Candiac, Que., native Marie-Thérèse Torti fired a 1-over-par 73 in round one of the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship at Humber Valley Resort to hold a two-stroke lead over Jackie Little of Procter, B.C., and Terrill Samuel from Etobicoke, Ont.

Torti had two birdies in windy conditions during the opening round, including one on the par-5 18th hole. She credited her putting with keeping her momentum going throughout the day.

“I saved a great par putt on hole No. 13 and was able to make a nice birdie putt coming in,” said Torti. “I tried to play smart out there with the wind and I was really happy with my round.”

The 54-year-old came to Humber Valley riding the momentum of a win at the Quebec Senior Amateur Championship at Dufferin Heights Country Club last month.

“Dufferin Heights is very similar to Humber Valley with lots of hills and elevation,” added Torti. “So, I felt very comfortable coming here to play this tournament.”

Little – who won this event in 2007 and 2008 – battled the wind to fire a 3-over-par 75 in round one and grab a share of second with Samuel.

“I was hitting the ball really solid, and that really helps in the wind,” said Little. “I had a couple three putts but being in the fairway all round made my day a lot easier.”

At 59 years old, Little is thrilled to be in contention to chase down another Canadian Women’s Senior Championship.

“I’m getting close to 60 so my time is running out,” smiled Little. “It would be a great thrill for me to get another one under my belt.”

Samuel – the 2015 Canadian Women’s Senior champion – matched Little’s score of 3-under-par 75 on the strength of three birdies. She is leading the 40-and-over Mid-Master competition by 4 strokes over Australia’s Sue Wooster, who posted an opening round 7-over-par 79.

Clermont, Que., native Marlène Desbiens posted a 4-over-par 76 to sit in solo fourth in the senior division. Canadian Golf Hall of Fame honoured member Mary Ann Hayward (St. Thomas, Ont.) is tied for fifth with Diane Dolan (Gatineau, Que.) at 5 over par.

Dolan is leading the 60-and-over Super Senior division by three strokes over defending Super Senior champion Holly Horwood of Vancouver, B.C.

On the strength of Torti and Dolan’s strong starts, Quebec is leading the inter-provincial team competition at 5 over par. British Columbia is in second at 11 over par and Alberta is third at 13 over par.

Lauren Greenlief of Ashburn, Va., fired the low round of the day with a 4-under-par 68 to lead the 25-and-over Mid-Amateur competition by seven shots over Samuel.

Greenlief is coming off a T15 finish at the 2017 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ont.

Click here for more information on the Canadian Women’s Mid-Am and Senior Championship including tomorrow’s tee times.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Click here to download photos from round one of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Am and Senior Championship. (Credit: Golf Canada)

Click here for full scoring.

2017 CANADIAN WOMEN’S MID-AM AND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP – SENIOR DIVISION

1. Marie-Thérèse Torti, Candiac, QC, *36-37-73 +1
2. Terrill Samuel, Etobicoke, ON, *37-38-75 +3
2. Jackie Little, Procter, BC, *39-36-75 +3
4. Marlène Desbiens, Clermont, QC, *37-39-76 +4
5. Diane Dolan, Gatineau, QC, *40-37-77 +5
5. Mary Ann Hayward, St. Thomas, ON, *40-37-77 +5
7. Lin Culver, Palm Coast, FL, *41-37-78 +6
7. Kim Carrington, Calgary, AB, *41-37-78 +6
9. Josée Deslauriers, Parksville, BC, *42-37-79 +7
9. Sue Wooster, Australia, *41-38-79 +7
9. Lynn Kuehn, Lacombe, AB, *40-39-79 +7
9. Rhonda Orr, Winnipeg, MB, *42-37-79 +7

2017 CANADIAN WOMEN’S MID-AM AND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP – MID-AMATEUR DIVISION

1. Lauren Greenlief, Ashburn, VA, *35-33-68 -4
2. Terrill Samuel, Etobicoke, ON, *37-38-75 +3
3. Bri-Ann Tokariwski, Winnipeg, MB, *39-38-77 +5
4. Sue Wooster, Australia, *41-38-79 +7
5. Leanne Richardson, Indian Mountain, NB, *42-38-80 +8

2017 CANADIAN WOMEN’S MID-AM AND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP – MID-MASTER DIVISION

1. Terrill Samuel, Etobicoke, ON, *37-38-75 +3
2. Sue Wooster, Australia, *41-38-79 +7
3. Leanne Richardson, Indian Mountain, NB, *42-38-80 +8
4. Barbara Flaman, Sherwood Park, AB, *45-39-84 +12
5. Kelly Koselek, Toronto, ON, *45-41-86 +14
5. Karen Kloske, Lake Cowichan, BC, *44-42-86 +14
5. Sandra Mumford, Dartmouth, NS, *43-43-86 +14

2017 CANADIAN WOMEN’S MID-AM AND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP – SUPER SENIOR DIVISION

1. Diane Dolan, Gatineau, QC, *40-37-77 +5
2. Holly Horwood, Vancouver, BC, *41-39-80 +8
3. Joey Bush, St. Thomas, ON, *42-40-82 +10

2017 CANADIAN WOMEN’S MID-AM AND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP – INTER-PROVINCIAL TEAM COMPETITION

1. QC – Marie-Thérèse Torti, Hélène Chartrand, Marlène Desbiens, *73-76-149 +5
2. BC – Karen Pultz, Holly Horwood, Jackie Little, *80-75-155 +11
3. AB – Kim Carrington, Lynn Kuehn, Joan Wilson, *81-76-157 +13
4. ON – Judith Kyrinis, Mary Ann Hayward, Marion Reid, *82-76-158 +14
5. MB – Rhonda Orr, Matty Leung, Kimberly Ross, *87-76-163 +19
6. NB – Leanne Richardson, Kathy Grebenc, Paula Napke-Flanagan, *87-79-166 +22
7. SK – Jo-Anne Schiller, Tammy Bezaire , Sue Skinner, *90-86-176 +32
8. NS – Debbie Arsenault, Susan Tumblin, Joanie McCarville, *90-87-177 +33
9. PEI – Sherry White, Susan Allen, Brenda Ann McIlwaine, *94-86-180 +36
10. NL – Judy Gillam, Janet Mills, Gale Roberts, *98-94-192 +48

With four LPGA Tour titles, including one major victory under her belt, Smiths Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson is recognized for her success across the country and beyond.

While she is grateful for that widespread recognition, the 19-year-old says nothing can top the excitement of competing at home.

Having played a number of junior and amateur golf tournaments in the nation’s capital, Henderson has yet to compete in the Ottawa area as a professional.

Since turning professional in December of 2014, the closest she has competed is in the Waterloo Region for the Manulife LPGA Classic which is about a five hour drive from Ottawa.

However, that will change next week when she tees off at the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club for the CP Women’s Open.

“I’ve played a few times now in Canada as a professional but never in the Ottawa area, so that’s going to be huge and I feel that the crowds are going to be amazing; I’m really excited for that,” she said during the CP Women’s Open media day in June.

“I think it’s great to have it at the Ottawa Hunt because I recently became a member here.  I would love to play well here and give the crowd something to cheer about.”

Despite never competing at the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club, Henderson is quick to point out a special memory that came as a spectator many years ago.

“I remember coming here in 2008 and watching the entire field.  I watched Morgan Pressel who I really looked up to and at the end of the fourth hole she walked up and said ‘hey Brooke’ and I was thinking ‘what she knew my name?’ and I was so excited because I met her a month before just in passing and to have her remember my name and that impact it had on me was truly amazing.  And after her round, she handed me her glove and a signed golf ball,” recalled the now 19-year-old Canadian golf star.

“What I learned that day is you have so much of an impact on the younger generation and people of all ages; and so for me this year, I really want to be able to give a lot of time to the media and the fans – and especially, to the young kids to inspire them to play the game,” she added.

Someone else who inspired aspiring young golfers in Canada is four-time LPGA Tour winner, Lorie Kane – and she is quick to acknowledge Henderson’s current influence.

“Brooke has accomplished so much and she’s only 19, so she’s just getting started,” said Kane. “A lot of young kids across the country definitely look up to her success and she’s a great role model for them,” said Kane about Henderson, who won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2016 to become first Canadian to win a women’s major in 48 years.

“She’s definitely handled her success really well and that says a lot about her as well as the people around her,” added Kane.

Having signed on with CP as an ambassador earlier this year, Henderson has a few nice words in return for the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member and longtime CP ambassador.

“To be with Lorie, who paved the way for Canadian women’s golf all across the board, it’s amazing to be in her family and her team,” Henderson said.

Joining Kane and Henderson at the CP Women’s Open next week will be the LPGA’s finest including current world No. 1, Ryu So-yeon, three-time champion, Lydia Ko and defending champion, Ariya Jutanugarn – to name just a few.

While the former world No. 2 from Smith Falls, Ont., acknowledges there’s pressure associated with being the hometown favourite at the CP Women’s Open, she also recognizes that pressure is also a privilege.

“Of course there will be pressure, but it can be fun too because you have everyone in your corner cheering for you and every shot means a lot of them, too. So, hopefully, I can perform to the best of my ability and put on a good show and get everybody on my side,” she said.

With only one Canadian – Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973 – capturing the national championship in its 44-year history, Henderson says she places special emphasis on winning the tournament.

“This tournament is like my fifth major on the LPGA TOUR. This is the event that I would love to win the most over my career.  Whether it happens this year or in the future it’s the number one event on my bucket list,” she added.

When asked about her chances of capturing the title this year in her homecoming tournament, Henderson says she is ready and capable.

“Going into any tournament the goal of any player is to win it; and I definitely feel that I have a good chance to win here,” she replied. “It’s just about being able to play my game and also getting a few breaks along the way.”

When you see players wearing yellow ribbons at this week’s CP Women’s Open at the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club, think “DCJ.”

Those are the initials of Dawn Coe-Jones, one of Canada’s most outstanding golfers who died of bone cancer last November at the age of 56. The ribbons are to honour her memory and to remind us all of the toll this terrible disease takes.

Born in Lake Cowichan, B.C., Coe-Jones won the B.C. Junior Championship in 1978 and 1979 and then the B.C. Amateur in 1982. In 1983, she defended her provincial amateur title and capped off the season by winning the Canadian Amateur Championship. After being named an NCAA All-American at Lamar University in Texas, Coe-Jones headed to the LPGA Tour where she won three times, including the 1995 Tournament of Champions.

Despite smaller purses during her heyday, Coe-Jones remains the top Canadian money-winner at the CP Women’s Open. She finished, either solo or tied, as the top Canadian 13 times. Her best finish was third in 1993. Her golfing genes live on in her son, Jimmy, who played in the Canadian Amateur earlier this month.

Last October, the inaugural Dawn Coe-Jones Golf Classic was held in Florida to raise funds for sarcoma research. “Dawn touched so many people,” recalled fellow B.C. native Gail Graham, a fellow Lamar alumna who played with Coe-Jones on the LPGA Tour. “She was always the one who worried about others.”

That month, the Legends Tour (the official senior tour of the LPGA) honoured her with the Colleen Walker Spirit Award, given to the player who best exemplifies Walker’s spirit, courage and love of the game. The award is named for Walker, a former LPGA Tour player who died of cancer in 2012.

Coe-Jones’s legacy is also being carried on by the current generation of outstanding Canadians, many of whom are participating in this week’s championship.

The homegrown contingent is led by 19-year-old Brooke Henderson, already a four-time winner in only her second full season on the LPGA Tour, including the 2016 KPMG PGA Championship. Henderson, who was born in nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., now calls the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club her home club, so she has local knowledge on her side as well as talent.

Also vying to be the first Canadian to win our national women’s Open since Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973 will be Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. Sharp, who represented Canada in the 2016 Olympics, is coming off a top-five finish at last year’s CP Women’s Open.

Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane, like her longtime friend and competitor Coe-Jones, is an honoured member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. She will be teeing it up this week in her record-setting 27th CP Women’s Open start.

Other Canadian pros in the field include Jennifer Ha of Calgary, Augusta James of Bath, Ont., Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., and Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City. Team Canada Amateur Squad members Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C., Jaclyn Lee of Calgary, Grace St. Germain of Ottawa and Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., are also competing this week.

No doubt all of them have derived inspiration from the successes, both professional and personal, of Dawn Coe-Jones.

So when you notice those yellow ribbons this week, take a moment to remember DCJ and her legacy not only to golf, but to cancer research.

Hometown favourite Brooke Henderson, with the support of fellow LPGA Tour athletes, led the inaugural Brooke and Friends charity fundraiser with proceeds going towards the Golf Canada Foundation and Henderson Family Foundation.

Thirty-one players competed for four spots in the 2017 CP Women’s Open at Monday’s final qualifying event at Camelot Golf and Country Club, in Ottawa, Ont.

Stirling, Ont., native Hannah Hellyer fired a 3-under-par 69 to share medallist honours with Madeline Sheils of Boise, Idaho, each earning a qualifying spot into Canada’s National Open Championship.

“My putting was really on point today,” said Hellyer. “It’s a dream come true to play in the CP Women’s Open and get to play against the world’s best.”

Hellyer – an assistant professional at St. Georges Golf and Country Club in Toronto – will be making her LPGA debut at the CP Women’s Open. She fell just short of Monday qualifying for the 2014 CP Women’s Open, losing a three-way playoff for the final qualifying position.

Sheils has played in nine events on the LPGA Tour this year. Her best result was a T35 finish at the Marathon Classic Presented by Owens Corning and O-I.

South Korea’s Min-g Kim carded a 2-under par 70 to tie for third with Alison Walshe of Palm Beach, Fla.

Kim has played in five LPGA events in 2017 and Walshe has played in three.

Hellyer will be the 14th Canadian in the field at the CP Women’s Open. All are trying to become the first Canadian to win an LPGA Tour event on Canadian soil since Canadian Golf Hall of Fame honoured member Jocelyne Bourassa won La Canadienne in 1973.

Information regarding tickets and corporate hospitality for the CP Women’s Open can be found at www.cpwomensopen.com. A full field list of players confirmed to compete in the 2017 CP Women’s Open is available by clicking here.

The following are full scores from 2017 CP Women’s Open Final Qualifying at Camelot Golf and Country Club.

1. Hannah Hellyer, *34-35-69 -3
1. Madeline Sheils, *35-34-69 -3
3. Ming-g Kim, *35-35-70 -2
3. Alison Walshe, *33-37-70 -2
— DID NOT QUALIFY —
5. Christina Foster, *35-36-71 -1
6. Sarah-Eve Rheaume (a), *37-35-72 E
7. Briana Mao, *36-37-73 +1
7. Rachel Rohanna, *34-39-73 +1
7. Julieta Granada (a), *38-35-73 +1
10. Anne Van Dam, *34-40-74 +2
10. Jessica Ip (a), *34-40-74 +2
10. Céleste Dao (a), *36-38-74 +2
13. Salimah Mussani, *39-36-75 +3
14. Monet Chun (a), *38-38-76 +4
14. Alejandra Llaneza, *37-39-76 +4
16. Cindy Lacrosse, *39-38-77 +5
16. Emily Romancew (a), *39-38-77 +5
16. Brogan McKinnon, *37-40-77 +5
16. Mathilde Denicourt (a), *39-38-77 +5
20. Sylvie Schetagne, *42-36-78 +6
21. Kasumi Kuniyoshi (a), *39-40-79 +7
22. Linda Wang (a), *40-40-80 +8
23. Mackenzie Barrie, *39-42-81 +9
23. Haley Yerxa (a), *43-38-81 +9
25. Aram Choi, *41-41-82 +10
26. Georgia Oboh (a), *41-42-83 +11
27. Alison Timlin, *40-45-85 +13
27. Katherine Gravel-Coursol (a), *42-43-85 +13
29. Audrey Paradis (a), *46-41-87 +15
30. Jasmine Paton, *46-45-91 +19
— DID NOT FINISH —
WD. Lory Paradis (a), *

Click here fore more information on the CP Women’s Open.

Canada’s Lorie Kane of Charlottetown, P.E.I., shares some expert tips to help you with hitting low trajectory shots to avoid high winds.

Watch her perform in person this summer at the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club from Aug. 21-27 – tickets are available here.

Maysville, Kentucky’s Mark Blakefield shot a final round 6-under 65 on Sunday at Hylands Golf Club to win the National Capital Open to Support Our Troops, his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada victory.

The 35-year old took control of the tournament with birdies on seven of eight holes in the middle of his round, then converted tricky up-and-downs for par on the final two holes to win by two over Dallas, Texas’ Kramer Hickok.

“You get gotta get it done, one way or another. Winning’s never easy, and hardly ever do you just get a walk in the park to the 18th green. Sometimes you have to come up with something when you need it,” said Blakefield, who finished at 20-under for the week.

.@MBlakefield's short game came through when it mattered most.

These two up-and-downs secured a two-stroke win & the @NatCapitalOpen title. pic.twitter.com/7ehONMfjzr

— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) August 20, 2017

Starting the day one stroke back of 54-hole leader Charlie Danielson, Blakefield started slowly but quickly picked up the pace with birdies on holes No. 5-9, eventually reaching 20-under with three more birdies on the back nine.

With the tournament firmly in his grasp and the tough, into-the-wind par-4 17th and 18th holes left, the University of Kentucky grad converted a sand save from the greenside bunker on the penultimate hole and a tricky up-and-down from left of the green at 18 to secure the title.

“Obviously it was a great week and I played great, but the one thing was that I threw a few shots away with some bad up-and-downs that I didn’t get. To get those two on the last two holes was fantastic, especially to make those two putts when I needed them,” said Blakefield.

The win comes at a special time for Blakefield and his fiancée, professional golfer and former Big Break champion Bri Vega, who has caddied for her future husband at six events this year, including this week.

“It’s funny, she tried to stay so calm, but I could just see right through it and knew she was a nervous wreck just like I am,” said Blakefield with a laugh, adding that her perspective as a player was a valuable asset this week. “Sometimes, even if you know what a putt does, it’s nice to hear it from somebody else who says the same thing.”

A moment to celebrate together.@MBlakefield and fiancée @BriVega celebrate Mark's first #MackenzieTour win ? pic.twitter.com/f2nGIKfdg6

— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) August 20, 2017

Blakefield was making his eighth career start on the Mackenzie Tour this week. The University of Kentucky grad earned conditional status with a T9 finish at the USA East #1 Q-School this spring and had made five of seven cuts this year, including a previous season-best T11 finish at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel.

Hickok, who could have forced a playoff with a miracle eagle at 18, settled for par and managed a 4-under 67 to finish in solo second, moving into first place on the Order of Merit. Blakefield’s win moved him into the seventh spot with three events remaining in the 2017 season.

Hanging at the top.

Kramer Hickok sits at No.1 on the Order of Merit after his solo-second result at the @NatCapitalOpen pic.twitter.com/QY38AP5B7P

— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) August 20, 2017

With a total score of 11-under par in a tie for 12th, Kimberley, British Columbia’s Jared du Toit finished as the top Canadian on the leaderboard, earning Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week honours and a $2,500 prize.

The top Canadian on the leaderboard each week takes home the award, with the top Canadian on the Order of Merit at season’s end earning the Dan Halldorson Trophy, Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year honours and a $25,000 prize.

Click here to view the full leaderboard.

Henrik Stenson kept making birdies on the back nine Sunday at the Wyndham Championship. They added up to a tournament record – and his first victory of the year.

Stenson closed with a 6-under 64 for a one-stroke victory in the final event of the PGA Tour regular season.

The 2013 FedEx Cup champion finished at 22-under 258 at Sedgefield Country Club, breaking the course’s 72-hole record set by Carl Pettersson in 2008 and matched last year by Si Woo Kim.

The Swede earned $1,044,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points for his sixth win on tour and his first since the 2016 British Open.

“It’s certainly a good time to start firing,” Stenson said. “We know the kind of damage you can do in the playoffs. … If you get hot and keep on playing well, you have a chance to challenge.”

.@HenrikStenson meets with the media after winning @WyndhamChamp! https://t.co/WntSozh2Mj

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 20, 2017

Stenson said he left his driver in his locker all week – “he’s a little anxious to get out there and start getting some air time next week,” he quipped of the club – and certainly didn’t need it on the par-70 Sedgefield course.

For the second straight day, he had four birdies in a five-hole stretch of the back nine.

Ollie Schniederjans shot a 64 to finish second. Webb Simpson was 18 under after a 67.

Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. were the low Canadians at 6 under. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., was 3 under.

“I had to keep on making birdies,” Stenson said, “because Ollie was surely not backing down.

Stenson had three consecutive birdies on Nos. 15-17 – leaving a 20-foot eagle putt on the 15th hole about a foot short – after he and Schniederjans were both at 19 under.

Stenson’s 30-foot birdie putt on No. 17 moved him to 22 under.

He needed it, because Schniederjans kept the pressure on him. The 24-year-old former Georgia Tech player made a 40-foot birdie putt on No. 17 and added another birdie on the par-4 18th hole after placing his second shot 2 feet from the pin.

Apex? 39 feet.
Distance? 341 yards.

(He hit iron.) pic.twitter.com/6ZFad5uUsd

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 20, 2017

“I thought I had a two-shot cushion … and as I walked over (to the 18th hole and) looked around, ‘Oh, OK, (Schniederjans) birdied it as well,” Stenson said. “So I better scramble a par here to get the win.”

With Schniederjans watching the television broadcast and hoping for a tie, Stenson rolled a 35-foot birdie putt on No. 18 off the right edge of the cup, then made a 3-footer to end it.

“When I stuffed it (on No. 18), I thought that’s probably going to be a playoff,” Schniederjans said. “And he birdied 17 and got par on 18. Hat’s off to him – he had a great finish, too. Just one short.”

Low scores and tight leaderboards once again were the norm at Sedgefield. With seven holes left for the final pairing, four players – Stenson, Schniederjans, Ryan Armour and Kevin Na – shared the lead at 18 under.

“It was anyone’s tournament on the back nine,” Stenson said.

Stenson moved to 19 under with a birdie on the 13th and Schniederjans joined him with a remarkable recovery for birdie on the 15th. His second shot careened off a canopy covering the gallery and landed in a greenside bunker, but he chipped to 2 feet of the flagstick and converted the putt.

The other subplot at Sedgefield was the push by the bubble players to qualify for the playoffs that start next week at The Northern Trust for the top 125 on the points list.

Geoff Ogilvy, who was at No. 125, finished at 11 under and earned enough points to move to No. 116.

And Martin Flores, who started at No. 139, jumped to No. 118 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2014 after a 63 highlighted by a hole-in-one on the par-3 16th. J.J. Henry, Harold Varner III and Rory Sabbatini also played their way into the top 125.

“I was very aware of where I was all day but I knew that I needed to be somewhere inside the top 10, have to,” Flores said. “So I was able to get off to a great start and I was able to just keep it going all day.”

Click here to view the full leaderboard.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – Lexi Thompson set the tone by rallying from four holes down. The rest of the Americans took it from there and restored their dominance in the Solheim Cup

“I was just, like, ‘I just have to go all in and go for it all,”’ Thompson said.

Her U.S. teammates followed her lead and the Americans finished off their most-decisive Solheim Cup victory in over 20 years, beating Europe 16 1/2-11 1/2 on Sunday at Des Moines Golf and Country Club.

Cristie Kerr and Paula Creamer won key matches, and Gerina Piller sealed it with a birdie putt that put her 3 up over Florentyna Parker with three to play in a 4-and-2 victory.

“They just bonded. They believed in each other. They played for the person behind them and in front of them. And they played some amazing golf,” said Juli Inkster, who joined Judy Rankin as the only U.S. captains to win the Solheim Cup twice.

The Americans are 10-5 in the biennial tournament after their biggest win since a 17-11 triumph in 1996 in Wales. They rallied to win in Germany in 2015, and have taken five of the last seven matches.

Kerr beat Mel Reid 2 and 1 for her record-extending 21st point in the competition, and Creamer edged Georgia Hall 1 up to raise her total to 19 1/2 – second on the U.S. career list.

Thompson ended up halving with Anna Nordqvist, and Angel Yin halved with Karine Icher as the teams split the 12 singles matches. Lizette Salas and Danielle Kang also won for the U.S. Salas edged Jodi Ewart Shadoff 1 up, and Kang beat Emily Pedersen 3 and 1.

For Europe, Catriona Matthew beat Stacy Lewis 1 up, Caroline Masson topped Michelle Wie 4 and 2, Charley Hull edged Brittany Lang 1 up, Carlota Ciganda beat Brittany Lincicome 4 and 3, and Madelene Sagstrom defeated Austin Ernst 3 and 2.

“We just got outplayed, no doubt about it,” European captain Annika Sorenstam said. “I’m just so proud of how hard they fought. What can I say? Just congratulate the USA because they played some awesome golf.”

Her team five points down entering the day, Sorenstam tried to keep the mood light by dressing up in a blue and yellow Viking hat and wig and dancing for the cameras before play began.

Nordqvist did her best to set the tone for the Europeans in the opening match, winning the first four holes.

But after a birdie on No. 10, Thompson holed out from 112 yards for eagle on the 11th hole – a shot so impressive that even Nordqvist was compelled to high-five her.

The 22-year-old Thompson followed with an eagle putt on the 15th hole, and a birdie on 16 put her ahead for the first time. Though Nordqvist rallied, earning the half-point by sticking her 154-yard approach on No. 18 within a foot, an American win was inevitable after Thompson’s run.

“To me, that was like six points,” Inkster said. “It’s probably fitting they both got half a point. Both played amazingly. It just shows the heart of her and her determination. You think she’s out of it and then the switch goes off.”

Nordqvist went 3-0-1 during the week to lead the Europeans.

Creamer was 3-1 filling in for the injured Jessica Korda, matching Kang and Salas for the top U.S. records. Creamer kept her celebration muted following Hall’s missed 4-foot par putt on the 18th hole. But this was a huge bounce back event for Creamer after her recent struggles kept her off the U.S. roster until Korda got hurt.

“For Juli to play me four matches, you know – I knew my game was there, but obviously it didn’t look like it was,” Creamer said.

The 47-year-old Matthew was 3-1 after replacing the injured Suzann Pettersen.

Canadian Ben Silverman fired a 6-under-par 65 in the final round of the Web.com Tour’s News Sentinel Open presented by Pilot to move into a tie for seventh at Fox Den Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn.

The Thornhill, Ont., native poured in eight birdies and just two bogeys in the final round shooting his best score of the week and finishing at 14 under par four shots back of winner Talor Gooch (Midwest City, Okla.) who also fired a 65 in the final round to win at 18 under par.

Silverman’s seventh place finish is his fourth top-10 finish of 2017 on the Web.com Tour and comes on the heels of his first career win on the Web.com Tour last week at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr. Pepper.

With one tournament remaining on the Web.com Tour’s regular season schedule Silverman is 14th on the Order of Merit.

His previous highest finish on the Web.com Tour’s Order of Merit was in 2016 when he was 131st.

Burlington, Ont., native Michael Gligic fired a 2-under-par 69 in the final round to finish in a tie for twelfth.

Calgary’s Ryan Yip started the day in a tie for fourth, but carded a 3-over-par 74 to finish T32.

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