The Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship finally managed to attract players from the two Dakotas and Idaho in the same year, but Alaska is keeping the event from having players from all 50 states this year.

The 34th World Am has again attracted more than 3,000 players, with 3,009 players registered as of Monday from the 49 states and 22 nations. Countries new to the event are Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

It will be played next Monday through Friday on 52 Grand Strand courses, including Friday's championship-round host the Dye Club at Barefoot Resort, and 32 will be used for each of the first four rounds.

The world's largest single-site golf tournament is down from more than 3,060 players last year for a mild drop of about 1.7 percent. The tournament had more than 3,400 players in 2014 but play has declined in now each of the past three years.

"If I only looked at that as a whole I would be, not discouraged, but we always hope for a little bit of growth or at least a flatline would be good. … But we're up domestically," said Jeff Monday, tournaments director for marketing cooperative Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, which operates the event.

Monday said the event has 77 fewer international players compared to 2016, though there are three more from Canada despite an exchange rate that remains unfavorable for Canadians. There are far less Europeans this year, and the Euro and English Pound have also slipped in value.

"That was very unexpected for us, and I'm not really sure what to attribute that to, but it's something we'll kind of have to look at," Monday said. "We'll survey those players after this year to see if there's a reason they didn't come back.

"I don't know whether it's or just an overall climate as far as travel goes. So we'll look forward to seeing what those people have to say."

The tournament has featured players from 48 states in each of the past three years, with South Dakota and Alaska the holdouts last year, North Dakota and South Dakota absent in 2015, and South Dakota and Idaho missing in 2014.

"We've done well with getting new players and returning people who haven't played in a few years," Monday said.

Registration isn't necessarily closed, and each flight could handle a few more players, but it would be difficult for organizers to accept new players because of handicap research. "We're never going to turn anybody away from playing in the event, but at that point there are a lot more restrictions on needing a handicap because we've already gone through all that, especially a first-time player," Monday said.

There are three new divisions this year. The gross division that doesn't factor in handicaps was brought back three years ago and a senior gross division has been added this year and has attracted 48 players, the same amount that is in the open gross division. "Hopefully we can build on both of those," Monday said.

A division for players 80 and older has also been created and has 45 players. Monday said he's had requests for the 80-and-up division, which will play courses that have forward tees with men's ratings. "They would always say they had to play with those young guys, those 70-year-olds," Monday said. "They're appreciative of it and we were able to actually get people who haven't played for a few years to come back and do that."

A Just For Fun non-competitive division has been added, in which the approximate 50 participants will not be required to play by the rules and will not compete for flight prizes, yet they'll have all other tournament benefits including the gift bag, 19th Hole and four rounds of golf.

"We're an all-inclusive golf tournament," Monday said. "We want to fit what everybody wants. Whether that's the young guy who wants to play with no handicap or the 86-year-old who wants to play with other 80-year-olds. It's all about finding ways to really incorporate as many people as we can into the event."

The tournament's 19th hole expo at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center will be emceed by Golf Channel personalities Charlie Rymer for its first two days and Damon Hack and Chantel McCabe for the final two days. John Maginnes and Brian Katrek will broadcast their show on Sirius/XM Radio's PGA Tour Radio each day from the expo, and both McCabe and pro golfer and social media sensation Paige Spiranac will take part in on-stage discussions and interact with participants for contests and interviews on the floor. Spiranac will be at the convention center Tuesday and Wednesday.

Billiards world champion Ewa Mataya Laurance of Conway will be challenging contestants to matches.

Area golf instructors including Brad Redding and Hugh Royer III, and Randy Joyner of Ballantyne Country Club in Charlotte will give instruction and field questions on stage, and bands performing include East Coast Party Band on Monday, Plane Jane on Tuesday and Soul Fish on Thursday, and Karaoke returns Wednesday.

The 19th hole will include putting and pin proximity contests with opportunities to win $25,000 for a made long putt or hole in one, a nine-hole putting course, arcade games, four Wii stations, pool tables, table tennis and foosball tables.

"We'll have everything associated with being the largest golf course party anybody can imagine," Monday said.

The event also includes a new phone app for participants to easily find information, and live scoring is possible for players who want to post them hole by hole. Championship round scoring will be live and posted by tournament organizers.

This article is written by Alan Blondin from The Sun News and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — One year later, the scene hadn't changed.

Jordan Spieth paused on the 17th green and looked across the water to the adjacent fairway at Albany Golf Club as Tiger Woods hit his shot to the ninth green, just like he did last year at the Hero World Challenge.

Curiosity is just as high over another return from injury for Woods and how he will fare after a long layoff.

What's different about the expectations for this comeback — his fifth since he first had back surgery in the spring of 2014 — is they are more about how long Woods will last than what kind of scores he posts.

"He seems more confident this year the way he's walking and talking," Spieth said Wednesday in a whisper, having lost his voice to illness. "He seemed more excited at the Presidents Cup before he was even swinging, more anxious. And it seemed to really bother him that he was following doctor's orders, like he really wanted to get going. So once he was given the go, I think it was exciting for him.

RELATED: Hero World Challenge leaderboard | Photos from the Bahamas

"So we're all very interested, as we should be, in how it goes for him this week — and obviously, hoping that's the start."

The start of his latest comeback is Thursday against an 18-man field that features eight of the top nine players in the world. It's the first time every shot counts for Woods since a 77 in the Dubai Desert Classic on Feb. 3.

That was his seventh round in his return. He withdrew the next day, citing back spasms, and had a fourth back surgery in April to fuse two disks in his lower back. Woods reports some stiffness and not as much range in motion. But he says he has no pain.

The hype about this return has been fueled by friendly rounds over the last few weeks.

Justin Thomas, the PGA Tour player of the year who will be paired with Woods on Thursday, said fans will be "shocked at how good his game looks." Rickie Fowler made a casual reference to how far Woods was driving it past him. Brad Faxon, who played with Woods and Dustin Johnson last Friday in a round with President Donald Trump, said Woods looked at ease and held nothing back in his swing, especially with the driver.

Woods had to keep score in his pro-am round Wednesday, and that included a 2 on the 350-yard seventh hole when he drove the green with a breeze at his back and holed a 20-foot putt for eagle.

The tournament is unofficial, though it offers world ranking points. Woods is at No. 1,199 in the world, and even if he finishes last, he'll move up more than 200 spots into the top 1,000. That still seems odd for a guy who spent 683 weeks at No. 1 in the world.

What enthuses Woods is playing again.

"It's been a very long time, and I'm really looking forward to getting out there and playing with Justin and having a good time," Woods said.

After that, it will be time to reassess.

"I just really want to be able to complete this week, play all four days and give myself a chance on that back nine on Sunday to win this thing," said Woods, whose last victory was more than four years ago at Firestone in the Bridgestone Invitational.

He lasted only three starts when he came back from his first back surgery in the summer of 2014. He lasted two starts after he returned at the end of 2014, and then after playing all four majors in 2015, he had a pair of back surgeries. And when he returned from those last year in the Bahamas, he lasted only three events.

"My physio was certainly working overtime last year after every day and even in the morning, trying to get me ready to go," Woods said.

Woods said the reason his comeback last year was over so quickly was due primarily to the rough at Torrey Pines and not realizing his disk was in bad shape. He said the deceleration in his swing when he hit out of the rough made the injury worse.

That's why there's so much emphasis on his health. He looks built to last, or at least last a little longer. And this is the ideal spot for Woods to return.

There is no cut. Woods is guaranteed four rounds. Interest is high. Pressure is not.

"I think it's an easy week for Tiger as it is for anybody else versus other weeks — not as many people, the golf course doesn't beat you up," Spieth said. "But you can start to see it's actually, I think, pretty important, these end-of-the-year tournaments to kind of set a precedent for next year."

That especially holds true for Woods.

This article was written by Doug Ferguson from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – When University of Illinois Coach Mike Small is not guiding his team or on the recruiting trail, he’s still a big game hunter.

The three-time PGA Professional Champion exhibited how at ease he was away from his full-time job Thursday, posting a flawless 7-under-par 65 to grab the first-round lead at Desert Mountain in the 29th Senior PGA Professional Championship presented by Mercedes-Benz.

“I stumbled on to something in the practice rounds with my swing, because I haven’t played much. Our team is in season,” said Small. “My putting was better today. I putted better than I have in a long time. I felt better over the ball, had better lines, my alignment’s better.”

MORE: First round scores from Senior PPC | Photos from Desert Mountain | Full schedule

Beginning play on No. 10 of the Geronimo Course, Small birdied Nos. 12 and 14, the latter by rolling in a 25-foot putt. He then hit a 250-yard hybrid second shot short right of the flagstick at the par-5 15th hole from where he chipped in for eagle. Small closed with birdies at No. 1, 6 and 9.

Small, 51, last visited Arizona in March, finishing T-42 in the Tucson Conquistadores Classic.

“Yeah, I like it here,” he said, adding his strategy on the tighter Geronimo layout. “I hit driver on the par-5s but 3-woods everywhere else. It felt good to play solid golf. As a coach you’re always worrying about your guys. You try to enjoy the week out here and play solid golf.”

Defending champion Steve Schneiter of Sandy, Utah, led a seven-player contingent three strokes back at 68. The group included 2014 Champion Frank Esposito Jr. of Old Bridge, New Jersey; Lee Houtteman of Glen Arbor, Michigan; Mike O’Toole of Noblesville, Indiana; Rea Schuessler of Gulf Shores, Alabama; Jim Schuman of Scottsdale, Arizona; and Ricky Touma of Olney, Maryland. With the exception of Schneiter, each played the Cochise Course, which played 1 1/2 strokes easier than Geronimo.

“I hit it pretty well,” said Schneiter, who eagled his closing hole, the No. 9 hole at Geronimo. He hit a 265-yard 5-hybrid to six feet. “It’s tough figuring out the lines in your drives out here; very tough to judge. Cochise is a little more fair and Geronimo a little tougher and riskier.”

Esposito is seeking to become the sixth multi-time Champion. He converted five birdies against one bogey, but recognizes tomorrow will bring new challenges on the Geronimo Course.

“Overall, I played nice. The first few holes played totally different with the wind and it was a little cool,” said Esposito, a PGA Teaching Professional at Forsgate Country Club. “When it warmed up, the ball started flying a bit and playing faster. , I’ll have to put a premium on the fairway because it’s tighter. There’s more trouble .”

Manitou Passage Golf Club’s PGA Head Professional, Houtteman, finds himself in familiar territory. A year ago, he held shares of the 18 and 36-hole leads, but a closing-round 78 eliminated him from contention and he settled into a tie for 18th. While a three-putt on his final hole today left a sour taste in his mouth, Houtteman is in great spirits heading into day two.

“I hit a lot of good irons,” said Houtteman. “I figured out the slopes in the practice rounds and that really helps, understanding what’s up and down, knowing what shots release, knowing where the mountains are. I’ve never seen the courses before so were really key for me today.”

Playing in his first senior event after turning 50-years-old just over a month ago, O’Toole scrambled his way around Cochise, finishing with seven birdies, one bogey and one double bogey.

“I had some fantastic saves where I hit into trouble and was able to pitch out and make my putt to save par,” said O’Toole. “I don’t think I can be as aggressive on the par 5s . is a shot maker’s course. You have to play to position off the tee to have a shot doing anything into the greens.”

Bruce Smith of Frisco, Texas, made his first career double eagle on Geronimo’s 543-yard, par-5 12th, sinking a 240-yard 3-hybrid on his second shot.

The low 35 scorers earn a berth in the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, May 22-27, 2018, at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

The Championship is supported by GolfAdvisor.com and John Deere.

The top eight finishers, including ties, will be exempt into the 2018 Senior PGA Professional Championship. The top five finishers earn a berth into the final stage of the 2017 PGA Tour Champions National Qualifying Tournament Final Stage, Nov. 28-Dec. 1.

INCHEON, South Korea — South Korean Jin Young Ko overcame a sluggish start to clinch her first LPGA Tour victory at the KEB Hana Bank Championship on Sunday.

Ko, who had been two strokes in front overnight, bogeyed two of the first three holes at the Ocean Course before carding six birdies for a 68 and an overall 19-under total of 269.

"After I made the two bogeys I had a really long chat with my caddie," Ko said. "He kept reminding me that being nervous was quite natural, that I needed to accept those nerves. I kept reminding myself of that."

Sung Hyun Park, seeking her third LPGA Tour victory of the year and the chance to take over at the top of the Rolex Rankings for the first time, was denied both goals after closing with a 68 and finishing two shots behind Ko.

Park played flawless golf over the first 13 holes with four birdies, but a three-putt bogey at the 14th effectively halted her title bid.

"Although I didn't win, I think I had a really solid, good round," said Park. "It's not easy to lower your score in the final group of the championship, and I managed to get a four-under round.

In Gee Chun, playing with compatriots Park and Ko in the final grouping, finished in third after carding a final round 69.

Carlota Ciganda, who won last year's LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship in a playoff with Alison Lee, tied for eighth with a final-round 72.

This article was from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.