LAS VEGAS, NV – In his third round at the Shriners Children’s Open, Adam Hadwin hit 13 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation, finishing at 14 under for the tournament. Hadwin finished his day tied for 7th at 14 under.

Adam Schenk and Matthew Wolff both took a while to get started Saturday in the Shriners Children’s Open. It’s how they finished that put them into the final group with a chance to win.

Both figured that’s how it will unfold Sunday at the suddenly windy TPC Summerlin.

Schenk let the wind do the work for a driver onto the green at the par-4 15th, setting up three birdies over his last four holes for a 5-under 66 and a one-shot lead, the second time in his last five starts he has held the 54-hole lead.

The daunting presence behind him was Wolff, who drove the 15th green with a 3-wood and then blistered a drive so far down the par-5 16th hole that he had a pitching wedge for his second shot for eagle and carried him to a 65.

“The back nine, there’s two par 5s and a drivable par 4,” Wolff said. “I knew that making the turn at 1 under, I definitely would be in a good spot to make a run on the back nine.”

Sam Burns, another imposing figure coming off a victory last week in Mississippi, got it backward. He went out in 32 and was in the lead until he played the par 5s in 1 over and failed to convert on the short 15th. He had to settle for a 68 and was two shots behind, along with Andrew Putnam (66) and Chad Ramey (69).

“I feel like game’s in a good spot, so go out there tomorrow and see what happens,” Burns said. He answered the last three questions with four words: No, no and not really.

He was frustrated, knowing the scoring is all about the closing stretch at Summerlin, and that’s where Schenk and Wolff made their moves.

Schenk was helped even when the wind was against him. Knowing he couldn’t reach the bunkers right of the 18th fairway, he pounded driver, setting up a gap wedge to 7 feet for a final birdie and the lead.

Schenk, a 29-year-old from Indiana, was just getting started when he bumped into Lanto Griffin, who had just finished the low round of the day at 64. They didn’t talk golf, but just seeing the score made Schenk realized what was out there.

“I just knew I needed to come back and make some birdies, hopefully on the end of the front nine and then on the back nine during that stretch where it’s pretty gettable,” Schenk said.

Schenk was at 18-under 195, the second time he has held a 54-hole lead. The other was at the Barracuda Championship in August, when he had the equivalent of an even-par 71 on the final day of modified Stableford and finished fourth.

Six players were separated by three shots going into the final round at TPC Summerlin.

Schenk recorded his 10th consecutive round in the 60s at the TPC Summerlin, and this started out as one of the tougher days. Rain on Friday was shooed aside by wind that stuck around, and it was blustery enough early in the round to become a problem.

Schenk had two bogeys on his opening five holes and was in danger of falling behind, except that he knew the course _ even a windy Summerlin _ would offer chances. He seized them at the end of the front nine, running off three straight birdies, including a 6-iron to 5 feet on the 213-yard eighth hole.

Wolff loves it here, too. He has never shot worse than 69 in his 11 rounds in Las Vegas, dating to his rookie season. Wolff lost in a three-man playoff at the Shriners last year, and he had a hunch he was in for a good week.

He loves the course, yes, but he also could feel his game was getting more athletic, more powerful, and he was in a good position to score.

It just took him a little time on Saturday to prove it. He didn’t make birdie until the par-5 ninth hole, and then he made up for the slow start with the scoring holes on the back nine.

He hit 3-wood off the tee and 7-iron from 251 with the wind at his back on the par-5 13th, setting up a tough up-and-down from behind the green. He drove the 15th green with a 3-wood and crushed his drive on the 16th so far that he had a stock pitching wedge for his second.

The former Oklahoma State star looked confident as ever, a big change from earlier this year when he stepped away from golf to clear his head, to keep from letting scores dictate what makes him happy. He has family with him this week from California, and he has another shot to win in Las Vegas.

Additional Canadians competing in round four tomorrow include Corey Connors (T48), Nick Taylor (T54), and Taylor Pendrith (T63).

Click here for the full leaderboard.

LAS VEGAS, NV. – In his second round at the Shriners Children’s Open, Adam Hadwin hit 8 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation, and had a great day on the green leaving no misses on putts within 10 feet. Hadwin finished his day tied for 6th at 11 under; Chad Ramey and Sungjae Im are tied for 1st at 14 under; Sam Burns and Adam Schenk are tied for 3rd at 13 under; and Aaron Wise is in 5th at 12 under.

On the par-4 second, Adam Hadwin’s 163 yard approach to 15 feet set himself up for the birdie on the hole. This moved Adam Hadwin to 1 under for the round.

On the 430-yard par-4 sixth hole, Hadwin reached the green in 2 and sunk a 21-foot putt for birdie.

After a 310 yard drive on the 563-yard par-5 ninth, Hadwin chipped his third shot to 4 feet, which he rolled for one-putt birdie on the hole.

After a drive to the right side of the fairway on the 420-yard par-4 10th hole, Hadwin had a 136 yard approach shot, setting himself up for the birdie.

On the par-4 11th, Hadwin’s 176 yard approach to 14 feet set himself up for the birdie on the hole. This was his 3rd under-par hole in a row.

Hadwin got a bogey on the 442-yard par-4 12th, getting on the green in 3 and two putting, moving Hadwin to 4 under for the round.

After a drive to right side of the fairway on the par-5 16th, Hadwin hit his 229 yard approach to 11 feet, setting himself up for a eagle.

At the 196-yard par-3 17th, Hadwin hit a tee shot 197 yards at the green, setting himself up for the 5-foot putt for birdie. This moved Hadwin to 7 under for the round.

Additional Canadians in the field include Nick Taylor (T17), Taylor Pendrith (T30), and Corey Conners (T42) who will be competing in round 3 tomorrow.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Las Vegas, N.V. – After the first round at the Shriners Children’s Open, Nick Taylor and Taylor Pendrith sit tied for tenth at 6 under.

Nick Taylor hit 12 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation, and finished the day without a bogey.

At the 408-yard par-4 first, Taylor reached the green in 2 and rolled a 53-foot putt for birdie.

On the par-4 sixth, Taylor’s 123 yard approach to 5 feet set himself up for the birdie on the hole.

After a drive to the right side of the fairway on the 382-yard par-4 seventh hole, Taylor had a 129 yard approach shot, setting himself up for the birdie. This was his 3rd under-par hole in a row and moved Taylor to 4 under for the round.

On the 606-yard par-5 13th hole, Taylor reached the green in 3 and sunk a 5-foot putt for birdie.

After a 278 yard drive on the 560-yard par-5 16th, Taylor chipped his third shot to 3 feet, which he rolled for one-putt birdie on the hole.

Tying his fellow Canadian on the leaderboard, Taylor Pendrith hit 13 of 18 greens in regulation during his first round and also finished the round bogey free.

After a drive to the right side of the fairway on the 450-yard par-4 fourth hole, Taylor Pendrith had a 97 yard approach shot, setting himself up for the birdie. This moved Taylor Pendrith to 1 under for the round.

On the par-4 sixth, Pendrith’s 115 yard approach to 10 feet set himself up for the birdie on the hole.

On the 563-yard par-5 ninth hole, Pendrith reached the green in 3 and sunk a 11-foot putt for birdie.

On the 341-yard par-4 15th hole, Pendrith reached the green in 2 and sunk a 8-foot putt for birdie.

On the 560-yard par-5 16th, Pendrith had a birdie after hitting the green in 2 and two putting. This moved Pendrith to 5 under for the round.

Corey Conners finished T17 with a 66, Adam Hadwin finished T31, and Adam Svensson and Roger Sloan are tied for the 111th spot on the leaderboard.

Sung Kang is in setting the pace at 10 under as round 2 gets underway tomorrow. Chad Ramey, Charley Hoffman, and Sungjae Im are tied for 2nd at 8 under, and Talor Gooch, Matt Jones, Adam Schenk, Chesson Hadley, and Matthew Wolff are tied for 5th at 7 under.

For the full leaderboard click here.

Four others earn 2022 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada status;
those in positions 6-10 earn one tournament start each in 2022

VICTORIA, B.C. – Even though he got a late start on the 2021 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season, Callum Davison made up for lost time by playing consistent, sometimes dominant, golf in his five Tour starts. Including his ninth-place finish at the season finale, the Reliance Properties DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist, Davis finished with 1,244.19 points to outdistance No. 2 Blair Bursey by 193.19 points to capture the Points List title and Player of the Year honors. Bursey began the week outside the top five, at No. 6, and mathematically couldn’t catch Davison, but he left little doubt about his status with his one-shot victory Sunday.

Davison will be exempt for every tournament on the 2022 Mackenzie Tour. In addition, as the Player of the Year, he received an invitation to play in the 2022 RBC Canadian Open, an offer also extended to Forme Tour Player of the Year Trevor Werbylo.

After Davison and Bursey, the third-, fourth- and fifth-place Points List finishers were, respectively, amateur Noah Steele, Brendan Leonard and Michael Blair. All five players earned ceremonial hockey jerseys along with their 2022 Mackenzie Tour membership cards following the end of play Sunday at Uplands Golf Club. They will all be exempt on the 2021 Mackenzie Tour for part of the season and possess the ability to maintain status based on their early season performance.

Davison, of Duncan, British Columbia, began the season playing on the U.S.-based Forme Tour after he was the medalist at that Tour’s Qualifying Tournament in suburban Tacoma, Washington. Toward the end of that campaign, in what was a disappointing season, Davison
elected to return to Canada to play the Mackenzie Tour. He immediately put his stamp on the Tour, winning the Brudenell River Classic on Prince Edward Island in his debut. He added a second win, last week in Kelowna, British Columbia, capturing the GolfBC Championship. Davison didn’t miss a cut in his five starts, and his worst finish was a tie for 19th at the Elk Ridge Open.

“It’s huge. Coming off a pretty bad season, turning it around by going back to Canada and playing how I think I can play and what I’ve worked for has paid off a little,” said Davison, who hits full shots cross-handed. “I can’t wait for the next season.”

“We had a great year, and we saw our Points List battle come down to the final day. Callum was so impressive despite missing the first three tournaments,” said Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Executive Director Scott Pritchard. “The minute he arrived on the Tour, Callum proved his game with his victory in Prince Edward Island. The fact he backed up that win with another title, last week in Kelowna, proved that he had separated himself as the Tour’s best player this year. We congratulate Callum on what he’s been able to accomplish, and we very much look forward to watching his game progress on the Mackenzie Tour in 2022.”

The players who finished in the sixth-through-10th positions on the final Points List will each receive one playing opportunity via sponsor’s exemptions on the 2022 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada. The five Mackenzie Tour players receiving those benefits are Andrew Harrison (No. 6), Sebastian Szirmak (No. 7), Raoul Menard (No. 8), Yi Cao (No. 9) and Jared du Toit (No. 10).

Pritchard anticipates the 2022 Mackenzie Tour season will begin in late-May, early June, the full schedule of tournaments still to be announced.

The Mackenzie Tour began in 2013, with the Tour providing players a path to the Korn Ferry Tour. In 2020, the global pandemic forced the Tour to cancel its season, and issues at the Canada-U.S. border, again caused by COVID-19, turned this year’s Mackenzie Tour into a Tour for players already living in Canada.

Final 2021 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Points List Top 10

2022 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Members Via Top-Five Points List Finish

Callum Davison this Season
In his first Mackenzie Tour start, Davison shot rounds of 68-64-69 to win the 54-hole Brudenell River Classic. That 8-under 64 represented his low round of the season. He also shot a 64 Sunday at the season-ending Reliance Properties DCBank Open, a 6-under score. That ninth-place performance was his fourth top-10 of the season, to go with his tie for 10th at the ATB Financial Classic and his win at the Golf BC Championship, a tournament where Davison shot three 68s and a second-round 66 to hold on to win by two strokes.

Blair Bursey this Season
He seemingly finished in the top 10 every week and finally broke through with that elusive win at the final tournament of the season, the Reliance Properties DCBank Open in Victoria. In his seven tournament appearances, Bursey made every cut, finished in the top 10 in his first four events—three of those finishing in the top five—and broke through with the victory.

Noah Steele this Season
In six tournaments, Steele established himself as not merely the best amateur—which he clearly was—but also one of the best players. The Sam Houston State alum won the second tournament of the campaign, the Osprey Valley Open, with opening and closing 66s at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. He was the picture of consistency all season, with a runner-up showing at the Brudenell River Classic and top-15 showings at the ATB Financial Classic, the GolfBC Championship and the Reliance Properties DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist to go with his win.

Brendan Leonard this Season
He won the season-opening tournament, the Mackenzie Investments Open outside Montreal, and picked up two more top-10 finishes in a solid, consistent season that saw him miss only one cut. Leonard did enough in the final week to remain securely inside the top five, thanks to additional top-10s—at the Elk Ridge Open (tied for seventh) and the Golf BC Championship (third) and a tie for 13th at the Reliance Properties DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist.

Michael Blair this Season
He got off to a bit of a slow start, tying for 20th and tying for 47th in his first two starts—at the Mackenzie Investments Open and the Osprey Valley Open, respectively. He broke through, winning the Prince Edward Island Open on the strength of a blistering start that saw him get to 9-under with 18 holes to play. Despite an even-par showing in his final two rounds, Blair finished regulation tied with Maxwell Sear then defeated Sear in a sudden-death playoff. In total, Blair made the cut in all six of his 2021 tournament appearances.

About the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada is a series of tournaments played across Canada each summer, where tomorrow’s stars begin the path to the PGA TOUR. In 2021, because of
restrictions at the Canada-U.S. border, the Mackenzie Tour is for players based in Canada. The Mackenzie Tour’s mission is to deliver a PGA TOUR experience for its members, fans, volunteers and partners in order to develop the future stars of professional golf and enrich the communities it visits

JACKSON, Miss. – In his first weekend contention on the PGA Tour, California rookie Sahith Theegala is handling the pressure and his golf just fine in the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Theegala began the back nine Saturday at Country Club of Jackson with three straight birdies, had an eagle chip spin 360 degrees around the cup and finished with a 5-under 67 to take a one-shot lead into the final round.

Cameron Tringale had a pair of eagles from long range with his putter and his wedge and matched his career best on the PGA Tour with a 62. He was one shot behind, along with Sam Burns and Denny McCarthy, who each shot 65.

Theegala was at 18-under 198.

“Definitely a little nerves in there for sure,” Theegala said. “But I think people have said before pressure is a privilege, and I’m trying to use those nerves to my advantage.”

Will Zalatoris, the rookie of the year last season while playing on unlimited sponsor exemptions, was tied for the lead with Theegala and Nick Watney. Zalatoris didn’t make a birdie over the final 12 holes. He shot 72 and fell five shots behind in a tie for 16th.

Watney took a late double bogey on the 16th hole and shot 71, leaving him four back.

Canadian Roger Sloan hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation during his third round at the Sanderson Farms Championship, and finished the round bogey free. Sloan finished his day tied for 8th at 15 under.

Corey Conners hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation during his third round at the finishing at 14 under for the tournament. Conners finished his day tied for 10th at 14 under.

Additional Canadians in the field include Mackenzie Hughes, Adam Hadwin, and Taylor Pendrith.

The list of challengers includes Burns, who already won this year at the Valspar Championship and was in the final conversation to be a captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup.

Tringale is still looking for his first win in his 311st start on the PGA Tour. The 62 matched his low from the RSM Classic at Sea Island last November.

He wasn’t about to read too much into this one. He kept the ball in position and the greens are pure. Plus, Tringale holed a 55-foot eagle putt on the par-5 fifth hole, and then holed a bunker shot from 100 feet away on the par-5 14th.

He had four birdie putts from the 12- to 15-foot range.

“This was a combination of hitting a lot of good shots and having good breaks just on the same day,” Tringale said. “I did give myself a lot of chances. I was never out of position. I was putting uphill most of the time. And a (55-footer) and a hole-out, you know, if I three-putt that one and don’t get up-and-down, that’s four shots difference right there.”

But he has a chance in what figures to be a shootout.

Fifteen players were separated by four shots, and nine of those players have yet to win on the PGA Tour.

JACKSON, Miss. – Will Zalatoris set the course record with an 11-under 61 to share the lead with Nick Watney and Sahith Theegala in the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Zalatoris, voted the PGA Tour rookie of the year despite not having full status last year, made it look so simple at the Country Club of Jackson that his longest putt for par was 3 feet.

One of the poorer shots he hit was on the par-5 third hole after making the turn. He hit a weak fade into a bunker some 30 yards away and blasted out to 3 feet, turning a difficult shot into yet another birdie.

“The days where I make 20-footers, those are the days that I end up putting a great round together, because I’m always going to be the guy that’s going to hit 14 plus greens to give myself chances,” Zalatoris said.

Watney, coming off his worst season in a decade, backed up a solid start with another good round. He opened with four birdies in six holes and dropped only one shot on his way to a 66.

Theegala also held his own after opening with a 64, which is new territory for the California rookie in just his second start as a PGA Tour member.

He chipped in for eagle on the par-5 third hole to right back in the mix. Theegala finished with a 30-foot birdie putt for a 67. They were at 13-under 131 in what figures to be a week of low scoring.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., was two strokes off the lead at 11-under after shooting a 67 on Friday, and finished the round sitting 6^th on the leaderboard.

“I had a great command of my ball, put it in great position off the tee,” said Roger. “Out here there’s a premium for hitting the fairway, I was in great position all day long and rolled in a couple putts, I think that’s really the key around here is a lot of patience, we just happened to happened to kind of can a couple putts today which was nice”

The cut was at 5-under 139. Among those who missed was Sergio Garcia, the defending champion playing a week after a draining Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. Canadians Adam Svensson, Nick Taylor, and Michael Gligic would miss the cut as well.

Former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland took two shots from behind the ninth green on his final hole and made bogey for a 73 to miss the cut by one.

Zalatoris had a remarkable rookie season without having full status, boosted by a tie for sixth in the U.S. Open last September and tying to second in the Masters.

Playing on sponsor exemptions last year, he still finished No. 22 in the Ryder Cup standings.

Watney hit only two fairways, though not by much and he was rarely out of position.

“It didn’t seem that stressful. That sounds really stressful, but it wasn’t that stressful,” he said. “For the most part I kept it in the right spot on the greens and I made a few kind of bonus putts that you might not expect to make. So those are always fun.”

Cameron Young and Hayden Buckley each shot 65 and were one shot out of the lead.

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., shot a 69 and was 8-under after two rounds. Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., was 7-under after posting a 66.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, Ont., and MacKenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., shot 71 and 66 respectively Friday to make the cut at 6-under.

For full scores click here.

Jackson, Miss. – California rookie Sahith Theegala carved his tee shots into play and made it look easy from there Thursday for an 8-under 64 and a one-shot lead over Nick Watney and Harold Varner III in the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., opened with a 66 to sit two strokes back of Theegala.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., each shot a 67 to trail by three.

Theegala missed three fairways but was out of position just once at the Country Club of Jackson. He had a birdie putt on every hole but one and finished his round with a 15-foot birdie on the par-4 ninth.

It also was a big start for Watney, coming off one of his worst seasons. Watney holed a couple of long putts, including a 45-footer for eagle on the par-5 second hole, for his lowest start to a PGA Tour event in 15 months.

Varner, whose wife is due next week, had another strong putting round in making nine birdies.

“The place is pretty pure right now, if you hit a lot of good golf shots you’re going to get a lot of looks and you just got to be patient,” Varner said. “And the way I’m putting it right now I just need to get it on the green.”

Defending champion Sergio Garcia, the only player from the Ryder Cup last week in the field, had two birdies in a bogey-free round of 70 that left him six shots behind. He is drained from last week, when he set the Ryder Cup record for most matches won in a European loss. His only frustration was having too many chances from the 20-foot range.

His birdies putt were from 3 feet and 10 feet, one of them on a par 5.

Very happy about not making bogeys. Obviously, that’s always a very positive thing, first round of the season bogey-free, very proud of that,” Garcia said. “But at the same time I feel like I drove the ball quite well and didn’t take advantage of it.”

Theegala is on the growing list of young Americans with a strong pedigree. He swept the three awards as NCAA college player of the year his senior year at Pepperdine, which was cut short by the pandemic. He made it to the PGA Tour on his first try through the Korn Ferry Tour finals.

In his second start as a rookie, he found the tree-lined course to his liking and said his round was best described as “really stress free.”

That started from the tee.

“Just drove it really well. I was really working it well,” Theegala said. “I got my slider back. I was hitting a pretty good cut _ probably 25- to 30-yard cut _ out there and this course kind of allows it because the trees around the tee box aren’t that close.

“I really felt comfortable all day,” he said. “Being in the fairway helps so much.”

His putter was working just fine, too. Only three of his eight birdies were inside the 15-foot range, and those were on the par 5s. He also made a 15-foot par save from the bunker on the par-3 fourth hole, the only time he was threatened with a bogey.

Watney once reached the Tour Championship five straight years and played in the Presidents Cup until he was slowed by a herniated disk in his lower back. He missed the cut in all but six of the 25 events he played last year and worked hard in the month off between seasons.

Most of that was his putting, and that started with his head.

“I think I missed a lot of putts before I even stroked the ball,” Watney said. “A lot of doubt on my read or stroke or posture, just a lot of unnecessary thoughts. So I tried to develop a process of trusting myself more. And so far, so good.”

Two shots behind were Sloan, Si Woo Kim and Kurt Kitayama, a 28-year-old California in his first year on the PGA Tour.

Kitayama went to UNLV and after two tough years on the PGA Tour’s developmental circuit, he took his game overseas. He started on the Asian Tour, earned his European Tour card through qualifying school and has won twice on the European Tour.

He earned a PGA Tour card for the first time by finishing 23rd in the Korn Ferry Tour finals.

Since then, Kitayama went back to England to play the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, his caddie tested positive for the coronavirus and he had to find a new caddie for the start of his PGA Tour season two weeks ago in Napa, California.

There was no golf last week because of the Ryder Cup.

“Having a week off was kind of nice to settle down,” he said.

Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., posted a one-under 71 to start the tournament. MacKenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was even-par on the first day.

Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., turned in a 1-over 73. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., each shot 74.

For updated scores click here.

ATLANTA (AP) For the second day in a row, no one had a better score than Jon Rahm at the Tour Championship. That’s just what he needed to make up ground on Patrick Cantlay going into a weekend chase for $15 million.

Rahm birdied his last three holes Friday for a 5-under 65. Cantlay birdied his last two holes for a bogey-free 66 to keep one shot ahead.

It’s not quite a two-man race for the FedEx Cup with 36 holes still to play at East Lake, though it was shaping up as a possibility. Bryson DeChambeau was the next closest player, and his 67 lost ground Friday. He was six shots behind.

Cantlay looked as though he was protecting a lead, often playing to the fat of the green. That was more a product of showing respect to an East Lake course that punishes even slight misses on the wrong side of the hole. He hit 16 of 18 greens, and only twice did he have par putts from about the 5-foot range.

“I’m playing really well, and I think I’m playing the golf course the right way,” Cantlay said.

Cantlay started the Tour Championship at 10-under par because he was the No. 1 seed in the FedEx Cup. Rahm began four shots back.

Asked if the idea was to chip away at the lead, Rahm replied, “What other strategy is there?”

The reason for Cantlay’s pre-tournament advantage was because of last week at Caves Valley.

Cantlay and Rahm played in the final threesome, along with DeChambeau, going into the weekend at the BMW Championship. Cantlay finished 66-66 and won in a playoff. Rahm closed with 70-70 and tied for ninth, dropping to the No. 4 seed.

That now seems long ago.

The Tour Championship, to a degree, feels normal now.

Cantlay was at 17 under. He and Rahm will be in the final group again.

DeChambeau had more work to do, as did Justin Thomas, who made two bogeys and failed to birdie the par-5 18th in his round of 67. He was seven behind.

“A place like this, there’s not really a lead that’s safe with how tough it it can play,” Thomas said. “But at the end of the day, I can’t worry about what the other guys are doing. I just have to go out and try to make some birdies and stop making mistakes.”

Harris English made his share of mistakes with five bogeys in his round of 69, leaving him in the large group at 9 under.

So did Jordan Spieth. He was going for his fourth straight birdie to get right in the mix, facing a 10-foot putt on the 13th hole. He three-putted, lost momentum and shot a 67. Spieth, Rory McIlroy (66) and Louis Oosthuizen (67) were at 8 under.

The lone Canadian, Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., fired a 2-over 72 and fell back to 2 under heading into the weekend.

Gone are the low scores from the opening FedEx Cup playoff events, at rain-soaked Liberty Natitonal and Caves Valley, where players at each course had a putt at 59. The best anyone has managed at East Lake, still slightly soft from rain and a light breeze, had been a 65.

So it’s tougher for players to make up a lot of ground unless the leaders come back, and there has been little indication Cantlay and Rahm are going to do that.

Cantlay had plenty of looks at birdie, and didn’t hear many calls of “Patty Ice” because not many of those putts were going in. He got up-and-down from a bunker on the par-5 sixth. His wedge into the 13th spun back to an inch of the cup.

Rahm holed a 35-foot putt from off the green at the 13th, gave it back with a bad drive to the right on the next hole, and then closed the gap to one shot with a 10-foot birdie on the 16th.

The final two holes felt like a duel, even for a lazy Friday afternoon.

Rahm poured in a 25-foot birdie putt on the 17th, and Cantlay matched his birdie from 15 feet, the first time he had made a putt longer than 5 feet all day.

On the closing hole, Rahm blasted out of the front bunker to tap-in range. Cantlay chipped down the slope and with the grain one of the few times he was out of position and watched it trail off 8 feet from the hole. He made that to regain the lead.

“When you have somebody like him who played a round with very few mistakes you could argue that it could have been a lot lower it only motivates me to keep doing a little bit better,” Rahm said. “Even though I want to focus on myself, you know he’s not going to let up and he keeps putting it in the fairway and on the green and in the fairway and on the green.

ATLANTA (AP) Patrick Cantlay met his goal in the first round of the Tour Championship on Thursday, and it had nothing to do with the score on his card or the size of his lead.

As the top seed in the FedEx Cup, he started with a two-shot lead over Tony Finau before even hitting a shot. He finished the warm, breezy day at East Lake at 3-under 67 with a two-shot lead over Jon Rahm.

This was all about playing another tournament round.

Only four players had a better score, so it was a good day regardless of the format that allows player to start at various points under par depending on their FedEx Cup position.

Rahm began by chipping in for birdie, kept the round from getting away from him with a few key saves one for bogey, one for par at the turn, and ran off four birdies over his last seven holes for a 65.

Cantlay, who started at 10-under par, moved to 13 under.

Five shots behind was Bryson DeChambeau and Harris English, and only one of them managed to pick up a little ground on Cantlay while delivering one of the more exciting moments.

That would be English, who was headed in the wrong direction when he stepped to the tee at the par-3 15th over water, the second-toughest hole at East Lake, smashed a 5-iron from 224 yards and watched it drop for a hole-in-one, the first one since the Tour Championship first came to East Lake in 1998.

He followed with two more birdies for a 66, one better than Cantlay on the day, a little closer than when English started.

DeChambeau birdied his last three holes to salvage a 69. He started three shots behind and now is five shots behind, without any reports of unruly behavior outside the ropes.

The subject of name calling was who else? English.

One fan following along kept referring to him by another name Hudson Swafford which is understandable. English and Swafford were teammates at Georgia, have similar builds, look a little alike. They’re even tied in driving distance (81st) on the PGA Tour.

Finau, meanwhile, had a 72 and went from two shots behind to seven back.

This is the third year of the format, and Cantlay doesn’t know how the lower half feels. He was the No. 2 seed in 2019 when it started, the No. 1 seed last year. That first time didn’t go well. He had one of his worst weeks of the year, which cost him nearly $2 million with how far he fell.

Justin Thomas was the Nos. 1 and 3 seeds the previous two times. Now he’s at No. 6, meaning he started six shots out of the lead. That was a new experience.

He noticed he already was in 10th place by the time he teed off, based on some early scoring, and found that to a bit jarring. Worse yet was being 1 over on the front nine. Starting out six shots behind in the first place, his hopes could have ended early.

But he shot 31 on the back nine, five birdies and one impressive par save on the 14th, and pieced together a 67. He’s still six back. It could have been worse.

“When you start behind like that, unfortunately, you just don’t have the luxury of shooting a 1 over or 2 over the first round,” Thomas said. “And I salvaged a good round out there and feel like I can easily go out there and shoot 6 or 7 under one of these next three days. And hopefully I do.”

The lone Canadian in the field, Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., fired a 67 and is at 4 under. Conners finished the first round of the championship tied for the 17th spot.

Rahm started four back and, like Cantlay, chose not to pay attention to anything but the next shot, even as the good start looked as though it could get away from him. He took bogey from the left rough on No. 7, had to get up-and-down from behind the eighth green for bogey and saved par from a bunker on the par-3 ninth.

That was as important as some of his birdies. Now he’s two behind Cantlay with 54 holes left, and now matter how odd it might seem at the start, now it feels like a regular tournament.

“It’s very easy to get caught up on how far back you start. I don’t think I really once thought about it out there. I was just trying to post a score,” Rahm said. “My job is to hit the best shot I can each time and that’s all can I control.”

For the second time in his career, Corey Conners has qualified for the TOUR Championship.

After finishing tied for 22nd last weekend at the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland, the 29-year-old from Listowel, Ont., will enter the PGA TOUR playoff finale at No. 21 on the FedEx Cup standings.

The TOUR Championship, which features the top 30 players on the FedEx Cup standings following the conclusion of the BMW Championship last weekend, will be held at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta starting Thursday.

This is the highest Conners has been on the FedEx Cup rankings when entering the TOUR Championship. He first qualified for the TOUR finale in 2019, where he started the weekend at No. 23 and ultimately finished at No. 26.

This season, the Canadian entered the FedEx Cup playoffs comfortably at No. 28 – already in a position to qualify for the TOUR Championship. Throughout the first two tournaments of the three-part FedEx Cup playoffs, Conners was able to move up seven spots to enter this weekend’s final event at No. 21. 

His position entering this weekend is a clear reflection of Conners’ performance this season on the PGA TOUR. Undoubtably his best, most consistent season to date, the Canadian played in all six major championships that were held during the 2020-2021 season, which had two more majors than normal with both the 2020 and 2021 U.S. Opens and Masters Tournaments included. Of those six majors, Conners held an 18-hole lead (PGA Championship), two top 10 finishes (both Masters Tournaments), and had two more top 20 finishes (PGA Championship, The Open Championship).

Conners also played in two of the three World Golf Championships and though it was not officially part of the PGA TOUR schedule, was selected to represent Canada at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics where he finished 13th.

Known for his accuracy and iron play, Conners is currently ranked 8th in strokes gained off the tee, and 9th in strokes gained approaching the green on the PGA TOUR.

Just two weeks ago, at The Northern Trust – the first of the FedEx Cup playoffs – Conners shot a career-low round – a 62 that included five birdies and an eagle on the front nine at Liberty National Golf Club.

Due to the TOUR Championship format, Conners will start the tournament at one under, alongside four other players who finished from Nos. 21 to 25. Patrick Cantlay, whose win at the BMW Championship last weekend over Bryson DeChambeau after a six-hole playoff, was catapulted into the first place as a result, and will start the tournament at 10 under.

The FedEx Cup points – the system that determined the 30 players who qualified for the TOUR Championship – will be wiped clean entering the tournament, with the tournament results determining the final positions of the top 30 players on the FedEx Cup for the 2020-21 season.

The player who finishes first will win $15,000,000 USD, while the player who finishes at No. 30, will still make $395,000 USD. 

Most recent FedEx Cup champions include Dustin Johnson (2020), Rory McIlroy (2019), and Justin Rose (2018).

Conners will tee off on Thursday alongside Hideki Matsuyama at 12:20 p.m. ET.