SHANGHAI _ Already with three victories and a career-best 17 finishes in the top 10, Rory McIlroy has put himself in position to add to those totals going into the weekend at the HSBC Champions.

He made a mess of the 16th hole Friday and escaped with bogey after hitting three tee shots (only two of them counted). He bounced back with a 5-iron to 3 feet for eagle on the final hole for a 5-under 67, leaving him one shot behind Matt Fitzpatrick.

McIlroy is happy with what he has done this year. But as he stood beneath the clubhouse at Sheshan International, he shared another number that makes him proud.

“I have top 10s in 50% of my PGA Tour starts,” McIlroy said. “To me, that’s a nice stat to know that most times you tee it up, you maybe not contend, but you’re putting yourself there.”

He was rounding off figures, but it’s no less impressive.

McIlroy, who is wrapping up his 12th full year as a pro, has finished in the top 10 in 49% of his PGA Tour starts. Tiger Woods is at 55%, while Phil Mickelson is at 32%.

Dustin Johnson, who turned pro about the same time as McIlroy and already has 20 titles on the PGA Tour, is at 37%.

McIlroy looked up his record because it’s what drives him. Winning, sure, but that starts with chances.

He has another one in Shanghai.

Fitzpatrick played bogey-free in the second round for a 67 that put him at 11-under 133. He figured to drop a shot on the 16th after a bad drive and a good idea that went bad.

He hooked his tee shot toward the trees and did well to get the ball to the back of the green, facing a tough lie with the ball nestled in deep rough. Fitzpatrick thought about chipping a 7-wood, blading a wedge or stabbing at it with his putter.

He went with the third option.

“The putter went past the ball, and the ball was still in the air _ very weird,” Fitzpatrick said.

It rolled out onto the green and caught a slope away from the cup. No matter. He holed the long par putt, hit 5-iron to 15 feet for birdie on the tough par-3 17th and got up-and-down from the fairway on the par-5 closing hole for the 36-hole lead.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele, still struggling with remnants of the flu, rallied for a 69 and was two shots behind, along with Adam Scott (69) and Sungjae Im (69).

Li Haotong of China lost ground with a 72, but he remained in the mix at three shots behind. The top eight players going into the weekend came from eight countries.

McIlroy ran off four straight birdies on the front, only for his momentum to slow. And then he was happy to only lose one shot on the 16th hole, which measures 288 yards.

McIlroy hit 3-wood so wild to the left in the trees that he hit a provisional _ a 6-iron this time _ for a lost ball.

He found it.

But he realized that by taking a penalty for an unplayable lie, getting back to the fairway would have been harder than going back to the tee. So, he hit a third tee shot, a lob wedge to 8 feet and one putt for a bogey.

“I tried to hit the same shot as yesterday, but the wind was more off the left,” McIlroy said. “I knew I had to caress one a little bit, and I caressed it dead left. Made a good 5.”

Schauffele is moderately shocked to be in the mix considering how badly he has felt this week, often turning to cough into the crook of his elbow after hitting shots. He couldn’t find the fairway and limited the damage with his short game on the front nine, then cleaned it up on the back nine with three birdies.

No one has won back-to-back in the HSBC Champions since it became a World Golf Championship in 2009, and Schauffele might be the best bet extending an American streak of seven victories in this series.

“I was 1 over on the front nine and was not looking like a real golfer _ or at least a professional golfer _ on that front stretch,” Schauffele said. “Happy that my feet got under me on the back nine, and just sort of had a little bit of a better time.”

Im, looking more and more like a pick for the Presidents Cup next week, was around the lead all day until a bogey from the bunker on the 17th and failing to make birdie on the 18th. Scott birdied three straight holes in the middle of his back nine to stay in the hunt.

SHANGHAI – Li Haotong has come a long way in the HSBC Champions, which he realized before hitting any of his 64 shots Thursday that carried him to a one-shot lead.

Standing next to him on the tee was Phil Mickelson, a longtime golf idol. Li was part of the HSBC junior program when this World Golf Championships event began in 2009, and he posed for a photo with Lefty.

“My idol then, and my friend now,” Li said. “Kind of fun.”

He found all sorts of enjoyment on as perfect a day as can be found at Sheshan International, with warm weather and surprisingly calm conditions. Li felt intimidated the first time he played this event when he was 18, and especially as a 20-year-old in 2015 when he was one shot out of the lead going into the final round.

He enjoyed every minute Thursday, and he gave the home crowd plenty to cheer with his 8-under 64, by two shots his lowest round at Sheshan International.

Li opened with two birdies and finished the back nine with two birdies. And after his lone mistake on the par-4 first hole, he responded with a 4-iron that set up eagle and led to the loudest cheer of a calm afternoon.

“Obviously, it would be great joy for Chinese golfers and Chinese golf fans to have a Chinese player winning a WGC-HSBC Champions here in China,” Li said. “But for the next three days, anything could happen.”

He was one shot ahead of Victor Perez of France.

Among those who shots behind were defending champion Xander Schauffele and Adam Scott, who both stumbled at the end.

Scott hit a thin shot out of a fairway bunker on No. 9 into the water right of the green and had to get up-and-down to salvage bogey for his 66. Schauffele, sick most of the week and still hoarse, had a wedge to the par-5 eighth and stayed on the upper shelf, leading to a three-putt bogey.

Schauffele had no complaints after a week battling the flu. His fever only broke on Tuesday, though his voice remains strained and his strength not quite up to speed. But he surged into a share of the lead with nine birdies until one last mistake set him back.

“Maybe I should just keep my flu going and if I can rattle off a 66 every day, I think that would be enough,” Schauffele said. “I think a couple more nights of sleep, I’ll be in better shape. But it was a dream start with what things were looking like.”

Sungjae Im and Matt Fitzpatrick also were at 66.

Rory McIlroy had three bogeys on the back nine and was going nowhere at even par until he ran off four straight birdies on the front and got in the mix quick with a 67.

“The last few tournaments I’ve played, I’ve had a bad opening round and then been trying to play catch up,” McIlroy said. “At least now, I’m right in the thick of things from the start, which is a better place to be.”

The HSBC Champions is the final event before Tiger Woods and Ernie Els make their wild-card picks for the Presidents Cup, and Im certainly didn’t hurt his chances with another good start.

Neither did Corey Conners of Canada, who was near the top of the leaderboard for most of the day. He finished with a bogey for a 67. Even so, the Canadian is coming off solid weeks in South Korea and Japan, and he hopes another good one in China is enough to get the attention of Els for the International team that goes to Royal Melbourne in December.

“It’s been on my mind,” Conners said. “I want to make it as difficult as possible for him not to think of me.”

Mickelson, in danger of falling out of the top 50 for the first time in nearly 26 years, opened with a 71.

Sheshan International is in prime condition with thick rough and firm fairways and greens. It’s a stronger test than in recent years, though the calm conditions allowed for so many low scores. Nearly one-third of the field broke 70.

“No wind today is giving a false idea of how tough the course is,” Scott said.

It was plenty tough for Hideki Matsuyama, who won here in 2016 and is coming off a runner-up finish to Tiger Woods last week in the Zozo Championship in Japan. He managed only two birdies, finished with a double bogey and shot 75, ending a streak of six straight rounds in the 60s.

Li didn’t feel as though he as in great form coming into this World Golf Championship, but his comfort level – on the course and in front of the fans – was evident.

He practically grew up with the HSBC Champions, from participating in its successful junior program to playing in it the last six years. He is all grown up now, with two European Tour victories and making the Presidents Cup team for the first time.

“It’s always good to have a feeling that you know that you are leading, especially in the first two days,” Li said. “But what I only want right now is to have a shot at the title on the final nine holes Sunday.”

SHANGHAI – Already the FedEx Cup champion and PGA Tour player of the year, Rory McIlroy has found plenty of motivation toward the back end of the year.

Most of it is geared toward reaping rewards next year.

McIlroy is coming off a tie for third last week in Japan, a tournament he was never going to win after a bad start. He still managed his 17th top 10 of the year out of 23 tournaments worldwide, inching a little closer to Brooks Koepka at No. 1 in the world.

“I don’t think I’ll get there by the end of the year,” McIlroy said Wednesday at the HSBC Champions, the final World Golf Championships event of the year. “But if I play well the next few weeks, I’ll have a great platform going into next year.”

He is the leading figure at Sheshan International, where the field is slightly weaker than years past because Koepka and Dustin Johnson, two regulars at the HSBC Champions, are home in Florida recovering from knee issues.

Koepka will not play another official event the rest of the year. He withdrew from the CJ Cup in South Korea when his foot slipped on a piece of wet cement leaving a tee box and he planted hard with his left knee, which had received stem cell treatment during his off-season.

He chose not to play the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, and still to be determined is whether he plays the Presidents Cup. McIlroy has the HSBC Champions and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, with hopes of narrowing the gap.

McIlroy started the year at No. 8 and moved up to No. 2 through his three victories—The Players Championship, Tour Championship and RBC Canadian Open—along with runner-up finishes in two World Golf Championships.

“I’ve achieved most things that I’ve wanted to this year,” McIlroy said. “Just want to finish the year off strongly because I feel the year that I’ve had deserves a finish like that.”

What he didn’t achieve was winning a major, making it five years since his last major tile. He also has gone four years since capturing a WGC event, though he has performed well in them this year – runner-up to Johnson in Mexico and Koepka in Memphis, a bitter loss in the fourth round to Tiger Woods in Texas at the Match Play.

Xander Schauffele is the defending champion at the HSBC Champions, and he’ll try to win again without much of a voice. Schauffele got sick during the ZoZo Championship in Japan last week and withdrew from the pro-am Wednesday to try to be in fighting shape.

The field also features resurgent Hideki Matsuyama, who tied for third in South Korea and was runner-up to Woods last week before a frenzied gallery in his native Japan; and Justin Rose, who also wants to finish the year strong for other reasons.

Rose, who was No. 1 in the world for the opening two months of the year, has gone the opposite direction of McIlroy. He is at No. 8, and hopes to get back on track at the tournament where he rallied from eight shots behind to win in 2017.

He is at No. 29 in the Race to Dubai, a long shot to win, although he was quick to point out that was the position he was in two years ago. He won in Shanghai, he won the following week in Turkey and nearly pulled it off in Dubai.

“I’ve probably got to win the last three to challenge the guys that are doing really well, but that’s the situation I put myself in 2017 and I very nearly did it,” Rose said. “Looking forward to going back to the well and trying again.”

One change this year for Rose is his travel schedule. Unlike 2017, when he played two weeks, flew home to the Bahamas and then returned to Dubai, he is going to London after two weeks to ease the wear-and-tear of travel.

The HSBC Champions is the last chance for players to audition as wild-card picks for the Presidents Cup, and most everyone on the bubble is here – Tony Finau, Patrick Reed, Kevin Kisner and Chez Reavie for the Americans, a longer list of International players from Sungjae Im and Byeong Hun An of South Korea, Adam Hadwin and Corey Conners of South Africa, Justin Harding and Erik van Rooyen of South Africa.

Reavie is among 18 players who have gone to all three PGA Tour events on the Asia swing.

INZAI CITY, Japan – Tiger Woods won the Zozo Championship to tie Sam Snead’s PGA Tour record of 82 victories.

The 43-year-old American played the final seven holes Monday in the rain-hit tournament, completing a 3-under 67 to beat local favourite Hideki Matsuyama by three strokes at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.

“It’s just crazy. It’s a lot,” Woods said. “I’ve been able to be consistent most of my career. … Today was one of those days where I was able to pull it out.”

Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee two months ago – his fifth on the same problem joint. He was making his first start in his 23rd season on the PGA Tour.

“I can still manage my way around the golf course,” Woods said. “I know how to play. I was able to do that this week.”

The fourth round was suspended because of darkness Sunday, and Woods took a three-stroke lead over Matsuyama into Monday in the first official PGA Tour event in Japan.

 

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Does it get any better than this guys?! We’ll never forget your 24th #PGATOUR win at the #RBCCO, and we’re honoured to play a part in the journey to Chasing 82. ⁣ ⁣ Congrats, @TigerWoods.⁣ ⁣ Love, your Canadian fans.

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He bogeyed his first hole Monday, the par-4 12th, but was solid the rest of the way with birdies on Nos. 14 and 18 to finish at 19-under 261. Matsuyama also closed with a 67

Rory McIlroy, the highest ranked player in the field, completed his round with two birdies for a 67 to tie for third at 13 under with Sungjae Im. Im had a 65.

Woods opened with consecutive 64s, with a day off in between because of rain. He had a 66 on Sunday in the third round.

“It’s been a long week,” Woods said. “Five days at the top of the leaderboard is a long time.”

Does it get any better than this guys?! ??#PGATOUR #LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/gsD8KEhby0

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) October 28, 2019

As the U.S. Presidents Cup captain, Woods was asked about picking himself for the team,

“I think the player got the captain’s attention,” Woods said.

INZAI CITY, Japan – Tiger Woods held a three-stroke lead over local favourite Hideki Matsuyama after 11 holes of the fourth round of the Zozo Championship on Sunday.

Woods, who has led from the opening round of the PGA Tour’s first tournament in Japan, carded three birdies against a lone bogey when the fourth round was suspended due to darkness. Combined with the third round he played earlier, Woods played a total of 29 holes on Sunday.

“Today has been a long day in the saddle, so early wake-up call tomorrow and back at it again,” Woods said. “I’m gonna try to win, there is no doubt about that. I have a job to do tomorrow, start off from the 12th hole, it’s not one of the easiest of holes so right out of the gate I’ve got one of the hardest holes on the golf course.”

Woods is making his first start in his 23rd season on the PGA Tour. If he can hold onto his lead through the remaining seven holes on Monday, he will reach 82 wins and tie the career record held by Sam Snead.

Play will start at 7:30 a.m. local time on Monday.

Matsuyama made things interesting when he finished with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 11 and 12. Before that he was five strokes back which would have put him in a difficult position on Monday.

“Three strokes behind right now,” Matsuyama said. “I have a lot of ground to make up tomorrow. I need to play well to even have a chance, but I will give it a shot and do my best.”

Matsuyama started the fourth round at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club course three strokes back of Woods after completion of the third round earlier Sunday when Woods shot 4-under 66. In the fourth round, the Japanese star faltered with two bogeys on the front nine but made up for it with his two birdies on his final two holes.

Woods got off to a strong start to the fourth round with a birdie on the first hole.

His only trouble of the day came when his tee shot on the par-4 No. 4 went into the rough. His second shot was a routine chip shot from the side of the green that was short, barely reaching the green. He then two-putted for his only bogey of the fourth round.

Woods came right back with a birdie on the next hole and added another on the sixth.

Torrential rain washed out play on Friday prompting the second round to be moved to Saturday. To make up for the lost day, the players started the fourth round immediately after finishing the third to get in as many holes as possible.

Gary Woodland was tied in third place at 12-under with Sungjae Im, while Rory McIlroy, the highest-ranked player in the field, was fifth at 11 under with just two holes to play.

Woods last played in an official tournament in Japan in 2006 at the Dunlop Phoenix, where he lost in a playoff to Padraig Harrington. He won the Dunlop Phoenix the two previous years.

–––

INZAI CITY, Japan – Tiger Woods produced a round that would have had the spectators roaring.

Teeing off in front of empty stands, Woods shot a second straight 6-under 64 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead over Gary Woodland after the second round of the rain-hit Zozo Championship.

“I’m surprised that I was able to score as well as I have, usually that takes a little bit of time,” Woods said. “But this golf course is a little bit on the softer side. I’ve been able to strike my irons pretty well this week so far and that’s been nice.”

Organizers of the PGA Tour’s first tournament in Japan took the unusual step of closing the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club course to spectators for Saturday’s second round over safety concerns.

“Today was just one of those days where we did this at Congressional one year when the derecho (storm) came through there and it was just like a ghost town,” Woods said. “This was a little bit different. When you make a putt and you kind of put your hand up, you’re like, hmm, don’t really need to put your hand up because there’s no one clapping.”

It was in stark contrast to Thursday’s opening round when huge crowds followed the American.

Torrential rain washed out play on Friday causing the second round to be moved to Saturday after the course took on more than eight inches (20 centimetres) of rain. Flooding and mudslides in towns in the surrounding area left at least nine people dead, expanding damage in areas still recovering from recent typhoons.

With the course in remarkably good condition, Woods picked up where he left off after a 64 in Thursday’s opening round with a birdie on the first hole. It was one of seven birdies on the day that gave him a 36-hole total of 12-under 128, two shots ahead of Woodland (66).

Woods took the lead on the par-4 17th when his approach shot landed a foot from the hole and the Masters champion made the easy birdie putt before another birdie on the par-5 18th with darkness setting in. His only bogey came on the par-4 second hole.

Play starts 6:30 a.m. local time Sunday when organizers hope to get in as many holes as possible. The event is set to conclude on Monday in order to complete 72 holes.

Woodland, who shared the lead with Woods after the first round, had five birdies including three straight from the par-3 16th.

“It was a grind all day,” Woodland said. “I didn’t have my best stuff today. Hit some putts early that didn’t go in and fortunately I made three big putts there on 16, 17 and 18, which was awesome.”

Local favourite Hideki Matsuyama and Keegan Bradley were tied for third at 8 under. Bradley shot a 63 that included eight birdies against a lone bogey while Matsuyama had a 67.

Rory McIlroy, the highest-ranked player in the field, shot a 65 to move into a tie for 21st.

Woods is making his first start in his 23rd season on the PGA Tour, needing one victory to reach 82 wins and tie the career record held by Sam Snead.

Woods last played in an official tournament in Japan in 2006 at the Dunlop Phoenix, where he lost in a playoff to Padraig Harrington. He won the Dunlop Phoenix the two previous years.

INZAI CITY, Japan — Tiger Woods couldn’t have scripted a better scenario for the PGA’s first tournament in Japan despite his shaky start.

After a layoff from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee two months ago, Woods shot a 6-under 64 on Thursday to share the first-round lead at the Zozo Championship.

Woods was tied with Gary Woodland, with local favourite Hideki Matsuyama one stroke behind.

Teeing off from the 10th hole, things didn’t start well for Woods who sent his opening shot into the water. That led to the first of three straight bogeys.

“The start I got off to wasn’t very good, I hit bad shot after bad shot … and the next thing you know, things aren’t looking so good,” Woods said.

But the Masters champion quickly found his game at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, with birdies on four of his next six holes to get to 1 under.

“After the start, the ball striking was better, the putting was really good,” Woods said. “I was hitting a lot of good putts, the ball was rolling tight which was nice.”

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., is tied for 14th after a 1-under 69. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is tied for 33rd at 71.

Woods is making his first start in his 23rd season on the PGA Tour, needing one victory to reach 82 wins and tie the career record held by Sam Snead.

Woods last played in an official tournament in Japan in 2006 at the Dunlop Phoenix, where he lost in a playoff to Padraig Harrington. He won the Dunlop Phoenix the two previous years.

As pleased as Woods was with his day, the Japanese fans couldn’t have been happier. The American is hugely popular in Japan and drew the biggest galleries on Thursday.

“The people here in Japan have come out and supported this event,” Woods said. “It’s been a lot of fun to play in front of them again, I haven’t done it in a while. I’ve missed it. They’ve always been fantastic with golf and supported their golf here.”

Woodland had six birdies, including one on the par-5 18th.

“I played well from top to bottom,” Woodland said. “I drove the ball well and anytime I can control the ball on the greens from the fairway, that adds up to a pretty good day.”

Matsuyama led early with four birdies on the front nine, but faltered with a bogey on the final hole.

“I am just one stroke behind the leader so think I am in a good position,” Matsuyama said. “Tomorrow I need to minimize my mistakes.”

The Zozo tournament is part of three tournaments that make up the PGA Tour’s Asia Swing, including the CJ Cup in South Korea won last week by Justin Thomas and the HSBC Champions in Shanghai next week.

Organizers said more than 20,000 fans attended the opening day.

Heavy rain from a storm over the Pacific Ocean is expected on Friday. With weather issues predicted for the second round, the tee times have been moved up an hour but play could still be affected.

Among the other big names, Rory McIlroy (72) struggled with the windy conditions and Thomas had an even-par 70.

Jason Day, who beat Woods in a Skins game on Monday at the same venue, finished with a 73 while Jordan Spieth shot a 74.

INZAI CITY, Japan – Not only did Jason Day win the inaugural “The Challenge: Japan Skins” game on Monday, beating Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama, he also won the needling contest.

Turning to Woods after receiving the trophy, Day asked how many similar events Woods had played in.

“Tiger, this is what – your fifth of sixth?”

Before Woods could reply, Day supplied the rejoinder.

“He hasn’t won one yet. I found that out today when he told me.”

Woods and everyone else laughed, which captured the lighthearted day at the Narashino Country Club, where the made-for-TV skins game finished under floodlights on the 17th and 18th holes.

“First time I’ve ever finished under lights, so that was exciting,” Day said, surprised the sun goes down about 5 p.m. in the fall in the Tokyo area.

Day won eight skins and $210,000. Woods had five skins and $60,000 with McIlroy taking four and winning $60,000. Matsuyama won only one skin and $20,000.

Final results from #TheChallengeJapanSkins@JDayGolf: $210K (8 skins)@TigerWoods: $60K (5 skins)@McIlroyRory: $60K (4 skins)
Hideki Matsuyama: $20K (1 skin) pic.twitter.com/hyOHhzZZmV

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) October 21, 2019

“I’m disappointed I had only one,” Matsuyama said, speaking through an interpreter and also getting a laugh.

It was Woods’ first event after surgery two months ago, the fifth on his left knee. He’ll get a stiffer test at the Zozo Championship that opens Thursday – the first-ever full PGA Tour event in Japan.

Wood said it was great “just being able to compete again. I haven’t done this in a little bit now.”

By his own assessment, he started very slowly.

“I did not play well at the beginning,” he said. “I hit a lot of bad shots and did not putt well. Once I got into the flow of competing and feeling the round, it just got exciting. We were competitive, the banter was great, the back and forth.”

Woods, who had a hand in organizing the event, said he hoped “we were entertaining everyone and everyone who’s watching had a good time.”

They probably did.

On No. 4, Woods seemed to try to take advantage of the fact the Narashino Country Club has two greens on every hole. It’s a tradition at some courses in Japan, alternating greens to keep them both in good shape.

Woods hit a shot between two greens and Day got on him.

“I asked him (Tiger) to let me know which green he was going for,” Day said. “But he was in between so I still don’t know which one he was going for.”

Woods agreed.

“I hit in between the greens, so it looked kind of like I kind of didn’t know what I was doing,” he said.

Both greens at No. 4 will be used this week at the tournament. A hole will be cut in each and players will choose which to play to.

The Narashino club is located about 50 kilometres (30 miles) northeast of Tokyo in Chiba prefecture. The course for next year’s Tokyo Olympics will be at Kasumigaseki Country Club in neighbouring Saitama prefecture.

Four famous rugby players really got the match moving at No. 7 when they paired up with the pros for one hole.

Matsuyama dropped a 35-foot putt for birdie, and then was embraced by his teammate – former South African rugby player Bryan Habana. The 100-kilogram (220-pound) Habana almost crushed Mastuyama as he screamed: “That’s my partner.”

Seconds later, former Ireland rugby player Brian O’Driscoll holed another long putt, matching Matsuyama’s birdie. Jason Day then holed another shorter birdie putt.

Walking one fairway, McIlroy was asked by a TV interviewer about comments by Brooks Koepka about the Irishman’s game.

Koepka said last week: “Rory hasn’t won a major since I’ve been on tour, so I don’t view it as a rivalry.”

McIlroy last won a major in 2014 at the PGA Championship.

McIlroy said Koepka “wasn’t wrong. He’s been the best player in the world for the last couple of years. Four majors. I don’t think he needed to remind me I haven’t won in a while. And I love Brooks. He’s a great guy; obviously super-competitive like we all are. I can see where he’s coming from.”

McIlroy then paused and also added: “I think that’s good for the game, and I think if you take what Brooks said out of context – then it can become this big thing it’s become. Brooks and I are good. We’re good friends.”

Any time Adam Hadwin is asked about his professional goals, he mentions playing in the Presidents Cup.

The product of Abbotsford, B.C., debuted in the international team event two years ago and it was a seminal moment in his career. After two top-five finishes to start the 2020 PGA Tour season, Hadwin is in good position to make it back to the Dec. 9-15 Presidents Cup and the 31-year-old golfer relishes the opportunity to re-immerse himself in the prestigious tournament’s atmosphere.

“It’s been on my mind since the last one ended,” said Hadwin. “It was such an incredible experience. Being a part of a team is something you rarely get in golf. So being part of such a great group of individuals that are all trying to come together for the same goal is special.”

Although Hadwin’s international team lost 19-11 to the United States at Liberty National Golf Club in 2017, he was bitten by the bug.

“I know we got waxed by the Americans but it was still such an incredible experience being around the top guys in the world,” said Hadwin. “Once you’re a part of it once you never want to be left off of it again.

“I didn’t play well enough in the past year to get into that top eight and really felt like I needed to do some good work in these fall events before (Els) would pick his team.”

Els is expected to make four selections as captain’s picks the week of Nov. 4.

Hadwin has posted some strong results early in the 2020 season. He shot a 16-under overall to finish second at the Safeway Open and then fired a 20-under overall to tie for fourth at the Shriners Hospital for Children Open.

Those back-to-back top-five finishes have Hadwin ranked fifth in the FedExCup standings with 415 points headed into this week’s Houston Open.

Hadwin’s strong play has caught the eye of at least one other person: fellow Canadian Graham DeLaet, who played in the 2013 Presidents Cup.

“I would be surprised if Ernie (Els) didn’t give him a shot to play down there in Melbourne. I think he deserves it,” DeLaet told Golf Canada earlier this week. “He’s got some experience underneath him. There are some new faces on that team so I think some of that experience is going to be helpful. He’s playing great, which has been good to see.”

Hadwin’s fast start hasn’t just made a return to the Presidents Cup possible, it’s made the rest of the PGA Tour season significantly easier.

“It definitely helps. It takes a lot of pressure off the rest of the season,” said Hadwin. “Not that I’m going to relax and rest on some good early play but being in a nice position, earning a bunch of FedEx points early, it sets up a whole season.

“I know that I’m not going to be stressing at the end of the year about keeping a job. More than anything it validates all the work we’ve been putting in.”

Hadwin is spending a couple of weeks at his home in Phoenix before heading to Asia for the ZOZO Championship in Chiba, Japan and then the HSBC Champions, a World Golf Championship event, in Shanghai.

PGA TOUR:
Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., will be in the first group teeing off at No. 1 at the Houston Open on Thursday. DeLaet, from Weyburn, Sask., Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., will also be in the field at the Golf Club of Houston.

Graham DeLaet is back to work. Now it’s time to get into a routine on the PGA Tour once again.

DeLaet, who returned to action after more than two years at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open last week, is playing again this week at the Houston Open as he tries to earn enough FedEx Cup points to regain his PGA Tour card.

The native of Weyburn, Sask. needs to earn 267 FedEx Cup points to get off his Major Medical Exemption, but after that he’ll need to earn enough points to be within the top 125 to keep his card for next season.

It’s a lot to think about for someone who is just getting his feet wet in competitive golf again after so long away.

The 37-year-old received a series of stem-cell treatments in 2017, which were deemed unsuccessful, and he opted to have a second microdiscectomy surgery (the first he had in 2011).

He was on the shelf for the full 2018-19 PGA Tour season, but as of last Thursday, DeLaet is back – albeit a little older and a little more prepared for what’s to come.

The actual swinging of a golf club doesn’t cause him soreness, DeLaet said, but the pain comes from being on his feet for so long and getting stiff. Although he missed the cut last week (75-72) he said there were some good signs.

“I hit some really, really good shots last week. I was pretty happy with how I played for the most part. I was pretty tight with the putter but I think it was extra pressure, feeling those nerves again. I had two bad holes but other than that I feel like I played pretty decent,” DeLaet said by phone in Houston.

“I know the course wasn’t playing all that difficult but it’s still good to get some birdies under your belt. All in all I was pretty happy with how things went despite shooting 5-over on a pretty easy golf course.”

Another thing that’s changed is the time DeLaet will have to spend away from his twins, Roscoe and Lyla.

While DeLaet was busy rehabbing and preparing for a return to professional golf, he said the best part of the last two years was how much quality time he got to spend with his kids, who turn four in November.

Last week was the first time DeLaet was away from them for a lengthy amount of time but the whole family, including wife Ruby, will be joining him this week in Houston.

DeLaet says it’s been an adjustment for his kids to know their dad is back at work.

“If I say I’m going to the golf course, Roscoe is always like, ‘I want to go, I want to go’ but if I’m going out there to practice or play he times out pretty quickly. So I’ve started to say ‘I’m going to work’ and I don’t know if they quite understand how I make a living, but they are kind of starting to get the grasp I play a golf a lot,” said DeLaet with a laugh.

Besides watching his kids start to grow up, there have been plenty of reasons to smile at home.

DeLaet’s friends from Arizona Chez Reavie and Max Homa both won on the PGA Tour this summer, and Kevin Chappell – another longtime pal who just returned from the same back surgery as DeLaet – shot a 59 at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in his first tournament back on Tour in September.

“That was pretty cool,” said DeLaet. “I have a soft spot for stories like that because I’ve been through it twice and it’s hard when you come back, but he made it look pretty easy.”

DeLaet is quick to point out the success of his countrymen as well, including Adam Hadwin (who has notched two top-5 finishes in a row to start his 2019-20 PGA Tour campaign and moved well inside the top-50 in the world ranking), who DeLaet feels should be on Ernie Els’ Presidents Cup radar.

“I would be surprised if Ernie (Els) didn’t give him a shot to play down there in Melbourne. I think he deserves it,” said DeLaet. “He’s got some experience underneath him. There are some new faces on that team so I think some of that experience is going to be helpful. He’s playing great, which has been good to see.”

And while DeLaet has been preparing himself for a big return on the golf course, he’s kept fairly busy off the golf course with his ongoing charitable efforts.

DeLaet has just been named a National Ambassador for Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada, his ‘Graham Slam’ event had its sixth edition in September (it’s raised more than $1.5 million for various charities), and he’s been nominated for the Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame People’s Choice Award – recognizing those who are a champion of their sport and a champion for their community.

“The game of golf has given me so much and I have the platform where we can try to make a difference,” said DeLaet. “It’s kind of a no-brainer for myself and Ruby.”

But DeLaet, who at one time was inside the top-35 in the Official World Golf Ranking, knows that despite all the support from friends and family and the impact he’s had away from golf over the last few years, it’s time to get back down to business.

He admits it would have been nice to dip his toes into playing a Korn Ferry Tour event – he was scheduled to in the summertime but tweaked his back just enough early in the week that he did not tee it up Thursday – but he’s feeling happy and as healthy as possible right now.

DeLaet saw Canadian physiotherapist Dr. Craig Davies in Las Vegas last week – Davies works with a handful of PGA Tour players – and DeLaet said Davies was “pleasantly surprised” with where he was physically.

A good sign, DeLaet said, as he will likely tee it up twice more this fall.

“Just hearing that from a guy who knows my body really well, it gives you a little bit of extra confidence with what you’re doing,” said DeLaet. “I feel like I’m on a pretty good path.”