Woods avoids injury; shoots 1-under at Valspar

The third round of the RBC Canadian Open takes place today from Hamilton Golf & Country Club. Here’s how to follow all the action. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Groups). Saturday-Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3-6 p.m. (featured holes). International subscribers (via GOLF.tv): Thursday-Friday, 11:00 to 22:00 GMT. Saturday-Sunday, 12:30 to 22:00. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com). FEATURED GROUPS Bubba Watson/Rod Pampling Tee time: 9:30 a.m. ET Harold Varner III/Peter Uihlein Tee time: 9:40 a.m. ET Dustin Johnson/Jim Furyk Tee time: 11:10 a.m. ET Brooks Koepka/Robert Streb Tee time: 11:30 a.m. ET MUST READS Taylor leading four Canadians near top of the leaderboard Brown, Kuchar share 36-hole lead Eyeing his hometown Open, McDowell makes big push at RBC Canadian Open Snedeker ‘felt great’ before his second-round 60 Win probabilities Canadian golf on PGA TOUR stronger than ever CALL OF THE DAY

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Joseph Campione, 14, is a survivor of a rare muscle and bone cancer - Rhabdomyosarcoma. Although the 2018 QBE Shootout Honored Fighter was discharged in 2007 with the help of chemotherapy and proton radiation - removing the cancer within his body - the long-term effects followed him as he grew up. While the cancer had been killed off, the treatments had damaged his legs and hips. "I couldn't walk in kindergarten because the radiation had affected my hips and I had to get pins placed," said Campione. The pins had helped, but just a few years later, Campione had to get additional ones placed in fifth grade to be able to walk better. The journey to walk "normally" again had in no doubt been a long one, but each day had seen progress towards another challenge Campione was getting ready to face. In sixth grade, Campione's father came across a non-profit, CureSearch, and their "Ultimate Hike" initiative to raise awareness for "cancer's youngest fighters." In addition to bringing awareness, the money raised through the initiative helps to fund research for doctors to find a cure for cancers, some that were thought to be unbeatable. Each of the participants for the annual Ultimate Hike are required to raise $2,500 to participate and, on the day of, each hiker hikes over 20 miles. The hike normally takes about 9-10 hours to complete, with assistance along the way. "Sixth grade was the first year I had completed the Ultimate Hike at Black Waterfalls in West Virginia," said Campione. "Now, I would say that a year is not complete without the hike." The hike was nonetheless a difficult one. Not only had Campione had the trouble of walking, but hiking over 20 miles would come with its own challenges. Motivation would both come in the hashtag used, #WorthIt — meaning "pain in every step, but proclaiming it is worth it during the hike" — and the friends who joined in on the hike to help encourage Campione. "During [my first] training with CureSearch, I was the newcomer. There were so many people who had been doing it for over 10 years and it was cool that they already knew my name when I came into the room," said Campione. "Last year, I brought my friends Lauren and Erick with me which made it so special." CureSearch is a charity that the PGA TOUR tournament, the QBE Shootout, supports. Each year, someone is chosen from CureSearch to be the QBE Shootout Honored Fighter and, in 2018, Campione was chosen for the honor. "It was an honor to be at the event and to have met all of the amazing golfers. I even met the CureSearch representative who was there," said Campione. On one of the nights at the QBE Shootout, guest speakers, TOUR players and the Honored Fighter all come together for a dinner. At the 2018 event, Greg Norman, host of the QBE Shootout, had been an attendee and a guest speaker for the evening. "Greg spoke on George H.W. Bush and immediately I thought about how he truly cares about the people he knows," said Campione. "One of the cooler moments was when he came up to me and talked to me [just] human to human. I thought about how incredible he was and how he had made such an impact on me." Campione then gave his own speech on stage as Honored Fighter, thanking CureSearch and the QBE Shootout for making an impact on his life. "I usually don't like when people feel sad for me and for what I've been through, so I left the speech on a lighter note," said Campione. "Then everyone stood up and it was a just a special moment for me." The evening continued on where he joined in on the concert by country music star and TOUR ambassador Darius Rucker and Lady Antebellum and his visit finished off with a special spot on the course the next day. "I was on the first tee during the Pro-Am with my grandparents where we got to meet all of the golfers. My grandfather is a big golf fan and he got to tell me [about] each player and what they do, which made them more human to me," said Campione. "It was cool to have my grandparents with me because they were always there for me when I was fighting cancer." Though Campione's "ultimate journey" will still continue on, he still looks forward to advocating for CureSearch and completing the Ultimate Hike each year. "When you do it, you become part of the family, [knowing] so many people in the room had been touched by cancer," said Campione. "Through CureSearch and hearing how many kids have been touched by them, it's really inspiring. The Ultimate Hike is now the center of my life."

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Patrick Reed and Collin Morikawa are among several PGA TOUR players trying to unseat Europe's top stars as the 2020 season-long Race To Dubai champion on the European Tour this week. Reed, an eight-time PGA TOUR winner, leads the European Tour's Race to Dubai standings heading into this week's DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates. He leads the way in Europe's season-long race thanks to his victory in the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship and top-15 finishes in this year's three majors. He is trying to become the first American to win the Race to Dubai. His closest competitors are a pair of familiar faces. Reed's fellow American, Collin Morikawa, is third in the standings with the knowledge that regardless of what Reed, or current second-place holder Tommy Fleetwood, do in Dubai, he can also take it all with a win. The 23-year-old is in great shape after his PGA Championship triumph in August, his third PGA TOUR win, and is also the main contender for the European Tour Rookie of the Year. Veteran Englishman Lee Westwood is playing in his 12th consecutive DP World Tour Championship, and at fourth in the standings is the only other player guaranteed to become Europe's No. 1 player should he win this week's tournament. The 47-year-old won the inaugural tournament in 2009 and is the only player to feature in each edition since. The 65-player field is composed of the leading 60 members available on the Race to Dubai, plus 2019 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Sungjae Im, who is an affiliate member) and four other members inside the top 75 in the world ranking who were not otherwise exempt. Viktor Hovland, winner of last week's Mayakoba Golf Classic presented by UNIFIN, is among that group. Hovland, who like Morikawa turned pro just last year, rose to No. 15 in the world after his win in Mexico. Hovland joined legends Rory McIlroy, Seve Ballesteros, Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm as the only Europeans in the last 75 years to win multiple PGA TOUR titles before turning 24. Hovland also joined the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jerry Pate and Lanny Wadkins as the only players in the last 75 years to win the U.S. Amateur and multiple PGA TOUR titles before turning 24. Everyone else on that list won at least one major and a PLAYERS Championship. While the top four have their destiny in their own hands, the 2,000 points available to the winner means mathematically any player could become Race to Dubai Champion with victory in the DP World Tour Championship. Fleetwood and Westwood have both won the Race to Dubai before, in 2017 and in 2009 respectively, with Westwood also winning the former Order of Merit in 2000. Christian Bezuidenhout, who is coming off back-to-back victories in South Africa, Victor Perez, Aaron Rai and Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard champion Tyrrell Hatton would be Race to Dubai Champion with victory provided Reed doesn't finish second alone. The DP World Tour Championship winner receives $3 million while a bonus pool will be awarded to those members finishing within the top 5 on the final 2020 Race to Dubai Rankings, starting at $500,000 for the winner.

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