Sam Ryder is in a strong position to make a run at his first PGA Tour victory as he heads into the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open with a three-stroke buffer atop the leaderboard.

Ryder, 33, has not collected a professional win since his Web.com Tour triumph back in 2017, but after banking a second-place finish in 2021 and a third-place result in 2022, he now has his best chance at a PGA Tour title.

The American owned a share of the lead after an eight-under 64 in his opening round on the Torrey Pines North Course, and he followed it with a four-under 68 on the South Course during Friday's second round. The final two rounds will be played on the South Course, which has hosted the U.S. Open twice.

Ryder's co-leaders after 18 holes both had far more trouble on the South Course, with Brent Grant posting a two-over 74 to drop to six under, while England's Aaron Rai shot himself out of contention with a six-over 78.

Alone in second place is Ryder's playing partner from the first two days, Brendan Steele, who went two under on the more difficult South Course to reach the weekend at nine under.

Incredibly, Steele is the only player within five strokes of the leader, with Argentina's Tano Goya sitting in solo third place at seven under.

Despite Grant's massive drop-off, he still owns a share of fourth place at six under, where he is part of a six-man group including Max Homa and Sahith Theegala.

Former world number one Jason Day and current top-10 talent Collin Morikawa round out the top-10 at five under, while Jon Rahm, who has won four of his past six starts, is one further back at four under.

Gareth Bale's golfing abilities have been described as unfair by Jon Rahm, with the 2021 U.S. Open winner declaring: "He has no business being that good!"

Bale, who famously celebrated in front of a flag adorned with the message 'Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order' when he led Wales to Euro 2020 qualification, retired from football earlier this month.

The former Real Madrid and Tottenham forward, who is renowned for his love of golf, recently announced he was planning to compete at the PGA Tour's Pebble Beach Pro-Am next month.

In preparation for that competition, Bale played nine holes of pro-am play at Torrey Pines with Rahm on Tuesday, making a good impression on the world number three.

"I told Gareth, 'you can't be so good at professional football and golf at the same time', it just doesn't seem fair," Rahm said.

"You can't be dedicated to one thing and have this much talent for golf, it's not fair in the slightest!

"You can tell he loves this sport, he loves golf and he really wants to get to play a little bit more, so hopefully in the future I'll see him more times in the pro-am."

Questioned on whether Bale asked him for any advice, Rahm said: "He didn't ask for anything, nor should he be asking, he's already good enough.

"Like I said, he has no business being that good when he's a professional football player. When he can actually practice more, he's going to get a lot better.

"He got two strokes, which I think is already wrong. He should be giving strokes back to the rest of the amateurs because he is a very, very good player."

Jon Rahm has now won back-to-back PGA Tour starts after repelling the challenge of Davis Thompson at The American Express.

Rahm, who came from behind at the Sentry Tournament of Champions earlier this month, also closed 2022 with DP World Tour victories at the Spanish Open and the DP World Tour Championship, giving him four wins from his past six starts overall.

He came into the final round at PGA West's Pete Dye Stadium Course tied for the lead at 23 under, and after rounds of 64, 64 and 65, he closed with a four-under 68 to post a winning score of 27 under.

Rahm reached the 16th hole tied with Thompson for the lead, but he produced a clutch birdie on the par five while Thompson could only scramble for par following a wayward tee shot.

Thompson almost tied things up at the picturesque par-three 17th, but his 50-foot putt crashed into the flag stick and somehow stayed out.

There would be no late twists in the tale, as Rahm found the bunker with his tee shot on the last but followed it with a perfect approach, while Thompson did not leave himself a birdie putt.

The 23-year-old Thompson finished alone in second at 26 under for his best ever finish on the PGA Tour, while some terrific Sunday scores were posted to climb into the top 10.

World number six Xander Schauffele tied for the round of the day as he shot a 10-under 62 to climb into a share of third at 25 under. He was matched by South Africa's Erik van Rooyen, who also posted a 62 to finish tied for sixth at 23 under with rising South Korean star Tom Kim.

Jon Rahm's phenomenal front nine earned him a share of the lead with Davis Thompson after the third round of The American Express in California on Saturday.

World number four Rahm shot 30 in his first nine holes on the Stadium Course at La Quinta Country Club, including four birdies and an eagle on the fifth to claim the lead by three strokes from Thompson, who had gone into the third day ahead by two.

Rahm launched an aggressive second shot on the par-five fifth, setting up his eagle putt from the edge of the green.

The Spaniard cooled off after another birdie on the 12th to finish the day with a seven-under-par 65, having carded back-to-back 64s on the opening two days.

Thompson shot a five-under-par 67 on the Stadium Course, making an up-and-down birdie on the 16th hole to re-claim a share of the lead.

Rahm and Thompson are joint top on 23-under overall, four strokes ahead of J.T. Poston and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

Bezuidenhout enjoyed a scintillating 10-under round on the Nicklaus Tournament Course to surge up the leaderboard, making six birdies on his back nine.

But the round of the day went to Dylan Wu, whose 11-under-par 61 matched Will Zalatoris' Nicklaus Tournament Course record. 

The American had a run of six straight birdies on his front nine and would have broken the course record if not for a par on the 18th.

Wu, at 17-under, is part of a six-player group that includes world number two Scottie Scheffler. 

After two rounds at The American Express it is Davis Thompson and Jon Rahm who have broken away from the field, both at least three strokes clear of third place.

Thompson was the first-round leader after riding back-to-back eagles to a 10-under 62 – the best score of his PGA Tour career – and he added three more eagles in his second round to follow it up with a 64 and head into the weekend at 18 under. His five eagles ties the PGA Tour record for the most through 36 holes at any event.

He is two strokes clear of Rahm at 16 under after the world number four went bogey-free for his second 64 in a row.

Both players began their week on the La Quinta Country Club course, and both played the PGA West's Nicklaus Tournament course on Friday. They will play Saturday's round on the PGA West Stadium Course, which is also where Sunday's final round will be contested.

There are some big names in the chasing pack, with South Korean rising star Tom Kim and former world number one Jason Day part of a five-man group at 13 under.

Patton Kizzire is alone in eighth at 12 under, while world number six Xander Schauffele rounds out the top-10 in a tie for ninth at 11 under.

World number two Scottie Scheffler and number five Patrick Cantlay are still in the hunt at 10 under, while number seven Will Zalatoris is one shot inside the theoretical cut line at six under, but all players will get one more round before the cut at the conclusion of round three.

Davis Thompson produced back-to-back eagles on his way to a two-stroke lead after opening with a 10-under 62 at the American Express in California on Thursday.

The unheralded 23-year-old American leads the way from a stacked field that includes 10 of the top 20 in the world.

Thompson set up his career-low round by shooting an eight-under-par 28 on his front nine, including eagles on both the fifth and sixth holes at the La Quinta Country Club, which is one of three courses being used as players also spread across the PGA West's Stadium Course and Nicklaus Tournament Course.

The American's performance tied the lowest front-nine score on the course, having made six of seven fairways and eight of nine greens.

Behind Thompson is a group of five players, including former world number one Jon Rahm who carded nine birdies and a bogey in his round of 64 on La Quinta. Rahm is tied with Sam Burns, Tyler Duncan, Matti Schmid and Taylor Montgomery at eight under.

Burns might have been outright second if not for a bogey on the 18th on the Stadium Course, having carded seven birdies on his front nine. The American made nine consecutive one-putts.

Nine players are a further stroke back at seven under after the first round, including Tokyo Olympics gold medalist and two-time major runner-up Xander Schauffele, who also shot an eagle on the fifth.

Among the pre-tournament favourites, Scottie Scheffler and Patrick Cantlay both shot four under on La Quinta, while Will Zalatoris managed three under on the Nicklaus Tournament Course. Tony Finau and Tom Kim carded rounds of three under at La Quinta.

Impossible as it was to avoid the buzz and the enormity of the news reports – a $15million purse, $2.7m to the winner – the most valuable commodity to the PGA Tour and its membership arrived at the end of the Sentry Tournament of Champions with no advance hype.

That's because it was unscripted and didn't cost a thing – except for a heavy dose of Jon Rahm's might and a small hole in Collin Morikawa's gut.

"A crazy day," said Rahm, shaking his head.

If you think he was surprised to make up a six-shot deficit over the final seven holes and win on the Plantation Course at the famed Kapalua Resort on the Hawaiian island of Maui, imagine the shock that enveloped Morikawa. He had a commanding lead to start the final day and was 27-under to Rahm's 21-under through 11 holes.

Then, the improbable crashed in like one of those waves exploding against the rocks in Honolua Bay beneath the par-three 11th hole.

Rahm went birdie, birdie, birdie, eagle, par from holes 12-16; Morikawa played those five holes in three-over. Factor in matching pars at 17 and birdies at 18 and you've got an eight-stroke swing. Six back as he teed off on the 12th, Rahm won by two.

Set aside, for a moment, what the unfathomable turnaround means to the growing aura of Rahm, 28, or what the challenge will now be for the 25-year-old Morikawa, a ball-striking wonder whose short game failed him horribly down the stretch.

Instead, appreciate what this tournament finish meant for the PGA Tour as it debuted the first of 13 designated events that feature huge increases in purses and commitments from the best players to be in all 13 (plus the four major championships).

Its fundamental strength is set to shine through, as it did at the Sentry.

Elite players battling over the same holes at the same time late in a fourth round of a tournament that had attracted 17 of the world's top 20 players. These are the moments that reinforce the notion that the PGA Tour's steadfast commitment to individual play over 72 holes works best.

When at its best, golf that is fuelled by raw passion delivers the purest form of entertainment. And athletic entertainment, remember, is both the unmistakable face of joy and the can’t-take-your-eyes-off gut-wrenching anguish.

Because it was what elite golfers want in their competition – the individual challenge to prove you have what it takes – there was a series of thundering Rahm fist pumps over the Plantation Course's back nine that could have been emphatic exclamation points to a series of truisms.

Designated events will work. Fist pump.

The money is great, but the true lure is the attendance of nearly every top 20 name. Fist pump.

This is how the game's hottest player stays on a mission. Fist pump.

No time to rest, as four more designated events will be played in the next nine weeks. Fist pump.

"Obviously, a great start for me, for what's going to be a very different year," Rahm said.

Admittedly, the Spaniard was still a bit stunned by the unexpected end. Morikawa had played 54 bogey-free holes in 24-under and everyone, Rahm included, thought he would push towards 30-under and coast.

"Honestly, I wasn't thinking about winning," he added.

But this is why you play the game. Especially 72 holes with a field that was jam-packed with those top 10 guests Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele (last-minute withdrawal with a back issue), Will Zalatoris, Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Viktor Hovland, while invitations were accepted by Tony Finau, Sam Burns, Tom Kim, Jordan Spieth, Max Homa, Cameron Young, and Billy Horschel.

The gang's all here. Get used to it, because it's going to be delightfully frequent according to Rahm, whose smile seemed to indicate he relishes it. And the flow of fist pumps suggested he's not backing down from any of them.

"I feel like I've been the best player in the world [since last summer]," Rahm continued. He acknowledged that Scottie Scheffler was clearly No. 1 early in 2022, then it was Rory McIlroy, "but I feel like right now it's me."

Computers spit out a different set of numbers – McIlroy, Scheffler, Cameron Smith and Cantlay are Nos. 1-4. Rahm concedes he's confused by that, but clearly he doesn't bring such cloudiness to the golf course.

He's won three of his last worldwide starts and in his last eight starts, going back to August, Rahm's been top five six times, with his other tournaments being a T-8 and T-16.

As torrid as that has been, McIlroy's achievements read splendidly, also. Since the Masters last April, the Northern Irishman has three wins, a total of 11 top-five finishes, and 13 top 10s. His last seven starts saw finishes of 4th, 1st, T-4, 4th, T-2, 1st, T-8, which adds up to a worthy claim to the No. 1 spot.

But if you wanted to side with Rahm's contention that he's playing like the real No. 1, not many would fight you. It helps explain why this series of designated tournaments will do more than reward players financially; it will pump up the entertainment to delightful levels.

"We're all working hard. I know everybody's putting in a lot of effort to try and stay [high in the OWGR] as long as possible," said Rahm. "But, yes, I want to be back up there [at No. 1]."

So, too, is Morikawa promising to shake off the back-nine meltdown on Maui. That his only bogeys of the tournament came at an ill-advised time – his 68th, 69th, and 70th holes of the week – seemed to gnaw at the two-time major winner.

"It's just kind of going to hopefully push me more and more to really figure out what it's going to take for 72 holes," he said.

Jon Rahm completed a remarkable come-from-behind victory on Sunday after shooting a 10-under final round to finish on 27 under and win the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

The day was set up to be Collin Morikawa's first win since 2021, entering play with a six-stroke lead after rounds of 64, 66 and 65 – before crumbling under the pressure for a 72.

Morikawa's lead was still at five strokes on the back-nine, but as Rahm put together a four-hole run of three birdies and an eagle, Morikawa began drifting the opposite direction, with three consecutive bogeys.

The switch seemingly happened in an instant, as Morikawa's third bogey – after none through his first 67 holes – left him two down, and another Rahm birdie on the 18th would decide the contest before Morikawa could even tee off on the last.

Morikawa also birdied the final hole to finish at 25 under, collecting a $1.5million purse for finishing as runner-up, but it will be a day that lives long in his memory for all the wrong reasons.

Rahm ended up with nine birdies, one eagle and one bogey in his spectacular final round, earning $2.7m as he banked the third victory from his past five overall starts following European Tour wins at the Spanish Open and the DP World Tour Championship.

Tom Hoge shot nine under and Max Homa put together a seven-under 66 to climb into a tie for third at 23 under, with Tom Kim and J.J. Spaun rounding out the top-five, tied at 22 under.

Two-time major winner Collin Morikawa continued his excellent run at the Tournament of Champions on Saturday with an eight-under-par 65 helping him pull six strokes clear.

The 25-year-old American carded rounds of 64 and 66 on his first two days to lead by two shots at the halfway mark, backing that form up on the third day with an eagle on the par-five fifth hole.

Morikawa and playing partner Scottie Scheffler had traded eagles on the fifth to set the standard early at the Kapalua Plantation Course on the island of Maui.

The 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship winner finished his round with four birdies from the final five holes to open up a significant gap at the top of the leaderboard.

Morikawa remains bogey-free across 54 holes, with his six-stroke lead equalling the largest 54-hole lead of the season, alongside Russell Henley at the World Wide Technology Championship.

Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick, Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun are next best on 18 under. Fitzpatrick carded a seven-under-par 66 to surge up the leaderboard, while Scheffler and Spaun went four under on the third day.

Jon Rahm and Tom Kim are both a further stroke back at 17-under-par overall. Kim moved into joint second after an eagle on 15th but slipped back after following that up with a bogey.

Max Homa enjoyed the round of the day, carding a 10-under-par 63 although he was not helped by an unlucky bounce from a sprinkler head on a good approach on the 17th, leaving him to settle for par.

Collin Morikawa will head into the weekend leading the Sentry Tournament of Champions by two strokes, sitting at 16 under through 36 holes.

Morikawa has looked right at home on the Kapalua Plantation Course on the island of Maui, following his nine-under 64 with a seven-under 66 on Friday.

He began his second round in blistering form, birdieing four of his first five holes, before going on to finish with his second consecutive bogey-free day.

The two-time major champion has not won a PGA Tour event since The Open Championship in July 2021, while his last win in any event came at the DP World Tour Championship in November 2021.

He will be looking to fend off the challenge of world number two Scottie Scheffler, who is tied for second at 14 under after a pair of 66s.

Scheffler's nine birdies on Friday tied with Luke List for the day's most, and he is joined at 14 under by J.J. Spaun.

Jordan Spieth used a pair of eagles to pull to within striking distance, birdieing the 18th to jump into outright fourth place at 13 under.

Young phenom Tom Kim is alone in fifth at 12 under, while major champions Matt Fitzpatrick and Jon Rahm are tied for sixth at 11 under.

List and Tony Finau are in the group at 10 under, with Hideki Matsuyama headlining those at nine under, and the pair of Will Zalatoris and Adam Scott will still feel they are in with a chance – eight off the pace at eight under.

Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm and J.J. Spaun share the lead after carding nine-under-par rounds of 64 on the first day of the season-opening Tournament of Champions in Hawaii on Thursday.

Two-time major winner Morikawa reeled off a career-best six straight birdies from the 10th to 15th holes, before ending his round with a birdie on the par-five 18th.

Fellow American Spaun was an early leader with five birdies on his front nine, enjoying a run of four consecutive birdies from the 12th to the 15th too.

Former world number one Jon Rahm, who was among the last to finish the day's play, bounced back from a bogey on the 14th hole, birdieing three of his final four holes to grab a share of the lead.

The trio are one stroke ahead of South Korean Tom Kim, who managed two eagles in his eight-under-par round of 65. Kim holed out spectacularly off one bounce on the sixth hole from 116 feet, while he repeated the feat on the 15th after a fine approach which was one of the best shots of the day.

Six players are next at seven under, including world number two Scottie Scheffler who finished his round with four birdies on the final five holes.

Scheffler is tied with Tom Hoge, Aaron Wise, Sungjae Im, Matt Fitzpatrick and Mackenzie Hughes.

Six players are a further shot back including Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland and Hideki Matsuyama.

Jon Rahm wants the PGA and DP World tours to collaborate in making a decision on the inclusion of LIV Golf players at this year's Ryder Cup.

A number of high-profile players have left both tours for LIV Golf since the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit's inception last year.

Henrik Stenson was stripped of the Europe captaincy in July after making the switch, with Ryder Cup veterans like Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood among those in danger of being ruled ineligible, while the United States have ruled out the selection of LIV players.

Speaking ahead of the Sentry Tournament of Champions, Rahm said it would not be smart to have a situation at the Ryder Cup – which takes place in Rome in September – where one team calls up LIV Golf players and the other does not.

"Listen, there's some people that are going to have to make some tough choices," he said. "I hope the PGA of America and European Tour make a decision together. I don't think it would be smart to have one team allowing LIV players and one not to.

"And besides that, even if they decide not to on that side, I think it's going to give an opportunity for a lot of great young players to show up and have the chance in Europe, right? It's just going to be an opportunity for all of them. We saw a younger United States team last Ryder Cup and they did what they did [beating Europe 19-9 in 2021].

"I'm hoping these younger guys who have grown up watching the Ryder Cup and seeing their idols do what they do, let's say, it energises the team a little bit in any manner and we show up there to win."

Rahm also joked about the "chaos" around the LIV Golf breakaway, saying: "I've had two kids in 15 months, so compared to that, I don't know if what's happened around golf is as comparable."

He insists it has not changed his perception of his fellow professionals, though, adding: "I didn't feel a difference in any of the majors last year. If somebody has a problem with LIV players, they're just not going to deal with them and that's about it.

"In my mind, like I've said it before, I respect their choice and the ones I was friends with before I'm still going to be friends with, right? It doesn't change the way I'm going to operate with them."

Rahm, a big football fan, was also asked for his opinion on the recent World Cup final that saw Argentina and Lionel Messi beat France on penalties after an exciting 3-3 draw in Qatar, which also featured Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick for Les Bleus.

"That final was incredible," he said. "I think I took more inspiration from Mbappe. He put the team on his back and tied a final that they had no business tying, let's be honest.

"And Messi, I mean, I've been watching Messi play for so long that it's amazing that he can still surprise a lot of people. When the debate of greatest of all time is up in the air, he does what he did and carried Argentina to a World Cup final.

"It's not my business to decide who is the best or who is not because I never saw [Diego] Maradona play, but he's made a pretty good argument.

"I don't know if I'll see a final this good ever again in my lifetime. I hope I do, but I doubt it. The only way this could have been better if it was Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo facing off and they each had a hat trick and things like that. Kylian being the next closest thing, because he's clearly the future of this sport."

Reigning champion Viktor Hovland carded a round-of-the-day eight-under-par 64 to pull three shots clear at the Hero World Challenge on Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas on Saturday.

The Norwegian, who was the joint leader after day one and outright leader by one shot at halfway, shot 10 birdies in his stunning third round to open up a three-shot gap on Scottie Scheffler.

Hovland could have been further ahead if not for a bogey on the par-four 18th hole, having managed six birdies in the previous seven holes to card 31 on his back nine. He also bogeyed on the sixth hole.

The reigning champion, who managed eagles in both of his first two days, fired in a dart over the water off the tee on the par-three 17th hole to set up a routine birdie putt.

Hovland leads from world number two Scheffler, who hit 66 on day three, to move up to 10-under overall.

Scheffler buried an eagle putt on the par-five 15th hole to move into solo second, having five birdies for his round, along with a bogey.

Justin Thomas is a further two shots behind Scheffler at eight-under overall, alongside Cameron Young who had been in the four-player pack one stroke behind Hovland at halfway.

Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele are tied at seven under, rounding out those in contention with a big gap to the next best, Jon Rahm who is four-under overall.

Viktor Hovland is alone atop the Hero World Challenge leaderboard after Friday's second round, following his opening 69 with a two-under 70 to enter the weekend at five under.

Hovland, who was the joint-leader entering the day, is the reigning champion at the event after edging Scottie Scheffler by one stroke at Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas last year.

In an action-packed second round, the Norwegian posted an eagle with four birdies and four bogeys, with his slam-dunk shot of the day on the par-five sixth hole making it back-to-back rounds with an eagle.

He is one stroke clear of a four-man group consisting of Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young and Collin Morikawa, with playing partners Scheffler and Schauffele posting four-under 68s to tie for the round of the day.

South Korean 20-year-old Tom Kim is the only player in sixth at three under, Justin Thomas is alone at two-under, and Billy Horschel is tied with Tiger Woods' late replacement Sepp Straka for eighth at one under.

It leaves 11 of the 20-player field at least five strokes off Hovland's lead, with Matt Fitzpatrick, Tony Finau and Jon Rahm at even par.

It was a day to forget for Tommy Fleetwood, Corey Conners, Max Homa and Shane Lowry, with all four shooting their way out of contention with rounds of four over or worse.

Viktor Hovland is looking to win back-to-back Hero World Challenge titles and started his week on the right track, finishing Thursday's opening round in a four-way tie for the lead at three under.

The small field boasts 20 of the PGA Tour's top talents, with Tiger Woods hosting the event at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas.

Winner of the 2021 edition, Hovland posted an impressive eagle on the par-four 14th hole to go with his two birdies and one bogey to share the lead through 18 holes.

Norway's top golfer is joined by 20-year-old South Korean phenom Tom Kim, America's Collin Morikawa, and Austria's Sepp Straka, with the latter coming in as the late replacement for Woods following his withdrawal due to plantar fasciitis.

Kim, who already has two PGA Tour wins under his belt, was the only of the foursome to not make a single bogey.

They are one stroke clear of Sam Burns alone in fifth at two under, with Cameron Young, Max Homa and Tommy Fleetwood tied for sixth at one under.

World number two Scottie Scheffler is joined by two-time major champion Justin Thomas as part of the group at even par, while Jon Rahm is at one over, and Matt Fitzpatrick is at two over.

Corey Conners is alone in 19th at three over, and Jordan Spieth is dead last and the only player at four over.