Branden Grace showed up on the putting green at Chapultepec Golf Club wearing pants, just like always.

He got the memo too late.

The PGA Tour, taking a page from the European Tour, has decided to let its players wear shorts during practice rounds and Pro-Ams. The announcement was posted in the locker room at the Puerto Rico Open and at the Mexico Championship on Monday.

Players still must have shorts that are knee length, tailored and “neat in appearance.”

Grace was in Los Angeles last week and didn’t put any such shorts in his suitcase. And maybe that’s a good thing. He raised his pants to show a pair of very white legs.

“I need a week in Florida to get some sun on these out-of-bounds stakes,” Grace said.

Europe began allowing shorts in practice rounds three years ago, while the PGA Championship allowed them in 2017 at Quail Hollow. Players still must wear pants during competition rounds.

MEXICO CITY – The PGA Tour again is taking a close look at changing the size of its cuts, and this time the idea appears to have some legs.

One topic at the first Player Advisory Council meeting last Tuesday at Riviera was to change the 36-hole cut from top 70 and ties to top 65 and ties, which is what the European Tour and the Web.com Tour do.

“There’s some traction for it,” said Jordan Spieth, in his first year on the policy board. “The argument is the MDFs don’t look good and twosomes on the weekend are better for everybody, including the viewership.”

The MDF was the tour’s first crack at avoiding bloated fields for the final round. It stands for “Made the cut, did not finish,” and it was passed unanimously at the end of 2007. Whenever more than 78 players make the cut, a 54-hole cut is in play to narrow the field to top 70 and ties.

This would be another step, though it’s in the early stages.

In the 10 tournaments this season, a cut to the top 65 and ties would have happened just once. At the Safeway Open, 86 players made the 36-hole cut. If the cut had been top 65 and ties, 67 players would have advanced to the weekend, sending home another 19 players on Friday. Of those 19, Tom Hoge had a 69-70 weekend and tied for 17th, which was worth 44 FedEx Cup points.

That’s what concerns Matt Kuchar, who is on the PAC.

“The MDF is a great addition,” Kuchar said. “Guys who have a bad Saturday (and missed the 54-hole cut), they’re not competitive in the tournament anymore. The T-65 … you just have a handful of stories of a guy who would have missed the cut that has won or has a top 5. It happens every now and then.”

The best example was Jose Maria Olazabal, who made the cut on the number at Torrey Pines in 2002 (tie for 69th) and was among 89 players who advanced to the weekend. Olazabal shot 67-65 on the weekend and won by one shot.

“I’m kind of on the fence,” Kuchar said. “It works in Europe. It works in a lot of places.”

Even with a cut to top 65 and ties, there still could be occasions when more than 78 players make the cut, and the 54-hole cut would remain.

Spieth said he hasn’t detected too many players opposed to the idea, except for those who seem to constantly be around the cut line and want every chance. Much like Kuchar, however, he doesn’t have a strong opinion either way.

“I don’t mind how it is now. I don’t mind if it switches,” Spieth said. “But there is some traction.”

The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced local qualifying sites for the 119th U.S. Open Championship. The U.S. Open will be contested at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links for the sixth time from June 13-16, 2019. Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 110 sites in 43 states and Canada, will take place between April 29-May 13.

“We are grateful for the extensive support of Allied Golf Associations and Golf Canada, in collaboration with the USGA’s five regional offices, during this two-tiered U.S. Open qualifying process,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director of Championships. “Thousands of professional and amateur golfers from around the world will pursue an opportunity to compete in our national championship at scenic Pebble Beach Golf Links, which has produced some of the most memorable moments in American golf.”

Local Qualifying will take place in Canada on May 13 at Beacon Hall Golf Club in Aurora, Ont.

Those players who advance out of local qualifying will join a group of exempt players in sectional qualifying, which will be conducted over 36 holes at 12 sites, nine of them in the U.S., one in England, one in Canada and one in Japan. Eight U.S. sites and the Canada and England sites will host sectionals on Monday, June 3. The U.S. qualifier in Texas will be played on May 20, while Japan will host its qualifier on May 27. It will mark the 15th consecutive year that England and Japan have hosted international sectional qualifying.

Canada will host a sectional qualifier for the first time, taking place at RattleSnake Point Golf Club in Milton, Ont., on June 3 leading into the RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

In 2018, the USGA accepted 9,049 entries for the championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, in Southampton, N.Y. The record of 10,127 was established for the 2014 championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.

Fifty-five courses return as U.S. Open local qualifying sites from last year and several have a significant history as hosts. Illini Country Club, in Springfield, Ill., will conduct a U.S. Open qualifier for the 41st consecutive year. Maketewah Country Club, in Cincinnati, Ohio, will be a local site for the 43rd time in the last 44 years. Chris Naegel, who tied for 56th in last year’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, and amateur Will Grimmer, who finished 66th, advanced through local qualifying at Illini C.C. and Maketewah C.C., respectively.

Additionally, Riverton (Wyo.) Country Club has hosted local qualifying since 1998, while Collindale Golf Course, in Fort Collins, Colo., has been a host site since 2003. Ironwood Country Club, in Palm Desert, Calif., will hold a local qualifier for the 21st time in the last 22 years.

Five clubs will host U.S. Open local qualifying for the 11th consecutive year. They are: The Club at Admirals Cove (North/West Courses), in Jupiter, Fla.; The Club at Ruby Hill, in Pleasanton, Calif.; Holston Hills Country Club, in Knoxville, Tenn.; La Purisima Golf Course, in Lompoc, Calif.; and Pinewild Country Club (Magnolia Course), in Pinehurst, N.C.

Last year, 21 players advanced through local and sectional qualifying to the 156-player U.S. Open Championship field at Shinnecock Hills. Of those 21, seven players made the 36-hole cut, including co-low amateur Luis Gagne, who started his journey at Orange Tree Golf Club, in Orlando, Fla., which will host a local qualifier for the eighth consecutive year. Ken Venturi (1964) and Orville Moody (1969) are the only players to win the U.S. Open after qualifying through both local and sectional play.

Several U.S. Open champions have advanced to the championship through both local and sectional qualifying at some point in their careers, including Lucas Glover, David Graham, Lou Graham, Hale Irwin, Tony Jacklin, Lee Janzen, Tom Kite, Johnny Miller, Corey Pavin, Curtis Strange, Lee Trevino and Fuzzy Zoeller.

To be eligible, a player must have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 1.4, or be a professional.

There are 14 local qualifying sites in both California and Florida, the most of any state. Texas will host seven local qualifiers, while New York and Pennsylvania each have five.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Phil Mickelson had everything go his way Sunday in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

He just couldn’t beat the darkness.

On a wild day of weather even by Pebble Beach standards, sunshine gave way to a hail storm that covered the greens in a sheet of white in a matter of minutes. The delay kept Mickelson from finishing off a remarkable rally in which he turned a three-shot deficit against Paul Casey into a three-shot lead until it was too dark to finish the last two holes.

Mickelson at least wanted to try.

“I can see fine,” he said to a PGA Tour rules official as they walked up the 16th fairway. “I don’t want to put Paul in a bad spot.”

Casey simply couldn’t see, and we realized it was not possible to finish all 18 holes – “We can’t finish two holes in six minutes,” he said to the official – he opted to mark his ball on the 16th green.

Mickelson already made his par on the 16th and was 6 under for the day, with no bogeys on his card, and 18-under par for the tournament. Casey has a 3-foot par putt to stay three shots behind when they return at 8 a.m. Monday to play the par-3 17th and the par-5 18th.

Lost in the late start – one hour delay from rain, a two-hour suspension from hail – was sheer brilliance from the 48-year-old Mickelson who didn’t come remotely close to making a bogey and was on the brink of a fifth victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

His first one also was a Monday finish, when players returned in August – more than six months later – to finish the third round of the weather-plagued tournament to make it official.

“We’ve got two tough holes left and I don’t want to jump the gun and get past that,” Mickelson said. “I know a lot can happen in these two holes and they have happened in the past, so I want to stay focused and just come out tomorrow and try to finish it off. I wish we could do it tonight.”

Mickelson made his big run starting with a 9-iron to a foot behind the cup on the par-4 ninth. That was start of a five-hole stretch when Mickelson made three birdies and Paul Casey had two bogeys, taking Lefty from two behind to three ahead.

“I didn’t make anything. I hit some good golf shots and didn’t get anything out of it today,” Casey said. “Phil has put together a spectacular round of golf so far – 6 under, no dropped shots. Remarkable stuff.”

Even as Mickelson strongly hinted at wanting to finish – at point suggesting they play the 17th and he could scoot ahead to get a ball in play on the 18th so at least he could finish – Casey stood his ground.

Casey was at 15 under, tied with Scott Stallings, who closed with a 66. Along with an outside chance at forcing a playoff, finishing alone in second instead of a tie is a difference of $152,000, along with world ranking points and FedEx Cup points. Casey and FedEx executive Don Colleran had a one-shot lead in the pro-am.

Mickelson was standing on the 17th tee when he heard the horn sound to stop play, and he shook his head.

The rest of his day was far better than the weather.

Mickelson is on the verge of winning for the 44th time in his career, and matching Mark O’Meara with five victories at a tournament he first played in 1995.

It also would be his first victory on American soil since the Phoenix Open six years ago. He won the British Open that summer in Scotland, and the Mexico Championship last year.

His brilliant play still shared the stage with weather that was bizarre even by Pebble standards.

Mickelson and Casey were waiting to tee off when clouds moved in quickly moved in, and rain turned into hail that pounded umbrellas, many of them held sideways to account for the wind.

Greens quickly were covered by the tiny white pellets, and workers went from using squeegees for excess water to power blowers to remove the hail.

Sam Saunders, whose grandfather Arnold Palmer was among the Pebble Beach owners, scooped up hail and tossed it like a snowball. Patrick Reed’s brother laid on his back and tried to make a snow angel.

There was never a reasonable chance to finish in his pro-am format, with mostly foursomes across the golf course.

Casey has never won in three previous times he had a 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour, all of them by two shots or more, and he was holding his own against the relentless pursuit of Mickelson, who missed three straight birdie putts from the 12-foot range by the slimmest margins. Casey had great par saves, and then Mickelson took off.

After his 9-iron into a foot at No. 9 to get within one shot, Mickelson holed a 12-foot birdie on the 10th with a drive that hugged the right side of the fairway and likely would have bounced into the ocean if not for conditions so soft from rain that balls plugged where they landed.

Casey blinked first with a bogey on the 11th hole, and another on the par-3 12th when his tee shot came up short and into the bunker. Mickelson poured it on, showing his skills have not deteriorated a bit at age 48, controlling spin beautifully to back pin positions.

He just didn’t want to stay another day.

“I get where Paul is coming from,” Mickelson said. “We’re going to have a good chance to come out on fresh greens. I have good vision, I can see fine and I wanted to continue. In all honesty, it’s a good thing to play the last two holes in fresh conditions.”

Adam Hadwin is currently tied for 18th at 8 under as the top Canadian. Fellow Abbotsford, B.C., native Nick Taylor is T28, while Ben Silverman (Thornhill, Ont.) sits T45.

Some players finished in the dark with no chance of winning, but showed the effect of playing without light. Scott Piercy had a 15-foot putt that was slightly uphill, and he still ran it 7 feet by the hole and three-putted for bogey.

Jason Day closed with a 68 and was tied for fourth at 13-under 175 with Si Woo Kim (68).

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Bill Murray met a pair of baby kangaroos from the Monterey Zoo. Jerry Kelly tried to mimic the peculiar post-swing moves of Ho Sung Choi. Jordan Spieth sent players and fans along two fairways on a frantic search for his tee shot.

All that commotion on celebrity Saturday at Pebble Beach, and Paul Casey missed it all.

He was over at Spyglass Hill, putting together another solid round in the sunshine, rain, cold and wind. Casey had a 5-under 67 and quietly built a three-shot lead over Phil Mickelson going into the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Mickelson delivered plenty of golf entertainment at Pebble Beach, particularly a wedge into 3 feet on the 13th for birdie and a 4-iron he crushed with the wind at his back to 4 feet for an eagle that turned his fortunes, led to a 2-under 70 and put him in good shape for a shot to match Mark O’Meara’s record of five titles at the AT&T Pebble Beach.

“I thought anything in the 60s was going to be a heck of a round, and I was one shy,” Mickelson said. “But I’ve got a good chance going into tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it.”

History might be on Lefty’s side.

Casey, who was at 15-under 200, has never won in his three previous times with a 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour. Those all occurred in the last three years, and while he was beaten by great closing rounds of great players, Casey shot 2-over par or worse.

But that was the least of his concerns.

“I am having a blast,” said Casey, who last year rallied to win the Valspar Championship during the Florida swing.

He made his PGA Tour debut 18 years ago at Pebble Beach, missing the cut with Seth Waugh, now the chief executive of the PGA of America. He played again, and then he didn’t return for 16 years. Part of that was his European Tour membership, with events in the Middle East. Some of it was injury. Some of it was weather.

“There are two factors,” he said. “One is the weather. If you have great weather, this is one of the best places on the planet. And two, if you have the right partner, it can be wonderful. I can at least guarantee one of those elements.”

He is playing with Don Colleran, the chief sales officer at FedEx, and they have a four-shot lead in the pro-am.

The other factor? Not so much.

Saturday began under a blue sky and a sunshine beaming down on the Monterey Peninsula. Those patchy clouds of the horizon were part of a painting. They moved in quickly, dropping temperatures 10 degrees, causing flags to whip and rain to spray.

That’s not what stopped Spieth.

He was tied for the lead after a birdie on the par-3 fifth hole and remained in range of Casey until the final six holes.

His downfall began with a shot on the 13th hole he yanked so badly he figured it was in the bunker on the left side of the ninth fairway. It wasn’t there. The ball in the first cut of rough? That belonged to Adam Scott’s amateur partner. Spieth even went down to the edge of the Pacific to look, and panic began to set in.

“Um, if you all could check around you for a ball, that would be really helpful,” he said.

With under a minute left in the new three-minute search, it was spotted 140 yards back toward the tee beneath a tree it struck.

Spieth made double bogey, and then another double bogey on the 18th hole when he pulled his tee shot off the rocks and into the ocean . He shot a 74 and went from in the hunt to eight shots behind. He didn’t feel he was hiding the ball as well as the first two days, so it was a matter of time.

“It was going to bite me at some point,” Spieth said. “I didn’t necessarily deserve to be a couple under par at the time, and so it ended up kind of haunting me there. … I drove the ball well the last two days, and then today my driver just didn’t behave at all. It was a 150-yard spread on either side and that’s not good around Pebble Beach.”

Lucas Glover had a birdie-bogey finish at Monterey Peninsula for a 1-under 70 and was at 11-under 204, along with Scott Piercy (69 at Spyglass Hill).

Adam Hadwin (65) of Abbotsford, B.C., is the top Canadian at 8 under and tied for 14th.

Nick Taylor (71) of Abbotsford and Ben Silverman (69) from Thornhill, Ont., are 5 under, Mackenzie Hughes (78) of Dundas, Ont., is even, Adam Svensson (72) from Surrey, B.C., and Corey Conners (70) of Listowel, Ont., are 3 over, David Hearn (79) from Brantford, Ont., is 11 over and Roger Sloan (76) of Merritt, Ont., is 13 over.

Casey was recently in the news for a tournament he didn’t play, the Saudi International, a new event on the European Tour that came under scrutiny for Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and the recent killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

He was on the original list of commitments without his approval, and said he was never going. Casey is an ambassador for UNICEF and has the logo on his golf bag, which he displayed on an Instagram post to confirm he was not playing.

“I stand firm on what I said,” Casey said.

He is more interested in what he can accomplish Sunday at a tournament that, with reasonable weather and an enjoyable amateur partner, he has come to enjoy.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Standing above a greenside bunker at TPC Scottsdale’s difficult par-4 11th hole, Rickie Fowler turned just in time to see his ball, one he had just placed after penalty, trickle into the water.

Fowler had already seen his share of bad luck at the Phoenix Open. Now balls were rolling into hazards on their own.

Unable to catch a break, Fowler took it upon himself to create his own.

Fowler shook off a bizarre triple bogey on No. 11 with clutch shots down the stretch, finally winning the tournament Sunday that had twice eluded him.

“I didn’t think it would be easy, but the way I was playing this week, I thought it would have been easier,” Fowler said. “It was kind of grind it out. I had a couple of tough breaks and had to deal with the punches – a couple big ones – but it feels good now.”

After a pair of 64s and a 65, Fowler shot 3-over 74 in the final round on a soggy Sunday at TPC Scottsdale, highest by a winner in tournament history. He finished at 17-under 267 to beat Branden Grace by two shots for his fifth PGA Tour title.

Fowler had another over-par round with a 54-hole lead – he’s 7 for 7 there – but birdied two of his final four holes to win from the third-round lead for the second time, with the 2017 Honda Classic the other.

65th ➡️ 7th in the #FedExCup. pic.twitter.com/lWy7vfCa0q

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 4, 2019

Fowler also had a double bogey on the par-4 fifth hole, becoming the first PGA Tour player to win with a double bogey and triple bogey or worse since 1983.

“He really dug down and pulled it off,” Grace said.

David Hearn (72) of Brantford, Ont., tied for 33rd at 6-under 278. Adam Hadwin (72) of Abbotsford, B.C., tied for 44th at 4-under 280.

Wasn’t the weekend I was hoping for but overall it was a great week at the @WMPhoenixOpen! Thanks for a great week. I feel my game is moving back in the right direction! #GreenestShow #WMPO

— David Hearn (@HearnDavid) February 3, 2019

Fowler has experienced his share of heartbreak at the Phoenix Open. He had the 54-hole lead last year and shot a 2-over 73 to finish six shots behind Gary Woodlandr. In 2016, Fowler blew a two-shot lead with two holes to go before losing in a playoff to Hideki Matsuyama, twice hitting it into the water on the drivable par-4 17th.

None of it compared to what happened to him Sunday.

Leading by four to start the day, he was up five shots stepping onto the tee on No. 11. The lead was one after a bizarre sequence of events at the long par 4.

With rain picking up, Fowler hit his approach shot right of the green and his chip skipped past the flag into the water, incurring a two-shot penalty. He dropped next to a bunker and, as he stood on the green surveying his next shot, his ball rolled back into the water without being touched.

PGA Tour rules official Slugger White determined Fowler’s ball was in play after the drop, so he was assessed a one-shot penalty. Fowler got up-and-down from there, knocking in a 17-foot putt for triple-bogey 7 – his seventh double bogey or worse when playing with a 54-hole lead.

“That was a big kind of turnaround,” Fowler said. “At worst I make bogey with a semi-decent chip and I’m still very much in control of the tournament. But with everything that happened there, that was a (four-) shot swing pretty quickly. It sucks, but it’s just kind of put that behind me.”

Grace made a 50-foot birdie putt just ahead on the par-3 12th and they were tied at 15 under when Fowler couldn’t get up-and-down from the bunker on the same hole. Grace went up one with a 3-foot birdie putt on No. 13.

Fowler refused to cave.

He reached the par-5 15th in two from 239 yards out and his two-putt birdie pulled him into a tie for the lead. Grace then pulled his tee shot into the water at the short par-4 17th, hit his third shot into the bunker after a penalty and took a bogey, giving Fowler a one-shot lead.

Fowler drove the green on the 336-yard 17th and two-putted for birdie to stretch his lead to two shots.

The drama didn’t end there.

Grace got up-and-down for par from short right of the 18th green, finishing at 15 under after a 2-under 69.

Fowler pulled his tee shot on 18 left, landing in the tall grass between the church pew bunkers. He hacked the ball out short of the green and got up-and-down for the long-awaited victory.

“I think he’s going to get more out of something like that, showing resilience and coming back like that, as opposed to going out there and winning by four or five,” said Justin Thomas, who finished third, three behind Fowler after a 72.

Maybe in the future. Right after the round, Fowler was wiped out after the emotional roller coaster.

“I never want to go through anything like that again,” he said. “That was not fun.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Rickie Fowler had the lead heading into the final round last year at the Phoenix Open, only to see the title slip through his grip for a second time.

He will have a big cushion in his third bid to win the championship following a stellar display of golf.

Fowler had eight birdies in a 7-under 64 on Saturday at TPC Scottsdale to take a four-shot lead over Matt Kuchar into the final round.

Fowler opened with four birdies in six holes and navigated a difficult two-putt on the par-4 18th hole to reach 20-under 193.

Now it’s time to finish it off.

“This one is definitely high on the list, another being Torrey Pines,” Fowler said. “I would say between here and there, those would be the two highest on the list other than a major.”

Kuchar shot a bogey-free 65 to put himself in position for his third victory of the wraparound PGA season. He has been par or better in all 19 rounds this season, winning the Mayakoba Classic and Sony Open.

Justin Thomas, who started one behind Fowler, shot 65 and was five back of his friend and desert roommate.

Branden Grace and Byeong Hun An were at 13 under on a day golf said goodbye to one of its most distinctive voices.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., shot an even-par 71 to finish the round in a tie for 26th at 7 under.

Saturday’s third round was the broadcasting finale of NBC lead golf analyst Johnny Miller’s career.

Miller followed a Hall of Fame playing career with three decades of calling it the way he saw it, regardless of what the players thought of him. Wanting to spend more time with his family, the 71-year-old Miller decided to call it quits after the Phoenix Open, where he won twice to help earn the nickname “Desert Fox.”

NBC played multiple tributes to Miller during Saturday’s coverage and on-course announcer Roger Maltbie’s voice cracked as he talked about his friend.

“I appreciate the people out there. I do my commentating for you,” Miller said. “I’m glad you accepted my form of commentating, which was not normal. It was a little rough at first, but it’s just been a pleasure, the friendships I’ve made.”

Fowler had the 54-hole lead at last year and fell flat in the final round, shooting 73 to finish six shots behind champion Gary Woodland. He also lost in a playoff in 2016.

Fowler put himself in position for a third run at the title with a superb round of golf.

He had a one-shot lead over Thomas after closing with four birdies for a 6-under 65 in Friday’s second round. Fowler made an eight-foot birdie putt on 18 to reach 13 under and quickly added to it on Saturday, dropping in an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-4 first hole.

Fowler, who shot 64 in the opening round, added birdies on Nos. 3, 5 and 6 to reach 17 under, but had a par putt lip out after he hit into the greenside bunker at the par-3 seventh. He hit his approach to two feet for birdie at No. 9, turning in 4-under 31, and followed a birdie at the difficult 11th with a two-putt birdie on No. 13.

Fowler reached 20 under with a birdie on the short par-4 17th for a nice cushion heading into what’s expected to be a rainy final round.

“I’ve done a good job of kind of everything this week,” he said. “Nothing’s standing out as super special, just playing solid golf and when I’ve gotten into trouble, being able to get up and down most of the time.”

Playing in the group ahead of Fowler, Thomas and Grace, Kuchar had three birdies for a 3-under 32 on the front nine and rolled in a nine-foot birdie putt on the 167-yard 12th hole. He two-putted for birdie on the par-5 13th and made a five-foot birdie on 15 to reach 16 under.

Kuchar missed a good opportunity on No. 17, sliding a six-foot birdie putt past the hole, but finished with a nice save from the greenside bunker on No. 18.

“It would be amazing to get three wins this early,” Kuchar said. “It had been a number of years since I found the winner’s circle, so to have gotten two in this year has been amazing.”

It may take an amazing round of golf to catch Fowler.

Ben Silverman didn’t have to look up his pairings for the fourth round of the Farmers Insurance Open last Sunday. His phone began vibrating as soon as they were announced.

Silverman was paired with golfing great Tiger Woods for the final round of the PGA Tour event in a trio with Scott Stallings. Silverman, from Thornhill, Ont., was inundated with texts from friends and family thrilled that he would be playing alongside the legendary Woods for the first time in his career.

“I had about 20 or 30 messages within about two hours of the tee times being released,” said Silverman. “Everybody already knew. My wife gets the text messages directly from the PGA Tour so she knew right away.”

There are pros and cons to playing a round of golf with Woods. It was exciting to watch the 14-time major winner up close, but the massive gallery that trails Woods from hole to hole can be a distraction.

Silverman shot a 3-over 75 on Sunday to finish the tournament tied for 62nd at 2 under. Woods (67) moved 28 spots up the leaderboard in the final round to tie for 20th at 10 under and Stallings (72) tied for 43rd at 5 under. Justin Rose won the event by two strokes, firing a 21-under par overall.

The key thing Silverman took away from the experience was the way Woods exudes confidence.

“He expects to hit a good shot every time, he expects to have a chance to make birdie, and he expects to make the putt,” said Silverman. “That attitude, the way he’s approaching everything, he doesn’t care whether he’s on the easiest hole of the course or the hardest hole of the course.

“That changed my perspective a little bit because he’s trying to win every single shot he’s playing. I thought it was pretty cool to see and witness first hand and that’s the kind of attitude that helps you win 80 golf tournaments.”

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., played with Woods in Saturday’s third round. It was Hughes’s second time playing with Woods, as they had been paired with each other for the 2018 Players Championship.

That previous experience helped Hughes feel more comfortable playing alongside Woods, but he agrees with Silverman that there’s nothing quite like it.

“You definitely can feel that energy and that confidence,” said Hughes, who finished the Farmers Insurance Open tied for 29th at 8 under. “He carries himself like a guy who’s won a lot and knows how to do it.

“You just feel like you’re in the middle of an arena, like there’s only you two out there. It’s the wildest thing ever. You feel like you’re in a tournament within a tournament.”

Tiger Woods & Mackenzie Hughes (Getty Images)

An unexpected perk for Silverman was the handful of security guards that keep a watchful eye over Woods. Although protecting Woods was their duty, they would also help clear out crowds if Stallings’ or Silverman’s shots went off line. At one point Silverman needed a bathroom break and the security detail was right there to guide him through the massive crowd.

As beneficial as that personal entourage was, it’s Woods’s strong psychology that’s going to stick with Silverman.

“I think I’m just going to remember those mental lessons I took away from playing with Tiger and take that attitude into the tournament,” said Silverman. “I played the Monday qualifier for the Phoenix Open with that attitude and it was definitely a much different way to approach shots and the course and I liked it a lot.”

Silverman did not quality for the Waste Management Phoenix Open and will next play at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California.

Hughes will be joined at the event in Phoenix by fellow Canadians David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., Blair Hamilton of Burlington, Ont., as well as Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C.

“If I can just drive it a little bit better, I mean I’m driving it pretty well, but if I can find just a few more fairways, that’s going to add up better scores,” said Hughes. “I’m feeling good about my prep and how my game is progressing. It should be a pretty good week, I like the course a lot.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Two Canadians have secured spots in this week’s PGA Tour stop through qualifying.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Blair Hamilton of Burlington, Ont., survived a four-man playoff for the final three spots in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Hamilton, Hearn and Americans Max Homa and Nick Hardy all shot seven-under 65 in the Monday qualifier before returning to the course Tuesday morning for the playoff. Hardy was eliminated on the first hole of the playoff.

Hearn and Hamilton join Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., in the tournament, which starts Thursday.

While Hearn has partial status on the PGA Tour, the 25-year-old Hamilton never has been a member of golf’s top circuit. He split time last year between Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour Latinoamerica.

Hearn and Hamilton have qualified for the @WMPhoenixOpen ????

They join fellow Canadians Mackenzie Hughes, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin in the field ??

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) January 29, 2019

SAN DIEGO – Justin Rose missed a short birdie putt that felt like another bogey. His three-shot lead was down to one through six holes of the Farmers Insurance Open, and the biggest battle was trying not to panic.

That’s when he scratched a line on his scorecard after six holes, wanting to start his round from that moment forward.

And he gave himself a pep talk.

“You’re No. 1 for a reason. Just start playing like it, please,” he said.

And he did.

Rose followed with a perfect wedge to a right pin that led to birdie, the first of five birdies the rest of the way for a 3-under 69 and a two-shot victory Sunday over Adam Scott at Torrey Pines. It was his 10th straight year with a victory worldwide, including his gold medal from the 2016 Olympics, and his 10th career PGA Tour victory gave him the most of any player from England, breaking a tie with Nick Faldo.

Rose finished at 21-under 267, the lowest 72-hole score at this event in 20 years, and the warm, windless weather had a role in that.

“Twenty-one under around Torrey Pines is great golf,” Rose said. “But you had to do it. It felt like I had to work hard for his.”

Scott left him little choice. After not making a birdie until the ninth hole – and missing a 20-inch par putt on No. 5 – Scott closed with four straight birdies and kept the outcome in doubt until Rose hit wedge to 3 feet on the 18th hole for his last birdie.

“I just didn’t have the game on the front nine, and it’s a shame because Justin was a little shaky early with some bogeys,” Scott said. “By the time I got it sorted out, it was a bit too late.”

Rose became the first player to post all four rounds in the 60s since Peter Jacobsen in 1995, back when the North and South courses were 700 yards shorter. Weather aside, this was an exquisite performance, especially with his three penalty shots on Saturday, and opening the final round with three bogeys in five holes.

Hideki Matsuyama closed with a 67 and tied for third with Talor Gooch, who shot 68. Gooch, who finished fourth last week in the Desert Classic to get into this event, earned a spot in next week’s Phoenix Open. He is playing this year on conditional status.

Jon Rahm was never a factor after pulling within one shot with that birdie on No. 6, which turned out to be the only one he made all round. He shot 72 and tied for fifth with Rory McIlroy (69) and defending champion Jason Day (67).

Tiger Woods had to settle for his own version of winning. Starting the final round 13 shots behind, Woods wanted to get into double figures. He birdied his last two holes for a 31 on the front nine to shoot 67 and finish at 10-under 278. He tied for 20th in his 2019 debut.

“Got to have these little goals when I’m not in contention to win a tournament,” Woods said. “Still something positive to end the week on.”

Mackenzie Hughes (70) of Dundas, Ont., was the top Canadian, finishing in a tie for 29th. Adam Svensson (75) of Surrey, B.C., dropped down the leaderboard Sunday, closing in a tie for 35th. While Nick Taylor (72) of Abbotsford, B.C., and Ben Silverman (75) of Thornhill, Ont., ended up in ties for 43rd and 62nd, respectively.

The timing was ideal for Rose, who takes pride in winning every year. The last time he won in January was in South Africa in 2002, the first of his 22 victories worldwide. But it goes beyond that.

Rose dedicated the victory to his caddie, Mark Fulcher, who had a heart procedure last week and was watching from home. Rose used Gareth Lord, who previously caddied for Henrik Stenson and knows Rose well from Ryder Cup partnerships.

“Probably harder than the heart surgery itself, watching this weekend,” Rose said. “This one’s for him.”

It also was his first victory since signing new equipment deal with Japanese-based Honma, leading Rose to switch out everything but the golf ball.

Even though Rose never lost the lead, and led by at least two the entire back nine, there were a few key moments.

He got up-and-down from delicate spots to save par on the 13th and 14th hole, and made an 8-foot par putt on No. 15 with Scott in tight for birdie, keeping the lead at three shots. On the par-3 16th, Rose holed a 30-foot birdie putt, right before Scott followed him in for birdie from 20 feet. And then Scott closed the gap to two shots with an approach inside a foot on the 17th, giving him a chance on the 18th.

The Australian missed his tee shot on the par-5 18th into a bunker and had to lay up, and Rose effectively ended it with his wedge to 3 feet. Scott also made birdie, a great finish that barely allowed him to make up any ground. His 269 was the same score Woods had in 2008 when he won at Torrey Pines by eight shots. Only four other scores have been lower since this event moved to Torrey in 1968, all of them before it was beefed up ahead of the U.S. Open.

“He’s the No. 1 player in the world, and he’s showing why,” Scott said.