Stenson’s eagle-eye seals Bahamas victory

HAMILTON, Ontario – As Rory McIlroy was coming up to the 18th green Saturday at the RBC Canadian Open, the crowd interspersed “Let’s Go Roryâ€� chants in with “Let’s Go Raptors.â€� It’s been that kind of week for McIlroy, with the crowd support being firmly behind the Ulsterman – and the local basketball team. “It’s probably the best atmosphere I’ve played in a long time,â€� said McIlroy. “I think what they’ve been able to do here is like right on the limit of fun but still in keeping with the traditions of the game, so I think it’s been awesome. I’ve really enjoyed my time here. “I seem to get pretty good support most places I go, but for whatever reason here I think there are a lot people with Irish roots who seem to be very vocal out there. It’s great to see. I’m really enjoying myself out there.â€� McIlroy’s enjoyment of his time in Canada shone through Saturday after he shot a 6-under 64 to move into a tie for the lead heading into Sunday. He didn’t make a bogey in the third round, the first time he went bogey-free on the PGA TOUR since THE PLAYERS Championship, which he went on to win. McIlroy missed the cut at the Memorial Championship presented by Nationwide last week, but said he was actually grateful for the opportunity to work on his game more last weekend, especially as he headed to a golf course he had never played before. “I’m much happier than I was Saturday morning last week,â€� McIlroy said with a smile, as his 64 was tied for the low round of the day. “A week can make a big difference.â€� McIlroy said he got his driver going better last weekend and tightened his wedge game as well. He described those two as things that are “definitely neededâ€� around Hamilton Golf and Country Club. McIlroy also spoke with Brad Faxon about Hamilton, as Faxon – who works occasionally with McIlroy on putting – lost in a playoff there in 2003. McIlroy was 4-for-4 in Scrambling on Saturday and was ranked No. 1 in both Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and Strokes Gained: Tee to Green Saturday. he said he was able to put three P’s into practice again Saturday, a complete round thanks to patience, persistence, and perspective. “They’ve done me well to this point. They’re things I have to keep reminding myself of,â€� he said. “You know, whether I hit a good shot or bad shot or in a good spot or not, if I just keep preaching that to myself it just makes things — it eases the tension and makes things a bit simpler.â€� Although he said he started the week doing some preparatory work for Pebble Beach, that’s gone out the window as he looks to win on the PGA TOUR for the second time this season. “You’re here to try to win a golf tournament. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to give it my all and try to compete,â€� he said. “I think the best preparation for tournaments ahead is to get yourself into contention and feel the heat of battle, and going down the stretch hitting the shots when you need to.â€� If McIlroy did go on and win Sunday, it would be his sixth national open title from around the world (Irish, Hong Kong, The Open, the U.S. Open, and the Australian Open are the others). “They’re very important,â€� McIlroy said of national opens. “They’re the oldest championships in our game for the most part. “If I were able to win tomorrow, that would be my sixth, and that would be something I would be very proud of.â€� Through three days, the fans have been cheering McIlroy on as one of their own, so not only would he be proud to win the RBC Canadian Open, the fans would be thrilled to have him as their winner. “I’ve had a wonderful reception from everyone,â€� he said, “and I’m just excited to get to play in front of them again tomorrow.â€�

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Hideki Matsuyama chases his third consecutive Waste Management Phoenix Open title, with 131 other players determined to stand in his way this week. Among those are Matsuyama’s playing partners Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson, who know quite well the difficulties of trying to beat the young Japanese star at TPC Scottsdale. Tee times are set for the first two rounds, and golf fans can follow the action on a variety of platforms, including PGA TOUR LIVE. Broadcasts on the live stream will begin at 9:15 a.m. ET each day with featured groups, and then transition to featured hole coverage at 3 p.m. ET. Featured holes consist of the raucous par-3 16th as well as the par-4 17th. Saturday and Sunday coverage on PGA TOUR LIVE begins at 11:30 a.m. ET. PGA TOUR Radio’s coverage is 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET for the first two rounds, 2-7 p.m. ET on Saturday and 1-6 p.m. ET on Sunday. Golf Channel will carry live coverage for the first two rounds, with CBS carrying the bulk of the weekend coverage. Here’s a look at the featured groups for the two days (current FedExCup ranking in parentheses):  Rickie Fowler (19), Hideki Matsuyama (32), Webb Simpson (55). Let’s see – Matsuyama beat Fowler in a playoff to win at TPC Scottsdale in 2016. Then last year, Matsuyama beat Simpson in a playoff to successfully defend his title. Maybe Fowler and Simpson will relish the opportunity to gain a little revenge. Tee times: Rd. 1 – 9:47 a.m. (7:47 a.m. local) off 10th tee; Rd. 2 – 2:02 p.m. ET (12:02 p.m. local) off 1st tee Jon Rahm (2), Xander Schauffele (42), Phil Mickelson (46). Mickelson graduated from nearby Arizona State in 1992 with a psychology degree. Rahm graduated from ASU in 2016 with a communications degree. And Schauffele graduated in 2015 with a social sciences degree (but not from ASU; he went to San Diego State). Why do we have a feeling there will be lots of trash talk and mind games in this group? Tee times: Rd. 1 – 9:56 a.m. (7:56 a.m. local) off 10th tee; Rd. 2 – 2:11 p.m. ET (12:11 p.m. local) off 1st tee Charley Hoffman (129), Matt Kuchar (144), Bubba Watson (193). Shocking to think about — if the regular season ended today, none of these three would qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs. Combined, they’ve made eight starts this season, with the best finish a T18 by Hoffman (a Waste Management ambassador) in Vegas last fall. Fortunately, they have a few more opportunities to get inside that top 125 in the standings — specifically, about seven months. So no need to panic … yet. Tee times: Rd. 1 – 2:02 p.m. ET (12:02 p.m. local) off 1st tee; Rd. 2 – 9:47 a.m. ET (7:47 a.m. local) off 10th tee Patton Kizzire (1), Justin Thomas (7), Jordan Spieth (88). The last two FedExCup champs along with the current FedExCup leader. Kizzire has two wins in his last eight starts. Thomas and Spieth have two wins in their last 13 combined starts. Not sure how significant that is; just food for thought. Tee times: Rd. 1 – 2:11 p.m. ET (12:11 p.m. local) off 1st tee; Rd. 2 – 9:56 a.m. ET (7:56 a.m. local) off 10th tee

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Louis Oosthuizen, the highest-ranked player at The RSM Classic, withdrew Friday morning with a lower-back injury. On Thursday, Oosthuizen made birdie on three of his final five holes to salvage a 1-under 69 on Sea Island’s Seaside Course. He was scheduled to start the second round at 10:50 a.m. Friday on the Plantation Course alongside Max Homa and Scottie Scheffler in one of the day’s featured groups. Oosthuizen, who has a history of back trouble, is No. 9 in the world after a 2021 season that included four runners-up and two third-place finishes. He finished second in this year’s PGA Championship and U.S. Open and T3 in The Open.

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