SAN ANTONIO – Charley Hoffman took advantage of calmer afternoon conditions to take the first-round lead in the wind-swept Texas Open, shooting a 5-under 67 on Thursday.

After wind gusts threatening 40 mph pummeled the morning starters, Hoffman faced steady 15 mph wind in the afternoon at TPC San Antonio. He had the lone bogey-free round, birdieing Nos. 2, 3, 9, 11 and 17.

The winner last year in Mexico at the start of the wraparound season, Hoffman has eight top-10 finishes in nine appearances in San Antonio. He was second in 2011 and third in 2013.

“I don’t know the answer to (the success here),” Hoffman said. “Visually, the course sets up nice for me off the tee. It was just a pretty low-stress round for me.”

Aaron Baddeley was second after a 68. The Australian had a remarkable birdie on the par-4 17th when he snap-hooked his drive deep into thick woods, went back to the tee and holed out from 336 yards.

“That was crazy,” Baddeley said. “I hit it, started walking, and the crowd starts going nuts. So, I’m `Wait. I just made birdie.’ It rolls up and goes in.”

Max Homa had a 69, and Phil Mickelson and Ryan Palmer shot 70.

Mickelson, winless since the 2013 British Open, lost the clubhead off his 8-iron when it came flying off while he hit from a fairway bunker on the 12th hole.

“That was weird,” Mickelson said. “But I thought it was playable out there, for the conditions. It’s nice, selfishly, to be on the good end of the tee times in the afternoon. It really looked tough for the guys in the morning.”

With gusts reaching 38 mph early in the day, no one with a morning tee time managed to break par. Only Matt Kuchar and Cameron Percy matched it, and conditions might have been worse if not for maintenance crews slithering hoses onto some of the greens to water them down.

The stroke average for the morning wave was 78.61 and the overall average was 75.9.

From the 69 players in the morning, 23 failed to break 80. Jim Furyk and Dustin Johnson managed to keep it in the 70s, but they had their struggles with the wind.

Furyk opened his day with a 52-foot birdie putt, but he shot 76. Johnson had a 78, his worst since shooting a first-round 80 before withdrawing last year from the Houston Open.

U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer had a two triple bogeys in an 82.

Defending champion Steven Bowditch opened with an 80.

Sam Burns, an 18-year-old high school senior from Sherevport, Louisiana, who earned a spot in the field by winning the Junior PGA Championship last summer, carded an 89 with a quadruple bogey at No. 9.

Hoffman took the lead when he drove near the collar of the 17th green, chipped up and made a 6-footer for birdie.

“I got lucky that when it was blowing hard, my first four holes were downwind,” Hoffman said. “I was able to birdie a couple of them. The wind started to die down a little bit at No. 5, and I felt comfortable.”

Graeme McDowell was one of three players from the morning wave who withdrew while shooting high numbers, citing injuries. McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open champion, said his left ankle and foot were bothering him when he pulled out after a 5-over 41 on his first nine. Sang Moon Bae (back) was 6 over through seven, and Colt Knost (thumb) had it at 9 over through eight with a quadruple bogey at No. 3.

Canadians David Hearn, Graham DeLaet and Adam Hadwin opened with rounds of 81, 82 and 83, respectively.

When we last saw Tiger Woods he was fleeing from a golf tournament in mid-round, mumbling something about improper activation of his glutes.

He’s been missing in action for some time now, desperately searching for some of the magic he once took for granted. Woods blamed the glutes, but the truth is that his game is in such a deep, dark place that he’s embarrassed to even tee off in public places.

The Masters begins in two weeks, and it’s not a place someone who seems to be struggling with the yips while chipping wants to make a comeback. If Woods does play at Augusta National, bookies in Las Vegas who for nearly two decades have made him the odds-on favorite are giving 50-1 odds he won’t leave the place with a fifth green jacket.

He’s got another new swing coach and a vague plan to regain his mojo by returning to the ways of his youth. But he needs more – much more.

Tigerwoods.com has always been the place he voices his thoughts. Now maybe it’s the place he can find his game.

If only he would listen to his own fans.

“Tiger, stop trying to be perfect,” someone identified as Jati wrote on the site. “Perfection is a myth. Nobody can achieve perfection, why go after it and waste enormous amount of time and energy?”

“Your confidence coupled with your huge successes has impacted on your general well being,” writes Kevin Frankie. “But I say this…you can get it ALL back plus some. Just get your game on a more natural level not unlike your wonderful years of sheer sublime brilliance.”

” I can help you with your mental game,” LL writes. “If you want to talk, I promise you I won’t (waste) your time and do not want your money. I just want to see you back at the top of golf. This is not a scam I’ve been doing this successfully for over 20 yrs.”

Who knows, it might be as simple as a trip to the produce section of the local Piggly Wiggly.

“Tiger, hang in there,” says Dana Bergerstock. “I just had a total knee replacement, and I had to start over from square one. They tell me it will come around like a fine wine. I started eating grapes to start the progression. It’s working! Eat some grapes during your next round. It might be mental, but it’s working for me.”

Or try this, courtesy of Brett McHaney:

“Tiger, take the change out of your right pocket and put it in your left pocket. Tie your left shoe in a double knot. Turn your hat around and put this tee behind your left ear,” he writes. “I look like a fool. Yea. Now take this little white ball and hit it down the fairway. Tiger, go out have some fun and get out of your own way.”

Someone called Anonymous Pro says he can help Woods on the chipping that embarrassed him in his season debut in Phoenix, saying all he needs to do is keep his wrists hinged.

Or maybe it’s more basic than that.

“I think you have forgotten the child like quality to chipping,” writes Roc. “Did you think about anything when you were 21 when chipping? No technical thoughts. Not sure why you would change something that was so pure but I’m just a hacker talking. Walk up and hit it.”

Some think it’s not Tiger’s fault at all. Circumstances have been out of his control.

“In 2010, you entered a VERRY challenging astrological period indicating very serious challenges,” jrcsamad writes. “The beginning of this period corresponds to the start of your difficulties, which we needn’t discuss here. There can be periods of respite in this period which lasts until 2020. The good news is that there are technologies of consciousness that can help to decrease the obstacles coming from past actions (karma) indicated in this period.”

There’s plenty of support for Woods among the 1,739 comments, though some seem to be growing impatient with their hero, who hasn’t won a major in seven years.

“Tiger ya baby get out there and play,” says someone with the screen name Love Tiger Woods. “You have turned into a spoiled rich kid.”

Mostly, though, they simply want the Tiger of old back.

“Where are you Mr. Woods?” asks Jared. “Where are the Sundays when you walked onto the course and commanded respect and inflicted fear in the souls of everyone who dare tee it up with you? Where are your laser focused eyes that never deviate from the task at hand? Where is that unwavering confidence that can never be shaken or broken? Where is that killer instinct that none of these kids are going to take my destiny from me?”

So far at least, it’s nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, the Masters is just two weeks away.

SAN ANTONIO – Jordan Spieth has a couple of home games before the Masters.

“I enjoy being able to drive my own car to these tournaments,” said Spieth, the 21-year Texan who lives in suburban Dallas. “I get to see a lot of friends and family who I don’t get to see a lot of the year. And then, at the same time, get ready for the Masters on a challenging track.”

He will open play Thursday in the Texas Open and also is playing next week in the Houston Open.

“As a native Texan, I always like playing the Texas events,” Spieth said. “This event, in particular, gave me an exemption when I was in college. … So, it’s a tournament that has helped launch my career and one that is close to my heart. I like being back here.”

Spieth is coming off a playoff victory two weeks ago at Innisbrook. He tied for second behind Bubba Watson last year in the Masters and won the Australian Open and Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge in consecutive weeks late last year.

At Innisbrook, Spieth beat Patrick Reed and Sean O’Hair with a 30-foot birdie putt on the third extra hole.

“I really felt like it was coming,” said Spieth, a career-best sixth in the world ranking. “Just patient enough to pull it off. Nice to close it out on a made putt.”

Spieth was 10th last year at TPC San Antonio.

“He’s a superstar,” defending champion Steven Bowditch said. “He’s strong in every aspect of his game and will be a force to be reckoned with for the next 20-odd years. You break down his golf swing and you see he’s one best out here with his clubface control.”

Bowditch won his first PGA Tour title last year. The Australian closed with a 4-over 76 in windy conditions for a one-stroke victory.

Phil Mickelson is in the field along with Dustin Johnson, Billy Horschel, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, area resident Jimmy Walker and Matt Every.

The Canadian contingent Graham Delaet, David Hearn and Adam Hadwin.

Mickelson is winless since the 2013 British Open.

Johnson is coming off victory March 8 at Doral in the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. He played the course for the first time Wednesday.

“The golf course is great,” Johnson said. “It’s in really good shape. I like the course. I think it’s fairly tough. I think it will be a good week.”

Every successfully defended his Arnold Palmer Invitational title Sunday. He made an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory over Henrik Stenson.

The top 50 in the world ranking after the tournament will earn spots in the Masters.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Rory McIlroy’s road to the Masters was memorable for reasons not many would have imagined.

He missed the cut at the Honda Classic. He was missing a club at the Cadillac Championship when he flung his 3-iron into a lake. And his highlight at the Arnold Palmer Invitational was eating a banana split after dinner with the King.

“He went into it like it was the last supper,” Palmer said.

It wasn’t pretty, but there was no reason for McIlroy to panic.

He finished off the Florida swing with two birdies on the last three holes for a 2-under 70, eight shots behind Matt Every at Bay Hill. He tied for ninth at Doral, though he was still eight shots behind Dustin Johnson and never really featured on the weekend.

In 10 rounds over three tournaments, he broke 70 only once.

Before heading home to South Florida for two weeks of work before the Masters, he was asked if he should be the favorite at Augusta National.

“Given how I’ve been playing, I guess if you go on form, then probably no,” McIlroy said. “But it depends how far you take that for back, and you’ve got to look at previous results there and all sorts of stuff.”

There was no right way to answer the question, so he made an artful escape by adding, “I’m not a bookie.”

But he is the favorite.

And there will be loads of pressure on McIlroy. The opportunity is too great.

Not since Lee Trevino in 1991 has a player gone to the Masters with a chance to complete the Grand Slam. Trevino never cared for Augusta National, never seriously contended there and besides, he was 51. McIlroy had a four-shot lead going into the final round in 2011 and shot 80.

He knows he can play there. He’s only 25. And he’s No. 1 in the world.

Beyond the Grand Slam, he can join Tiger Woods and Ben Hogan as the only players with three straight majors since the Masters began in 1934. Those opportunities don’t come along very often, which is why Woods points to the 2000 PGA Championship (his third straight major) as his most clutch putting performance.

The good news for McIlroy is the buildup to the Masters is over – at least for now.

The first three months of the year were all about Augusta National, and the hype wasn’t quite as strong as it could have been. He was asked about it a fair amount, though not enough to consume him. Either way, he was prepared for it.

“I was expecting to get a lot of questions,” he said. “It’s a big deal what I’m trying to achieve over there.”

It’s difficult to measure progress over five tournaments spread across two months, though his win in Dubai and runner-up finish in Abu Dhabi should not be overlooked.

McIlroy said the best golf he was playing going into the Masters was in 2011. He didn’t win in five events leading to the Augusta, with a runner-up in Abu Dhabi and a tie for 10th in Dubai and Doral. By that measure, this year has been slightly better.

There was a glimpse of impatience early in the Florida swing, particularly at Doral when he had trouble trusting the difficult shots, such as the pull with a 3-iron into the lake, and the club that soon followed the ball into the water. McIlroy managed to turn that into a light-hearted moment. Donald Trump managed to turn that into a three-day news event. And then it was time to move on.

The real culprit has been his wedges and irons. He’s simply not hitting it very close for a reasonable chance at making birdie putts. In a tiny sample size, but McIlroy’s average proximity from 125 yards to 150 yards was 30 feet in the Florida swing, or about 10 feet farther away than his 2014 average on the PGA Tour.

The good news for McIlroy is no one is talking about a slump. And there’s something to be said about not peaking too early.

Woods was going for an unprecedented sweep of the majors in 2001 and there were suggestions of a slump. He went six tournaments without winning (though he was never worse than a tie for 13th). The Masters was approaching. The pressure was building.

And then Woods won Bay Hill, The Players Championship and the Masters. It’s all about peaking at the right time.

The Masters starts in 17 days.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Matt Every won the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the second straight year, making an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Bay Hill to beat Henrik Stenson and earn another trip back to the Masters.

Every rallied from a four-shot deficit last year for his first career victory. This one was even sweeter. He came from three shots behind Sunday with a 6-under 66, and he had to make the biggest putt of his career to get that handshake with the tournament host.

“The one on 18, straight downhill,” Every said. “That’s what you want under pressure.”

Stenson closed with a 70 and extended a curious streak on the PGA Tour. It was the ninth straight tournament in which a 54-hole leader failed to win, and the Swede let this one get away.

He regained the lead with birdies on the 11th and 12th holes as Morgan Hoffmann began to fade, and Stenson had a one-shot lead with four holes to play. But he three-putted from 45 feet on the 15th, and three-putted again for par from 40 feet on the fringe at the par-5 16th.

Needing a birdie to force a playoff, Stenson was wide left on a 20-foot putt at the 18th.

Every finished at 19-under 269 and became the first player since Payne Stewart in 1987 to win at Bay Hill with all four rounds in the 60s.

A year ago, Every missed a 4-foot par putt on the 18th hole and had to wait a nervous 10 minutes to see if anyone could catch him. This time, he had no room for error. With a confident swing that held up all week, he drilled his drive down the left side of the fairway and hit his approach above the hole to set up his birdie.

He joined Tiger Woods and Loren Roberts as the only players to repeat at Arnie’s place. Woods won four in a row, and back-to-back on two other occasions. Roberts, like Every, won his first two PGA Tour titles at Bay Hill.

Matt Jones birdied three of his last four holes for a 68 to finish alone in third.

Hoffmann had a two-shot lead after a birdie on the eighth hole, but it was a struggle the rest of the way. Stenson caught him on the 11th, and Hoffmann made bogey on his next two holes to fall three shots behind. He hit his tee shot out-of-bounds into a backyard on the 18th hole for a double bogey and a 71 to finish fourth.

Rory McIlroy, in his final tournament before he goes for his third straight major and the career Grand Slam at the Masters, closed with a 70 and tied for 11th. The world’s No. 1 player had only one round in the 60s in his three events on the Florida swing.

“The main goal was to come here and try to win,” said McIlroy, who played Bay Hill for the first time. “Couldn’t do that. At least I got a couple of things out of this week, which is good.”

Zach Johnson holed a 5-iron from 207 yards on the par-5 16th for the second albatross in two days, after no one had made a 2 on a par 5 since Bay Hill began in 1979.

Every left Bay Hill a year ago believing he could win the Masters on his first try. He missed the cut and had only one top 10 the rest of the year. But he changed coaches in the fall and began working with Sean Foley to tighten up areas in his game.

Now he heads to Augusta with more confidence, and believes he has a swing that will get him in these positions more often.

Sam Saunders, the 27-year-old grandson of Palmer, closed with a 73 and tied for 29th.

The top Canadian was Canada’s Nick Taylor. The Abbotsford, B.C. native was 6-under (76-65-70-71) and tied for 35th.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont. was a shot back at 5-under (69-73-69-72). He tied for 43rd.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Henrik Stenson of Sweden finished with another flourish at Bay Hill on Saturday and seized control of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

It was the second straight day that Stenson played the final four holes in 4-under par. Two shots behind, he made a 12-foot birdie on the 15th hole, a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 16th and finished with a pitching wedge that plopped down 2 feet from the 18th hole for a 6-under 66.

That gave Stenson a two-shot lead over Morgan Hoffmann, who stumbled on the front nine, recovered with three birdies in four holes and then stalled at the end for a 71.

Stenson, the No. 3 player in the world, was at 16-under 200.

“It’s a new day tomorrow, so whatever has happened these first three days has put me in a nice position,” Stenson said. “But it’s got to be done all over tomorrow.”

Six players are separated by three shots going into Sunday’s final round, a group that includes defending champion Matt Every.

Rory McIlroy looked as though he would be among them. The world’s No. 1 player pulled to within one shot of the lead with his fourth birdie of the round on the 13th hole. But he ran off three straight bogeys, missing a par putt from just inside 3 feet on No. 15 and chopping up the par-5 16th hole. McIlroy effectively gave up two shots to the field on the 16th, where only one other player failed to make par or better.

McIlroy missed the cut in the Honda Classic and finished eight shots behind at Doral. Asked if Bay Hill counted as being in contention, he replied, “Not anymore.”

“I guess if I can get off to the fast start tomorrow … maybe I will have a chance,” he said. “It would have been nicer to be a little closer to the lead going into tomorrow.”

A two-shot lead can disappear quickly, especially on the back nine. Even so, Stenson has been steady during his three stops on the Florida swing. He tied for fourth at Doral, and missed the three-man playoff at Innisbrook by one shot last week.

Hoffmann regained the lead with back-to-back birdies early on the back nine, but his tee shot rolled up to the lip of a bunker on par-5 16th and he was one of only two players in the third round who had to lay up short of the creek. Hoffmann had to settle for pars, though he was still in the final group with Stenson.

Every had a 69 and was in the group at 13-under 203 that included Jason Kokrak (65), Matt Jones (67) and Las Vegas winner Ben Martin (68). Jones birdied his last four holes, including a 75-foot putt across the green at the par-3 17th.

Hoffmann had a chance to limit the number of contenders if he had posted a better score. The scoring average was low again because of slow, receptive greens this week. But he kept getting funny lies in the fairway, mud on his ball and a few breaks that didn’t go his way.

But he still has a chance, as do so many others, especially considering the most recent trend on the PGA Tour. In the last eight tournaments (including the Puerto Rico Open), the winner came from behind in the final round.

Sean O’Hair, who was in the playoff at Innisbrook last week, had a 68 and was five shots behind. The group six shots back included Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, who matched the low score of the third round with a 65. Harris English, No. 52 in the world as he tries to get into the Masters, hit two balls in the water on the front nine and battled back with four birdies over his last four holes for a 72.

Daniel Berger made the first albatross at Bay Hill, hitting 4-iron from 237 yards into the hole for a 2 on the par-5 sixth hole.

And still on the fringe of contention was Sam Saunders, the 27-year-old grandson of Palmer, who shot 67 to join the group at 8-under 208.

Canadians David Hearn (69-73-69) and Nick Taylor (76-65-70) each have a share of 39th at 5-under 211.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Equipped with his first PGA Tour lead in 67 starts, Morgan Hoffmann played Friday like he wanted to keep it in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Hoffman made birdies on half of his holes for a 7-under 65, giving him a three-shot lead over Henrik Stenson, Harris English and defending champion Matt Every going into the weekend on soft and defenseless Bay Hill.

Stenson, English and Every each had a 66.

Rory McIlroy also got into the mix – finally – by making five straight birdies on his back nine for a 66, his first sub-70 score in three PGA Tour events this year. He was five shots behind and headed in the right direction in his final start before the Masters.

Bay Hill has greens that are so stressed that they will be replaced this summer. They are slow and receptive, a recipe for low scoring, and it shows.

Hoffmann was at 13-under 131, one short of the 36-hole record at Bay Hill. The cut was at 142, matching the lowest score to make the cut in 27 years at Bay Hill. It was the first time the cut was under par, but only because the tournament changed par to 70 (instead of 72) in 2008.

“I’m trying to birdie every hole out there, so it was good,” Hoffmann said. “Just hitting great putts and good shots into the greens really helps. It’s nice to hit some greens for a change. This year hasn’t been that great, and it’s a good change.”

The 25-year-old from Oklahoma State made six birdies on the front nine, including four in a row, and he finished with a 6-iron out of the rough and over the water – the ball landed just four paces onto the green – for a par that kept him in control.

Hoffmann came into the week at No. 158 in the “strokes gained” statistic from tee-to-green. He leads the field at Bay Hill.

Next up is how well he holds up on the weekend.

Stenson, who has finished fourth in his two Florida events already, birdied his last four holes for a 30 on the back nine. He will be playing in the penultimate group with English, who is No. 52 in the world just outside qualifying for the Masters.

“Got to keep the pedal down and keep aggressive,” English said.

He is coming off a top 10 at Innisbrook in which he closed with a 65, which moved him up eight spots in the ranking.

McIlroy had dinner with Palmer on Thursday night and was treading water Friday morning until an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-3 second hold got him going. He birdied the next four holes, though he lost some momentum at the end with a bogey on No. 8 and a scrambling par on his final hole.

“It would be nice to finish the round off a little better, but still a good score and sets me up well for the weekend,” McIlroy said. “I think each and every day I’m feeling a little more comfortable, especially on the greens. Obviously, we played in the morning so we got the best of the greens, and it’s easier to trust the lines you pick for yourself. But happy with how I putted today, and putt like that over the weekend, I’ll have a chance.”

A lot of that depends on Hoffmann, who is coming off a pair of 12-hour range sessions this weekend to try to rely on a slight fade.

Every has only one top 10 since he won at Bay Hill a year ago, and he has not finished in the top 25 in his last 17 tournaments. But he is confident he is headed in the right direction with his swing, and it showed for two days. He ran off four straight birdies at the end of his round for a 66 and was at 134.

“I’m really excited to play golf because I know I have good stuff coming really, really soon,” Every said. “And I said before, you can lie to yourself. I’ve done it before all the time where I think I can win at the start of weeks. It’s like probably how Rory feels every week.”

McIlroy, playing in Palmer’s tournament for the first time, had dinner with the King on Thursday night after his opening round (and a drug test). They chatted more about commercial possibilities and old-time golf stories than McIlroy’s bid to win the Masters and complete the career Grand Slam.

Palmer also insisted the 25-year-old McIlroy have a banana split.

“I’ll be going to the gym this afternoon,” McIlroy said. “It was fantastic, it really was. He’s telling stories of the old days and talking about a few of the things he’s done more from a commercial standpoint, the drink and golf courses and all this sort of stuff – stuff that I could potentially be getting into in the future.”

He said Palmer also told him how close he was to his father.

“It was just great to be in his presence, and great to be in his company, and I had a good time,” McIlroy said.

Canada’s Nick Taylor fared well Friday, carding a blazing 7-under par 65 to jump 67 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 40th at 3-under.

David Hearn carded a 73 and shared 55th spot at 2-under 142.  Graham DeLaet was even at 144 and missed the cut.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Morgan Hoffmann’s day began with news that his 97-year-old grandmother died Thursday morning. It ended with his first lead on the PGA Tour.

Hoffman began his round with a 35-foot birdie putt on No. 10 and finished it with a 9-iron that touched the hole before stopping inches away for birdie. He also holed a bunker shot for eagle on the par-5 sixth, leading to a 6-under 66 and a one-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

It all was a lot to chew on for the 25-year-old Hoffmann, who cooks his own meals to eat on the golf course (bison steak was for lunch Thursday).

“Mentally, I’m in kind of a weird state right now,” he said. “My grandma passed away this morning, so I’m just pretty chilled out there and loving life right now. Just wish my family the best at home. My whole family texted me and said, `Nanny is playing golf with pop up there,’ which was pretty cool.”

Hoffmann hopes to attend a memorial service for Dorothy Lionetti in Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday night. It should be a short trip considering Hoffmann pilots his own plane that he recently bought from his buddy David Booth, who plays left wing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He was inspired to be a pilot after meeting with the tournament host during the Palmer Cup in 2009.

Hoffman, clearly, is not the garden variety PGA Tour player.

“I have a lot of stuff you guys didn’t ask,” he said with a perfect smile.

Not to be forgotten was his golf. He had a one-shot lead over five players, including Ian Poulter and Kevin Na. The group at 68 included Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson and Brandt Snedeker.

Poulter, who made an eagle from just off the 16th green, had his own distraction. His 3-year-old son was taken to the hospital Wednesday night with a low oxygen level and pneumonia. It was a long night, with a bit of a scare, but Joshua was doing better Thursday morning.

“I suppose it was a blessing, last tee time off,” said Poulter, who was in the afternoon group of starters.

Rory McIlroy hit 17 greens in regulation in his Bay Hill debut and one-putted only two greens, including a 15-foot birdie on the 18th for a 70. McIlroy two-putted from 18 feet for birdie on No. 6, and his lone bogey came with an approach into the water on the par-5 16th. He twirled the club when he saw the splash, though it stayed in his hands.

In his third American event this year, the world’s No. 1 player still hasn’t broken 70. But he’s getting there.

“Seeing signs of my game that I like,” McIlroy said. “Another three days of hopefully solid golf and try and get into contention, and that will put me in a good place going into Augusta.”

Hoffmann also is headed to Augusta National for the first time, courtesy of making the Tour Championship last year on the strength of a pair of top 10s in the FedEx Cup playoffs. He just hasn’t followed up on his finish at the start of this season, with no top 10s in nine tournaments.

But after missing the cut at Innisbrook, he spent 12 hours at home in south Florida hitting balls and trying to hit cut shots to stop the aggravating two-way miss. The work appears to be paying off. He missed only two fairways and four greens, none by a great length.

Twelve hours on the range can be exhausting, and when asked if he had at least stopped for lunch, Hoffmann shared his culinary preferences.

He cooks the night before and packs six small meals to eat during the day. The only thing missing is the cutlery, even for a bison steak. “Barehanded it,” he said. He limits his carbohydrates to brown rice and sweet potatoes, along with some vegetables. On the road, he picks hotels with a small kitchen.

“I just figure it’s better than eating candy bars or protein bars,” he said. “I have real food out there.”

Hoffman, who went to Oklahoma State, first met Palmer at the 2009 Palmer Cup at Cherry Hills. The King shared the importance of a legible autograph (he worked on that) and his affection for flying. Palmer was among the first golfers to fly his own plane and only gave up the controls four years ago.

So it felt only fitting that his first lead after any round on tour would come at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “Arnie has inspired me very heavily since 2009 when I played the Palmer Cup at Cherry Hills, and we talked for about an hour about flying. He’s inspired me to get my pilot’s license and fly myself to tournaments, which I’m now doing. It’s pretty cool, and he’s been a big inspiration in my life.”

Three-shots back of Hoffman with a share of 18th is David Hearn. The Brantford, Ont., native opened with a 3-under par 69 and was the low Canuck thru 18 holes.

Graham Delaet is tied for 93rd after a 2-over 74, while Nick Taylor had a 76 (+4) and has a share of 107th.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Rory McIlroy is adding a new wrinkle to his preparations for the Masters.

McIlroy makes his debut in the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Thursday, his final tournament before he tries to complete the career Grand Slam and win a third straight major at Augusta National in three weeks.

He began playing the Masters in 2009, and this is the fourth pre-Augusta schedule he has tried.

“I thought I’d just mix it up a little bit this year,” McIlroy said Wednesday. “Play here and then I’ll have a couple weeks off to get ready for Augusta. Back in `11, I took three weeks off before the Masters. It worked pretty well – for 63 holes, not quite 72. So just trying to adopt a similar approach.”

That was the closest the 25-year-old McIlroy has been to a green jacket. He had a four-shot lead going into the final round in 2011 only to shoot 80 in the final round. Then again, he tried that same schedule – three weeks off before the Masters – in 2012 and tied for 40th.

He twice has played one week before the Masters at the Shell Houston Open (2010, 2014), and in 2013 played Houston and San Antonio before the Masters.

The search continues, though every player has a different idea how to get ready.

Bay Hill is a popular spot this year. The world’s No. 1 player at the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the first time is joined by three others from the top five in the world ranking in Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott and Jason Day. The tournament had all of the top five until Bubba Watson withdrew on Wednesday because a childhood friend died unexpectedly and he wanted to be at the funeral.

McIlroy is more interested in his game being ready. Even though he won in Dubai and was runner-up in Abu Dhabi at the start of the year, his return to America hasn’t been glowing. He missed the cut at the Honda Classic and somehow got into the top 10 at Doral, though he was eight shots behind the winner, Dustin Johnson, and still hasn’t broken 70 in his six rounds on the PGA Tour this year.

Longtime swing coach Michael Bannon came over from Northern Ireland late last week and they worked together for five days.

“That was sort of an unplanned visit,” McIlroy said. “The last five days have been really good work with him, just one-on-one, no one else around. It’s been really good. So feeling much better about my game now than I was walking off Doral 10 days ago.”

And there has been time for fun and relaxation – at Augusta National, no less.

McIlroy took his father, Gerry, there last week for a two-day trip that resembled a father-son outing with a few powerful people – Augusta National members Ed Hurley and Jimmy Dunne, along with the Manning clan of NFL fame.

He described it as “100 percent fun, zero percent serious.”

“I didn’t hit any extra balls. I played one ball the whole time,” McIlroy said. “Really wanted to go and enjoy it with my dad. That was what the whole thing was about. There’s four father-and-sons, and we had a great time.”

He said he played “pretty well” the first day, without mentioning a score. For a four-time major champion, “pretty well” can mean just about anything. McIlroy wasn’t saying, except that it was in the 60s but not the course record.

The highlight might have been off the golf course. McIlroy was in the gym at 6 a.m. Friday at the club when he got some unexpected company – a pair of Super Bowl MVPs. First, Tom Brady came in. Fifteen minutes later, Peyton Manning showed up.

“That was my time to leave,” McIlroy said.

Along with being a little in awe, McIlroy was impressed. The Masters is three weeks away. Training camp for the NFL is four months away.

“It’s their offseason,” McIlroy said. “I guess for me it was to see all those guys in the gym before their season starts and they’re so dedicated and committed to what they do, especially those two guys, Peyton and Tom. They’re both in their mid-30s and they want to prolong their careers as much as they can.

“To see them putting so much into it even after 15 successful years … it was great for me to see. It was inspirational in some ways.”

He said there was some football talk, mostly about all the trades that were going on.

“It was nice to be in that little world for a couple of days and experience it,” he said.

He gets back to his world Thursday at Bay Hill, with the Masters just around the corner.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Jordan Spieth and his world-class short game came up big in a playoff victory Sunday at the Valspar Championship.

Spieth capped off an afternoon of back-nine charges, clutch putts and unseemly par saves by making a 30-foot birdie putt on the third extra hole of a playoff at Innisbrook to beat Ryder Cup teammates Patrick Reed and Sean O’Hair.

“A crazy back nine,” said Spieth, who won for the second time in his PGA Tour career and fourth time worldwide to reach a career-high No. 6 in the world.

The 21-year-old Spieth was three shots behind with six holes to play when he made two birdies to catch a faltering Ryan Moore, and then saved par on his final three holes for a 2-under 69 to join the playoff. And these par saves were not what anyone would call routine.

With his right foot in the bunker and his left foot on grass well above the ball in the sand, he blasted out to 3 feet on the 16th. From deep rough on a hill, he hit a flop shot to a short pin to 6 feet to stay tied for the lead. And he holed a 12-foot par putt on the 18th that fell in the left side of the cup.

Reed was just as impressive with his short game to keep his hopes alive in the eighth and perhaps most compelling playoff on the PGA Tour this season. He buried a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a bogey-free 66, pumping his fist as if he were still in Gleneagles at the Ryder Cup.

Reed was the first to finish at 10-under 274.

On the 18th hole in a playoff, he was buried in the lip of a bunker, blasted out to just under 10 feet and made par to stay in the game after Spieth missed from 10 feet. On the next playoff hole, the tough 16th, Reed had no chance well behind the green in grass so deep he could barely see his ball. That came out perfectly for another par.

Reed, who went the final 29 holes without a bogey on the Copperhead course, never had a chance to try for a third par save when Spieth hit the winner.

Not to be overlooked was O’Hair, who has had to earn his full PGA Tour card the last two years in the Web.com Tour Finals. The former RBC Canadian Open champion poured in a pair of big birdies on the back nine, including a 30-footer on the 16th, and made a tough par save on the 18th in regulation.

O’Hair had a 12-foot birdie putt for the win on the second extra hole, and the putt caught the right side of the cup.

Spieth earned a small measure of redemption against Reed, a friend and Ryder Cup partner. Reed beat him in a playoff at the Wyndham Championship in 2013 for the first of Reed’s four PGA Tour wins.

Only two players in 2015 have had at least a share of the 54-hole lead and went on to victory on the PGA Tour. Moore did not become the third. He holed a 7-iron on the sixth hole for an eagle to take a two-shot lead, and back-to-back birdies early on the back nine stretched his lead to three shots with six to play.

Moore went long and into thick rough on the par-3 13th and made bogey, and then dropped another shot on the 16th. He made one more bogey on the 18th when his hopes were gone, closed with a 72 and finished fifth.

That was the wrong direction to go with so many players charging to the finish line.

Reed ran into a pair of 12-foot birdie putts to get within one shot, and then made his big birdie on the 18th. O’Hair ran off four birdies in a six-hole stretch, and finished with a tough par. His drive went into the trees and his approach stopped against the collar of the green some 50 feet away. Using the blade of his wedge, he knocked it up to 5 feet and holed the putt for a 67 to join Reed at 274.

Spieth made a tough par save on the 12th, a 10-foot birdie on the 13th and a 30-foot birdie on the par-5 14th to tie for the lead, and then his short game saved him.

Henrik Stenson, in his Innisbrook debut, ran off three straight birdies and closed with a 67 to fall one shot short of the playoff.

Spieth came full circle at Innisbrook with the victory. Two years ago, his short game led to a birdie-par finish that paved the way for him to get a PGA Tour card after starting the season with no status. He went on to great things that year, including a victory as a 19-year-old and a spot in the Presidents Cup. And he hasn’t really stopped. Spieth went over $10 million for his career.

Nick Taylor carded his only above par round for the championship, a 1-over 72 Sunday, to tie for 24th at 3-under 282.

The other two Canadians in the field were David Hearn of Brantford, B.C. and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C.

Hearn (70-73-71-73) finished 3-over and tied for 53rd, while Hadwin (68-75-75-76) was 10-over and ended the week 71st.