Several of the biggest names on the PGA Tour continued strong starts at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play on Thursday, but Bryson DeChambeau was not among them.

Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka have all enjoyed 2-0-0 starts in Austin as they aim to top their four-man groups and reach the weekend.

Yet DeChambeau had only been able to tie with 49-year-old Richard Bland – bidding to become the oldest professional to qualify for the Masters – on Wednesday, with even that result requiring a little luck.

Up against Lee Westwood on Thursday, DeChambeau knew he must improve but did not. Westwood finished 1 up to leave DeChambeau bottom of Group 9 with just half a point.

DeChambeau at least has the excuse he is struggling with a wrist injury; world number four Patrick Cantlay will do well to explain away his below-par performances.

Cantlay lost his narrow lead over Keith Mitchell late on Wednesday and was well off the pace when play resumed in round two, beaten 5 and 4 by Seamus Power.

That result tied the biggest of Thursday, with Rahm and Justin Thomas also 5 and 4 winners against Cameron Young and Marc Leishman respectively.

Nothing quite compared to Maverick McNealy's sensational 8 and 6 defeat of Joaquin Niemann from the previous day – and McNealy could only tie with Kevin Na on Thursday, despite twice being 3 up.

Elsewhere, at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship, the tournament got under way with Ben Martin moving to the top of the leaderboard with a six-under 66, enough for a one-stroke lead.

Former national champion Sean Morris pulled off a commanding victory during Sunday’s final round of the Constant Spring Golf Classic at the Constant Spring Golf Club while being the only player to record an under-par score on the par 70 course.

Morris shot a three-under-par 67 to win by 11 shots over runner-up William Knibbs. Aman Dhiman was further back in third in the Men & Men Senior 0-6 category.

Morris scored 72 on the opening day for a combined score of 139. Over the two rounds, he carded nine birdies, six bogeys and a double-bogey at the 15^th hole on opening day. He was at his best on the front nine on Sunday when he shot three birdies to be three-under.

"I am on my way back with some new equipment so the journey is going to be a hard one,” Morris said afterwards.

“After the tournament I played at Caymanas, I knew there was something in these clubs but I still have some adjustment to do so I am still not as confident as I would like to be with them. The score was 72 on the first day and 67 on the second day which is a total of one-under par. An under par round on any golf course in Jamaica is a commendable score, so I am really happy with it."

He said he was satisfied with the playing conditions.

“The course was in pretty good shape,” he said.

“The greens were a little bit inconsistent but it’s the same course that everybody plays so everybody has to figure it out. I am happy to be the one who came out on top this weekend."

Knibbs, meanwhile, carded a three-over-par 73 one day one and was seven for a 77 on Sunday for a total 150. Dhiman scored 83 and 79 for a combined score of 162.

The top performers in the various categories were as follows:

Men & Men Senior 7-12 - Vikram Dhiman 153 (74, 79), Philip Gooden 164 (80, 84) and Clive Newman 171 (88, 83).

Men and Men Senior 13-24 - Courtney Cephas 175 (81, 94) and Mitchell Watson 215 (108, 107).

Men Super Senior 0-12 - Wayne Chai Chong 156 (73, 83), Radcliff Knibbs 158 (82, 76) and Bert Tomlinson 160 (81, 79).

Men Super Senior 13 -24 - Vivian Monteith 186 (84, 102), Linval Freeman 188 (90, 98) and Howard Lau 192 (97, 95).

Boys 16-17 Noah Azan 165 (84, 81) and Zaniel Knight 178 (93, 85).

Boys 14-15 - Lek Drummond 191 (100, 91).

Girls 14-15 - Samantha Azan (73, 80)

Phil Mickelson will not be competing in this year's Masters tournament, according to the organisers' official website.

The 51-year-old had been among the list of participants until Monday, but he has now been moved to a section listed as "past champions not playing".

A three-time Masters winner, this would have been Mickelson's 30th appearance at the major event. 

Mickelson has been the subject of criticism since he claimed a proposed Saudi Arabia-backed Super Golf League could give players "leverage" as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to "reshape how the PGA Tour operates".

The American suggested he and others had paid lawyers to construct the proposed breakaway competition's agreement, despite acknowledging Saudi Arabia has "a horrible record on human rights".

Mickelson later apologised for what he described as "reckless" comments following huge criticism and is now taking a break from the sport.

The six-time major champion was also a notable absentee from The Players Championship.

Sam Burns secured his third PGA Tour victory in 22 starts, defeating Davis Riley in a playoff at the Valspar Championship on Sunday.

Burns defended his crown against his friend and Junior Ryder Cup teammate, birdieing the second playoff hole with a tough putt from the edge of the green on the notoriously difficult par-four 16th at Copperhead.

"It was crazy. Davis played really well, especially the way he finished," Burns said afterwards. "We didn't make a lot of mistakes, and I think a lot of times on Sundays, if you can plot your way around, make a bunch of pars, throw in a few birdies here and there, a lot of times it works well.

"My coach actually came down on Monday. I struggled in the final round of The Players and I needed some help."

On going up against Riley in the playoff, Burns admittedly won with a tinge of lament.

"It [the playoff] was a blast," Burns said. "Unfortunately, I got the better end of it today but throughout our careers we're going to have a lot of battles. He's a heck of player and I'm happy for how well he's been playing."

Burns and Riley were tied at 17-under-par after 72 holes, after the former bogeyed the penultimate hole, his first for the day.

The world number eight, who made five bogies and a double bogey playing in the last group at The Players Championship at Sawgrass the weekend prior, almost went without a blemish at Copperhead. With the finish line in sight, he hit the bunker on the par-three 17th and couldn't recover.

Riley then had a chance to putt for the tournament on the closing hole, after he birdied the 17th to tie with Burns, and set up a makeable birdie on the par-four 18th.

His putt drifted agonisingly wide of the cup, forcing a playoff. Riley's tee shot on the opening playoff hole faded into the rough before finding the bunker, while Burns made the green in regulation, but both made par.

The defending champion managed to birdie the notorious par-four 16th despite hitting the rough from the tee.

Shaun Norris overcame fellow South African Dean Burmester to clinch the Steyn City Championship title.

Norris ultimately won his first DP World Tour (or European Tour) title by three shots, though he had to come from behind to do so.

Having seen the four-shot lead he held overnight reduced by a poor start, which included two bogeys on the front nine, Norris dropped two strokes back as Burmester rallied with two birdies and an eagle.

Yet Norris was in no mood to let the opportunity of winning the first title of the new event slip from his grasp and he birdied three of the next six holes to haul himself level at the top of the leaderboard.

That pressure told as Burmester hit a double bogey on the 17th, after Norris had birdied, and a composed par on the final hole sealed a closing round of 70 for the champion, who finished the week on 25 under par.

"I don't think words can describe how I feel right now," said Norris, who shared his victory with his family on the 18th green.

"It's been a tough journey and having my brother on the bag, my wife here, my little girl. Splendid. It's absolutely beautiful doing this in front of my home crowd and in front of my family."

Norris' nine previous professional wins had come on the Japan Tour, Sunshine Tour and the Asian Tour.

Burmester was three clear of compatriot Oliver Bekker and Germany's Matti Schmid, who were tied for third on 19 under.

Davis Riley has a two-stroke lead heading into the last round of the PGA Valspar Championship at Copperhead after a stunning nine under on Saturday.

Riley's score of 62 came just one day after Matthew NeSmith shot a 10-under-61 to break the Copperhead course record and claim the lead after the second round.

It is Riley's second score of 62 this tournament after also managing it in the first round, going bogey-less this time around.

On three separate occasions Riley birdied consecutive holes, starting on fire with birdies on the first and second, as well as the sixth and seventh, and holes 13 and 14.

Nobody is within a stroke of Riley's 18 under, with NeSmith outright second on 16 under, while there is a two-man tie for third as Justin Thomas' third consecutive 66 pulled him level with defending champion Sam Burns on 15 under.

It looked like it was going to be Burns' day early on as he pursued back-to-back titles at Innisbrook, nabbing an eagle on the first hole and a birdie on the second before a bogey on the third brought him back to earth.

Matthew NeSmith tied the Copperhead course record at Innisbrook with a 10-under 61, setting up a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Valspar Championship.

NeSmith finished on 14-under-par after rolling through the opening nine at Copperhead, notching up six birdies.

The highlight, however, was his eagle on the par-five 14th hole, before closing out the round. His 61 tied the course record set by Padraig Harrington in 2012.

He also broke the 36-hole record at the Valspar Championship that Sam Burns and Keegan Bradley set a year ago.

Defending champion Burns remains in contention, recovering from a bogey on the par-five 11th to also post an eagle on the 14th, and finish on four-under-par for the day.

He and Scott Stallings are three strokes behind NeSmith on 11-under-par.

Adam Hadwin sits alone on 12-under-par after he finished Friday with a five-under-par 66. The Canadian's lone victory on the PGA Tour came at Innisbrook in 2017.

Meanwhile, Justin Thomas sits at 10-under-par, bouncing back from a double bogey on the par-four seventh to post an eventual five-under-par 66.

Following wild weather in Florida, which caused scheduling havoc at The Players Championship at Sawgrass last weekend, the greens at Innisbrook have responded well.

According to Thomas, it influenced him taking needless risk on that seventh hole.

"I should have just tried to hit it in the front bunker and it was a pretty easy up-and-down," he said.

"As good as I felt with my putter, I felt like if I got it on the green, I could make a three. But it wasn't necessary. It just didn't really need to happen."

Defending champion Sam Burns is one of four players to score a seven-under-par 64, after the first round of play at the Valspar Championship on Thursday.

The world number eight had a busy round on the opening day, with nine birdies and two bogeys. He recovered well after bogey the par-four 16th and reeled off birdies on the final two holes to close out his opening 18 holes.

Following a chaotic weekend at The Players Championship, the Florida weather had a positive effect on the Copperhead course, with Burns reaping the benefits from facilitative greens.

"The greens are really receptive with the rain we’ve gotten last week," he told reporters following his round.

"Yeah, I think the golf course will continue to firm up after we get some sun and wind and I think it’s going to play really well the next few days."

Burns, David Lipsky, Adam Hadwin and Jhonattan Vegas share the lead at Copperhead after the first day of play.

Scott Stallings, Richy Werenski, Davis Riley and Danny Lee are one back at six under, while Justin Thomas, Kramer Hickok and Doc Redman are a further two strokes back.

After missing the cut at TPC Sawgrass, Jason Day opened with a one-under-70, only two weeks after the passing of mother.

Notable names in group at four under include Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Louis Oosthuizen.

Out of the co-leaders, though, Lipsky was the only one to go bogey-free, opening with a birdie on the par-five first to set the tone on a confident front nine. He closed out the round with four consecutive pars.

The 33-year-old has never won on the PGA Tour and has not won an event since his time on the European Tour in 2018.

The new Saudi Arabia-backed golf competition has announced a series of tournaments that will begin in England in June, the event offering a record $25million (£19.1m) purse.

A number of high-profile players were said to have been targeted by organisers of the lucrative breakaway league from the PGA Tour, including Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy.

But most of golf's stars, including the trio, denounced the proposal, which appeared to fade away after widespread condemnation and ridicule.

However, the LIV Golf Invitational - headed by chief executive Greg Norman - has been announced and is being regarded as the first form of a breakaway Super Golf League.

The new series will include eight 54-hole events across Europe, America and Asia, with the first tournament set to take place at the Centurion Club in Hertfordshire from 9-11 June, the week before the US Open.

There will be $25m on offer at the inaugural event, $5m more than the record $20m purse at last week's Players Championship, which Cameron Smith won on Monday.

No players have been announced as competing in the breakaway league yet, but the PGA and Europe's DP World Tours have threatened defectors to the new league with lifetime bans.

"In year one, there will be a max of 48 players on 12 four-man teams and a truly global field with golfers invited from all tours around the world to beta test the new format," said a statement from the organisers.

"Each event will have teams comprised of different players determined by a draft the week of the event."

Norman added: "Our events are truly additive to the world of golf. We have done our best to create a schedule that allows players to play elsewhere, while still participating in our events.

"I believe players will increasingly make progress in achieving their right to play where they want. We will help in any way possible and will provide golfers with opportunities to achieve their full potential."

The tournaments will have no cuts and all competitors will start simultaneously, with the season-ending eighth event set to offer an even larger reward.

"Total prize purse for the eight events will reach an unprecedented $255m," the statement continued. 

"The first seven regular-season events will carry a total purse of $25m comprised of $20m in individual prizes (all players in the field earn a share) and $5m for the top three teams.

"Following the first seven events, an individual champion will be crowned offering a total purse of $30m for the top three individuals of the season.

"The season-ending eighth event will be a team championship that will provide $50m in total prize funds."

Henrik Stenson will be Europe's captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup, the team announced on Tuesday.

A veteran of five Ryder Cup appearances, Stenson has helped Europe to three successes over the United States in the biennial tournament.

The 45-year-old takes the helm from Padraig Harrington, who presided over Europe's record 19-9 loss to the States at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin last year.

Stenson made his Ryder Cup debut 16 years ago at the K Club in Ireland, clinching the decisive point in a 18.5-9.5 victory for Europe – he also contributed to the successes in 2014 at Gleneagles and four years later at Le Golf National, France.

Having become Sweden's first male major winner at the 145th Open in 2016, Stenson will now also be the first Swede to captain Europe.

Stenson was chosen by a five-man panel that included the three most recent European captains before him, and he was understandably honoured to get such an opportunity.

"I am absolutely thrilled and delighted to be the European Ryder Cup captain – it is a huge honour and I was humbled to get the call confirming the news," he said.

"I would like to thank the selection panel for believing in me and will say to them, and every European golf fan, that I will do everything in my power and leave no stone unturned in the quest to get the Ryder Cup back in European hands.

"The Ryder Cup is golf, and sport, at its very best. I got goosebumps every time I pulled on a European shirt as a player and that will be magnified in the role of captain.

"While it is great for me personally, it is also great for my country and all the players from Sweden who have played for Europe with such distinction since Joakim Haeggman became the first in 1993.

"When I started out as a professional golfer, it was beyond my wildest dreams that, one day, I would follow in the footsteps of legends of the game such as Seve [Ballesteros] and be the European Ryder Cup captain. But today proves that, sometimes, dreams do come true."

The 2023 Ryder Cup will be held at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome between September 29 and October 1 next year.

Stenson and his 12-man team will go up against the roster assembled by Zach Johnson, who was named the USA's skipper at the end of February.

Cameron Smith was not even prioritising golf in the lead-up to The Players Championship, where he carded 10 birdies in the final round to claim the largest purse in PGA Tour history.

The Australian finished one shot clear of Indian Anirban Lahiri, with England's Paul Casey in third, taking home a winner's cheque of $3.6million in the process.

The 28-year-old spoke with NBC Sport's broadcast after walking off the final green and ended up fighting back tears as he discussed the challenges of spending so much time away from his family and friends.

"[The win] is huge –  it's going to take a while to sink in I think," he said.

"It's cool being here in Jacksonville – I live here now, I call this place home and I had a lot of fans out there rooting for me today.

"I haven't seen [my family] in two years, it's really cool to have them here. 

"My main priority really was just to hang out with them, and golf was second for these few weeks, so it's nice to see them – and nice to get a win for them."

Smith only ended the day with four pars after what was a wild round.

But while other parts of his game may have been erratic, Smith was thankful he could rely on his putting to get himself out of some tricky situations, before touching on his remarkable tee-shot on the 17th.

"[Putting] was probably the big key for me today – it kept me in it," he added.

"I obviously made plenty of birdies, and I had to make a lot of good par puts at the end. 

"It's definitely the strength of my game, and sometimes I lean on it too much, but it's nice to see them go in.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't push [the tee-shot on 17] a little bit. 

"I was trying to hit it over the bunker there and hold it up against the wind, and the wind didn't really do much for three-quarters of the shot, but it held it up right at the end there – that was just awesome."

Cameron Smith claimed the biggest victory of his career and heftiest purse in golf as he won The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass despite a tense finish.

It was an action-packed final day for the tour's most-famous mullet, finishing with only four pars from his 18 holes on his way to a final score of 13 under for the tournament.

Smith started like a house on fire, birdieing the first four holes of the day and also the sixth, before things started to go awry with bogeys on the final three holes of the front nine.

Undeterred, Smith responded with another streak of four successive birdies to open up the back-nine, resulting in a multi-stroke lead with five holes to play.

On the famous 17th, Smith admitted he pushed his shot well right of his intended target, but it landed within one yard of the hole for a tap-in, taking a three-stroke lead.

However, the contest was far from over. Anirban Lahiri also birdied the 17th, trimming the margin to two with one hole to play.

It was a horror start to the last for Smith, spraying his drive into the trees before his recovery shot back towards the fairway ran all the way into the water.

Needing a clutch chip to put himself in a position to save a bogey, Smith delivered, again landing within one yard of the hole and tapping in for a final-round 66.

Trailing by one stroke, Lahiri needed a birdie on the par-four last to force a playoff, but his second shot failed to make the green and he ultimately settled for par and a second-place finish.

Two-time major champion Dustin Johnson responded to a disappointing 76 in the third round to post a nine-under 63 – three strokes better than the trio of Smith, Max Homa and Rory McIlroy with 66.

In a day to forget, world number one Jon Rahm posted an eye-watering five-over nine on the par-four fourth hole, going on to finish with a final-round 77, tying for 55th.

For the win, Smith nets $3.6million – the biggest winner's purse in PGA Tour history – while Lahiri takes home over $2.1m in second, and Paul Casey collects nearly $1.4m in third.

Shane Lowry made the biggest noise at TPC Sawgrass, even though Anirban Lahiri leads The Players Championship after the close of play on Sunday.

The Irishman hit a hole-in-one on the notorious par-three island green 17th hole, using a pitching wedge and getting the ball past the pin, before rolling back and dropping in.

The 2019 Open Championship winner came into the third round at one-under par, and bogeyed the par-five 11th before birdieing the 14th and 16th in a chaotic back nine.

After holing from the tee on the 17th, Lowry celebrated wildly with playing partner and Ryder Cup teammate Ian Poulter, proceeding to throw his ball into the crowd.

It was a stark contrast to the norm on the 17th, made even more treacherous with a stiff headwind, with Brooks Keopka and Collin Morikawa among those to put shots into the water.

On another weather-interrupted day, Lahiri leads the pack, managing to finish 11 holes on nine-under par overall as darkness descended on Sawgrass. The world number 322 bogeyed the first hole of the back nine, but steadied to birdie the par-five 11th.

Stormy weather in the Florida region has wreaked havoc on scheduling and bad light eventually stopped play on Sunday. The third round will finish on Monday, with all players at least managing to finish nine holes.

Tom Hoge and Harold Varner III are currently one shot back from Lahiri on eight-under par. Hoge bounced back from a bogey on the sixth, birdieing on the par-five ninth hole to close out his Sunday.

Sebastian Munoz, Paul Casey and Sam Burns are tied at seven-under overall, with Francesco Molinary, Daniel Berger, Camero Smith and Doug Ghim one further stroke back. at six-under overall.

With the second round finishing early on Sunday, Rory McIlroy only just managed to make the cut at two-over par. Driving into the water on the 16th, pars on the final two holes saved him, as two balls into the water from Scott Piercy on the 17th and missed the cut.

Having also just made the cut after 36 holes, FedExCup leader Scottie Scheffler is at one-over par, birdieing the par-five 16th to finish nine holes for the third round.

Pablo Larrazabal won a three-way play-off against Adri Arnaus and Jordan Smith to claim his sixth title on the DP World Tour, winning the Pecanwood Classic in South Africa on Sunday.

The Spaniard finished at 22 under after carding a 67 in the final round at Pecanwood Golf and Country Club in Hartbeespoort, and he was joined on that 72-hole score by countryman Arnaus and Englishman Smith. Arnaus also finished with a 67, while Smith shot a closing 65.

Larrazabal held his nerve to see off Arnaus in an initial run down the 18th hole, before capitalising on an error from Smith off the tee the second time around to make a winning birdie putt.

"What a day," Larrazabal said on the DP World Tour website. "I felt great this morning. It was one of those days where you just feel great and you know you’re going to have a chance. I started fast to get into the lead very quick."

It marks a first win on the tour for the 38-year-old since he claimed the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December 2019.

The circuit remains in South Africa now for next weekend's Steyn City Championship, before moving on to Qatar for the rearranged Qatar Masters.

Defending champion Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson managed to shoot bogey-free rounds on Saturday at The Players Championship, despite heavy winds.

The duo became the 36-hole clubhouse leaders at three under, but Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge remained at the top of the leaderboard.

Fleetwood only played three holes of his second round on Saturday while Hoge did not even start his before bad light suspended the day's action again.

Stormy weather in the Florida region in the past few days lead to many competitors only finishing their openings rounds on Saturday.

Further weather disruption meant play did not start until midday local time, with 47 players finally completing their opening rounds in the first two hours.

Fleetwood remained at six over par after recording a birdie and a bogey in his three holes, level with Hoge and one shot ahead of Joaquin Niemann, Keith Mitchell and Anirban Lahiri, all tied for third at five under.

Thomas, who won last year's event, carded a three-under 69 to move up to joint-15th place after an even par 72 in his first round, while Watson played himself back into contention with the best second-round score so far of 68 to match Thomas overall on three under.

Dustin Johnson shot 73 in his second round to move to two under, tied for 23rd, while last year's runner-up Lee Westwood will miss the cut after a dismal round of 80 saw him nine over after two rounds.

Brooks Koepka had an even worse day, carding 81 to also sit at nine over, while Rory McIlroy was able to finally complete his first round for 73, before going back out and hitting the same score again, including a double-bogey at the seventh, to leave himself two over.

The par-three 17th was proving particularly tricky in the high winds, with 29 balls finding the water on Saturday, while just four had suffered the same fate in the previous two days. McIlroy said afterwards: "Basically, the green's a big massive dartboard, and you're like, just hit it anywhere on there."

Weather permitting, play is due to resume at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday at 8:15am local time.