LOS ANGELES – Retief Goosen had gone so long without being in contention on the weekend that he wondered how his nerves would hold up. They were tested Saturday at Riviera, and the two-time U.S. Open champion earned a passing grade.

Even though he made only two pars on the back nine, and twice faced tough putts just to save bogey, Goosen never lost the lead. He finished with a chip-in for birdie, reached the par-5 17th in two for another birdie and had a 2-under 69 to build a two-shot lead in the Northern Trust Open.

“It wasn’t easy out there for me,” Goosen said. “Mentally, I had to work hard to try and stay positive and focused. But I’m still in the lead, so that’s a good place to be. Just try and play solid tomorrow and keep the putter warm and see what happens.”

Sunday is the final exam.

The South African is 46 and coming up on the six-year anniversary of his last win. He was two shots ahead of Graham DeLaet of Canada, who had a 70, with a host of contenders within four shots – Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Jim Furyk, Jordan Spieth, Angel Cabrera, defending champion Bubba Watson, and even Vijay Singh, who turns 52 on Sunday.

Gooden had disk replacement surgery in 2012 when protein injections didn’t work, and feared his career might be over. Now he has a second chance.

“This would be an awesome win,” Goosen said. “It’s been awhile since I had a chance to win. Yeah, this would … feel like a U.S. Open, a third U.S. Open, for me winning this week. I’m going to give it my all tomorrow and fight hard and we’ll see what happens.”

He was at 8-under 205.

DeLaet caught Goosen with an eagle on the opening hole, fell back with consecutive bogeys and did his best to stay close. He will be in the final group with Goosen and Bae Sang-Moon, who matched the best score of the week with a 66 and was three shots behind. DeLaet, going for his first win, thinks that might help being with Goosen.

“He’s a great guy to play with, especially under pressure circumstances, because you can just kind of look at him and see how cool and collected he is with that silky-smooth bomb that he hits off the tee,” DeLaet said. “I’m a little bit more of an emotional player than that, but I’ve learned over the years to not get too amped up or too down low. I think playing with him is a good way to just keep the calm and just go about business.”

Bae was in a large group at 5-under 208 that include Garcia, whose remarkable par on the 13th hole was set up by a 3-iron from a bunker behind the 10th green.

Ryan Moore, whose tee shot on the 286-yard 10th hole rolled over the cup and off the green, was preparing for a long putt up the slope when Garcia’s tee shot on No. 13 landed with a thud behind him and went into a bunker.

“I didn’t know anybody was on the 10th hole,” Garcia said. “I mean, I didn’t even know where my ball was going.”

The trick was figuring out where to go next. The TV towers on the 10th hole blocked his view to the green, but because he was in a bunker, his only relief was against the back lip. Garcia grabbed a 3-iron and drilled it through a tiny gap in the eucalyptus trees, just short of the green. His chip came up 25 feet short, and he made it for par.

Garcia birdied only the 17th on the back nine and shot 68, putting him in contention in his first U.S. tournament of the year.

Carlos Ortiz of Mexico also had a 68 and will play with Garcia, one of his mentors on tour. J.B. Holmes shot a 69 and joined them at 208.

Watson is hanging around. He shot 70 and joined seven others at 4-under 209, still in range just four shots behind. The group included Singh (69), Johnson (67), Furyk (68), Spieth (70) and Cabrera (71).

Also in that group was Moore, who started the round one shot behind and shot a 72.

Moore’s drive on the 10th was close to perfect and ran over the back of the cup. It was an inch away from hitting the flag and possibly dropping for a hole-in-one, but the cup didn’t slow it enough to keep from running off the back of the green. He wound up with a par.

Then, Moore’s tee shot on the par-3 16th hit the flag and caromed off the green. He made that one from the fringe for a birdie. Even so, he was among 13 players within four shots of the lead.

It’s up for grabs, and it starts with Goosen, who says the back surgery gave him a “second life” on tour. Now it’s about what’s between the ears.

“My back is feeling great. I have zero back pain,” he said. “I wish I was 10 years younger, but I feel like I can swing the club again. I just need to control my nerves a little bit.”

Canadian Adam Hadwin is tied for 39th place at 2-over.

DIVOTS: Justin Thomas, one shot out of the lead going into the third round, hit his opening tee shot out-of-bounds for a bogey, and then hit a tee shot on No. 6 that bounced off a tree, off a concession tent and into knee-high grass. He chose to go back to the tee to take triple bogey out of the picture, but then landed on the wrong side of the bunker in the middle of the green and took triple bogey. He shot 75 and was seven shots behind. … The scores on the 286-yard 10th hole ranged from an eagle (Brendan Steele) to a triple bogey (Brandt Snedeker). It was the first time the hole played under par all week with the front left pin.

LOS ANGELES – Retief Goosen handled the tough conditions at Riviera so well on Friday that it brought back some fond memories.

Sure, he’s a two-time U.S. Open champion, and the Northern Trust Open drew some comparisons to golf’s toughest test with its firm, fast conditions. For now, Goosen was just thrilled to be in the lead going into the weekend at any tournament.

Goosen rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on his final hole for a 1-under 70 and his first 36-hole lead in more than four years.

“It’s been such a long time since I’ve last been in contention,” Goosen said. “Who knows how my game is going to hold up? But I’m feeling good. My back is feeling great. So if the nerves can hold, just continue to make good golf swings and make a few good putts, who knows?”

He was one shot ahead of Ryan Moore (68), Graham DeLaet (67) and Justin Thomas, the 21-year-old rookie who already has been in the weekend hunt twice this year. Thomas made three crucial par saves on his final nine holes for a 69.

It’s easy to mention U.S. Open when the scores are high, especially on a course that once hosted one. But there was nothing easy about Riviera. Goosen was at 6-under 136, the highest 36-hole score to lead on the PGA Tour since the Quicken Loans National at Congressional, another U.S. Open venue.

“It’s playing similar to a major championship,” said Jordan Spieth, who had a 70 and was three shots behind. “And the rough … there’s really no rough. That’s what is great about this place. It only takes a couple days for them to make it like a major, and they don’t even have to do much.”

Goosen, who turned 46 earlier this month and hasn’t won in six years, has plenty of work ahead of him.

Two-time major champion Angel Cabrera made two bogeys over his last three holes for a 68 and was two shots behind. Defending champion Bubba Watson (69), Spieth and J.B. Holmes (69) were in the group three shots behind.

Nick Watney became the first player all week to reach 7 under early in the second round, and he was leading when he made the turn and made birdie on the par-5 first hole. He followed with four straight bogeys and shot 74, though he was still in range. Watney was in the large group at 2-under 140 that included Sergio Garcia (69), Vijay Singh (74) and Carlos Ortiz (73).

“If it continues to be like this, it’s only going to get tougher,” Goosen said. “There’s going to be some tougher pins out there, and par will be a good score on a lot of these holes. … The rough is thick in places. The greens are definitely becoming U.S. Open greens.”

The rough isn’t severe, but it doesn’t have to be. The greens are so firm that it’s difficult to get it close. Goosen had a sand wedge into the seventh green and it rolled out some 35 feet.

“It’s just tough to have birdie chances that are reasonable on this golf course right now,” Moore said. “The greens are so firm and so bouncy. I hit a handful of what I would say are as good of shots as I could possibly hit the last couple days and ended up with 45-footers.”

Watson was moving closer to the lead with a 40-foot eagle on No. 1 (he started at No. 10) and a 25-foot birdie on the next hole. But he hit a wayward tee on the third that led to bogey, and finished with six straight pars.

“I haven’t been able to get the ball as close as I want to,” Watson said. “I made two long putts, which me look like I played really good today.”

DeLaet and Thomas each saved their rounds with pars.

DeLaet, who rolled in a 40-foot birdie putt from the fringe on No. 4, had par putts of 10, 7, 6 and 5 feet the rest of the front nine for a solid round with just one bogey. Thomas saved par from the bunker in the middle of the green on the par-3 sixth hole and made an 8-foot par save on the next hole. He also made a 10-foot par putt on the long par-3 fourth hole.

“I felt like they were (worth) more than the birdie putts,” Thomas said. “To leave it in the spots I did and get up-and-down for par was huge.”

Goosen won his U.S. Opens at Southern Hills in a playoff and at Shinnecock Hills with his short game, particularly the putter. This only reminded him of a U.S. Open the way he had to fight for every score.

“I was working hard out there, keeping my score together and hopefully, this weekend it’s going to be the same,” he said. “It’s going to be a grind out there.”

Adam Hadwin of Moose Jaw, Sask. was even on the day and sits T48 at 2-over. Winnipeg’s Nick Taylor and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont. did not make the cut.

DIVOTS: Mike Weir withdrew on his front nine with soreness in his right elbow. He said he would see a doctor and likely not be ready for the Honda Classic. … Lucas Glover made a hole-in-one on the par-3 sixth hole, a tap-in birdie on the par-3 16th and 10-foot birdie on the par-3 fourth, the second-hardest hole at Riviera on Friday. He also had five bogeys, however, and missed the cut by one. … The cut was at 3-over 145. Fred Couples missed a 6-foot par putt on the 18th hole and missed it by one shot.

LOS ANGELES – Jack Nicklaus isn’t ruling out Tiger Woods breaking his record of 18 major championships provided he rediscovers his game.

Nicklaus said Friday on Golf Channel that Woods will have to do that on his own.

“You go through things, and you have to have a positive thing happen to you to turn it around,” Nicklaus said. “I think Tiger will turn it around. He’s too dedicated, he works too hard at it, he’s got too much talent. He’ll figure it out. And personally, I think he needs to figure it out himself. Because a teacher can’t teach what’s inside your head. You’ve got to be able to put that positive thought into your head yourself.”

Woods, coming off an injury-played season that caused him to miss two majors, the FedEx Cup playoffs and the Ryder Cup, began his 2015 campaign with a career-high 82 to miss the cut in the Phoenix Open and withdrawing after 11 holes at Torrey Pines with tightness in his lower back.

He said the tightness was not related to the back surgery he had last spring that kept him out a combined seven months. Woods decided not to play the Honda Classic next week and said he won’t return until his game is ready for tournament competition.

“Tiger is struggling. I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Nicklaus said. “I think he’s struggling more between his ears than he is any place else. He’s struggled with the driver most of his life really, but he’s always been able to find the golf ball and get it somewhere back around the green.

“And now he’s having trouble with the short game,” he added. “That is not a good combination, to drive it poorly and have a bad short game.”

Nicklaus spoke on Golf Channel from Doral, site of the Cadillac Championship. The Jack Nicklaus Villa at Trump National Doral was unveiled on Friday.

Woods has been linked to Nicklaus for his entire career, mainly because of the benchmark Nicklaus established with his 18 professional majors. As a kid, he had a chart taped up in his bedroom of what Nicklaus accomplished at various ages as an amateur.

Woods won his 14th major in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, a week before he had reconstructive knee surgery. He was ahead of pace then, but he has gone six years without winning a major, and he hasn’t played in six majors since his last victory because of injuries.

Nicklaus said he still thinks Woods will eclipse his record, a question the Golden Bear has been asked more than any other over the years. He once joked about the headlines he would create if he ever answered, “No.”

“I still do. Why would I not think that?” Nicklaus said. “He’s got a lot of golf in front of him. But it’s going to be up to him. He’s still got to do it. He may, he may not. Obviously, chances are harder for him now than five years ago, but I still think he has time on his side.”

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Tiger Woods will not be playing the Honda Classic next week.

The decision was not a surprise. Woods said last week his game was not acceptable for tournament golf and that he would not play again until he felt like it was. His agent confirmed in an email that he would not be playing the Honda Classic.

Woods has played only two tournaments this year. He had a career-high 82 in the Phoenix Open and missed the cut by 12 shots. The following week at Torrey Pines, he withdrew after 11 holes because of tightness in his back.

Woods said that was not related to back surgery he had last spring.

Woods is No. 66 in the world and will not be eligible for the World Golf Championship at Doral.

LOS ANGELES – This much can be said about a six-way tie for the lead after the opening round at the Northern Trust Open.

At least it was Thursday and not Sunday.

Vijay Singh and Retief Goosen, a decade ago among the top five players in the world, were together again at the top of the leaderboard after each posted a 5-under 66 while playing in the same group. The 51-year-old Singh hasn’t won since 2008. Goosen, who turned 46 earlier this month, hasn’t won since 2009.

They were joined by Pebble Beach runner-up Nick Watney, Daniel Summerhays, James Hahn and Derek Fathauer.

The real star, as usual, was Riviera.

The fabled course off Sunset Boulevard remains such an interesting test that on a day when an overcast sky gave way to sunshine, with barely enough wind to move leaves on the eucalyptus trees, no one could do better than 66 and the average score was just under 73.

“There were no easy shots,” Dustin Johnson after a hard-earned 70.

That explains why no one could get too far ahead, and that’s not unusual.

And yes, there was a six-way tie on Sunday one year. That was in 2001, when Robert Allenby ended a six-man playoff quickly with a 3-wood to 5 feet on the 18th hole in a cold rain, a magnificent shot that was worthy of a plaque in the fairway. All he got was the first-place check, and when the Australian returned the following year to register as the defending champion, the woman behind the desk didn’t recognize him. She probably would now.

Just three years ago, nine players were tied for the lead after the opening round.

“They are just quality holes out there,” Geoff Ogilvy said after a 68. “It’s an incredible bunch of holes on not an amazing piece of land, really, compared it to a lot of other great courses. Cool and interesting stuff – uphill, downhill, you have to move the ball both ways, awkward angles. It’s just a great golf course, really. And it’s immaculate this year. Nobody likes the drought in California, but it’s good for a course like this to dry out a little bit.

“When golf courses are stressed, they actually play their best,” he said. “And it’s getting really close to that level.”

Singh and Goosen know a thing or two about droughts.

Singh, a three-time major champion in the Hall of Fame, won the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2008 to effectively wrap up the FedEx Cup title, and he hasn’t won since then. About the only news he has made in the last couple of years is the lawsuit against the PGA Tour over its anti-doping policy.

He moved into a share of the lead with a 35-footer from just off the 15th green, followed by a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th hole. He finished strong except for missing a pair of birdie putts inside 12 feet.

“I’m finally not hurting as much as I did the last five years,” Singh said. “That’s a big part of playing good golf. You’re not hurting, you can go out and play and you’re comfortable. Right now, nothing hurts. The golf swing feels good, and I’m happy to be playing.”

Goosen won a pair of U.S. Open titles more than a decade ago, but his last victory was in 2009 at Innisbrook in Florida.

Both now are outside the top 200 in the world ranking. They played with 28-year-old Brian Harman, who shot 78.

“It was nice to see the two old boys play pretty good,” Goosen said.

Three players failed to break 80. One of them was Scott Piercy, who became this year’s face of the par-4 10th hole. He began his round by going from the front bunker to the back bunker to the front bunker to the back bunker before a great putt for double bogey.

Carlos Ortiz of Mexico, who had a 67, summed up the 312-yard hole this way: “I’ve never seen a par 4 that short that hard.”

Defending champion Bubba Watson ended his streak of 43 consecutive holes without a bogey at Riviera when he hit into the trees to the right of the fifth fairway. He did enough right for a 70, a respectable start. He even made a birdie on the 10th hole, which sounded like an accident.

“As we can see throughout the years, that hole is very, very difficult, and par is a great score there,” Watson said. “It might just be because I’m so scared to death of the hole.”

Ogilvy and Justin Thomas were among those at 68, while Jordan Spieth rallied for a 69 with a 31 on his front nine.

Graham DeLaet leads a field of five Canadians following an opening-round 1-under 70 for a share of 16th-place. Adam Hadwin sits T68 at 2-over.

Darren Clarke provided arguably the most emotional story line in the history of the Ryder Cup, and helped forge one of the competition’s most successful partnerships.

And to mark the start of the next chapter in the charismatic, cigar-chomping Northern Irishman’s Ryder Cup story, he was picked as captain of the European team for the 2016 event at Hazeltine.

Overwhelming player support and healthy respect for him on both sides of the Atlantic made Clarke a unanimous choice on Wednesday.

The five-man selection panel included Europe’s last three captains – Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal and Paul McGinley. All three guided the team to victory, in very different ways, to give Clarke a hard act to follow.

“I have big shoes to fill,” said Clarke, the British Open champion in 2011 and one of the most popular figures in golf.

Clarke played for Europe in five straight Ryder Cups from 1997-2006, winning four times. The last of these came at The K Club, where he helped the team to a record-equaling 18 1/2-9 1/2 victory over the United States just six weeks after his first wife, Heather, died following a long battle with breast cancer. Playing through grief, he won all three of his matches.

Clarke was a non-playing vice captain under Montgomerie in 2010 and Olazabal in ’12, which groomed him for the top job.

“The Ryder Cup has been a massive part of my life and my career, so to have the chance to lead Europe next year is a huge honor,” said the silver-haired Clarke, the first Northern Irishman to be given the captaincy.

Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain and Thomas Bjorn of Denmark were also candidates for the role but Clarke was always the big favorite and ended up being the unanimous choice, Montgomerie said.

“I think he’ll be a very good communicator, which is most important as a captain,” Montgomerie said. “He has the respect of the players – that’s a given as Open champion – and his record in the Ryder Cup is very good.”

Clarke has won 11 1/2 points for Europe, with six points from eight matches alongside Lee Westwood putting them joint-second in the all-time list of most successful Ryder Cup combinations.

Top-ranked Rory McIlroy and recent stalwarts of the European team like Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell had given their backing to Clarke.

“That, to a large extent, crystallized my view on where the captaincy should go,” McGinley said. “It’s quite clear Darren got a lot of support.”

Clarke said he would be “foolish” not to follow the same formula as McGinley, who created a great camaraderie in the European team as it swept to a 16 1/2-11 1/2 victory at Gleneagles in September.

While the Americans created a task force in the wake of a sixth loss in the last seven editions of the Ryder Cup, all Europe had to do was put someone in place to take forward the template of success. Clarke is unlikely to be revolutionary in his approach to Hazeltine.

“With the team bonding and team spirit in Gleneagles, it’s something I’ll want to replicate,” Clarke said.

Clarke is popular in the United States and seems suited to be Europe’s captain for a Ryder Cup on American soil. Aside from winning the Open, the biggest victory of his career came in the U.S. when he beat Tiger Woods in the final of the WGC-Matchplay Championship in 2000.

The Associated Press reported Monday that Davis Love III would be the captain of the U.S. team, and is to be introduced on Tuesday. Love and Clarke are close friends.

“That would be wonderful,” Clarke said of coming up against Love. “He’s a gentleman and there isn’t a nicer man in our sport.”

Clarke said he will likely go for five vice-captains, as McGinley did. McGinley, though, said he would not accept the role if asked.

LOS ANGELES – Davis Love III is getting another shot as U.S. captain in the Ryder Cup.

Two people familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Monday night that the PGA of America has selected Love as captain for the 2016 matches at Hazeltine. They spoke on condition of anonymity because it has not been announced.

Golf Channel first reported that Love will be the next captain.

He is to be introduced on Feb. 24, when the Honda Classic is held at PGA headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Love led the Americans to a 10-6 lead at Medinah in 2012 until Ian Poulter and Europe staged an improbable rally and matched the greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history.

This will be the second straight Ryder Cup that the U.S. gets a repeat captain, and it didn’t go so well the previous time. Tom Watson, at 65, was the oldest Ryder Cup captain and returned after a 21-year absence.

But he was out of touch with his team, made a questionable captain’s pick with Webb Simpson and benched Phil Mickelson for both sessions on Saturday. Europe won for the third straight time, extending its dominance.

The Americans appeared to be in disarray all week, and it spilled over into the closing news conference when Mickelson heaped praise on Paul Azinger’s winning formula in 2008 and asked why the PGA of America went away from that. With Watson sitting at the table, Mickelson said the captain never took any input from the players.

Out of that mess, the PGA of America organized a task force of players and former captains to build some continuity and tradition, similar to what Europe has done. Out of those task force meetings – the second and most recent one was at Torrey Pines two weeks ago – the PGA decided its best bet was with Love.

Azinger was mentioned as a possible candidate, and Fred Couples had the support of key players. It was not immediately clear if they were considered, or if Azinger wanted the job again. Azinger turned down an offer to be on the task force. Couples won all three times he was captain of the Presidents Cup.

Europe is expected to announce Darren Clarke as its captain. Love and Clarke are close friends.

The Americans have won the Ryder Cup only one time in the past seven tries.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Brandt Snedeker finds something that works and sticks with it.

He picked up a putter in 2005 on the Nationwide Tour and it has been with him since, except for a short separation last summer when the putts stopped falling. Snedeker, like most golfers, felt as if he needed to teach it a lesson and try something new. Actually, he wanted to teach “her” a lesson. And how did he choose the gender?

“She’s done pretty well over the last nine years, so I feel like it’s a marriage at this point,” he said.

His driver is made by a company that seems to promote something new every other month, and yet Snedeker is still using one made in 2010. In this era of technology, that practically makes it a relic. And those irons? He’s been using those since before Jordan Spieth came out on tour.

The equipment editor for Golf Digest figured out the resale value for the putter and the driver combined would be $34.

“That wouldn’t shock me,” Snedeker said. “If you see any more, I’m willing to buy them for that.”

That shouldn’t be a problem for Snedeker, who used them all quite handily and set the tournament scoring record for the second time in three years when he won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Sunday. The victory was worth just over $1.2 million.

It was valuable in so many other ways.

For starters, it made him relevant again, a term Snedeker used when he realized at the start of the year he was no longer eligible for the events that attract the world’s best players. The seventh career victory got him into the Masters and the PGA Championship, and by moving up to a No. 31 world ranking, he can count on the four World Golf Championships, along with starting next year in Kapalua.

More than that, however, it justified a decision last summer to get away from something that had been working well.

He changed coaches.

Snedeker had been with Todd Anderson since the end of 2005 – about as long as he’s had that putter – and he won six PGA Tour events and over $20 million in earnings, which doesn’t include the $10 million bonus from his FedEx Cup title in 2012 right before he played in his first Ryder Cup. Golf can get stale, however, and it was a big move for Snedeker to seek out Butch Harmon a week before the U.S. Open.

“A class act,” Harmon said Sunday night. “It’s fun working with him. He has a quick wit, which fits with me. And he works hard. He was really good at one time and he got lost. I helped him find his way. Sometimes it’s more than just the X’s and O’s of the swing.”

Results were far from immediate. Snedeker had his worst year on tour and for the first time didn’t make it beyond the second FedEx Cup playoff event. Tom Watson wanted him on the Ryder Cup team for his putting, but Snedeker played his way out of the conversation.

But he kept working away, never losing hope he would turn it around. The payoff was a week at Pebble Beach that was close to perfect, and not just the weather. Snedeker made one bogey in 72 holes. When he wasn’t at his best, he figured out how to manage.

“He did a great job of helping me understand how I swing the golf club, what I need to do to be successful,” Snedeker said. “The great thing about Butch is he’s not technical at all. He instills confidence in you when you don’t even realize he’s doing it. We might have a three-hour practice session and he might say one thing about my swing and 15 things about the mental side of it, what you should be thinking in certain situations.”

Harmon treated Snedeker like any other of his clients. There were a few technical issues – his swing was getting out of position and too long at the top – but the goal was for Snedeker to understand the swing and how to fix it.

The other message from Harmon was to develop a safe shot when the swing doesn’t feel right. For Snedeker, that was teeing the ball lower and getting on top of the ball sooner, a shot that helped him on the back nine when he seized control and wanted to keep it.

Harmon loves the old-school work ethic of Snedeker. He also loves the refreshing pace with which he plays the game. Snedeker talks fast and walks even faster. He gives his hips a quick swivel as he sets up over the ball – maybe that activates his glutes – and pulls the trigger. Standing over putts, he keeps his eye on the hole as he takes five or six short, repetitive practice strokes, and then he steps over the ball and gives it a pop.

That part about him never seems to change. And it appears to be working again.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – The fog began to roll in off the coast of Pebble Beach, though it didn’t matter. Brandt Snedeker had the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in hand, and he had a clear view of where he was going.

There is no better wait than on the 18th tee at Pebble Beach. For Snedeker, there was no better feeling than walking up the famous closing hole with a four-shot lead, his ball in the middle of the fairway and a big reward for a lot of hard work and hard times.

A conservative par gave him a 5-under 67 and a three-shot victory Sunday, and it brought a renewed sense of direction.

“I think I’m relevant again,” Snedeker said after his second win at Pebble Beach in three years.

For the first time in more than three years, Snedeker fell out of the top 50 in the world at the end of last year after his worst season on the PGA Tour. He wasn’t in the Masters or any of the World Golf Championships. He already was making plans to play new tournaments. He was going to play every week until the Masters to give himself every chance to secure another tee time at Augusta National.

All that changed in one week that was close to perfect.

Snedeker made only one bogey over 72 holes on three golf courses, and it still gnawed at him even as he left the room with a crystal trophy. He didn’t have a three-putt, no small feat on poa annua greens played on by 156 players and 156 amateurs over three days.

He’s in the Masters. By moving up to No. 31 in the world, he can count on all four World Golf Championships. He’s also in the PGA Championship (he already was eligible for the U.S. Open based on his top 10 at Pinehurst No. 2 last year). Snedeker was irritated at the thought the world best players might gather without him.

He didn’t like being Mr. Irrelevant.

“Not fun,” he said. “Not when you’re used to it. I don’t like playing golf and not feeling like I can compete and win. For six months, eight months of last year I didn’t feel I could do that. I didn’t feel like my game was where it needed to be, it wasn’t sharp.”

He began working with Butch Harmon to understand his swing and how to play the game. That took time. And when the 2015 season began, it was time for him to prove all over that he belonged in the big events.

“This is going to be hopefully the kind of player I am for many years going forward,” he said.

That didn’t make Sunday at Pebble Beach easy. Snedeker might have looked calm during the final 5 1/2 hours. He was a wreck inside, especially in the early going when it appeared that any number of players would have a chance.

Jim Furyk had a one-shot lead and disappeared early with a 38 on the front nine, though it was three birdie putts inside 10 feet that really cost him. Furyk felt like he hit the ball where he was aiming and couldn’t believe he was losing ground. He closed with a 74, and for the ninth time since his last win at the 2010 Tour Championship, he failed to convert when he had at least a share of the 54-hole lead.

Torrey Pines winner Jason Day made a brief charge in the middle of the round. So did Pat Perez until a pair of bogeys around the turn did him in. The consolation for Perez was winning the pro-am title with Pandora Jewelry co-founder Michael Lund.

The big challenge from Nick Watney, who already had a dream week by having San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey as his partner. Watney opened with four straight birdies and had a two-shot lead. It turned on a bad break and a bad shot. A photographer shot off his camera at the top of Watney’s swing on the par-3 fifth, and he came up woefully short in a bunker and made bogey.

With a 4-iron for his second shot on the par-5 sixth, Watney hit his “worst swing of the week.” It sailed to right off the cliffs into Stillwater Cover, leading to bogey. Just like that, he was one shot behind, and after another pair of bogeys on the back nine, he was along for the ride.

“Even though I only lost a shot there, it was a momentum stall,” Watney said of the bogey on No. 6. “Along with making the bogey on No. 9 with a pitching wedge. Those two, if I could have two back, it would be that swing on 6 and the second shot into No. 9.”

There was no stopping Snedeker. He is swinging well. He is putting well. He was a winner again, his seventh on the PGA Tour. And he broke by two shots his tournament record with a 265, and the winning score to par at 22 under previously held by Phil Mickelson and Mark O’Meara.

“I’m just so excited about what’s next,” Snedeker said.

Canada’s David Hearn notched a final round of 2-under 70 to finish tied for 21st. Graham DeLaet’s 7-under 281 was good for a share of 57th place.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Jim Furyk hasn’t competed on the PGA Tour in seven months, so he kept his expectations to a minimum at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

That changed into pressure he knows all too well with one big round.

Furyk made seven birdies over his last 10 holes at Pebble Beach on Saturday, the last one with a wedge he spun back to tap-in range on the par-5 18th, for his best round in two decades playing this tournament. He had a 9-under 63 and a one-shot lead over Matt Jones and Brandt Snedeker going into the final round.

For the 44-year-old Furyk, it’s another chance to end more than four years without a victory. He has had at least a share of the 54-hole lead eight times during that drought without converting. But at least he has another chance.

“Ultimately, I want to win golf tournaments and that’s what’s most important to me,” said Furyk, who was at 18-under 197. “And I think maybe at times last year, I sat here and looked at y’all and said, `I’m not going to put pressure on myself, I’m just going to go out there and try and play the same way.’ It’s not hard to look you right in the eye and say, `I want to win golf tournaments.’ But it’s hard to go out the next day and try to play the same way and not put extra pressure on yourself.

“We all expect a lot of ourselves and we all put pressure on ourselves on Sunday,” he said. “But I think that the way maybe I was doing it in the past was a little counterproductive at times.”

Jones made six birdies in a seven-hole stretch and built a three-shot lead late in the glorious afternoon until he made bogey on his last two holes at Pebble Beach for a 67. Furyk caught up to him and then passed him with a wedge to a foot on the final hole. Brandt Snedeker, who went 47 holes before making his first bogey of the tournament, made a 20-foot birdie putt on his final hole for a 67.

“Didn’t have my best stuff starting out today,” Snedeker said. “I was able to gut out a good round. You kind of have to do that. … You’re going to have a stretch of golf where you’re not playing your best, and hopefully, mine is behind me now.”

Furyk had a stretch of great golf, and it carried him to his best round at Pebble Beach. He made an 8-foot birdie on the ninth hole and took off. He twice had tap-in birdies, and three others were inside 10 feet.

It was better than he imagined considering how long he has been away from competition. His last official tournament was the Tour Championship on Sept. 14 when he tied for second. He also played the Ryder Cup and filled in at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, but otherwise took one of the longest breaks of his career.

“I really didn’t know where I stood coming out here,” Furyk said. “I was going to be very patient and see where I was, and go play Pebble and L.A. and reassess and have the week off to get ready for Doral and Tampa. I guess I’m pleasantly surprised. I wouldn’t expect to be 18-under par after three days, I’ll promise you that. But also didn’t expect the weather to be like this either.”

The weather has been nothing short of ideal, and it showed in the scoring. The cut was 7-under 209, breaking the tournament record of 4 under in 2005. That was too low for John Daly, who had a 73 at Spyglass Hill and missed the cut for the 11th straight time at this event dating to his rookie season in 1991.

It was the first time Furyk had the lead going into the final round since the Canadian Open nearly seven months ago. “I think it’s only been four events,” Furyk cracked, and he was close. It was six events ago. He also shared the lead at the Barclays, though that was wide open. And in some respects, so is this one.

A one-shot lead in the final round on the PGA Tour is like having no lead at all, and Furyk has more than Snedeker and Jones to worry about. Nick Watney, who played at Fresno State and was thrilled to be playing with San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, had a 65 at Pebble Beach and was two shots behind. Kevin Chappell, who grew up in Fresno, had a 66 at Pebble and was two shots behind.

Brantford, Ont.’s David Hearn dropped 13 spots into a tie for 17th Saturday after a 1-under 71.

Weyburn, Sask. native Graham DeLaet climbed 53 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 24th thanks to a 7-under 64. Other three players, including Furyk, had better rounds Saturday.

Canadians Nick Taylor, Roger Sloan and Mike Weir all failed to make the 54-hole cut.