ORLANDO, Fla. – Bay Hill was bustling Thursday, just like golf before the pandemic. The fans were limited in numbers but they all wanted the same dose of entertainment provided by Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau.

First it was McIlroy, slowly feeling better about his game, and with good reason. Starting with a 55-foot putt on the par-3 second hole, he ran off five straight birdies for a share of the lead with Canadian Corey Conners in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at 6-under 66.

In the group behind McIlroy was DeChambeau, who has been contemplating a shot across the water to cut the 528-yard sixth hole down to size by going for the green. This was not the day with a slight breeze into his face, so the U.S. Open champion had some fun. He took out an iron, and then hit a conservative tee shot (309 yards) to the middle of the fairway.

It was a boring birdie, his third in a row, and he opened with a 67.

“There was a high expectation level of me trying to go for the green there, and it was a little pressure that I wasn’t expecting,” DeChambeau said. “But no, it was fun. The crowds were great with it. I pulled out an iron as a joke off the tee box. And for me, it was just too much off of the right and more into the wind than anything.”

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In the group with DeChambeau was Jordan Spieth, making his debut at Bay Hill, and producing high adventure in a 70 that left him satisfied he remained on track – and irritated hitting off the toe of his driver and into the water on No. 6.

Even having to hit his third from the tee, he salvaged bogey with a 25-foot putt and made a 35-foot birdie on the next hole.

“Definitely proud of the way I responded, but the way I putted today, certainly would have liked a lower number,” Spieth said. “But it all just comes down to one shot for me today.”

Conners, from Listowel, Ont., played in the afternoon and was 6 under through seven holes, capped off by an eagle on the par-5 16th. He took the lead with birdie on the par-5 sixth, but finished with a three-putt bogey from 60 feet to fall into a tie with McIlroy.

Shadow Creek winner Jason Kokrak opened with a 68. Of the 60 players who teed off in the morning, only six broke 70. Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton shot a 77, while past Bay Hill winner Francesco Molinari took a step back from his progress with a 78.

McIlroy wasn’t too happy with his game after missing the cut – a rarity for him these days – at Riviera, then not having ideal practice sessions. He still managed some improvement last week in the World Golf Championship, and saw big even better results Thursday.

Most pleasing was seeing the ball go where and how he wanted it. He made three of his birdies on par 3s, the strength of Bay Hill. What stood out was a pair of 5-irons into the wind on the 14th and 17th holes, both tight draws, flighted the way he wanted to about 15 feet.

“Those shots last week that I was trying to hit were missing the target 20 yards left,” he said. “So it was nice to just see them coming out in the window I was anticipating.”

Canada’s @coreconn is putting on a clinic ??

This was to take the lead @APinv pic.twitter.com/TuOgzp3g4F

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) March 4, 2021

He said it was his best round of the year, and it helps being at Bay Hill, where McIlroy had a victory and no finish worse than a tie for sixth the last four years. He has seen enough of Tiger Woods’ eight victories in the Arnold Palmer Invitational to appreciate how to attack.

“He played it very conservatively. He took care of the par 5s. And that was usually good enough to get the job done,” McIlroy said. “So sort of take a little bit of a leaf out of his book.”

He only made birdie on two of the par 5s, going long on the 16th and having to lay up on the 12th from a fairway bunker.

Through it all, it was the activity outside the ropes at Bay Hill that stood out.

The Arnold Palmer Invitational was the last PGA Tour event that had a full complement of fans, one week before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down golf. The tournament is allowing 25% of capacity – roughly 5,000 fans a day – and when most are watching some of golf’s bigger draws such as McIlroy, DeChambeau and Spieth, it feels even larger.

All were wearing masks, though no one got high marks for social distancing.

“It’s nice to hear some cheers and a little bit of energy from the fans,” Martin Laird said after a 69. “It was fun to play in front of a crowd again.”

Nicky Taylor and Adam Hadwin, both from Abbotsford, B.C., struggled in the first round. Taylor fired a 1-over 73, while Hadwin shot a 7-over 79.

SAN DIEGO — Showing no effects from a rules controversy a day earlier, Patrick Reed pulled away for a five-shot victory Sunday in the Farmers Insurance Open.

Reed closed with a 4-under 68 at Torrey Pines, making an eagle on the par-5 sixth and finishing off his ninth PGA Tour title with a birdie on the 18th.

Abbotsford, B.C. native Adam Hadwin finished in a tie for 18th place. The 33-year-old fired a 1-under 71 to end his tournament at 5-under par. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., fired a 2-under 70 in his final round to finish in a five-way tie for 37th. Merritt, B.C. native Roger Sloan finished in a tie for 53rd.

The former Masters champions finished at 14 under after a consistent four days at the blufftop municipal courses overlooking the Pacific Ocean. He shared the first-round lead with Alex Noren, was in a group one shot off the lead in the second round and then shared the third-round lead with Carlos Ortiz.

The controversy arose Saturday on the par-4 10th when Reed hit a 190-yard shot out of a bunker with a TV replay showing the ball bounced once before settling into the rough. Without waiting for an official, Reed picked up the ball to see if it was embedded. Reed told the official that no one in his group, as well as a nearby volunteer, saw it bounce. He was awarded a free drop and saved par in a round of 70.

On Sunday, Reed jump-started his round with a 45-foot eagle putt on the No. 6 to get to 12 under and followed with a birdie on the par-4 seventh. His only bogey was on the par-3 eighth, and he rebounded with a birdie on the par-5 ninth. He played par the rest of the way until sinking an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele, Ryan Palmer, Henrik Norlander and Viktor Hovland tied for second.

Hovland had been the closest in pursuit with four birdies on the front nine, including on the ninth to get to 12 under. But the birdies dried up and he bogeyed Nos. 14, 15 and 17 — missing a 2-footer on 17 — in a round of 1-under 71.

Ortiz stumbled badly with a round of 6-over 78. He hurt himself with three bogeys on the front nine that left him even at the turn. He had even more trouble on the back nine, when he bogeyed No. 11 and then had trouble getting out of a greenside bunker on No. 12, taking a double-bogey 6. He bogeyed 15, 16 and 18.

SAN DIEGO — Patrick Reed was involved in another rules controversy Saturday in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. He also had a share of the lead with Carlos Ortiz.

On the par-4 10th, Reed hit a 190-yard shot out of a bunker with a TV replay showing the ball bounced once before settling into the rough. Believing the ball didn’t bounce, Reed picked it up to see if it was embedded before a rules official arrived. Reed told the official that no one in his group, as well as a nearby volunteer, saw it bounce.

Reed was awarded a free drop and saved par. He bogeyed four of the next holes before birdieing No. 18 for a 2-under 70 and a share of the lead with Ortiz at 10 under. Ortiz had a 66 on the South Course.

Abbotsford, B.C. native Adam Hadwin is tied for 20th place at 4-under par. Hadwin shot a 73 in his third round. Listowel, Ont. native Corey Conners also shot a 73 Saturday. He finds himself in a tie for 45th. Merritt, B.C. native Roger Sloan shot a 6-over 78 to fall into a tie for 67th.

In December 2019 in Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, Reed was penalized two strokes for appearing to deliberately improve his lie in a bunker.

“It’s an unfortunate situation obviously, but at the end of the day when you finish a round and the head rules official comes up to you and has the video and shows everything that went down to the whole group and says that you’ve done this perfectly, you did this the exact right way, the protocols you did were spot on, at that point, you know, I feel great about it,” Reed said.

“The ball just disappeared. None of us saw it bounce,” said Reed, who added that a nearby volunteer told him that it did not bounce. “I looked at my group and said, `Guys, she didn’t see it bounce it, either, so I’m going to mark this ball and see if it’s embedded.’

“Once I marked it, the first thing I wanted to do was make sure I got the ball out of my hand because you don’t want to clean it or anything because you don’t know if it’s embedded yet. When I put my finger down there and felt like it has broken ground, the first thing you do is call the rules official. … The rules official said, `Yes, this ball has broken the plane.”’

The ground was soft because of rain overnight Thursday and during the second round Friday, when play was suspended for nearly an hour because of a storm.

“At that point we go with what the rules official said and also with what the volunteers and what we see,” Reed said. “When we’re out there, we can’t see everything and when that happens you have to go with what the volunteers say and what the rules officials say and when all comes push and shove we felt like we did the right thing and the rules official said we did absolutely perfectly.”

PGA Tour rules official Ken Tackett said Reed “did all the things we ask to do of a player. It’s obviously difficult and you get to second-guessing when see video; soft conditions, there’s a lot of variables out there.”

The incident on 10 overshadowed Reed’s eagle on the par-5 sixth when he reached in two and made a 40-foot putt to get to 12 under. He reached 13 under with a birdie on No. 9.

The top Canadian going into the final round is Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., who sits in a tie for 20th at 4 under. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., is even and sitting in 45th, while Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., is 3 over par.

Sam Burns (70), Lanto Griffin (72), Viktor Hovland (73), Jon Rahm (72) and Adam Scott (72) were two shots back at 8 under. Rory McIlroy (70) was in a group of four at 7 under.

Scott’s round included an eagle, a double bogey, five birdies and five bogeys.

SAN DIEGO  — Viktor Hovland birdied his final for a 7-under 65 on Torrey Pines’ tough South Course on a rainy, miserable Friday, giving him a one-shot lead after two rounds of the Famers Insurance Open.

Hovland finished his round after play resumed following a suspension of about an hour due to wind and rain on the blufftop municipal course overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The 23-year-old Norwegian closed with a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-5 ninth to reach 9 under.

Hovland leads a group of six at 8 under, including first-round co-leader Patrick Reed and Jon Rahm, who won this tournament in 2017 and finished second to Marc Fleishman last year.

Reed shot an even-par 72 on the South Course a day after firing an 8-under 64 on the easier North Course. Rahm shot a 5-under 67 on the North Course.

Also at 8 under were Tony Finau, who had a 5-under 67 on the North; Ryan Palmer, who carded a 2-under 70 on the North; Adam Scott, who had a 3-under 69 on the South; and Lanto Griffin, who shot 2-under 70 on the South.

Three Canadians made the weekend cut.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is 5 under following a 70, putting him in a tie for 14th going into the weekend.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., (73) is 3 under, while Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., (71) is 1 under.

The weather is supposed to clear up for the weekend rounds on the South Course. The course will host the U.S. Open in June for just the second time.

Hovland lives in Stillwater, where he played at Oklahoma State. He said he’s been practicing there recently.

“That’s helped me for this week. It got really cold, obviously raining and hail, so being Norwegian I think that also helps,” he said. “I just played really solid and made some putts.”

He had just one bogey, on the par-4 15th.

Hovland, who won the Puerto Rico Open last year for his first tour victory, said he has confidence going into the weekend.

“I think especially playing a tough course like the South Course, you can’t really fake it, especially in these conditions,” he said. “Playing a hard golf course and then playing well, that I think is what gives me the ultimate kind of belief that I played really well today. You just can’t really fake it. But it’s another day tomorrow and we’ve got two more rounds left, so it’s definitely not going to roll over and give anything to you.”

Rahm also had just one bogey. He said it was much more difficult Friday than the opening round, which was played in nice weather.

“Those fairways are narrow enough as it is. When you start adding the side wind, it’s just not fun,” Rahm said.

“I can’t really stress how hard it can get,” he added. “North is easier. South today is brutal, I mean absolutely brutal. Every shot counts out there. Even being on the fairway some shots are not easy and with this wind and rain coming in and out, for those who played the North today, we should be really fortunate to play that course today.”

Rahm shot a 3-under 69 on the South Course on Thursday.

SAN DIEGO, CA. — Patrick Reed birdied his first three holes and finished with a bogey-free 8-under 64 on Thursday for a share of the lead with Alex Noren after the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open.

Reed, Noren and Scottie Scheffler — who was one stroke back — all played Torrey Pines’ easier North Course and will play the South Course on what could be a wet Friday. Heavy rain was forecast for overnight and into the second round at the municipal course overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Peter Malnati and Ryan Palmer each shot 66 for the lowest scores on the South Course and were in a group of 12 at 6 under. Malnati capped his round with an eagle on the par-5 18th. After a 321-yard tee shot, he hit his approach to 16 feet and made the putt.

Reed took advantage of nice weather and accurate tee shots to get off to the hot start. Starting on No. 10, he birdied the first three holes before making his first par. He closed with a flourish as well, with birdies on his 15th, 16th and 17th holes.

“I put myself in position today where I had to go out knowing that we’re going to get pretty good conditions, go out and try to make as many birdies as possible to be able to kind of weather the storm tomorrow,” Reed said. “I was able to kind of get off to a hot start and just kind of ride momentum going on through the rest of the round and continue attacking that golf course since that’s the one you’re able to attack.

“I was hitting the ball off the tee. You have to play from the fairway, shoot a low number and attack the course. Especially with what’s coming tomorrow.”

Reed said the closest he came to a bogey was on the par-4 fourth. He had a 35-foot putt for birdie and rolled it 3 feet to the right but saved par.

“That was the closest to a bogey, having a chance for a three putt, but besides that, everything else was pretty easy,” he said. “Definitely it felt easy out there just kind of with how I was hitting the driver, getting the ball in the fairway. I was working it both ways, which was nice. It’s not like I had only one way to go. I was able to hit the draws, hit the fades.”

Noren also started on No. 10. He eagled the par-7 17th and followed it with his only bogey. He birdied every other hole on his back nine.

Sheffler, who also played bogey-free, eagled the par-4 16th.

Noren, from Sweden, also took advantage of nice weather to get a low score on the North Course.

“Yeah, I’m hoping that we’re going to not get too flooded during the night,” he said. “But I played the South Course two rounds this week and I know how long it is now, especially when they lengthened some tee boxes, put them back. It’s a test. You definitely need some good ball striking there, especially in windy conditions. It’s good to get some birdies on the North, yeah.”

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., is the top Canadian after firing a 4-under 68 on the north course.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., and Jared du Toit (Kimbereley, B.C.) of Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad were both 2 under, while David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., shot a 2-over 74 — with all three teeing off on the north course.

The other three Canadians started their tournament on the south course. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., opened with a 3-under 69, Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., fired a 72, and Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., shot a 7-over 79.

Defending champion Marc Leishman struggled through a 1-under 71 on the South Course, including a triple-bogey 7 on No. 4.

Rory McIlroy shot a 68 on the South Course and was in a group of 11 at 4 under. He’s playing the Farmers for the third straight year and is hoping to file away some mental notes for the U.S. Open in June, which will be played at Torrey Pines for just the second time.

McIlroy birdied had four birdies on the front nine but didn’t get his fifth and final birdie until No. 17.

“I did well. I got off to a great start, 4-under through nine,” he said. “A little disappointed I didn’t pick up a couple more on the way in, especially with the two par 5s, not picking up any shots there. Yeah, I think anytime you shoot 68 on the South Course here you’ve got to be pretty happy.”

The PGA Tour makes its first stop at Torrey Pines this season for the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open.

With the famous course also hosting this year’s U.S. Open, it’s a little surprising that only three of the top-10 players in the world will be competing.

Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy lead the 156-person field heading into San Diego, California where they’ll be playing on both the North and South Courses the first two days. The final two rounds are both on the South.

Course Expectations

Built along the California coastline, Torrey Pines is one of the most picturesque stops on tour with mesmerizing views of the Pacific.

The North Course (par 72, 7,258 yards) is significantly easier to score on versus the South. Expect players to card their lowest round of the week whichever day they play on the North.

At 7,765-yards, the South Course will be the first track of the year where distance will significantly factor into the results. Considering how this course rates in driving accuracy, expect length to be a common advantage among the leaders this weekend.

With the majority of Torrey South’s par 4s playing 450 yards or more, expect the bombers to get aggressive on the four par 5s where most of the scoring will be done.

The key stats to follow heading into the weekend will be driving distance and strokes gained: approach the green. In three of the last four years, the winner has ranked T5 or better in SG APP.

Notables in the Field

Jon Rahm – The betting favourite heading into the tournament, the world’s number two golfer is primed for a strong showing once again at Torrey Pines. Last year, he was runner-up to Marc Leishman and won the tournament back in 2017. He clearly performs on this course and has the game profile to match.

Rory McIlroy – Finishing top-5 in this event the last two seasons, McIlroy has the tournament history and current form to be in contention Sunday. He’s finished no worse than T21 over his last seven events and is coming off a third place finish in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship last week.

Xander Schauffele – Currently ranked sixth in the world, Schauffele is in peak form having finished T25 or better in his last 12 tournaments. Unfortunately, the San Diego native hasn’t found success at the Farmers Insurance Open missing the cut in four of the last five tournaments. With no fans in attendance this weekend, perhaps some of the hometown pressure will be taken off his shoulders.

Marc Leishman – The defending champ is coming off a stellar T4 performance in Hawaii where he carded four consecutive rounds of 66 or better. Over his career, he’s had two second place showings and finished top-10 five times at the Farmers Insurance Open. With that being said, he currently ranks outside the top-100 in both driving distance and accuracy for 2021 suggesting he’ll have an uphill battle at Torrey Pines.

Jason Day – A two-time winner of this tournament, Day is still a top-15 betting pick even though he’s not at his best right now. Since finishing T4 at the PGA Championship, he’s missed the cut in three of his last nine tournaments. He hasn’t played since the RSM Classic in November so perhaps the time off will yield some better results to start 2021.

Canadians in Contention ?

Corey Conners – Of the seven Canadians competing this week, Conners has the best combination of current form and skillset to challenge for the win. Over the first 15 weeks of the 2020-21 season, Conners ranks 20^th in strokes gained: off-the-tee and 46^th in strokes gained: approach the green. He’s coming off five consecutive top-25 performances and has the highest betting odds out of the bunch.

Adam Hadwin – Even though Hadwin is the most accomplished of the seven, he comes into the Farmers Insurance Open in need of a strong performance. He missed the cut in his last three tournaments of 2020 but encouragingly finished T32 at The American Express last week. He’ll need better consistency from tee-to-green especially on the South Course but his short-game has been in fine form. He was 11^th last week in strokes gained: putting and 17^th in strokes gained: around-the-green.

Mackenzie Hughes – No Canadian was hotter than Hughes in 2020. He finished the season 14^th in the FedExCup standings with three top-3 finishes. Unfortunately over the last two seasons, he’s gotten off to slow starts. In 2020 he missed his first five cuts before finishing second at The Honda Classic in February. In 2019, he started the year missing four of his first six cuts. Coming off a T19 finish in Hawaii, Hughes looks ready for a career-year in 2021.

Roger Sloan – Even though Sloan has missed the cut two years in a row at the Farmers Insurance Open, his stats for 2021 paint a promising picture. He currently ranks 38^th in strokes gained: off-the-tee and 88^th in strokes gained: approach the green (second amongst the Canadians). Considering the Poa Annua greens at Torrey Pines’ South Course, his strong ball-striking will be necessary to go low this weekend.

David Hearn – The veteran of the group, Hearn’s hot putting will be needed to carry him into the weekend. Through the first 15 weeks of the 2021 PGA season, the Brampton-native ranks 10^th in strokes gained: putting. He finished T8 at the Bermuda Championship two years in a row and will look to carry that form to make the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open for the first time in his career.

Michael Gligic – The newest PGA Tour member of the bunch, Gligic opened the 2020-21 season making four of his first five cuts highlighted by a T11 finish at the Bermuda Championship. Considering the layout of the South Course, the Burlington-native’s length off the tee (26^th on the season) will be critical to his success this week. His putting continues to improve as well, ranking 53^rd on the year in strokes gained: putting.

Jared du Toit – Having played most of his professional golf on the Mackenzie Tour and PGA Tour Latinoamerica over the last four years, du Toit will be participating in his first PGA Tour event outside of the RBC Canadian Open this week. After birding the first playoff hole of Monday’s Farmer Insurance Open qualifier, du Toit is now scheduled for an 11 am PT tee time on the North Course at Torrey Pines.

Throwin it back to the time @Jareddutoit played in the final group at the 2016 @RBCCanadianOpen ? pic.twitter.com/MgXDvL36T0

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) January 26, 2021

LA QUINTA, Calif. _ Si Woo Kim birdied two of the final three holes to finish a rock-solid, 8-under 64, coolly rallying past late-charging Patrick Cantlay by one shot to win The American Express on Sunday for his third PGA Tour victory.

A year after Kim withdrew from the desert tournament because of a back injury following an awful first round, he began the final round with a share of the lead as he attempted to win for the first time since the 2017 Players Championship.

The 25-year-old South Korean didn’t flinch when Cantlay shot a 61 and surged out of 13th place to the front while breaking the Stadium Course record by two strokes.

Playing six groups behind Cantlay, Kim comfortably birdied the par-5 16th to pull even. Kim then buried a 19-foot birdie putt on the island green on the 17th to take the lead, joyously pumping his fist when his perfectly paced putt dropped.

Kim wrapped up his third bogey-free round of the tournament _ all on the Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course _ with a two-putt par on the 18th to finish at 23-under 265.

Adam Hadwin finished in a tie for 32nd place, the highest-ranked of all Canadians at the tournament. Roger Sloan finished in a tie for 40th, while Nick Taylor finished in a tie for 47th. David Hearn finished in a tie for 64th.

Kim had a much better time than he did last year in his return to the Palm Springs-area tournament long hosted by Bob Hope. A year ago, Kim shot a 15-over 87 in the opening round on the easier neighbouring Nicklaus Course before withdrawing.

Australia’s Cameron Davis shot a 64 to finish in a career-best third at 20 under. Tony Finau had a 68 and finished fourth after starting the final round with a share of the lead in his quest to land his long-awaited second PGA Tour win.

Cantlay was in 56th place when the third round began, but the Southern California native’s 65-61 finish shot him out of the crowded field and nearly led to his second victory of the 2020-21 season. He also won the Zozo Championship in Thousand Oaks last October when it was relocated from Japan.

The 28-year-old Cantlay made 11 birdies in the final round, including six in eight holes on the front nine. Cantlay capped his spectacular round with a 37-foot birdie putt on the 18th, pumping his fist subtly for the few fans clapping from their houses near the green.

Cantlay was born in Long Beach, went to high school in Anaheim and was the Division I player of the year at UCLA before his pro career.

All told, Cantlay made 20 birdies in his final two rounds, offset by two bogeys Saturday.

The top Canadian in the field was Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., who finished off the tournament with a round of 66 and ended 10 under in a tie for 32nd.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., was 8-under 280 for the tournament and T40, with Abbotsford native Nick Taylor following one shot behind at T47. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., finished the tournament 1-under par.

Third-round co-leaders Max Homa and Finau both faded, with Homa struggling to five bogeys in a 76, leaving him at 11 under. Finau posted his third top-10 finish of the season, but couldn’t keep up with Kim.

LA QUINTA, Calif. — Max Homa has been tearing up the Stadium Course at The American Express for two days. If he can do it one more time Sunday, the Southern California native could be raising his second career PGA Tour trophy.

Homa made nine birdies and shrugged off a double bogey on the way to a 7-under 65 in the third round Saturday, joining Tony Finau and Si Woo Kim atop the leaderboard at 15-under 201.

Richy Werenski also shot a 65 and moved within a shot of the lead on the Stadium Course at PGA West near Palm Springs.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., is in a seven-way tie for 13th place after a 3-under 69 Saturday, four strokes behind Homa, Finau and Kim.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. shot a 2-over 74, to fall into a tie for 31st place. Taylor finished his second round in second place, one stroke behind then-leader Sungjae Im.

Fellow Abbotsford native Adam Hadwin also shot a 2-over 74 and is now in a tie for 55th place. Brantford, Ont., native David Hearn is in a tie for 63rd at 2-under par.

Burlington, Ont., native Michael Gilgic failed to make the cut to play Saturday.

Scotland’s Russell Knox shot the day’s low round with a 64 — one stroke off the course record — to join Brian Harman and Emiliano Grillo at 13 under.

Finau and Kim both shot 67. Kim was bogey-free, while the streakier Finau bounced back from a double bogey on the 13th with three consecutive birdies.

The field played through sparse desert rain in the afternoon. Precipitation finally fell in earnest when the final group reached the 18th hole, with Finau and Kim forced to pull out their umbrellas.

Second-round leader Sungjae Im struggled to a 73, leaving him five shots off the lead after four bogeys — including a triple bogey on the ninth after putting two straight shots in the water. First-round leader Brandon Hagy shot a 72 and was even with Im at 10 under.

Homa is in prime position for his second career win in his first tournament of the new year. He began the day just three shots off Im’s pace at 8 under, and he swiftly closed the gap with four birdies in his first five holes.

Homa has 17 birdies in the last two rounds on the Stadium Course.

“There’s obviously a handful of very daunting holes, but I’ve been fortunate enough to play here a ton, so I have a pretty good feel for the place,” Homa said. “I’ve been able to put myself in a position to have good looks for birdie, and I’ve been putting great. It’s just something about these greens. It feels like home.”

The Burbank-born son of a well-known acting coach put his tee shot in the water and two-putted for that double bogey on the seventh, but Homa made up for it with birdies on five of his next eight holes, including three in a row down the back stretch.

Finau put his tee shot in the water on the 13th and then missed a 10-inch putt for double bogey, but the Utah native rebounded with three of his eight birdies on a series of impressive approach shots.

Werenski charged into fourth with a round that included six birdies and was highlighted by an eagle on the fifth after an exceptional 224-yard approach shot left him a 4-foot putt.

The 29-year-old Massachusetts native is seeking his second PGA Tour win. After going bogey-free through his first 48 holes at The American Express, he finally missed a 10-foot par putt on the 13th before rallying with two more birdies down the stretch

“I’ve been giving myself plenty of looks and just haven’t been converting them, and today I finally made some (putts),” Werenski said. “So I think we’re kind of turning the corner.. … I’ve always liked this place. I’ve never finished really, really high here, but I’ve always known that I could play really good. It just fits my eye.”

Australia’s Cameron Davis had the shot of the day on the 15th, holing out for eagle from 157 yards away from a section of rough below the fairway. Davis finished the third round at 12-under 204 along with Rory Sabbatini, Chase Seiffert, Francesco Molinari and Doug Ghim.

LA QUINTA, Calif. — Although Sungjae Im hasn’t been on the PGA Tour for very long, the 22-year-old South Korean already feels awfully comfortable on the generous desert courses at The American Express.

So do plenty of other pros, and that’s why the leaderboard is so crowded heading to the weekend.

Im shot a 7-under 65 on Friday at The American Express to take a one-stroke lead over first-round leader Brandon Hagy and four others including Abbotsford, B.C., native Nick Taylor.

Im, the tour’s rookie of the year in 2019, had seven birdies in a bogey-free round on the Stadium Course at PGA West, highlighted by three in four holes around the turn. After struggling with his putter in recent weeks, he banged in a 22-footer and an 18-footer for consecutive birdies late in his round.

“Visually from the tee box, it’s a course that I really like and enjoy to play, so I felt really comfortable throughout the round,” Im said. “The two courses that we’re playing this week, I like those courses, and that’s what led me to a good score.”

Hagy was in position to join Im at 11 under, but he bogeyed his final hole with a tee shot into the fairway bunker to finish his 70.

Taylor (66), South Korea’s Si Woo Kim (68), Tony Finau (66) and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer (65) also were 10 under. Emiliano Grillo (66), Francesco Molinari (66) and Doug Ghim (68) were two shots off the lead, and eight more were at 8 under.

Taylor appears to be rounding into impressive form as he prepares to defend his Pebble Beach title in three weeks.

“My game feels really good right now, so hopefully it keeps peaking,”

he said. “It was a lot of intimidating tee shots, iron shots into greens. I feel like I missed in the right places. I drove it really nice on the par-5s and gave myself pretty easy looks on a few of them.”

Tournament host Phil Mickelson missed the cut, but made 18 pars Friday for the first time in his 2,201 rounds of PGA Tour play.

With his drives looking sharp and his mid-range putts dropping regularly, Im is off to another strong start at a tournament in which he has already finished 10th and 12th in his short Tour career.

“I’m pretty satisfied with how I played all of my shots,” Im said. “Speaking of putting, I started drawing a line on the ball as I visualize my putts, and that seemed to work pretty well today.”

Im also feels he might have an edge because didn’t travel home to South Korea during the holiday break due to the mandatory coronavirus quarantine required. Instead, he stayed in the house he recently purchased in Atlanta and practiced for the new season.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., shot 5-under 67 to get to 8 under. Adam Hadwin matched fellow Abbotsford, B.C., resident Taylor with a 66 to reach 6 under. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., (71) was at 5 under, one stroke clear of the cut line, while Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., (77) missed the cut.

The leaderboard was stacked with low scores as usual at the Palm Springs-area tournament long hosted by Bob Hope. Im, Taylor and Ancer were among 12 players who didn’t make a bogey Friday.

After splitting the first two rounds over two courses, the players will all play the once-feared Stadium Course for the final two rounds. Heavy cloud cover never developed into rain Friday, but there’s a possibility of afternoon showers Saturday.

Hagy made 10 birdies in his opening round, but got off to a rough start Friday on the Stadium Course with two early bogeys. He rallied with birdies on his 16th and 17th holes, but his errant drive on his final hole kept him one shot off the pace.

“I feel comfortable here,” Hagy said. “I’m a California kid, been to Palm Springs a ton of times, so I know the courses well. … The first two rounds of this tournament are showing me that the stuff I’m working on, especially this off-season, is definitely getting better.”

Taylor, who also led the Sony Open after two rounds last week, shot a 66 with six birdies on the Stadium Course. He had three straight birdies on the back nine of his bogey-free round, including a 24-foot birdie putt on the 15th and an 18-footer on the island green at the 17th.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., is 3 shots back at 8 under, and sits tied for 10th place. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford carded a 66 for 138, while David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., played a 71. Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., missed the -4 cut line.

Mickelson finished his two rounds at 2 over, but making 18 pars felt encouraging to the 50-year-old veteran as he heads back to his native San Diego area next week.

“It’s surprising, because I really try to hit fairways and centre of the greens and just make easy pars,” Mickelson said. “For that to be the first time, it’s really shocking. … There’s a lot of good things to take from it — the way I’m driving the ball, my iron play. There’s a lot of positives. If you look at the scorecard, it’s pathetic. I’m not denying that. But I think that it’s a little bit closer than it looks.”

LA QUINTA, Calif. — Brandon Hagy didn’t find out he was in the field at The American Express until three days before it started. The Californian then left no doubt he belonged.

Hagy took the first-round lead Thursday with an 8-under 64 on the Nicklaus course, staying one shot ahead of South Korea’s Byeong Hun An in the opening tournament of the PGA Tour’s West Coast swing.

Hagy racked up 10 birdies, including three streaks of three in a row. He capped the round with a calm birdie putt on the 18th.

“I felt like I saw the greens really well, and the last couple of days, I felt like I was putting really well,” Hagy said. “Once I started to read them well, I knew if I could just keep doing what I was doing, I’d have a good shot to do something.”

Hagy grew up in Westlake Village before his All-America collegiate career in Berkeley.

He was added to the AmEx field Monday when second-ranked Jon Rahm abruptly dropped out without giving a reason to tour officials. Rahm later said he incurred a minor injury in the gym, but the Spaniard plans to play at Torrey Pines next week.

Hagy might have made it into the field anyway after additional dropouts, but he was still grateful to Rahm, his friend and a collegiate opponent when Rahm played at Arizona State: “I’ll have to send him a gift or something.”

An made seven birdies without a bogey in his 65. Max Homa, Martin Laird and Si Woo Kim shot 66.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., are the top Canadians after opening with 4-under 68s.

Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., fired a 69, Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont. opened with a 71 and Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin came in with a 72.

This famed Palm Springs-area tournament long hosted by Bob Hope has undergone significant changes this season due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the idyllic sunshine was familiar to the players who made the trip to the venerable desert event.

The long-standing pro-am format has been dropped for a year, although the likes of Landon Donovan and country singer Jake Owen participated in a charity tournament Wednesday. With fewer golfers on course, the pros are also playing on only two courses instead of the usual three.

But the tournament kept its tradition of providing every opportunity for low scores: the once-feared Stadium Course and the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West are among the most generous in the sport, with birdie opportunities abounding.

Hagy started with a bogey on the first hole of the Nicklaus course, but then the birdies came in bunches. He birdied six of the seven holes before the turn, and he added three more on the back nine after his second bogey.

The 29-year-old’s game is coming into focus after a rough few years for a promising talent. After turning pro in 2017 and recording his first top-10 finish in 2017, Hagy missed the entire 2018 season with a persistent wrist injury, and he played only 13 events in 2019 while struggling with a back injury.

After making eight cuts last year, Hagy is back at full health after a solid off-season of preparation.

“I’m happy with what I’ve been doing,” Hagy said. “I’m getting to a point now where I know exactly what I need to work on, and to just keep getting the reps.”