Stephen Gallacher joins OCEANTEE for beach clean at Genesis Scottish Open

MEXICO CITY — Dustin Johnson watched a six-shot lead shrink to two before putting together enough birdies Saturday for a 5-under 66 and a four-shot lead over Rory McIlroy going into the final round of the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. Johnson nearly threw away his six-shot lead through eight holes when McIlroy made a 35-foot birdie putt on No. 9, and then Johnson ran into some serious tree trouble on the 10th hole. He hit trees with three consecutive shots and had to two-putt from across the green to salvage a double bogey. It was his first score worse than par at Club de Golf Chapultepec this week. And it was his last of the day. “I didn’t let it bother me because I knew I was playing well and there were plenty of holes I could make birdie,” Johnson said. Johnson answered with two straight birdies, sandwiched two birdies around a big par save, and restored a cushion going into Sunday. McIlroy got no closer than two shots all day and had to settle for a 68. No one else was closer than seven shots of the lead. Tiger Woods pulled within four shots after Johnson’s blunder, but his hopes ended on the greens. Woods had a 5-iron from the middle of the fairway on the par-5 15th, put it into a bunker, blasted out weakly to 25 feet and four-putted for a double bogey, with the last three putts from just outside 3 feet. He followed that with a three-putt bogey on the 16th, and a birdie on the final hole gave him a 70. Woods, who hit 16 greens in regulation, was 10 shots behind and in no mood to speak to anyone after the round. Johnson, the only player to capture all four World Golf Championships, is going for his sixth WGC title and his 20th career victory on the PGA TOUR, which would make him a lifetime member at age 34. McIlroy did his best to hang around. He made back-to-back bogeys on the front nine that put him six behind, and then ran off three straight birdies to close the gap. He missed a 3-foot par putt on the 14th hole and was suddenly left a tall order for Sunday. It’s even tougher on everyone else. Masters champion Patrick Reed finished with three straight birdies for a 64 and was in the group seven shots behind with Patrick Cantlay (65), Sergio Garcia (69) and Cameron Smith (68). Reed started birdie-eagle and missed plenty of short putts. He said he would need as many opportunities on Sunday and even a better score. “It’s going to take a really special day tomorrow,” Reed said. “I don’t think 7 under is going to get it done. I’m thinking it’s going to at least take 10 (under) to maybe even a 59 depending on how he finishes the day.” Johnson had a two-shot lead to start the third round over McIlroy and Matt Kuchar, whose hopes for a Mexican sweep of PGA TOUR events fizzled with a 79. Johnson seized command on the second hole, when he hit a driver over the trees on the 367-yard hole, hopped it onto the green to 4 feet and made the putt for eagle. He holed a 10-foot birdie on No. 5 and kept getting looks at medium-range birdie attempts without making them. The 10th hole was merely a detour. Johnson hit driver off the tee into the trees and had a reasonable gap through the trees. But his lob wedge came out high, hit a tree and bounced into the bushes. Johnson was able to get a free drop from a sprinkler line, but that did him no good. His next shot came out soft and struck a tree trunk, rolling into the bushes. He did well to punch that away from the bunker and onto the far left side of the green. McIlroy smashed his drive and flipped a wedge into short range for birdie, making it a two-shot swing. That was as close as anyone came to Johnson, who looks poised to win for the second time in four weeks after his victory at the Saudi International. Then again, Johnson had a six-shot lead in the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai at the end of 2017 and wound up tying a PGA TOUR record for largest 54-hole lead lost in the final round. He has a 4-3 record on the PGA TOUR when he has the lead. “D.J. is playing very well. He seems to be comfortable on this golf course. He’s going to be very tough to beat,” McIlroy said. “Tomorrow I’m going to have to go out there and probably shoot something similar to what I shot the first day (63) to have a chance.”  

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Daniel Berger came from three shots back during the final round to defend his FedEx St. Jude Classic title. Berger notched his first PGA TOUR win last season at TPC Southwind as a member of TaylorMade’s Tour staff before departing at the end of last year to join Callaway Golf.  When he was unveiled as Callaway’s newest staffer, Berger noted that he joined the company “because of the equipment. And more than anything I wanted to play the new Epic driver.” Berger’s Epic driver played an important role during his second TOUR win in Memphis. He finished second in the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (plus-4.612) and averaged 293.5 yards (T19) with the 10.5-degree head.  “I like to hit a lot of shapes (off the tee),” Berger said during a recent Callaway Fitting Room podcast. “I like to hit cuts, I like to hit draws, I like to hit balls high, I like to hit balls low, so I need a driver that’s very versatile and has the ability to do all of those things.” Berger plays the standard GBB Epic driver that features a redesigned track housing a 17-gram sliding weight that can be positioned in the heel or toe to produce a draw or fade. Berger’s weight setup is in the neutral position.  Here’s a look at the rest of Berger’s Callaway equipment setup.  Driver: Callaway GBB Epic (Fujikura Pro Tour Spec 53X shaft), 10.5 degrees 3-wood: Callaway GBB Epic (UST Mamiya Elements Chrome 7F5T shaft), 15 degrees Irons: Callaway Apex CF ’16 (3-4; True Temper Project X 6.5 shafts), Callaway Apex Pro ’16 (5-iron; True Temper Project X 6.5 shaft), Callaway MB1 (6-PW; True Temper Project X 6.5 shafts) Wedges: Callaway Mack Daddy Forged (50-10, 56-10 and 58-08 degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts) Putter: Odyssey Versa 2-Ball Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft PGA TOUR SUPERSTORE: Buy equipment here

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Remember the name Takumi Kanaya. Japanese players have been part of the PGA TOUR fabric since as far back as 1929 and Kanaya is likely to be the next star from a proud golf nation. RELATED: From Miyamoto to Matsuyama: A look at Japan’s PGA TOUR history Isao Aoki became the first winner from Japan on the PGA TOUR in 1983 and since we've seen the likes of Shigeki Maruyama, Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki, Tommy Nakajima, Ryudi Imada, Ryo Ishikawa, Satoshi Kodaira and, of course, Hideki Matsuyama blaze paths in the golf world. Now the progression continues with an emerging talent who recently turned professional and was seventh in his pro debut at last week's Japan Open. Before turning pro, the 22-year-old was the winner of this year's Mark H. McCormack Medal as the world's top amateur. Past recipients of the award include Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Joaquin Niemann, Nick Taylor and Matthew Fitzpatrick. Kanaya won the 2018 Asia-Pacific Amateur and made the cut in his Masters debut last year, including a third-round 68 at Augusta National. Including last week's finish in Japan, he has finished in the top 10 in four of his last five starts on professional circuits. That includes a win on the Japan Tour while he was still an amateur and a third-place finish in the Australian Open. This week, Kanaya is playing his first PGA TOUR event as a professional, the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD. Get to know the rising star before he tees off in Southern California. How did you get started and fall in love with the game? When did you realize it could be something to pursue as a career? I began playing at the age of five having been influenced by my parents who love the game. I grew up watching Tiger Woods play and it was natural to be aspired. I played other sports such as baseball and basketball as I loved sports in general but golf was always at the center and I decided to pursue my career in golf at junior high school. Who is your favorite player? And is there a player you tried to emulate or model your game after? Tiger Woods and Matsuyama-san (Hideki) are my favorite players. I also look up to Adam Scott through his professionalism. I saw a junior clinic and attended his seminar when he played the Japan Open which was very informative. Also Adam tries to play the Australian Open each year and when I played it last year I really felt that the people in Australia love him. I'd like to do the same for the Japan Open, for my country and the golf fans in Japan. You had a very impressive amateur career with highlights like winning the Asia Pacific Amateur, winning on the Japan Tour and getting to the top of the world rankings to win the McCormack medal. What has been the most pleasing achievement during your progression and why? I'm proud of the Asia Pacific Amateur win which has given me a chance to play at Augusta National in the Masters and at the Open Championship. The experience through those big events gave me a confidence boost which led to my win at the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters and eventually winning the McCormack Medal. What are your interests away from the golf course? If you weren't a professional golfer what do you think you might do? I love sports in general but if I had to choose one, it would be basketball. If I did not choose golf, I would have definitely tried to build my career in other sports as a professional. Even if I wasn't good enough to be a professional, I would have tried to work in the sports industry and be around the sport which I love. What has been the most challenging moment of your career so far? When I graduated high school, I tried to turn professional and went through the JGTO Q-School. I failed miserably at the final stage which was a bitter experience. I took the lesson to heart. (and went to college instead). You will make your PGA TOUR debut at the ZOZO Championship. How excited are you to test your game at this level? What are you hoping to get from this week? First of all, I'd like to thank ZOZO and all the concerned parties for making the event happen under tough times and also giving me a chance to compete in such a prestigious event! I'm simply just excited to be able to compete against the world's best. I have nothing to lose so I will try to play my best and see where I end up. We hear your plan is to try to play on the European Tour as you begin your pro journey. Will we one day see you join the likes of Hideki Matsuyama as a regular on the PGA TOUR? What are your short and long term goals in golf? Yes, my immediate goal is to try and secure the European Tour status. Mid-term (3-4 years), I'd like to try and win the Race to Dubai Point Rankings and climb up the world rankings to be eligible to play in some of the PGA TOUR events, majors and World Golf Championships via my world ranking. Speaking of Hideki, has he or any other Japanese pro players been helpful in your career? How have they helped? Matsuyama-san (Hideki) has been a mentor for me. He has given me important advice from his personal experience from competing on the PGA TOUR. I am very thankful for that.

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