COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Stephen Ames came out of the gate recording par on Thursday after the first round of the U.S. Senior Open. He’s sitting T10 after the first round, five strokes behind the lead.

Though John Smoltz may have felt very much alone on the wind-whipped, sun-baked Broadmoor course, he wasn’t.

The main difference between him and most of the guys battling the conditions Thursday was that Smoltz does not do this for a living.

The pitching Hall of Famer spent Day 1 of his fantasy golf camp in much the same position as the rest of the players – gouging out of ankle-high rough, then scrambling to put himself in position for par putts. But Smoltz didn’t make many. His round of 15-over 85 included only five pars and no birdies.

“I’m just being honest,” Smoltz said. “I don’t have enough game for this course yet.”

The ultimate test for the seniors produced only six below-par scores through the morning rounds, with the wind forecast to pick up as the day wore on.

Rocco Mediate was in an early three-way tie for the lead at 2 under – in the mix again for a national championship 10 years after his epic, 19-hole playoff loss to Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open.

“I love our national Open. I don’t care if it’s the regular national Open or a Senior national Open, it looks like a U.S. Open golf course,” Mediate said. “It is a U.S. Open golf course. It will show you quickly that it is, if you hit it in the wrong place. That’s what I love most about the setup.”

Deane Pappas and Kevin Sutherland were tied with Mediate, with Billy Mayfair, Scott Parel and two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen a shot behind.

Defending champion Kenny Perry was 1 over and not feeling all that bad about a round that included only a single birdie.

“Here, the greens, they’ve got you on edge,” said Perry, whose title last year gave him entry into the U.S. Open earlier this month. “ I feel like I’m at Shinnecock again.”

The USGA took its usual drubbing for the course set-up earlier this month at Shinnecock, and though the spotlight isn’t nearly as bright here, the record-high forecast for this week (high 90s) has left tournament organizers ‘pacing“ themselves when it comes to firming up the Broadmoor, according to the USGA’s daily course set-up notes.

Even when softened up for resort players, conquering this course takes its fair share of local knowledge. Virtually every putt – even those that appear to be aimed uphill – break away from the Will Rogers Shrine located on Cheyenne Mountain to the southwest of the course.

“You have to hit them a few times to trust you know what you’re doing,” Janzen said.

Janzen and Mediate trekked to Colorado Springs last month to play a few practice rounds and gain some of the valuable local knowledge.

Smoltz walked onto the Broadmoor for the first time this week. He hired a local caddie, Colin Prater, who was a Division II All-American at Colorado-Colorado Springs.

Almost immediately, though, Smoltz received a crash course in the difference between casual rounds of golf and the sport at its highest level.

“I never expected to get that many bad lies,” he said. “Nothing I could do about it. And I had a lot of tough shots that I have not practiced and that I am not used to hitting.”

A few times during the round, Smoltz had to stop, take off his shoes and tape up his toes, which were raw and aching. Lesson: Don’t break in new golf shoes at the U.S. Open.

“It was fun to have him out here,” said Bob Ford, who was in the threesome with Smoltz. “But I didn’t expect him to break 80. I know how good he is. But this is just another world. It’s not his world.”

Smoltz’s first turn through this world will end after Friday’s round.

“I hit three bad shots, and I shot 85,” he said. “It just tells you, from an amateur standpoint, and for people sitting at home, how great these players are.”

Golf Canada and RBC today announced that four of the top five finishers from the 118^th playing of the U.S. Open will be facing off in the 2018 RBC Canadian Open.

Two-time U.S. Open champion and world No. 4 golfer Brooks Koepka, Bubba Watson (world No. 13), Tommy Fleetwood (world No. 10), Tony Finau (world no. 31) and world No. 28 Ian Poulter will all join Dustin Johnson, the world’s number one ranked golfer and Team RBC member in competing for the 2018 RBC Canadian Open, July 23-29 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

Koepka, who recently defended his U.S. Open title, is only the seventh player in history to win consecutive U.S. Opens. He is a 3-time PGA TOUR winner who sits 13^th on the 2018 FedEx Cup standing.

#PGATOUR stars @Bkoepka, @TommyFleetwood1, @TonyFinauGolf & @BubbaWatson join this year’s #RBCCO field. #OurOpen

Read ➡️ https://t.co/nKTP9gP9c2
Tickets ➡️ https://t.co/y8VjKms2RO pic.twitter.com/2EZxkos1Xu

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 28, 2018

Fleetwood made a fierce charge at the U.S. Open, firing a final-round 7-under 63 to finish runner-up behind Koepka. With four top-10 finishes in 2018, the 27-year old Englishman is ranked No. 10 in the world and No. 28 on the FedEx Cup standing. The European rising star will be making his debut appearance in Canada’s National Open Championship.

Johnson’s solo-third place finish at the U.S. Open was his eighth top-10 finish in 2018. A member of Team RBC, Johnson is an 18-time PGA TOUR winner, including two 2018 victories—the Sentry Tournament of Champions as well as the recent FedEx St. Jude Classic. He is currently ranked No. 1 in both the world ranking and FedEx Cup standing and will compete in his sixth RBC Canadian Open.

Finau is having a career-best season on the PGA TOUR in 2018—his T5 finish at the U.S. Open was one of six top-10 finishes this season. A graduate of the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, Finau has one-career PGA TOUR win and is ranked No. 31 and No. 11 on the world ranking and FedEx Cup standing respectively.

Also confirmed to compete at Glen Abbey is big-hitting lefty Bubba Watson who claimed his 12^th career PGA TOUR win last week at the Travelers Championship. The win was Watson’s third of the season including the World Golf Championship—Dell Technologies Match Play and the Genesis Open.  The win was his fifth top-10 finish in 2018. He is currently ranked No. 13 in the world and is 3^rd on the 2018 FedEx Cup standing in a season which includes five top-10 finishes. Watson, whose wife is Canadian, will again be a fan-favourite making his eighth appearance at the RBC Canadian Open.

Ryder Cup star and fan-favourite Ian Poulter is also committed to compete in the RBC Canadian Open. Poulter has three career PGA TOUR wins including the 2018 Houston Open. He has three top-10 finishes in 2018 and is currently ranked 28^th and 29^th on the world ranking and FedEx Cup standing respectively.

The foursome of Watson (3), Johnson (2), Koepka (1) and Poulter (1) have captured a combined seven PGA TOUR wins during the 2018 season to date.

“A growing list of the hottest players on the planet are coming out for the 2018 RBC Canadian Open,” said Golf Canada Chief Championship Officer and acting Tournament Director Bill Paul. “We are thrilled to welcome two-time U.S. Open winner Brooks Koepka along with rising stars Tommy Fleetwood and Tony Finau plus in-year winners Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson and Ian Poulter to Canada’s National Open Championship.”

Players have until 5 p.m. ET on the Friday of the week preceding the tournament to officially commit to playing. The field is released and published by the PGA TOUR as soon as possible after 5 p.m. ET on that Friday.

More information about the 2018 RBC Canadian Open including tickets, corporate hospitality and volunteer information is available at www.rbccanadianopen.ca.

Juniors and students aged 17-and-under get FREE admission to the RBC Canadian Open.

ACTON, Ont. —Eleven players. Four playoff holes. One survivor.

The PGA of Canada’s No. 1-ranked player Marc-Etienne Bussieres won a wild 11-for-one person playoff Tuesday at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club and advanced to the match play portion of the PGA Championship of Canada presented by TaylorMade and adidas Golf.

“I’ve definitely never been part of a playoff this big, but that sure was exciting,” Bussieres admitted. “Although I didn’t think it would take four times through before someone would finally make a birdie.”

In addition to Bussieres, the marathon playoff included Ken Tarling, Kevin Stinson, Dustin Risdon, Terry O’Brien, Jeff Mills, Eric Laporte, Gary Jeffrey, Billy Houle, Alf Callowhill and Tim Alarie.

With the playoff victory, Bussieres—who won the PGA Championship of Canada in 2016 at Victoria Golf Club—rolls into match play as the No. 16 seed and faces medalist Bryn Parry, who won this championship in 2013 at Magna Golf Club.

“I’m pretty confident in my game and I know he’s (Parry) confident in his game too, so I think we’re going to have a really fun time tomorrow morning,” Bussieres says. “Bryn’s a great guy, a great player and I love playing with him.”

Thursday’s round-of-16 matches include:

• Brynn Parry (1) vs. Marc-Etienne Bussieres (16)
• Danny King (2) vs. Gordon Burns (15)
• Jim Rutledge (3) vs. Jean Philip Cornellier (14)
• Oliver Tubb (4) vs. Pierre-Alexandre Bedard (13)
• Jean Laforce (5) vs. Thomas Keddy (12)
• John Shin (6) vs. Dave Levesque (11)
• Brian McCann (7) vs. Billy Walsh (10)
• Brad Kerfoot (8) vs. Wes Heffernan (9)

For the full leaderboard and match play bracket, click here.

Of the remaining 16; Parry, Bussieres, King, Rutledge, Cornellier and Levesque have all won the PGA Championship in the past. Furthermore, McCann, Walsh and Kerfoot are past PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada winners, with Bedard winning last year’s Mike Weir Player of the Year Award.

The winners of the morning matches Wednesday qualify for the afternoon quarterfinal matches. The eventual champion will win four match play rounds, adding his name to the historic P.D. Ross Trophy.

“This is such a great championship because when you have 16 of the top 70 players in the country you know you’re going to face someone with serious skills,” Bussieres said. “You can’t fall asleep during any part of your match or you’ll end up losing. You need to be focused the entire time, play well and maybe get a little lucky to advance through the brackets.”

Re-launched in 2011, the PGA Championship of Canada was contested strictly as a match play event through 2014 with players from the four brackets—Stan Leonard, George Knudson, Al Balding and Moe Norman—looking to advance through the six rounds to capture the historic P.D. Ross trophy. However, the 2015 championship at Cabot Links saw a format change, with 69 top-ranked players from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC playing two rounds of stroke play. The top-16 players from the 36-hole stroke play portion of the event filled out the four match-play brackets with the eventual champion winning four match play rounds.

This year’s championship at Credit Valley follows the same format.

Credit Valley last hosted the PGA Championship of Canada 25-years ago in 1993, which was won by 12-time PGA TOUR winner Steve Stricker. The club has also recently hosted two PGA Women’s Championships (2010 and 2016) and a PGA Seniors’ Championship in 2015.

Credit Valley was also home to PGA of Canada Hall of Fame member Al Balding, a four-time winner of the PGA Championship of Canada, as well as recently deceased PGA of Canada member Jerry Anderson, who won the championship in 1987.

Acton, ONT. – After years of playing professional golf, Vancouver’s Bryn Parry is well educated about the strengths and weaknesses of his own game.

On Tuesday at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club in Mississauga, Ont., the 46-year-old PGA of Canada professional from Point Grey Golf & Country Club used all that knowledge to shoot a 5-under-par opening round.

“Over the years I’ve learned what I can and can not do,” Parry said. “I don’t tend to try things that I don’t think I can pull off—so I’m hitting what I consider to be the easiest shot for me at the safest target.”

Apparently, he thought he could pull off a fair bit, though. His scorecard backed it up.

Parry opened his PGA Championship of Canada presented by TaylorMade and adidas Golf with a birdie on the first hole at Credit Valley. He then made a bogey at the sixth before reeling off six birdies in a row on holes Nos. 8-13.

“It’s funny because I hadn’t made more than three in a row all year,” Parry admitted. “But I made some putts out there and before you know, I had made six in a row.”

“When you’re playing shots that are correct for where the holes are, or the style of the green, or the length of the hole, then the swings you’re going to make are the easiest moves to the biggest targets,” he said. “And I like to play that way, so I feel most secure when I play that way.”

Parry is one of seven past PGA Championship of Canada winners in the field this week at Credit Valley. Additionally, this impressive field features 21 PGA of Canada national championship winners.

Ranked No. 80 on SCOREGolf’s Top 100 Courses in Canada for 2016, Credit Valley last played host the PGA Championship of Canada 25-years ago in 1993, which was won by 12-time PGA TOUR winner Steve Stricker. The club has also recently hosted two PGA Women’s Championships (2010 and 2016) and a PGA Seniors’ Championship in 2015.

2015 PGA Championship of Canada winner Danny King sits alone in second place after an opening-round 67.

Like Parry, King preached patience as the key to success at Credit Valley.

“I was really patient out there today,” King said. “The game plan out here is to get it in the fairway off the tee and control your ball into these greens.”

Brad Kerfoot, 2015 PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada winner, and Oliver Tubb are tied for third at 2-under-par. 1984 PGA Championship of Canada and five-time PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada winner Jim Rutledge, along with fellow B.C.-native John Shin round out the top five at 1-under.

For the full leaderboard and second-round tee times, click here.

The 69-player field will be whittled down to the top-16 players following tomorrow’s second round. The final 16 will fill out the match play brackets with the eventual champion winning four match play rounds.

Currently, Jean Laforce, 2014 PGA Championship of Canada winner Dave Levesque, Billy Walsh, Tim Alarie, Gar Hamilton, Brennan Rumancik, 2012 PGA Championship of Canada winner Eric Laporte and Greg Pool would be involved in an eight-for-five sudden-death playoff to determine the match play brackets if the cut was today.

Re-launched in 2011, the PGA Championship of Canada was contested strictly as a match play event through 2014 with players from the four brackets—Stan Leonard, George Knudson, Al Balding and Moe Norman—looking to advance through the six rounds to capture the historic P.D. Ross trophy. However, the 2015 championship at Cabot Links saw a format change, with 69 top-ranked players from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC playing two rounds of stroke play. The top-16 players from the 36-hole stroke play portion of the event filled out the four match-play brackets with the eventual champion winning four match play rounds.

This year’s championship at Credit Valley follows the same format.

In addition to the above mentioned, past champions of the PGA Championship of Canada include Moe Norman, George Knudson, Marc-Etienne Bussieres, Dave Al Balding, Bob Panasik, Tim Clark, Lanny Wadkins, Jim Rutledge, Wilf Homenuik, Stan Leonard, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer.

The player who sits atop the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC at the conclusion of the PGA Championship of Canada earns an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

The Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship didn’t have any Canadian entries at last year’s tournament. The entire women’s national amateur squad is making the trip this time around.

Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee, Ottawa’s Grace St-Germain and Naomi Ko of Victoria will lead Canadian hopes starting Tuesday at the Hillside Golf Club.

“They all have the appropriate game to come and play well here,” said Canadian women’s head coach Tristan Mullally.

The tournament’s first stage includes two rounds of 18-hole stroke play on the championship links course. The field of 144 will be trimmed to 64 for the match play stage.

Each round of match play will consist of 18 holes leading up to Saturday’s final. The tournament shares top billing with the US Women’s Amateur as the premier events in women’s amateur golf.

“With match play, it’s always a bit of a challenge because you can play well in stroke play, play great golf and still get beat,” Mullally said from Southport, England after walking the course with the Canadians during their practice rounds. “But (we’ll) worry about that in a couple of days.”

The picturesque course features several elevated tees with many holes overlooking the Irish Sea. The early weather forecast is calling for warm, sunny conditions with little wind.

#TeamCanada‘s @naomiko_golf, @mszeryk and @gracestgermain lead ?? hopes at the @RandA #LadiesAmateur

Read ➡️ https://t.co/xEdYV2c3Fz pic.twitter.com/MZhxMuCwk1

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) June 26, 2018

Szeryk is the top Canadian on the women’s world amateur golf ranking list at No. 16 while Lee, who finished tied for 35th at this month’s Meijer LPGA Classic, holds the No. 40 position. Ko is at No. 176 and St-Germain is ranked 247th.

Szeryk closed out her college career with a tie for 17th at last month’s NCAA Championship. The Texas A&M player won four tournaments during her time with the Aggies and set an NCAA career record with 91 rounds of even-par or better.

“Maddie has been the most consistent performer in Canada over the last couple of years,” Mullally said. “She’s up to 16th in the world based on just playing well all of the time.”

Lee finished tied for fifth at the NCAA playdowns for the best individual finish in Ohio State Buckeyes history. She won three individual titles during her junior year and is slated to return for her final collegiate campaign next season.

“Jaclyn has had a great run of form,” Mullally said. “The way she hits the ball, she can really (use) different trajectories. I can see her having a really good run this week.”

St-Germain is off to the University of Arkansas in the fall while Ko played at North Carolina State last season. Ko had to borrow clubs for Monday’s practice round after the arrival of her usual set was delayed.

Marlene Stewart Streit was the last Canadian to win the Ladies’ British Open Amateur. She posted a 7-and-6 victory over Philomena Garvey in 1953.

The Pam Barton Memorial Salver is awarded to the winner of the championship. An international team award is presented after the stroke play qualifying rounds.

Ireland’s Leona Maguire beat Spain’s Ainhoa Olarra 3 and 2 to win last year at Pyle & Kenfig in Bridgend, Wales.

The tournament was founded in 1893.

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — A stellar 10-birdie effort catapulted Michael Gligic into a share of 2nd at 13 under par through 36 holes at the Lethbridge Open.

“I made a putter grip change this week. I went from the conventional to the claw and I’ve never really done it before, but I made a bunch today. My ball striking was pretty good, I didn’t get into too much trouble and was just fortunate to make a couple putts,” said Gligic, a Burlington, Ont., native.

With a stellar ten birdies in his second round, ?? @MGligicGolf is close to victory in a tie for second at @PGATOURCanada @LethPCOpen ???
pic.twitter.com/t3TUO2KJmX

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) June 23, 2018

As he has been doing all year, 36-hole leader Zach Wright tore up the course at Paradise Canyon Golf Club on a calm Friday morning, shooting 61 to put himself at 19-under-par at the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open.

The 61 comes with a trio of achievements for Wright: a five-stroke lead going into the weekend, a new course record and a Mackenzie Tour 36-hole scoring record.

The 62-61 start breaks the record previously held by current PGA TOUR player Aaron Wise, who shot 15-under through the first 36 holes at the 2016 Freedom 55 Financial Championship.

Wright, who started the day on the back nine, worked his way around the golf course without a blemish on the scorecard for the second consecutive day.

The Louisianan State University alum began the day rather inauspiciously by his standards, maneuvering the front nine with two birdies, but an eagle on the 18^th hole began Wright’s run.

The Phoenix, Arizona native played holes 9-17 in 8-under par, making three birdies in a row from 3-5 before jotting down back-to-back circles on 7 and 8. Narrowly missing a 25-foot birdie try on his last hole, Wright signed for a 61.

“So far it’s been easy for me,” said Wright. “I’ve just been hitting wedge shots that’ve been going close, driving it pretty well and just making putts when I can.”

Wright has been the most consistent golfer on the Mackenzie Tour this season, leading the Order of Merit by posting T2, T6 and T2 finishes through the first three events of the season. This week though, Wright has been able to separate himself from the field with his ability off the tee.

“I’m hitting the driver really far and it’s going relatively straight,” said Wright, who is playing his first full season on the Mackenzie Tour. “I’ve been leaving myself with short clubs into greens and I’ve been hitting those close. When I’ve had 15 footers I’ve been rolling some of those in too, so things seem to be going my way and I just have to keep going.”

Wright is trailed by five players at 14-under, including Canadian Michael Gligic. The Burlington, ON native had previously missed all three cuts on tour before the event, but 10 Friday birdies has him in position to attack Wright’s lead on the weekend.

Others at 14-under include Cody Blick, Danny Walker, Chris Williams and Jared Bettcher.

ROGERS, Ark. — Since its first year on the LPGA Tour in 2007, the crowds at the NW Arkansas Championship have belonged to Stacy Lewis.

Another former University of Arkansas star staked her claim as the hometown favourite Friday when Gaby Lopez shot a career-low 8-under 63 to take the first-round lead at Pinnacle Country Club.

Like Lewis, the two-time winner of the tournament, Lopez starred as a three-time All-American for the Razorbacks before joining the LPGA Tour in 2016. Despite flashes of potential, Lopez had yet to join Lewis among the ranks of the world’s best — missing the cut in her last two tournaments and entering this week ranked 136th in the world.

For a day, at least, the Mexican standout felt right at home atop the leaderboard in her adopted home state.

“I feel like home,” Lopez said. “I feel so, so comfortable out here, because I feel that everyone and every single person out here is just rooting for us.”

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was just two shots back to tie for ninth after firing a 6-under 65 for her best round on the LPGA Tour this year. She bogeyed on No. 16 but recovered with an eagle on the 18th hole. Her previous best was a second round 3-under 68 at the Kingsmill Championship in mid May.

Moriya Jutanugarn was a stroke back along with Minjee Lee, Catriona Matthew, Nasa Hataoka, Lizette Salas, Mirim Lee and Aditi Ashok. Six others finished at 6 under on a day when only 26 of the 144 players finished over par, thanks to some mid-week rain that softened the greens and calm skies throughout the day.

Jutanugarn finished second at the tournament last year and is trying to win for the second time on the LPGA Tour this year. Her younger sister, Ariya, is already a two-time winner this year and shot an opening-round 66.

Lewis, the former world No. 1 who won the event in 2007 in 2014, finished with a 66. She’s expecting her first child in early November

Defending champion So Yeon Ryu, coming off a victory Sunday in Michigan, shot a 67.

Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay shot a 1-under 70 to tie for 79th, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 2-over 73 to tie for 128th and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was 3-over 74.

Friday was Lopez’s long-awaited day to standout, though, much to the delight of the pro-Arkansas crowd.

After missing the cut her last two times out, Lopez took some time off and returned home to Mexico City to rest her mind and work on her game. The work paid off with two straight birdies to open her round and a 6-under 30 on her front nine.

Lopez needed only 25 putts and finished two shots off the course record of 61, and she overcame a poor drive on the par-5 18th to finish with a par and keep her place at the top of the leaderboard. Her previous low score was a 64 last year, and she matched her career best by finishing at 8 under.

“(Rest) is a key that no one really truly understands until you’re out here,” Lopez said. “… Sometimes resting is actually the part you’ve got to work on.”

CROMWELL, Conn. – Canada’s Mac Hughes carded a 2-under 68 in Friday’s second round to sit at 5 under par heading into the weekend at the Travelers Championship. Hughes, a Dundas, Ont., native, leads all Canadians in a tie for 17th at TPC River Highlands. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. is two back at 3 under par, while Corey Conners, Ben Silverman and Nick Taylor failed to make the cut.

Brian Harman shot a 4-under 66 on Friday to move to 10-under par and watched that hold up for the second-round lead in the Travelers Championship, thanks in part to a 10-second rule.

Harman finished a stroke ahead of Matt Jones and first round co-leader Zach Johnson, who lost a stroke during his round of 68 when his birdie putt hung on the lip of the cup at the third hole for longer than the maximum allowed 10 seconds before falling in, giving him a par.

“After 10 seconds, the ball was moving and at that point even if the ball is moving, It’s deemed to be at rest, because it’s on the lip,” Johnson said. “Don’t ask me why, but that’s just the way it is.”

Harman had his short game working for the second consecutive day, taking 26 putts after needing only 23 during the first round.

“The putter has been really good so far, but I’ve been in position a lot,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of good looks at it. I’m just able to put a little pressure on the course right now, which is nice.”

Jones hit 16 of 18 greens for the second consecutive day, following up his first round 65 with a 66.

Bryson DeChambeau (66), Paul Casey (67) and Russell Henley (65) were two strokes back going into the weekend.

But Johnson, who started on the 10th tee, had the day’s most interesting round, which included just two birdies, but one amazing par save. He hit the ball into the TPC River Highland’s signature lake on No. 17, dropped across the water near the 16th tee box and then put his third shot within 8 feet of the hole from 234 yards away.

“You can’t hit that shot and then not make that putt,” he said. “It felt good to get away with that four. That’s as good an up and down as I’ve ever witnessed or performed.”

Lanto Griffin and two-time Travelers champion Bubba Watson were at even par coming into Friday. But both shot a 63 to move into contention heading into the weekend, three shots behind the leader. Watson jump started his round with an eagle on his third hole, the par-5 13th.

“I had some mental mistakes yesterday, and then I didn’t make some putts,” said Watson. “Today I started out hotter. I made a good shot on 11, our second hole, made the putt, making a solid par putt on 12, and then that freed me up a little bit. Gave me some confidence going into the next hole where I made the eagle.”

Rory McIlroy also is at 7 under after a 69. McIlroy, Watson and Justin Thomas (5 under) were grouped together Thursday and Friday, drawing large galleries.

“I definitely helps, Thomas said. ”It’s fun playing with good friends. You definitely get more momentum when guys are playing well. I obviously couldn’t get a whole lot of momentum out there. I was kind of hovering around 1- or 2-under. It was pretty much just Bubba today. Rory didn’t play great either and both of us definitely could have had a lot lower rounds“

Defending champion Jordan Spieth, tied with Johnson after an opening 63, had a 73 to drop into a tie for 25th at 4 under. His round, which started on the back nine, included a triple bogey on the par-5 13th hole and an eagle on par-5 sixth, when he put his second shot within 2 feet of the hole from 276 yards away.

“I don’t go to the range after 63s very often, and I was there for an hour yesterday trying to figure out the golf swing,” he said. “So it’s not like things are on. Sometimes it can get disguised by rounds, but it’s not far off. It really is close.”

Masters champion Patrick Reed, coming off a fourth-place finish in the U.S. Open, shot a 67 to miss the cut by a shot at minus-1.

Calgary’s Wes Heffernan has won the SVR Alberta Open Championship for the sixth time.

That’s the second most all-time tournament victories only behind the legendary Stan Leonard who won the event nine times between 1937 and 1955.

The 41-year-old veteran closed with a 5-under stretch on the final seven holes to win by three strokes over fellow professionals Riley Fleming and Evan Holmes who finished in a tie for second place at 10-under-par.

“On the back nine we were kind of going back and forth. Every stroke was really important. It was pretty stressful but at the same time really fun. It’s awesome to have three guys in it until the end,” said Heffernan after the round.

Heffernan finished in style with a back-nine score of 31 highlighted by a closing putt made for eagle on the par 5, eighteenth hole to put an exclamation mark on the victory.

When asked about the host venue, River Spirit Golf Club, Heffernan said “the greens were fantastic. If you missed a putt this week it was your fault. Any time you play perfect greens you can shoot numbers like 65.”

The victory comes on the heels of a T6 finish on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada stop in Victoria, BC just over a week ago.

“Next week I have the PGA Championship of Canada in Ontario. I’m looking forward to that and this is a good step towards that. Hopefully I can carry this into next week”, added Heffernan, who also teaches out of the Golf Canada Calgary Centre. The PGA Championship of Canada runs June 25-29 at the Credit Valley G&CC.

St. Albert’s AJ Armstrong, a senior at Washington State, claimed low amateur honours and a trip to the 2019 Pacific Coast Amateur Championship.

Sixty-nine of the best golf professionals from around the country descends upon the venerable Mississauga, Ont., venue all vying for the association’s most prestigious championship and historic P.D. Ross Trophy

[ACTON, ONT.]—The PGA of Canada’s best players tee it up next week at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club for the 97th playing of the PGA Championship of Canada presented by TaylorMade and adidas Golf.

Sixty-nine of the best golf professionals from around the country descends upon the venerable Mississauga, Ont., venue all vying for the association’s most prestigious championship and historic P.D. Ross Trophy.

“The field for this year’s PGA Championship of Canada presented by TaylorMade and adidas Golf is arguably the finest since the rebirth of the championship in 2011,” said PGA of Canada president Mark Patterson.

Teeing it up at Credit Valley includes 21 past PGA of Canada national championship winners and 42 total national championship titles.

“With nearly a third of the field having won a PGA of Canada national championship in the past, we’re definitely going to feature a winner at week’s end with a solid pedigree.”

Additionally, 44 of the top 50-ranked players from the RBC PGA of Canada Player Rankings are in the field, which includes all 10 from the top 10.

Past PGA Championship of Canada winners in the field at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club include:

• JP Cornellier, 2017
• Marc-Etienne Bussieres, 2016
• Danny King, 2015
• Dave Levesque, 2014
• Bryn Parry, 2013
• Eric Laporte, 2012
• Jim Rutledge, 1984

For first round tee times, CLICK HERE.

Cornellier looks to become the first back-to-back winner of the championship since George Knudson won in 1976 and 1977.

Ranked No. 80 on SCOREGolf’s Top 100 Courses in Canada for 2016, Credit Valley traces its golfing beginning back to 1930. Ontario’s then Lieutenant Governor, W.D. Ross, commissioned that a nine-hole course be built on the original property which was located where the driving range and parking lot now stand. Since its original design by Stanley Thompson in 1930, the club most recently underwent renovations to the course including changes to the first five holes, the 10th hole and a complete bunker renovation. In addition, in 2016, the Credit Valley redesigned its practice facility, which now includes 65,000 square feet of bent grass tee decks, eight target greens, a target fairway, two practice bunkers, a short game area, three putting greens and a dedicated teaching area, making it among the best practice facilities in Canada.

Credit Valley last hosted the PGA Championship of Canada 25-years ago in 1993, which was won by 12-time PGA TOUR winner Steve Stricker. The club has also recently hosted two PGA Women’s Championships (2010 and 2016) and a PGA Seniors’ Championship in 2015.

“Our members are very excited to host PGA of Canada top players from across the country in this year’s PGA of Canada Championship,” said Credit Valley’s chief operating officer and PGA of Canada executive professional Ian Webb. “Much has changed in the 25 years since Steve Stricker’s win, but with recent course and practice facility renovations, we have no doubt the players are in for a real treat.”

Credit Valley was also home to PGA of Canada Hall of Fame member Al Balding, a four-time winner of the PGA Championship of Canada, as well as recently deceased PGA of Canada member Jerry Anderson, who won the championship in 1987.

Re-launched in 2011, the PGA Championship of Canada was contested strictly as a match play event through 2014 with players from the four brackets—Stan Leonard, George Knudson, Al Balding and Moe Norman—looking to advance through the six rounds to capture the historic P.D. Ross trophy. However, the 2015 championship at Cabot Links saw a format change, with 69 top-ranked players from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC playing two rounds of stroke play. The top-16 players from the 36-hole stroke play portion of the event filled out the four match-play brackets with the eventual champion winning four match play rounds.

This year’s championship at Credit Valley follows the same format.

In addition to Cornellier, past champions of the PGA Championship of Canada include Moe Norman, George Knudson, Marc-Etienne Bussieres, Danny King, Dave Levesque, Eric Laporte, Bryn Parry, Al Balding, Bob Panasik, Steve Stricker, Tim Clark, Lanny Wadkins, Jim Rutledge, Wilf Homenuik, Stan Leonard, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer.

The player who sits atop the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC at the conclusion of the PGA Championship of Canada earns an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

To follow the PGA Championship of Canada presented by Taylormade and adidas Golf online throughout tournament week, visit pgaofcanada.com, twitter.com/pgaofcanada, instagram.com/thepgaofcanada and facebook.com/pgaofcanada