CROMWELL, Conn. – Chez Reavie was plodding along during the third round of the Travelers Championship, watching playing partner Zach Sucher extend his lead.

Then came the turn, both for the round and in the fortunes of the two players.

Coming off a third-place tie last week in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, the 37-year-old Reavie matched a tournament record with a back-nine 28 to shoot a 7-under 63. He took advantage of Sucher’s problems and turned a six-stroke deficit into a six-stroke lead heading into Sunday.

The 2008 Canadian Open winner for his lone PGA Tour title, Reavie had a 16-under 194 total at TPC River Highlands. He birdied Nos. 8, 10-13, 15 and 17-18 and has the largest 54-hole lead in Travelers history.

“Zach got some tough breaks early,” Reavie said. “I was able to kind of keep plugging along and make a few putts and the rest was history. I kind of caught fire at the end.”

Sucher had a 71 to drop into a tie for second with Keegan Bradley (69) at 10 under.

Mackenzie Hughes (69) of Dundas, Ont., was tied for 41st at 3-under par. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., made the cut on Friday night but did not finish the tournament.

Looking for his first PGA Tour win, Sucher – the 32-year-old former college star at Alabama-Birmingham – seemed to have it all going his way, until he didn’t.

He took a share of the lead in the last group Thursday night, came into Saturday with a two-shot advantage and shot 31 on the front nine.

But his drive on the 10th hole went left, hit a tree and bounced backward landing in the rough just 154 yards from the tee. He ended up with a bogey on that hole. He needed two shots to get out of a plugged lie at the lip of a green-side bunker on the 11th and ended with a double bogey, and put his ball into two bunkers on the par-4 13th for another double.

It took just a half-hour for Sucher to go from five strokes ahead of Bradley to four strokes behind Reavie.

“Ten was awful and I deserved bogey, but man, three straight holes I hit shots that weren’t that far off all behind the lip, so two of them plug and, yeah, rough, that’s all you can say about it,” Sucher said. “Other than those three holes, it was a great day.”

Reavie needed just 23 putts in the round, consistently putting his approaches near the pin, despite a strong wind.

“On nine and 10, I kind of started to get a feel for the wind and how it was affecting my golf ball,” he said. “Fortunately, today it kind of stayed steady in the same direction, so I just kind of navigated around in my yardage book to figure out where it was.”

Roberto Diaz (67) and Jason Day (68) were tied for fourth, seven shots back. But Day said he does not think that’s an insurmountable deficit on course where Bubba Watson overcame a six-stroke final-round deficit a year ago.

“There are a lot of emotions that come with Sundays, but I think Chez has been there and won before,” Day said. “But every win is different and how you feel is different, so I just try to stick to what I am doing right now, and hopefully, the chips fall my way.”

Brooks Koepka, coming off his runner-up finish at Pebble Beach, shot a 72 and was 1 under.

“It’s hard to focus,” Koepka said. “I don’t think I am even over the PGA and then to exert all your energy last week – I’m just fried. I caught myself yawning out on the golf course. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before.”

Watson was looking for his fourth win in Connecticut to tie the record of Billy Casper. He closed his round of 73 with about a 25-foot putt for birdie to move to 2 under.

“That’s how golf is,” Watson said. “You don’t like golf and then you make that long putt and you’re ready to play the next day. I’d love to shoot that Jim Furyk round (58) just to have a chance.”

CROMWELL, Conn. – Zack Sucher found wrestling with chronic leg problems on the PGA Tour harder than wrestling alligators.

The 32-year-old from Alabama says he’s finally feeling healthy again after knee surgery sidelined him for 13 months following the 2017 Travelers Championship.

He shot a 5-under 65 in the rain Friday morning at TPC River Highlands and his 11-under 129 total held up in the afternoon sunshine for a two-stroke lead midway through the Travelers,

Sucher, who said he grew up in south Alabama doing “swamp stuff” like wrestling alligators and also played high school basketball. Chronic leg problems from that sport led to the surgery for a torn knee tendon and cartilage. Sucher worked his way back and is playing in just his fourth tour event this year. He gained a share of the lead on his final putt Thursday night and kept that momentum going with a 30 on his front nine Friday.

“It’s nice,” he said. “First year I can remember in a long time where I’m pain free and it’s feeling really good.”

Chez Reavie and Keegan Bradley were two shots back. Reavie, coming off a third-place tie last week in the U.S. Open, shot a 64. Bradley had a 66, making an eagle in the rain from about 80 yards on the par-4 15th.

“I was talking to my caddie about how wet it was and it was going to skid,” he said. “We landed a little short of where we normally would and it went right in the hole.”

Jason Day made some adjustments to his putting game after an even-par first round. He made four straight birdies after opening with a par, shot a bogey-free 63 and was among seven players at 7 under.

“Birdieing four early in my round kind of settled everything, because I was on the outside looking in,” he said.

Defending champion Bubba Watson was 5 under. He switched putters after a first-round 69 and had a 66, with bogeys on his final two holes. He had six birdies, including four in a row to start the back nine, rolling in putts from 28 feet on the 11th and 38 feet on the 12th.

“Knowing that we can make birdies in a hurry around here, you know that you have a shot,” he said. “Tomorrow, the wind is expected to pick up in the afternoon, so come up and do the same thing, shoot another 5 under. Always, 15 under is going to be around the lead.”

Brooks Koepka said exhaustion after his runner-up finish at Pebble Beach played a role in his 71 on Thursday. He shot a 66 on Friday to get to 3 under.

“I feel good and I feel like I had way more energy today which was nice,” he said.

Patrick Cantlay lipped out a 2-foot putt on 15, but made a 43-footer on the 17th to just make the cut at 2 under.

Two-time champion Phil Mickelson was among the big names left on the outside of the ropes this weekend. Mickelson, playing in Connecticut for the first time since 2003 and looking for the 45th win of his career, shot a 67 on Thursday, but had a 76 in the second round.

He hit his first tee shot onto the cart path and out of bounds to the right and then missed an 18-foot bogey putt. He hit his second shot on the 17th hole into the water and ended up shooting a 41 on his front nine.

“It was a little bit of a surprise,” Mickelson said. “I have not played great the last three months but I really keyed in on something about 10 days ago that I thought my performance at the U.S. Open and this week was going to be a lot better. Some of the shots I hit and the way I struck it yesterday, I thought I was going to have a really good day and get myself into contention, so that front nine kind of threw me for a loop.”

Jordan Spieth, the 2017 winner, shot 73 and 69 and also missed the cut.

“I just didn’t play well,” Spieth said. “No parts of my game are really where I want them to be. I’ll get some time off here, I’m not sure how much and kind of get away from the game a little bit and get a reset and try to finish the year strong.”

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., were tied at 2 under, nine shots off the lead.

CROMWELL, Conn. – A week of major championship pressure at the U.S. Open and a cross-country trip made for a lot of tired players at the Travelers Championship. Greens made soft by rain on a relatively easy course helped perk up many of them Thursday.

Six players shot a 6-under 64 to tie for lead, with defending champion Bubba Watson (69) , two-time winner Phil Mickelson (67) and 79 others within five shots going into the second round.

Brooks Koepka, coming off a runner-up finish at Pebble Beach, had a 71 and said he was among those fighting exhaustion.

“When you think about all the travel we’ve done and how much last week takes out of you,” he said. “When you are in contention in a major, it’s going to drain you.”

The leaders included Zack Sucher and Kyoung-Hoon Lee, who each shot their lowest rounds on the PGA Tour. Sucher made a 9-foot birdie putt on No. 18 in the last group of the day to join a group that also included MacKenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. who sank an 18-foot birdie putt on his final hole.

Abraham Ancer shot a 30 on his back nine. Bronson Burgoon birdied four of his first six holes, and Ryan Armour, who has missed the cuts in four of his last five starts, tied his lowest round of the season.

“I gave myself a lot of opportunities, which I hadn’t been doing lately, Armour said. ”I hadn’t been hitting a lot of greens, wasn’t shaping the golf ball the way I want to shape it. We worked really hard the last few days.“

Englishman Paul Casey, who gave up a four-shot lead in the final round a year ago, missed a 17-foot par putt on the 18th and finished in a group of six at 65.

Memorial champion Patrick Cantlay was part of a group of 12 at 66.

Cantlay started on the back nine and was tied for the lead when his tee shot landed in water on the par-3 eighth hole, leading to a double bogey. But that did not affect the confidence of the former UCLA star, who was just 19 years old when he shot a 60 on this course during the second round in 2011, setting a PGA Tour record for amateurs.

“I definitely feel comfortable around here,” he said. “It’s one of the only golf courses I think I get on the first tee at the beginning of the day and think I can birdie every hole.”

Defending champion Bubba Watson opened with a 69 in his bid for his fourth Travelers title. That would put him in the company of Billy Casper, the only golfer to win four times at Connecticut’s PGA Tour stop.

Watson, who came from six-shots back on the final day to win a year ago, seemed relaxed as he participated in an afternoon whiffle ball game with a group of players’ children outside the new clubhouse.

“Around this golf course, you’ve got to just know there’s going to be birdies out there,” he said. “Today was a little more difficult because a little bit of mist here and there just made the ball react different on the greens with some shots.”

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was tied for 61st at 1-under 69, Adam Hadwin, also from Abbotsford, was in a group tied for 87th at even-par 70. Ben Silverman of Thornhil,, Ont., and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., were tied for 136th at 3-over 73. Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., was tied for 143rd at 4-over 74.

Mickelson, who won back-to-back tournaments here in 2001 and 2001 was playing in Connecticut for the first time since 2003. On Wednesday, the 49-year-old said he probably would never win a U.S. Open. But he’s in contention again in Connecticut.

“I didn’t hurt myself any,” Mickelson said. “I made a few mistakes out there that I have to clean up tomorrow. I feel like the round should have been three or four lower, and if I can do that tomorrow and shoot three or four lower, I’ll be right in it for the weekend.”

He was playing with 2017 champion Jordan Spieth, who put a shot onto the railroad tracks and another in the water on his way to an eight on the par-5 13th. He finished with a 73.

Chip McDaniel shot a 69 and could also be excused if he was a bit tired. The 23-year-old arrived in Connecticut early Monday morning after taking a red-eye flight from his first U.S Open. He then played in a qualifier that afternoon, making the field after three playoff holes.

“Just because of my situation, one good week out here could change my life,” McDaniel said. “I have to try to get a start in every PGA event.”

Viktor Hovland shot a 67 in his professional debut. The Oklahoma State junior, who was the low amateur at the U.S. Open, received one of four sponsor exemptions into the tournament.

“I try not to think too much about it, but obviously there is a difference,” Hovland said. “I’m just trying to make birdies and avoid bogeys. I think instead of thinking about money, I’m thinking more about I want to have some kind of status for next year.”

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Gary Woodland denied Brooks Koepka’s bold bid at history with two clutch shots and made U.S. Open memories of his own, starting with that silver trophy in his hands at Pebble Beach.

Woodland finished in style Sunday. He holed a 30-foot birdie putt for a 2-under 69, giving him the lowest 72-hole score in six U.S. Opens at Pebble Beach and a three-shot victory over Koepka, who was going for a third straight U.S. Open.

Koepka had to settle for a footnote in history as the first player with all four rounds in the 60s at the U.S Open without winning. But he made Woodland earn every bit of his first major championship.

Clinging to a one-shot lead with more pressure than he has ever felt, Woodland seized control by going for the green on the par-5 14th hole with a 3-wood from 263 yards, narrowly clearing a cavernous bunker and setting up a simple up-and-down for a two-shot lead.

Even more significant was a shot from 90 feet.

Woodland hit the edge of the green on the par-3 17th all the way to the right, with the pin on the hourglass green on the other side.

Ahead on the 18th, Koepka’s 3-iron went just over the back of the green, leaving him a chip for eagle to tie, with a birdie likely to do the trick considering what Woodland faced. Koepka chipped to just inside 10 feet and missed the putt.

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 16: Gary Woodland of the United States poses with the trophy after winning the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links on June 16, 2019 in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Woodland delivered again. Unable to use putter to get it close, he perfectly clipped a pitch over the mound, and it checked about 12 feet short of the hole and trickled down to tap-in range.

That effectively ended the U.S. Open. Woodland played conservatively down the 18th and made one last birdie that only mattered in the record book. He finished at 13-under 271, one shot better than Tiger Woods’ historic rout in 2000.

The difference was Woods won by 15 shots and was the only player under par. With a marine layer blocking the sunshine, and no significant wind at Pebble Beach all week, 31 players finished under par.

Koepka closed with a 68 for his second runner-up in the majors this year, along with his second straight PGA Championship title.

Justin Rose was the only one who caught Woodland, with a birdie on the opening hole. Rose bogeyed from the bunker on No. 2, and fell out of the race with three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on the back nine. He shot 74 and shared third with Xander Schauffele (67), Jon Rahm (68) and Chez Reavie (71).

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – An impossible par from the rough. An improbable birdie from a divot.

If Gary Woodland can handle whatever comes his way this weekend as well as he did Friday, he might be holding a trophy at the end of the U.S. Open.

Woodland brought his power game to the majors once again, shooting 6-under 65 to head into the weekend at 9 under and with a two-shot lead over Justin Rose.

The 65 matched the record for a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach – a number previously shot by Rose on Thursday, and Tiger Woods 19 years ago.

For Woodland, the feat appeared virtually undoable as he lined up a chip from the deep rough just past the canyon that separates the eighth fairway and green – his second-to-last hole. He made a delicate chip to 15 feet, then sank the putt to save par and give him momentum heading to No. 9.

“That’s one you’re hoping to get close, but it’s nice when it goes in,” Woodland said.

Pumped from that make, he hit a 316-yard drive into the middle of the fairway on the 526-yard par-4 ninth. Perfect, except it came to rest in a divot. Woodland grabbed 7-iron, gouged it out to the right side of the green – then made that 50-footer to take a two-shot lead over Rose.

“It was a nice putt to go in, and kind of keep the momentum going,” Woodland said.

That birdie dropped him to a cumulative 22-under par in the first two rounds of the last four majors. He had the lead heading into the weekend in one of those majors – the 2018 PGA at Bellerive – and played Saturday with Brooks Koepka and Sunday with Woods.

But it turned out to be a bit too much. Woodland shot 71-69 over the weekend and finished in a tie for sixth.

“You learn you have to stay within yourself. You can’t get caught up in what’s going on around you,” he said. “Obviously there’s a lot more noise going on. Playing with Tiger on Sunday, I’d never seen anything like that.”

Tiger won’t be anywhere near him at Pebble Beach on Saturday. He finished with a pair of bogeys to shoot 72 and finished at even-par – still among the 79 players to make it through to the weekend, but with tons of room to make up and not much time to do it.

“We’ve got a long way to go, and we’ll see how it shapes up for tomorrow,” Woods said.

There were 10 players within five shots of the lead, including Koepka, in search of his third straight title, and Rory McIlroy, who made double-bogey on No. 14 after failing to hit the green with wedge on two straight shots. But he followed that with back-to-back birdies to finish at 5 under.

“I didn’t quite get those three shots back, but 2 under for the last four after what happened, I’m very pleased with it,” McIlroy said.

He was one of 31 players to finish under par after a second consecutive day of calm wind and cloudy skies that brought an occasional thin mist across the course.

Pleasant enough, though not everyone enjoyed their trip around Pebble Beach.

Patrick Reed flubbed a chip at the right of the 18th green and snapped his wedge over his thigh. He made double-bogey there to make the cut on the number, at 2 over.

Francesco Molinari was cruising at 5 under before he put one in the canyon on No. 8 – the start of a double-bogey-bogey finish that left him tied for 19th, at 2 under.

“I liked it more before the last two holes,” Molinari said, when asked about his position.

Woodland liked his position best.

But it’s the U.S. Open. Nobody can feel too comfortable.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Justin Rose played alongside Tiger Woods, and then joined him in the U.S. Open record book at Pebble Beach.

In a gentle start to the toughest test in golf, Rose birdied his last three holes Thursday for a 6-under 65, giving him a one-shot lead on a day so accommodating that more than three dozen players broke par.

It was an ideal start for Rose and for the USGA, which wants a smooth ride after four years of various mishaps in the U.S. Open. The idea was to start safe and make the course progressively more difficult, and a forecast of dry weather for the week should make that easier to control.

This was the day to take advantage, especially with a cool, overcast sky for most of the day.

Rose knew what was at stake when he blasted out of a bunker short of the par-5 18th to about 12 feet. He was watching the telecast earlier when Rickie Fowler had a birdie putt for a 65 to tie the lowest U.S. Open round at Pebble Beach, set by Woods in the first round of his record-setting victory in 2000.

“I was thinking, ‘This would be kind of cool doing it front of the great man himself,”’ Rose said.

He lightly pumped his fist, partly for the record, mainly for the best start.

Fowler had to settle for a 66, tied with Aaron Wise and two others who had big finishes. Xander Schauffele caught a break when his tee shot on the 18th caromed off the rock edge of the left fairway, setting up a 12-foot eagle. Louis Oosthuizen finished on No. 9 by holing a bunker shot for a birdie. It felt almost as good as the wedge he holed from 95 yards for eagle on No. 11.

Woods took advantage of the scoring holes with three birdies, but there was one blunder _ a tee shot he hooked on the par-3 fifth that smacked off the cart path into gnarly, deep grass some 20 yards behind the edge of the bleachers. He blasted that out beyond the green and made double bogey.

After two straight birdies, he finished with 11 straight pars for a 70.

“Pebble Beach, you have the first seven to get it going, and after that it’s a fight,” Woods said. “I proved that today. I was trying to just hang in there today. Rosey proved the golf course could be had.”

Two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka proved the opening holes could be had. He was 4 under with his birdie on the par-5 sixth hole and appeared to be on another major mission until a few errant tee shots into nasty rough, a few missed putts and a few bogeys. Even so, he had few complaints about his 69 to begin his bid for a record-tying third straight U.S. Open.

“I didn’t shoot myself out of it,” Koepka said. “I’m right there. I feel like if I get off tomorrow to a good start, I’m right back into it.”

Phil Mickelson, in another U.S. Open quest to complete the career Grand Slam, didn’t feel he was out of it either, despite only two birdies in his round of 1-over 72, which included a 22-inch par putt that he missed.

Woods also had a one-shot lead when he had his opening 65 in 2000, a lead he stretched to six shots after the second round, 10 shots after the third and 15 shots at the end, a record for major championships.

But only 17 players were under par in the first round of 2000. For this U.S. Open, in these relatively soft conditions, 39 players broke par.

Perhaps more telling about the course, and depth of talent compared with two decades ago, there were 17 eagles. That’s the most for any round at any U.S. Open, breaking the record of 13 set in 1983 at Oakmont. The eagles included Callum Tarren holing out from a bunker on No. 10, the hardest hole at Pebble, and Rory Sabbatini making a hole-in-one on No. 12.

No one was expecting a breeze the rest of the week.

“It’s a very soft start to a U.S. Open, which is a good thing,” Rory McIlroy said after a 68, his first sub-70 round at the U.S. Open since he won at Congressional in 2011. “They can do whatever they want with from here. It’s not as if you’re starting with a course that’s in the condition like a Sunday, and then you get three days and it sort of starts to get away from you.”

Scott Piercy, who bogeyed the 18th for a 67, was the first player to get everyone’s attention when he was at 5 under through six holes.

Graeme McDowell saw the score when he walked off the 10th green at the start of his round and quipped to his caddie, “All the USGA radios are going off and they’re saying, ‘Turn off the water – NOW!”’

McDowell won the last U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2010 when it was so difficult he made only one birdie in the final round and no one broke par for the week. Even as he saw low scores on the board _ he had a bogey-free 69, one of 27 rounds in the 60s _ McDowell feared what was to come for those falling into a comfort zone.

“Careful what you wish for, because I think we’re going to see it come the weekend,” McDowell said.

“I don’t think level par wins this week,” he said. “Careful what you wish for, because I think we’re going to see it come the weekend.”

For one day, Pebble Beach was paradise.

“I wouldn’t say it’s exhilarating, because I feel like my mindset is I am in a 72-hole tournament,” Rose said. “This is just a very small step toward outcome. So you don’t feel that buzz that you would on a Sunday, but you can’t help but look around over your shoulder and … damn, this is Pebble Beach. Shot 65 and you’re in the U.S. Open. It’s a cool moment. Whatever transpires the rest of the week, it was a cool moment.”

Canadians Mike Weir and Nick Taylor opened with rounds of 74.

ANCASTER, Ont. – A couple of key changes have stacked the odds against Dustin Johnson as he tries to defend his RBC Canadian Open title.

The No. 2 golfer in the world pulled away from the field after a nearly two-hour rain delay to win his first RBC Canadian Open last year, firing 6-under 66 in last year’s final round to finish at 23 under. But this year the only Canadian stop on the PGA Tour has moved from Glen Abbey Golf Club, a course Johnson is familiar with, to Hamilton Golf and Country Club.

More importantly, the tournament has moved up in the golf calendar, making it a lead-in event to the U.S. Open and drawing a significantly stronger group of competitors.

“I mean, it’s a really good field. It’s a golf course I haven’t played. That definitely adds a little bit more difficulty to it,” said Johnson on Wednesday morning. “I don’t know the golf course as well as I know Glen Abbey, where I played a lot of Opens.”

Johnson is joined by top-ranked Brooks Koepka, fresh off of his PGA Championship win, No. 4 Rory McIlroy and No. 6 Justin Thomas, who was added to the field on Friday.

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Defending champ @djohnsonpga feels the love from ?? #RBCCO

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Historically, the RBC Canadian Open was held in September, but starting in 2007 it was played in late July, the prime golf season. Unfortunately, it was also the week after the British Open, causing many of the PGA Tour’s top players to miss the tournament as they recovered from the challenging major.

Now in early June, many golfers are using the Canadian event as a tune-up for the U.S. Open.

“This isn’t just a preparation week. This is a very prestigious tournament, one of the oldest tournaments in the world that I would dearly love to be able to add my name to,” said McIlroy, who has never played a competitive tournament in Canada. “I’m fully focused on this week, but knowing that if I play well here, this week, and have good control of my ball and my distance control, that will serve me well going into next week. ”

One problem for Johnson, Koepka and McIlroy is that none of them had a chance to play a full practice round. Due to off-site sponsor obligations and a pro-am tournament on Monday, they were half-round as part of a pro-am on Wednesday.

“I like the front nine. It’s the only nine I’ve seen, but yeah, I like the golf course,” said Johnson, whose brother Austin serves as his caddy. “(Austin) went out Tuesday and kind of looked at it. He’s good enough now where he can got a pretty good beat on the course.”

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— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 5, 2019

That lack of familiarity may give the 26-player Canadian contingent a brief edge, at least for the first round.

Mackenzie Hughes of neighbouring Dundas, Ont., has played Hamilton dozens of times. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., took in a practice round in May and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., played in the RBC Canadian Open when it was last in Hamilton in 2012.

“I think it’s a huge advantage. There’s an added comfort level, just knowing the course and knowing what to expect,” said Conners. “I’m really happy that I got the chance to play a few weeks ago. I got a plan together and to be familiar with the terrain, know what to expect and just definitely an added comfort level for the Canadians.”

A total of 26 Canadians will be competing for the national championship. No Canadian has won the event since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

On top of the 20 that were announced in the final field on Friday, James Allenby of Langley, B.C., Thomas DeMarco of LaSalle, Ont., Etienne Brault of Mercier, Que, and Toronto’s JC Deacon all qualified on Monday at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ont.

Albin Choi and Richard Lee, both from Toronto, were also late additions to the field with exemptions.

“We all – I’ve been in here probably four, five, six years in a row now – and all we’ve talked about is 1954,” said Hadwin. “Until one of us does that, I think it’s going to hold a lot of value for us.”

MILTON, Ont. – Four American touring professionals’ schedules got busier this month, as they earned coveted spots in the field for the 119th edition of the Men’s U.S. Open Championship, which runs from June 10 to 16 at Pebble Beach Golf Club in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Tom Hoge, 30, of Statesville, NC and Austria-born Sepp Straka, 26, of Vodesta, GA earned co-medalist honours at RattleSnake Point Golf Club in Milton, Ont., on a cool, windswept Monday as it hosted the first-ever U.S. Open Championship Sectional Qualifier contested in Canada.

Hoge, who shot a 3-under 69 during the morning 18-hole wave, heated up on the back nine of his afternoon match, firing four birdies before a pair of bogeys on 17 and 18 brought his total score to -5 for a share of the clubhouse lead.

Straka fired a 70 in the morning and stayed under the radar in the early afternoon after an opening double-bogey on his second 18 holes threatened his chances. He managed to notch three birdies between holes 12 and 16 to battle back and join Hoge at 5-under.

“I played well. First time trying to qualify for an Open so I’m really happy about the result, ” said a smiling Straka in the clubhouse as he waited for the outcome of the playoff. “It’s awesome to be heading to Pebble Beach, such an iconic place. It’s going to be sweet!”

Playoff golf was required to break a three-way tie for the final two qualifying spots following 36-holes of regulation golf. Harris English birdied his last hole of the day with a superb approach to the green to force extra holes. Alex Prugh of Spokane, Wash. and Nathan Lashley of Scottsbluff, Neb, who had both been waiting in the clubhouse at 4-under, were forced to return to the course for a tiebreaker.

Prugh and Lashley prevailed and will also be competing at Pebble Beach. English will serve as first alternate.

The field featured 37 competitors including PGA TOUR veterans, promising Canadian golfers, and a three-time winner of major tournaments in Padraig Harrington, who had a good start, but settled for a final score of 2-under.

The 36-hole sectional event was held on the CopperHead course at Rattlesnake Point. Included in the field was eight Canadian golfers, many of whom will move on immediately to Hamilton Golf and Country Club to compete in the 2019 RBC Canadian Open. David Hearn, of Brantford, Ont., was the low Canadian finisher in 12th position, shooting par on the day.

“The conditions were really windy today and it was tricky if you weren’t in control of your ball,” said Hearn, who was rushing home to Brantford before heading to Hamilton Golf and Country Club to prepare for his next challenge at the RBC Canadian Open.  “But the course was in great shape, there’s no doubt about it. The greens set-up was great, and when the conditioning is good, it’s a fair contest for everybody.”

A total of 927 players participated in 12 sectoral qualifications, including events scheduled in Canada, England and Japan. This is the first time in the history of the U.S. Open that a sectional qualification event has been held in Canada. For all scores and results of U.S. Open Sectional Qualifiers, click here. 

U.S. Open qualifying began earlier this spring with 8,602 players competing in 110 local qualifiers. One local qualifier was held in Canada on May 13 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont.

The Canadian sectional is being held the same week as the RBC Canadian Open, and several PGA TOUR players will be playing both the RBC Canadian Open and the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier.

Canadians Nick Taylor and Mike Weir already qualified for the 119th U.S. Open via the sectional qualifying event on May 20 in Dallas.

DUBLIN, Ohio – Jack Nicklaus is a gracious tournament host at the Memorial who doesn’t mince words, and it paid off for Patrick Cantlay.

When they bumped into each other earlier in the week in the grill room, Nicklaus told him he had to learn how to finish. And then when Cantlay saw him again at lunch going into the weekend, Nicklaus told him how.

Nicklaus said to have fun, to look around at all the fans having a great time, to relax and to go win the golf tournament.

Cantlay had a blast Sunday with the best closing round by a winner in the 44 years of the Memorial. He rallied from four shots behind with an 8-under 64, a round so under control that Cantlay’s longest putt for par was from 8 feet on the final hole, with Nicklaus watching behind the 18th green.

He poured it in to secure a two-shot victory over Adam Scott.

“I finished it,” Cantlay said to Nicklaus as he walked off the green.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., tied for 52nd at 1 over for the tournament, 20 shots off the lead. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., tied for 62nd at 4 over.

Martin Kaymer, trying to end five years without a victory, started with a two-shot lead and never recovered from a four-hole stretch on the back nine when he made consecutive bogeys and failed to birdie the par-5 15th. He closed with a 72 and finished third.

Scott was the last player to have a chance and ran off three straight birdies until narrowly missing birdie putts on the last two holes. He shot 68.

“Being able to win on this golf course, in front of Jack, making that putt on the last hole, I can’t tell you how good it feels,” he said.

Engaging in private, Cantlay doesn’t smile much on the golf course and isn’t about to force one. But the advice from Nicklaus – Cantlay first met him when he won the Jack Nicklaus Award as the nation’s best college player in 2011 – stuck with him.

Look around, soak it up and enjoy it.

“I definitely said that to myself down the stretch today on the back nine,” said Cantlay, who finished at 19-under 269. “It put me a little more at ease, and I hit a lot of really nice, quality shots with the lead.”

Cantlay first caught Kaymer with a 3-wood to 10 feet for a two-putt birdie on the 11th. Kaymer, in the group behind him, matched the birdie. That was his last one. Cantlay followed with an 18-foot birdie putt on No. 14 and a 5-iron that set up a long two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th.

By then, Kaymer was making bogeys and Scott was stuck in neutral until it was too late.

“I knew that you can’t really make any mistakes coming down the stretch,” said Kaymer, whose last victory was by eight shots in the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. “But all credit to Patrick. He played a great round of golf. He deserved to win – 19-under par is amazing.”

Scott finished at 19 under at Torrey Pines and lost two by to Justin Rose. He was 17 under at the Memorial – only six players have done better at Muirfield Village, one of them being Cantlay on Sunday.

“It’s disappointing not to win, for sure,” Scott said. “I really played good golf this week, and it just wasn’t good enough.”

Cantlay’s only disappointment was that it took him 19 months to win for the second time on the PGA Tour. But then, he hasn’t been around as long as it seems. Cantlay was low amateur in the 2011 U.S. Open, and the next week shot a 60 at the Travelers Championship.

But his career took a severe turn on and off the golf course, first with a back injury that kept him out of golf entirely for two full years and left him wondering if he would ever make it back. Then, he was out of dinner one night with his best friend and caddie, Chris Roth, when Roth was stuck by a car and killed.

Cantlay says it changed him as a person, but he keeps that separate from his golf.

His golf has been good for a long time, and this was a big step.

There some atonement at Muirfield Village for Cantlay. A year ago, he took a two-shot lead to the back nine and didn’t make a birdie the rest of the way, missing a playoff by one shot. This time, he putted for birdie on every hole on the back nine until the 18th.

“I was looking for a little redemption this week,” Cantlay said. “And that has to do with me feeling really comfortable on the golf course and liking it a lot. Not to mention I’ve been playing really well, so it feels like a win has been coming. You always have to put yourself in contention. And you start winning a couple, and you figure out how to do it, and hopefully it keeps happening.”

Tiger Woods knew he had no chance to win the Memorial from 11 shots behind going into the final round, though he still put on a show and got what he needed out of his final event before the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. He went out in 31 and was 7 under for his round through 12 holes until a sloppy bogey on the 14th and a closing bogey for a 67. He wound up in a tie for ninth at 9-under 279.

“The goal today was to get to double digits (under par) and get something positive going into the Open,” he said. “I got to double digits, I just didn’t stay there.”

HAMILTON (Golf Canada) –  The final four spots into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open field will be determined Monday as the Final Qualifier is set to tee off at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ont.

The 63-player field is comprised of touring professionals, top amateurs and regional qualifier participants following the two-stage RBC Canadian Open qualification process.

“We’re are very pleased to conduct the RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifier at Heron Point Golf Links,” said Adam Helmer, Golf Canada’s Director, Rules, Competitions and Amateur Status. “The golf course is in great shape will present an excellent challenge for this impressive field of golfers looking to secure a spot in the 2019 RBC Canadian Open.”

The Monday Final Qualifier features 18 holes of stroke play with the low four competitors receiving an exemption directly into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open field. If necessary, a hole-by-hole playoff will be conducted immediately following the conclusion of play.

Click here  for pairings, start times and results for RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifying on Monday, June 3. Results will be made available as players complete their rounds.