SAN DIEGO – In a tournament that was up for grabs, Scott Stallings hit a 4-iron worthy of a winner Sunday in the Farmers Insurance Open.

Stallings was in a five-way tie for the lead when he hit his second shot on the par-5 18th hole as hard as he could. It was enough to barely clear the water, and he took two putts from 40 feet for birdie and a 4-under 68 at Torrey Pines.

That was enough for a one-shot victory when no one could catch him.

It was the third career PGA Tour victory for Stallings, who earned a return trip to the Masters and should move high enough in the world ranking to qualify for the Match Play Championship next month in Arizona.

K.J. Choi had the best score of the week on the South Course with a 66 and was among those – including Saskatchewan’s Graham DeLelaet – who tied for second. The pins were set up in favourable positions for birdies, making the course play the easiest it had all week.

But that didn’t make it easy – not for Gary Woodland, Jordan Spieth, Pat Perez and so many others who squandered a good chance to win.

Woodland appeared to have the best chance to catch Stallings. He was one shot behind – with plenty of length to reach the 18th in two – until he chose fairway metal off the tee on No. 17 and hooked it into the canyon. He felt he had to make his 45-foot par putt to have any chance, and three-putted for double bogey. Woodland, who had a one-shot lead going into the final round, missed an easy birdie attempt on the 18th and closed with a 74.

“This will be hard to swallow,” Woodland said. “I felt like I kind of gave one away today.”

Marc Leishman of Australia had the last chance to force a playoff, but his drive on the 18th went well right and bounced off the cart path and a fan. He had no shot at the green in two, and his wedge for an eagle stopped a few feet to the side of the hole. His tap-in birdie gave him a 71 and a share of second.

Stallings finished at 9-under 279.

Jason Day (68) and Graham DeLaet (68) each made birdie on the last hole to tie for second. So did Perez, the San Diego native who grew up at Torrey Pines and whose father is the longtime starter on the first tee at the Farmers Insurance Open. Perez missed a 10-foot birdie chance on the 17th. He closed with a 70.

“It’s great and bad,” Perez said about his runner-up finish. “This is the one I want to win more than anything in the world, and I came up short. … I thought today would have been my day. I would like to be in that position again.”

Spieth didn’t make a birdie over the last 15 holes, and he fell back with back-to-back birdies late in the round. The 20-year-old Texan made a meaningless bogey on the last hole that only cost him a spot in the top 10. By then, his day was over. He closed with a 75.

“I just lost control of the golf ball,” Spieth said.

He also revealed that he tweaked his ankle Friday and felt it kept him from getting into the right position on his back swing.

Woodland went from a chance to win to a tie for 10th.

Deep into tournament, nearly 20 players were separated by only two shots. It was similar to when Jimmy Walker won the Sony Open two weeks ago in Honolulu, emerging from the pack with a late burst of birdies.

Stallings made six birdies over his last 11 holes, along with a pair of bogeys. Most remarkable is that he managed to hit only four fairways in the final round. But one that he did was important – the 537-yard closing hole, giving him a chance to get home in two for a birdie at worst.

He said caddie Jon Yarbrough – fired by Woodland late last year – told him in the 18th fairway, “Let’s see what you’ve got. You’ve worked your butt off.”

“I hit 4-iron as hard as I could,” Stallings said.

It was just enough to clear the water, and while it trickled off the front of the green, he could still use his putter. He lagged it up to 30 inches for a short birdie putt that turned out to be the winner.

Charley Hoffman, another San Diego native, made a hole-in-one on the third hole and closed with a 67 to tie for seventh, along with Ryo Ishikawa of Japan and Will MacKenzie, who each had a 70.

Brad Fritsch of Ottawa finished in a tie for 10th, 3 shots back.

Six players finished in the top 10 that are not in the Phoenix Open next week.

Ordinarily, a top 10 gets a player into the next open tournament. In this case, the field already is full and they only can be alternates. That list includes Justin Thomas, who was playing this week on his fourth out of seven allotted sponsor exemptions. Thomas shot 69.

SAN DIEGO – Tiger Woods was right. The South Course at Torrey Pines is playing about as tough as it did for the U.S. Open in 2008.

But that’s the only similarity.

Woods won that U.S. Open. He won’t even have a tee time in the final round at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Gary Woodland used power to his advantage Saturday – oddly enough, everywhere but on the par 5s – to pick up five birdies in his round of 2-under 70 that gave him a one-shot lead over Jordan Spieth and Marc Leishman going into a final day that won’t include Woods.

Instead of getting back into the tournament, the defending champion and eight-time winner at Torrey Pines delivered a shocking performance. Woods went seven straight holes making bogey or worse and wound up with a 79, matching his worst score on American soil.

Woods left town without speaking to reporters and with an “MDF” next to his name, which probably should have been “OMG.”

That’s the PGA Tour’s acronym for “made the cut, did not finish.” Because more than 78 players advanced to the weekend, there was a 54-hole cut for top 70 and ties. Only one other player, club pro Michael Block, had a worse score than Woods.

“You get going south on this golf course, you can definitely put up some numbers in a hurry,” Woodland said when he heard about Woods’ score. “I don’t think he’s too concerned about it.”

There’s plenty for everyone to be concerned about at Torrey Pines _ a beast of a course, thick rough, rock-hard greens, and nearly two dozen players so close to the lead that Sunday could be wide open.

Woodland was at 8-under 208. It was the highest 54-hole score to lead this tournament since Dave Rummells at 4-under 212 in 1993.

Spieth had a one-shot lead to start the third round and it was gone quickly. He missed a 30-inch par putt on the opening hole and took a double bogey on No. 5. His biggest putt might have been a 6-footer for par on the 14th, and Spieth looked confident the rest of the way to salvage a 75.

Leishman had a relatively boring round of 72 on a gorgeous day along the Pacific – one birdie, one bogey, 16 pars. That might be what it takes on this monster of a course that features rough that might even make the USGA blush.

“If you let bogeys worry you on that golf course, it’s going to be a pretty long day,” Leishman said. “You don’t have to do a whole lot wrong to have a bogey.”

The average score on the South through three rounds was 74.24, compared with 74.97 during the U.S. Open. And keep in mind, the field for the Farmers Insurance Open is almost entirely PGA Tour or European Tour players.

San Diego native Pat Perez, who used to work the practice range as a teenager during this event, salvaged a 72 and was two shots behind with Morgan Hoffman (72). Ryo Ishikawa had a 69 and was in a large group at 5-under 211 that included Nicolas Colsaerts (75) and Andres Romero of Argentina, whose 67 was the best score of the day.

“When you play with Gary, who hits it 40 yards farther than I do, it doesn’t look that hard,” Perez said. “Where he hits it is unbelievable. But it was a lot harder today.”

Twenty-two players were separated by four shots going into Sunday.

Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch shot a 72, and is three back at 211. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., carded a 69, and is four back.

Everything was in place for a good show except for the tour’s two biggest stars. In the first network telecast of the year _ and the first Sunday in golf without going against the NFL playoffs – Woods was out of the tournament and Phil Mickelson pulled out Friday night after making the cut because of muscle pain in his back.

Woodland has been heading north since winning the Reno-Tahoe Open last year. He contended at The Barclays, lost in a playoff in Malaysia and now feels confident about who’s in charge at San Diego. Yes, the South is a beast. But the Kansas native hits it a long way.

Then again, he made par on all of them, including a three-putt pars on the sixth and 18th holes. That was OK, for Woodland had nothing more than a wedge in on No. 1, and he collected a pair of birdies on the par 3s. His only lapse was a double bogey on No. 17 from a bad lie in the bunker and a three-putt.

“If I drive the ball in play, I’m playing a little different golf course than most guys are playing,” Woodland said.

Spieth, with a chance to move into the top 10 in the world with a win, hits the ball plenty far. He just wasn’t very straight. The Texan pulled his opening tee shot and struggled to find fairways the rest of the day. He hit only five of them.

The steady finish left him confident about collecting his second PGA Tour win.

“Only one shot back and a bunched leaderboard,” Spieth said. “It’s going to take a good score tomorrow. … I’m excited about tomorrow. I had some great saves down the stretch today, so take that momentum.”

Woods thought he had some momentum, coming off a birdie on the 17th hole and in the fairway on the par-5 18th with a shot at the green. He went into the water and made double bogey, then made another double bogey on the first hole with a three-putt. It was his first time with back-to-back double bogeys since the 2011 PGA Championship. And it only got worse from there.

SAN DIEGO – The best score belonged to Stewart Cink. The best round belonged to Pat Perez. Tiger Woods didn’t come close to claiming either Thursday in the Farmers Insurance Open, where the seven-time champion failed to break par in the opening round for first time in his career.

Cink ran off three straight birdies late in his round on the easier North Course at Torrey Pines for an 8-under 64. That gave him a one-shot lead over Gary Woodland, who also was on the North, which is more than 600 yards shorter.

Perez was on the South Course, host of the 2008 U.S. Open and with greens so firm this year that it felt like a major. Perez had a 67, the best score on the South by two shots, and even more astounding is that he played bogey-free.

The South played nearly four shots harder than the North.

Woods, making his 2014 debut, failed to birdie any of the par 5s and had to settle for a 72.

Even at eight shots behind, he wasn’t worried about a chance to win at Torrey for the ninth time – including a U.S. Open. The courses are so different than it’s difficult to gauge where anyone stands until everyone has had a crack at both courses. The weekend rounds are on the South.

Phil Mickelson, meanwhile, felt awful.

He was coping with a back locked up on him, unusual for Mickelson because he doesn’t have a history of back pain. It got so bad at one point that Mickelson thought about withdrawing from his hometown event, especially after his 4-iron on the par-5 18th at the North Course nearly went out-of-bounds. Mickelson used his short game to make birdie, and then made another birdie on the next hole and he scratched out a 69.

Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch opened with a 3-under 69 and is tied for 17th. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., is tied for 29th after carding a 70. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., shot an even par 72 and is tied for 63rd. Riley Wheeldon (T126) of Comox, B.C, who qualified on Monday, signed for a 4-over 76. Mike Weir (T136) was another shot back.

SAN DIEGO – Tiger Woods was alarmed, but not concerned, when shots into the green bounced nearly as high as the flagstick on the South Course at Torrey Pines.

The rough is thick, surprising only because it has been dry. It’s usually only thick and heavy when it’s cold and damp.

It almost reminded him of the U.S. Open.

“If they keep the golf course like this, it’s going to be one hell of a test as the week progresses,” Woods said Wednesday. “It’s going to get really difficult to post some good numbers. It’s going to be awfully difficult to get the ball close and make birdies. And as I said, it’s closer to an Open right now than how I normally see it.”

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Woods smiled.

He usually does all right on firm, fast courses. He always seems to do well at Torrey Pines, where he has won times – including that 2008 U.S. Open.

“I find it good,” he said.

Woods was set to make his 2014 debut on Thursday in the Farmers Insurance Open, a tournament that has been very good to him. He is the star attraction, along with San Diego native Phil Mickelson, the two biggest stars of their generation. Mickelson is a three-time winner at Torrey Pines.

They don’t share the same outlook.

Woods and Mickelson were in the same group for that 2008 U.S. Open, the one in which Mickelson chose not to use a driver on a 7,643-yard course, which at the time was the longest in major championship history. Mickelson tied for 18th that week in the one major he has never won.

Mickelson loves Torrey Pines, a public course along Pacific bluffs where he played countless times as a kid. And he likes what having a U.S. Open did for his hometown, and the additional value it brought to Torrey Pines.

He just never liked what getting a U.S. Open meant to the golf course – specifically bringing in “Open Doctor” Rees Jones to redesign it, lengthen it and beef it up to standards worthy of golf’s toughest test.

Mickelson was asked if his results in the Farmers Insurance Open – not great – have been affected by his lack of fondness for the new South.

“I haven’t won since it’s been redesigned,” he said after a few seconds of contemplation. “My feelings of animosity toward it might have been a factor as to why I haven’t played well on it, but I have come close a few times. I’ve had a couple seconds that I can think of and I’ve learned to play it over the years, but it is not conducive to the way I like to play, which is aggressive.

“Every shot is repelled away from the tucked pins, every green breaks away from the bunkers, every time you’re in a bunker you’ve got a downhill shot. It’s just monotonous to me and it doesn’t allow for great recovery and it does not allow for aggressive play,” he said. “It allows for 40 feet away from the hole and try to make a putt, take advantage of the par 5s.”

Other than that, Mickelson was upbeat about his first PGA Tour event of the year (he was runner-up in Abu Dhabi last week on the European Tour). He loves his new driver, which he calls his favourite club. He’s excited about his putting. He’s more excited going into a year than any other time.

And yes, he’s excited about a U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, not because of where it is but what it is.

Mickelson won the British Open last summer at Muirfield, leaving him one leg short of the career Grand Slam. That would be the U.S. Open, where he already holds the record for most silver medals (six-time runner-up).

“I feel like it’s just a matter of time,” he said. “It may be this year at Pinehurst, it may not, but I do believe that will come. It’s a tournament I’ve played too well in over the years not to finally win, and I actually believe I’ll win a couple.”

Now that’s one thing they have in common. Woods also would love to win another U.S. Open this year. Actually, any major would do.

He has been stuck on 14 majors – four shy of Jack Nicklaus – since that ’08 Open at Torrey Pines. It has become such a talking point that even though the Masters is 78 days away, Woods starting his 2014 year at a regular tour event is enough to prompt the question, “Will he catch Jack?”

So when asked if this was a big year in that regard, Woods offered a different view – every year is a big year, so nothing has changed.

“Every year that I get a chance to compete and play in tournaments and major championships for as long as I decide to do it … every year counts,” he said. “Looking back from the beginning of my career to now, I know that I don’t have 20 years in my prime. I don’t see being 58 and being in my prime. Most guys don’t dunk from the foul line at age 58, so it’s a little different. But the outlook is still the same.

“I still prepare the same,” he said. “I still work my tail off to be ready to compete at this level and beat everyone that I’m playing against.”

SAN DIEGO – Eight years after the PGA Tour crossed the $1 billion in charity, it announced another milestone Wednesday. Commissioner Tim Finchem said the tournaments and the tour now have contributed over $2 billion.

“When you consider that charity on the PGA Tour started with a $10,000 check in 1938 at the Palm Beach Invitational and 67 years later in 2005 we passed the $1 billion mark, I think it’s a great testament to everybody involved in the current day tour that in just these past eight years, a second billion dollars was reached,” Finchem said.

Finchem said the $2 billion does not include what he estimated to be $35 million in charitable donations from players and their foundations for the last year.

He said from now on, the tour would include players’ own contributions.

“The $2 billion number is just a number, it’s just a point in the road,” he said. “The reason we decided to focus on it was because … we can get more folks’ attention. And if we can get more people’s attention and they realize that when they buy a ticket, play in a pro-am, their company invests in hospitality, a percentage of those dollars is going to the bottom line, staying in the community.”

Finchem said the charity money alone last year was $130 million.

Meanwhile, Finchem confirmed that the tour is urging its tournaments to beef up their reserve funds. The PGA Tour made it through the economic downturn of 2008-09 without too many hitches.

“It would be good for their security as they’re growing the money they could give to charity to also make sure they’re paying attention to reserves,” he said. “Because we did do well in the downturn, but that doesn’t mean we’ll do well in the downturn of 2017 or 2018. We know there’s going to be another one, that’s the way it’s been for eight years. So that the tournament can ride out those bumps, we want to work with them on their reserves but still continue to grow charity at the same time.”

Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada is the official national charity for Golf Canada’s RBC Canadian Open. The charity provides more than 10,000 Canadian families a year with qualified staff and dedicated volunteers who are committed to taking care of the day-to-day essentials of running a home, so families with sick children have one less concern to worry about. The Houses also have programs that offer everything from education to home-cooked meals and are filled with many different families who all share a common bond – love for their sick child.

Since coming on board as title sponsor of the RBC Canadian Open in 2008, RBC along with Golf Canada have raised more than $5 million for charitable organizations across Canada that support children’s wellness initiatives. Throughout its history, Canada’s National Open Championship has generated more than $45 million in charitable proceeds for important causes.

LA QUINTA, Calif.  – Patrick Reed found his putting touch right when things started to getting interesting in the final round of the Humana Challenge.

After shooting three straight 9-under 63s to open a seven-stroke lead, Reed had a 1-under 71 on Sunday at PGA West’s to beat Ryan Palmer by two strokes.

“A lot tougher than the first three rounds,” Reed said. “I felt like I hit a lot of quality shots and felt like I hit a lot of good putts as well. My speed was off today. I left a lot of putts short. It seemed like the first three days the ball was just trickling over the front edge, and today it seemed like it came to a screeching halt just short.”

Finally resembling the guy who talked Saturday about being in a “putting coma,” Reed ran in an 18-footer for birdie on the par-3 15th to push his advantage to three strokes and parred the final three holes.

“It felt comfortable. It felt great,” Reed said. “I was able it play the last three holes just for par rather than trying to make birdies or trying to make something happen.”

He finished at 28-under 260 in the three-course event that he opened and closed on PGA West’s Arnold Palmer Private Course.

The 23-year-old Reed has two victories in his first 46 PGA Tour starts, winning the Wyndham Championship in August. He was projected to jump from 73rd to 42nd in the world ranking, enough to lock up a spot in the 64-man Match Play Championship.

Reed took a call from former President Bill Clinton – the tournament is run in partnership with the Clinton Foundation – during his interview session.

“He told me to get myself back in that zone more often,” said Reed, who met Clinton earlier on the driving range. “Because he said it was a lot of fun to watch.”

Palmer made a 15-foot eagle putt on the final hole for a 63.

“What can you do with what Patrick did this week?” Palmer said. “It’s ridiculous what he did. Amazing how good he played. We’ll come up a couple short, but it was a win in my game because I was playing for second today.”

Zach Johnson and Justin Leonard tied for third at 25 under. Johnson birdied the final five holes for a 62, the best round of the week.

“I got red hot at the end,” Johnson said.

The Kapalua winner is taking a four-week break. He’ll return for the Match Play event.

“Hopefully, I can maintain where I’m at,” Johnson said.

Leonard parred his last two for a 65.

“Would love to have made a few more putts,” Leonard said.

Other than key 18-footer on No. 15, the longest putt Reed holed was a 5-footer for par on the par-4 13th. That was a crucial putt after he played the previous eight holes in 1 over with four bogeys and three birdies.

“I knew that if I didn’t make that putt, then it was going to get interesting,” Reed said. “To make that putt kind of gave me a little bit more fire saying, ‘All right, well, we’re running out of holes for people to make a lot of birdies.”’

In that eight-hole stretch, Reed missed two 6-foot par putts and an 8-footer and dropped another stroke with a poor bunker shot on the par-3 12th.

“It would either come and just stop just short, or it would break at the very end and break off the planet and lip out,” Reed said. “It seemed like nothing would go in.”

On Saturday, Reed broke the PGA Tour record for relation to par for the first 54 holes, finishing at 27 under. He also became the first player in tour history to open with three rounds of 63 or better. On Sunday, he became the second player in the event to lead wire-to-wire, joining 1977 winner Rik Massengale.

“To have a day where I felt like I had probably about my C or D game and still shoot under par, and to close off a victory, that means a lot to me,” Reed said.

Reed’s wife, Justine, is pregnant with their first child, forcing her to turn over caddieing duties to her brother, Kessler Karain. She has walked every hole this year and plans to caddie again after the baby arrives around Memorial Day.

“I can’t wait to be a dad and have a little girl running around at the golf course and whenever I come home have her run up, hanging out with dad,” Reed said.

After helping Augusta State win NCAA titles in 2010 and 2011, Reed drew attention in 2012 when he successfully Monday-qualified for six events. He earned his tour card in December 2012, surviving six rounds of Q-school at PGA West.

“We have worked so hard at it,” Reed said. “Especially, with my wife and I, how hard we have worked the past 2 1/2 years, through Q-School, through the Monday qualifiers, and through here to get two wins in less than half a year.”

Brad Fritsch finished 14-under after shooting a 2-under 70 on Sunday. The Ottawa native tied for 48th.

LA QUINTA, Calif.  – Patrick Reed has been as good as the weather and course conditions at the Humana Challenge – and just as predictable.

Another sunny, calm day. Another 9-under 63.

Reed broke the PGA Tour record for relation to par for the first 54 holes, finishing at 27 under Saturday to take a seven-stroke lead into the final round.

Playing over a pond as still as the plastic swans PGA West uses to scare away geese, Reed birdied his final hole on the Nicklaus Private Course, hitting a wedge to 2 feet on the par-4 ninth. He also had an eagle, eight birdies and a bogey.

“Any time you set a record on the PGA Tour it means you’re doing something right,” Reed said. “Well, a lot of things right. But at the same time it doesn’t matter if you have the 54-hole lead. All that matters at the end is at the end of Sunday.”

The 23-year-old Reed broke the mark of 25 under set by Gay Brewer in the 1967 Pensacola Open and matched by Ernie Els in the 2003 Tournament of Champions, Steve Stricker in the 2010 John Deere Classic and Pat Perez in the 2009 La Quinta event. Reed was one off Stricker’s stroke record of 188 set on a par-71 course.

“Almost seems like I’m in a putting coma,” said Reed, the first player in tour history to open an event with three rounds of 63 or better. “The hole seems huge. It almost feels like I can’t miss. It’s interesting because when I do miss a putt, I get really frustrated because I almost feel like I should make it.”

The Wyndham Championship winner in August, Reed opened Thursday on the Arnold Palmer Private Course and played La Quinta Country Club on Friday. He has played the 11 par 5s in 11 under, the 28 par 4s in 12 under and the 13 par 3s in 4 under.

Charley Hoffman and Brendon Todd were tied for second. Hoffman, the 2007 winner, had a 66 on the Palmer course – the site of the final round. Todd shot 68 at La Quinta.

“I wish I was a little closer than seven,” Hoffman said. “The weather’s been perfect, greens are perfect. The scores and birdies are out there.”

Reed’s seven-stroke margin is the largest entering the final round in event history, a stroke more than Rik Massengale took into his 1977 victory. David Duval overcame a seven-stroke deficit to win in 1999, closing with a 59 on the Palmer course. Last year, Brian Gay began the last day six strokes behind and ended up winning in a playoff.

“He’s obviously playing really, really well, but if you go out there, I mean, I shot 9 under there yesterday,” Todd said. “If you go out there with the same mentality, trying to play as well as you can, you get hot early, put a little pressure on him, there’s plenty of opportunities for him to make bogey.”

Reed eagled the par-5 16th on his first nine, hitting a 5-iron from 212 yards to 3 feet. Using his 50-degree wedge – the club he hit close on the final hole – on the par-4 sixth, he nearly holed a 125-yard approach, with the ball spinning back by the cup.

“It was basically the same shot,” he said. “The only difference is I didn’t spin it as much on the last hole.”

He made a 15-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the par-3 seventh, and then missed a birdie chance on the par-5 eighth when his approach went left into greenside rough.

“Only had a three-quarter 6-iron in my hand,” Reed said. “There are shots out there I could have had. But, at the same time, it’s another 63.”

Reed’s wife, Justine, is pregnant with their first child, forcing her to turn over caddieing duties to her brother, Kessler Karain. She has walked every hole this year and plans to caddie again after the baby arrives around Memorial Day.

“They’re brother and sister and they act in their demeanor’s so much the same,” Reed said. “I’m happy she’s outside the ropes right now, because she’s carrying my little girl.”

After helping Augusta State win NCAA titles in 2010 and 2011, Reed drew attention in 2012 when he successfully Monday-qualified for six events and made 12 starts.

“I’m going to treat tomorrow as if it’s Monday qualifier,” Reed said. “Eighteen-hole shootout, everybody’s tied at even par.”

The former Baton Rouge, La., high school champion earned his PGA Tour card in December 2012, surviving six rounds of Q-school at PGA West.

“I was like 130-something place after two rounds and shot 18 under the last four rounds to get in,” Reed said. “That was probably the most nervous 3-footer I ever had in my life on the last hole for par.”

Reed played alongside Tommy Gainey the first three days. Gainey shot 74-74-74 to tie for 150th among the 155 finishers – 33 strokes behind his playing partner.

“If I’m Patrick Reed, I’m going to but some lottery tickets,” Gainey said. “He’s just hitting it too good and making everything he looks at. When you have that combination, nobody’s going to beat you.”

On the Canadian front, Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch was the lone Canadian to make the 36-hole cut. He went 5-under Saturday and is tied for 34th at 12-under.

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Patrick Reed found La Quinta Country Club to his liking, too, leaving everyone else behind again in the Humana Challenge.

A day after shooting a 9-under 63 at PGA West’s Arnold Palmer Private Course to take the lead, Reed had another 9-under 63 down the road Friday at tree-lined La Quinta to stretch his advantage to two strokes over Brendon Todd.

“It’s great to have that feeling that you can go out and shoot 63,” said Reed, the Wyndham Championship winner in August. “And to actually do it two times in a row shows that what we have done during the off-season and what we’re doing now is working.

“The good thing is even though we’re playing great, I feel like there’s still room for improvement out there while I was playing. Today, I felt like there was three shots out there, yesterday, I thought there was one or two out there.”

Todd had a 63 on the Palmer course. He’s the only player in the field without a bogey.

“Obviously, both days were really solid,” Todd said. “Bogey-free was huge. … Before I knew it, I was at 7- or 8-under with a few to play, feeling like I should birdie every hole. … The weather’s been so good, I’m not surprised to see what Patrick did.”

The temperature climbed into the 80s and it was so calm the ponds looked like glass, the water as still as the plastic swans PGA West uses to scare away geese.

The 23-year-old Reed eagled the par-5 fifth hole, hitting a high 5-iron approach that landed softly on the left side of the green and rolled to 4 feet. He also had eight birdies and his lone bogey in 36 holes.

“That tee shot on 5’s not easy,” Reed said. “You have to hit a perfect high cut around that tree and if it goes straight, you’re actually through the fairway. You have to hit a hook around those trees. And when I hit a perfect drive like that, had a perfect number for a 5- iron to the left flag. When I hit something three-quarters or 85 per cent, it’s normally a little draw, so I just aimed it in the middle of the green and hit it up to there to 4 feet. That was kind of just perfect for me.”

Ryan Palmer was third, three strokes back at 15-under, after a 65 at La Quinta. He also made a short eagle putt on the fifth hole.

“Overall, it was another great day,” said Palmer, coming off a tie for eighth in the Sony Open in Hawaii. “Another great finish, hanging in there, staying strong.”

Charley Hoffman, the 2007 winner, was 14-under after a 66 on PGA West’s Jack Nicklaus Private Course. He had five straight birdies on the front nine.

“If the weather stays the way it is, all these golf courses have a lot of birdie holes,” Hoffman said. “There’s water, there’s trouble if you short-side yourself, but if you’re hitting good shots, the greens are good and you can make a bunch of birdies.”

Bill Haas and James Driscoll were 13-under. Haas, the 2010 winner, had a 66 on the Nicklaus course, and Driscoll shot 63 at La Quinta.

Charlie Beljan was another stroke back, shooting 64 on the Nicklaus course.

Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch followed his opening round 67 with a 70 at La Quinta, leaving him at 7-under 137. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., who shot an opening round 68, also had a 70 at La Quinta.

Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont., fired a 69 after an opening round 73, leaving him at 142. Calgary’s Stephen Ames carded his second straight 73.

Matt Every and playing partner Will MacKenzie were 11-under in a group that included Kapalua winner Zach Johnson, 2005 winner Justin Leonard and Harris English.

Every settled for a 68 on the Palmer course after playing an early five-hole stretch in 6-under with four birdies and an eagle. MacKenzie had a 66.

“I was just striping it,” Every said. “I was hitting it close and then the greens, we were first off, so the greens were perfect, and I was rolling them in.”

After a long wait at the turn, he made a double bogey on No. 10.

“We flew around the front,” Every said. “Then we got to the back and there was a logjam.”

Johnson had an eagle, six birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey in a 68 on the Nicklaus course, Leonard had a 67 on the Palmer course, and English shot 66 on the Nicklaus course.

Playing alongside Johnson, Keegan Bradley had a hole-in-one in a 66 that left him 9-under overall in his first start of the year. His 7-iron shot on the 177-yard third hole landed about 10 feet short of the pin and rolled in.

 LA QUINTA, Calif. – Zach Johnson asked his short-iron approach on the par-4 18th to “Do something right, baby.” It did.

With just a hint of a draw, Johnson’s shot landed to the right of the right-side pin and spun to 2 feet to set up a birdie Thursday that left him two strokes behind first-round leader Patrick Reed in the Humana Challenge.

Thriving on great driving, even better wedge play and putting, Johnson has three worldwide wins in his last seven starts.

He began the run in the BMW Championship in September, and beat Tiger Woods in a playoff in December in the World Challenge after holing a wedge for par on the final hole of regulation. Johnson followed that with a victory two weeks ago in Kapalua.

“I don’t think I’m the best,” Johnson said when asked if he’s the best wedge player.

He pointed to Ryder Cup teammate Steve Stricker.

“He’s the first one that comes to my mind,” Johnson said. “Phenomenal wedge player. … But my wedges are clean. … I’ve worked on it a lot. I’ve worked on it in a number of different ways, but the main way is really just trying to dial in yardages and trajectories.”

Johnson finished with a 7-under 65, hitting all 14 fairways at La Quinta Country Club _ the most-demanding driving layout in the three-course event. He hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation and had 27 putts in his bogey-free round.

“The greens over there are, I don’t even know how to explain them, it’s like carpet,” Johnson said. “I mean, they’re just so good. I don’t know what they do over there, but they look artificial. They’re like this every year, but they’re as good as I’ve ever seen.”

Johnson has 11 PGA Tour victories. Dating to his rookie season in 2004, only Woods, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh have more.

“It means that I’m doing something right,” said Johnson, the top-ranked player in the field at No. 6.

Reed had a 9-under 63 in perfect scoring and weather conditions. He ran off five straight birdies in the middle of his bogey-free round on PGA West’s Arnold Palmer Private Course and tied his career low.

“The course is in perfect shape,” said Reed, the Wyndham Championship winner in August. “The rough isn’t very high, the fairways are perfect and the greens are rolling very true.”

Reed started on the back nine and birdied Nos. 16-18 and 1-2 to get to 7-under. He added birdies on Nos. 6 and 7.

“I started out a little struggling with the driver, had some lefts in it, but luckily I missed it in the right spots,” Reed said. “I was really confident with my irons, kept hitting greens and all of a sudden, 10-, 12-, 15-, 20-foot putts started going in.”

With wife Justine pregnant with their first child, her brother, Kessler Karain, is subbing as Reed’s caddie. Justine has walked every hole with her husband this year and plans to rejoin him inside the ropes after the baby girl arrives. The due date is Memorial Day.

“We can’t wait for that,” Reed said. “I’m excited to be a dad.”

Ryan Palmer, Justin Hicks, Daniel Summerhays and Charley Hoffman shot 64.

Palmer birdied his final six holes and nine of his last 12 on the Palmer course, the site of the final round Sunday.

“I wasn’t making a whole lot of long putts, just hitting it close,” Palmer said.

Hicks had an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey on the Jack Nicklaus Private Course.

“Just trying to give myself as many opportunities as I can,” Hicks said.

Hoffman, the 2007 winner, had an eagle and six birdies at La Quinta.

“I love this golf course,” Hoffman said. “I think this is probably one of the better tracks we play all year when it’s said and done.”

Summerhays birdied seven of his last 10 on the Nicklaus course.

“It’s fun to make birdies,” Summerhays said. “That’s one of the fun things about this tournament is that the courses are a little easier. They’re in perfect shape, which makes them almost even easier.”

With a high temperature in the mid-80s and only a gentle morning breeze off the Santa Rosa Mountains, the players averaged 69.692 on the Palmer course, 69.431 on the Nicklaus layout, and 70.192 at La Quinta.

Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch carded a 67 at the Palmer course. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., also on Palmer, had a 68. Calgary’s Stephen Ames and Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., each shot a 73 on the Palmer course.

Keegan Bradley opened with a 69 at La Quinta in his first start of the year. He’s fighting a cold and struggled with his distance control and accuracy.

“I’m still a little tired. Getting better every day,” said Bradley, paired with Johnson the first three days. “I’m happy with today’s round for the first round of the year.”

Defending champion Brian Gay also had a 69 at La Quinta.