DUBLIN, Ohio – One day after the worst score of his career, Tiger Woods played the final round of the Memorial just like it was any other Sunday.

He wore his red shirt. He played at the same pace. He tossed blades of grass in the air to judge the wind and crouched to read important putts. The only difference was he played as a single. He even removed a flagstick by himself when his caddie was busy raking a bunker.

“Just because I’m in last place doesn’t change how I play golf,” he said. “Whether it’s the first day or last day, doesn’t matter. Play all out.”

All out didn’t get him much.

Woods followed his 85 with a rough finish – two double bogeys over the last four holes – for a 2-over 74. He finished in last place of those who made the cut at Muirfield Village, a course where he has won five times, and posted the highest 72-hole score of his career at 302.

He conceded that it was humbling to shoot an 85 before thousands of fans, with nowhere to hide. But he didn’t sound as though he was about to panic about his future. Woods chalked the score up to working on a new swing, and one of those days where he couldn’t make up his mind which swing he had.

“This is a lonely sport,” Woods said. “The manager is not going to come in and bring the righty or bring the lefty. You’ve just got to play through it. And that’s one of the hardest things about the game of golf, and it’s also one of the best things about the game of golf. When you’re on, no one is going to slow you down. When you’re off, no one is going to pick you up, either. It’s one of those sports that’s tough. Deal with it.

“For us, unfortunately, you have those days and they’re five hours long,” he said.

Sunday was just under three hours as a single.

He made the turn in 34 with three birdies, two of them on the par 5s. He hit five straight fairways at one point – four of them with the driver.

It was the finish that did him in. Woods hit one poor chip, and it cost him. After his wedge spun off the front of the green at the par-5 15th, he bladed a pitch about 30 feet above the hole and three-putted for double bogey.

On the 18th, he got too much air under a 3-wood and had to play a big hook around the tree. It found a back bunker, and he had no chance to stay on the green. Woods laughed when he saw the lie he had in the rough.

He chopped it out some 6 feet and two-putted for a double bogey.

“I was expecting to grind,” he said. “That to me is the fun part, going out there and just grinding and fighting for everything I possibly can out there – after shooting whatever I shot yesterday, to be able to go back out there and get to 3-under par and keep fighting.”

Woods talks a lot about being stuck between patterns of his old swing and the new one he is trying to develop with Chris Como. That’s part of the process, and one he knows well. This is the fifth time he has changed his swing since his rookie year in 1996.

Even so, he never had a score anywhere near 85 whether he was going from Butch Harmon to Hank Haney, or from Haney to Sean Foley. Woods has as many rounds in the 80s as in the 60s this year – two each.

Asked if his score Saturday felt like an 85, Woods replied, “It felt higher.”

But he played Sunday as though the third round never happened. And progress often includes a few – or 85 – steps back.

“I had to go through those painful moments, just like I did at Torrey Pines and Phoenix, to be able to make the leap I did at Augusta,” he said.

The reference was to his 82 in the Phoenix Open and pulling out after 11 holes at Torrey Pines, leading to a two-month hiatus from competition until he could play the game to his standards. He returned at Augusta National with hardly a trace of his short-game woes and tied for 17th.

“Yesterday was the same thing,” Woods said. “It was just unfortunately on a golf course like this where you can’t get away with much. It kicked my butt pretty hard.”

Woods developed a blister on the forefinger of his left hand this week. He said he probably would only putt for the next few days to let it heal, and then start working on his game for the U.S. Open. The one positive was that his 85 happened on Saturday, and not Sunday.

Imagine going into Chambers Bay with the most recent score his highest ever.

“That would have been a lot more disconcerting, if I had shot yesterday’s round today,” he said. “We would have had to probably do a little bit more work than what I’m going to have to do now. We know that it’s close.”

DUBLIN, Ohio – The two birdies Justin Rose made at the end of the second round at the Memorial were important. Even with the whole weekend ahead of him, he realized he wouldn’t have to race too hard to keep pace with the leaders.

He did better than that Saturday at Muirfield Village.

Rose made an early surge and kept pace the rest of the way. He putted for birdie on all but hole on the back nine, avoided the big numbers that can stop even the best rounds and wound up with a 6-under 66 and a three-shot lead over Francesco Molinari and David Lingmerth going into the final round.

“Finishing birdie-birdie gave me a boost to stay close to the leaders,” Rose said. “It put me in a position today where I felt like I didn’t have to chase too hard. I guess I played a good, solid, patient round of golf. It ended up turning into a great round of golf.”

Tiger Woods turned in the worst score of his career.

After opening with three straight pars, Woods missed a couple of short par putts, finished the front nine with consecutive double bogeys and ended his day of infamy with a quadruple-bogey 8 and signed for an 85.

He now has as many rounds in the 60s as the 80s this year – two apiece. Woods shot an 82 in the Phoenix Open in late January, took two months off to get his game in order, and doesn’t appear to be much better off now.

He chose not to speak to the media after his round. For the first time in his career, he will be first to tee off Sunday morning as a single.

“I’m not only surprised, I feel very bad for him,” tournament host Jack Nicklaus said.

Rose was at 15-under 201 as he tries to win for the second time this year, and become the seventh player to win multiple times at the tournament Nicklaus built.

“Kind of surprised to play my way into a three-shot lead,” Rose said. “I was looking just to keep pace, but it’s a fantastic position going into Sunday.”

Molinari had four birdies on the front nine until he cooled and shot 69. Lingmerth opened with a birdie to expand his one-shot lead at the start of the round, followed two bogeys with an eagle and then stalled. He shot 72.

“I played good the first two days, so I was just trying to stick to what I did those two days and just focus on my small little world,” Lingmerth said. “And I kind of lost that focus a little bit in the middle of the round today. But like I said, I was able to find it again in the last few holes and I’m happy about that.”

Jim Furyk, another past champion at Muirfield Village, had a 70 and was four shots behind.

Dustin Johnson and Keegan Bradley were among the early starters who showed what the course might yield. Johnson, who has been frustrated with his swing in recent weeks, happened to walk by the TV when he saw a commercial of himself. He was swinging it great, noticed a difference in the setup, worked it out on the range with Claude Harmon III and then shot 29 on the front.

In vintage Johnson fashion, he started the back nine with a double bogey and an eagle, then settled into a 65. Bradley was playing behind him. Bradley and Johnson are friends who often play money games at The Bear’s Club – the course Nicklaus build in Florida – and Bradley was inspired to keep up. He also shot 65.

So did Kevin Streelman, who was in a group at 10-under 206 that included defending champion Hideki Matsuyama (71). Bradley was six shots behind, while Johnson was lagging at seven shots out.

Masters champion Jordan Spieth finished with a double bogey for a 72 and was nine shots behind.

It was a day of great fluctuation – 20 shots between the best score and the worst.

Woods had something to do with that.

“Every single shot out there, you’re on your toes, you’re on your guard,” Rose said. “One poor judgment of the wind, or one poor execution of an iron shot, and you can make bogey in a heartbeat.”

Rose made his on the ninth hole and it settled him down. He never thinks he’s going to post a low score, though he had reason with four birdies through seven holes. His bogey on the ninth was the reminder he needed. He was solid the rest of the way, even missing a few birdies putts inside 10 feet, and the lead kept growing.

Rose was reminded of what his caddie, Mark Fulcher, said to him on Friday. They were still five shots in the second round when his caddie told him that he liked his position. It was a message to keep taking chances when they were there, and to play it safe when that’s what the shot required.

Rose must love his position now. Already a winner in New Orleans last month, and with the U.S. Open around the corner, he was poised to take a solid game and a bundle of confidence into the second major of the year.

DIVOTS: Patrick Rodgers was three shots out of the lead going into Saturday and shot 78. He was in a tie for 46th, and can’t afford to slip much farther to secure special temporary membership for the rest of the year, which would give him unlimited exemptions. … Phil Mickelson made six bogeys and a double bogey in his round of 78 to fall out of contention. … Andy Sullivan was tied for fifth. Anything in the top 10 should be enough to assure he’ll be safely in the top 60 in the world next week to get into the U.S. Open.

Canadian Graham DeLaet sits T24 with a round of 72 on Saturday while Adam Hadwin carded a round of 71 to finish T35 after round three.

DUBLIN, Ohio – David Lingmerth took a step toward turning his game around with a 7-under 65 at the Memorial on Friday. It gave the Swede a one-shot lead going into a weekend that includes Tiger Woods.

But just barely.

Long after Lingmerth capped off a bogey-free round at Muirfield Village, Woods was 40 yards away from the flag on the 18th green and in dire need of getting up-and-down to save par and avoid missing his first cut at the tournament he has won five times.

For his second straight tournament, he holed a key putt to survive.

“At least I was able to make those putts, so that’s a positive sign,” Woods said after his 2-under 70. “Now I just need to put myself in the position where those putts are to win tournaments, not to make cuts.”

He was 11 shots behind Lingmerth, who was at 12-under 132.

Woods had to hang on, making two straight bogeys before his par save on the final hole. For Jason Dufner, it was a thrill a minute.

Dufner made a 5 on a par 3 and a 3 on a par 5. And that was before he made a hole-in-one – his fourth eagle of the week – on the par-3 16th hole. He followed that with a bogey. It was relatively boring after that, and the former PGA champion wound up with a 67 that put him in final group with Lingmerth, just one shot behind.

Dufner didn’t have much to say – he rarely does, even when he won the PGA Championship two years ago – and spoke only to Ohio-based reporters. Until a tie for eighth last week at the AT&T Byron National, he had gone just over a year without a top 10 on American soil. The only time he made news was when his divorce was reported.

“I’m hitting it really good,” Dufner said. “I’m having enough good holes, good shots, to offset some of the mistakes I’ve had.”

Ryan Moore, gearing up for a U.S. Open near his hometown outside Tacoma, Washington, had another 67 and was at 10-under 134, along with Andy Sullivan of England, who can earn a spot at Chambers Bay with a good week at the Memorial.

A trio of past champions – Hideki Matsuyama, Jim Furyk and Justin Rose – were in the group that was three shots behind. Joining them was Patrick Rodgers, who made eight birdies in a round of 66 and is poised to at least secure temporary membership on the PGA Tour.

Good scores were stacked up behind them. There were plenty of birdies available on a course that still presents trouble around every corner.

“Every shot gets your attention,” Rose said.

It got the attention of Masters champion Jordan Spieth. He went out in 31 and was creeping up on the lead when he wound up on the wrong side of the 10th green and made double bogey, and he never recovered. Spieth missed a half-dozen putts from 10 feet or in and had to settle for a 70 that put him six shots behind.

Phil Mickelson made a late eagle for a 68 and was in the group at 4-under 140.

Kenny Perry made bogey on his last hole for a 73 and missed the cut by one shot. The 54-year-old took a career money exemption for the year so he could end his career at the Memorial, which he won two times.

Lingmerth had missed four cuts in his last five starts, and the start of this tournament was ominous when he was 2 over through four holes. He made seven birdies on his last 12 holes on Thursday, and he made seven more Friday.

“I started giving myself some opportunities and the putts started dropping in,” Lingmerth said.

Dufner was tied for the lead late Thursday until he hit his tee shot into the water on the 18th and made double bogey.

He started Friday on the back nine and was in trouble early when he hit into the water on the par-3 12th and had to make a 4-footer to salvage double bogey. His fortunes changed quickly. He hit a wedge to 5 feet for birdie on the 14th. He hit hybrid into 6 feet for eagle on the 15th. And then he hit 6-iron into the hole on the par-3 16th.

Five under on three holes goes a long way.

“Probably the best I’ve ever done,” Dufner said.

Woods, meanwhile, opened with three birdies in four holes, though he was still wild off the tee. He mixed bogeys with birdies and was in reasonable shape at 3 under for the tournament until he missed the 16th green long and made bogey, and then found a deep patch of rough just off the left side of the fairway at the 17th, had to lay up and could get no closer than 30 feet from 100 yards. That bogey put him on the cut line, and he popped up his 3-wood off the 18th tee into rough.

But he saved his par and saved his weekend.

This is the third straight tournament that Woods made the cut, something he hasn’t done in a year. He believes he is making progress, though the bar has been lowered significantly at the moment.

Canada’s David Hearn sits as the top Canadian. He’s tied for 16th at 6 under after two 69s.

DUBLIN, Ohio – Hideki Matsuyama was bracing for a rough day at the Memorial and wound up with a share of the lead Thursday.

Tiger Woods still doesn’t know what to expect.

Matsuyama made a bold start in his bid to join Woods as the only repeat winners at Muirfield Village by running off four straight birdies on the back nine and one strong par save on his way to an 8-under 64 that tied the Japanese star with Bo Van Pelt.

“To be honest with you, up until yesterday I was not hitting the ball very well, I was not chipping very well, I was not putting very well,” Matsuyama said through a translator. “And I don’t know what happened overnight. We just caught magic.”

It was a dream start for Van Pelt for other reasons. He grew up across the state line in Indiana and used to play hooky from school to attend the Memorial from the time he was 10 until he got out of high school. Muirfield Village is where he first dreamed about playing the PGA Tour. In calm conditions under an overcast sky, Van Pelt made a career-best 10 birdies for his best score in 41 rounds at the course Jack Nicklaus built.

“Other than the Masters, this tournament means more to me than any one I’ve ever played,” Van Pelt said. “So it’s always good to play well around a place that means a lot to you.”

Woods, a five-time winner of the Memorial, wasn’t sure what he was going to get. He hooked his tee shot and started with a bogey for the eighth time in his last nine starts on the PGA Tour. He went so far right off the tee at the 18th that it went out-of-bounds (the next tee shot wasn’t much better) and made double bogey to go out in 40. He hooked his 3-wood on the first hole. It was looking like another big number.

Instead, Woods battled to save pars and convert birdies, and he salvaged a 73 that left him nine shots behind.

“Physically, I feel good. Mentally, I feel beat up,” Woods said. “To turn that round around like I did today … that was hard.”

He was determined to stick with the changes he is making to his swing under a fourth coach as a pro, no matter how long it takes. Considering he hasn’t had a top 10 in his last 13 events dating to the end of 2013, this could take time.

“I was just trying to stay committed to what we’re working on, to what we’re doing,” he said. “I hit it awful, yeah. So what? I was going to go through this phase and stick with it, keep sticking with it. And some of the shots I hit were really, really good. But then I also had some really bad shots, too. And we need to work on that.”

Matsuyama won the Memorial last year in a playoff. It was his first win in America and validated him as one of the many rising stars in golf.

He said every course on the PGA Tour feels difficult to him, and even when he made a pair of 15-foot birdie putts on his way to a 32 on the front nine while playing with Phil Mickelson (72) and Rickie Fowler (72), he wasn’t comfortable.

“I was just trying to hang on,” he said.

So was Jason Dufner, the former PGA champion, whose tied for eighth last week at the AT&T Byron Nelson ended a stretch of 17 events on American soil without a top 10. He was tied for the lead after making a 60-foot eagle putt on the 15th hole and was still poised to join Matsuyama and Van Pelt at 64 until he pulled his tee shot into the water on the 18th and closed with a double bogey.

That put him at 66, along with Russell Knox, who fed his putts off the ridges beautifully in making seven birdies.

Harris English and Kevin Kisner were among those at 67. Masters champion Jordan Spieth, who saved the start of his round with a world-class short game, was cruising along until one mistake turned a birdie into a bogey on the par-5 seventh late in his round. He had to settle for a 68.

English (No. 70 in the world) and Kisner (No. 61) each have a chance to do well enough at the Memorial to avoid U.S. Open qualifying next week. Another important start belonged to Patrick Rodgers, who has his last chance to gain special temporary membership on the PGA Tour.

Woods grabbed the most attention for two reasons. He’s Tiger Woods, still enough to attract the biggest gallery. And there remains a mystery about the game of a 79-time PGA Tour winner who has plunged to No. 172 in the world.

Most intriguing about his assessment of Thursday’s round was a stubbornness to see the changes to a conclusion, no matter how long that takes. Previous changes have taken as long as 18 months for Woods to figure it out. Time is no longer on his side, however, not at his age and with five surgeries behind him.

“I’ve gone through phases like this, rounds like this, where yeah, it’s easy to revert back and go ahead and hit some old pattern,” he said. “But it doesn’t do you any good going forward. And I’ve done it. Sometimes it’s taken me about a year and then it kicked in and I did pretty good after that. … If you believe in it, do it. And eventually it will start turning.

“And when it turns, I’ve had periods where I’ve played good for four or five years, where I’ve won close to 20 tournaments in that stretch.”

The lowest Canadian on the day was Graham DeLaet who shot a 3-under 69 to place him tied 21, and one shot back is David Hearn.

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – Tiger Woods has played a second practice round at Chambers Bay in preparations for the U.S. Open in two weeks.

Woods was on the course Tuesday morning under cloudy skies and occasional showers. Woods arrived in the area Sunday night and his practice round on Monday drew curious spectators to the hills overlooking the waterside golf course along Puget Sound. Woods’ visit happened to come on the two cloudiest days in the last couple of weeks.

Woods made the trip to the Pacific Northwest before heading to the Memorial in Ohio, his last tuneup before the U.S. Open. Woods hasn’t played since The Players Championship, where he finished 69th after shooting 3 over par.

Many of Canada’s top golfers took part in RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifying events today in Quebec and British Columbia in hopes of punching their tickets to final (Monday) qualifying July 20 at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ont.

The Quebec qualifier was contested at Club de golf St- Raphaël’s Blue Course in Île-Bizard, Que., where hometown talent Lindsay Wilson finished at 2-under par 70 to claim medallist honours.

Jesse Smith (71) of Ohsweken, Ont., finished runner-up at 1 under, while Sonny Michaud of Neuville, Que., took third after an even-par 72 while six more players finished T4 at 1 over (73). In total, nine players from the Quebec Qualifier will advance to the final qualifier in July.

Squamish Valley Golf and Country Club in Squamish, B.C., hosted Monday’s other regional qualifying event where Dillon Rust of Edmond, OK, claimed victory with a round of 5 under 67.

Seann Harlingten of West Vancouver, B.C., earned runner-up honours with a 2 under 70.

Five players shared third after even-par 72s to round out the 16 players who have earned their way today into the RBC Canadian Open final qualifying round on July 20.

In total, there are three regional qualifying events, each consisting of 18 holes of stroke play. Provided that there are 100 or more players in the field, the low qualifier receives an exemption directly into the 2015 RBC Canadian Open. Otherwise, the top 15 per cent of finishers at each qualifier become eligible to compete at the final qualifying event.

The third and final 2015 RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier will be held June 29 at RattleSnake Point Golf Club in Milton, Ont.

The 2015 RBC Canadian Open takes place July 20-26 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

For the full Quebec scoring click: here.

For the full B.C. scoring click: here.

Listen in to our press conference…

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., has been selected to host the 2016 RBC Canadian Open, as announced today by Golf Canada and RBC.

With the venue confirmed, the Jack Nicklaus-designed, Oakville, Ont. layout will host back to back RBC Canadian Opens, beginning this July 20-26 with the 2015 RBC Canadian Open and then again July 18-24, 2016.

For Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons, a two-year commitment to Glen Abbey will allow the tournament to build multi-year momentum in the community and deliver innovative activities to enhance the championship experience for players and spectators alike.

“Together with our partners at RBC, we are proud to announce the RBC Canadian Open will be contested at Glen Abbey Golf Club in 2016.” said Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons.  “Glen Abbey has always been a terrific host venue for this championship and we look forward to reconnecting with fans and volunteers from Oakville and the Greater Toronto Area who have embraced the RBC Canadian Open over the years.”

“With its storied history, beautiful greens and central location, Glen Abbey has proven to be a premiere venue to host players and golf fans alike,” noted Jane Broderick, Chief Brand and Communications Officer, RBC. “We, along with Golf Canada have worked hard to make the RBC Canadian Open a best-in-class tournament with a strong competitive field and fan engagement opportunities, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to this prestigious course.”

The RBC Canadian Open was last contested at Glen Abbey in 2013, when Team RBC’s Brandt Snedeker picked up his sixth PGA TOUR victory. That year’s event was selected as the “Most Fan-Friendly Event” by the PGA TOUR as part of their annual year-end awards.

The return to Glen Abbey through 2016 marks the first time since 2008 and 2009 that the club has hosted back to back RBC Canadian Opens.

“Since the Canadian Open was first played on this Jack Nicklaus Signature course in 1977, Glen Abbey has produced many worthy champions including Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Greg Norman, Lee Trevino, Curtis Strange and Brandt Snedeker,” said Rai Sahi, ClubLink President and CEO. ‘The Abbey’ and the Canadian Open share a special connection and we look forward to adding to that legacy through 2016.”

The 2015 edition of the event will once again raise money in support of national charity partner – Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada. To help welcome the RBC Canadian Open back to Glen Abbey, the Town of Oakville has declared July as Oakville’s Month of Sport.

Glen Abbey was owned and operated by Golf Canada from 1982 to 1998 before the property was sold to ClubLink in the fall of 1998. As the longtime home of Canada’s National Open Championship, ‘The Abbey’ hosted 22 Canadian Opens between 1977 and 2000, as well as, those in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2013. Golf Canada’s head office and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum are located on the grounds of Glen Abbey Golf Club.

For information about tickets, free 17-and-under junior passes, volunteer opportunities or corporate hospitality for the 2015 RBC Canadian Open, please visit www.rbccanadianopen.com.

NASSAU, Bahamas – Adam Scott has split with his new caddie and for now is going back to his old one – Steve Williams.

Scott says he persuaded Williams to join him for the U.S. Open, British Open, Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship.

Scott tied for fourth at Doral and has been struggling since. He has missed two cuts and has not finished better than a tie for 24th. That was at the Colonial, and he then fired caddie Mike Kerr.

Scott says he had to talk Williams out of retirement for the next three months. They last worked together at the Tour Championship last year.

Williams has been on the bag for 14 majors – 13 of them with Tiger Woods and the 2013 Masters with Scott.

IRVING, Texas – Steven Bowditch already had wedding photos from the 18th green at the home of the AT&T Byron Nelson.

Now there are plenty of images of the Australian holding a big trophy after winning in his adopted home.

Bowditch rode his best birdie binge on the PGA Tour to a 5-under 64 and a four-shot victory Sunday in the Nelson, making him two-for-Texas in career titles after winning the Texas Open in San Antonio last year.

A Dallas-area resident for 10 years, Bowditch had 27 birdies while becoming the seventh player to lead all four rounds of the event. Playing next to the resort hotel where he got married four years ago, the 31-year-old Bowditch finished at 18-under 259 on the rain-altered TPC Four Seasons layout.

“You know, taking photos on the green today was probably – wasn’t probably, it’s definitely the second best time I’ve had on that green – since we got married,” Bowditch said in the interview room while wife Amanda watched from the back.

Charley Hoffman (65), Texan Jimmy Walker (66) and Scott Pinckney (66) tied for second at 14 under. Zach Johnson shot a 63 to finish alone in fifth at 13 under.

Canada’s Graham DeLaet tied for 22nd at 8 under after a 67.

Hometown favorite and Masters champion Jordan Spieth stayed at 7 under after an even-par 69.

Playing with Bowditch in the final group, Dustin Johnson briefly overtook him early in the round before making an 8 at the par-4 sixth. He finished at 11 under with a 69.

Before the highs of getting married and winning at the home of the Nelson, Bowditch endured the low of a suicide attempt at his Dallas home while battling depression in 2006, not long after he moved to the U.S.

“My personal life is my personal life,” said Bowditch, who jumped 52 spots to No. 16 in FedEx Cup points and qualified for next year’s Masters. “It’s closed doors and, you know, it’s built me into the person I am today. Every win is special. This is just another one.”

A sunny day wrapped up two otherwise soggy weeks of golf in Dallas-Fort Worth starting with Colonial. A 5-inch overnight downpour after the first round of the Nelson turned one of its toughest holes – the par-4 14th – into a pitch-and-putt par 3 of barely 100 yards for the final three rounds.

While birdies were the norm after easy wedge shots from what might normally be a drop area in front of a greenside pond, Bowditch had to save par from about 12 feet to keep a three-shot lead, pumping his right fist after the ball dropped in.

The temporary tee box was about 20 yards farther back Sunday, and tour officials believe par of under 70 was a first according to records going back to 1983. The overall par total was 277.

Up by three at the spectator-friendly 17th, Bowditch leaned like he thought his tee shot on the par 3 might go in the water to the right of the green. Instead, the ball flew over the pin and landed safety on the back, and Bowditch raised his putter as the putt rolled in to punctuate the win.

“I was trying to hit it 30 feet left of the stick,” Bowditch said. “It was eyes closed and stomach to the floor a little bit.”

Spieth had an opening birdie but quickly gave it back at the par-3 2nd. He went in the water twice for bogeys on the back nine, including on 17 a day after he gave big galleries that followed him all week their biggest thrill by almost hitting the pin on the fly on the 198-yard hole.

After getting within three shots of the lead halfway through the tournament, Spieth never did threaten and ended his streak of second-place finishes in all three previous Texas events this year. The 21-year-old Dallas player tied for 30th five years after finishing 16th in his first tour event as a 16-year-old amateur.

“I really tried to soak it in today,” Spieth said. “I was getting frustrated this week just trying so hard, which is what I’ve done in past years as well. I don’t know if that’s going to stop in the future.”

Johnson birdied two of the first three holes even though he missed the first four greens, but the erratic start caught up with him at No. 6. Johnson went out of bounds to the right off the tee, then way left into tall grass off the rough with his second tee shot. It took him three swings to get out on his way to a quadruple bogey.

Walker, who won the Texas Open not far from home in March, also held the lead on the front nine but missed short putts for par on 11 and 12. He tried to make a late run with an eagle chip at the par-5 16th and a birdie on 17, but Bowditch answered with birdies on both holes.

“I had told myself going into 15, you know, birdie, eagle would be big,” Walker said. “But Steven played great today and hats off.”

To the groom.

IRVING, Texas – Steven Bowditch shot a 4-under 65 on Saturday in the AT&T Byron Nelson to take a two-stroke lead and leave hometown favorite Jordan Spieth six shots back heading into the final round.

On a mostly sunny day that started with the second straight three-hour delay because of earlier rain, Bowditch got to 13-under 195. The Australian won the Texas Open last year in San Antonio for his lone PGA Tour title.

Dustin Johnson was in the group tied for second after the day’s low round of 62 on the rain-altered par 69 at TPC Four Seasons.

Jonathan Randolph, playing with Spieth and sitting 266 spots behind him in the world ranking, briefly held the lead but went in the water on 18 for a double bogey that dropped him into a tie with Johnson, Texan Jimmy Walker, Scott Pinckney and John Curran. Pinckney shot 64, Randolph 65, and Walker and Curran 67.

Spieth had a 68. The Masters champion was tied for 18th.

Curran, the rookie who shared the second-round lead with Bowditch and Walker, rallied with three straight birdies late in the round.

Clouds gradually disappeared during the afternoon and the forecast is clear for Sunday. But the course is still soggy enough that the normally par-4 14th will remain a pitch-and-putt par 3 barely longer than 100 yards for the third straight round.

PGA Tour officials believe it’s the first par-69 course in records going back to 1983. Threesomes will play off both tees again Sunday, and the final par total will be 277 after the first round played at the normal 70.

Bowditch, who held the lead alone after the first round, battled some marshy conditions to stay on top. The 31-year-old Australian who lives in the Dallas area had his only bogey at No. 9, when his tee shot went way right and he had to take a penalty drop in a mushy part of the rough.

The squish of his footsteps could be heard as he spent several minutes discussing his lie with rules official Peter Dachisen before finally hitting. Bowditch shook his head as he walked while the ball rolled onto a cart path behind a bunker left of the hole. He missed a par putt.

Spieth missed short birdie putts on his first two holes and never could make a strong push despite another large gallery urging every shot to go in.

That almost happened on the best spectator hole, the par-3 17th, when Spieth’s tee shot landed less than a foot from the pin before backing up and settling about 8 feet away.

Fittingly on a frustrating day, Spieth left the putt on the edge of the cup, bending down to stare it for a few seconds in case it dropped before the Dallas native tapped it in.

Randolph played a six-hole stretch in 5 under, including an eagle at the par-5 seventh. He was a stroke up on Bowditch after making about a 25-footer at the par-4 12th, with Bowditch pulling even again after almost driving the green on the 323-yard, par-4 11th.

Johnson, who won the Cadillac Championship at Doral in March for his first win since a six-month hiatus for personal reasons, had four birdies in five holes on the front and finished his round by putting his approach at the par-4 18th inside 5 feet for a birdie.

Canada’s Graham DeLaet is tied for 29th at 6 under, seven-shots off the lead.

Adam Hadwin has a share of 54th spot at 3 under.

Amateur Austin Connelly, a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S., made the cut but did not finish as more than 78 players made the 36 hole cut.