Sam Burns shot a second round 61 as he took a one-shot halfway lead at The American Express tournament in California.

Burns’ career-low round leaves him on 17 under par, one shot ahead of fellow American Michael Kim with South Korean’s KH Lee and American amateur Nick Dunlap a further shot back.

A pair of eagles and seven birdies had put Burns in with a chance of breaking 60, but he could only par the last two holes.

Dunlap, who plays at the University of Alabama, fired a 65 at the Stadium Course – one of three being used for the tournament – to follow his opening 64.

A group of six, including American Ryder Cup star Patrick Cantlay and joint overnight leader Alex Noren of Sweden, sit on 14 under par.

Ireland’s Shane Lowry shot a second round of 67 to lie seven shots off the lead.

Jamaica's Oshae Haye and Zandre Roye found the going tough in the opening round of the ninth Latin America Amateur Championship and were hoping to play catch up in the second round of action in Panama.

With some 108 golfers from Latin America and the Caribbean parading their skills at the Santa Maria Golf Club, Roye and Haye are faced with a daunting task of ascending up the order from seven over par 77 and nine over par 79 respectively. Both are now in danger of not making the cut, as the cut line will be announced at the end of the second round.

Oral Morales and Santiago De la Fuente, both of Mexico, and Guatemala's Jose Arzu of Guatemala, all locked on one under par 69 at the top of the standing.

Roye, who started out well and was in 17th position at one point, had some issues as he approached the end of the round, which resulted in a slip down the leaderboard.

"Day one completed. I shot a 77 today with a bogey and a triple bogey on the last two holes. Not the ideal finish, very bad finish, but all in all, I really hit the ball today. Hit a lot of greens, made a lot of putts. In a positive trend going into tomorrow, I think we can better that score tomorrow definitely," Roye said.

Both golfers are representing Jamaica at the championship for the first time. Justin Burrowes, who turned pro late last year, and William Knibbs have represented Jamaica in recent times.

Other representatives include Ian Facey, who is also now among the professional ranks, as well as Sean Morris and Jonathan Newnham. The island’s best placed golfer in the championship to date is Facey, who tied for 24th position in 2015 with a best round of 68 on the first day.

American Cameron Young held a three-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic as defending champion Rory McIlroy remained well off the pace.

Young added a second round of 64 to his opening 67 at Emirates Golf Club to reach 13 under par, with England’s Andy Sullivan and Poland’s Adrian Meronk his nearest challengers on 10 under.

Seeking a record fourth win in the event, McIlroy recorded five birdies and three bogeys in a round of 70 which left him 10 strokes off the lead.

Young, who has yet to win on the PGA Tour or DP World Tour, carded nine birdies and a solitary bogey on the ninth, his final hole of the day, after finding the water left of the green with his approach.

“I putted fantastic,” the world number 25 said. “I made a couple of long ones yesterday and then made a few more today that had no right going in I feel like.

“I hit a bunch of good putts, but just one of those days where you kind of have a couple of 30-footers and you look up and they are going right in the middle, which doesn’t happen all that often to have a bunch of them in one round.

“I’m doing a really good job of staying out of my own way. Kind of realised it was going well early, but the back nine, at the same time, it feels like you should do that to some extent, especially in the morning with not much wind.”

Meronk, who won three times on the DP World Tour last year and was voted player of the year by his peers, added a flawless 66 to his opening 68, while Sullivan returned a second successive 67.

“The experience [of winning] gives you a little more confidence that you’ve done it before, so you can do it again,” Meronk said.

“The key is just to stick to your plan for your game, trust your shots, full commitment. Don’t get too ahead of yourself.

“It’s easy to say, but I think you have to experience it first and then it gets easier, but it’s never easy. But at least I have some experience under my belt.”

McIlroy looked set to climb up the leaderboard after he birdied the second and seventh, but he bogeyed the eighth after a sliced drive plugged in the desert and also dropped a shot on the ninth following another wayward tee shot.

The world number two also followed a birdie on the 10th with a bogey on the next and took an angry swipe at the rough following a fluffed pitch on the 17th, but at least ended the day on a high with a birdie from 20 feet on the 18th.

Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura threatened to card just the second 59 in DP World Tour history when he covered his first 12 holes in 10 under par thanks to an eagle and eight birdies, but bogeyed his penultimate hole and had to settle for a 63.

Nevertheless, that was a 12-shot improvement on his opening round and lifted Kawamura into a tie for seventh on six under par.

Dubai Invitational winner Tommy Fleetwood celebrated his 33rd birthday with a 70 to finish five under.

American Zach Johnson made 10 birdies on a low-scoring first day of the American Express PGA Tournament, sharing the lead with Sweden’s Alex Noren.

Johnson hit seven of his 10 birdies on the front nine at La Quinta in California, while Noren had an eagle, nine birdies and a double bogey to finish on 10-under par.

After the day’s play, the American Ryder Cup captain said he has “put a lot of good work in as of late”.

He said: “Actually been a lot of normal golf work, given what happened last year, with what I was responsible for, which was awesome. Now it’s time to get back to work. I’ve enjoyed the work. I’ve enjoyed the sweat.”

Tied in third place and just one stroke off the lead are Rico Hoey from the Philippines and South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

They are ahead of nine players tied at eight-under including Americans Xander Schauffele and Scott Stallings.

Rory McIlroy was left to rue a poor finish to his opening round in the defence of his Hero Dubai Desert Classic title.

Seeking a record fourth victory in the event at Emirates Golf Club, McIlroy made an excellent start with four birdies in the first nine holes and bounced back from a bogey on the first – his 10th hole – with a birdie on the second.

However, the world number two then three-putted the sixth, duffed a chip on the seventh to drop another shot and also bogeyed the eighth to card a disappointing one-under-par 71.

That left the four-time major winner four shots off the lead shared by 2018 winner Li Haotong, England’s Andy Sullivan, American Cameron Young and Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard.

Li missed the cut or withdrew from his last 16 events in 2023 but finished 14th in last week’s Dubai Invitational and carried on where he left off with seven birdies and two bogeys in his 67.

“I think I played just as solid as last week,” the three-time DP World Tour winner said.

“I’ve been working on a lot of stuff during the wintertime and (am starting to) see some results like this. I can’t believe it’s six years since my win here.

“It’s a lot of great memories and hopefully I can continue to do some magic here.”

Sullivan’s form also came as something of a welcome surprise, the former Ryder Cup player carding a bogey-free 67 on his debut appearance in 2024.

“First event of the year for me so you’re always a bit anxious,” Sullivan said.

“You never know quite how you’ve done in practice. Could be playing brilliantly, and then you never know until you put it into tournament rounds.

“I felt like I grew into the round well. I didn’t feel like I started great, but then sort of got around the turn and felt like I was swinging it a lot better and felt like I could go at a few more flags and the putter got hot. Massively satisfied.”

Young looked unlikely to enjoy a share of the lead when he bogeyed the ninth to reach the turn in one over par, but the world number 25 birdied the 10th, 13th, 16th and 17th before holing from 50 feet for an eagle on the last.

“I played really well,” Young said. “The front-nine scoring was a little bit hard to come by.

“I played better than that so I was really happy with the back nine, happy just that I stayed patient throughout the front nine and kind of let it come to me late. To make those birdies and eagle on the last was tremendous.”

England’s Richard Mansell was part of a seven-strong group on four under par, with former world number one Adam Scott and Dubai Invitational winner Tommy Fleetwood another stroke back.

Rory McIlroy fears golf will remain “fractured forever” unless the opportunity to create a more global game is embraced now.

McIlroy recently laid out his dream scenario of a world tour incorporating “corporate America” and Saudi Arabian investment, but one which also elevates historic national Opens in the likes of Australia and South Africa.

The four-time major winner also suggested that LIV Golf could “turn into the IPL (cricket’s Indian Premier League) of golf”, with the Saudi-funded breakaway taking two months of the year to showcase team competition.

However, McIlroy acknowledged the difficulty of getting all factions in golf’s civil war aligned, with Sergio Garcia having already responded to his former Ryder Cup team-mate’s suggestion.

“I don’t think we want to be important for one month. We all deserve more than that,” Garcia said.

Asked about those comments ahead of his title defence in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, McIlroy said: “Yeah, Sergio feels he deserves a lot of things.

“It’s [about] trying to align interests and I think right now it’s just very, very hard to align everyone’s interests in the game.

“I think what we need to do first is align interests of the players and the business and the fans and the media. And then once you do that, then you can move forward.

“It’s the aligning of interests which is the big key to trying to get to that dream scenario.

“If this global tour somehow comes to fruition in the next few years, could you imagine bringing the best 70 or 80 golfers in the world to India for a tournament?

“I think that would change the game and the perception of the game in a country like that.

“There’s so much opportunity out there to go global with it, and I’ve said this for the last few months, but golf is at an inflection point, and if golf doesn’t do it now, I fear that it will never do it and we’ll have this fractured landscape forever.”

McIlroy is seeking a record fourth victory in this week’s event after holding off Patrick Reed in controversial circumstances 12 months ago.

The pair had begun the week embroiled in a war of words after Reed threw a tee towards McIlroy after being snubbed by him on the practice range.

With McIlroy watching from the tee, Reed also became involved in another rules controversy in the third round when his tee shot on the 17th lodged in a palm tree.

The former Masters champion and rules officials used binoculars to identify the ball, allowing Reed to take a penalty drop near the base of the tree instead of having to return to the tee.

Reed insisted he was “100 per cent” sure that he could identify his ball, although television footage appeared to cast doubt on which tree it had landed in.

“I remember standing on the 10th tee [in the final round] and I think Patrick had just made eagle and I’m just like (dropping head), ‘Had to be him’,” McIlroy recalled.

“But I think just the mental fortitude I showed on that back nine to not let my emotions get the better of me and really stay focused, and yeah, just to make that birdie on the last to win by one, it meant a lot to me.”

Rory McIlroy has labelled the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award a “popularity contest” for which he forgot he was even nominated.

England and Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps won the accolade in December ahead of retired England cricketer Stuart Broad and world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

Wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett, jockey Frankie Dettori and McIlroy were the three other sports stars on the shortlist, but McIlroy did not attend the ceremony, provide a video message or give a live in-show interview.

Asked ahead of his title defence at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic if he was among those who question the relevance of the award, the Northern Irishman said: “Actually, whatever the results, I forgot I was nominated.

“So that’s how much I think about it. It’s a popularity contest and I think it’s just really not what it once was.”

Only two golfers have won the Sports Personality of the Year award in its 69-year history.

Dai Rees won in 1957 after captaining Great Britain to victory in the Ryder Cup at Lindrick and Nick Faldo came out on top in 1989 after claiming his second major title in the Masters.

Matt Fitzpatrick failed to make the shortlist despite winning the US Open in 2022, while McIlroy finished second behind Lewis Hamilton in 2014, a year in which he won the Open Championship and US PGA.

Ashton O'Kola is already making the rounds as a top young golfer in and out of the Caribbean region, and if his 2023 campaign is anything to go by, then 2024 could be even better, and he is very much looking forward to the challenge.

O'Kola, who turns eight on April 5, has taken the golf world by storm and has already racked up quite a portfolio having played in the United States of America, South Africa, Uganda, Brazil, Italy and England, last year.

"Well, I have already qualified for the 2024 Junior World Championships at Pinehurst, so I'll definitely be there in August. I am hoping to defend my title at Pepsi Little People's in 2024 too.  I am really looking forward to the Venice Open. I liked that tournament a lot," O'Kola said in a recent interview.

When asked if he felt any pressure when on the course, the golfer, who is based in Barbados with his Jamaican parents, exuded his usual confidence.

"No, when I'm on the course I don't feel anything, I just try to make the next shot better. Sometimes when I was younger like in 2020 and 2021, I used to get mad at myself if I hit a bad shot but getting mad just messed up my other shots after.  Now in 2023 going into 2024, I'm a lot older and stronger and I don't get as mad. I just try to make the next shot better," he shared.

In a tournament in Doral, United States late December, O'Kola won ahead of Dacio Diaz (36) of Florida, and Canada's bronze medallist Edouard Marchand (38). Among his other wins in 2023 were the Barbados Junior Grand Slam, the Big 5 for boys 6 and Under in South Africa, the New York State Champion for Boys Under-6 and the 9-hole State Farm Youth Classic. 

O’Kola, who is not a stranger to international competitions, attends Providence Elementary School. 

Expectations are high as Jamaican golfers Oshae Haye and Zandre Roye departed the island for the ninth edition of the Latin America Amateur Championship.

Thought it will be their first time at the event, both Haye and Roye boast a wealth of experience competing in local and regional tournaments and, as such, is banking on their potential to represent Jamaica well at the January 18-21 Championship in Panama.

Haye, a former national golf champion expressed excitement at the opportunity, which he is hoping to capitalise on.

"I really and truly was very, very excited after I heard that I am in. Thanks to Mr. Johan Campbell, he is the one who have us playing all the courses around the island, so we work pretty hard on the game headed in for this tournament. My main (intention) is to make that cut and then we take it step by step from there," Haye said.

For Roye, who has won numerous golf tournaments locally, including the Heroes Golf Classic, described the opportunity as an honour.

"It's an honour to represent the country in this championship. It has been a long way coming. I have been working really hard on the game and to get this opportunity, it really means a lot. I couldn't ask for a better person to be on this trip with me, my best friend Oshae Haye, to be leaving the country right now to play in one of the biggest amateur tournaments in this part of the world is 'goose bump' moment," he shared.

As it relates to the level of competition expected, Roye believes he is just as capable as his opponents.

"My game is there. I hit the ball just as well as any of those guys over there. It's all about putting the four rounds together and see where it ends up at the end of the week," he declared.

Meanwhile, Jodi Munn-Barrow, president of the Jamaica Golf Association is expecting both golfers to give a good account of themselves.

"The Jamaica Golf Association is very proud to have Zandre Roye and Oshae Haye represent us at the LAAC this coming week. Zandre and Oshae have been playing in regional events and they have garnered a lot of experience which I am sure will augur well for them as they face new challenges at this prestigious event," she said.

Tommy Fleetwood held off the challenge of Ryder Cup team-mate Rory McIlroy with a big finish to claim a dramatic victory at the Dubai Invitational.

The Englishman entered the final round in the United Arab Emirates with a one-shot lead but found himself one behind McIlroy stood on the 18th tee before the Northern Irishman hooked his tee-shot into the water.

That left the door open for Fleetwood and he rolled in a 16-foot putt on the final green for a birdie-birdie finish and a one-shot victory as McIlroy made a bogey.

Dubai-resident Fleetwood’s closing 67 saw him finish at 19 under, one ahead of McIlroy – who signed for the same score – and South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence.

“I’m very happy,” said Fleetwood. “It was amazing winning. Like almost everybody else in the world of golf, I don’t win anywhere near as much as I would like to but just that winning feeling is great.

“This is obviously where I live and have a lot of support. It’s great to kick off the year with a great result and push on from here.

“I was very happy with the way I played today for the large majority of the round, felt like I didn’t hole some of the putts that I wanted to. I just stayed patient and kept playing. I knew I was playing very, very well, and even the last two holes, played 17 and 18 great.”

McIlroy and Fleetwood’s “Fleetwood Mac” partnership claimed two points from two in the foursomes in Rome last year as Europe beat the United States 16.5-11.5 but no quarter was given on a dramatic final day in Dubai.

Fleetwood found himself three shots clear of McIlroy as he picked up shots on the third, fifth and tenth, with the four-time major champion following gains on the third and fifth with a bogey on the sixth after finding the water.

A hat-trick of McIlroy birdies from the 11th had him in a share of top spot and while he inexplicably three-putted the 14th from two feet, he hit straight back with a 20-footer on the next.

Fleetwood dropped his only shot of the day on the 16th but responded from 30 feet on the 17th, as McIlroy birdied the same hole to set up the late drama.

“I’m really happy for Tommy,” said McIlroy. “He’s played some incredible golf over the last year without actually getting a win. So for him to get the win here, it’s great for him and it will do his confidence a world of good and hopefully he kicks on from it.

“I think first week back out, I think you’re going to expect some of those sloppy mistakes and unfortunately for me those mistakes came at the wrong time today. But I’ll reflect on it and learn from today and there’s still a lot of good stuff in there. But just need to tidy up some of the edges and if I do that, I feel good going into next week.”

Lawrence finished with a 64, while England’s Jordan Smith was at 16 under, one shot clear of former Open champion Francesco Molinari.

Ryder Cup team-mates Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy are set to go head-to-head for the Dubai Invitational title after an enthralling third round in the United Arab Emirates.

The duo’s “Fleetwood Mac” partnership claimed two points from two in the foursomes in Rome last year as Europe beat the United States 16.5-11.5 but they will be in competition on day four at Dubai Creek Resort, with Fleetwood holding a one-shot lead at the top of the leaderboard.

McIlroy had dominated the first two rounds in the desert, maintaining a two-shot lead earned via an opening 62 despite carding a quadruple-bogey in a 70 on Friday.

But Fleetwood signed for a bogey-free 63 on day three to lead the way at 15 under, one clear of McIlroy, who carded a 67.

“I felt I played very well, got off to the perfect start and got momentum early on, which I didn’t have yesterday,” said Fleetwood.

“I hit a couple of really nice putts early on, was rolling the ball well and hit the greens well. Today they went my way, just a bit of confidence when you start holing some and just get in that rhythm and that flow.”

Englishman Fleetwood quickly wiped out McIlroy’s advantage as he birdied the first, third, fourth and sixth and he led by two with another gain on the 10th.

A hat-trick of birdies from the 12th saw him lead by three but McIlroy – who had given back a gain on the fourth with a bogey on the fifth – made three birdies of his own from the 11th and cut the gap to one on the 16th.

“It was a little bit of a slow start but then I got things going on the back nine,” said the Northern Irishman. “Shot four under on the back to try to keep up with Tommy.

“I played well on that back nine and earned myself a tee time with him tomorrow and it’ll be good fun. I’m looking forward to it.”

Dane Thorbjorn Olesen was at 12 under, one shot clear of England’s Jordan Smith and South African duo Thriston Lawrence and Zander Lombard.

Rory McIlroy maintained his two-shot lead in the Dubai Invitational after battling back from a shock quadruple bogey in round two.

McIlroy had looked in imperious form as he carded an opening 62 and extended his overnight advantage to four shots on Friday with birdies on the third and fourth at Dubai Creek.

However, the world number two then found water off the tee on the par-three eighth and, after moving forward to the drop zone, amazingly hit another ball into the hazard from just 130 yards.

Three birdies on the back nine saw McIlroy sign for a 70 and halfway total of 10 under par, two shots ahead of Germany’s Yannik Paul and Denmark’s Jeff Winther, whose 66 was the joint lowest round of the day in testing, windy conditions.

“I think if I look at the other 17 holes that I played, I played very, very well again. Hit some good iron shots,” McIlroy told Sky Sports.

“Played not too dissimilar to the way I played yesterday. I maybe holed a couple more putts yesterday but the conditions were getting a little trickier. Wind was up, greens were firm and a couple miscues on the eighth hole.

“I felt like I did well just to get my head back into it and play some solid golf on the way in, and everyone seemed to find it a little more difficult today than yesterday. So it’s nice to go into the weekend still with the lead.

“I had a chance to bounce back on nine that I missed but [the birdie on] 10 was big. The two shots into 13 were big too to make two relatively easy birdies.

“I gave myself chances most of the back nine, which was nice, and I was able to convert a couple before that tough finishing stretch there on 17 and 18.”

Dubai resident Tommy Fleetwood added a 69 to his opening 66 to share fourth place on seven under par with compatriot Jordan Smith, Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen and the South African duo of Thriston Lawrence and Zander Lombard.

Rory McIlroy exceeded his expectations as he started his 2024 season with a flawless opening 62 in the inaugural Dubai Invitational.

Competing for the first time since finishing a distant 22nd in the DP World Tour Championship, McIlroy looked anything but rusty as he recorded nine birdies at Dubai Creek Resort to open up a two-shot lead over Germany’s Yannik Paul.

Paul carded eight birdies and a solitary bogey in his 64, with South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence on six under and Tommy Fleetwood and Thorbjorn Olesen another stroke back.

McIlroy, who will defend his Dubai Desert Classic title next week, told Sky Sports: “I didn’t expect that.

“It didn’t feel quite as good as that the first couple of days when I was here hitting balls and playing the course but it was nice to get a card in the hand again and feel the competitive juices flowing.

“I surprised myself a little bit but hopefully more of the same over the next few days.

“When the wind gets up it can get a little bit tricky. We played the first 12 or 13 holes basically without any wind and then there was a little coming in.

“I think you just have to miss it in the right spots, there’s some water here and there and I think I did a good job today of managing my misses on the right side and when I did hit good shots I was available to take advantage of them.”

The tournament features a 72-hole strokeplay tournament played alongside a three-day pro-am team event, with Sunday featuring professionals only.

“These pro-ams I either play with my dad or this week I’m playing with the tournament host so there’s maybe added pressure there as well to go out and perform, but it’s a very easy way to get back into things,” McIlroy added.

“This is a nice week to do some extra practice and put some work in so that I feel a bit more ready, not just for next week which is obviously a bigger event, but also going into the bulk of the season.”

Rory McIlroy is focused on finding the “final piece of the puzzle” as he bids to end his major drought in 2024.

McIlroy won two Rolex Series events on the DP World Tour last year to claim the Race to Dubai for a fifth time and enjoyed a career-best performance to help Europe regain the Ryder Cup in Rome.

The world number two has also recorded seven top 10s in his last eight majors but remains without a win since the 2014 US PGA Championship at Valhalla, which will also host the second major of the year in May.

“I’m excited for the year,” McIlroy said before getting his season under way in the inaugural Dubai Invitational, with a title defence of the Dubai Desert Classic following next week.

“This is my 18th full season on tour, which is mad to think about. But I’m as excited as I was for the first one. I think every new year [brings] new opportunities, new goals.

“My consistency has really been there over the last couple of years, without winning one of the big ones.

“I think that’s the final piece of the puzzle for me, especially coming out of Covid and sort of going through some dips in my game and then coming back up and playing so well the last couple years.

“The final piece of the puzzle is trying to knock off one of those four.”

McIlroy’s Ryder Cup team-mate Tommy Fleetwood expressed similar sentiments as the Dubai-based world number 15 set his sights on a first tournament win since the Nedbank Golf Challenge in November 2022.

Fleetwood, who has recorded six top 10s in his last 10 starts worldwide, said: “I played really well last year, particularly from like early summer onwards, late spring. I think my consistency levels were great.

“Like most people in the world of golf, I don’t win anywhere near as much as I would like, so you’re always looking to that missing piece that would lead to you more victories.

“But overall, in terms of the depths of my performances throughout the year, I was very, very pleased, and to finish the world ranking in a high place again, knocking on the door of that top 10. Hopefully I can just carry on with that consistency and doing the right things and try to kick on.”

The Dubai Invitational features a 72-hole strokeplay tournament played concurrently with a three-day pro-am team event, with Sunday featuring professionals only.

Former US Open champion Gary Woodland is determined to “jump start” his career as he returns to action following surgery to remove a brain lesion.

Woodland, who won his maiden major title at Pebble Beach in 2019, was diagnosed with the lesion in May last year but kept competing on the PGA Tour before undergoing surgery on September 18.

The 39-year-old will make his first start since August in this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii, where world number eight Matt Fitzpatrick and Open champion Brian Harman head the 144-man field.

“They track it every three months now with an MRI and I had a little tough spell leading up to the MRI a couple weeks ago because I was a little nervous, but everything came back well,” Woodland said in his pre-tournament press conference.

“At the end of the day, I just want to prove you can do hard things. I want to prove to my kids nobody is going to tell you you can’t do anything.

“You can overcome tough, scary decisions in your life. Not everything is easy. This came out of nowhere for me, but I’m not going to let it stop me.

“I don’t want this to be a bump in the road for me. I want it to be a jump start in my career.

“At the end of the day, I’m here because I believe this is what I’ve been born to do, play great golf. I want to do that again. It’s been a while. Been a couple of years.

“Nothing is going to stop me. I believe that. I believe a lot of great things are ahead.”

Woodland revealed he first experienced symptoms shortly after last year’s Masters which included partial seizures in the night and “a lot of fear”.

“The lesion sat on the part of my brain that controls fear and anxiety,” Woodland said.

“The specialist in Kansas City explained everything to a T. He’s like, you’re not going crazy. Everything you’re experiencing is common and normal for where this thing is sitting in your brain.”

Remarkably, Woodland kept competing on the PGA Tour as he tried to treat the symptoms with medication, but struggled with a lack of energy and focus and would even forget which club he was about to hit while standing over the ball.

Another specialist in Miami eventually urged Woodland to undergo surgery to remove the lesion as its location was too risky to attempt a biopsy.

“He didn’t want to go in any more than he had to. So surgery and removal was the next step,” Woodland said.

“They couldn’t get it all out from where it was located (but) it was benign.

“If it was cancerous they would’ve removed it all. It’s up against my optic tract. They removed as much as they could and believe they cut off the blood circulation to what’s left.”

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