NORTON, Mass. – Dark clouds gathered. Thunder rumbled. Lightning flashed on the horizon. Just as unsettling was seeing Dustin Johnson in complete control of his game with a performance worthy of his return to No. 1 in the world.

He was as close to unbeatable as he has ever been.

Johnson capped off his dominant week at The Northern Trust with an 8-under 63, finishing with a tap-in birdie in the dark following a storm delay for an 11-shot victory at the TPC Boston.

It was the largest margin of victory since Phil Mickelson won by 13 at the TPC Sugarloaf in 2006.

“The best I’ve ever seen him look,” said Claude Harmon III, his swing coach, as he stood off the 18th green that was partially illuminated by the video board that flashed the scores of this astounding feat.

Johnson hit every green in regulation Sunday, and missed only three greens over his last 54 holes. His final 54 holes were rounds of 60-64-63.

Johnson finished at 30-under 254, making him only the third player in PGA Tour history to finish at 30 under or better. He missed the record by one shot set by Ernie Els in 2003 at Kapalua. Jordan Spieth also was 30 under at Kapalua in 2016. Johnson at least holds the record on the mainland.

“I knew I was playing well and I knew the guys were going to shoot low,” Johnson said. “I was trying to get to 30 under. … I’ve never shot 30 under in four rounds. Just something that I wanted to do.”

That was about the only competition he faced.

Harris English figured that out early when he trailed by five shots at the start of the final round, shot 32 on the front nine and fell seven shots behind.

“Kind of had my own tournament that I was playing,” English said. “I mean, really, the goal starting today wasn’t necessarily to win. It was to put myself in position to have a run in the FedEx Cup. That’s why we’re all here.”

English did the job, With a bogey in the dark that didn’t matter at the end, he shot 69 to finish alone in second and moved to No. 6 in the FedEx Cup, securing his place among the top 30 who go to East Lake for the Tour Championship. English started the year with only partial status.

Louis Oosthuizen delivered, too, in what might have been the only drama Sunday. Oosthuizen was No. 99 in the FedEx Cup and appeared to waste his opportunity when he was 4 over through 14. He came to the par-5 18th needing birdie, drove into the fairway, and then had to wait more than an hour because of the storm delay.

He hit the green with a 3-iron, rolled the eagle putt 4 feet by the hole because he could barely see, and knocked in the birdie to move to No. 70 on the number. The top 70 go to the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields next week.

“Most happy 73 that I’ve had in a while,” Oosthuizen said.

Johnson won for the 22nd time in his career, and he never made it look easier. He said his game felt as good as the spring of 2017, when he won three straight tournaments – Riviera and two World Golf Championships – to first reach No. 1.

It was his fifth victory in a FedEx Cup playoff event, tied for most with Rory McIlroy.

Staked to a five-shot lead over Harris English going into the final round, Johnson sent a towering 7-iron over the water to a front pin on the par-5 second, the ball settling 8 feet next to the pin for an eagle. Two holes later, his 3-wood was placed perfectly in front of the fourth green for a simple up-and-down for birdie.

It was like that all day. It was like that all week.

On the 500-yard 12th hole, where on Saturday he hit a tight draw with a 6-iron to a foot, Johnson hit 6-iron with a slight fade to 3 feet for another birdie.

All that was left was to see he could top the 72-hole record of 253 set by Justin Thomas at the Sony Open in 2017. Johnson settled into a string of pars until the final hole, and later said he didn’t know what the record was.

“Next time,” he said.

That’s not unusual. During his peak run in 2017, he was poised to break the longest 72-hole tournament record on the PGA Tour at Riviera, the 20-under by Lanny Wadkins in 1985. Johnson was at 20 under with 12 holes to play, went into conservative mode and made three bogeys on his last 10 holes. He was unaware of that record, too, and wasn’t bothered.

Johnson is more about trophies than records. And this trophy was never in doubt

“He can absolutely dismantle a golf course when he’s on,” said Kevin Kisner, who grew up playing junior golf in South Carolina with Johnson. “I’ve been watching it for 25 years. I’m pretty accustomed to it. When he’s on, I just step to the side and try to add to my bank account.”

Kisner did that part well. He closed with a 66, moving him to No. 23 in his bid to lock up a spot in the Tour Championship. He had said all week he wanted to take care of that at the TPC Boston instead of having to deliver next week in the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields, a course he has never seen.

Robby Shelton closed with a 63, enough for him to be among six players who moved into the top 70. The others were Oosthuizen, Harry Higgs, Alex Noren, Russell Henley and Jason Kokrak. Five of the six players knocked out missed the cut, including Phil Mickelson. The other was Denny McCarthy, who shot 73 on Sunday.

Tiger Woods opened with four straight birdies and had to settle for a 66 to tie for 58th. He fell to No. 57 in the FedEx Cup, in danger of missing the Tour Championship for the second straight year.

NORTON, Mass. – Dustin Johnson could have used a finish like this for a record score. The birdie-eagle ending to his round Saturday at The Northern Trust gave him a 7-under 64 and stretched his lead to five shots in the FedEx Cup playoffs opener.

Johnson, coming off a remarkable day in which he was 11 under through 11 holes and finished with seven pars for a 60, pulled away from Harris English and Scottie Scheffler with a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th and a 40-footer for eagle on the closing hole at the TPC Boston.

He was at 22-under 191, his lowest 54-hole score by three shots.

“I’m in a great position and like where I’m at, but I’m still going to have to go out and shoot a good score,” Johnson said. “You can go low out here and guys are going low every day, especially with the conditions we have – perfect greens, golf course is in great shape and not a lot of wind.”

English had three birdies in a four-hole stretch early on the back nine and was tied for the lead when Johnson made his lone bogey of the round on the 13th hole when he failed to get up-and-down from a bunker.

English, however, followed with consecutive bogeys when he missed the green well to the right of the water on the par-3 16th, and three-putted from 70 feet on the 17th. He missed a third consecutive putt from 7 feet or closer, the last one for birdie, and had to settle for a 66.

Scheffler closed with a birdie to follow his second-round 59 with a 67. He played in the final group with Johnson, just like he did two weeks ago on the final day of the PGA Championship.

Even so, they’re five shots behind Johnson, who is going for his second victory of the year and could go to No. 1 in the world – provided Jon Rahm doesn’t finish second – for the first time since May 2019.

“Try to make as many birdies as I can and see what happens,” English said.

Louis Oosthuizen (68) was seven shots behind, and his best hope now would appear to be moving into the top 70 who advance to the second playoff event next week at Olympia Fields south of Chicago.

Tiger Woods predicted Friday there would be low scoring in the third round, and he was right – just not from him or Rory McIlroy, a star pairing for the breakfast hour. Woods birdied the last hole for a 73. McIlroy made two triple bogeys in his round of 74. They get to play again Sunday morning.

Johnson will be going for his fifth FedEx Cup playoff victory, and third in this event on a third course. What matters more is how he finishes the season. The FedEx Cup already features some of the best players in golf – Woods, McIlroy, Vijay Singh, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth among them – and Johnson wants to be on that list.

Johnson set the target with four birdies in eight holes before heavy rain moved in and halted the third round for 45 minutes. It also softened a TPC Boston that was getting slightly firmer.

He came back and hit to tap-in range for birdie on the 12th, and the had the great finish.

Johnson needed a birdie on the 18th on Friday for his first 59, and said he regrets hitting driver off the tee with a shot that tumbled down a small slope into the rough. Lesson learned? Not really. With the rain, he opted for driver again, teed it low and hit this one perfect, setting up a 5-iron to the green and his long eagle putt.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. had the best score among Canadians Saturday. Hughes shot a 5-under 66 to bring him to 11-under. He moved up 14 places on the leaderboard, putting him in a tie for 15th place with three other golfers. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont. is tied for 34th place at 7-under.

NORTON, Mass. – It took a disappointing par for Scottie Scheffler to realize he was making enough birdies to have a shot at 59, and he seized on the chance Friday with four birdies over his last five holes to post the 12th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history.

For the longest time, it looked like his 59 might not even be the best of the day at The Northern Trust.

As Scheffler was signing his card, Dustin Johnson had already set off on an explosive start that put some buzz into the TPC Boston even without any spectators on the course.

Birdie. Eagle. Birdie. Eagle. Birdie.

He was 9 under through eight holes, and with two birdies to start the back nine, Johnson was 11 under through 11 holes.

And then he turned into a par machine, with only two good looks at birdie the rest of the way, and one decision he’d like to have back. Johnson hit driver on the par-5 18th into a slope of grungy grass, when a 3-wood was all he would have needed to have a mid-iron into the green. He had to lay up, hit wedge to 25 feet and two-putted for a seventh straight par.

Johnson shot a 60, had a two-shot lead, and it almost felt as though condolences were in order.

“If I hit the fairway there, it’s a pretty easy 4. But I didn’t, so shot 60,” Johnson said. “That’s OK, though. I’m pretty happy with it. Pretty happy with my position leading into the weekend.”

Johnson was at 15-under 127, two shots ahead of Scheffler and Cameron Davis (66). Scheffler finished with two putts from across the 18th green for his 12th birdie, knocking in his last putt from 4 feet.

“You don’t really get a putt for 59 often, so I was quite nervous over the putt, but that’s nothing new,” Scheffler said. “I get nervous over every shot. That’s just playing competitive golf.”

Not since the John Deere Classic in 2010 have two players had 60 or lower on the same day. That contributed to Tiger Woods feeling irritated by his pedestrian 71 that allowed him to make the cut on the number and left him 12 shots back.

“I just didn’t quite have it,” Woods said. “I was close to snapping a couple clubs today, but I didn’t, so that’s a positive.”

Scheffler, the smooth 24-year-old rookie from Texas, didn’t do hardly anything wrong. Two good wedges from tough spots around the green set up birdies early, and he kept pouring them in. That included a 6-foot par putt on the 17th hole that set up the birdie he needed for a 59.

On the 18th, his tee shot hopped out of the rough and into the first cut. From 215 yards, he wisely aimed toward the left section of the green, hit 5-iron just short and had two putts from 85 feet for a 59. He rolled the long eagle attempt about 4 feet short, went over to his bag for a swig of water while waiting his turn, and calmly rolled it in.

Scheffler was trying to make as many birdies as possible. It was only after he missed a 10-foot birdie chance on the 13th that he began to realize what he was doing.

“I was like, `Oh, man, that would have been a nice one to go in’ because I was playing really good at that point,” he said. “Kind of clicked like, `Hey, I have a chance to do something pretty cool today.”’

That makes five straight years with a 59 or better on the PGA Tour.

This stood out as the 59 that generated the least amount of excitement, not on a spectator-free course with no scoreboards in the groups. Scheffler played with Kevin Streelman and Tony Finau, and only one of them knew what was going on.

“We don’t have the sign bearers, so I brought it up to Tony on 17 green, and he had no idea,” Streelman said. “He thought it was 7 or 8 (under) and I’m like, `No, he’s like 11 right now.’ That’s the difference. There would definitely have been electricity, fans running in. He still had the pressure to step up there on 18 and make that nice up-and-down, and he played awesome.

“He played perfect golf today.”

So did Johnson. He made it look so easy that Marc Leishman, playing in his group, starting wondering about the lowest score anyone ever shot. “A 59 didn’t even seem like a question,” Leishman said.

Johnson holed a 40-foot eagle putt on No. 2. He hit driver to 4 feet for eagle on No. 4. The rest of his birdie putts were in range, mostly from 12 feet or closer. And he kept making them, until the birdies dried up quickly.

Johnson missed a 12-footer on the 13th and a 10-footer on the 17th. And then he failed to make birdie on the last hole, the easiest of the day on the TPC Boston.

A 59 is no longer the record – Furyk shot 58 at the Travelers Championship in 2016 – but it’s still considered golf’s magic number. It was the second time Scheffler shot 59 this year. He also had one during with friends in Dallas when the tour shut down for three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johnson will have to wait.

“I wanted to shoot 59. I’ve never done it,” he said.

Never?

“Not that I remember,” Johnson said, breaking into a smile before adding, “And I think I’d remember that.”

Meanwhile, the FedEx Cup playoffs ended early for some two dozen players who missed the cut and were assured of not making the top 70 who advance to the BMW Championship next week. That includes Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka, who withdrew before the tournament began.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Jim Herman’s got a plan to keep his PGA Tour career thriving – play more rounds with President Donald Trump.

Whenever Herman plays golf with the president, soon after he hoists a trophy.

It happened in 2016 with his breakthrough victory at the Houston Open, again before he won the Barbasol tournament last year – and now before Herman’s improbable rally Sunday at Wyndham Championship to make the FedEx Cup playoffs.

“He’s been a big supporter of mine,” Herman said about Trump, his regular golf partner while working as an assistant professional at Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey. “I need to play golf with him a little bit more.”

Herman gave the president plenty to cheer about on the weekend, a victory even the 42-year-old didn’t see coming.

“This was out of the blue. I’ll tell you that,” Herman said.

Herman shot a 7-under 63 for a one-stroke victory over Billy Horschel, overcoming a four-stroke deficit in the final round at Sedgefield Country Club. Herman moved past Horschel with a birdie on the 71st hole.

A mutual friend passed along the president’s best wishes Saturday, Herman said. He had not heard from Trump yet. “You never know what could happen later tonight or tomorrow morning,” Herman said. “There were some rumours he was definitely watching.”

Herman finished at 21-under 259.

Horschel closed with a 65. He had a final chance to tie on the 72nd hole, but his 8-foot birdie putt slid left of the cup.

Herman got into the playoffs, jumping from 192nd to 54th in the race for the 125 spots.

Si Woo Kim, the third-round leader, had a 70 to tie for third at 18 under with Kevin Kisner (64), Webb Simpson (65) and Doc Redman (68).

Herman had two birdies and an eagle – from 59 feet – on his first five holes to catch up to Kim. Then, trailing Horschel by a stroke, Herman stuck his approach to No. 17 to just over 3 feet for a birdie. to reach 21 under. He gained the lead when Horschel missed a 12-footer for par on 16.

It was quite a week for Herman, who had three birdies over his final four holes Friday simply to make the cut. He followed that up with a career-low 61 on Saturday to get into striking distance before taking the victory.

He had come off a poor showing at the PGA Championship and couldn’t find the fairway early on here. “This is going to be a pretty quick week if we don’t get this figured out,” he told his caddie.

His next tee shot split the fairway and Herman was off and running.

Horschel looked as if he was the one to rally as he moved from three behind Kim to the lead with a birdie-eagle- birdie run on the front nine while Kim struggled with a double bogey and a bogey over his first eight holes.

Horschel had an 11-footer for birdie that didn’t fall on the 17th hole before his miss on No. 18.

“A little disappointed,” he said. “I had two good looks on the last two holes and the way I was rolling, I thought I’d make one of them.”

Kim was a birdie machine with 21 birdies and a hole in one the first three rounds. But he stumbled out of the gate and a pair of bad drives cost him his first win since The Players Championship in 2017.

He drove right into a hazzard of thick grass and, despite six people searching, could not find his shot. Kim made double bogey to fall from the top.

Two holes later, Kim would up near a cart path bridge for a bogey to fall four shots off the lead.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., was the low Canadian, 12 shots back in a tie for 31st place. Michael Glicic of Burlington, Ont., tied for 59th.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Tom Hoge maintained a share of the lead Friday at the Wyndham Championship, this time alongside Si Woo Kim, Talor Gooch and Billy Horschel.

Hoge, tied for the first-round lead with Harold Varner III and Roger Sloan, kept in front with a steady 2-under 68 to get to 10-under par.

Hoge, whose best-ever tour finish was a second at The Greenbrier this season, was asked what it would take for his first PGA Tour win.

“There’s a lot to that question,” he said.

The answer could be as simple as regaining his first-round form when he had seven birdies, an eagle and one par. This time, Hoge was more up and down with five birdies and three bogeys.

Sloan, from Merritt, B.C., shot a 70 on Friday to drop into a tie for 10th at 8 under. Michael Gligic (69) of Burlington, Ont., was tied for 48th at 4 under. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., both missed the cut.

Kim, whose first tour victory came here in 2016 and made history a year later as the youngest-ever winner of The Players Championship, shot a 65 to move up.

Kim got it going on the front nine (his final nine) after starting with nine consecutive pars. He had six birdies coming in, including the final two holes to move on top.

Kim’s approach shots down the stretch were on target – his final five birdie putts were all from 12 feet or closer.

He said the rough at Sedgefield Country Club was “more sticky and deep” this year.

“It helps more to hit fairway, that’s really important,” Kim said. “That’s why I hit it more, try to focus on ,,, the fairway.”

Like Hoge, the 28-year-old Gooch is seeking his first tour victory. Like Kim, Gooch shot 65 to get into the foursome on top.

It was the first time on tour Gooch, who opened with a 65, had multiple rounds that low in the same event. He had six birdies, including two of his final three holes, to move up.

“Anytime you shoot 65, it does’t matter who, what, when, where, why, you’ve done some good,” he said.

Horschel shot 64 and had birdies on four of last six holes, including a tricky 7-footer on his final one, the ninth, to join the lead group. Horschel won the 2014 FedEx Cup and said this time of year charges him up.

“I like it when the pressure’s on and everyone’s looking at you and you need to step up and doing something special,” he said.

The four were a stroke ahead of Harris English (67) , Varner (69), Andrew Landry (65), Doc Redman (64) and British Open champ Shane Lowry, who shot a 63 to tie for Friday’s low round with Jason Kokrak.

Lowry did not get to defend his major when the tournament was cancelled due to the global pandemic. He also entered the week at 131 in FedEx Cup points, outside of the upcoming playoffs.

After a bogey on his second hole, Lowry had six birdies and an eagle to move into contention.

“Obviously, I’m outside the FedEx Cup number and out of Boston next week, so I need to keep playing some good golf and try and polish off a good week,” he said.

Kokrak was in a group of seven one shot further back along with past Wyndham champ Webb Simpson, who shot his second straight 66.

Those three strokes back included Patrick Reed (68), Paul Casey (66) and Tommy Fleetwood (64).

A pair of major champions in the thick of last week’s PGA Championship in Brooks Koepka and Justin Rose did not make the cut.

Koepka had a 70, including a triple-bogey 7 on the 10th hole, to finish at 2-over, 12 shots behind. Rose rallied to a 67 after an opening 73, but his even-par was not enough to continue.

“Not physically tired, more mentally,” said Koepka, who’s played in sixth straight tournaments with the playoffs ahead. “But I’ve got the weekend off.”

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Tom Hoge maintained a share of the lead Friday at the Wyndham Championship, this time alongside Si Woo Kim, Talor Gooch and Billy Horschel.

Hoge, tied for the first-round lead with Harold Varner III and Roger Sloan, kept in front with a steady 2-under 68 to get to 10-under par.

Hoge, whose best-ever tour finish was a second at The Greenbrier this season, was asked what it would take for his first PGA Tour win.

“There’s a lot to that question,” he said.

The answer could be as simple as regaining his first-round form when he had seven birdies, an eagle and one par. This time, Hoge was more up and down with five birdies and three bogeys.

Sloan, from Merritt, B.C., shot a 70 on Friday to drop into a tie for 10th at 8 under. Michael Gligic (69) of Burlington, Ont., was tied for 48th at 4 under. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., both missed the cut.

Kim, whose first tour victory came here in 2016 and made history a year later as the youngest-ever winner of The Players Championship, shot a 65 to move up.

Kim got it going on the front nine (his final nine) after starting with nine consecutive pars. He had six birdies coming in, including the final two holes to move on top.

Kim’s approach shots down the stretch were on target – his final five birdie putts were all from 12 feet or closer.

He said the rough at Sedgefield Country Club was “more sticky and deep” this year.

“It helps more to hit fairway, that’s really important,” Kim said. “That’s why I hit it more, try to focus on ,,, the fairway.”

Like Hoge, the 28-year-old Gooch is seeking his first tour victory. Like Kim, Gooch shot 65 to get into the foursome on top.

It was the first time on tour Gooch, who opened with a 65, had multiple rounds that low in the same event. He had six birdies, including two of his final three holes, to move up.

“Anytime you shoot 65, it does’t matter who, what, when, where, why, you’ve done some good,” he said.

Horschel shot 64 and had birdies on four of last six holes, including a tricky 7-footer on his final one, the ninth, to join the lead group. Horschel won the 2014 FedEx Cup and said this time of year charges him up.

“I like it when the pressure’s on and everyone’s looking at you and you need to step up and doing something special,” he said.

The four were a stroke ahead of Harris English (67) , Varner (69), Andrew Landry (65), Doc Redman (64) and British Open champ Shane Lowry, who shot a 63 to tie for Friday’s low round with Jason Kokrak.

Lowry did not get to defend his major when the tournament was cancelled due to the global pandemic. He also entered the week at 131 in FedEx Cup points, outside of the upcoming playoffs.

After a bogey on his second hole, Lowry had six birdies and an eagle to move into contention.

“Obviously, I’m outside the FedEx Cup number and out of Boston next week, so I need to keep playing some good golf and try and polish off a good week,” he said.

Kokrak was in a group of seven one shot further back along with past Wyndham champ Webb Simpson, who shot his second straight 66.

Those three strokes back included Patrick Reed (68), Paul Casey (66) and Tommy Fleetwood (64).

A pair of major champions in the thick of last week’s PGA Championship in Brooks Koepka and Justin Rose did not make the cut.

Koepka had a 70, including a triple-bogey 7 on the 10th hole, to finish at 2-over, 12 shots behind. Rose rallied to a 67 after an opening 73, but his even-par was not enough to continue.

“Not physically tired, more mentally,” said Koepka, who’s played in sixth straight tournaments with the playoffs ahead. “But I’ve got the weekend off.”

GREENSBORO, N.C. _ Canada’s Roger Sloan is tied for the lead after he shot a career-low 62 in the first round of the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship on Thursday.

Sloan’s previous best round on the top tour was a 64 at last year’s Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico.

At 8 under, the Merritt, B.C. golfer was tied with Americans Harold Varner III and Tom Hoge toward the end of the first round. Sloan and Hoge were part of the same threesome.

“Tom and I go back to our Canadian Tour days (in 2011), so it’s nice to get reunited out there and share some good stories and memories,” Sloan said. “I think that puts you in a good frame of mind when one guy’s making some birdies. I think I got the early track on some birdies, it kind of motivated him, and then when he’s pushing through and passing me, you know, I want to finish strong.”

Sloan has struggled this season, missing the cut in 13 of 19 events and sitting 178th in the rankings. He needs a big finish in the final regular-season event this week to make it into the top 125 and qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs.

However, unlike in previous years, players outside the top 125 after this week won’t lose their PGA Tour cards. The tour made the change after the COVID-19 pandemic halted play in March.

“I’m very fortunate because it doesn’t matter what happens this week, I have status on the PGA Tour next year,” Sloan said. “That’s comforting to know, so we’re just going to go out, we’re going to do everything we can to win this golf tournament.”

Varner had eight birdies, including four in a row midway through the round, through 15 holes. He finished with three pars.

Hoge had his only bogey of the day on No. 18 to lose sole possession of the lead.

Former U.S. Open champ and past Wyndham winner Webb Simpson was among a large group at 66.

Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., had a 67, Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., shot a 69 and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., had a 72.

A pair of major champions who challenged at the PGA Championship last week struggled in the opening round.

Brooks Koepka had a 72 and Justin Rose a 73.

Team RBC’s Adam Hadwin provides advice and tips around enjoying time south of the border and managing finances as a Canadian in the U.S.

To learn more about cross-border banking with RBC, visit www.rbc.com/crossborder.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan announced today that the Presidents Cup will return to The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal when the Presidents Cup shifts internationally in 2024. As host of the 2007 Presidents Cup, The Royal Montreal Golf Club will become the second international venue to host the Presidents Cup more than once, joining The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia.

The 2007 Presidents Cup at The Royal Montreal Golf Club saw two legendary captains lead their respective teams for the final time, with four-time captain Jack Nicklaus guiding the U.S. Team to victory over three-time captain Gary Player and the International Team by a score of 19 ½ – 14 ½. Despite falling short, the highlight for the week for International Team fans was a Sunday Singles victory by Mike Weir over World No. 1 Tiger Woods, with the Canadian being supported by a massive and supercharged gallery of spectators.

“The people of Canada are some of the most loyal and passionate sports fans in the world, and given the overwhelming success of the Presidents Cup in 2007, it was a natural next step for the event to return to The Royal Montreal in 2024,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Our thanks go out to our global partners, Citi and Rolex, for making the Presidents Cup possible and to the leadership and membership of The Royal Montreal Golf Club, a venue that has already shown it can challenge and highlight the best players in the world. The Presidents Cup continues to grow and expand along with the global growth of our sport while leaving an indelible legacy of giving back throughout the world. I have no doubt that with the support of our fans, the corporate community and governments of Quebec and Canada and the City of Montreal, the Presidents Cup 2024 will continue to the positive trajectory of this event.”

The @PresidentsCup is coming to Canada in 2024 ?? pic.twitter.com/PcZh0Miv4r

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) August 10, 2020

As part of the news, Monahan announced a partnership between First Tee, Golf Canada and Golf Canada Foundation to launch First Tee – Canada. With plans to expand across the nation, the partnership will add First Tee’s youth development program to Golf Canada’s already impressive platform that reaches kids in schools and at golf facilities, helping to empower kids through a lifetime of new challenges and personal growth.

Founded in 1873, The Royal Montreal Golf Club is the oldest golf club in North America. Its Blue Course was designed by Dick Wilson and updated by Rees Jones in 2004 and 2005. In addition to hosting the Presidents Cup, The Royal Montreal has also held the RBC Canadian Open on 10 occasions, most recently in 2014.

“We are excited and more than pleased that we have been selected to host the Presidents Cup again, and we are thrilled that we will be welcoming the world’s best golfers to our club in 2024,” said Michael Richards, Chair of The Royal Montreal Golf Club’s bid committee. “Our club has experienced leadership and great members, and our goal is to make the 2024 Presidents Cup the best ever. With widespread support from leaders of the golf and business communities and from various levels of government and with the help of Tourisme Montreal, we are confident we will succeed.”

Graham DeLaet, Adam Hadwin and Mike Weir are the three Canadians who have competed in the Presidents Cup.

Weir, a five-time Presidents Cup participant, amassed a 13-9-2 record before spending the 2017 and 2019 Presidents Cup serving in the role of a captain’s assistant. Weir was famously drawn against Woods in his Sunday Singles match in 2007, which concluded with Weir winning the final two holes to capture the match, 1-up.

“I was very proud to be part of the Presidents Cup as a player in 2007, and to see it come back after being so well-supported the first time just speaks to how passionate we are in Canada about golf,” Weir said. “The fan turnout was tremendous, and as a Canadian I am very proud to have the Presidents Cup come back.”

Weir, the first Canadian to compete in the Presidents Cup, was later followed by DeLaet, who made his debut for Captain Nick Price in 2013. DeLaet, 31 years old at the time, delivered an inspiring 3-1-1 performance at Muirfield Village Golf Club, which included a Singles match victory over Jordan Spieth.

“I can only imagine the roars that will be heard around Royal Montreal, especially if a few Canadians are on the team,” DeLaet said. “Having the Presidents Cup is such a great way to grow the game in Canada and it’d be nice to see the International Team lift the Presidents Cup on Canadian soil.”

Hadwin became the third Canadian to participate in the Presidents Cup after qualifying for the 2017 International Team at Liberty National Golf Club. He then returned for the 2019 team thanks to one of four captain’s picks from Ernie Els, which he converted into a 1-1-1 record at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

“This is huge for Canadian golf,” Hadwin said. “The state of Canadian golf could not be better and I think it is such an appropriate time to bring it back into Canada. There’s a good chance that a few of us could end up representing the International Team there at Royal Montreal, so that adds to the excitement as well.

“I feel like we have some of the best golf fans in the world in Canada, and to bring a world-class event up to Canada is big for them and I know they’ll be excited to have it back.”

Also announced, Ryan Hart has been named as Executive Director of the 2024 Presidents Cup. Ryan has worked at the TOUR’s Headquarters for over 3 years, most recently as the Tournament Director of THE PLAYERS Championship. Raised in Winnipeg, Canada, Ryan returns home where he previously ran The Players Cup on Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada for seven years while leading a local marketing firm. Ryan will be returning to Canada to lead the TOUR’s efforts over the next four years.

Tournament dates for the 2024 Presidents Cup will be announced at later date.

SAN FRANCISCO – The shot will be remembered as one of the best under pressure that hardly anyone witnessed. It made Collin Morikawa a major champion Sunday in a thrill-a-minute PGA Championship that not many will forget.

Morikawa hit driver on the 294-yard 16th hole that was perfect in flight and even better when it landed, hopping onto the green and rolling to 7 feet for an eagle that all but clinched victory on a most quiet Sunday afternoon at Harding Park.

In the first major without spectators, the 23-year-old Californian finished with a bang.

“I was hoping for a really good bounce and got it,” he said. “I hit a really good putt, and now we’re here.”

He closed with a 6-under 64, the lowest final round by a PGA champion in 25 years, for a two-shot victory over Paul Casey and Dustin Johnson, two of 10 players who had a chance on the back nine.

Morikawa was among seven players tied for the lead, as wild as any Sunday in a major. He took the lead when he chipped in for birdie from 40 feet short of the 14th green. And then he delivered the knockout with one swing along the shores of Lake Merced,

The COVID-19 pandemic that moved the PGA Championship from May to August was allowed to be played only if spectators were not allowed. But there was one person who won’t forget what he saw.

Casey, with his first good shot at winning a major, birdied the 16th to tie Morikawa for the lead. Standing on the tee at the par-3 17th, he looked back and saw the ball roll toward the cup.

“What a shot,” was all Casey could say. “Nothing you can do but tip you cap to that. Collin had taken on that challenge and pulled it off. That’s what champions do.”

Golf’s latest major champion was still in the vicinity of Harding Park just over a year ago, finishing up his degree at California and his All-American career, part of a new cast of young stars in a sport filled with them.

He only played Harding Park about a dozen times while in college, but never set up with rough like this or with the tees all the way back.

Now he has three PGA Tour victories and is No. 5 in the world, taking his place among the young stars by beating a cast of world-class players on the public course in San Francisco.

For Johnson, it was another major that got away. He had a one-shot lead and didn’t do too much wrong on the day except for not keeping it in the fairway for better chances of birdie. He drove into the hazard on the 16th and chipped in for birdie when it was too late, and a birdie on the 18th gave him a 68 and a tie for second.

It was his fifth runner-up finish in a major – his only title is the 2016 U.S. Open – and his second straight runner-up in the PGA Championship.

Brooks Koepka proved to be all talk. He looked at the crowded leaderboard on Saturday night and didn’t see anyone with his experience of four major championships, even dishing on Johnson because he has “only won one.”

Koepka didn’t make a birdie until the 12th hole. He went from two shots behind to a 74, tying for 29th.

“It’s my first bad round in a major in a while,” said Koepka, who said he spent the back nine mostly trying to cheer on Casey and his bid to win a first major at age 43.

Youth rules these days.

Morikawa finished at 13-under 267, and left so many others wondering how close they came.

Matthew Wolff, who grew up with Morikawa in Southern California and turned pro last summer with him, shot a 65 and joined Jason Day, Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau and PGA Tour rookie Scottie Scheffler at 10-under 270.

Cameron Champ, among eight players who had a share of the lead at some point, lost momentum with a double bogey at the turn. DeChambeau dropped two shots at the turn and never caught up until it was too late.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., (72) and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., (73) finished well back at 2 over.

Morikawa, in only his 28th start as a pro and his second major, played bogey-free. His only mistake was at the end, when it was time to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy, the heaviest of the four major trophies. The lid came off and tumbled to the grass as Morikawa’s eyes bulged.

If that was his only mistake, consider it a good day. A major day.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., (72) and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., (73) finished at 2 over.