Starting with the opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open, leading live-streaming sports service DAZN Canada will carry live coverage of more than 30 PGA TOUR events on its expanding platform.

The one-year deal gives DAZN the rights to broadcast PGA TOUR LIVE’s early round coverage of the opening two rounds of each tournament, covering the two most compelling featured groups on the golf course. After the morning rounds are complete, coverage will switch to ‘Featured Holes’ coverage. DAZN distribution begins January 25 with the return of Tiger Woods at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course. This year’s event boasts a strong field which includes: defending champion Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed, Jason Day, Xander Schauffele, Phil Mickelson, Charley Hoffman and Canadian Adam Hadwin.

“Our sports menu in Canada continues to grow and we are excited to be offering Canadian golf fans access to some of the best golf competitions of the year,” said Alex Rice, Managing Director for Rights and Strategic Development, at DAZN. “We made a commitment to keep adding more sports in the Canadian market and we are proud to be delivering on that promise today with some top-notch PGA TOUR golf action.”

Woods’ comeback live on DAZN will take place at the course where he last won a major tournament — the 2008 U.S. Open — and where he also won the Farmers Insurance Open in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2013.

“With the ongoing evolution of PGA TOUR LIVE, we continue to look at innovative ways to spotlight and promote our players to fans in core golf markets like Canada,” said Rick Anderson, PGA TOUR Chief Media Officer. “We’re excited to partner with DAZN Canada to provide access to golf fans on their preferred platforms and in the new ways they are consuming content.”

The new partnership between DAZN and the PGA TOUR will result in hundreds of hours of live coverage from 30 PGA TOUR events streamed on the DAZN Canada platform all year long, including the RBC Canadian Open in July.

Golf fans now have a choice of subscribing directly to DAZN Canada for a monthly fee of $20/month or $150/year with one month free for new customers which includes access to PGA TOUR LIVE, all NFL games, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, FIBA Basketball among other sports properties. Canadian residents can register at www.dazn.com. Alternatively, Canadians can subscribe directly to PGA TOUR LIVE for $5.99 per month or $39.99 per year.

LA QUINTA, Calif. — Jon Rahm headed over the hill to San Diego for his Torrey Pines title defence with a playoff victory in the CareerBuilder Challenge and the No. 2 spot in the world ranking.

The Spaniard is way ahead of where he even dreamed he would be this early in his career.

“To think of being No. 2 in the world, it’s hard to believe,” Rahm said. “You dream of doing those things, you want to do them, you believe in yourself, but to get to where only Seve (Ballesteros), Ollie (Jose Maria Olazabal) and Sergio (Garcia) have gotten, coming out of Spain. And now me, at the age of 23, it’s beyond belief.”

In fading light Sunday on the Stadium Course at PGA West, Rahm finished off Andrew Landry with a 12-foot birdie putt on the fourth hole of a playoff for his second PGA Tour title and fourth worldwide victory in a year.

Rahm jumped past Jordan Spieth in the ranking, leaving only Dustin Johnson ahead. Rahm was second behind Johnson two weeks ago at Kapalua in his first start since winning the European Tour’s season-ending event in Dubai in November.

“So far, I’ve only lost against Superman this year,” Rahm said.

Rahm closed with a 5-under 67 after opening with a career-best 62 at La Quinta Country Club, shooting 67 on Friday on the Nicklaus Tournament Course and 70 on Saturday at the Stadium.

Adam Hadwin (68) of Abbotsford, B.C., tied for third at 20 under to mark his third-straight top-10 finish at the CareerBuilder Challenge. A year ago in La Quinta, Hadwin became the eighth player in PGA TOUR history to shoot a 59—going on to finish with sole possession of 2nd in 2017. In 2016, Hadwin finished with a share of 6th.

Landry, playing a group behind Rahm in the final threesome, forced the playoff with an 11-foot birdie putt on the water-guarded 18th for a 68. They finished at 22-under 266.

After Rahm made the putt on the fourth playoff hole, Landry missed an 11-footer.

“This was a weird pin location,” Landry said. “I felt like it was hard for those balls to break and I read it perfectly the first time and the next two times we had the exact same yardage, exact same putt right there, so just hit it a little too firm and tried to take some of the break out and it actually just kind of stayed high.”

Rahm wanted to putt first.

“I felt something in me,” Rahm said. “I saw the break, I knew it was outside the left edge, I just trusted myself, trusted my stroke and hit a perfect — actually a little bit below perfect speed and caught the lip and went in.”

If Landry had holed the putt, they likely would have had to finish Monday.

“I’m sure glad Andrew didn’t make the last putt, because I didn’t want to come back tomorrow,” Rahm said. “But again, you got to give props and congrats to Andrew. To birdie 18 out of the rough, having to birdie to tie and go in a playoff.”

Rahm and Landry each missed chances to win on the first two extra trips down 18. Rahm’s 9-foot birdie try slid left on the first, and Landry’s 8-footer went by to the right on the second. They missed long birdie tries on the third extra hole, the par-4 10th.

“Tournaments like this build character,” Rahm said. “I’m just proud of myself to hit what’s probably my least favourite club, which is the 3-wood, three times in a row dead centre on my line on 18 — four times if you include the regular play.”

After making an eagle and 11 birdies on the par 5s the first three days, Rahm settled for four pars in the final round, with the Pete Dye-designed layout playing tougher with many pin positions on the edges of greens.

After opening the @CBGolfChallenge with a 10-under 62, @JonRahmPGA clinched the title on the fourth sudden-death playoff hole.

Roll the tape on every broadcasted shot from his final round. ? pic.twitter.com/BttcdjFnQS

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 22, 2018

“It’s been a fighting day,” Rahm said. “I’ve been a ball-striking clinic most of the week and in the playoff I was just not making the putts. I just got fortunate that none of us really made any and I was able to make the one that mattered. But then again, it was really supreme ball-striking on my part today. Especially, on the back nine, I hit the ball as good as I can.”

The former Arizona State player loves California, but has a good reason to stay in the Phoenix area.

“Taxes, to be honest,” Rahm said. “I love Phoenix, but San Diego is probably my favourite spot in the world.”

The 30-year-old Landry had his best career PGA Tour finish and third top-three finish of the season.

“I’ve been playing well all year, had a great season last year and I’m rolling it over right into this, into the fall and now starting the year out,” Landry said. “Second-place finish, we’ll take it and move on next week to Torrey Pines.”

LA QUINTA, Calif. — Austin Cook hit a hybrid into the fairway bunker on the par-4 18th on a breezy Saturday afternoon at La Quinta Country Club, then chunked a wedge and raced a chip 20 feet past the hole.

Kip Henley, the longtime PGA Tour caddie who guided Cook to a breakthrough victory at Sea Island in November, stepped in to give the 26-year-old former Arkansas star a quick pep talk.

“Kip said, ‘Let’s finish this like we did on the first day at the Nicklaus Course.’ We made a big par putt on 18 there and he said, ‘Let’s just do the same thing. Let’s get this line right and if you get the line right it’s going in.”’

It did , giving Cook an 8-under 64 and a one-stroke lead in the CareerBuilder Challenge going into the final round on the Stadium Course at PGA West. Fellow former Razorback Andrew Landry and Martin Piller were tied for second, and Jon Rahm and Scott Piercy were a another stroke back after a tricky day in wind that didn’t get close to the predicted gusts of 40 mph.

“I know that I wouldn’t have wanted to play the Stadium today,” Cook said. “I think we got a great draw with the courses that we got to play on the days that we got to play them.”

Cook played the final six holes on the front nine in 6 under with an eagle and four birdies.

“Starting on my fourth hole, I was able to make a birdie and kind of get the ball rolling and it never really stopped rolling,” Cook said. “Kip and I were doing really good at seeing the line on the greens.”

After a bogey on 10, he birdied 11, 12 and 15 and parred the final three to get to 19-under 197.

“I think that tonight the nerves, the butterflies, all that will kind of be a little less,” Cook said. “I’ve been in the situation before and I was able to finish the job on Sunday. I think it would be a little different if I didn’t play like I did on Sunday at Sea Island.”

He’s making his first start in the event.

“I came in from Hawaii on Monday, so I only had two days to prepare for three courses,” Cook said.

Landry, the second-round leader, had a 70 at the Stadium. Piller, the husband of LPGA Tour player Gerina Piller, shot a 67 at La Quinta. Winless on the PGA Tour, they will join Cook in the final threesome.

“Piller’s a good guy and we have played a lot together and same with Cookie,” said Landry, the only player without a bogey after 54 holes. “Hope the Hogs are going to come out on top.”

Rahm had a 70 at the Stadium to reach 17 under. The third-ranked Rahm beat up the par 5s again, but had four bogeys — three on par 3s. He has played the 12 par 5s in 13 under with an eagle and 11 birdies.

“A little bit of a survival day,” Rahm said.

The wind was more of a factor on the more exposed and tighter Stadium Course.

“The course is firming up,” Rahm said. “I know if we have similar wind to today, if we shoot something under par, you’ll be way up there contesting it over the last few holes.”

Piercy had a 66 at the Stadium.

“I controlled my ball really well today,” he said.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., had a 67 at La Quinta a year after shooting a third-round 59 on the course. The Canadian was 16 under along with Grayson Murray and Brandon Harkins. Murray had a 67 on the Nicklaus Course, and Harkins shot 68 at the Stadium.

Phil Mickelson missed the cut in his first tournament of the year for the second time in his career, shooting a 74 on the Stadium to finish at 4 under — four strokes from a Sunday tee time. The 47-year-old Hall of Famer was playing for the first time since late October. He also missed the cut in the Phoenix Open in his 2009 opener.

Charlie Reiter, the Palm Desert High School senior playing on the first sponsor exemption the event has given to an amateur, also missed the cut. He had three early straight double bogeys in a 77 on the Stadium that left him 1 over.

John Daly had an 80 at La Quinta. He opened with a triple bogey and had six bogeys — four in a row to start his second nine — and only one birdie. The 51-year-old Daly opened with a 69 on the Nicklaus layout and had a 71 on Friday at the Stadium.

LA QUINTA, Calif. — CareerBuilder Challenge leader Andrew Landry was quick to point out the windy forecast.

After two perfect days for scoring, wind at 15-20 mph with gusts to 30 mph was expected Saturday with the temperature only reaching the mid-60s after coming close to 80 on Friday.

And Landry and five others in the top nine were headed up the hill to PGA West’s once-feared, Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course for the weekend.

“It’s going to be a tough day,” Landry said. “I know that golf course can get a little mean. Especially, those last three or four holes coming down the stretch.”

In calm conditions Friday, Landry shot a 7-under 65 on PGA West’s Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course to reach 16 under. He opened with a 63 on Thursday at La Quinta Country Club.

“It’s like a dome out here,” Landry said.

Jon Rahm, the first-round leader after a 62 at La Quinta, was a stroke back. He had two early bogeys in a 67 on the Nicklaus layout.

“It’s tough to come back because I feel like I expected myself to go to the range and keep just flushing everything like I did yesterday,” Rahm said. “Everything was just a little bit off.”

Jason Kokrak was 14 under after a 67 at Nicklaus. Two-time major champion Zach Johnson was 13 under along with Michael Kim and Martin Piller. Johnson and Kim shot 64 at Nicklaus, and Piller had a 67 on the Stadium Course.

Adam Hadwin (67) of Abbotsford, B.C., was the low Canadian and is five strokes back at 11 under. Corey Conners (68) of Listowel, Ont., is 8 under, Ben Silverman (71) of Thornhill, Ont., is 6 under, Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor (71) is 5 under, Mac Hughes (70) of Dundas, Ont., is 4 under, David Hearn (73) of Brantford, Ont., is even and Mike Weir (75) of Bright’s Grove, Ont., is 5 over.

Rahm likened the Stadium to alma mater Arizona State’s Dye-designed Karsten course.

“Very, very similar type of golf,” Rahm said. “You need to hit it a lot more accurate off the tee because being in the fairway is a lot more important. With the small greens — and you have water in play — you need to be more precise. Clearly the hardest golf course.”

Landry had five birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine. After winning his second Web.com Tour title last year, the 30-year-old former Arkansas player had two top-10 finishes in October and November at the start the PGA Tour season.

“We’re in a good spot right now,” Landry said. “I played two good rounds of golf, bogey-free both times, and it’s just nice to be able to hit a lot of good quality shots and get rewarded when you’re making good putts.”

Rahm had four birdies and the two bogeys on his first six holes. He short-sided himself in the left bunker on the par-3 12th for his first bogey of the week and three-putted the par-4 14th — pulling a 3-footer and loudly asking “What?” — to drop another stroke.

“A couple of those bad swings cost me,” Rahm said.

The top-ranked player in the field at No. 3 in the world, Rahm made his first par of the day on the par-4 16th and followed with five more before birdieing the par-5 fourth. The 23-year-old Spaniard also birdied the par-5 seventh and par-3 eighth.

“I had close birdie putts over the last four holes and made two of them, so I think that kind of clicked,” said Rahm, set to defend his title next week at Torrey Pines.

He has played the par 5s in 9 under with an eagle and seven birdies.

Johnson has taken a relaxed approach to the week, cutting his practice to two nine-hole rounds on the Stadium Course.

“I’m not saying that’s why I’m playing well, but I took it really chill and the golf courses haven’t changed,” Johnson said. “La Quinta’s still really pure, right out in front of you, as is the Nicklaus.”

Playing partner Phil Mickelson followed his opening 70 at La Quinta with a 68 at Nicklaus to get to 6 under. The 47-year-old Hall of Famer is playing his first tournament of since late October.

“The scores obviously aren’t what I want, but it’s pretty close and I feel good about my game,” Mickelson said. “I feel like this is a great place to start the year and build a foundation for my game. It’s easy to identify the strengths and weaknesses. My iron play has been poor relative to the standards that I have. My driving has been above average.”

Charlie Reiter, the Palm Desert High School senior playing on a sponsor exemption, had a 70 at Nicklaus to match Mickelson at 6 under. The Southern California recruit is playing his first PGA Tour event. He tied for 65th in the Australian Open in November in his first start in a professional tournament.

LA QUINTA, Calif. — Jon Rahm’s soaring 5-iron settled 5 feet away to set up an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole at La Quinta Country Club.

“It’s quite simple, honestly,” Rahm said. “Beyond perfect drive, perfect second shot, perfect putt.”

Two hours later Thursday in the first round of the CareerBuilder Challenge, young Charlie Reiter matched his new friend’s eagle with a low hook around a tree to a foot.

“It was a little down in the rough,” said Reiter, the Palm Desert High School senior who recently played with Rahm at nearby Big Horn. “I just closed the face and trusted my swing and it worked out perfectly.”

Rahm also had eight birdies in his bogey-free round for a 10-under 62 and a one-stroke lead. The 23-year-old Spaniard — the top-ranked player in the field at No. 3 in the world — played the first seven holes in 6 under on a sunny morning so comfortable he shed his light sweater halfway through his warmup on the driving range.

“You’re not going to make every single putt. You’re not going to hit every single shot perfect,” Rahm said. “I do feel like I could have made a couple more putts, just because I had so many that were makeable. But there’s a couple birdie putts, like the one on 14, that, if I’m being quite honest, I did not hit the line I wanted and it still went in dead centre.”

Rahm had the lowest score in his PGA Tour career, topping a 64 two years ago at Congressional in his first round as a professional. At 10 under, the former Arizona State player bested his four-day total of 9 under last year in the CareerBuilder when he tied for 34th in his first start in the event.

“This type of golf is something I love,” Rahm said. “La Quinta is really, really similar to Phoenix Country Club, which I played many times. I’ve also shot 10 under there, funny enough, and it’s just really familiar to what I’m used to playing. Four years of college on these golf courses, it’s something you’re not going to forget.”

Rahm was second two weeks ago at Kapalua in his first start since winning the European Tour’s season-ending event in Dubai in November. He’s the defending champion next week at Torrey Pines, and also won last year in Ireland.

“I feel super-rested and really in peace with my game and I think it shows,” Rahm said. “Kapalua wasn’t the best ball-striking week of my life, but I was able to scramble really well and keep calm and have a good score. Today, it was a complete opposite. I had one of the best ball-striking days of my life and just had it going.”

Canadian Adam Hadwin revisits the site where he recorded a 59 last season, becoming the ninth player in PGA TOUR history to card a sub-60 round. The Abbotsford, B.C., native picked up right where he left off with an opening 6-under 66 to lead the seven Canadians in the field. Rookie Ben Silverman (Thornhill, Ont.) trails Hadwin by one stroke in a tie for 23rd.

Reiter, 18, finished with a 68 after a shaky start to his PGA Tour debut.

“We went over to the Mountains Course because I can’t hit driver here because the range is too short,” Reiter said. “I hit a couple drives and my legs were like wobbly and I was like getting light-headed and I said, ‘I think I’m going to throw up.’ And then I got to the course and I kind of settled down.”

The University of Southern California recruit is the first amateur to receive a sponsor exemption in tournament history. He tied for 65th in the Australian Open in November in his first pro event.

“It was a little different playing with everybody I know watching me,” Reiter said.

Austin Cook, Jason Kokrak and Andrew Landry were a stroke behind Rahm at 63. Cook closed with a 15-foot par save on PGA West’s Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course. Kokrak and Landry opened at La Quinta.

Beau Hossler, Aaron Wise, Brandon Harkins and Martin Piller were at 64. Hossler, Wise and Harkins played La Quinta, and Piller was on the Nicklaus layout. Nick Watney and Grayson Murray shot 65 to top the players at PGA West’s Stadium Course, the once-feared layout that will be the site of the final round.

Phil Mickelson had a 70 at La Quinta in his first tournament round since late October.

“It was fun to get back out and be competitive,” Mickelson said. “For some reason, I’m stuck on 70 here at La Quinta. Whether I get off to a good start or a bad one, I end up shooting the same score.”

The 47-year-old Hall of Famer was 4 under after six holes, and then had one birdie and three bogeys — the first on the par-4 eighth after driving out-of-bounds to the right — on the final 12.

“With the exception of one tee shot, I drove it pretty well today and putted OK,” Mickelson said.

After spending the last year playing golf in such places as Italy, Morocco, Fiji, Australia, and South Africa, Canadian Mike Weir returns to the PGA TOUR this week for the first time since last year’s RBC Canadian Open.

Weir, of Brights Grove, Ont., is a past champion at the CareerBuilder Challenge in La Quinta, Calif. He’s in the field on a sponsor exemption alongside six other Canadians including Adam Hadwin of Moose Jaw, Sask., who finished second in 2017.

Weir, the ’03 Masters champion, has been relying on special invitations to earn starts on the European Tour and PGA TOUR of Australasia since he has very limited status on the PGA TOUR. His tie for 15th at the Australian PGA Championship in November was his best result since a tie for 21st at the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur in 2014.

Since then, Weir has missed 25 cuts and withdrawn five times on the PGA TOUR. Despite setbacks and injuries, the 47-year-old shows no signs of giving up.

“My game feels good,” Weir said during a telephone interview. “Since Australia, I had a month off.

“Last week was OK?I shook off a little rust. I was a little bit inconsistent, but a lot of good things. Overall I feel good, there’s a lot of power back in my swing again.”

Weir said he’s not doing anything differently to get stronger but is working on his flexibility. As he gets older Weir said keeping his back strong is key otherwise he’s working mostly on core strength and stability.

Weir admitted he’s battling a knee injury after “landing funny” while walking a course in South Africa early last week. He’ll get an MRI on his right knee at the end of this week but his doctor said he wouldn’t do any further damage if he played.

“It’s definitely uncomfortable,” he said. “Bit of a bummer but hopefully it’s nothing serious.”

Weir captured the ’03 CareerBuilder Challenge as part of a three-win season — including the Masters — en route to being named the Lou Marsh Award winner as Canada’s athlete of the year. He’s the last golfer to win the honour.

Although Weir doesn’t tee it up as often these days, he remains a beacon for golf in the country according to Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum.

“(Weir) continues to be such an example for Canadians from coast to coast with his work ethic and his commitment and his warrior mentality out on the golf course,” Applebaum said. “He’s in phenomenal shape and has a great balance in life going.

“I know that next chapter, which includes a really strong push on the PGA TOUR, is what he’s trying to write and Golf Canada is behind him through and through.”

Weir is hopeful to play the PGA TOUR’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February but hasn’t heard from tournament organizers yet.

Weir said he’d be interested in playing on the Web.com Tour — a PGA TOUR feeder — and is hopeful for some exemptions this spring leading into the Masters.

Weir hasn’t earned official money on the PGA TOUR since 2014. But he remains focused on earning a PGA TOUR card via the Web.com Tour by finishing in the top-25 on the money list — something Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., did last year.

The Web.com Tour has a special category for longtime PGA TOUR members who are 48-to-49. Weir will take advantage of some of those spots after he turns 48 on May 12.

“When I turn 48 in May I’ll have pretty much unlimited access to the Web.com Tour but I’d like to play some events before May comes along,” he said. “Not only for prep for Augusta (National), but if I end up focusing on the Web.com Tour come May, I don’t want to be too far behind when that date comes along to try to secure a spot in the top-25.”

Weir said he’s committed to regaining some status on the PGA TOUR one more time before he begins playing on the PGA TOUR Champions, the circuit for golfers aged 50 and over.

“I love the game, I love to compete, I love to see what I can do,” he said. “I love to experiment and try to get better and overcome obstacles.

“That’s what golf is about.”

HONOLULU – Patton Kizzire figured he was in for a long day when his putting stroke wasn’t up to his standards.

He just wasn’t expecting the Sony Open to go this long.

The longest playoff in more than five years on the PGA Tour finally ended Sunday when Kizzire two-putted for par from just off the green on the par-3 17th hole, and James Hahn’s 8-foot putt to keep it going caught the right edge of the lip and spun away.

“It wasn’t pretty,” Kizzire said. “I was able to get it done.”

Kizzire, who closed with a 2-under 68, became the first multiple winner on the PGA Tour this season. He went head-to-head with Rickie Fowler and beat him by one shot in the OHL Classic in Mexico last fall for his first PGA Tour title. He was in a four-man battle on the back nine at Waialae that was whittled down to Kizzire and Hahn, who closed with a 62 to match him at 17-under 273.

And the fun was just getting started.

Kizzire had to watch three times as Hahn had a putt to win, two of those putts from 6 feet and 10 feet on the par-5 18th hole. Kizzire had two putts to win, though both of them were in the 30-foot range.

“That playoff was quite a marathon,” Kizzire said.

Canadian Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., — the lone Canadian to make the cut — finished in a tie for 39th place at 8 under.

Hahn has won both his PGA Tour title in playoffs, at Riviera and Quail Hollow. Closing with a 62 to even have a chance was no consolation.

“I played good enough to win, but I didn’t,” he said. “So for me, no matter how many birdies I make, if I’m not coming out of the room with the trophy, it really feels like I was defeated out there. I had a putt to win it. I’m going to be playing that over and over and over again.”

The six-hole playoff was the longest on the PGA Tour in just over five years, and given how the week transpired, it was only fitting.

Saturday brought panic to the islands with a push alert of a ballistic missile strike that turned out to be a false alarm.

There was a real strike on Sunday – the audio and video production workers for Golf Channel walked out over a labour dispute, leaving the network scrambling to provide at least limited coverage of an event that ended in prime time after the NFL playoff games were over.

Golf Channel managed enough cameras to provide coverage of the final three holes – one of their on-course reporters manned a camera on the 16th tower – and all six holes of the playoff.

It was worth the wait for Kizzire. His goal is to get to East Lake for the FedEx Cup finale, and he is well on his way with two victories so early in the season.

“One win doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot,” Kizzire said. “Two means a little more, and three is even better. I’m always looking for the next one. I’m super excited right now.”

Missing from the playoff was Tom Hoge, who did everything right in his bid to win for the first time on the PGA Tour except for one swing. He had a one-shot lead when he was between clubs on the 16th hole, and opted to hit a draw to the back-left pin. He turned it too much and it found the bunker. His next shot got hung up in the shaggy rough, he chipped that to 12 feet and missed to make double bogey to slip one shot behind.

Hoge gave himself two good chances with putts of about 7 feet. Both burned the edge. He shot 70 and had to settle for third place, his best finish on the PGA Tour.

“This sets me up a lot better for the rest of the year, and hopefully made the FedEx Cup playoffs,” said Hoge, a 28-year-old from North Dakota who hasn’t kept his full card his previous three years on tour. “More so just the confidence I had to play in the final group and play well today.”

Brian Harman, who played in the final group at both Hawaii events, was two shots behind after a tap-in birdie at No. 12. But he three-putted for bogey from long range on the 13th, took two shots to get out of the bunker left of the 16th green and had to settle for a 70. He tied for fourth.

Defending champion Justin Thomas closed with a 68 and tied for 14th. Jordan Spieth finished with eight straight pars for a 66 and tied for 18th, ending his streak of seven consecutive top 10s dating to the PGA Championship in August.

HONOLULU – Tom Hoge was too caught up watching college basketball in his hotel room to be bothered with a push alert – a false alarm, as it turned out – that a ballistic missile was headed toward Hawaii.

He showed a steady hand on the golf course, too, even as the leaderboard at the Sony Open became increasingly crowded.

Hoge finished off a 6-under 64 by holing a 40-foot birdie putt at the par-3 17th, and then hitting a 40-yard bunker shot to within 3 feet for a birdie on the par-5 closing hole at Waialae Country Club for a one-shot lead.

Hoge was at 16-under 194, one shot ahead of Brian Harman (68) and Patton Kizzire, who recovered from a double bogey on his opening hole and shot 64. Another shot behind was Kyle Stanley (65).

Corey Conners was the lone Canadian left in the field. The Listowel, Ont., native shot 3 under for a 7 under total.

Seven players were separated by four shots, a big difference from a year ago when Justin Thomas led by seven going into the final round of his wire-to-wire victory.

Hoge has never led going to the final round on the PGA Tour in his 75 previous starts. He has never won.

“A new position,” Hoge said. “It’s a good one, obviously. I’ve been close to the lead a few times in the fall, so a little bit to draw on there. Haven’t quite pulled it off yet. Just getting a little more belief in myself and hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day for me.”

It should be a day where everyone can breathe a little easier compared with how Saturday began.

Hawaii was buzzing – literally – when the push alert came through on mobile phones across the island shortly after 8 a.m. alerting of a missile. It said to seek shelter and that it was not a drill.

There was panic across the island. J.J. Spaun tweeted that he was in the basement of his hotel. John Peterson tweeted that he was in a bathtub with his family covered by mattresses.

Hoge?

“I was watching the TCU basketball game at the time, so I was a little frustrated with that,” he said of his alma mater ultimately losing to Oklahoma. “The missile was kind of off my radar on that one. I don’t even know what you do for a missile. So I wasn’t really freaking out or anything. Some other people were around us. If it’s going to be your last day, it’s going to be your last day, right?

“To be here in Hawaii and see the beach and everything, I guess it would be a good spot to go.”

Hoge once shared the 36-hole lead with Tiger Woods at the Wyndham Championship, the last tournament Woods played before two back surgeries in the fall of 2015. This time he starts out the final round as the leader.

With so many players right in the mix, no one is sure what to expect in the final round.

“There’s a lot of birdies out there,” Kizzire said. “You just have to make the most.”

Thomas had a wild start – bogey on No. 1, holing out from 175 yards for eagle on No. 2, another bogey on No. 3. He settled down for a 66 and was six shots back, with other eight players ahead of him.

“You can go shoot 8 or 9 under in a heartbeat out here,” Thomas said. “It’s hard if you’re five back and you’re in 15th or 20th as opposed to five back and you’re in sixth or seventh. We’ll just wait and see.”

Hoge figured out how to handle Waialae on another warm, sunny and missile-free day. He was bogey-free, picking up birdies with good tee shots on some of the shorter holes, knocking in the long putt on the 17th and finishing with a birdie.

Five players had at least a share of the lead at some point, and Harman was never too far from the mix. It was a steady performance, just not as low as the players chasing him, and he failed to hit his bunker shot close on the 18th, two-putting from 25 feet for par.

Even so, he’ll be in the last group in Hawaii for the second straight week, and Kapalua winner Dustin Johnson already is on his way to Abu Dhabi.

Jordan Spieth never got much going again and headed to the putting green after his round for more work. He only made four birdies in his bogey-free round of 66, but that left him nine shots behind.

For most players, the talk of the day was the push alert that turned out to be a mistake.

“It was pretty scary at the hotel when they came over the loud speaker and said, ‘Everyone take shelter, this isn’t a drill,”’ Spieth said.

HONOLULU – Different islands, vastly different golf courses, same good play from Brian Harman.

One week after Harman shared the 36-hole lead at Kapalua, he ran off three straight birdies and closed with a 15-foot eagle putt for a 7-under 63 and a three-shot lead going into the weekend at the Sony Open.

Harman was at 13-under 127, and no one could catch him on Friday afternoon.

Chris Kirk, who shared the 18-hole lead with Harman, opened by pitching in from 25 yards for eagle on No. 10. He ended his day by driving into the canal on the easy par-5 ninth and making bogey for a 67.

Kirk was three behind along with Zach Johnson (67), John Peterson (64), Tom Hoge (65) and PGA Tour rookie Talor Gooch.

Except for the tropical warmth, the two golf courses on the Hawaii swing are nothing alike. The Plantation Course at Kapalua was built on the side of the mountain on the west tip of Maui and features fairways that can stretch nearly 90 yards wide and big slopes in the greens.

Waialae is at sea level – waist-high hedges along the 16th and 17th holes and behind the 11th green are all that separate grass from the beach – with smaller, flatter greens and fairways framed by trees.

“The biggest elevation change here is from the walk down from the hotel,” Harman said. “I’ve always kind of felt like as long as there’s fairways and greens and holes to putt it, then I’m going to be fine.”

The Georgia native is playing just as well on Oahu as he did on Maui.

He surged ahead in the morning with two quick birdies on the back nine, made the turn in 32 and ran off three straight birdies early on the front nine. After making his only bogey from a bunker on the par-3 seventh, Harman hit 7-iron from 172 yards to 15 feet on No. 9 for a closing eagle.

It’s all just golf to him.

“I’m making putts, but I’m also putting myself in position to make those putts,” he said. “I’m getting a bunch of looks. I’m not making everything I’m looking at, but I’m hitting a lot of good putts and made a few. I’m just going to show up tomorrow and try to hit the first tee shot best you can and go from there.”

On another glorious day of sunshine and good scoring conditions, Johnson had a nine-hole stretch of eight pars and a bogey until a strong finish. He birdied the par-3 seventh and closed with an eagle to salvage a 67.

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., is the only Canadian to make the cut. He shot a 66 to follow up a first-round 70 and sits 4 under. Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., and Mac Hughes of Dundas, Ont. both finished even through 36 holes to miss.

Defending champion Justin Thomas was closer to the cut line than the lead until he made a trio of 8-foot putts – two for birdies, one for eagle – to close out a 67. He was seven shots behind.

Jordan Spieth made the longest putt of his PGA Tour career – just over 90 feet on No. 5 – but didn’t give himself many good looks. Spieth birdied the last hole for a 68 and was 10 shots behind.

“I didn’t think I had enough club,” Spieth said of his long putt. “I considered hitting a lob wedge because I had something like 30 yards to the hole into the breeze.”

The putt looked good all the way, though it had some pace. There was some debate among his two playing partners, Xander Schauffele and Daniel Berger, along with caddie Michael Greller on what would have happened had the ball not slammed into the back of the cup.

“Xander said it was 4 or 5 feet by. Michael said 6,” Spieth said. “Berger said off the green.”

Schauffele birdied his last four holes and was among those at 8-under 132, five shots behind.

The cut was at 2-under 138.

Harman still looks back to a key tournament last year. He played the Zurich Classic, a two-man team event, with Johnson Wagner and used Wagner’s Titleist golf ball during the alternate-shot portion. Harman put one in his bag the following week at the Wells Fargo Championship and won.

The change wasn’t so much about distance as the way he was able to control the trajectory of the ball, especially in the wind.

“The wind doesn’t seem to take it as much,” he said. “That’s just a personal thing for me. I feel like I did when I was a kid again. I felt like I was a better ball-striker when I was a kid. … I’m starting to get some of those feelings back.”

Harman played in the final group last week and tied for third, though no one was about to catch Dustin Johnson.

Peterson is playing on a medical extension because of hand surgery, and he has eight tournaments to make $375,165 (or earn 274 FedEx Cup points) to keep a full card the rest of the year. He doesn’t sound overly worried, which is not to suggest he’s overconfident.

He has a 3-month-old son, one reason he decided to take the entire fall off before resuming his bid to keep his card.

“If my attitude is good, I’m going to play good,” he said. “I’ve never been in a better spot lifestyle-wise than I am right now, so that probably has a lot to do with it. I’ve got eight events to make $350,000. If I do, great. If I don’t, who cares? I’m just out here free-wheeling.”

HONOLULU – Zach Johnson and Chris Kirk each made seven birdies and shared the lead in the Sony Open.

Jordan Spieth made eight birdies and for the second straight year walked away from Waialae Country Club amazed that he could be six shots behind.

A year ago, it was because Justin Thomas shot 59 playing in the same group.

On Thursday, it was one hole.

Spieth hit four trees with four shots on the par-4 eighth hole – his 17th of the opening round – starting with a tough break when his tee shot caromed off the trunk of a tree and down an 8-foot deep ditch that left him no good options. He wound up with a quadruple-bogey 8 and had to settle for a 69.

He signed his card, signed autographs and declined requests to speak to the media.

Canadians Mac Hughes (Dundas, Ont.) and Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) opened with even-par rounds to hold shares of 78th place. Fellow countryman Ben Silverman (Thornhill, Ont.) carded a 1-over-par 71.

Johnson and Kirk kept clean cards playing on opposite sides of the draw and closed with different brands of birdies on the par-5 18th hole – Kirk two-putted from about 10 feet, while Johnson found a bunker, laid up and hit a wedge to 5 feet.

They were a shot ahead of Brian Harman, Vaughn Taylor, Kyle Stanley and PGA Tour rookie Talor Gooch.

Mac Hughes of Dundas, Ont., and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., shot 70’s and Ben Silverman of Thonrhill, Ont., was 1 over 71.

Thomas, who set the PGA Tour scoring record for 72 holes in his wire-to-wire victory, opened with a 67 and was all smiles at the end. Thomas, an Alabama alum, won a bet on the college football championship that required Georgia graduate Kevin Kisner to wear a Crimson Tide jersey on the par-3 17th.

“It’s definitely the best Kis has ever looked in a jersey,” Thomas said.

Kisner kept the jersey and plans to auction it off for charity. He shot 68.

More than half of the field – 77 players – broke par in the mild trade wind and relentless sunshine down the road from Waikiki Beach.

Kirk had only one top 10 last year – his final event of the year in the RSM Classic at Sea Island – and nearly two months off didn’t appear to half any momentum. He might have been rusty, but not when it comes to island life.

Because of the chilly weather in the South, Kirk brought his family out to Oahu a week ago Monday. He practiced a little in the morning at Ko Olina and hung out with his wife and children in the afternoon. He realized how littlegolf he had played during the short off-season when he reached into his bag and found golf balls that he had marked for the final round at Sea Island.

“I’ve probably been off long enough now that you never know what’s going to happen,” he said. “I really had no expectations whether I was going to play good or bad after having some time off. But this is a golf course that I’ve traditionally done pretty well on, and a place that I really love. So you always feel like it’s possible.”

He hit wedge to about 3 feet on the 15th and 16th, and that final birdie on the par-5 18th was a two-putt from 10 feet.

Dry weather, a fast course and the trades allowed a rarity for Johnson, who hit wedge into the green on the 480-yard opening hole. That was first of three straight birdies, and he had ample more opportunities, including a shot that hit the pin on No. 10 and settled 3 feet away. He missed that, though the two-time major champion wasn’t too discouraged. He picked up an unlikely birdie on the 13th from the fairway bunker by making a 25-foot putt, and he made a 20-foot birdie on the next hole.

“Just kept the course in front of me and played solid golf,” Johnson said, winless since the 2015 British Open at St. Andrews. “Made a few putts, missed a few putts. But I’m very encouraged with the direction.”

Spieth played well enough to be right there with them except for a pair of long three-putt bogeys – and that one tee shot.

His drive on No. 8 was not terribly offline, and the trees to the left are a common spot. This one hit the trunk of a tree and tumbled down a wide (and dry) ditch about 8 feet below the fairway. He studied his options. He found none.

He could have dropped it with a penalty stroke, but there was nowhere to go. His plan was to hit out of the sandy base of the ditch toward the trees closer to the fairway. If it hit the trees and dropped out, he would have been closer than the drop and at least had an opening to the putting surface.

It hit one of the smaller branches and came back toward him, about a yard short of go back down into the ditch. For his third shot, he had a gap toward the front of the green (the pin was back left), but out of a fluffy lie, the ball came out high and hit more trees, bouncing left and settle near another tree.

Next, he had to go under the tree in front of him and over a tree guarding the green. He only got the first part right.

At this point, he was lying 4 and was only a few yards away from the second tee, waiting for another group to tee off. His only choice there was to dump it into the bunker, where the sand was thin. He hit that out to 30 feet and two putts later had a snowman (8).