Justin Rose mounted a back-nine recovery to finish his second round with a two-shot lead over Jordan Spieth and Marc Leishman.

Rose shot a sublime opening round of 65 at Augusta, but relinquished his four-shot advantage on Friday before returning to the top of the leaderboard with three birdies in his space of four holes.

The Englishman was the man to catch on seven under when he signed for a level-par 72, rallying after bogeying four of the first seven holes in his second round.

Gains at the 13th, 14th and 16th holes gave Rose momentum heading into the weekend as he bids to don the green jacket for the first time.

The in-form Spieth surged into a share of second place with Australian Leishman by carding a four-under 68, with birdies proving easier to come by for the field than on the opening day.

Three-time major champion Spieth, on a high after ending a title drought stretching back to 2017 at the Texas Open last weekend, made four of his five birdies after the turn and only dropped one shot at the 12th.

Leishman also made a significant move, setting the tone by starting with three birdies in row and going on to shoot a five-under 67.

Scintillating six-under rounds of 66 from Bernd Wiesberger and Tony Finau put them just three shots adrift of Rose along with Justin Thomas, who shot a 67.

Will Zalatoris, Brian Harman and Si Woo Kim were also well poised on four under, with their rounds still in progress. Defending champion Dustin Johnson had work to do back on three over through 10.

Bryson DeChambeau responded to a poor opening round with a 67 of his own to sit at one over, while Brooks Koepka (+5) and Rory McIlroy (+6) were facing a battle to make the cut 10 and eight holes into their rounds respectively.

Lee Westwood was a couple of shots below the projected cut mark on five over midway through his round.

Justin Rose surged into a four-shot lead as Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau were among the big names to endure first-round struggles at The Masters.

Rose was two over through seven holes in tough scoring conditions, with quicker and firmer Augusta greens proving a much bigger challenge than when Dustin Johnson won the tournament with a record score of 20 under last November.

The Englishman sparked into life with an eagle at the par-five eighth hole and lit up the back nine to card a magnificent seven-under 65, the lowest Masters round of his career, with patrons allowed back in under blue skies.

Rose, eyeing a maiden Masters title, got on a roll with seven birdies in nine holes before finishing with a composed par to retain his four-stroke advantage.

Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama shared the early clubhouse lead with impressive three-under opening rounds of 69 before Rose stormed clear.

Defending champion Johnson shot a two-over 74 following a double bogey at the 18th, having made a bogey-birdie start before getting in the red for the first time at 13.

Masters debutant Will Zalatoris, Webb Simpson, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Patrick Reed will start their second rounds on two under following encouraging starts, while new father Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele are among a clutch of players at level par.

McIlroy suffered a miserable opening round and is back on four over, facing a battle to make the cut rather than fight it out to complete a career Grand Slam, while U.S. Open champion DeChambeau was four over through 15.

Jordan Spieth was left to rue a triple-bogey after launching a wayward tee shot into the trees at the ninth but was in a share of eighth on one under after chipping in for an eagle at 15, while Justin Thomas was a further stroke back through 15.

Brooks Koepka matched Johnson's 74 just a few weeks after undergoing knee surgery and the previously in-form Lee Westwood is languishing on six over.

Tommy Fleetwood generated a roar from those fortunate enough to be at the 16th to see him make a hole-in-one before he signed for a 74.

Defending champion Dustin Johnson failed to hit the ground running in testing conditions when he started the defence of his Masters title on Thursday.

Johnson donned the green jacket for the first time last November, finishing the tournament on a record-breaking 20 under par.

The world number one made only four bogeys as he blew the field away in the 2020 major at Augusta, but he dropped two shots in his opening five holes five months later, with patrons returning under blue skies.

Birdies were at a premium when the tournament got under way on much quicker, firmer greens than those seen in last year's tournament.

Two-time major champion Johnson started by dropping a shot after running through the first green with his second shot. Although he hit straight back with a birdie at the par-five second, Johnson was back at one over after failing to sink a par putt at the fifth.

Hideki Matsuyama led the way on three under through eight holes after draining an eagle putt at the eighth, with Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Si Woo Kim just a shot behind.

New father Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed and Paul Casey were among a host of players on one under following early birdies.

The recently in-form Lee Westwood was struggling on three over through six after a double bogey at the third, while Rory McIlroy dropped to one over with a dropped shot at the fifth and Brooks Koepka was level par eight holes into his first round.

Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from The Players Championship due to a knee injury.

Koepka has struggled with injury problems over the last year and a half and the American has suffered another setback a month before The Masters gets under way at Augusta. 

The 30-year-old will not be among the field when The Players Championship gets under way at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday due to a strained right knee.

Blake Smith, Koepka's manager, said: "Brooks strained his right knee and he is scheduled to further consult with doctors this week to receive a more extensive evaluation and outlook.

"We will be able to provide additional updates and information as we learn more."

Koepka is eighth in the FedExCup standings and claimed his eighth PGA Tour title by winning the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February.

He was tied for second when he last teed off on the PGA Tour at the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession at the end of last month.

Collin Morikawa added the WGC-Workday Championship to his growing list of achievements after triumphing by three strokes.

Winner of last year's U.S. PGA Championship, Morikawa used a three-under-par 69 to seal victory at the star-studded World Golf Championships event in Florida ahead of Viktor Hovland, Brooks Koepka and Billy Horschel on Sunday.

Morikawa holed four birdies and just one bogey to finish 18 under for his fourth PGA Tour crown – the most by any player currently aged under 25.

He also joins Tiger Woods as the only player to win a major championship and WGC event before turning 25.

Further to that feat, Morikawa is the seventh player to claim four or more PGA Tour tournaments – including a major – under the age of 25, following in the footsteps of Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Jerry Pate.

The overnight leader by two strokes, Morikawa recovered from a slow start after bogeying his second hole of the final round – the 24-year-old American birdieing three of five holes before the turn as he ended the day without dropping another shot.

Norwegian star Hovland mounted a serious title charge following a five-under par 67, but he was unable to stop Morikawa.

Hovland finished tied for second alongside four-time major champion Koepka (70) and Horschel (70) at The Concession Golf Club.

McIlroy's final-round 71 saw the former world number one and four-time major winner slip down into a tie for sixth, six strokes adrift of Morikawa.

Defending champion Patrick Reed (72) ended the co-sanctioned PGA and European Tour tournament a shot further back.

Justin Thomas (71) earned a share of 15th at eight under, a stroke better off than U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau (69).

It was a forgettable finish for world number one Dustin Johnson, who closed proceedings with a six-over-par 78.

The two-time tournament winner plummeted 12 positions to T54 at five over the card.

Collin Morikawa's hot putting saw him soar into a two-stroke lead following the third round of the WGC-Workday Championship.

Morikawa went on a birdie blitz, recording seven across an eight-hole stretch and eight in total to surge to the top of the leaderboard at The Concession Golf Club on Saturday.

Despite birdieing his penultimate hole, American golfer Morikawa leads the field at 15 under through 54 holes in Florida, where the star-studded World Golf Championships are taking place.

A three-time PGA Tour champion and winner of last year's U.S. PGA Championship, Morikawa leads by two shots after three for the second time on Tour – the 2019 3M Open.

Brooks Koepka and Billy Horschel (69) are Morikawa's nearest challengers heading into Sunday's final round.

Koepka carried a one-stroke advantage into the penultimate round, but the four-time major champion saw his lead evaporate following a two-under-par 70.

The American star bogeyed his opening two holes before recovering with four birdies, including a flawless back nine.

Webb Simpson (69) is 12 under, while four-time major winner Rory McIlroy catapulted himself into contention thanks to a six-under-par 66.

McIlroy improved eight positions, moving into a tie for fifth – four shots behind Morikawa – courtesy of an eagle and seven birdies, which outweighed his bogey and double bogey.

Defending champion Patrick Reed is also 11 under alongside McIlroy after his third-round 69.

Hideki Matsuyama (68) – tied for seventh at 10 under – has not recorded a three-putt through 54 holes at the tournament and he extended his tour-leading streak without a three-putt to 221 consecutive holes.

World number one and two-time champion Dustin Johnson recorded back-to-back 69s to move into a tie for 42nd – 16 strokes off the lead.

Brooks Koepka fired a six-under 66 to grab a one-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the WGC-Workday Championship.

The four-time major champion made seven birdies and one bogey at The Concession Golf Club in Florida on Friday to move into 11 under.

Koepka holds a 36-hole lead or co-lead on the PGA Tour for the eighth time in his career as he eyes a second World Golf Championships title.

The American made three straight birdies from the 15th before dropping his only shot of the round at the last.

Koepka is a stroke clear of Collin Morikawa (64), Billy Horschel (67) and Australian Cameron Smith (66).

Morikawa, last year's US PGA Championship winner, produced the equal best round of the day, with Bryson DeChambeau – who is tied for 20th – also shooting a 64.

Overnight leaders Webb Simpson and Matt Fitzpatrick both slipped back into a tie for fifth after firing 69s, sitting at nine under alongside Tony Finau (67).

Defending champion Patrick Reed carded another 68 to be at eight under alongside Kevin Kisner (69).

Rory McIlroy shot a two-under 70 to get to five under and into a tie for 13th, with Justin Thomas (66) also among that group.

A six-time WGC winner, Dustin Johnson improved on his opening-round 77, carding a 69 that sees him sitting at two over.

England's Matt Fitzpatrick and American Webb Simpson took a share of the lead in a star-studded field at the WGC-Workday Championship.

World number 16 Fitzpatrick carded a six-under 66 without dropping a shot on day one at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.

Ninth-ranked Simpson closed a clean back nine with three straight birdies and a par to climb up the leaderboard and match the 26-year-old Englishman's score.

Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka dropped his only shot at the par-four 16th, but is alongside three others at five under.

Americans Kevin Kisner and Billy Horschel also carded 67s and were joined in third place by 2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia, who drained a round-high eight birdies.

World number two Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed were among six players tied in seventh at four under, along with Tony Finau.

Adam Scott saw a potential hole-in-one come back off the flag at the sixth and shot an up-and-down even-par 72, while Justin Thomas recovered from dropping four shots in three holes to close with three birdies in the last four to sign for a one-over 73.

World number one Dustin Johnson posted a pair of double bogeys on his way to a five-over 77. That score was matched by US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, who dropped shots on seven holes.

Rory McIlroy made a decent start, shooting a three-under 69 to sit in a tie for 13th.

The first World Golf Championships event of the season kicks off the Florida swing of the tour, heading towards The Players Championship starting on March 11.

Hometown hero Max Homa survived a play-off against countryman Tony Finau to claim the Genesis Invitational.

Los Angeles native Homa clinched his second PGA Tour title after signing for par on the second play-off hole as Finau could only bogey on Sunday.

A play-off was needed after American pair Homa (70) and Finau (70) finished 12 under through 72 holes at Riviera Country Club in California, where overnight leader Sam Burns (69) ended the tournament a stroke adrift.

Homa – who was born in nearby Burbank – still managed to reign supreme, despite a brutal lip-out on the 72nd hole, which would have sealed victory but it sent the event into a play-off instead.

"Been watching this tournament my whole life, it's why I fell in love with golf – wow, didn't think it'd be like this [choking up]," Homa said after winning for the first time since 2019.

"Tiger [Woods] another reason I'm into golf. Had good feelings this week. Been playing great. City of champions, you know – [MLB World Series champions] Dodgers, [NBA champions] Lakers and me now, so it's a weird feeling."

Cameron Smith (67) finished three shots off the pace and outright fourth, two strokes ahead of Spanish star Jon Rahm (66), Viktor Hovland (67) and Matthew Fitzpatrick (71).

World number one Dustin Johnson's title charge faded following a one-over-par 62, which left the American tied for eighth and six shots behind the leaders.

Jordan Spieth (71) – still searching for his first victory since 2017 – closed out the Genesis Invitational tied for 15th, alongside the likes of Xander Schauffele (69) and Patrick Cantlay (72).

Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka (69) and defending champion Adam Scott (66) responded after forgettable third rounds to finish tied for 38th at even par.

Sam Burns was two strokes clear at the top of the leaderboard when the Genesis Invitational third round was suspended due to darkness on Saturday.

Overnight leader Burns completed 13 holes before fading light brought a premature end to the penultimate round at Riviera Country Club in California, where 24 players did not finish their rounds following inclement weather earlier in the day.

The third round will resume at 06:45 (local time) in Pacific Palisades on Sunday.

American golfer Burns carried a five-shot lead into the third round of the PGA Tour tournament.

That advantage reduced to just two strokes after going two over through 13 holes, to be 10 under overall at the time of the suspension.

England's Matthew Fitzpatrick (through 17) is the nearest challenger, while world number one Dustin Johnson (through 13), Wyndham Clark (through 15) and Max Homa (through 13) are lurking at seven under.

Jordan Spieth – seeking his first title since the 2017 Open Championship, is through 15 and four under as the three-time major winner and former world number one prepares to return early on Sunday morning.

Spanish star Jon Rahm managed to complete his round, carding a one-over-par 72 to be two under through 54 holes, alongside the likes of Xander Schauffele (71).

Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka is two over following his forgettable third-round 77, while defending champion Adam Scott (through 15) is struggling at four over.

Brooks Koepka captured his second Phoenix Open crown and eighth PGA Tour title after rallying to a one-shot victory on Sunday.

Koepka was five strokes off the lead heading into the final round at TPC Scottsdale, where Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele had set the pace.

But four-time major champion Koepka reigned supreme after chipping in for an eagle on 17 as he signed for a six-under-par 65.

Koepka – winner of the Phoenix Open in 2015 – holed two eagles, three birdies and a bogey to close out the tournament 19 under overall.

It also secured Koepka's first success since the 2019 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

Fellow American Schauffele (71) and South Korea's Lee Kyoung-hoon (68) finished tied for second position.

Carlos Ortiz (64), Steve Stricker (67) and former world number one Spieth (72) were a stroke further back at 17 under.

Spieth had been dreaming of a drought-ending triumph after earning a share of the three-stroke lead following the penultimate round.

Not since the 2017 Open Championship has Spieth claimed a title – the three-time major winner falling to 92nd in the world rankings as a result.

Spieth also missed six cuts in 20 events last year, while also failing to reach the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open to begin his 2021 campaign.

But Spieth – who found the water on 15 and 17 – had to settle for a share of fourth place on Sunday.

Though, it was still Spieth's best finish on Tour since 2019.

In his Phoenix Open debut, four-time major winner Rory McIlroy posted a final-round 64 to climb 23 spots to T13, alongside Jon Rahm (68), Justin Thomas (72) and Harold Varner III (68).

Former world number one Jordan Spieth earned a share of the Phoenix Open lead following a stunning third-round performance on Saturday.

Not since the 2017 Open Championship has Spieth claimed a title – the three-time major winner falling to 92nd in the world rankings as a result.

Spieth also missed six cuts in 20 events last year, while also failing to reach the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open to begin his 2021 campaign.

But Spieth is on track to end his drought at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona, where the American star is level with countryman Xander Schauffele (65) atop the leaderboard heading into Sunday's final round.

Spieth carded a 10-under-par 61 to catapult himself up the standings and to 18 under through 54 holes.

With 10 birdies and no bogeys, Spieth tied his career-low score – he has gone on to win nine tournaments when leading/co-leading after three rounds on the last 16 occasions.

"What I'm looking forward to is just staying the course, trusting it,'' said Spieth, who has his first 54-hole lead/co-lead on the PGA Tour since the 2018 Open. "I have no expectations on the results tomorrow. I really don't.''

"I built some freedom now seeing these results the first few days here to where I feel really good about the path I'm on,'' Spieth added. "I feel good about what the long term ahead looks like for me. And sometimes that's been in question. To myself.''

Scottie Scheffler (66) and Lee Kyoung-hoon (66) are three strokes off the pace, a shot ahead of Louis Oosthuizen (63) and Justin Thomas (64) at 14 under.

Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka posted a third-round 66 after birdieing five of his last six holes to be tied for seventh – five strokes behind Spieth and Schauffele.

Northern Irish star Rory McIlroy dropped down the leaderboard after carding a one-under-par 70 in round three.

Without a win since the 2019 WGC-HSBC Champions, four-time major winner McIlroy is six under overall and tied for 36th position.

Xander Schauffele produced a fast finish to grab a one-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the Phoenix Open.

The world number four made an eagle and four birdies on his final seven holes to card a seven-under 64 in the second round at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona on Friday.

Schauffele, who has top-five finishes in his two events this year, made three straight birdies from the 12th before an eagle at 15, and he picked up another shot at the last to get to 12 under.

The American is a stroke clear of Steve Stricker (66) and Keegan Bradley (65).

Since 2000, six 36-hole leaders or co-leaders have gone on to win the Phoenix Open, the most recent of which was Rickie Fowler in 2019.

Scottie Scheffler (65), Lee Kyoung-hoon (66) and Sam Burns (68) are tied for fourth at 10 under, a shot ahead of Nate Lashley (69).

Jordan Spieth, meanwhile, showed some good signs with another 67 seeing him sit at eight under and a tie for eighth.

The three-time major champion has fallen to 92nd in the world rankings and missed six cuts in 20 events last year, while also failing to reach the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open to begin his 2021.

Spieth sits alongside Billy Horschel (68), James Hahn (67), Matthew NeSmith (71), 2015 champion Brooks Koepka (66), J.T. Poston (66), Patton Kizzire (65) and Carlos Ortiz (67) at the halfway mark.

Justin Thomas (65) is at seven under, while Rory McIlroy improved in the second round as a 67 moved him into five under and a tie for 27th.

Matthew NeSmith and Mark Hubbard earned a share of the lead following the opening round of the Phoenix Open.

American pair NeSmith and Hubbard both posted 63s to end Thursday a shot clear of countrymen Nate Lashley and Sam Burns at TPC Scottsdale.

Making his first start at the Phoenix Open, NeSmith holed four birdies and an eagle from his opening nine holes to earn an early lead at six under.

NeSmith closed out the round atop the leaderboard with Hubbard, who was flawless after tallying eight birdies, including his final four holes.

Steve Stricker is outright fifth following his six-under-par 65 in Scottsdale, Arizona, where Xander Schauffele is among six players five under through 18 holes.

Stricker joined Tom Lehman (2011, round one, aged 51) as the only players over the age of 50 to shoot 65 in the PGA Tour event.

Former world number one Jordan Spieth is four strokes off the pace following his first-round 67.

Struggling American star Spieth, who has not won since 2017, missed the cut at last week's Farmers Insurance Open.

Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka is a shot further back after mixing seven birdies with a double-bogey and two bogeys.

Koepka won the tournament in 2015 – his first PGA Tour triumph.

As for Rory McIlroy, he is seven shots behind NeSmith and Hubbard heading into Friday's second round.

Without a victory since the 2019 WGC-HSBC Champions, four-time major winner McIlroy recovered from a double-bogey, bogey start to open with a one-under-par 70 in his tournament bow.

Meanwhile, Webb Simpson started his title defence with a two-over-par 73 – a shot better off than 219 winner Rickie Fowler.

Viktor Hovland finished strongly to claim a one-stroke advantage at the halfway stage of the Farmers Insurance Open, where Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth missed the cut.

Hovland birdied his final hole in Friday's second round to card a seven-under-par 65 and top the leaderboard heading into the weekend at Torrey Pines.

Battling rain, hail and wind – which halted proceedings in the second round – Norwegian golfer Hovland managed to rise 47 positions to lead a star-studded field thanks to eight birdies and just one bogey on the South Course.

The 23-year-old – winner of the Puerto Rico Open and Mayakoba Golf Classic on the PGA Tour last year – is nine under through 36 holes, ahead of 2017 champion Jon Rahm (67), Adam Scott (69), Tony Finau (67), Lanto Griffin (70), Ryan Palmer (70) and Patrick Reed (72).

Alex Noren (74), who was tied for the overnight lead alongside Reed, fell into a share of 11th, three shots off the pace.

Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy is a stroke further back following his one-under-par 71 on the North Course.

McIlroy mixed four birdies with three bogeys to be tied for 14th position along with Will Zalatoris (71), Jason Kokrak (69), Adam Hadwin (70), Rory Sabbatini (67), two-time winner Brandt Snedeker (70) and Max Homa (68).

Defending champion Marc Leishman posted a second-round 70 to be three under overall, two strokes better off than rallying veteran Phil Mickelson (72).

Mickelson was on the cusp of missing the cut during the rain delay, but the five-time major champion holed back-to-back birdies to qualify for the weekend.

Former world number one Spieth (75) missed the cut as his bid to win for the first time since 2017 continues.

Koepka's 76 saw the four-time major winner also miss the cut, along with two-time Farmers Insurance Open champion Jason Day (72).