REGINA, SK ─ Todd Fanning a rendu vendredi une carte de 69, moins 2, pour remporter le Championnat canadien mid-amateur masculin au Wascana Country Club.

Âgé de 49 ans, ce Manitobain de Winnipeg était à égalité à 274 avec Steven Diack (Coquitlam, C.-B.) et Garrett Rank (Elmira, ON) après 72 trous, et une prolongation de quatre trous s’est avérée nécessaire pour le consacrer champion.

Fanning, qui revendique maintenant trois titres nationaux, a aussi fini en tête de la division mid-maître réservée aux 40 ans et plus.

« Quelle semaine! s’est exclamé le champion. J’ai remporté deux titres juniors dans les années 1980 et voici que je décroche un troisième titre national. À 49 ans, c’est la concrétisation d’un rêve. »

Fanning a été sacré champion junior du Canada deux années de suite, en 1985 et 1986. Il a aussi remporté le titre mid-amateur du Manitoba en 2017.

Le Manitobain a dû batailler ferme pour conquérir le titre puisqu’au départ de la troisième ronde, il accusait un retard de cinq coups sur Diack. Vendredi, Diack s’est contenté d’un score de 74, plus 3, tandis que Rank, triple champion mid-amateur du Canada, a signé la meilleure carte de la journée, 66, moins 5.

Fanning a dû réussir un oiselet au 18e trou pour provoquer la prolongation à trois.

Au 1er trou supplémentaire, Diack et Fanning ont inscrit un oiselet, ce qui a éliminé Rank qui a joué la normale. Les deux survivants ont eu la chance de gagner le tournoi sur les trois trous suivants, mais c’est finalement le golfeur de 45 ans qui a eu raison de son cadet – Diack a 25 ans – en calant un roulé de 8 pieds pour la normale au 76e trou.

Rank, 29 ans, a raté sa chance de devenir le premier golfeur de l’histoire à remporter quatre années de suite le titre mid-amateur canadien. Tout s’annonçait comme un duel entre Diack et Fanning jusqu’à ce que Rank reprenne vie sur le neuf de retour en réussissant cinq oiselets.

Le champion a obtenu un laissez-passer pour l’Omnium canadien RBC 2018 qui aura lieu au Glen Abbey Golf Club d’Oakville, en Ontario.

OTTAWA – Brooke Henderson’s sister and caddy Britt asked the gallery to be quiet, no pictures even, as the Canadian golf superstar settled over the ball. She was 25 feet away from an eagle putt that would guarantee she made the cut at the CP Women’s Open. A birdie might work too, with the cutline wavering around 1-over par.

“Nobody was doing anything. They all wanted me to have the best opportunity to make it,” said Brooke Henderson, who grew up in Smiths Falls, Ont., just over 60 kilometres from the Ottawa Hunt andGolf Club.

She struck the ball and the crowd started to cheer, with calls of “come on!” as the ball followed the contours of the green on No. 9. But then it tailed a little and came up less than a foot short. Henderson strode over, looked at her grouping partners to ask if she could finish, then sank the putt to finish the second round at 1 over.

“I was just trying to give myself an easy tap-in to make birdie,” said Henderson. “I didn’t want anymore pressure on myself. I just wanted to nestle it up close. It looked really good. As soon as I hit it I was like that’s going to go in, but a little bit short.”

After Henderson, Cristie Kerr and So Yeon Ryu signed their scorecards, the cutline moved up to 2-over par, guaranteeing the Canadian would play in the third round of Canada’s national women’s golfchampionship.

The 19-year-old phenom admitted after the dramatic final hole on Friday that the pressure of playing in front of what amounts to her hometown crowd was getting to her.

“I feel like I’ve handled it pretty well so far,” said Henderson. “I think now that the cut is kind of over with, I can focus on my game and try to shoot maybe 4- or 5-under these next two and see if I can be in the top 10 or just climb that leaderboard a little bit more.”

Playing in front of the large red-and-white clad crowds didn’t just affect Henderson. She and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., were the only players from the field of 14 Canadians to make the cut.

Marchand, who was playing two groupings back of Henderson, often had dozens of fans waiting for her at every hole after Henderson moved on. Although Henderson got the lion’s share of the attention, Marchand actually finished the second round as the low Canadian, tied for 23rd at 2-under par, six shots back of leader In Gee Chun.

“I like playing for the Canadians and playing at home,” said Marchand, who earned a sponsor exemption for the tournament. “Having my family and people turn out. It’s nice when people cheer for you.

“On the Symetra Tour we don’t often have anybody. Maybe your host family, maybe your mom comes. It feels like it really boosts your mood and gives you confidence. Because no matter how well you do, they’re probably going to cheer for you because you’re Canadian.”

Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay and Augusta James of Bath, Ont., as well as amateurs Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., and Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee tied at 7 over.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was 8 over, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 9 over, amateur Grace St-Germain of Ottawa was 10 over and Calgary’s Jennifer Ha was 12.

Hannah Hellyer of Sterling, Ont., was 14 over, Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., was 15 over and amateur Naomi Ko from Victoria was 16 over. Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane finished the day at 19 over.

Although she does feel like she’s under a microscope, Henderson wants the crowds following her to get even bigger.

“I look around and the whole green is covered, the fairways are covered. Not just covered, they’re like eight people deep, which is truly amazing,” said Henderson. “I just hope they continue to grow over the next two days.”

OTTAWA – Brittany Lincicome and Mo Martin will spend their Friday night splitting a pizza and probably talking about what it will take to catch In Gee Chun.

The two Americans were both 6-under par and leading after two rounds at the CP Women’s Open before Chun passed them on the leaderboard for a two-stroke lead by the end of the day. Lincicome and Martin had plans for a pizza party with their caddies and some other golfers about the same time Chun was finishing her 4-under round to sit at 8 under on the tournament.

Lincicome relies on her caddy, Missy Pederson, to make pizza from scratch at most tournaments. She even has an unusual go-to toppings combo.

“Sausage and pepperoni, and then this Mascarpone, which is like a sweet cream which is super weird,” said Lincicome in the early afternoon. “Everyone’s like, ‘oh, my gosh, what is that?’ But it’s delicious.

“My caddy found it at the British Open a few years ago, and now it’s a whole thing.”

Martin had four birdies on the back nine, including one on No. 18, to take over first from first-round leader Marina Alex, who teed off in the afternoon. Alex had a 1-under round to join Lincicome and Martin in second.

“Super-solid finish,” said Martin after her round. “It’s nice that things are coming together. I think I’ve been playing better than I’ve been scoring this summer, so nice to see those things connect.”

Lincicome tied it two groups later when she drained her own birdie on the par-5 523-yard final hole. Martin’s biggest concern after resting all afternoon was getting too lethargic from the pizza.

“It should be a fun night. Just need to stay active,” said Martin. “Try not to sleep in too much tomorrow morning, and I’ve got the same game plan and I’ll be ready to go. Just conserve energy for the weekend.”

Chun said that she doesn’t need to relax because she enjoys playing in Canada so much. Instead, she’ll stick to her usual practice routine.

“I will do the same,” said Chun. “I really enjoy playing on the course, I really like playing in Canada. So I’m just enjoying everything.”

Alex is going to spend her Saturday morning focusing her ball striking at the windy Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

“Just get a few better drives on the fairway and just a couple more closer iron shots and give myself better percentage putts,” said Alex. “I’m putting well, but I just want to give myself as many great chances as I can going through this weekend.”

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., and Brooke Henderson of nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., were the only two Canadians from a field of 14 to make the cut.

Henderson had to birdie on her final hole of the day to slip under the cutline and finish at 1 under. The teenage phenom was followed from hole to hole by hundreds of fans, most wearing red and white, a tradition at professional golf tournaments in Canada. She acknowledged that there was extra pressure playing just an hour away from her hometown.

“I feel like I’ve handled it pretty well so far,” said Henderson. “I think now that the cut is kind of over with, I can focus on my game and try to shoot maybe 4- or 5-under these next two and see if I can be in the top 10 or just climb that leaderboard a little bit more.”

Marchand, who was playing two groups behind Henderson, was tied for 23rd at 2 under.

Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay and Augusta James of Bath, Ont., as well as amateurs Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., and Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee tied at 7 over.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was 8 over, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 9 over, amateur Grace St-Germain of Ottawa was 10 over and Calgary’s Jennifer Ha was 12 over.

Hannah Hellyer of Sterling, Ont., was 14 over, Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., was 15 over and amateur Naomi Ko from Victoria was 16 over. Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane finished the day at 19 over.

Two swings cost Dustin Johnson the lead. It wasn’t long before Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler caught up to him in The Northern Trust, setting up a weekend of star power in the opening FedEx Cup playoff event.

Johnson, finally looking like the No. 1 player who looked unstoppable in the spring, appeared on the verge of building a big lead at Glen Oaks Club until consecutive tee shots wound up on the wrong holes and forced him to scramble just to escape with bogey.

Fowler made up a five-shot deficit in six holes playing alongside Johnson, making a 15-foot birdie on the last hole for a 66 to join Johnson and Jhonattan Vegas (65) atop the leaderboard. And then Spieth put together a stretch Friday afternoon reminiscent of his British Open victory, minus a shot from the driving range, in a 65.

Spieth began the back nine with five straight birdies, matching his longest birdie streak on the PGA Tour. It ended with a bogey on the par-3 15th when his tee shot rolled back into the water, but then he answered with a 40-foot birdie putt up the slope on the 16th.

.@JordanSpieth knew he needed to make a move today.

Challenge accepted. pic.twitter.com/3TECj1Klkw

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 25, 2017

Even without his best year with his best club, Spieth has won three times and captured the third leg of the Grand Slam. But his putter doesn’t leave him for long.

“Putter has been streaky for me this summer, which is better than just kind of not-so-great, which it was before that,” he said. “So I’ve been able to mentally use one or two good putts to make me feel like I’m putting awesome.

“I got on the good side of the streak on the back nine today.”

Spieth made pars from the bunkers on the last two holes to join the others at 6-under 134.

He wasn’t alone in running off a string of birdies. Matt Kuchar looked as though he might miss the cut until his caddie encourage him to try to get back to even par. Kuchar ran off four straight birdies and kept right on rolling, ending his round of 64 with eight birdies on the last 10 holes.

Kuchar and two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson (68) were one shot out of the lead.

Matt Kuchar's last 10 holes:

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Par
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Par
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?#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/b5sHlcIfXR

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 25, 2017

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was the lone Canadian to make the cut and is five strokes back after a 69. Adam Hadwin (72) and Nick Taylor (76), both of Abbotsford, B.C., missed the cut while Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., withdrew with a back injury.

Watson is at No. 113 in the FedEx Cup, and only the top 100 after The Northern Trust advance to the next playoff event at the TPC Boston. Watson says he won’t play the rest of the year once he is eliminating. A big finish this week could delay that another month, a nice problem to have.

Jon Rahm, who played with Johnson and Fowler, had a 68 and was two shots behind along with Justin Rose (68) and Russell Henley (72).

With a second-round 66, @RickieFowler joins the leaders at -6.

Roll the highlights. ? pic.twitter.com/tmwYi4AEux

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 25, 2017

Seventy players made the cut at 2 over par. That included Geoff Ogilvy, who went bunker-to-bunker-to-bunker on his final hole and had to make a 4-foot putt for double bogey. If he had missed, then it would have let 11 players back into the tournament. Among those missing the cut were Hideki Matsuyama, the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs, who three-putted the last hole and missed by one.

The cut ended the season of 13 players, a group that included Presidents Cup captain Steve Stricker and former PGA champion Jimmy Walker.

Johnson looked so sharp early on that he didn’t have a birdie putt longer than 12 feet over his first six holes, though he converted just two of them. He reached 8 under when he hammered a driver and a fairway metal to the back of the green on the 629-yard third hole, two-putting for birdie.

This miss puts Matsuyama in jeopardy of missing the weekend. pic.twitter.com/3HAzEuyWRL

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 25, 2017

But his tee shot on No. 4 was inches away from the third fairway, and his next shot struck a tree. He had to get up-and-down from 50 feet right to save bogey. The next tee shot was so far left it was in the rough on the fourth hole. He clipped branches, hit a poor chip and had to two-putt from 80 feet for his bogey.

“But other than that, I felt like it was a really solid day,” Johnson said. “I’m really pleased with the way the golf game is right now and I’m looking forward to this weekend.”

Fowler, meanwhile stuffed it on No. 4 and rolled in an 8-footer on the par-3 sixth over water, and just like that they were tied.

“Pretty stress-free,” Fowler said. “I’ve been driving it well this week, which is key around here. You don’t want to play out of the rough.”

When you see Saturday’s tee times …@RickieFowler and @JordanSpieth are tomorrow’s penultimate pairing. pic.twitter.com/OQQ8ocaVLX

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 25, 2017

Phil Mickelson limited his mistakes and made four birdies in a round of 68, which left him six shots behind but gave him two more rounds at Glen Oaks to post the kind of scores that would make him a viable pick for the Presidents Cup. Rory McIlroy chipped in for birdie on the tough par-3 second and shot 68. He was seven shots behind.

The focus was at the top with so many popular players contending _ Spieth, Fowler, Johnson at the top.

“That’s what tends to happen in the playoffs,” Spieth said. “As less guys make the next tournaments, you start to get players that are playing very well, and to no surprise, those guys are toward the top. … Should be an exciting weekend.”

Click here to view the full leaderboard.

REGINA, Sask. – Todd Fanning shot a 2-under-par 69 on his way to winning the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at The Wascana Country Club on Friday.

The 49-year-old from Winnipeg, Man., captured gold-medal honours in both the Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master division to capture his third career national amateur competition.

“What an amazing week,” he said, on the first green and final playoff hole. “I won a couple Canadian Juniors back in the mid 80s and to win another provincial and then follow that up with a national title is a dream come true for me at 49,” said Fanning, who captured consecutive Canadian Junior Boys Championships in 1985-86.

#CDNMIDAM https://t.co/AQUyY1CP6m

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) August 25, 2017

Fanning, who also won the 2017 Manitoba Mid-Amateur, won after a four-hole playoff against three-time champion Garrett Rank (Elmira, Ont.) and 54-hole leader Steven Diack (Coquitlam, B.C.), who entered the final round leading Fanning by five strokes and Rank by eight.

After the group made the turn, Rank and Fanning aggressively closed the gap.

“That was amazing,” said Fanning. “When I saw Rank drive it on the 10th green I knew he was going to come guns a blazing. After that, he and Diack were trading birdies and I was kind of just getting dragged along, but luckily I got a big break when I birdied 18 to force the playoff.”

“The last hour and a half I sunk every putt I looked at and that’s how you have to win.”

When you win the #CDNMidAm to punch your ticket to the 2018 @RBCCanadianOpen… ?? pic.twitter.com/MyH1X1vXB2

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) August 25, 2017

Prior to the playoff, the final group approached the final tee with Rank and Diack tied at 10 under par and Fanning sitting one stroke back. The co-leaders both missed the green with their second shots and Fanning found the fringe to set up an eagle opportunity.

Diack came within inches of holing out a chip for birdie which would have won the tournament in regulation, and moments later Fanning thought he had the win as his eagle putt skimmed the lip of the hole – Fanning had his arms in the air and was walking the putt in when he realized it missed.

“I hit the best putt I had all day, it was kind of breaking right and just skimmed the edge and stayed out,” he said. “Hands were up I was walking it in. I gave it the curse but after that I settled down and in the playoff hit some good shots.”

Diack was the most consistent golfer in the field through three rounds, but during the final round he shot a 3-over-par 74, his only round over par during the championship.

“It was pretty crazy,” said Diack. “Those guys came on strong. They both played such good rounds of golf today and under pressure they hit such good shots. I could feel them coming and I was kind of going the opposite way.”

“Obviously I would have loved to take it today, but it was such a good experience to go down the stretch with those guys and get in a playoff. It was lots of fun.“

Both Diack and Fanning registered birdies during the first playoff hole while Rank settled for par and was knocked out of the tournament. The two remaining golfers both had opportunities to win the championship over the next three holes, but it was the 49-year-old who bested the 25-year-old with an eight-foot putt for par.

Rank had the most impressive round of the day after he shot a 5-under-par 66. The 29-year-old won the championship in each of the last three years and made a stellar effort to become the first person to ever win four times in a row.

For much of the day, it looked like a two-horse race between Fanning and Diack, but Rank aggressively chipped away at the lead on the back nine where he made five birdies.

In addition to the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title, Fanning receives an exemption into the 2018 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

On Wednesday, Team Ontario defended their inter-provincial title after they defeated the hometown favourite Team Saskatchewan in a playoff that secured the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy for the third straight year.

OTTAWA – Alena Sharp knelt down beside her bag and wrote the initials DC-J on each of her golf balls. She tucked the marker back into her bag and grabbed a pair of yellow ribbons with the same three letters monogrammed on them and scanned the crowd to hand them to her mom.

Sharp, who had an identical ribbon pinned to her hat, then lined up her shot from the No. 1 tee to start her first round at the CP Women’s Open on Thursday. She was one of several golfers honouring Canadian golf hall of famer Dawn Coe-Jones at the LPGA Tour event.

Coe-Jones left an indelible mark on women’s golf in Canada, winning three LPGA Tour events and the 1992 Match Play Championship, with 44 top-10 finishes over a 24-year career. She lost her battle with sarcoma, a form of bone cancer, on Nov. 12 at the age of 59.

“It’s just so sad that someone that young and that healthy can have that kind of bad luck,” said Sharp, a native of Hamilton, after completing a 7-over 78 in the first round of the tournament. “She’s not with us anymore, which is so sad.”

Sharp began marking her balls with Coe-Jones’s initials toward the end of last season and resumed the practice this week at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club to tie in with Golf Canada’s ribbon campaign honouring the pioneer of the sport.

“I’m really happy to see everybody wearing the ribbons this week and honouring her,” said Sharp. “It’s a great tribute.”

Coe-Jones competed in the Canadian Women’s Open 24 times and had seven top-10 finishes. She was the low Canadian (or tied) on 13 occasions and her $326,554 in earnings are the most by a Canadian playing in the Women’s Open. She retired from the LPGA at the 2008 national championship.

“It does mean a lot, not only to me, but I know her husband and son, are taking this in this week,” said Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane, who was a close friend of Coe-Jones. “It’s just nice for them to know their mom is loved.”

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., and Augusta James of Bath, Ont., were the low Canadians on Thursday at 2-over 73.

“(Coe-Jones) along with all the others were just really inspirational, especially being from Canada and not having that many people to look up to,” said Marchand, who also had a yellow ribbon affixed to her hat. “The few that have paved the way, it’s pretty awesome. It’s been great to be able to remember her this week and kind of keep her in everyone’s hearts.”

Calgary’s Jennifer Ha and superstar Brooke Henderson of nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., finished their rounds at 3-over par.

Honoring Dawn Coe-Jones this week at the CP Women's Open. Thank you for paving the way for… https://t.co/E1RBTABDe5

— Jennifer Ha (@JenniferHa0201) August 24, 2017

Henderson was followed from hole to hole by droves of fans, but despite the vocal support she struggled with her putting. Henderson went to the practice green after her morning round.

“I think if I can just get a good night’s rest tonight, maybe practice a little bit, tune in things a little bit more, and then go out tomorrow and hopefully just make a few more putts,” said Henderson. “That’s all it is, and hopefully make a few more birdies.”

Amateur Jaclyn Lee of Calgary was 4 over, Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay was 5 over, Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., was 6 over, Hannah Hellyer of Sterling, Ont., was 7 over and amateur Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., was 8 over.

Kane tied with amateur Grace St. Germain of Ottawa at 9 over, while Victoria amateur Naomi Ko finished at 12 over.

OTTAWA – Playing professional golf isn’t that much different from having a standard 9-5 job. There’s a similar litany of problems. In the first round of the CP Women’s Open, it was a traffic jam.

Marina Alex had four birdies on the back nine and finished 5-under 66 to take the clubhouse lead at the Women’s Open on Thursday and held on to a one-stroke lead by the end of the round in part thanks to high winds. Those gusts forced golfers to take more time on their drives and approach shots which slowed down the pace of play at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

“It was kind of hard to get momentum, I think, for any of us because we would sit on the tee box and wait sometimes three and four minutes,” said Alex, who said the pace of play was slow from her second hole on. “It’s just hard to get a good group, and if you have a good group, it really kind of gets disrupted, so it’s tough.

“You have pretty challenging conditions right now. Every shot was kind of just difficult as we approached it, and it’s hard to get into a flow when you’re stopping and starting and stopping and starting.”

Putts dropping on day 1 was the key for @Marina_Deee to hold the current lead at the #CPWO! Watch her post-round interview pic.twitter.com/M5vZD3ePWV

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 24, 2017

Weather has played a big role in the Women’s Open. Tuesday’s practice rounds were called off after a rainstorm drenched the course. Winds during the storm blew down some trees in the area and delayed or detoured flights at nearby Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport.

Despite the rain, greens were very fast on Thursday. Alex said that it was easy getting optimal shots in the morning until the wind picked up and started messing with drives.

“I thought that (the greens) were almost just as fast as what we played at the U.S. Open,” said Alex. “They are rolling unbelievably well. Really quick. The nice thing is they’re still a bit soft, so the shots are holding into the greens, so it kind of makes for a good combo.

“You can hit shots in there pretty tight, and then you have really nice pace to hold them.”

Holly Clyburn, who started on the back nine, eagled on her final hole in the afternoon to enter into a tie with In Gee Chun, who fired a bogey-free 4-under 67 to sit second in the morning group.

Clyburn hoped her strong finish on No. 9 would give her momentum into the second round of play.

“I’ve just been waiting for something to drop like that all day, actually. I played solid all day, and that was just a nice present on the last, really,” said Clyburn. “Just missed a few birdie putts out there, and hit a nice 5-wood in there and holed that putt.”

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., and Augusta James of Bath, Ont., were the low Canadians on Thursday at 2-over 73.

Calgary’s Jennifer Ha and superstar Brooke Henderson of nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., finished their rounds at 3-over par. Henderson had the opposite day of Alex, with her drives on target but her putts failing to drop.

“I hit the ball for the majority extremely well and just the putter kind of let me down at times,” said Henderson, who had a large crowd following her from hole to hole. “But you know, the crowds were amazing. There was a lot of great things happening out there, and like I said, my ball-striking was awesome. It was like right on, and just hopefully tomorrow I can make a couple more of those 10-footers, 15-footers, and then we’ll see what happens.”

She then went to the practice green to “teach (her putter) a lesson.”

Amateur Jaclyn Lee of Calgary was 4 over, Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay was 5 over, Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., was 6 over, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp and Hannah Hellyer of Sterling, Ont., tied at 7 over. Amateur Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., was 8 over.

Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane tied with amateur Grace St. Germain of Ottawa at 9 over, while Victoria amateur Naomi Ko finished at 12 over.

Steven Diack continued his stellar play after shooting a 4-under-par 67 during the third round of the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at the Wascana Country Club on Thursday.

The Coquitlam, B.C., native bought himself some breathing room on the leaderboard when he drained a 60-foot eagle putt on the par-5 fourth hole, causing the crowd following the final group to erupt into a chorus of cheers. The 25-year-old then carded his second eagle of the day on the par-5 18th hole securing himself a five-stroke lead heading to the final day.

“I’m so happy just to play through today and finish with the score I did,” he said, walking out of the scoring tent. “I’m just going to stick to the game plan I’ve had the last three days and count on my ball striking which has what got me through the last three days.”

Diack has been consistently dominant through three rounds posting scores of 67-66-67, while limiting himself to just five bogeys and racking up a collection of 14 birdies and two eagles.

Todd Fanning, from Winnipeg, Man., stunned the rest of the field after he shot a 6-under-par 65 – matching the tournament low set by Charles Fitzsimmons in round 1 – in gusts of wind reaching upwards of 53 km/h.

The 49-year-old notched only one bogey back on the second hole and carded five birdies heading down the stretch on the back nine.

“I felt the first two rounds like I didn’t putt very well and was leaving a lot out there and today was the opposite,” said Fanning. “Everything I looked at seemed to go in from the fifth hole on. It was just one of those days where the hole looked like a bucket and you have to take advantage when that happens.”

The round moves Fanning into solo possession of second place at 8 under par, and gives him a huge lead in the mid-master division where he is up by 11 strokes. Dwight Reinhart (Renfrew, Ont.), who played in the same group as Fanning on Thursday, is second in the mid-master division and Regina’s Ryan McNall is third at 4 over par.

After Fanning tapped in his final birdie on 18, Reinhart dropped to his knees to salute the round that he had just witnessed.

“That’s probably the best round of golf I’ve ever seen,” said Reinhart. “He played his shots so precisely through the wind, the veteran in him just took over. Anytime he needed to make a putt it went in, it was unbelievable. It got to the point where I was just watching him and forgetting about what I was doing.”

Rounding out the final group is Garrett Rank, the three-time defending champion from Elmira, Ont., who shot the only other round under par on Thursday. Rank birdied the final hole to move him to 1 under on the day and 5 under for the tournament.

In addition to the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title, the 2017 champion will receive an exemption into the 2018 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

For full results click here.

Australian Sue Wooster won the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship in a playoff over Mary Ann Hayward from St. Thomas, Ont., after carding a 1-over-par 73 in the final round at Humber Valley Resort.

“It’s very exciting and I’m very proud,” said a smiling Wooster. “It’s an honour to come to another country and win a major event like this one.”

Wooster, 55, started her day with a birdie on the par-5 first hole and was a model of consistency the rest of the round hitting 17 greens in regulation – finishing at 12 over par for the championship.

Nothing changed in the playoff. Wooster stuck a hybrid to 15 feet on No. 10, the first playoff hole, and two-putted for par to capture the Ada Mackenzie Trophy.

“I’d actually been struggling with my ball striking recently,” added Wooster. “But today I put it all together. Golf’s a funny game like that, but I’m really happy with how I played today and thrilled with the result.”

With her win, Wooster becomes the first international player to win the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship since American Ginny Burkey in 2006.

She also earns an exemption into the 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Waverley Country Club in Portland, Oreg., from Sept. 9-14, and the inaugural 2018 U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship.

“It would be great to take some momentum from here and play well at the U.S. Senior in a few weeks,” said Wooster. “But there’s a lot of good players there so we’ll see what happens.”

Hayward – a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame – started strong with a birdie on No. 1 and led until the back nine where she bogeyed No. 10 and 11. A double-bogey on No. 13 put her in a hole she couldn’t climb out of.

“If I could have one shot back it would be my drive on No. 13. I put it in the hazard and it just wasn’t a good swing,” said Hayward. “If we were allowed mulligans in tournament golf that’s where I’d have taken mine.”

Jackie Little (Procter, B.C.) and Terrill Samuel (Etobicoke, Ont.) tied for third in the Senior division at 13 over par.

Wooster also won the 40-and-over Mid-Master competition by one stroke over Samuel.

Ashburn, Va., native Lauren Greenlief fired a tournament low 4-under-par 68 in the final round to finish a convincing wire-to-wire win in the Mid-Amateur competition, winning by 19 strokes over Wooster.

“It’s a great feeling. I had my mom here all week and it was a great week of golf at a beautiful course,” said Greenlief. “I love coming up to Canada and I definitely plan on coming back.”

On Wednesday, Team Ontario captured their fourth consecutive inter-provincial team championship with a score of 18 over par. First-round leader Quebec fell into a tie for second with British Columbia at 22 over par.

Gatineau, Que., native Diane Dolan won the 60-and-over Super Senior competition with a two-day score of 156 (+12).

The 2018 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship will be played in Ontario at a yet to be determined location.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Click here to download champion photos from the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship. (Credit: Roxanne Ryland/Golf Canada)

Click here for full scoring.

CANADIAN WOMEN’S MID-AMATEUR AND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP – SENIOR DIVISION – COMPLETE

1. Sue Wooster, Australia, *79-76-73-228 +12
2. Mary Ann Hayward, St. Thomas, ON, *77-74-77-228 +12
3. Terrill Samuel, Etobicoke, ON, *75-81-73-229 +13
3. Jackie Little, Procter, BC, *75-75-79-229 +13
5. Judith Kyrinis, Thornhill, ON, *81-74-77-232 +16
6. Marie-Thérèse Torti, Candiac, QC, *73-80-83-236 +20
7. Lynn Kuehn, Lacombe, AB, *79-83-76-238 +22
7. Diane Dolan, Gatineau, QC, *77-79-82-238 +22
9. Kim Carrington, Calgary, AB, *78-82-79-239 +23
10. Holly Horwood, Vancouver, BC, *80-80-80-240 +24
10. Leanne Richardson, Indian Mountain, NB, *80-76-84-240 +24

CANADIAN WOMEN’S MID-AMATEUR AND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP – MID-AMATEUR DIVISION – COMPLETE

1. Lauren Greenlief, Ashburn, VA, *68-73-68-209 -7
2. Sue Wooster, Australia, *79-76-73-228 +12
3. Terrill Samuel, Etobicoke, ON, *75-81-73-229 +13
4. Bri-Ann Tokariwski, Winnipeg, MB, *77-75-87-239 +23
5. Leanne Richardson, Indian Mountain, NB, *80-76-84-240 +24

CANADIAN WOMEN’S MID-AMATEUR AND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP – MID-MASTER DIVISION – COMPLETE

1. Sue Wooster, Australia, *79-76-73-228 +12
2. Terrill Samuel, Etobicoke, ON, *75-81-73-229 +13
3. Leanne Richardson, Indian Mountain, NB, *80-76-84-240 +24
4. Barbara Flaman, Sherwood Park, AB, *84-81-77-242 +26
5. Judy Dotten, New Liskeard, ON, *88-78-80-246 +30

CANADIAN WOMEN’S MID-AMATEUR AND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP – SUPER SENIOR – COMPLETE

1. Diane Dolan, Gatineau, QC, *77-79-156 +12
2. Holly Horwood, Vancouver, BC, *80-80-160 +16
3. Joey Bush, St. Thomas, ON, *82-80-162 +18
4. Ivy Steinberg, Stouffville, ON, *87-78-165 +21
5. Karen Pultz, Surrey, BC, *86-80-166 +22

CANADIAN WOMEN’S MID-AMATEUR AND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP – INTER-PROVINCIAL TEAM COMPETITION

1. ON – Judith Kyrinis, Mary Ann Hayward, Marion Reid, *158-148-306 +18
2. BC – Karen Pultz, Holly Horwood, Jackie Little, *155-155-310 +22
2. QUE – Marie-Thérèse Torti, Hélène Chartrand, Marlène Desbiens, *149-161-310 +22
4. AB – Kim Carrington, Lynn Kuehn, Joan Wilson, *157-163-320 +32
5. NB – Leanne Richardson, Kathy Grebenc, Paula Napke-Flanagan, *166-159-325 +37
6. MB – Rhonda Orr, Matty Leung, Kimberly Ross, *163-175-338 +50
7. SK – Jo-Anne Schiller, Tammy Bezaire , Sue Skinner, *176-165-341 +53
8. NS – Debbie Arsenault, Susan Tumblin, Joanie McCarville, *177-165-342 +54
9. PEI – Sherry White, Susan Allen, Brenda Ann McIlwaine, *180-165-345 +57
10. NL – Judy Gillam, Janet Mills, Gale Roberts, *192-168-360 +72

REGINA, Sask. – Steven Diack shot a 5-under-par 66 to take the lead at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Wascana Country Club on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old from Coquitlam, B.C., improved on his opening-round 67 and carded seven birdies and two bogeys and moved to 9 under par for the tournament.

“My whole game was pretty good today,” he said. “My driver is by far the best point in my game. The putter was a little cold early but then I started to make some putts coming in, but I think I hit 17 greens yesterday and 17 greens today, so overall ball striking has been pretty solid.”

Diack, who is playing in his last amateur event before turning professional, has only registered three
bogeys through two rounds.

Daniel Brown from Grand Folks, B.C., registered five birdies and two bogeys en route to a 3-under-par 68 and 8 under par total score. The 2009 B.C. Men’s Amateur champion has landed himself in second place, one stroke back of the leader.

The 18-hole leader Charles Fitzsimmons carded a 70 to finish 1 under par on the day and move to 7 under on the tournament. The London, Ont., product made five birdies and four bogeys one day after shooting a bogey-free 65 and sits in third place, two strokes back of Diack.

“I made a couple of putts yesterday that I missed today,” Fitzsimmons said. “That was the main difference. I got a couple of bad bounces where I was put in an unfortunate situation, but that’s golf. For the most part it was just a couple of bad swings that yesterday I would have got away with.”

The three-time defending champion Garrett Rank (Elmira, Ont.) posted a one-under par 70 to move him into a tie for fourth with two-time champion Kevin Carrigan (Victoria, B.C.) who shot an even-par 71. The pair are 4 under on the tournament.

Check out all the shots from the first two rounds of the #CDNMidAm at the @The_Wascana

📷https://t.co/SsQMlYDMFc pic.twitter.com/ioqSS198gE

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) August 24, 2017

Team Ontario defended their inter-provincial title after they defeated the home-town favourite Team Saskatchewan in a playoff that secured the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy for the third straight year.

Fitzsimmons forced the playoff after he landed his second shot on the par-5 18th in the greenside bunker. After his sand shot landed within three feet of the hole, Fitzsimmons converted the birdie and the two teams met on the first tee to determine a winner.

Saskatchewan jumped out to the early lead in the playoff as the first group consisting of Jim Born (Lloydminster, Alta.), Tyler Wright (Regina, Sask.) and Dave Bunker (Brampton, Ont.) shot par, bogey, bogey, respectively, leaving the door open for Brad Phelps (Saskatoon, Sask.) to secure the win.

In the second and final group, Phelps’ and David Lang’s (Toronto, Ont.) drives found the middle of the fairway while Fitzsimmons pushed his tee shot into the water on the right of the fairway. Fitzsimmons ended the playoff with a bogey while both Phelps and Lang were on the green lining up their birdie putts.

Phelps put his putt five feet past the hole while Lang nailed a clutch 20-foot putt and posted the only birdie of the playoff. Phelps missed his opportunity to force a second playoff hole after he pushed his putt right, securing the victory for Team Ontario.

In the Mid-Master division, Todd Fanning from Winnipeg, Man., jumped to the top of the leaderboard after he carded a 2-under-par 70 for the second consecutive day. Dwight Reinhart (Renfrew, Ont.) and Ryan McNall (Regina, Sask.) sit one stroke back in T2 at 1 under par.

In addition to the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title, the 2017 champion will receive an exemption into the 2018 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

For full results click here.