AUGUSTA, Ga. – Tommy Fleetwood is making his second appearance at the Masters, the first as a player.

Three years ago, Fleetwood came to the Masters as a spectator because he figured he would be in the field at Augusta National and it wouldn’t hurt to take in the entire experience of Masters week.

It just didn’t work out that way. The 26-year-old from England was No. 52 in the world deep into 2014 and signed up for the Dubai Open on the Asian Tour with hopes of cracking the top 50 in the world by the end of the year to get a Masters invitation. He missed the cut and finished the year at No. 51.

A wasted trip? Not really.

“I just wanted to see it,” he said. “I think whoever you speak to says it’s not just the golf course, but the surroundings, the club, everything takes a little bit of getting used to. Augusta, it’s in everybody’s mind and everybody’s dreams and it’s just that place that you know that you want to go to, so it’s a little bit surreal when you first go.”

If nothing else, he figured that trip in 2014 as a spectator would keep him from being in awe when he did make it as a player.

Wrong again.

“It doesn’t quite work like that. When you get to the golf course, it’s still the same feelings,” Fleetwood said. “It doesn’t disappoint when you arrive, and you drive down Magnolia Lane.”

As a spectator, his favourite spot was Amen Corner. It’s one of the busiest places at Augusta National, but Fleetwood was struck by how tranquil it seemed to be on the 12th green, and particularly the 13th tee tucked away in the corner. There was only one way to find out, and he took care of that by qualifying.

Fleetwood was on the cusp of the top 50 when he was runner-up in the Mexico Championship, moving him up to No. 35 in the world and securing that Masters invitation. And going over the bridge to the 12th green, then up to the 13th tee, lived up to his expectations.

“Those were the two places when I watched I couldn’t get to and I was desperate to get there,” he said. “That’s what I was most excited about.”

Rickie Fowler was listed in a magazine survey of players (who didn’t have to give their names) as the most overrated player on the PGA Tour two years ago. He responded by winning The Players Championship in a finish so compelling that he made birdie on the island-green 17th hole at the TPC Sawgrass three times on the final day (twice in a playoff).

The topic came up again on Monday whether he has met expectations thus far in his career. Fowler described it as “under.”

But that doesn’t mean he’s been disappointed. The Honda Classic was his seventh victory worldwide, and while he hasn’t won a major, Fowler played in the final group at three majors in 2014. He also felt good about where his game is headed this year.

“I’m ready for a fun ride coming in,” Fowler said. “Yeah, I would have liked to have won more. I would have liked to have been there in some more majors like I was. Hey, it’s tough out there, but I’m enjoying the ride.”

Fowler shot 80 in the first round at the Masters a year ago and missed the cut.

BEST LEFT UNSAID: Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth have been friends since they were 14. The play pranks on each other (Spieth nearly had Thomas’ car towed in Phoenix) and the needle is sharp.

No matter the friendship, some topics are off-limits.

Thomas was asked if he can needle Spieth about the 12th hole last year at the Masters, where Spieth put two in the water for a quadruple bogey that cost him a second straight green jacket.

“No, that’s not really cool,” Thomas said. “That’s all I have to say about that.”

MASTERS TRADITION: PGA champion Jimmy Walker has his own tradition at the Masters.

“I try to get an egg salad sandwich in me as quick as possible,” he said. “I’ve already had two, and I was requested to bring some home for dinner tonight.”

Egg salad, along with pimento cheese, are among the more popular sandwiches at Augusta National.

More than a sandwich, the entire week is one to savour, Walker said.

“It’s a week I always try to slow down and enjoy it,” he said, “because it’s so cool to be here.”

His Masters win 20 years ago would have marked the apex of just about every other golfer’s career. It’s worth remembering now that Tiger Woods was just getting started.

He’s vowed to attend the Champions Dinner, but the four-time Masters champion announced Friday night that he won’t play this year because of an ailing back. His latest attempt to jump-start a career derailed by chronic injuries ended miserably in February, when Woods walked off the course at the Dubai Desert Classic with back spasms.

“I’m trying everything to be able to get back and play,” he said last week. “I love that event. It’s meant so much to me in my life. It has so much history and meaning to me, I’d love to get back.”

One thing that hasn’t changed: When Woods plays, everyone pays attention. These days, it might amount to no more than a casual check of where he’s placed in the field.

But in 1997, you couldn’t take your eyes off him.

Watch @TigerWoods look back at his historic 1997 win at #themasters. pic.twitter.com/VJDPcK1Kyz

— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 2, 2017

Woods shot 40 on his opening nine in his first major championship as a pro and still won by 12 strokes. He averaged 25 yards longer off the tee than the next closest player, blowing by bunkers and firing darts into the roly-poly greens with shorter irons and from angles no one else had even considered. He made everything inside 8 feet.

The powers-that-be at Augusta National wouldn’t get around to “Tiger-proofing” the place for three more years. But there was already a whiff of panic in the air.

“Obviously the Masters Committee has to be a little concerned,” veteran pro Tom Kite weighed in after Saturday’s third round in 1997. “They’ve got a golf course that’s pretty darn tough, and they’ve got somebody just ripping it up.”

Woods stayed up late that night talking with his father, Earl, about how to rip it up some more.

Earl had turned over control of Tiger’s swing to more capable teachers long ago. But because military habits die hard, the ex-Green Beret reserved the job of toughening up the kid for himself.

When Tiger was starting out, he’d jangle the coins in his pocket in the middle of a backswing. As he got older, Earl progressed – digressed, really – to dropping clubs, hopping up and down, yelling, cussing, even using the occasional N-word. None of it dented his son’s suit of armour.

Sometime past midnight, Earl checked off the last box on his list.

“Just get in your own little world,” he said, “and go out there and just thrash ’em.”

Tiger did.

He was as thin as a 2-iron then, supple as Gumby, and Woods controlled the golf ball like no one you’d ever seen. Twenty records fell over the four days – youngest Masters champion, lowest score, biggest margin of victory, etc. – yet that only hinted at Woods’ readiness for the grand stage.

When Nick Faldo, the previous year’s champion, draped the green jacket over Woods’ shoulders at the trophy ceremony, it marked almost 50 years to the day that Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s colour barrier. The Spartan white Augusta clubhouse in the background was a subtle reminder that on matters of race, golf had been dragging its cleats.

But gifted an athlete like Woods, a blend of talent and charisma whose appeal stretched from lush suburban courses to raggedy inner-city driving ranges, the game hopped aboard.

“I was there waiting for the finish. It was a foregone conclusion,” former PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem recalled. “From then on it was only a question of details.

“How many does he win? Does he challenge the big, long-term records?” he said. “If he stays like this, and plays like this, and stays healthy and challenges the big records – which takes decades – that’s going to be an awesome impact on the game.”

Woods was even better than advertised. As he took off, prize money and TV ratings soared. Galleries swelled and occasionally got rowdy. Some old-timers blanched, but golf suddenly seemed a lot cooler.

Taking their cues from Woods, kids wandered onto courses from Florida to California, Northern Ireland to South Africa, Australia, Argentina and a thousand points in between. A serious few stayed with it, following his blueprint, emulating his fitness and adopting his survival-of-the-fittest approach to every competition.

Those are the ones who walk nonchalantly past Woods and his tee shots nowadays on the way to their own. They constitute the deepest pool of talent the game has ever seen. But in 1997, they were just fans.

“I was 9 and just getting into golf,” Australian Jason Day, the No. 3-ranked player in the world, recalled recently. “My dad had this turn-knob TV with bunny ears. You had to move the antenna to get the right picture and it was really early in the morning. I remember him walking up the 18th and he obliterated the field.

“I started playing more golf than I usually did,” he added. “And then I read a book about him when I was 14. So, they’re the two moments that really kind of changed my life.”

Instead of being inspired, the old guard playing alongside Woods at that Masters was terrified.

“It threw me into a tailspin seeing how much talent a guy like that had. It affected me,” said Steve Stricker, who has partnered with Woods in U.S. team events for years. “I don’t have any problem saying it now. But it took me a while to get out of the funk, thinking, ‘I can’t do what he’s doing.”’

At that moment, though, Woods wasn’t worried about usurpers, young or old, and the horizon wasn’t the only thing that appeared limitless. Just 21, he looked like he could go on winning forever.

Woods did for the next dozen years, everything and everywhere but especially at the biggest events, putting himself well ahead of pace to rip the most revered record in golf – 18 career majors – from Jack Nicklaus. Then life thrashed him back.

Some argue that began at the 2008 U.S. Open, where Woods won his last major after a scratch-and-claw duel with Rocco Mediate in a Monday playoff. He hobbled off with the trophy and, it turned out, stress fractures in both his knee and tibia that required reconstruction barely two weeks later. Still only 32, Woods began falling apart like a used car.

The next year brought an even more literal thrashing. First came his “Buster Douglas” moment in August, when little-known Y.E. Yang went off in the final group on the final day of the PGA Championship paired with Woods and beat him by three shots. It marked the first time Woods had failed to seal the deal in a major after holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead.

That small tear in his cloak of invincibility hinted at the trouble ahead. Two months later, after a Thanksgiving night fight with his wife over widely rumoured infidelities, Woods raced out of his driveway and wrecked into a tree, knocking himself unconscious. Neither his image nor his golf game ever completely recovered.

He’s won eight times on the PGA Tour since, though none after 2013. The chain-reaction crash set off by that 2008 injury has reached down to both Achilles tendons through his back and on up to his neck. It didn’t help that at points in between, Woods ignored his inner circle’s advice and sneaked in a few days of training with Navy Seals.

He’s grown increasingly guarded about his life. He even named his yacht Privacy.

Turns out Woods wasn’t kidding. In an interview last year, he told Time magazine what he’d like his legacy to be:

“The best thing,” Woods said, “would be to not be remembered.”

Good luck with that.

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame writer Lorne Rubenstein’s latest collaboration was a memoir documenting the historic run in 1997 with Woods. Read John Gordon’s review here.

Tournament: The 81st Masters.

Dates: April 6-9.

Site: Augusta National Golf Club.

Length: 7,435 yards.

Par: 36-36–72.

Purse: To be determined ($10 million in 2016).

Field: 93 (88 professionals, five amateurs).

Cut: Top 50 and ties, and anyone within 10 shots of the lead.

Defending champion: Danny Willett.

Last year: Danny Willett won the Masters with a 67 in the final round. Jordan Spieth lost it with a quadruple bogey on the 12th hole. Spieth had a five-shot lead until starting the back nine Sunday with two bogeys, then hitting two shots in Rae’s Creek and making 7 on the par-3 12th. He never caught up. Willett became the first player from England to win the green jacket since 1996, when Nick Faldo closed with a 67 and took advantage of a collapse by Greg Norman.

Grand Slam: Rory McIlroy needs a Masters victory to become only the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam. This will be his third attempt at it.

No. 1 ranking: Dustin Johnson will try to become only the fourth player – and first since Tiger Woods in 2002 – to win the Masters at No. 1 in the world.

Key statistic: Five of the top 10 players in the world ranking have won on the PGA Tour this year.

Tiger tales: Tiger Woods is not playing for the third time in the last four years.

Noteworthy: Mark O’Meara, 60, is the oldest player in the field.

Quoteworthy: “You have to play 72 great holes at Augusta. There’s no shot on that golf course where you can switch off.” – Three-time champion Nick Faldo.

Television: Thursday and Friday, 3-7:30 p.m., ESPN; Saturday, 3-7 p.m., CBS Sports; Sunday, 2-7 p.m., CBS Sports.

Interactive: www.masters.com . Live video channels from Amen Corner, the 15th hole, 16th hole and a featured group. Estimated times – Amen Corner (Nos. 11, 12 and 13) from 10:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and from 11:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday; Nos. 15 and 16 from 11:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, featured group from noon to completion of play on Thursday and Friday, and from 12:30 p.m. to completion of play on Saturday and Sunday. The Masters iPad application will display the video channels and a live digital simulcast of CBS Sports’ weekend coverage.

HUMBLE, Texas – Russell Henley no longer gets to take a week off, and he couldn’t be happier.

He’s going to the Masters.

Henley overcame a four-shot deficit Sunday in the Houston by closing with a 7-under 65 for a three-shot victory, one of the most important final rounds of his career. Only later did he realize it might have his best.

He made 10 birdies. He never went more than two holes without a birdie.

“I made 10 birdies today?” he asked. “Oh, wow. Wow. Yeah, then I guess it’s definitely the best.”

Henley ran off five of them in the opening eight holes to briefly catch up to Sung Kang, only to make a double bogey from the bunker on the par-3 ninth at the Golf Club of Houston. Only the 27-year-old from Georgia was just getting warmed up.

The decisive stretch came on the par-5 13th, where Henley and Kang were tied for the lead. Henley pitched to 3 feet for birdie, while Kang missed from 15 feet. On the par-3 14th, Henley rolled in a 35-foot birdie putt on the fast greens, cut to try to mimic what players will face at Augusta National. Kang did well to save par from 6 feet. And then Henley raced out to a three-shot advantage with another up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 15th.

He finished with a bogey for 20-under 268, three shots ahead of Kang.

Mackenzie Hughes (68) of Dundas, Ont., was the top Canadian at 5-under 283 and finished 23rd. Nick Taylor (72) of Abbotsford, B.C., was 44th at 2 under.

Rickie Fowler was never in the picture. He made a double bogey with a wild drive on the second hole, and then got hit driver off the deck into the water on the par-5 fourth hole to drop another shot. Fowler trailed by as many as seven shots until a flurry of birdies late in the round when it was out of reach.

Fowler closed with a 70 and tied for third, along with Luke List (68).

“Just an alignment problem that just caused me to make a couple bad swings, cost me a few shots,” Fowler said. “Nice that I got it turned around and started to make some good swings and made some birdies and fought back, got a good finish out of it. Obviously, yeah, I would have like to have gotten off to a better start.”

Jon Rahm, the 22-year-old rookie from Spain, closed with a 67 and tied for 10th, his fourth consecutive top 10 as he heads to Augusta National for his Masters debut.

Henley won for the third time in his PGA Tour career, and his first since a playoff victory over Rory McIlroy in the 2014 Honda Classic. He was in danger of missing the Masters for the second straight year until winning the Houston Open, the only way into Augusta National at this point.

“I wasn’t expecting to go back to Augusta,” he said. “I was planning on not going, but I was going to try my best to win. So, the fact I get to go back is pretty cool and I’m excited. It hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

Henley became the third player in the last four years to win the Houston Open and earn a trip to the Masters.

Kang, going for his first PGA Tour victory, had a six-shot lead after 36 holes, the largest in tournament history. He appeared to get a slight reprieve Saturday when Fowler fell back with a four-putt double bogey on the 18th hole of the third round.

The threat turned out to be Henley, one of the best putters in golf when he gets it going.

Kang did his best to hang on, but he never made another birdie after No. 8. His hopes were all but gone when he missed a 5-foot birdie attempt on No. 16.

“This week is going to be very memorable for me,” Kang said. “I played really solid the first few rounds and then it shifted for two rounds. I’ll keep grinding out and working out and hopefully, I can get a chance next time.”

The starting times were moved up Sunday because of the threat of rain, and the final round featured dark, grey skies and a drizzle, followed by steamy sunshine as the leaders entered the final stretch.

This was the Houston Open with Shell as the title sponsor after 26 years.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner was at the tournament on Sunday and advocated for moving the Houston Open inside the city limits rather than unincorporated Harris County near Humble where the tournament has been played since 2003.

Neither the sponsor nor the location for next year’s Houston Open has been determined. Turner advocated heavily for moving the tournament to Memorial Park, which last hosted the Houston Open in 1963.

HUMBLE, Texas – Sung Kang shot a 1-under 71 to hold a three-shot lead over Rickie Fowler after the third round of the Houston Open on Saturday.

After shooting a tournament course record 9-under 63 on Friday, Kang took a commanding six-shot lead with a 36-hole tournament record of 129 through two rounds.

However, on Saturday, it was Fowler’s day to chase history, shooting a 5-under 67 to trim Kang’s lead as they head into the final round.

After Thursday’s 8-under 64, Fowler held a one-shot lead over Kang after the first round, but slipped to fourth on Friday with a 71. He returned to form on Saturday and has a PGA Tour career-best 22 birdies through three rounds.

Behind Kang and Fowler at 17-under 199 and 14-under 202 through three rounds, respectively, Russell Henley is 13-under 203 and Luke List is 12-under 204. No one else is within eight shots of Kang.

Kang, the 29-year-old South Korean who entered the week ranked No. 202 in the world, could earn an invitation to next week’s Masters with a win on Sunday.

Playing one hole behind Fowler throughout the day, Kang played in the shadows of Fowler’s stardom and the roar of the crowd rooting for a big comeback.

Kang gave up the lead briefly after a putt lipped out of the hole on 16 by taking a full circle around the cup before sneaking out.

On the final two holes of the day, however, it was Fowler who had his share of misfortunes on his putts. He bogeyed on 17 and double-bogeyed on the 18th hole to give Kang a little more breathing room heading into the final round.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was tied for 32nd place after shooting a 74. Dundas, Ont., native Mackenzie Hughes was in a tie for 39th with a 73.

Sunday’s tee times have been moved up to 7:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. Central with threesomes off split tees to try to avoid heavy thunderstorms and rainfall expected in the late morning to early afternoon.

Heavy winds approaching 25-30 mph at times and cloudy skies resulted in much higher scores on Saturday than were seen on Friday, with the average score around 1 over par.

Kang will be grouped with Fowler, something both players said they look forward to as they enter the final round. Kang has never led a tournament on the PGA Tour after three rounds. He said he was well aware of Fowler’s pursuit on Saturday, thanks to the crowd.

“I heard a lot of noise in front of us so I was like, ‘Oh, I know something big is going on up there,”’ Kang said.

Fowler said he’s ready to shake off his struggles on the last two holes.

“I drove it well, hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of greens and made some good putts,” Fowler said. “I’m not looking at the last two holes. It was a great day of golf, and I put myself in a position to win a golf tournament tomorrow.”

Fowler said he likes the challenge of playing from behind and hopes to put some pressure on Kang.

Kang said he’ll be playing conservatively and defensively, especially with the strong possibility of inclement weather on the way.

For the third straight day, however, Kang insisted that he doesn’t have his sights set on earning a last-minute invitation to the Masters.

“Even if I think about it, it’s going to happen or not,” Kang said with a grin. “Why do I want to think about that? I’m so tired right now. I have no power to think about anything.”

HUMBLE, Texas – Sung Kang shot a 9-under 63 to take a six-shot lead in a record-breaking second round at the Houston Open on Friday.

After shooting a 65 on Thursday, Kang was at 16-under 128 through two rounds, setting the 36-hole tournament record of 129 by a stroke, set previously by Blaine McCallister in 1993 and Curtis Strange in 1980.

The 29-year-old South Korean, who entered the week ranked No. 202 in the world, bested the tournament course record at the Golf Club of Houston by three strokes, topping Johnson Wagner’s 132 in 2008. Strange and Wagner went on to win those respective tournaments, while McCallister settled for a third-place finish.

Kang’s 9-under on Friday matched the 18-hole tournament course record and helped him take the largest 36-hole lead in tournament history, topping the previous record by two strokes.

Hudson Swafford and Russell Henley were at 10-under after both shooting 5-under 67.

Rickie Fowler, the leader after one round, slipped to fourth at 9-under after he followed Thursday’s 8-under 64 with a 71.

Kang found an edge with red-hot putting. He sank six puts of at least 20 feet – a tournament course record since the stat began being recorded in 1983. It was a dramatic turn of events for a golfer who entered the week ranked No. 156 in putting and switched to a new putter earlier this week.

Kang said someone has been urging him to use a certain putter for months, even saying, “If you want to succeed, you use that.” He gave it a spin for the first time on Monday and hasn’t looked back.

“I putted pretty good (Thursday), but putted really good today,” Kang said. “The putter just kept making the putts and happened and happened and happened. It was a fun day.”

Kang used the word “rare” to describe the putting clinic he put on. He said he told his caddie that he wanted to play 10 more holes after he was finished on Friday, not wanting to let his momentum rest. He is among the 115 players who need a victory to qualify for Augusta National, as Jim Herman did by winning in Houston last year. Among the 144 players in the Houston Open field, 29 already have invitations to play.

Kang insisted that playing in the Masters hasn’t crossed his mind.

“It’s not in my head,” Kang said. “Whatever happens, happens.”

Zac Blair and Aaron Baddeley trail Kang by eight strokes at 8-under 136 through two rounds.

The field boasted five of the world’s top 12-ranked golfers, but only one of them – Fowler – made the cut to continue playing on Saturday. No. 5 Henrik Stenson shot a 5-over, No. 6 Jordan Spieth finished 2-over, No. 7 Adam Scott had a 1-over and Patrick Reed shot a 2-over to add two extra days to their Masters preparations.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. and Mackenzie Hughes, from Dundas, Ont., both made the cut. Taylor shot a 71 and is 4 under while Hughes shot a 70 and is 2 under.

Phil Mickelson rallied late to shoot par for a second straight day to make the cut, something he said was important to him ahead of Augusta.

“I fought hard in the end to get to the weekend because I felt, to get sharp for next week, I need to play a better round,” Mickelson said. “I didn’t want to have five days without competitive rounds before we tee off. I also think the course provides a great opportunity to get ready for next week.”

After mid-week rains dampened the course Thursday, warm, sunny weather and a light breeze caused little problems on the fairways on Friday.

Tiger Woods won’t play in the Masters for the third time in the last four years because he says he is not tournament ready.

Woods announced Friday night on his website that he did everything possible to try to play. He says his back rehabilitation simply didn’t allow him enough time.

He said there was no timetable for his return.

Woods withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic in early February after shooting a 77, claiming back spasms. Since then, he has sat out his own tournament at Riviera, the Honda Classic and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He even withdrew from a press conference in Los Angeles.

This is the 20-year anniversary of Woods winning his first Masters by a record 12 shots. He last won the Masters in 2005.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor RBC, is pleased to announce the qualifying format for the 2017 RBC Canadian Open, scheduled for July 24-30 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

A two-stage qualifying procedure for Canada’s National Open Championship will feature three regional qualifying competitions in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, followed by a final qualifying event on Monday, July 24^th.

The first regional qualifier will take place May 9^th at Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria, B.C. The second regional qualifying event will be hosted by Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton, Ont. on May 15^th. The third regional qualifier will take place June 5^th at Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu – Rouville Course in Sainte-Julie, Qué. The final qualifier will take place Monday, July 24^th at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont.

Each of the three regional qualifiers will feature 18 holes of stroke play with the low qualifier at each site receiving an exemption directly into the 2017 RBC Canadian Open field (provided the starting field is a minimum of 100 competitors at each site). The top 15 per cent of finishers, beyond the low qualifier, at each regional qualifying competition are eligible to compete at final qualifying.

Participation in final qualifying is limited to those competitors receiving requisite exemptions, or individuals who have advanced through regional qualifying. The event will feature 18 holes of stroke play, with a minimum of four (4) spots available for direct entry into the 2017 RBC Canadian Open field.

The qualifying competition is open to members in good standing of the PGA of Canada or other PGA affiliates, amateur golfers (with a current Handicap Factor not exceeding 2.0) who are members of Golf Canada or in good standing with their respective associations, and other golf professionals.

In all, a total of 24 exemptions, including the seven (7) awarded through regional and final qualifiers are available for the 2017 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

HUMBLE, Texas – Rickie Fowler shot an 8-under 64 for a one-shot lead over Sung Kang after the first round of the Houston Open on Thursday.

Fowler had his best round in six appearances at the tournament, topping a previous low score of 68. Fowler overcame damp conditions and a chilly, breezy morning to jump to a hot start.

Fowler won last month at the Honda Classic and is trying to keep momentum going into the Masters next week. The Honda Classic win snapped a 13-month, 25-start drought for Fowler.

Fowler held a three-shot lead over Vaughn Taylor and Keegan Bradley when he finished his round in the afternoon, then Kang closed the gap with his 65. The 29-year-old South Korean missed a putt from less than 5 feet to bogey on 18. Still, compared to last year’s final round at the Houston Open when he shot a 6-over 78, he said he was satisfied with the improvement.

Kang is among the 115 players who need a victory to qualify for Augusta National, as Jim Herman did by winning in Houston last year. Among the 144 players in the Houston Open field, 29 already have invitations to play. It would have been 30, expect Dustin Johnson decided to take the week off after winning the Dell Technologies Match Play for his third straight victory.

Behind Fowler and Kang, Stewart Cink, Jhonattan Vegas and Kyle Stanley all shot 6-under 66. Jordan Spieth struggled at times and shot 3-under 69. Herman shot 2-over 74, while 2015 Houston Open winner J.B. Holmes shot 1-over 73.

Nick Taylor of Abbostsford, B.C., shot a 3-under 69 while Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., sits even after shooting a 72.

Kang said he doesn’t want to get too ahead of himself by eyeing a last-minute ticket to Augusta after the first round.

“I don’t know anything about the future, and whatever happens, happens,” Kang said. “I’ll just keep doing what I can do the next few days, and I’ll accept the results.”

Heavy rains cancelled the pro-am event at the Golf Club of Houston on Wednesday.

The sun dried out the course later in the day, and the greens began to play faster. Several players commented on the balancing act of avoiding the water hazards but also not overplaying the speedy greens, which are designed to mimic Augusta.

Fowler said he was fortunate to not have been too thrown off by the muddy conditions.

“I felt like I got some good breaks with having mud on the same side as where the trouble was and that I could kind of keep it fairly conservative,” Fowler said. “If the mud was kind of kicking in, it ended up being a good shot.”

On Thursday night, Fowler travelled 20 miles south to downtown Houston to throw out the first pitch at the Astros’ exhibition game against the Cubs. Fowler said he spent a lot of time with the Cardinals during spring training and said he’s a friend of Astros owner Jim Crane, who he has played golf with at the Floridian National Golf Club.

“It’s probably more nervous when you get out there on the mound than we really ever get or maybe close to Ryder Cup nerves,” Fowler said. “You’re just hoping not to screw up.”

The whirlwind that was March has earned Canadian golfer Adam Hadwin a honeymoon in Georgia.

The 29-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., captured the Valspar Championship on March 12 for his first career PGA Tour win. Hadwin got married less than two weeks later and Wednesday he and his wife, Jessica, closed on their new house.

But the couple isn’t jetting off to an exotic honeymoon destination. Instead, they’ll head to Augusta, Ga., where Hadwin will play in his first Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.

“She’s probably not as excited as I am,” Hadwin said Thursday during a conference call. “I think she would’ve rather been in Bora Bora right now.

“We’re both excited, it’s going to be a great week. A lot of fun and certainly we’re always going to remember the first one.”

Hadwin secured the Masters invite with the Valspar Championship victory, along with the US$1.134-million winner’s cheque. After earning $1.067 million last season, Hadwin has already amassed over $2.5 million in 2017.

He also carded a third-round 59 en route to a second-place finish at the CareerBuilder Challenge in January. Hadwin stands fifth in the FedEX Cup standings with 1,140 points and has four top-10 finishes in 11 events this year.

“I think I’m still figuring out what’s going on, I’m a little bit lost,” Hadwin said. “Certainly, all very good things happening, a lot of great things in life right now.

“But certainly it’s been quite a whirlwind last month.”

However, there’s nothing quite like preparing for a first-ever appearance at the Masters to provide much-needed focus and perspective.

“If I can’t get up and get ready for that I don’t know what event I’ll be able to do that for,” Hadwin said. “I think now everything is settled . . . and I can really start to focus my energy on next week.”

Hadwin plans to leave for Augusta on Sunday and has a practice round scheduled for Tuesday with PGA Tour veteran Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont. In ’03, Weir became the first – and only – Canadian to win golf’s most prestigious major.

“I haven’t started picking Mike’s brain yet,” Hadwin said. “I don’t want to wear him out before we actually play.”

Hadwin said his earliest Masters recollection was 1997 when at age 10 he watched Tiger Woods emphatically capture his first major. Woods, then 21, obliterated the field with an 18-under, 270 total for a commanding 12-stroke victory.

“This was Tiger in general for many, many years,” Hadwin said. “Just the way he, to not put it lightly, just destroyed the field.

“He made the game look so easy for a long time, it wasn’t just ’97.”

Hadwin said there’s a sense of pride that comes with qualifying for the Masters.

“The way I view it is to get into the Masters you’ve had to do something special,” he said. “You have to be a top-50 player in the world, have finished the previous year in the top-30 in the Fed Ex Cup or you have to win.

“So it has this winners only, great players only type feel to it. I’m not downplaying the other majors by any stretch . . . I think it (Masters) has just a little bit of a heightened prestige around it.”

And it’s a tournament Hadwin has won 1,000 times – in his head.

“I’ve made many a putt at sunset to win the Masters while practising,” he said. “But I’m not approaching it any differently than I have any tournament all year.

“I’m going there with confidence. I’ve had success against great fields. It’s just a matter of preparing the best I can and seeing where my game stacks up against the best players.”

Hadwin said he’ll have butterflies when he tees it up for real next week but expects it to be a good nervousness.

“I think a lot of that is nervous excitement,” he said. “My goal is to prepare well enough Sunday through Wednesday so when I stand at the tee Thursday I’m going, ‘OK, let’s win this tournament. I’m ready to go, I’ve got full confidence.’ ”

And that includes knowing when to play it smart.

“What’s made me successful this year is I stay aggressive but I’m very conservatively aggressive, if that makes sense,” he said. “When I feel comfortable with a shot, I’m aggressive and can play it.

“Otherwise, I just lay up and my wedges have been so good that I’ve got full confidence I can do either. That course can be scored on by doing both. I don’t set a gameplan at the start of the week saying I’m going to lay up on all par-5s or I’m going to do this in all the tee boxes. It’s strictly on a hole-by-hole, day-by-day basis.”