ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Kevin Chappell holed a 45-yard bunker shot for eagle on his way to a 5-under 65 and a one-shot lead in the RSM Classic at Sea Island.

Chappell was trying to make sure his bunker shot reached the back of the green for a chance at birdie. It worked out perfectly at the par-5 15th on the Seaside Course.

Chappell was at 11-under 131 and one shot ahead of Kevin Kisner, who had a 67 at Seaside, and Freddie Jacobson, who had a 5-under 67 on the Plantation Course.

Dru Love, the 21-year-old son of Davis Love III, made his PGA Tour debut a short one. The junior at Alabama was 3 under until playing the final seven holes in 7 over. He shot 76 and missed the cut.

Canada’s David Hearn was T13 at 6 under after a 72. Compatriots Adam Svensson and Austin Connelly failed to make the 36 hole cut.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Davis Love III and Davis Love IV did everything together Thursday at Sea Island.

They have the same pre-shot routine, a full practice swing before setting up over the ball. Both hit 3-wood off the tee and made birdie on the opening hole. Both wound up with an even-par 70 on the Seaside Course. And both have a lot of work to make up ground on Kevin Kisner.

Kisner hit 3-wood to about 25 feet on the fringe and made eagle on his penultimate hole on the Plantation Course for a 7-under 65, giving him a one-shot lead based on par after the first round of the RSM Classic.

Jeff Overton, Canada’s David Hearn and Tom Hoge each had a 6-under 64 on the Seaside Course.

The biggest crowd – which wasn’t much on a day when storms threatened but never arrived – filled the bleachers behind the first tee to see some familiar faces.

Love, the 21-time winner on the PGA Tour, has lived at Sea Island since he was 4. They saw his son, known as Dru, go from a toddler with a plastic club to a 6-foot-5 junior at Alabama who earned a spot in the RSM Classic through a qualifier for the final exemption.

Nerves?

Those belonged mainly to dad.

“I was a little flustered,” Love said. “I was running late and nervous for him, and then he hit it right down the middle and hit it stiff and made birdie. And I stopped worrying about him and started worrying about me a little more.”

Neither made many birdies on a soft, calm and cloudy day that was ideal for low scoring _ 110 players in the 156-man field broke par. Love’s round went the wrong direction with a poor tee shot that led to double bogey on the 13th hole. Dru Love caught his dad with a big tee shot and a two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th. On the final hole, Love had a 10-foot birdie putt to finish 1 under and just missed it.

This wasn’t a father-and-son competition – at least not to the father.

Asked his goal for Friday, Dru Love smiled and said, “Beat my dad.”

“I didn’t beat him today,” the son said. “Obviously, my goal is to make the cut. I’ve got that in the back of my head. I’ll try to be more patient. After I birdied the first hole, my expectations were a little high. I’ve played this course a lot and I’ve played it well. So I think I thought I could play better than I did.”

Making it easier for Dru Love was having Justin Thomas along for the ride. Thomas, who missed two short birdie putts at the end and had to settle for a 67, played two years with him at Alabama, and he made it feel like an old college match, even telling Dru Love, “Nice save, Bigfoot,” after a nifty up-and-down on the 16th.

Dru Love has a size 13 shoe and has been called that since his freshman year at Alabama.

Kisner had done everything but win this year. He has lost in a playoff three times – to Jim Furyk at Hilton Head, to Rickie Fowler at The Players Championship and in a four-man playoff at The Greenbrier Classic – and he was runner-up at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai two weeks ago.

“I haven’t been disappointed in any stretch of golf coming down the stretch to have a chance. I always rate myself on that,” Kisner said. “I’ve just gotten beaten a few times, so hopefully I’ll have a chance coming down with a couple-shot lead on Sunday.”

It is rare for fathers and sons to play together on the PGA Tour. Craig Stadler and son Kevin played in the 2014 Masters. Jay Haas has played numerous times with son Bill, a six-time tour winner. Jack Nicklaus played his final full season in 2000 when son Gary earned his tour card.

Love is curious to see if his son can develop into a PGA Tour player.

“I hope that he’s another one of these kids that come out here and is chasing me off,” Love said. “I hit a really good drive at 15 and I think Dru was 20 (yards) by me and Justin was 40 by me. I was like, ‘Oh, they’re going to run me off eventually.’ It’s fun to watch Dru play. … I was proud of him. Heck of a first day.

“With everything going on around our family and him getting in this tournament and all the attention, I thought he handled it really well and played a good round of golf.”

Dru Love conceded to having a few nerves, too, though it helped to be with Thomas, and to know “just about everyone in the stands behind us everyone in fairway.”

And it helped to have his father along for the ride.

“We talked about normal stuff, mostly about what we’re going to have for lunch and dinner,” Dru Love said. “He’s good at leaving me alone when I need to be left alone. He tried to treat me like he would anyone else out there.”

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., qualified for the PGA TOUR’s RSM Classic on Monday at the Brunswick Country Club.

Svensson became one of four qualifiers after advancing via a five-way playoff at 2-under par. The 21-year-old will head to Sea Island Resort to vie for his share of the $5.7 million purse, with action getting underway Thursday.

The event will serve as a great test for Svensson as he prepares for the final stage of Web.com Qualifying School next month from Dec. 10–13. He punched his ticket to the final stage by finishing inside the top-10 of Mackenzie Tour’s Order of Merit this season thanks in part to four top-10 finishes.

Americans Gavin Coles, Matthew Atkins and Mark Anderson were the three other competitors to advance via the Monday qualifier.

Click here to view Monday qualifying results.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – Going more than two years without a win was enough time for Graeme McDowell to start asking himself the wrong questions.

Was his best golf behind him? Was he even good enough to win again?

He found his answer Monday morning in Mexico. McDowell made an 8-foot par putt on the 18th hole to stay in the game, and then he hit a 5-iron that grazed the edge of the cup and set up a 3-foot birdie to win a three-man playoff in the rain-delayed OHL Classic at Mayakoba.

“I dreamed of this day coming again,” McDowell said. “I thought it would be maybe not quite as soon as this, and I said to myself that I was really going to appreciate it. And I do appreciate it. This feels really nice.”

That par putt on the final hole of El Camaleon Golf Club gave McDowell a 5-under 66 to finish at 18-under 266. Even so, it looked as if that would only be good enough for second place. Russell Knox, coming off a victory last week in the HSBC Champions, had a one-shot lead and was full of confidence.

Knox, however, pulled his tee shot into the bunker in front of a steep lip, couldn’t quite reach the green and missed a 12-foot par putt for a 66. Jason Bohn made tough par putts on four of his last five holes for a 68 to join the playoff.

It didn’t last long.

McDowell, who looked tentative on tee shots and birdie putts over the final few holes, felt a surge of belief in the playoff. He drilled a 3-wood down the middle, and then wisely listened to caddie Ken Comboy, who recommended a 5-iron when McDowell wanted to hammer a 6-iron.

“It’s as good a 5-iron as I’ve hit in a long time,” McDowell said.

Knox missed the green to the left and failed to chip in. Bohn missed an 18-foot birdie putt. That left McDowell to tap in for his first victory since the 2013 French Open. And while it doesn’t compare with his 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, it was more significant than just a PGA Tour event at the end of the year.

He was in the final year of his PGA Tour exemption, which was creeping into his mind. He had not finished in the top 10 in nine months dating to the Dubai Desert Classic. McDowell, who started the year at No. 15 in the world, plunged to No. 85 while trying to find the balance of golf and spending time with his wife and 1-year-old daughter.

“It’s been a rough year for all the right reasons,” he said. “I’ve been enjoying life off the golf course with my beautiful family. Golf hasn’t been the priority it should be. But the last three or four months I got back to where I want to be.”

McDowell and Knox were tied at 19 under when they returned Monday to complete the final round.

Knox birdied the par-5 13th to pull ahead, only to drop a shot on the tough 14th with a tee shot into the left rough and wind so strong that he couldn’t reach the green.

McDowell was well short on a 12-foot birdie putt for the lead on the par-3 15th, and he looked even more tentative on the next hole when he three-putted from 45 feet, leaving his first putt some 10 feet short. It looked as though he wouldn’t get another chance.

“Russell Knox is free swinging coming off the best week of his life,” McDowell said when he finished his round.

Knox made a tough up-and-down for par on the 17th hole by making a 5-foot putt into the thick, wet grain. But his chip was short on the 18th, the par putt for his second straight victory was left all the day, and that was the opening McDowell needed.

Derek Fathauer, the 54-hole leader, birdied the last hole for a 71 to finish two shots behind.

McDowell wasn’t planning on playing in Mexico except for his poor year. He failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, and he chose to skip the final two events on the European Tour because of his mediocre standing in the Race to Dubai. The idea was to put 2015 behind him and get an early start on the new PGA Tour season.

It turned out to be a great decision.

The victory assures McDowell will be in the Masters next year, along with the PGA Championship and The Players Championship. Ranking points from those events will come in handy during qualifying in 2016 for the Ryder Cup and for the Olympics.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexique – Russell Knox a réalisé six oiselets en 11 trous et était à égalité avec Graeme McDowell lorsque la noirceur est venue interrompre la quatrième ronde de la Classique OHL à Mayakoba, dimanche.

McDowell a réussi un oiselet au 13e trou, une normale-5, avant qu’il ne soit trop tard pour poursuivre. Knox allait amorcer le 13e. Les deux golfeurs affichaient un score cumulatif de moins-19.

Ce sera le deuxième tournoi de la PGA en autant de semaine qui sera conclu un lundi en raison de la pluie. Ça ne s’est pas produit en 10 ans.

Knox a gagné le tournoi HSBC Champions la semaine dernière, à Shanghai. Il peut devenir le premier joueur depuis Camilo Villegas en 2008 à remporter ses deux premiers titres sur le circuit de la PGA en l’espace de deux semaines.

Jason Bohn était à moins-17 après 12 trous. Derek Fathauer, qui menait après trois rondes, jouait plus-1 et était à quatre coups des meneurs.

Le Canadien David Hearn était également au 13e trou et affichait un score cumulatif de moins-1. Il occupait le 70e échelon.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – Russell Knox and Graeme McDowell each had six birdies and were tied for the lead before the final round was stopped Sunday in the rain-delayed OHL Classic at Mayakoba, setting up a sprint to the finish Monday in Mexico.

The fourth round was delayed 3 1/2 hours by thunderstorms that left pools of water across El Camaleon Golf Club.

McDowell elected to finish the par-5 13th when the horn sounded to suspend play because of darkness. He made birdie to join Knox at 19-under par.

Knox was still on the 13th hole.

Jason Bohn, who chipped in for eagle on the fifth hole for an early lead, dropped two shots and was at 17 under through 12 holes. Bohn won his first PGA Tour event in 2005 and his next one in 2010. This is his final event of 2015.

The final round was to resume at 8 a.m. Monday.

This will be the first time in 10 years that back-to-back PGA Tour events finished on Monday because of rain. The Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi had a marathon finish last Monday because of the weather.

With soft conditions, there figures to be little room for error when Mayakoba ends on Monday.

Scott Brown (through 14 holes) and Derek Fathauer (12 holes) were four shots behind. Fathauer, trying to make it six straight PGA Tour events with a first-time winner, had a one-shot lead starting the final round but had only one birdie against two bogeys to fall back.

Knox is coming off his first win last week in Shanghai at the HSBC Champions, and he was so exhausted that he considered pulling out this week. Instead, he continued his around-the world journey to Mexico. He can become the first player since Camilo Villegas in 2008 to win his first two PGA Tour titles in successive weeks.

The 30-year-old from Scotland ran off four straight birdies starting at No. 3, and then stuffed his approach just short of the pin on the par-3 eighth and went out in 31. He picked up his sixth birdie on the 11th hole.

McDowell has not had a top 10 since the Dubai Desert Classic in February. He chose to end his European Tour season earlier than usual because of a mediocre season, and because he has never fared well on the course for the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai next week.

Along with his three straight birdies on the front nine was a par on the opening hole at El Camaleon. McDowell had played that hole in 5 over through three rounds – two double bogeys and a bogey. This time, he hit 3-wood off the tee.

PGA Tour rookie Harold Varner III, Justin Leonard, Patrick Rodgers and Freddie Jacobson were at 13 under, six shots behind.

Canada’s David Hearn played 13 holes Sunday before play was suspended. He’s 1 under on the round and 1 under overall.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – Derek Fathauer played bogey-free Saturday on his way to another 6-under 66 that gave him a one-shot lead in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba and a chance to extend an unusual streak on the PGA Tour.

First-time winners have captured all five of the PGA Tour events at the start of the wraparound season.

Fathauer would love to make it six in a row.

“I’ve just got to have fun, play golf, play my game, and whatever happens will happen,” he said.

Fathauer was at 16-under 197 and led by one shot over Jason Bohn, who missed a 5-foot par putt on the final hole at El Camaleon Golf Club. Bohn took the lead on the par-5 13th hole with a 25-foot eagle putt right before the third round was halted for nearly 90 minutes because of storms in the area. Bohn had to scramble for pars late in his round and couldn’t save the last one. He shot a 65.

Russell Knox, coming off his first win last week in Shanghai at the HSBC Champions, also made bogey on the last hole for a 65. He was at 13-under 200, along with Justin Leonard (67), Graeme McDowell (70) and PGA Tour rookie Harold Varner III, who made an 18-foot par putt on the last hole for a 68.

Bohn was the 54-hole leader at Mayakoba a year ago until closing with a 74.

“I don’t want to do what I did last year on Sunday,” Bohn said. “The only thing I can draw on is how I’ve been playing. I’ve got to embrace it, have fun and realize where I am. If I give myself enough chances, I’m going to win one.”

He already has come close twice this year. Bohn finished one shot out of a playoff in the season-opening Frys.com Open, courtesy for a flubbed pitch. A week later in Las Vegas, he finished one shot out of the lead.

McDowell was the 36-hole leader, except that didn’t last long. He took another double bogey on the par-4 opening hole, and now has played it at 5 over for the week. McDowell followed with a bogey and spent the rest of the round trying to catch up. A 12-foot birdie on the 17th allowed him to salvage a 70.

“I’ve got to get past that first hole, which is kind of killing me,” McDowell said. “The game is in really good shape. Apart from two driver swings, I’m really happy with the general progress.”

He also hit a drive well right on the par-5 13th that led to a bogey.

Leonard appeared to be the one most affected by the storm delay. He was tied for the lead at 15 under after a birdie on the par-5 13th. When play resumed, he came up short of the green at the 14th, hit a nice chip-and-run to just outside 4 feet and missed the putt. On the par-3 15th, Leonard went left of the pin and down a slope and failed to save par. He was solid the rest of the way and still has a good chance Sunday.

Leonard hasn’t had a top 10 in nearly two years and has said he is trimming is schedule this year to spend more time with his wife and four children. He moved to Colorado in August, and the courses closed Nov. 1. So he went to Arizona for a few days of practice and showed up fresh. He said the mental hurdle in cutting back his schedule was to realize “I’m not going to forget how to swing a club, I’m not going to forget how to play the game.”

Johnson Wagner had a third straight 67 and was four shots behind. The group at 11-under 202 included Patrick Rodgers (69) and Freddie Jacobson, whose 63 was the low score of the third round. Arizona State senior Jon Rahm of Spain had a 66 and was six shots behind. Rahm tied for fifth in the Phoenix Open last season.

 Canada’s David Hearn shot a 75 Saturday and is alone in 78th.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – Graeme McDowell made seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch Friday and shot an 8-under 63 to take a one-shot lead in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba.

McDowell closed out the back nine with three straight birdies, made a bogey on No. 1, and then bounced back with four straight birdies in the morning. He has played the first hole at El Camaleon Golf Club in 3 over for two days.

Derek Fathauer made four birdies over his last seven holes for a 66 to get within one shot of McDowell.

McDowell was at 12-under 130. He typically plays the European Tour as it concludes the Race to Dubai, but the 36-year-old from Northern Ireland had such a mediocre year that he chose to start the new PGA Tour season.

Canada’s David Hearn shot 70 Friday and heads into the weekend tied for 27th at 4 under. Fellow Canadian Adam Hadwin (72-75) was 4 over and did not make the 36-hole cut.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – Justin Leonard got off to a quick start in what he expects to be his shortest season, opening with a 6-under 65 on Thursday in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba to share the lead with Aaron Baddeley, Shawn Stefani and Derek Fathauer.

Leonard, who moved from Dallas to Colorado during the summer, said he plans to play only 12 events this season to spend more time with his wife and four children. The former British Open champion is using his one-time exemption for being top 50 on the PGA Tour’s career money list.

The 43-year-old Leonard played bogey-free at El Camaleon before the wind and rain arrived and stopped play for 1 hour, 14 minutes. The first round was suspended because of darkness, and 21 players did not finish.

Stefani was a runner-up last year at Mayakoba to Charley Hoffman.

Baddeley, a three-time winner, lost his card last season and failed to get it back through the Web.com Tour Finals. He is playing as a past champion, and got into the Mexico event through a top-10 finish last week. He tied for fourth in the rain-plagued Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi.

D.J. Trahan, another past champion, also got into Mayakoba through a top 10 in Mississippi. He was in a large group at 66 that included Charles Howell III and Patton Kizzire, who won the Web.com Tour money title last season.

Leonard is approaching two years since his last top 10 on the PGA Tour. He was born and raised in Dallas, so it was a big move to take the family to Aspen. But it’s part of a bigger plan to make the transition to full-time golf to being with his four children, ages 5 through 12.

“I’ve just been out here 21 or 22 years and my kids are growing up,” Leonard said. “And I get to do a lot of things, but I miss a lot of things, too. We just moved to Colorado in August, and I want to just play the tournaments that I’m excited to go play and see what I can do.”

He referenced Steve Stricker, who in 2013 decided to trim his schedule to be at home more often.

“So many decisions I’ve made over the last 25 years have been about golf,” Leonard said. “So when we started talking about moving, I said, ‘Let’s just take golf out of it. Where are going to be the happiest and most excited when we get on an airplane to go home?’ And we’re there.”

Matt Kuchar, at No. 16 in the world the highest-ranked player at Mayakoba, opened with a 72. He was in the same group as Mississippi winner Peter Malnati, who shot a 68, and HSBC Champions winner Russell Knox, who had a 70.

Knox is playing his fifth straight week, going from Napa, California, to Las Vegas to Malaysia to Shanghai and now Mexico.

Former PGA champions Keegan Bradley, whose world ranking has plunged to No. 65, was in the group at 67 that included Erik Compton, Patrick Rodgers and Graeme McDowell, who overcame a double bogey on his opening hole by making five straight birdies.

The best start belonged to Thomas Aiken of South Africa. Starting on the par-3 10th, he made a hole-in-one and then followed that with two straight birdies. But his round fell apart at the end with a quadruple-bogey 9 on the seventh hole that led to a 74.

David Hearn opened with a 68.

The caddies for Phil Mickelson and Matt Kuchar will carry a lighter load on the PGA Tour next week – microphones instead of golf bags.

Golf Channel has hired Jim “Bones” Mackay and John Wood as part of its broadcast team for two days next week during the RSM Classic at Sea Island in Georgia. Mackay has been Mickelson’s only caddie on the PGA Tour. Wood spent nine years with Hunter Mahan until leaving to work for Kuchar in 2016.

“What’s going to be pretty cool is hearing their point of view on what’s going on,” Tommy Roy, the golf producer for NBC Sports and Golf Channel, said Thursday. “We hear so many players refer to “we” and it’s clear it’s a team getting this done on the course. So this will be the perspective from the other half of the team.”

Mackay and Woods will be on-course reporters for key groups during Friday and Saturday rounds at Sea Island.

NBC televised the “Kiwi Challenge” in 2008 when Steve Williams, still the caddie for Tiger Woods, worked as an on-course reporter in his native New Zealand.

Roy said he has been working on this project for more than a year. He identified Mackay and Wood as prime candidates because of their communication skills and “that’s the No. 1 attribute you look for in a television announcer.”

Over the past year, Roy said he has brought the two caddies into the truck to see the operational side of a television broadcast, and he had them wear headsets to adjust to hearing Roy’s commands and how announcers are to respond.

He said Roger Maltbie would be helping them with where to stand – not next to the player, in this case – and other issues. They will have a rehearsal Thursday morning from Sea Island before going live in the second round.

“I really appreciate the chance,” Mackay said. “I think it’s going to be cool. I’m fascinated by the whole TV side of it. Tommy had us out to the truck a couple of times. We had a chance to appreciate the amazing amount of hard work and attention to detail. It’s an honor and it will be a lot of fun. I’m excited about it, but I also want to make Tommy happy to have us out there.”

The last time Mackay was a PGA Tour event without caddying was the 1993 Ryder Cup, and he wound up working as a caddie assistant.

Whether this becomes a regular part of future Golf Channel and NBC broadcast is to be determined. Roy long has been fascinated by the conversation between caddies and players, which can be a compelling part of the broadcast when it involves a big decision.

Mackay and Mickelson seem to be constantly discussing shots. Wood received notoriety in 2007 at the Travelers Championship when he stepped in as Mahan was about to play his approach to the 18th and had him start over with a sharp focus. Mahan made birdie and wound up winning a playoff for his first PGA Tour victory.

“In television, you try to come up with new things to attract viewers and enhance the experience for viewers,” Roy said. “We’ll see where it goes from here.”