off the lead and played in the penultimate pairing, carded a two-under-par 70 to finish fifth, the second-best result of her career. And DeLaet, who also started the day one off the lead and was in the final duo, dropped into a tie for sixth after a two-over 73. So how do we assess these results? Obviously Ames was on top of his game and to make back-to-back birdies the way he did on 14 and 15 with that tour’s best player, Bernhard Langer, closing in was classy stuff. While it may have taken Ames, the 2006 Players champion, longer to win against the old guys than some figured, he noted afterwards that life off the course — divorce, custody hearings — hasn’t been too smooth the lastHer eyes darted around the room, trying to find something familiar to lock on to. Neither the décor nor the people in the waiting room with her were familiar. Subconsciously, she reached for her belt, for her badge. Her unease grew when she discovered it was not there, and as she moved she couldn’t feel the weight of her gun or its shoulder holster.

The chair she had been in wobbled backward, threatening to topple over as Cadence leaped to her feet. She looked around again, trying to calm herself, and took in more details of those around her, attempting to find a common thread. The others in the room were all different shapes and sizes, all different ages and ethnicities. There was a middle aged black man clad