PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – Graeme McDowell one-putted the first 15 greens Saturday and shot his second straight 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead in the PGA Tour’s Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship.

Winless since 2016, the 39-year-old major champion from Northern Ireland had a 15-under 201 total. He opened with a 73.

“I’ve been seeing these Paspalum greens pretty well early in the week, but I’ve been working on some routine stuff the last couple weeks,” McDowell said. “Something small’s kind of clicked, something I used to do really well years ago. I became not so good at it and I’ve tried, I’ve been practicing. It’s just a breathing thing and it really clicked with me last week a little bit and it’s been working really well on the greens again this week. It’s helping me relax and it’s helping me just stand there and hit nice putts.

“Just before I take the putter head away, just a little bit of an outbreath to relax,” McDowell said. “It’s something I used to do very well way back when and it’s amazing how you instinctively get good at things and then you stop being good at things as well. That’s cleaned my routines well up on the greens.”

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was tied for fifth at 11 under. Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., was at nine under and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., was at 8 under.

McDowell had six birdies, two bogeys and a par on the front nine, then birdied four of the first six holes on the back nine. His one-putt streak ended with a two-putt par on the par-4 16th and he parred the final two holes, also one-putting the par-4 18th to finish with 20 putts.

“Standing over those 3-footers on 14 and 15, I was more nervous about the 3-footers that I didn’t want to spoil my round of putts,” McDowell said. “I hit a great shot into 16. I hit a really good putt there and my run came to an end. But it was a fun day. Listen, I hit a lot of great shots and made some putts. I’m going to have to keep doing that tomorrow if I want to try and win.”

The 2010 U.S. Open champion the last of his three PGA Tour titles three years ago at Mayakoba in Mexico. He has eight European Tour victories, the last in the 2013 French Open.

“Scoring is still hot here,” McDowell said. “You’ve got to keep your foot on the pedal and I’ve got to come back out here tomorrow and try to make some more birdies.”

Chris Stoud was second, also shooting 64. He eagled the par-5 fourth in a bogey-free round.

“I think all the work I’ve been putting in the last couple weeks starting in Tampa last week, it just all pays off,” Stroud said. “To me, it’s just like a big waterfall. You’ve just got to keep working. I’m still going to go tighten up a few things, but I hit some really great shots when I needed to today, especially on the last hole.”

Second-round leader Sungjae Im, likely needing a victory Sunday to get into the top 50 in the world and earn a Masters spot, had a 69 to drop into a tie for third with Aaron Baddeley (68) at 13 under. The winner doesn’t get an automatic Masters spot because the event is being played opposite the World Golf Championships event in Texas.

Hughes (66), Sepp Straka (67), Kelly Kraft (68) and Paul Dunne (70) were 11 under.

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – Likely needing to win to get a Masters spot through the world ranking, Sungjae Im rebounded from an early double bogey to take the second-round lead Friday in the PGA Tour’s Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship.

“After that bad start, my goal was to remain calm throughout the rest of my round,” Im said. “I’m hitting the ball really well, so I think that led to a lot of my birdies. Being able to control my mind helped me get those birdies as well.

A day before his 21st birthday, the South Korean player finished with his second straight 5-under 67 for a one-stroke lead over Jonathan Byrd (67), Aaron Baddeley (67), Paul Dunne (69) and George McNeill (65).

At 59th this week, Im needs to get into the top 50 in the next ranking to play at Augusta National. The winner doesn’t earn an automatic Masters spot because the event is being played opposite the World Golf Championships event in Texas.

Im follow the double bogey on his second hole – the par-3 11th – with birdies on four of the next five holes.

“It’s a long par 3, about 220 metres to the hole. There was wind blowing toward me, so I hit my 3-wood,” Im said. “My shot ended up in the back bunker and it was sitting on a difficult downslope, so it wasn’t a great situation. In hindsight, if I would’ve given the shot an extra thought and calmed myself down more, I could’ve walked away with a bogey, but I rushed things and that led to an unfortunate start.”

On his back nine, he rebounded from a bogey on the par-3 second with birdies on four of the final seven holes.

Jonas Blixt was 8 under after a 65, and Graeme McDowell followed an opening 73 with a 64 to top the group at 7 under.

“Played OK yesterday, except for my medium- and long-iron play was a little rusty,” McDowell said. “The rest of it was really good, so I knew if I could clean that up today that everything would be good. And it was very benign conditions this morning. It was nice to start on the front, which is probably the easier nine.”

Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., paced the Canadians with a 4-under 68 to sit at 6 under for the tournament in a tie for 11th. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., is 1 back at 5 under, while David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., sits T54.

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo shot 79-80 to finish 127th out of the 128 players who completed two rounds. Playing as an amateur, the CBS analyst had his lone birdie of the week on the par-4 eighth after making a triple bogey on the hole Thursday.

“I took the same club but decided to tee it a little lower, just a little stinger shot,” Romo said. “I putted terrible throughout the week and you feel like you can hit the ball for really good stretches, but you get nothing out of it.”

He finished last a year ago.

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – Joel Dahmen birdied five of his last six holes Thursday for a 6-under 66 and a share of the first-round lead in the PGA Tour’s Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship.

Dahmen rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 third with four straight birdies and closed with another birdie on the par-3 ninth. Winless on the PGA Tour, the 31-year-old former University of Washington player was tied with Matt Jones and Paul Dunne.

“Slow start,” Dahmen said. “I bogeyed the par 5 early, but knew that the front was gettable. The wind was pretty consistent all day, which was nice. Then just made a couple nice putts.”

Sungjae Im, trying to move from No. 59 in the world into the top 50 to get into the Masters, was a stroke back. The winner doesn’t earn an automatic Masters spot because the event is being played opposite the World Golf Championships event in Texas.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was the top Canadian at 3 under. Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., shot 2-under 70, Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., had a 71, David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., both shot 72 and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., carded a 73.

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had a 79. Playing as an amateur, the CBS analyst bogeyed three of the first four holes and had a triple bogey on the par-4 eighth. He also bogeyed the par-4 13th, failing to make a birdie in the round.

“I think it’s somewhat nerves early on,” Romo said. “Missed a few short putts that you feel you normally make and then just a bad swing on 8 that cost me a triple bogey. Hard to make birdies out here, just the wind.”

Romo was tied for 128th, ahead of only two players. He missed the cut and finished last a year ago.

“I think you want to really compete with yourself, see how good you can get,” Romo said. “I play with a lot of these guys, you see how talented they are and how good. The thing that stands out is the consistency, the ability to do it over and over again. In this game one or two swings costs you a day. Today, that was a little bit of my day.”

Dunne birdied three of his last four, finishing on the front nine. The Irishman won the 2017 British Masters.

“I like the golf course. I feel comfortable here,” Dunne said. “The couple of loose tee shots I normally hit in a round I can get away with here, so play to my strength a little bit. The breeze blowing for the week is nice, we’re used to that.”

Jones also had a strong finish, birdieing three of the last five on the back nine. The Australian won the 2014 Shell Houston Open for his lone PGA Tour title and also won the 2015 Australian Open.

“Just hit a lot of quality iron shots and got it close to the pin,” Jones said. “Six under was a good score. It was probably the worst score I could have shot today.”

Aaron Baddeley was at 68 with Roberto Diaz, Sepp Straka, Brady Schnell, Jonathan Byrd, D.J. Trahan and Sam Burns.

Defending champion: Brice Garnett shot 71. Davis Love III and son Dru each shot 72.

Mackenzie Hughes is used to giving other people advice on the PGA Tour this season. Last week, the Canadian started listening to it himself.

Hughes, from Dundas, Ont., had missed the cut at four consecutive events but after giving himself a pep talk, he had his best result of the season at the Valspar Championship, tying for 13th at 3-under par in Palm Harbor, Fla.

“I was a little down on myself, I’d lost a little bit of confidence, but it wasn’t for lack of a physical game,” said the 28-year-old Hughes. “I told myself to just go out on the golf course and trusting my abilities and giving myself some pep talks out there.

“It sounds kind of silly and very simple but that was pretty much it, just a bit of proper self-talk, trying to keep myself pumped up, not getting down on myself.”

After psyching himself up last Wednesday, Hughes shot a 70-72-68-71 at the Valspar and moved up the FedEx Cup standings 29 spots to 158th.

It’s ironic that it took some self-talk for Hughes to pull out of his slump since he’s become a bit of a sage on the PGA Tour this season. In January, he helped Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., adjust his putting, helping the fellow Canadian shoot a 64-64 that weekend to tie for third at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

“I still haven’t gotten my coaching fee for that yet,” joked Hughes. “I’m sure it’s in the mail.”

On Tuesday, Hughes and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., played a practice round ahead of the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in the Dominican Republic. They were joined at the 10th tee by former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who will also be in the field that tees off on Thursday.

Hughes enjoys helping his fellow golfers in part because it helps him understand his own game better.

“There’s definitely things that I have to try and remind myself of when I’m telling Tony something, or if I’m telling a young junior some thoughts on how to approach the game,” said Hughes. “It sometimes serves as a good reminder that yeah, this is the stuff I need to think about and these are the things I do when I’m playing my best.”

Hughes, Conners, and Hearn will be joined in the Corales field by Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C.

It will be a tightly contested tournament, with some of the bigger names on the PGA Tour participating in the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. No Canadians are in the field at that event, which is headlined by Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy.

AUSTIN, Texas – Rory McIlroy loves match play because he believes it is the purest form of golf.

Most would agree.

He also prefers single elimination, which he referred to as “straight knockout.” In simple terms, lose and go home.

Most players would agree on that, too, with a few exceptions.

It wasn’t much fun for Thomas Bjorn, who in two straight appearances flew from Dubai to San Diego and lost after 13 holes of the opening round. And for those who believe the word “upset” doesn’t apply at this level of golf, they probably didn’t see Ernie Els after he lost in the opening round to Phil Tataurangi.

What this World Golf Championship has shown is that golf is no longer all about competition.

This is the entertainment business.

It’s not just about birdies and bogeys. It’s television and corporate hospitality.

That’s why Match Play switched to group play in 2015, and it’s difficult to argue with the results. After 16 years of a few surprises – Jeff Maggert and Kevin Sutherland come to mind – the winners under the new format have been Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson.

McIlroy and Johnson joined Tiger Woods as the only No. 1 seeds to win. Day was the No. 2 seed. Watson, the two-time Masters champion, is considered the outlier in this context as the No. 35 seed.

So something is going right.

But even with the change, it still doesn’t solve one problem that exists in just about any format – the longer the tournament goes, the less interesting it gets because there are fewer possibilities.

Think back to The Players Championship two weeks ago when eight players had a share of the lead on the final day. In the Match Play, it comes down to two players over the final four hours, and that’s assuming it lasts that long. Watson only had to play 12 holes to win.

There are 12 matches involving 24 players on Saturday. There are four matches involving the same four players on Sunday, and that includes the consolation match, which is for world ranking points, FedEx Cup points, the difference of $138,000 and mostly something to fill dead time on television.

What would make the consolation match compelling is having Tiger Woods. In his 13 appearances, Woods has lost in every round except the semifinals. Put him in the consolation match, and it would be fun to compare which match had the biggest gallery and how much TV time each would get.

This is why the PGA Championship abandoned match play in 1958.

And it’s why the PGA Tour never once considered any form of match play to decide the FedEx Cup at the Tour Championship. It is good to have match play once a year because it is the purest form of golf. But no more than that.

“Wearing my player’s hat, I would love to see straight knockout again,” Paul Casey said. “But I understand it from trying to sell this from a corporate sponsor’s point of view, from an entertainment point of view. You want as much golf as possible on the weekend.”

They want as much golf as possible on the whole golf course.

Imagine having a corporate hospitality tent on the 18th hole. Last year, only three of the 16 matches on the weekend even reached the 18th hole.

“If I lose on Wednesday, I want to go home,” Casey said. “As much golf and excitement and drama to the end is ideal, but I don’t know what the solution is.”

Gone from the single elimination is the excitement of Wednesday, when half the field was sent home.

The group play still has a sense of urgency in the opening session, or at least it should. No one has ever lost on Wednesday and won since the switch to group play. Only eight players have lost their first match and won their group, with Bill Haas in 2017 reaching the semifinals.

Casey said one sponsor proposal sent to – and rejected by – the Players Advisory Council was match play until the weekend, two players from each group advancing and 32 players competing in stroke play over the final two days. That would be about the size of the Tour Championship field.

One problem.

“What would you call it?” Casey said, chuckling at the idea that stroke play would decide the Match Play champion.

He also has heard suggestions about stroke play for qualifying and then using only the back nine for 18-hole matches so the gallery and corporate clients in tents can see more action.

“There’s some outside-the-box thinking going on,” he said.

More changes are possible, if not likely. Remember, the championship match used to be 36 holes until it was changed to an 18-hole final in 2011. Is it possible to reduce the length of the matches to nine holes so there could be more matches, more players, more possibilities on the weekend?

Anything should be on the table.

Match Play is different. The lowest score, sometimes the best golf, over seven rounds doesn’t always win. That’s the beauty of this match play.

That part never changes.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Paul Casey became the first back-to-back winner of the Valspar Championship on Sunday by closing with a 1-over 72 for a one-shot victory over Jason Kokrak and Louis Oosthuizen.

Casey thought his biggest challenge would be Dustin Johnson, who was one shot behind. Instead, the world’s No. 1 player failed to make a single birdie for the first time in 31 tournaments worldwide.

The real challenge was Innisbrook, so tough that no one shot better than 68 in the final round.

Kokrak (71) and Oosthuizen (69) each had a share of the lead on the back nine. Kokrak missed an 8-foot par putt on the final hole. Casey was in a fairway bunker on No. 18 when he hit to just over 20 feet and two-putted for the win.

It was the first time since this event joined the PGA Tour schedule in 2000 that the winner was over par in the final round. The course was so dry and fast that no one shot better than 68, and the average score of 72.143 was the second-toughest final round his year behind rainy, windy Riviera.

Canadian Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., shot an even-par 71 to close the event at 3 under par — good for a share of 13th. Countryman Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., began the day in a tie for sixth but faltered down the stretch with a string of bogeys, finishing tied for 24th at 1 under.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – The final hour changed the dynamics of the Valspar Championship, just not the lead.

That still belongs to defending champion Paul Casey, and he saw only the upside of having his three-shot margin shrink to one, and going from a final round pairing with a player who is 0 for 195 on the PGA Tour to playing alongside the No. 1 player in the world.

On a Saturday at Innisbrook that began with all 70 players who made the cut still very much in the mix, Casey surged to a three-shot lead until a bogey on the 18th hole for a 3-under 68 that left him one shot ahead of Dustin Johnson.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was tied for sixth, four shots back of Casey, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was tied for 14th at 3 under and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., was tied for 27th.

That’ll work, @ntaylorgolf59 ?? pic.twitter.com/q1Cp3gPx9T

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) March 23, 2019

At stake for Casey is a chance to become the first back-to-back winner of the Valspar Championship since this PGA Tour event began in 2000.

Behind him is Johnson, who is going for his second victory in three starts.

“Of the guys on the leaderboard, he’s the one I would want to be paired with, so it doesn’t bother me,” Casey said. “Obviously, two shots would have been nicer than one, but one is better than level, or one behind.”

Johnson had some say in that final margin with one of his best shots of the day, a 9-iron from a bunker a few paces in front of a steep lip to the front shelf of the 18th green, 10 feet behind the hole. He made that for a 67 to get into the final group.

And that was good news for Casey?

“He’s the best player in the world. That’s why I work and I do what I do, because I want to play against the best in the world,” Casey said.

He also pointed to Johnson being the favourite, at least in the eyes of thousands of fans on a warm, sun-filled day at Innisbrook, the kind of buzz it had last year when Tiger Woods played for the first time.

“I actually feel very little pressure,” Casey said. “You look at my results versus Dustin’s. He’s the better player, so it’s pretty simple. If I go out tomorrow and beat him, I actually might win, plain and simple. Great scenario.”

Only it’s not that simple, and no one knows better than Casey.

A year ago, he rallied from five shots behind with a 65 and wound up winning by one shot over Woods and Patrick Reed. That’s a tribute to Innisbrook, which players regard as one of the purest tests of the year, certainly in Florida.

Casey was at 8-under 205. Eight players had a share of the lead in the third round, and 10 players finished within four shots of the lead.

That starts with Jason Kokrak, winless in his 195 starts as a pro over the better part of eight years. He showed how quickly fortunes can change when he made three birdies in five holes to start the back nine, and then smashed an 8-iron with a breeze at his back that rolled across the 15th green and into the cup for a hole-in-one .

“You can be three, four, five shots out at this golf course and really make some noise if you get it going early,” Kokrak said.

Kokrak shot 30 on the back for a 66 and was poised to play in the final group until Johnson made his birdie on the 18th. Luke Donald, a past winner at Innisbrook playing for only the second time this year – and first since January – grinded his way to a 70 and joined Scott Stallings (70) three shots behind. Louis Oosthuizen, who had a 66 despite two bogeys on the last three holes, and Jim Furyk were among those four behind.

Casey seized control with three birdies in a five-hole stretch to start the back nine. But on the final hole, after Johnson made his birdie, Casey went into the first of a series of miniature church-pew bunkers on the 18th, couldn’t get to the green and missed his 15-foot par putt.

Johnson looked to be giving up plenty of opportunities, especially on the par 5s. He had an iron into the green on Nos. 1 and 11, just missed and chipped to short range before twice missing birdie chances. And then he picked up a birdie on the par-5 14th in the most unlikely way .

From light rough with trees partially in his way, he tried to hammer a 5-wood 290 yards. But it came out with too much wind and floated into the wind, hit a tree well short of the green and nearly went into water that isn’t typically in play. Still, he had a tree between his ball and the green. Johnson hit a hard pitch from 73 yards to the right of the tree and let the hill bring it back to the green. And then he made a 35-foot birdie putt.

“Makes up for the other two,” he said, walking to the 15th tee.

But the big shot was on the 18th, and the birdie got him into the final group in his first trip to Innisbrook since 2010.

“I’m in a good position … because this golf course, it’s tough,” Johnson said. “If I can go out and shoot a good score, then I’ve got a chance.”

This week’s Valspar Championship is playing right into Nick Taylor’s hands.

Taylor, from Abbotsford, B.C., is looking forward to taking on the difficult Copperhead Course at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Fla., this week at the Valspar because it is just that – a challenging par-71 7,340 yards.

“It’s typically a difficult golf course. You have to keep it in play. Par’s not going to hurt you,” said Taylor on Wednesday. “I just prefer courses where 2- or 3-under par is a great score instead of being a shootout like some tournaments where the winner is 20- to 25-under.

“Here, 10- to 14- under is where winners have been and it’s where I would prefer it if I were to pick a tournament.”

The timing is great for Taylor, too. He’s coming off his strongest performance of the season, tying for 16th at 10 under at the hyper-competitive Players Championship.

“My iron play was really solid all week, made a few mistakes the first day. I felt the greens were tough in the afternoon,” said Taylor, who shot a 73 in the first round but recovered with a 69-69-67 line the rest of the way. “I played really well the last three days and cashed in a lot of opportunities on the Sunday to have my best round of the week so that was pretty much the difference.”

Pleased with his overall performance, Taylor isn’t looking to tweak anything about his game, instead focusing on maintaining what brought him success at the Players to the Valspar.

Taylor will be joined by seven other Canadians at the Valspar Championship, matching the record for Canadians at a PGA Tour event outside of the RBC Canadian Open. Monday qualifier David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, dual citizen Austin Connelly, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., and Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., will also play, with the latter being added to the field on Wednesday.

Already a tough course, Taylor played nine holes on Tuesday at Copperhead and another nine at the Pro-Am and said that the greens are firm.

“Early in the morning was a little chilly, but the course is in great shape,” said Taylor. “The greens are fast and pretty firm. If the weather holds up it might be tough.”

Presidents Cup International Team Captain Ernie Els announced Korea’s K.J. Choi, South Africa’s Trevor Immelman and Canada’s Mike Weir as his final three captain’s assistants for the 2019 Presidents Cup, which will return to The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia for a third time Dec. 9-15, 2019. Els previously named Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy as captain’s assistant in late November.

Weir will return for his second stint as a captain’s assistant after serving for Nick Price at the 2017 Presidents Cup. He has competed in five Presidents Cups (2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009) and was a teammate of Els four times. The eight-time PGA TOUR winner is 13-9-2 all-time at the Presidents Cup and one of five International Team members with 10 or more match wins in the competition. In 2007, the Presidents Cup was staged in Canada for the first time, and Weir put on a show for his Canadians fans with a 3-1-1 record that was capped by a thrilling 1-up victory over Tiger Woods in Singles.

“The Presidents Cup has been a big part of my career. I grew up playing a lot of team sports and when I made my first Presidents Cup team in 2000 it was really one of the highlights,” Weir said. “So it’s been special to still be part of the team as an assistant to Nick and now Ernie. We have a long history. We’re basically the same age, we’ve played a lot of golf together so it’s going to be really fun to try to get the Internationals over the line this time.”

Of his eight PGA TOUR victories, Weir’s most triumphant moment came with his breakthrough playoff win at the 2003 Masters – one of three titles he collected that season.

“I’ve played on the same International Team with Mike on four occasions and he’s one of the most passionate guys I know when it comes to the Presidents Cup,” Els said. “I also worked alongside Mike as a captain’s assistant in 2017 and he brought a considerable amount of experience and input into our team room and provided a positive influence on our players. His presence will be invaluable as we seek to regain the Presidents Cup.”

.@MikeWeir is back as one of 4 @PresidentsCup Assistant Captains for the #IntlTeam, working with @TheBig_Easy pic.twitter.com/eTfYC6zvad

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) March 19, 2019

Choi will return as an assistant for the second time after serving as vice captain to Nick Price when the Presidents Cup made its debut in Korea in 2015. A three-time Presidents Cup competitor (2003, 2007, 2011), Choi owns a 6-8 overall record and posted a 3-2 mark in 2011 at Royal Melbourne, where he partnered with fellow captain’s assistant Ogilvy to win two Four-ball matches.

“I’m personally very happy and honored,” Choi said. “You need amazing teamwork to win the Presidents Cup. It’s our role as captain’s assistants to bring together players of different nationalities and have them blend well together. It’s our role to have them open up to us and help relieve some of the pressure they might feel.”

Choi’s more than 20 professional victories worldwide included eight career PGA TOUR titles, which were highlighted by his dramatic playoff win at THE PLAYERS Championship in 2011. Considered Asia’s most successful golfer to date, Choi spent 40 weeks inside the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking.

“As the most successful Asian golfer on the PGA TOUR, K.J. certainly commands a lot of respect amongst our players and I believe he will fire up our guys at Royal Melbourne,” Els said. “K.J. has a calm demeanor, which will be a valuable asset in our team room and out on the golf course during the heat of battle. I’ll be counting on K.J. to impart his vast experience of being a three-time International Team member as well as a captain’s assistant when we map out our strategies during the competition.”

Els also tabbed fellow South African Immelman, who will make his debut as a captain’s assistant with two Presidents Cup berths on his resume (2005, 2007); he and Els shared one Presidents Cup appearance together in 2007. In 2017, Immelman served as the first-ever International Team Captain for the Junior Presidents Cup, which debuted at Plainfield Country Club just days prior to the Presidents Cup at Liberty National.

After competing for years in the ⁦@PresidentsCup⁩ excited to be back to help captain ⁦@TheBig_Easy⁩ bring the cup back to the internationals! ?? pic.twitter.com/r89nZyTYeB

— Weirsy (@MikeWeir) March 19, 2019

“I’m very excited. I can’t wait really. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities to play in ’05 and ’07, and it was a very enjoyable time in my career,” Immelman said. “For me, I probably know [Ernie] better than any of the other people on TOUR and so hopefully that’s what I can bring to the team is the fact that I really understand the captain. I know his history, I know his record, I obviously hold him in great esteem and so maybe I can be a good conduit from players to the team captain.”

Immelman is a two-time PGA TOUR winner whose career is highlighted by his victory at the 2008 Masters, where he edged Tiger Woods by three strokes. He also teamed with Rory Sabbatini in 2003 to win South Africa’s most recent World Cup of Golf title.

“I have known Trevor for a very long time and trust him fully to know that he will be an integral element in our team,” Els said. “As a fellow competitor, Trevor is as steely as they come and I am sure this attribute will rub off positively onto our players. When I played in the same team as Trevor in 2007, he was one of our most determined players and I know he will contribute to our cause in Australia.”

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – His best swing was followed by his biggest drive, both setting up birdies, and from there Rory McIlroy knew how to finish.

Suddenly staked to a one-shot lead, McIlroy had a 125-yard walk along the water to the 17th hole to face an island that never looks smaller than on Sunday at The Players Championship, followed by the toughest hole on the TPC Sawgrass with water down the entire left side.

“Just make three more good swings … and this thing is yours,” McIlroy kept telling himself.

He delivered in a major way to win the next best thing to major.

McIlroy made two late birdies to regain the lead, was at his best when the pressure was the highest, and he closed with a 2-under 70 for a one-shot victory over Jim Furyk in his 10th appearance at The Players Championship.

“To step up and make those three good swings, it’s very satisfying knowing that it’s in there when it needs to be,” McIlroy said.

McIlroy could not afford a mistake over the final hour because of Furyk, the 48-year-old former Ryder Cup captain who nearly pulled off a stunner. Furyk, one of the last players to qualify for the strongest field in golf, capped off a 67 with a 7-iron into the 18th so good that he started walking when he hit it. The ball plopped down 3 feet from the hole for a birdie to take the lead.

But not for long.

Coming off a careless bogey on the 14th, McIlroy thought he was in trouble when his tee shot went well to the right toward a clump of native grass. He was lucky it came down into the bunker, and from there he drilled a 6-iron from 180 yards.

“Some golf shot there,” Harry Diamond, his caddie and best friend, said as the ball was in the air.

McIlroy called it “the best shot of the day, by far,” and it settled 15 feet behind the hole for a birdie to tie. Then, he blasted a 347-yard drive – the longest of the day on the par-5 16th – into a good lie in the rough that left him a 9-iron to 20 feet for a two-putt birdie and the lead.

Most important, he found dry land on the 17th with a 9-iron, and relied on a memory from 10 years ago in Hong Kong – pick a target and swing hard – to hammer a tee shot down the 18th fairway to set up the win.

He finished at 16-under 272 and earned $2.25 million, to date the biggest winner’s check in golf.

The timing was ideal. McIlroy had not finished worse than a tie for sixth in his five previous starts this year – three of them playing in the final group – with no trophy to show for it. And one month away is the Masters, the final piece for McIlroy to get the career Grand Slam.

It wasn’t easy. Eight players had at least a share of the lead at some point, and a dozen players were separated by two shots at various times.

“I think the toughest part is seeing yourself up there, whatever score you’re on, and seeing 10 or 11 guys with a chance,” McIlroy said. “I guess that was the hardest thing was just getting yourself to the point mentally where you say, ‘Well, why not me? This is my tournament. I’m going to finish it off.”’

Furyk didn’t know he was in The Players until one week ago, and he was on the verge of winning until McIlroy came through in the end. Furyk started the back nine with two birdies to get in the mix and finished strong. His only regret was a 3-foot par putt on the 15th.

Even so, it showed he has plenty of game left after devoting two years as Ryder Cup captain. The runner-up finish moves him high enough in the world ranking (No. 57) to qualify for the Match Play in two weeks.

“A shot here, a shot there, maybe could have been a little different,” Furyk said. “But ultimately, left it all out there. It was also nice to get in contention, to get under the heat, to have to hit shots under a lot of pressure, and then to respond well to that and hit some good golf shots. It’ll be a confidence boost going forward.

Some of the most entertaining moments came from everyone else.

Eddie Pepperell of England, in his Sawgrass debut, ran off four birdies in a five-hole stretch to briefly share the lead, none bigger than a putt from just inside 50 feet on the 17th. One group later, Jhonattan Vegas holed a putt from the bottom left to the top right pin position, just under 70 feet, the longest putt made on the island green since the PGA Tour had lasers to measure them. That gave him a share of the lead, too.

“Magic,” Vegas said. “If I tried it a thousand times I wouldn’t even come close to making it.”

Both shot 66 and tied for third.

Canada’s Nick Taylor went 5 under in his final round to climb into a tie for 16th—his best result this season on TOUR. The Abbotsford, B.C., product closed the event at 10 under par.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 15: Nick Taylor of Canada looks over a putt on the 14th green during the second round of The PLAYERS Championship on The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 15, 2019 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood lost their way early, and then late.

Rahm, who had a one-shot lead, started with three bogeys in four holes and recovered until a curious decision. Tied for the lead, he was 220 yards away in a bunker, partially blocked by trees on the par-5 11, when he went for the green and hit into the water, making bogey. He was still in the game until failing to birdie the 16th and hitting into the water on the 17th. Rahm shot 76.

Fleetwood opened with a three-putt bogey and made all pars until hitting into the water on the 11th for bogey. He made eagle on the 16th to have a fleeting chance until coming up short of the island. He shot 73 and tied for fifth with Brandt Snedeker (69) and Dustin Johnson (69).