Koepka holds off Woods to win PGA Championship
ST. LOUIS – The roars were unlike anything Brooks Koepka had ever heard, and he knew exactly what they meant.
They got louder for each birdie by Tiger Woods that moved him closer to the lead Sunday in the PGA Championship, and Koepka could hear a ripple effect of noise. First, real time. Seconds later, another burst from patrons watching on TV in chalets. Then, distant cheers from every corner of Bellerive when the score was posted.
“We knew what was going on,” he said. “It’s pretty obvious when Tiger makes a birdie. Everybody on the golf course cheers for him.”
Koepka knew exactly what to do.
Amid relentless pandemonium, Koepka ran off three straight birdies to end the front nine and seize control. When he was tied with Adam Scott through 14 holes, with Woods one shot behind, he delivered back-to-back birdies.
The last one was a laser of a 4-iron from 248 yards that settled 6 feet away, sending him to a dream finish of a year that began with the 28-year-old Floridian wondering if a wrist injury that kept him out four months would ever allow him to compete again.
“That will probably go down as probably one of the best shots I’ve ever hit under pressure,” he said.
He closed with a 4-under 66 for a two-shot victory over Woods and took his place among the elite in golf. Koepka became the fifth player to win the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in the same year, joining Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
It will be impossible to overlook him now, not with the Wanamaker Trophy to go with his back-to-back U.S. Open titles. Koepka won two of the three majors he played this year, and three of his last six. Not since Woods won four in a row through the 2001 Masters has anyone won majors at such an alarming rate.
And yet it still felt _ and certainly sounded _ as though he played second billing to Woods.
The crowd was enormous, louder than anything in golf this side of Augusta National or a Ryder Cup, and Woods looked closer than ever to capping his comeback from four back surgeries with another major.
Even with two bogeys, Woods shot 64 for his lowest final round in a major. He finished at 266, beating by three shots his best 72-hole score in a major.
At this major, it wasn’t enough.
“I played hard,” Woods said. “I made a bit of a run. It looks like I’m going to come up a little short.”
Koepka was responsible for that.
After wasting one chance to put it away by missing consecutive birdie chances from 7 feet, Koepka kept attacking flags and ran in birdie putts of 10 feet on No. 15 and 7 feet on No. 16 to end the drama. He tapped in for par on the final hole to set the PGA Championship scoring record at 264. It also tied the major championship record that Henrik Stenson set at Royal Troon two years ago in the British Open.
He also joined Jordan Spieth, Woods, Nicklaus and Tom Watson as the only players with three majors before turning 30 since World War II.
“Three majors at 28 _ it’s a cool feeling,” said Koepka, who five years ago was toiling in Europe’s minor leagues.
Scott hung around by making big putts, just like he hoped, and was tied for the lead until Koepka’s birdies. Scott missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th that would have pulled him to within one shot _ right after Koepka missed from the same range _ and then made bogey on the 18th for a 67 to finish alone in third.
The only knock on Koepka is that he doesn’t win enough elsewhere _ the Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour, the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour, and two victories at the Dunlop Phoenix on the JapanGolf Tour.
“He’s won three majors now, so he’s definitely winning the right ones,” Scott said. “If I was him, I wouldn’t change much at the moment. I’d just keep doing what he’s doing because he’s showing up at the right moments in the biggest events. There’s something inside his brain that makes him believe that that’s what he’s destined to do.”
The St. Louis fans waited 17 years to see Woods _ he last was at Bellerive when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks cancelled a World Golf Championship _ and he delivered a performance that took golf back in time.
Thomas Bjorn might have seen it coming. Earlier in the week, as he was cleaning out his locker after withdrawing with an injury, he thought back to Woods getting into contention at Carnoustie last month at the British Open. “He recognized who that guy was that day,” Bjorn said.
Woods was relentless, pumping fists, raising the putter in his left hand, making birdies and charging toward a finish that caused pure pandemonium among one of the largest and noisiest crowds at a major.
Without hitting a fairway on the front nine, Woods cut the four-shot deficit to two.
Dialed in on the back nine, he dropped an approach into 4 feet on No. 12, got within one shot with a 10-foot birdie on the par-3 13th and, after a bad drive led to bogey, he answered with another approach that hit a foot from the hole.
That was as good as it got.
Facing the most important drive of the day on the par-5 17th, Woods sent it sailing to the right and it embedded in a hazard along the banks of a creek. He did well to advance it, but had to save par from a bunker. Behind him, Koepka holed his two birdie putts.
Woods and Koepka played nine holes of a practice round Wednesday, and the 14-time major champion knew what he was up against.
“It’s tough to beat when the guy hits it 340 down the middle,” Woods said. “What he did at Shinnecock, just bombing it, and then he’s doing the same thing here. … And when a guy’s doing that and hitting it straight, and as good a putter as he is, it’s tough to beat.”
Koepka never imagined a year like this. He missed four months at the start of the year when a partially torn tendon in his left wrist, causing him to sit out the Masters. He outlasted good friend Dustin Johnson at Shinnecock Hills to become the first back-to-back U.S. Open champion in 29 years.
And now this.
The only downer is having to wait eight months for the Masters.
Jared du Toit sits T6 heading into the weekend
Calgary, Alta, Canada— Canadian Jared du Toit, who held a brief lead as he made the turn to the back nine, is in good position on the leaderboard after a second-round 65 at the ATB Financial Classic. Spending much of the last seven years of his life in Calgary, the hometown player is in good position to bring home the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week award.
“I’ve been hitting it well the past month and been waiting for the putter to go and it never came, so after the missed cut in Edmonton I put some really hard work in putting and I think it’s starting to pay off. I made a few today and yesterday, and that really started to get things going,”said du Toit.
The Country Hills Golf Club course record belongs to Lee Hodges, who made nine birdies, including three consecutive to close out his day, to card a 62 and holds a share of the lead with Chris Killmer after the second round.
After a lackluster performance last week in Edmonton at the Oil Country Championship, where he missed the first cut of his Mackenzie Tour career, Hodges’ 62 gives him the best scoring average on the Mackenzie Tour at 67.7.
“It was a good round. I was in control of my game the whole time and struck it really nicely,” said Hodges. “I hit every green and wasn’t often outside 15 feet, so it was a good ball striking day, and then I made some good putts on the last three, so overall, it was a good day.”
Hodges spread his birdies sporadically on the front nine, carding circles on hole Nos. 2, 5, 8 and 9. Turning to the back, The Huntsville, AL native made birdie on Nos. 10 and 13 before closing with three in a row for his second 62 of the season.
“It was really yesterday that this started, I played the same way, but just didn’t make as many putts,” said Hodges, who opened with a 66 on day one. “These greens are tricky to read sometimes, but today I was just underneath the hole all day and had straight putts, which was nice.”
This isn’t the first time Hodges has been in a position like this on the Mackenzie Tour. At the Osprey Valley Open, the 23-year-old held an 18-hole lead after, déjà vu, a course-record 62.
Following back-to-back 69s in rounds two and three, Hodges closed with a disappointing 77 to finish T28. However, the recent Alabama Tar Heel grad chalks it up as a necessary learning experience.
“I’m glad I had that experience at Osprey (Valley) because I didn’t handle it very well,” said Hodges. “I was like, ‘where do I go from here’, but now I know to keep my foot on the gas pedal, keep making putts and good shots and good things will happen.”
Trailing the leaders by one is first round leader Tyler McCumber, who made two eagles on the day to fire a second-round 66. In his last 11 rounds on the Mackenzie Tour, McCumber has a scoring average of 65.36.
American Zach Bauchou repeats as Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion
DUNCAN, B.C. – American Zach Bauchou held on in Thursday’s final round of the 114th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Duncan Meadows to become the 13th back-to-back champion in history.
Bauchou, a Forest, Va., native, fired a 5-under 66 in the final round to finish with a three-stroke victory at 18 under par—tying the tournament record set in 1970 by Allen Miller.
“It’s truly an honour to be a back-to-back champion at the Canadian Men’s Amateur—words can’t really express how much it means to me to come up here and defend and play as well as I did,” said the 22-year-old. “I’m truly honoured to win this tournament again.”
In 2017, Bauchou became the 22nd American to hoist the Earl Grey Cup, and now becomes the fourth American to win back-to-back championships (Han Lee, Frank Stranahan, Albert Campbell).
For the first time since Monday, Bauchou relinquished the lead to momentarily sit tied at 14 under par with fellow American Philip Knowles, who surged up the leaderboard early with birdies on three of his first four holes.
Bauchou pulled away on the back nine, with a momentum swing on the 15th hole where he sunk a winding birdie putt, while Knowles slipped with a three-putt from inside 10 feet.
“He [Philip] played really well, especially on the front nine, he really putted good,” said Bauchou. “My putt was right in the middle which was really nice – sometimes you need those putts to go in in order to win.”
Words from your 2018 Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion #CDNAm pic.twitter.com/trlR1VmS8a
— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) August 9, 2018
With the victory, Bauchou receives an exemption into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Hamilton, Ont., from June 3-9. Having already received an exemption into the U.S. Amateur via World Amateur Ranking (No. 21), Bauchou had his mind set this year on defending.
“I think the feelings are a lot different for me this year,” said Bauchou. “Today I was playing to defend, and you have a little difference in responses and I was a lot less nervous today than I was last year, which was the different this year.”
Knowles closed in solo second at 15 under par. The Jacksonville, Fla., native also shot a 64 in Wednesday’s third round to set the course record.
“Just like that you go from walking up the green, thinking you might get back to all-square to being three down with three to play,” said Knowles, who is entering his senior year at the University of North Florida. “I shot 15 under. You can’t shake your head at that, there’s a lot of circles on the scorecard.”
Elmira, Ont., native Garrett Rank finished in third place at 13 under par, also taking home low Canadian honours in the process. The 30-year-old will return to B.C. from Aug. 21-24 to compete in the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur at Victoria Golf Club, where he’ll look to collect his fourth title in five years.
“You’d like to add this one to the resume for sure,” said Rank. “Without sounding arrogant I have won a lot of Golf Canada championships so it would be nice at one point to get one of these.”
Earlier in the week, Team Quebec captured the inter-provincial title to win their second consecutive Willingdon Cup. Julien Sale (Gatineau, Que.) and Team Canada members Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.) and Hugo Bernard (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.) helped Quebec to a 10-under-par score and a seven-stroke win—their eighth victory all-time.
Duncan Meadows Golf Course played host to the 114th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship alongside Pheasant Glen Golf Resort, who co-hosted the 246-player field during the first 36 holes.
Click here for full scores.
Canadian Tee Times for 118th U.S. Amateur Championship
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced tee times for the first two rounds of the 118th U.S. Amateur Championship, Monday (Aug. 13) and Tuesday (Aug. 14), at 7,075-yard, par-71 Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links and at 6,995-yard, par-72 Spyglass Hill Golf Course, in Pebble Beach, Calif.
The U.S. Amateur consists of 36 holes of stroke play on Aug. 13 and 14, after which the 312-player field will be reduced to the low 64 scorers. There will be six rounds of match play, starting Aug. 15. The quarterfinals and semifinals are slated for Friday, Aug. 17 and Saturday, Aug. 18, respectively. The championship is scheduled to conclude with a 36-hole final on Sunday, Aug. 19, starting at 7:30 a.m. PDT.
All Times PDT
Monday (Aug. 13), PB, Hole #1 / Tuesday (Aug. 14), SH, Hole #10
8:12 a.m. / 1:27 p.m. – Hugo Bernard, Canada; John Augenstein, Owensboro, Ky.; Eric Ansett, Spokane, Wash
8:43 a.m. / 1:58 p.m. – Gray Barnes, Stormville, N.Y.; Josh Whalen, Canada; Varun Chopra, Champaign, Ill.
Monday (Aug. 13), PB, hole #10 / Tuesday (Aug. 14), SH, hole #1
9:15 a.m. / 2:30 p.m. – Sy Lovan, Canada; Andy Ogletree, Little Rock, Miss.; Drew Kittleson, Scottsdale, Ariz.
9:36 a.m. / 2:51 p.m. – Cameron Meeks, Las Vegas, Nev.; Colby Dean, Eagle, Idaho; Chris Crisologo, Canada
Monday (Aug. 13), PB, hole #1 / Tuesday (Aug. 14), SH, hole #10
2:51 p.m. / 9:36 a.m. – Patrick Murphy, Canada; Tyler Vincent, Lisle, Ill.; Nate Thomson, Greendale, Wis.
Monday (Aug. 13), PB, hole #10 / Tuesday (Aug. 14), SH, hole #1
1:58 p.m. / 8:43 a.m. – Etienne Brault, Canada; Matthew Wetherill, Cincinnati, Ohio; Joe Highsmith, Lakewood, Wash.
2:19 p.m. / 9:04 a.m. – Jacob Bergeron, Slidell, La.; Garrett Rank, Canada; Timothy Wiseman, Corydon, Ind.
Monday (Aug. 13), SH, hole #10 / Tuesday (Aug. 14), PB, hole #1
8:12 a.m. / 1:27 p.m. – Stephen Behr, Florence, S.C.; Cougar Collins, Canada; Jacob Solomon, Auburn, Ala.
Monday (Aug. 13), SH, hole #1 / Tuesday (Aug. 14), PB, hole #10
1:16 p.m. / 8:01 a.m. – Alexander Yang, Carlsbad, Calif.; Joey Savoie, Canada; Jack Rhea, Jonesborough, Tenn.
1:58 p.m. / 8:43 a.m. – Matthew Cocorikis, Monroe Township, N.J.; Maxwell Sear, Canada; Brett Robinson, Tustin, Calif.
Defending champion Zach Bauchou shoots 67 to lead Canadian Men’s Amateur by two strokes
DUNCAN, B.C. – American Zach Bauchou fought the heat with a 4-under-par 67 in Wednesday’s third round of the 114th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship to hold a two-stroke lead at Duncan Meadows.
The 22-year-old Forest, Va., product sits at 13 under par for the tournament and has held the lead through the first three rounds. Bauchou, a junior at Oklahoma State, felt he left a lot of strokes on the course today.
“I didn’t really feel like I played that great today. I just didn’t hit it close to the hole so I didn’t have many great birdie looks,” said Bauchou, who was on his way to the practice range. “I was fortunate to only make one bogey which minimizes the damage a lot—I just need to play better tomorrow.”
American Zach Baochou finishes his third round with a 4-under 67 to maintain his lead at the #CDNAm
Scores ➡️ https://t.co/A1XR0wKkKT pic.twitter.com/dTiplhJLWq
— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) August 8, 2018
Bauchou’s motivation comes from many sources, one of which included Oklahoma State teammate Sam Stevens, who now sits in a tie for third at 8 under. The pair shared a short exchange at the 17th tee to compare scores.
“I was asking Sam what he was at and he was 6 under,” smiled Bauchou. “So I was really gearing up to birdie the last two holes but I didn’t do that so that was disappointing. You know, I think I’m in a really good frame of mind to have a good day tomorrow.”
Trailing Bauchou is fellow American Philip Knowles, who shot a 64 to tie the course record (set this week by Australian Justin Warren). The Jacksonville, Fla., native sits at 11 under in solo second, narrowing Bauchou’s 36-hole lead by one stroke.
A trio of golfers sit tied for third place at 8 under par: Canadian Kaleb Gorbahn (Smithers, B.C.), Sam Stevens (Wichita, Kans.) and Cameron Young (Scarborough, N.Y.).
In 2017, Bauchou rallied from behind in the final round to win the title. On Thursday, he looks to close it out playing with lead. He tees off at 9:31 a.m. PT alongside Knowles and Gorbahn, the current low Canadian.
Team Canada graduate and NHL referee Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., sits in 6th place at 7 under for the tournament.
In addition to claiming the title of 2018 Canadian Men’s Amateur champion, the winner will earn exemptions into the 2018 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif., and the 2019 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ont. from June 3-9.
The champion will also be eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur, if applicable.
Click here for full scores.
Reigning Canadian Men’s Amateur champion Zach Bauchou extends lead to three strokes
QUALICUM BEACH, B.C. – Defending champion Zach Bauchou battled the extreme heat in Tuesday’s second round with a 3-under 68 to extend his lead to three strokes at the 114th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.
Bauchou, a Forest, Va., native, posted six birdies against three bogeys at co-host Pheasant Glen Golf Resort heading into the final two rounds back at Duncan Meadows.
“With all the par-3s you’re going to have to hit a lot of mid-irons—I was able to hit some really good shots and I putted really well too,” said the 22-year-old, greenside at No. 18. “I had some nice looks that I capitalized on today.”
The Oklahoma State junior grew his lead by one stroke on Tuesday and looks to stay aggressive in Wednesday’s third round.
“The goal is just to play as good as I can and make as many birdies as I can,” said Bauchou. “I’ve had some short game errors where I didn’t get up-and-down, so I’ll be looking to sharpen up my short game over the next two days and keep playing aggressively—pedal to the medal.”
Alone in second place is Gatineau, Que., resident Julien Sale, who shot a 2-under-par 69 at Pheasant Glen to move to 6 under for the tournament, three back of Bauchou.
“I’m just trying to put the ball in play and then go for the green and get the putter working well,” said Sale, who grew up in France. “For tomorrow, I’ll see if I need to be a bit more aggressive depending on how the other guys do.”
Sale’s efforts played a large part in helping Team Quebec capture the inter-provincial title to win their second straight Willingdon Cup. Alongside Sale were Team Canada members Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.) and Hugo Bernard (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.), who helped Quebec to a 10-under-par score and a seven-stroke win—their eighth victory all-time.
Team Alberta was the only other team to finish under par, closing with a score of 3 under to finish alone in second place.
Also making significant moves on Tuesday were Garrett Rank and Justin Warren. Rank, an Elmira, Ont., native and Team Canada graduate, shot a 65 to tie the course record at Pheasant Glen. The 30-year-old climbed into a five-way tie for sixth place at 3 under for the tournament.
At Duncan Meadows, Australian Justin Warren carded a scorching 64 to set the new course record (Bauchou tied the old record of 65 on Monday). Warren, a senior at Little Rock, sits tied for 24th at even par.
A total of 71 players who finished 3 over par or better have advanced to the final two rounds of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship to be contested at Duncan Meadows.
In addition to claiming the title of 2018 Canadian Men’s Amateur champion, the winner will earn exemptions into the 2018 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif., and the 2019 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ont. from June 3-9.
The champion will also be eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur, if applicable.
For full results click here.
Defending champion Zach Bauchou ties course record to lead Canadian Men’s Amateur
Reigning champion Zach Bauchou fired a 65 in Monday’s opening round of the 114th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Duncan Meadows Golf Course to tie the course record and lead by two strokes.
The Forest, Va., native thrived in the sweltering B.C. weather, going 7 under through his first 10 holes thanks to two eagles—one that included a hole-out from the bunker on No. 17. Bauchou cooled off on his final eight holes, giving one back with a bogey on the par-3 7th.
“I was making some nice putts and hitting my irons really well,” said Bauchou, greenside at the 9th hole. “My round kind of fizzled off at the end—I missed a short putt and stopped making some putts. But 65 is still a solid round and it’s a good start.”
Bauchou will tee off at 1:03 p.m. PT on Tuesday at co-host Pheasant Glen Golf Resort. He plans to clean up some minor mistakes, with the game plan remaining the same.
“I really felt like the last eight holes I could have played a lot better, so I need to touch up on some things this afternoon and come out strong tomorrow,” said the 22-year-old Oklahoma State junior. “I’m going to hit a lot of drivers out there [Pheasant Glen], you just need to hit some good wedges and make some putts.”
There is a five-way tie for second at 4 under par consisting of: Team Canada National Squad member Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.), Andrew Harrison (Camrose, Alta.), Kaleb Gorbahn (Smithers, B.C.), Julien Sale (Gatineau, Que.) and Oliver Ménard (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que.).
Canadian Junior Boys champion Christopher Vandette of Beaconsfield, Que., sits in a four-way tie for 7th at 3 under par.
Team Quebec jumped out to an early lead in the 36-hole inter-provincial competition for the Willingdon Cup. The trio’s lowest two scores (67-67) of the round from Savoie and Sale gave the team a score of 8 under par and a six-stroke advantage.
Teams Alberta and British Columbia share second place at 2 under par. The Willingdon Cup champion will be crowned on Tuesday at Pheasant Glen.
In addition to claiming the title of 2018 Canadian Men’s Amateur champion, the winner will earn exemptions into the 2018 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif., and the 2019 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ont. from June 3-9.
The champion will also be eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur, if applicable.
Click here for full results.
Ben Silverman T10 heading into the weekend Barracuda Championship
RENO, Nev. — Ben Silverman, is the low Canadian heading into the weekend at the Barracuda Championship. The Thornhill, Ont., native is +19 points after his round on Friday, carding two bogeys and five birdies.
As a resident of Colorado for roughly six years, Sam Saunders is at home in the mountains. Maybe that’s why it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Saunders has fared well at the Barracuda Championship in recent years, logging consecutive top 10s in his last two starts at Montreux Golf & Country Club, where the course sits at 5,476 to 5,952 feet above sea level.
His run of good form in Reno continued on Friday with a 13-point output that vaulted him into a share of second place with Andrew Putnam with 23 points. A bogey on the 12th – his third hole of the day — was his lone blemish on the card as Saunders piled up seven birdies in a 12-hole stretch, starting on the 13th, to move up the leaderboard.
“It was a good solid day out there,” Saunders said. “Drove the ball really well and made a few more putts today than I did yesterday. Still left a few out there. But it’s a fun format and enjoy giving myself as many birdie chances as possible.”
Sitting at No. 124 in the FedExCup standings, it might be difficult to have fun at this point in the season, but Saunders isn’t putting additional pressure on himself this week. Instead, he’s staying focused on winning a tournament, realizing his maiden TOUR victory would alleviate any pressure at the Wyndham Championship.
“My goal is to try and win this tournament this weekend,” Saunders said. That’s kind of it. Making the playoffs will be a byproduct of that.”
Saunders has given himself chances to win this season, finishing T5 most recently at the Greenbrier Classic where he entered the final round two shots back of the lead.
As for what’s working this week at Barracuda, Saunders pointed to his time spent playing mountain golf as a reason for his success.
In the same way it takes a runner time to get acclimated to the thin mountain air, players need to get used to taking a club or two less on certain shots. There’s also the swirling winds and temperature changes that can alter club selection.
Simply put, choosing a club can be cumbersome during the tournament week.
But not for Saunders, who all but throws the calculator out the wind and places more of an emphasis on feel.
“I really enjoy thinking about the shots out here and having to feel them out,” he said. “You are just not going to get the number right. It’s not math out here. You can do a lot of math and try to have your best guess, but so much of it is feeling out the shot . So I think my experience living [in Colorado] and playing at altitude helps a lot.”
Depending on how things go the next few days, his experience in the mountains could lead him to his first TOUR title.
Céleste Dao wins 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship
TSAWWASSEN, B.C. – After a close round on Friday, Team Canada National Development Squad Member Céleste Dao from Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot, Que. carded a 2-over-par 74 to become the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Champion.
Dao started the day with a one stroke lead and worked hard to keep the lead in the final round. She started her round with a bogey on hole 2 and hole 3 and continued to bogey two more holes before she made the turn.
Dao’s first three bogeys were out of the sand to put her at 1-over-par in second place after the 7thhole. She parred hole 8, while Emily Zhu from Richmond Hill, Ont. bogeyed it, putting them both with a share of the lead before the back nine.
Dao’s fourth bogey set her back one stroke, into second, and another bogey on hole 10, after a three putt, forced her to sit three back of Emily Zhu.
“The voice in my head kept telling me to stay patient, just stay patient for the two par 5s that are coming, I knew that at least one of them I could birdie,” said the 2018 Junior Girls Champ.
The Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot, Que. native went on to birdie hole 14, her first birdie of the day, to sit tied for the lead again with Zhu.
“I was waiting for the birdie for a long time, I kind of panicked a little on the front nine but I knew the two par 5s were coming so I stayed patient and when the first birdie dropped I was really, really happy,” said the 17-year-old. “After the first birdie came I knew I would be good for the next one.”
Dao birdied hole 15, as well, to sit one up. Both players stepped up to hole 17, the same hole that decided their fate in round 3, and teed off.
Zhu hit her ball to the left of the fairway, over the cart path, and into the trees. She had a great recovery and made it back on to the fairway. As she swung her club for her third stroke, the ball went into the trees to the right, and fell out of bounds. Zhu double bogeyed the hole, placing Dao in the lead by 3 strokes with just one hole left.
“She got unlucky, unfortunately, she played so well the whole round. She was so consistent, I mean she’s 14-years-old, it’s impressive, she’s really impressive,” said Dao about Zhu’s shot out of bounds on hole 17.
Dao would go on to birdie hole 18 to finish the day 2-over-par 74 with a total score of even par 288 for the tournament.
“This win means a lot, it was one of my goals as a junior. This year I’m really, really happy. Brooke did it, and so many good players did it, and for me it is so important to win it so I’m happy,” said Dao. “This is a big win for me because it is in my home country and playing against so many players here, it is a national event, and playing in a beautiful city, I’m really happy.”
Emily Zhu also continued to birdie hole 18 to win the Juvenile competition at 14-years-old. Angela Zhang from Vancouver, B.C., came in at 4-over-par and Zhu, after the birdie on 18, came in at 3-over-par to take the title.
“I wanted to sink that birdie putt anyways (not just to win the Juvenile Competition), the first two days I bogeyed the hole and yesterday I hit par so I was like why not go for the birdie?”
The Richmond Hill, Ont., native finished 3-over-par 291 for the tournament. This is just the beginning for her, as she has a few more years to play in this event.
Sarah Beqaj from Toronto Ont., finished 5-over-par 293 to finish third in the Juvenile Competition. Tiffany Kong from Vancouver, B.C., and Angela Zhang, also from Vancouver, B.C., finished with a share of third in the Championship with a score of 4-over-par 292.
Click here to view the full leaderboard for the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship.
Brooke sits T8 heading into the weekend at British Open
LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England – Brooke Henderson, who managed a hole on 9th hole, a par 3, finished the day with a round of 70 and she finds herself tied in eighth place 5-under at the Women’s British Open.
Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand is standing out for more than just her pink golf ball.
The 97th-ranked player has yet to drop a shot in two straight rounds of 5-under 67 that will give her a one-stroke lead heading into the weekend at the year’s fourth major.
While first-round leader Minjee Lee and Mamiko Higa encountered problems down the stretch at a rainy Royal Lytham to give up two-shot leads on Friday, Pornanong played a steady hand and put her pink ball in all the right places _ explicitly, out of the many bunkers that define the course.
The 28-year-old Thai missed a 10-foot putt for birdie in front of the clubhouse on the 18th green but that didn’t get her down. She was 10 under par overall.
“I’ve had a game plan,” Pornanong said. “I try to plan every shot, every hole.”
It’s given her a great chance of winning a first major title, and claiming a first victory on the LPGA Tour. Her last win was on the Asian Tour in January 2015 and she has only one top-10 finish all year.
Pornanong’s only top-10 at a major was a tie for seventh at the U.S. Women’s Open in 2014.
She has already put some distance between many of the big names in women’s golf.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., aced the par-3 ninth hole on her way to a 70, which put her in a six-way tie for eighth place on 5 under. Brittany Marchand (73) of Orangeville, Ont., is projected to miss the cut line.
Top-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn was seven shots back after rounds of 71 and 70, No. 6 Shanshan Feng (71-71) was one stroke further back, and No. 2 Inbee Park (76-74) missed the cut.
Only six players were inside five shots of Pornanong. They have pedigree, though.
In a three-way share of second place on 9 under is Lee, who was clear at 12 under before she double-bogeyed No. 16 and dropped another shot at No. 17 to post a 70.
Lee, the Australian at a career-high ranking of No. 8, was runner-up on the Gullane links in the Ladies Scottish Open last week.
Home favourite Georgia Hall (68) was in the tie for second place along with Higa, who was leading by two strokes on 11 under when she lost her ball in a gorse bush at No. 17 and wound up with a double-bogey 6.
Third-ranked Park Sung-hyun, who won the Women’s PGA Championship last month, is lurking in sixth place on 7 under after rounds of 67 and 70. Seventh-ranked Ryu So-yeon, a two-time major champion, is on 6 under after two rounds of 69.