watson was able to rush through the documents and play.

Casey wants to support the Tiger Woods Foundation for its work with children and education. He also mentioned the world ranking points and the prize money ($1 million) for the winner. And he would like a trophy to show for his good play this year.

“So there’s multiple reasons, about four really good reasons,” he said about the importance of winning. “Five if you count (Christmas) shopping.”

Even with the low scoring, Watson didn’t get that much separation. Chris Kirk and Patrick Reed each had a 66 and were three shots behind, followed by Spieth and Haas, who also had a 68.

Woods is the tournament host and followed along the final group throughout the front nine, occasionally giving good friend and NBC Sports reporter Notah Begay a lift.

Watson started the third round one shot behind and made up ground in a hurry with birdies on the first two holes. He faced a little wind from 168 yards in the fairway on No. 4 and chose to take off a little on his 7-iron, which turned out to be a wise move when he holed it for eagle.

He never saw it go in, and there isn’t much of a gallery this week.

“I heard a yell,” he said. “At least it wasn’t my mom yelling. I heard somebody.”

Reed was going nowhere with one birdie on the front nine when he saw the scores and figured he better get in gear. Wrapping up his worldwide tour, Reed ran off three straight birdies and then had an eagle on the par-5 15th to get back in the game.

“I finally made a putt and it just kind of propelled me from there,” he said.

Spieth is playing his final round of the year Sunday, and he said he would fire at every flag.

“It will be a sprint,” he said. “And then relief.”

NASSAU, Bahamas – Jordan Spieth feels like he’s on vacation in the Bahamas. On the golf course, he’s all business.

Spieth rallied from a rugged start Friday with three straight birdies, and then a surge on the back nine carried him to a 6-under 66 and a share of the lead with Jimmy Walker and Bill Haas going into the weekend at the Hero World Challenge.

“The grind is still there,” Spieth said.

He had to work hard just to keep pace on a calm, muggy afternoon is the islands, where the wind wasn’t strong enough to blow out a match and it showed in the scoring. Rarely has this holiday event with an 18-man field featured so many players near the lead.

For one brief moment on the back nine, there was a seven-way tie for the lead.

Walker, who began working on a new move in his swing just over a week ago, drove the ball as well as he has all year on his way to a 67. Haas, who received one of the two sponsor exemptions to the tournament hosted by Tiger Woods, had a 66.

They were at 11-under 133.

Patrick Reed (65), Chris Kirk (65) and Bubba Watson (67) were one shot behind.

Spieth is wrapping up a big year, and he seems intent on going out in style. He traveled from Sydney to the Bahamas (with a brief stop at home in Dallas to do laundry) and began his push up the leaderboard with an eagle on the par-5 11th hole from about 30 feet. He followed with two more birdies to get a share of the lead.

“It’s still all about rest,” Spieth said. “Coming off how much golf we’ve been playing, I’m still going to be about making sure I’m resting. … But on the golf course, I’m still getting as intense and upset and highs and lows that I experience at a normal PGA Tour event.”

Spieth also was at 11-under 133 a year ago in the Hero World Challenge at Isleworth in Florida. That was good for a two-shot lead, and a 63-66 weekend allowed him to win by 10 shots. This is far different. Half of the field was separated by only three shots.

“The scores are just really good, which makes for an exciting weekend, and I’m just happy to hold my own weight for two days,” Haas said. “I think if I shoot 11 under on the weekend, then I’ll have a really good shot. Simple as that sounds, that’s the way you’ve got to keep it. If I play well, I think I’ll have a chance. But if I don’t, there are so many players that are playing well, the best players in the world, I’ll fall back pretty quickly if I don’t.”

Walker went to see Butch Harmon at the start of last week in Las Vegas to start working on a move where his head moves at impact, which keeps him from having to rely so much on timing. It’s coming together nicely – and quickly.

“Driving the golf ball today, I haven’t had that much fun in a long time, to be honest,” Walker said.

No one has been playing more than Reed, or more places. And he’s been playing well. He has recorded top 10 finishes in five tournaments since the Tour Championship in Hong Kong, Malaysia, twice in Shanghai and Dubai. He’s happy with his performance, though far from satisfied.

“I know to get to all my goals I need to get Ws,” he said. “Top 10s, top 5s aren’t going to cut it where I need to get to. Those are good fill-in weeks, but we need to get in contention a little more. We need to close some tournaments off.”

Not everyone took advantage. Billy Horschel had eight birdies and no bogeys on his card, which ordinary would please him greatly – except that he took a double bogey on the par-3 second hole, and a quadruple-bogey 9 on the par-5 11th hole without hitting into the water. He had a plugged lie under the lip of a bunker that he shanked into a bush, and his troubles ended with what he called a “good putt for a 9.”

“This round today is very much how my year went,” Horschel said with a grin.

Anirban Lahiri of India, who also received a sponsor exemption, was a little more exasperated. Lahiri felt as though he hit the ball well enough to be double digits under par. Instead, a double bogey on the 18th hole gave him a 70 and he was six shots behind. It felt worse.

“If my mom had putted, she would have shot 65,” Lahiri said.

Justin Rose couldn’t get home fast enough after his round of 72, which didn’t take long because Albany is now his primary residence. That made it even more frustrating.

“You’d think I had never seen these greens before,” Rose said.