VANCOUVER — Jordan Niebrugge putt the lights out this week at the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey Golf and Country Club. That was fitting since, while growing up, that was the only club the Bridgeton, Mo., golfer had in his bag.

At age 3, Niebrugge didn’t receive a wedge from his dad until he could prove he was able to two-putt on the green, and after that he didn’t own a long iron until he could get up and down from anywhere around the putting surface.

Progressive thinking, learning the game backward.

Twenty-one years later, with his parents beaming from outside the ropes, Niebrugge tapped in for par on the 72nd hole to win his first professional tournament, shooting rounds of 68-66-68-72 to win by two strokes.

Niebrugge went into the final round in a unique position, up five strokes on the field with the finish line just 18 holes away.

“I knew I was playing great golf, and I knew if I took care of what I needed to, I’d be standing here at the end, and for the most part I was able to do that,” said Niebrugge, who towers over most at 6 feet 4 inches.

“I guess that’s why you build a big enough lead, so you don’t have to make all the putts coming in.”

Niebrugge built his lead on a two-and-a-half-round stretch of bogey-free golf from the second round until the final round’s ninth hole. It was the back nine Saturday, when Chris Williams and Zach Wright faltered, that Niebrugge made his biggest move, shooting 33 to head into Sunday at 16-under.

Based on his scores the first three days, while Niebrugge may not have been sniffing the roses on Sunday, he was able to do what he does best, not overthink the game and take advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves.

For the fourth consecutive day, Niebrugge birdied the first hole to boost his confidence. Another on the third helped last year’s runner up at this event make the turn in 35 strokes. From there, not even a couple of closing bogeys on 16 and 17 could prevent Niebrugge from lifting the trophy.

“I like the golf course, it’s right in front of you,” said Niebrugge. “I hit a lot of 3-irons off the tee and had a lot of wedges and 9-irons in. I knew I was hitting it great going into the green, so I just had to get those chances.”

Niebrugge elected to defer Monday’s opportunity to qualify for the U.S. Open in order to prepare for the Web.com Tour’s Rust-Oleum Championship taking place next week in Mundelein, Ill.

Meanwhile, Riley Wheeldon of nearby Richmond, British Columbia, shot his third 70 of the week to tie for 10th and win the year’s first Canadian Player of the Week Award.

QUITO, Ecuador—Horacio Leon didn’t let the 3-over 74 he shot in the third round bother him. Two strokes behind when the final round of the Quito Open presented by Diners Club began, all the Chilean did was go out and play like it was the first and second rounds, shooting a 4-under 67 to make up the deficit and hold off Canadian Blair Hamilton to win by a shot.

American Matt Gilchrest finished third, with Chris Killmer and Joe Parkinson sharing fifth place. The victory was Leon’s first on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica in his 47th career appearance.

Leon, who made no birdies in this third round after opening 69-66 during the lightning-plagued first two rounds, made sure he didn’t replicate his performance from a day earlier. Leon started quickly at Quito Tennis and Golf Club, with birdies on his second and third holes, and even when he stumbled—with a bogey at No. 4 (hitting his ball out of bounds and making what he called a “great bogey”)—he shook off the mistake and played flawlessly after that. Birdies at Nos. 7, 13 and 14 helped him secure the win.

Not far behind was Canadian National Team graduate Blair Hamilton of Burlington, Ont., who made a birdie at No. 16 to narrow his deficit to a shot, but both players parred coming in.

“He made that birdie on 16, which made my job a little harder,” Leon said of Hamilton’s mini charge. “It would have been nice to have a two-shot lead instead of one. He kept the pressure on. On No. 18, Hamilton hit his drive into the rough, but Leon thought it was no time to change his strategy. “I just hammered a driver to 80 yards of the green. From then on, it was walk it home.”

The finish marks the strongest career result on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica for Hamilton.

Fun week in Quito, Ecuador! Felt great to get into the mix and battle for the win down the stretch. Came up 1 short, but that’s golf! Looking forward to this week in Cancun for the final leg of the first half of the @PGATOURLA season #vamos

— Blair Hamilton (@BlairHamilton12) June 4, 2018

Third-round leader Mario Galiano struggled Sunday, with a 2-over 73 after back-to-back 66s in the second and third rounds. He tied for sixth.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In some of the bleakest moments during Ariya Jutanugarn’s back-nine collapse at the U.S. Women’s Open, the 22-year-old from Thailand would take a deep breath, smile to herself and think happy thoughts.

The mind tricks weren’t working, but she wasn’t going to stop trying.

Finally, after an excruciating few hours of golf, the positive vibes came true.

Jutanugarn lost a seven-shot lead on the back nine before prevailing on the fourth hole of a playoff to win at Shoal Creek on Sunday for her second major championship.

She made a nearly perfect bunker shot to within a foot of the cup on the tournament-clinching hole, beating South Korea’s Hyo-Joo Kim, who shot a 5-under 67 in the final round to force the playoff.

It was not an easy up-and-down for Jutanugarn, who said she didn’t have a particularly good lie in the sand. Somehow, she kept her cool.

“I felt pretty good,” Jutanugarn said about her mood before the shot. “I don’t know why.”

She felt even better when the ball rolled close enough for an easy putt. A collapse that would have gone down in U.S. Women’s Open lore was about to be averted.

Jutanugarn said support from her family and coaches helped her stay positive and come through with her ninth LPGA Tour win.

“I know everything’s going to be the same and they’re going to love me the same,” Jutanugarn said.

Jutanugarn started the day with a four-shot lead over Australia’s Sarah Jane Smith and looked like she might win easily after opening with a 4 under on the front nine to stretch her lead to seven shots.

But a triple bogey on No. 10 cut the lead to four and rocked her confidence, especially with her 3-wood. She still had a two-shot lead with two holes remaining, but closed with back-to-back bogeys to fall into a playoff after shooting 73.

Jutanugarn and Kim shot 11-under 277 in regulation.

In the end, Jutanugarn’s slow-motion collapse set up an emotional victory and her second major win. She also won the Women’s British Open in 2016.

The format for the playoff was a two-hole aggregate on 14 and 18, but the players were still tied after the two holes. The format then switched to sudden death, alternating between the same holes.

Kim looked like she might win the two-hole aggregate after making a long birdie putt on 14 while Jutanugarn settled for par. But Kim made bogey – her first of the day – on 18 while Jutanugarn made par again to send the format to sudden death.

On the fourth playoff hole at 18, both players went into greenside bunkers. Kim’s shot out of the bunker was decent, but Jutanugarn’s was phenomenal, rolling right next to cup and setting up an easy par putt.

Kim missed her putt for par and Jutanugarn tapped in for the win, turning toward her caddie and family for a happy, tearful embrace.

Jutanugarn looked nearly invincible during Saturday’s third round when she made her move into the lead with a 67, powering through the soggy Shoal Creek course with ease. It was more of the same for a while Sunday when she extended her lead to seven shots.

But things were about to get rough in a hurry.

Jutanugarn hit her tee shot into the hazard on the 10th and then had a three-putt for a triple bogey. Her confidence shaken, she had another bogey on 12 and the tournament was suddenly much closer than anyone expected.

While Jutanugarn was fading, the 22-year-old Kim was rolling. She made putt after putt to put pressure on Jutanugarn, including a 50-footer on 15 that pulled her within one shot of the lead. Like everyone else, she was shocked she was still in contention.

“Honestly, I didn’t really worry too much about it because I just focused on how I was going to play,” Kim said through a translator. “It did not really enter my mind that I was going to come that close.”

She couldn’t quite complete the comeback, which would have been the biggest in the final round in U.S. Women’s Open history.

Smith, a 33-year-old from Australia, had a three-shot lead going into the weekend after back-to-back 67s, but finished the tournament with two straight disappointing rounds. She was in the final group with Jutanugarn, but had a 78 on Sunday to fall into a tie for fifth.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Team Canada Young Pro Squad member, Albin Choi, fired a 3-under 68. The Toronto native finished 15-under for the tournament

Choi finished with a share of sixth while Roger Sloan finished with a share of 10th. Sloan had a bogey free final round recording 8-under 63 finishing 14-under for the tournament.

Being in the final grouping of the final round on the Web.com Tour can be a daunting task. Every shot seems magnified, and the crowds make it feel like you have eyes on your every step. It can seem even more nerve wracking when it’s your first year on Tour – and your first time in contention. But the momentum wasn’t too big for University of Georgia alum Joey Garber. After opening play at the Rex Hospital Open with rounds of 66-65-69, Garber entered Sunday T2, three strokes back of the lead. Playing in the final threesome for the first time in his career, he continued his stellar play, posting a final-round 5-under 66 to end the week at 18-under 266, enough to top fellow rookie Hank Lebioda and 2018 Panama Championship winner Scott Langley by one stroke to earn his first professional win.

“To get a win on this Tour,” Garber reflected after his victory, “is definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life and to come through today, this early in the season, in my first year out here, and in my first time in the final group, it means everything to me. It just proves what I believed in myself. I’m very excited with my game and where we’re headed for the rest of the year.”

Garber, who turned professional in 2014, had a stellar college career. A Petoskey, Michigan, native, he spent his first year playing for the University of Michigan, leading them to an NCAA Central Regional win and carding the third-best freshman season in school history before transferring to the University of Georgia. While in Athens, Garber continued to excel. He was named first-team Golfweek All-American (becoming just the fourth Bulldog to do so) and spent time as the No. 1-ranked college golfer.

The professional world proved to be a test for Garber, who struggled to earn permanent status on any tour. He spent 2015 on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada, but six missed cuts in nine starts forced him to take the route of Monday qualifying on the PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour. The former “Mr. Michigan Golf” winner finally broke through at the 2017 Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament, where he finished T30 to earn guaranteed starts in the 2018 Web.com Tour Season.

Garber has made the most of his first season on Tour, entering the week in Raleigh with four top-25s in 12 starts already under his belt, including a pair of T8 finishes at the Country Club de Bogotá Championship and the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by NACHER.

The field in Raleigh did not make Garber’s win easy for him, with the leaderboard becoming more and more stacked as the day went on. As the leaders neared the closing stretch, 13 players sat within three of Garber, who had brought a lead into his back nine after turning with a 4-under 32. The St. Simons Island, Georgia, resident had no clue what was going on around him, however, instead choosing to focus solely on his game.

“I never looked at one,” he remarked when asked how leaderboard-watching affected him. “My caddie I’m sure was looking at one, so he knew where we stood. In the fairway of No. 18, I asked him what we needed, and he told me we needed a par so I tried to put it in the middle of the green. It came a little left but ended up in a perfect spot. It was bunched up so I’m glad I didn’t see any leaderboards because I just played my own game, tried to make birdies, and be smart.”

Garber’s maiden victory comes with a $117,000 paycheck, enough to move him from 50th to No. 6 on the Regular Season money list and push him one step closer to earning his first PGA TOUR card.

His title in the Tarheel State coincided with another major win for Garber – the announcement of a 2019 PGA TOUR event in his home state of Michigan.

“Hopefully it’s just divine intervention,” he laughed when asked about the timing. “I’m very fortunate to be from the state of Michigan. It’s a great state for golf. While the season is short, I think it’s the best golf courses in the country, so I’m glad it’s back on the national showcase. I hope I’m there. That would be really special to me.”
With the way his season is going, there’s a good chance this time next year Garber could be competing on TOUR in his home state.

VANCOUVER — It’s unexplainable, even by his own account, but once again, Cody Blick has signed for a round in the 60s on the B.C. Golf Swing. On Friday it came in the form of seven birdies offset by a lone bogey for his second consecutive 66.

Blick’s 12-under total through two days of the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey Golf and Country Club is good enough for a share of the lead alongside Thursday’s overnight leader Chris Williams.

Carding red in Canada’s Western-most province is nothing new for the San Ramon, Calif., native. Looking back at the last nine tournaments Blick has played in British Columbia, Friday’s 66 actually hurt his scoring average, which now sits at 65.8

At a loss for words over how he has managed to sustain this level of play within B.C., the San Jose State University alum notes that a change in strategy he implemented this offseason has helped him the past few days.

“My first year up here, even last year, I was hitting a lot of irons off the tee,” said the 24-year-old. “These courses are tight, but if you just commit to a line and hammer driver, even if you hit it in the trees you can easily punch it up around the green and make par.”

Blick admired Rico Hoey, a 2017 member now on the Web.com Tour, for this trait when he played alongside him last season. The strategy seems to be working for Hoey, who tied for 15th at the Web.com Tour’s Nashville Golf Open last week.

“All he does is hit these little 10-yard fades and he just hammers it,” said Blick. “Then he goes and finds it and wedges it on.”

Starting on the back nine, Blick got off to a pedestrian start with the putter by his own accounts, making the turn in 35 before going on a run on the front nine—with birdies from holes 3-6 and another on No. 9 to polish off his 66.

Blick mentioned his distance tactic again when discussing Point Grey’s fourth hole, where he’s made birdie in each of the first two rounds.

“You can get right next to the green, and then it’s just up-and-down for birdie,” said Blick. “It’s just a more aggressive and more confident game plan.”

With four top-10 finishes in 2017, Blick is no stranger to the top of the leaderboard as he draws into the final pairing again Saturday.

Meanwhile, Williams once again managed a bogey free round, adding two back-nine birdies to his trio on the front for a 67.

The pair will meet on the first tee on Saturday afternoon at 1:05 p.m.

Riley Wheeldon is the low Canadian through two rounds in Vancouver. Wheeldon started his day 3-under through his first two holes after an eagle at the par-5 12th. The Richmond, B.C., native is looking for his first Mackenzie Tour win since 2013.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Albin Choi was inspired 18-hole leader and fellow Canadian Roger Sloan.

Choi, a Toronto native, fired a tournament-low 64 (-7) on Friday to tie Sloan for the best score through 36 holes, moving him to 10 under for the tournament. Choi finds himself with a share of 3rd, while Sloan sits with a share of 7th.

Sebastián Muñoz of Colombia holds the outright lead at 12 under par.

Click here for full scoring.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Sarah Jane Smith outpaced the thunderstorms and the rest of the field at the U.S. Women’s Open.

The Australian extended her lead to four strokes after a second straight 5-under 67 Friday at Shoal Creek. Smith got her round in before a 2-hour, 49-minute delay caused by thunderstorms, weather that ultimately forced play to be halted with a little daylight left.

Now, she enters the weekend leading a major championship, unfamiliar territory, but also with 36 holes down. Other contenders like Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn still must finish Round 2, which will be completed on Saturday with the low 60 scorers plus ties making the cut. Half the field didn’t finish the round.

Smith is at 10-under 134 heading into the weekend after failing to make the cut in five of her previous six U.S. Women’s Open tries.

“I haven’t been in the position before, I but I hope to show up like it’s another day,” Smith said. “I’m happy with the way I’m playing. I feel comfortable on the greens which has been something that has been a little bit off lately. So it’s nice to be able to feel like I’m seeing the greens really well and seeing some putts go in. Hopefully that keeps going.”

Smith has staged a strong comeback after having missed the cut in five straight LPGA Tour events this year, even switching back to an old set of clubs

She opened the day in a three-way tie atop the leaderboard with Jutanugarn and Korean Jeongeun6 Lee.

Jutanugarn had an opening birdie to move to 6 under through eight holes. Lee fell back to 2 under with a second-day 75. Korean-born Su-Hyun Oh shot 68 and is also 6 under.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was tied for 60th at 4-over par through seven holes when play was suspended. Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., will miss the cut after shooting an 8-over 80.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., withdrew from the tournament early Friday morning to attend to a family emergency.

Smith has played 5-under on the back nine holes each of the first two days and settled for par on the front. She had a 29-hole bogey-free streak end with a three-putt on No. 8 – she started on the 10th tee – a rare mistake for her at the midway point.

Duane Smith, his wife’s caddie since qualifying school, could only compare her current play with a clutch Futures Tour performance to earn her Tour card a decade ago.

“She’s playing so good,” Duane Smith said. “Maybe years ago when she won the last event on the Futures Tour to get a card at the end of 2008. She had to win to get her card and she did and she opened up that nine holes, I think, 7-under on the front nine and then led the whole way. She played great that whole week but this is something totally different.”

Oh, who was born in Korea but moved to Australia at age 8, had an eagle on the par-4 15th hole. She is still chasing Smith, along with everyone else.

“We were looking at the leaderboard saying Sarah is very greedy, just taking all the birdies,” Oh said.

The course had taken heavy rains during the week, raising concerns about the course’s condition, but the sun held out for most of the tournament’s first two days. Play only continued for about an hour after the delay.

“It’s weird because it’s playing longer because it’s so soft but so hot so the irons are going really far,” Oh said. “So it’s just hard to guess and it swirls a lot within the trees so it’s just really difficult clubbing.”

Seven players are at 3 under, including amateur Linn Grant of Sweden and No. 1-ranked Inbee Park. Grant shot 72 and Park 71.

Defending champion Sung Hyun Park finished 9 over after a 76 and 77, which would be well below the projected cut line. Stacy Lewis, the 2012 player of the year, is among a big group just above the cut line at 4 over (through eight holes).

Sitting at 3 under after a 68, Spain’s Carlotta Ciganda said she was surprised to see any one at double-digits under par like Smith.

“I think at the end of the four days not many people will be there because it always happen in the U.S. Open,” Ciganda said. “I’m not too worried. I’m just trying to play my game, follow my strategy and try to hit fairways and greens and I think there can be a few good scores but not many.”

DUBLIN, Ohio – Joaquin Niemann could figure out where Tiger Woods was on the golf course from the mass of people following him a few groups ahead, and he had a pretty good idea what he was doing from all the noise, at least before Woods put a putter in his hands.

“There was so many people,” Niemann said.

The few that stuck behind for the 19-year-old Chilean saw another good show.

In his fifth start as a pro, Niemann finished with two birdies over his last three hole s for a 4-under 68 and a share of the lead with Kyle Stanley, who had a 66. He finished with an 8-foot birdie on the 18th hole.

Woods made Muirfield Village sound like a rock concert until storms arrived. He holed out with a sand wedge from 97 yards for eagle on the par-5 11th hole, and then his tee shot on the par-3 12th struck the flag waving in the wind and settled 6 feet behind the hole.

And then he sat out a weather delay that lasted just under 90 minutes, and he missed four putts under 7 feet the rest of the way.

“It could have been easily a nice little 62 or 63,” Woods said. “I turned it into a 67.”

And he was six shots behind with nearly two dozen players in front of him.

Stanley, who won the Quicken Loans National last summer, was atop the leaderboard for much of the day and was starting to pull away until a poor tee shot at No. 6 led to bogey. He finished with a par save from just off the ninth green and reached 11-under 133.

On the other side of the course was Niemann, the No. 1 amateur in the world and Latin American Amateur champion who wanted to play the Masters before turning pro. He looks his age when his braces shine every time he smiles. He plays beyond his years.

Already with a pair of top 10s on the PGA Tour, Niemann now finds himself in the last group going into the weekend at the tournament Jack Nicklaus built, and he doesn’t appear to be the least bit nervous about being there.

“It feels really nice to be on top of the leaderboard,” he said. “It does feel really nice for tomorrow.”

Byeong Hun An had a 67 and was two shots behind.

Among those three off the lead were Hideki Matsuyama (71), who earned his first PGA Tour title at the Memorial three years ago, and Jason Day, a former world No. 1 who is a member at Muirfield Village and has never come close to winning. Perhaps this is the year. Day had never been within five shots of the lead going into the weekend at the Memorial, and he’s not sure why.

“I think I just (stunk) on it for a long time,” Day said. “I don’t think there was anything, any reason why. I just didn’t really play well. But I’m hopeful I can change that because I feel different this year.

“I want to play well in front of my family,” he said. “Family and friends come out and I want them to be yelling in the crowd when I’m in contention.”

Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose each had a 66 and were in the group at 7-under 137, while Dustin Johnson was among those at 138, even though he has played the par 5s in just 1 under for the week.

Johnson and Rose each have a chance to get to No. 1 in the world. Justin Thomas, in his debut at No. 1, overcame a pair of early bogeys for a 69 and was at 3 under.

Adam Hadwin (70) of Abbotsford, B.C., was tied for 69th at even par. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., missed the cut after shooting a 73.

Woods was another shot behind, and it looked as though he was about to post his lowest score of the year. He made the turn in 33 with a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 9, and then he made a solid escape from the rough and trees on No. 11 before holing out for eagle.

He missed birdie chances of 6 feet, 4 feet and 7 feet, and then missed from 3 feet for par on the 17th that left him exasperated.

And hopeful.

“I missed a lot of short putts, which is something I don’t normally do, which is just frustrating,” he said. “I’ve got to clean that up come this weekend and hopefully, I can get it going. Hopefully I can play well like this on the weekend and I’ve got a great chance of winning this tournament.”

At least he has a chance.

Rory McIlroy made bogeys on both par 5s on the front nine as he tried to finish strong. He had to settle for a 70 and made the cut on the number. That was still better than Jordan Spieth, who finished bogey-bogey for a 72 and missed the cut by three shots.

Since his closing 64 at the Masters, Spieth has finished at least 12 shots behind the winner in his three tournaments and missed the cut in his final event before heading to Shinnecock Hills for the U.S. Open.

Campbell and Li earn medallist honours

CHILLIWACK, B.C. — History was made at the Canadian University/College Championship as Avril Li went wire-to-wire to lead the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds to their third-consecutive win in the women’s team division, while Daniel Campbell helped the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades become the first host institution to win a team title since the 2014 University of Manitoba Bisons.

Once again, the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades showed that they were the team to beat, leading all four rounds of the men’s team tournament to earn a well-fought victory. Going into the final day with a spectacular 18-shot lead, the Cascades successfully held on to win the men’s team title with an overall 26-under-par 1126.

“For the guys, it was just a dream week. We got off to a hot start and got a little bit better each day,” said UFV coach Chris Bertram, the pride in his team evident in his voice. “It’s amazing. To have all our friends and family here to cheer us on makes it special.”

The University of Victoria Vikes maintained their second-place spot and finished the tournament with a 9-under-par 1143, 17 strokes behind the Cascades. The University of Manitoba Bisons scored the lowest round of the day but ended up third, with an even-par 1152 total.

Leading the way for the UFV Cascades was Daniel Campbell, who held onto his third-round lead to come out on top in the men’s individual draw. Campbell, who joined the Cascades in 2017, closed out the tournament with a final 11-under-par 277.

For Campbell, helping the Cascades win the men’s team division meant the most.

“The best part has to be winning the team event,” he said with a huge smile. “Winning the individual is extra but we’re here to win team championships.”

Vancouver Island University Mariners player Wyatt Brook fired the lowest-round of the day, a 4-under to end the tournament sharing a piece of second with Baptiste Mory of the Université Laval Rouge et Or at a tournament total of 7-under-par 281.

Throughout all four rounds of the tournament, UBC dominated the women’s team event. With a 20-stroke advantage heading into the final day, the Thunderbirds successfully defending their titles with a tournament total of 19-over-par 883. This win cements their momentous presence in the tournament, making it their 13th victory in the women’s team division.

“It was really fun. We had three freshman play pretty well and then Avril Li has played a great tournament, said UBC coach Chris MacDonald. “We’ve been away now for three straight weeks so our players are excited but ready to go home and get some rest.”

The University of Victoria Vikes ended the tournament 34 strokes back of the lead at 53-over-par 917. The Cascades jumped two spots to third, rounding out the top-three women’s teams with 58-over-par 922

In the women’s individual competition,Thunderbirds junior Avril Li earned medallist honours at 4-under to help secure victory for the Thunderbirds. The Port Moody, B.C., talent started the tournament off tied for first place with fellow teammate Kelly Hellman before claiming solo-first in the other three rounds.

“I’m so proud of my team”, said Li excitedly when asked about her day. “I was a bit shaky personally in the start but after five holes it got better.”

Sarah Dunning of the University of Guelph Gryphons got off to a rough start with back-to-back bogeys on the second and third hole but managed to hold on to second place with an overall 3-over-par 291. University of Toronto Varsity Blues’ Ana Peric finished third with a 7 over.

The women’s and men’s individual winners receive an exemption into their respective Canadian Amateur Championship. The top three men’s and women’s individual finishers qualify for the 2019 Summer Universiade.

Click here for information on the tournament; credit to Chuck Russell/Golf Canada.

TOP-5 MEN’S TEAMS

1. University of the Fraser Valley Cascades (-26, 278-277-284-287 – 1126)

2. University of Victoria Vikes (-9, 295-278-284 – 1143)

3.University of Manitoba Bisons(E, 298-284-288-282 – 1152)

T4. University of Ottawa Gee-Gees (+5, 297-289-284-287 – 1157)

T4. Humber College Hawks (+5, 298-285-281-293 – 1157)

TOP-5 WOMEN’S TEAMS

1. University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (+19, 221-224-219-219 – 883)
2. University of Victoria Vikes (+53, 226-232-226-233 – 917)
3. University of the Fraser Valley Cascades(+58, 236-223-239-224 – 922)
4. Université de Montréal Carabins (+62, 223-230-237-236 – 926)
5. University of Toronto Varsity Blues (+65, 234-232-228-235 – 929)

TOP-3 MEN’S INDIVIDUAL

1. Daniel Campbell, University of the Fraser Valley Cascades (-11, 69-69-68-71 – 277)

T2. Wyatt Brook, Vancouver Island University Mariners (-7, 68-72-73-68 – 281)

T2. Baptiste Mory, Université Laval Rouge et Or (-7, 70-69-73-69 – 281)

TOP-3 WOMEN’S INDIVIDUAL

1. Avril Li, University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (-4, 72-71-69-72 – 284)
2. Sarah Dunning, University of Guelph Gryphons (+3, 73-77-67-74 – 291)
3. Ana Peric, University of Toronto Varsity Blues (+7, 75-73-73-74 – 295)

Click here for full scoring.

Individual leaders Li and Campbell help keep their teams into top positions heading to final day

 CHILLIWACK, B.C. – It was another momentous day for UBC and UFV fans alike during the third round of the Canadian University/College Championship at Chilliwack Golf Club on Thursday. For the third consecutive day, the Thunderbirds and Cascades lead the women’s and men’s divisions, respectively, going into the final round.

The UBC Thunderbirds are one round away from continuing their historic showing in the women’s team event after posting a collective 16-over-par 664 and earning a strong 20-stroke lead over the University of Victoria Vikes. The Vikes moved up to second with an overall score of 36-over-par 684 while the Université de Montréal Carabins sit third at 42-over-par 690. Rounding out the top-six women’s teams advancing to the final round are the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, University of the Fraser Valley Cascades and Université Laval Rouge et Or.

The Thunderbirds’ own Avril Li is definitely one to watch as she chases a potential wire-to-wire victory in this year’s women’s individual competition. Even back-to-back birdies couldn’t bring the Port Moody, B.C., talent down as she held on to her lead at 4 under.

Sarah Dunning from the University of Guelph played her heart out to recover after a difficult second round. Thanks to seven birdies and an eagle, Dunning earned the lowest round of the day (-5) and will start the final round in second with a current tournament total to 1-over. Rounding out the top three is Ana Peric of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, who fell one spot back into solo-third.

Meanwhile, host school University of the Fraser Valley Cascades are primed to follow in the footsteps of the 2014 University of Manitoba Bisons —the last host institution to win a team title— as they hold the lead in the men’s team division for the third straight round with a considerable 18 stroke advantage.

“We came into this knowing it was going to be a hard four day grind,” said Cascades coach, Chris Bertram. “Just because we have a bit of a cushion doesn’t mean we aren’t going to come out here and look to put our best foot forward with a solid effort.”

The University of Victoria Vikes go into the final day in second with a combined score of 7-under-par 857 ahead of the UBC Thunderbirds, who are in third with a team total of 6-under-par 858. They are joined by the Humber College Hawkswith a total score of 864, as well as the University of Manitoba Bisons and University of Ottawa Gee-Gees at 6-under-par 870.

The Université Laval Rouge et Or, Western University Mustangs, Université de Montréal Carabins and Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks also advance to the final day of the tournament.

It was a tight race in the men’s individual edition during the third round, but Cascades player Daniel Campbell came on top after firing a 10 under.

“The first two holes were a little rough but I bounced back from there and just played really well on the back-nine,” said Campbell who was recently named PACWEST male athlete of the year. “It always feels good to be on top, especially with only one hole left.”

Four strokes separate Campbell from fellow teammate Zach Olson, who posted a 6-under to share a piece of second with University of Victoria Vikes’ Lawren Rowe.

For more information on the tournament, please click here.

Click here for full scoring.