Indiana’s Chase Wright shot back-to-back rounds of 6-under 65 in rounds one and two to take a one-stroke lead over South Korea’s Todd Baek through 36 holes at the ATB Financial Classic, the eighth event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The 28-year-old, who is making his eighth career Mackenzie Tour start, hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation on Friday and made eight birdies on the day, including four birdies in his last six holes. Both of his bogeys were the result of three-putts.

“It goes back to patience and kind of accepting a bad or average shot,” said Wright, whose best finish in his first season on the Mackenzie Tour this year was T15 at the Players Cup. He entered this week on the heels of a T19 finish last week. “I haven’t been focusing on one thing, I’ve just been keeping it in front of me really well, and the speed’s been great on the green, so just keeping that up.”

This marks the first time Wright has held the lead on the Mackenzie Tour, but this isn’t completely new territory for him—Wright has played in 69 Web.com Tour events since turning pro in 2012 after graduating from Indiana University.

“It’s been about a year-and-a half, two years, since I’ve played this consistently,” said Wright, who held the lead after the first round of the Web.com Tour’s 2015 Price Cutter Charity Championship—his only lead on that tour after any round—before finishing T16.

“I don’t forget how to do it,” Wright said about being in contention. “If I just keep playing my game like I’m doing—if somebody beats me they beat me—but I can just control what I can control.”

Wright is making his eighth career Mackenzie Tour start in his first season on the tour. In a season marked by four made cuts and two top-25 finishes, the Indiana University alum’s best finish was T15 at the Players Cup.

Wright earned status on the Mackenzie Tour by finishing sixth at the USA West #2 Q-School.

Since turning pro in 2012, Wright has made 69 starts on the Web.com Tour, where he’s notched 12 top-25 and six top-10 finishes. His best finish came at the 2015 Columbia Championship, where he was in solo second after the third round but went on to finish T3.

While a collegiate golfer at Indiana University, Wright was selected to the All-Big Ten First Team and PING All-Midwest Region Team as a senior. He also won the 2010 Indiana State Open.

Click here to viw th full leaderboard.

Jim Rutledge inched closer to his fifth Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada after a second-round 3-under-par 67 Thursday at the Burlington Golf & Country Club.

The soon-to-be 58-year-old’s two-day total of 8-under-par (65-67) sees him three shots clear of PGA of Canada legend Gar Hamilton and four shots better than Mike Burrows of Austria.

Heading into the final round, Rutledge says he’s going to keep pressing forward.

“I’d like to make lots of birdies tomorrow because I’ve left a few out there,” Rutledge said about his mindset heading into Friday’s final round. “Getting off to a good start on this golf course is the key to putting together a good round.”

Rutledge, Hamilton and Burrows will tee off in the championship’s final pairing at 11 a.m.

Rutledge won’t be the only one pressing in the final group, however. Hamilton, who is a four-time PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada and PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada winner, says he wants to put a little pressure on the leader Friday.

“If I make some putts, maybe I chase down this young guy (Rutledge),” Hamilton said. “I’m hitting it really nicely right now, but I’ve got to get the ball in the hole because that’s the name of the game.”

Jean LaForce of Club de Golf Le Champetre sits alone in fourth at 1-under-par, with Phil Jonas and Jeff Buder, both of BritishColumbia,are T5.

Rutledge’s past Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada victories came in 2015 at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club; 2013 at Lookout Point Country Club; 2012 at Emerald Hills Golf Club; and 2010 at Rattlesnake Point Golf Club. He’s also a former winner on the Web.com Tour, has six Mackenzie-PGA TOUR Canada titles and is a former PGA Championship of Canada winner.

However, he admitted he’s not about to get ahead of himself this week at Burlington.

“It’s an old cliché, but I’m taking one day at a time and I’ve really enjoyed coming here this week seeing old friends and playing a great golf course.”

Hamilton captured the Super Senior Division Wednesday, with Attila Becsy winning his second-consecutive Diamond Division title.

Burlington Golf & Country Club features undulating topography and an attractive location on Hamilton Bay. Today’s challenging layout at Burlington Golf and Country Club, still essentially that designed by Stanley Thompson, Canada’s leading contemporary golf course architect, opened in 1924.

The PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada was first played in 1938 as a division of the Canadian PGA Championship. In 1973, the championship became an independent event and has remained as such.

Among the Canadian golf legends to win the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada are Stan Leonard, Moe Norman—who won a record seven straight years from 1979-1985—Bob Panasik, Al Balding—who wowed the golf world by winning at age 76 in 2000—and Rutledge.

To follow the Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada online throughout tournament week, visit pgaofcanada.com

Click here to view the leaderboard and final round tee times.

ordan Spieth began his quest for the career Grand Slam by not making a putt longer than 5 feet. What helped was that Quail Hollow punished just about everyone at some point Thursday in the PGA Championship.

Kevin Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark emerged as the top survivors on a course with some of the fastest, scariest putting surfaces the PGA Championship has ever seen. And both had to watch lengthy birdie putts creep into the cup on the 18th hole to share the lead at 4-under 67.

For all the talk about this 7,600-yard course favouring the big hitters, the shortest club in the bag turned out to be just as valuable.

“Any time you have a putt down grain, downhill … we just tap it and hope it stops by the hole,” Jon Rahm said after a 70.

Spieth is among the best putters in golf, especially from long range. On consecutive holes, he ran long putts some 10 feet by the cup and made bogey. He saved his round with two late birdies for a 1-over 72 and still was just five shots behind.

The 24-year-old Texan would become the sixth, and youngest, player to complete the Grand Slam if he were to win the PGA Championship.

U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka led five players at 68. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., was 1-under 70 to tie for 15th after the first round. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was 7-over 78 and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., was 8-over 79.

Koepka missed a half-dozen putts from 12 feet or closer, and while it looked as though he hit the ball well enough to go low at Quail Hollow, he wasn’t the least bit frustrated.

“It’s going to test your patience one way or another,” Koepka said. “That’s just a major. You’ve got to stay patient. You can’t make doubles out here. That’s the big thing. Make sure the worst score you make is a bogey and give yourself a couple of good chances on the easier holes.”

That’s the way Kisner approached it.

It helps that he grew up in the South and loves Bermuda greens. Given the size of Quail Hollow, Kisner drew up a simple plan. He identified four or five holes where he could make birdie, and he played for par everywhere else.

“I birdied them all today,” Kisner said. “Make a lot of pars, and get to a par 5 or one of those short par 4s, I can do my wedge game and get it to 10 or 12 feet. That’s my plan. Other than that, I’m playing for par.”

The 18th was not one of the birdie holes he had in mind, especially with his ball nestled in the Bermuda rough 205 yards from the pin. Kisner thought the grass was thin enough behind the ball to get a 5-iron on it, and from there it was a matter of judging how much it would bounce. It ran up to the green about 20 feet away, and he used that rhythmic putting stroke to trickle it into the cup.

Olesen picked up birdies on most of the same holes, and he finished with a 30-foot birdie that also sounded like an accident.

“It was a little bit of a safe shot into the green,” he said. “That’s what can happen on this golf course. When you play safe into the greens, you give yourself very tricky putts, like the one I had – downhill, left-to-right. It was very, very fast. But it was just a very good roll. So it was nice to see that one drop.”

Rickie Fowler made plenty of birdies, and he needed them to offset his triple bogey on the sixth hole.

Rory McIlroy, the betting favourite coming into the week because of his two victories at Quail Hollow, was motoring along just fine when he birdied the 10th hole to reach 2 under, just two shots behind. One swing changed everything. He hooked his tee shot into the water on the reachable par-4 14th, had to drop in nasty rough and missed a short putt to make double bogey. He failed to birdie the par-5 15th and closed with three pars for a 72.

Hideki Matsuyama, Dustin Johnson and Jason Day were among those at 1-under 70.

Quail Hollow played to an average score of 74.7, making the PGA Championship look like the toughest test of the year in the majors. The PGA Championship typically features good scoring because it’s held in August when water has to be kept on the greens to keep them from dying.

The club switched to Bermuda grass, and with the undulation on the greens, it became a beast to play. The 67s were the highest score to lead the opening round of the PGA Championship since Matt Kuchar shot 67 at Whistling Straits in 2010.

Spieth failed to take advantage, and while he could appreciate they were tough to putt, he had a good day off the tee. That was his main concern.

As for the pressure of trying to get the final leg of the Grand Slam?

“I don’t think I was as free rolling as I thought I would be, as you can tell by some frustration,” he said. “If I would have shot 1 over and didn’t strike it well and everything was average, it would have been fine. But when I had the chances that I had and I just couldn’t get the ball to go in on the greens, that is when I get the most frustrated I can get out there.”

At least he was still in the game.

Phil Mickelson failed to make a single birdie – the second straight major that has happened – and shot a 79, his worst score ever in the PGA Championship. Ernie Els, who might be playing his final PGA, matched his worst score in the championship with an 80. He also shot 80 when he was 22 playing his first one at Bellerive in 1992.

Click here to view the full leaderboard.

Quebec had another strong day in round three of the Canada Games holding their lead in three of the four competitions and British Columbia made a move with Richmond’s Alisha Lau surging into the lead in the girls’ division after 2-under-par 70.

Lau who held a share of the lead to start the day – had five birdies in round two en route to carding her lowest round of the tournament and taking sole possession of first at 3 under par.

“I had a birdie to start and a few opportunities early to go really low,” said Lau. “But I made a few bogeys coming in. I just tried to stay patient the whole round and I knew that closing on a par-5 would be a good opportunity so it was nice to get that one coming in.”

Lau’s teammate Hannah Lee (Surrey, B.C.) fired 1-under-par 71 in round three and B.C. reduced Quebec’s lead to three in the team competition.

As the two-time defending champions, Lau wants to keep the gold medal on the west coast.

“I have a lot of friends who have played on the last two teams so I want to keep doing what they did,” added Lau. “We’re all here to try and do our best and get the gold. We’re going to go out and stay calm and go from there.”

Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que., product Céleste Dao who shared the lead with Lau after round two, posted a 1-under-par 71 in round three and is a stroke back heading into the final round at 2 under par.

“My putting was good today, I didn’t finish that well, but in general it was good,” said Dao. “I need to shoot a low score tomorrow to finish it.”

Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont.) is third at even par after carding the lowest score the day in round three, a 3-under-par 69.

In the boys’ division, Christopher Vandette from Beaconsfield, Que., continues to lead at 6 under par despite a 2-over-par 74 in round three.

Vandette, who will look to go wire-to-wire tomorrow, stumbled for the first time in the Games during round three.

After recording just two bogeys through the first two rounds, the 16-year-old had six in round three. He had an eagle and two birdies to combat his miscues giving him a three-stroke lead over 2017 Canadian Junior Boys Champion Calvin Ross (Fredericton, N.B.) heading into the final round.

“I played well enough the first two days that I could have a day like this today,” said Vandette greenside after his round. “I’m still a bit disappointed about it but hopefully I can shoot another round in the 60’s tomorrow and close it out.”

Ross – who set the amateur course record at Kingston’s Cataraqui Golf and Country Club during his win at the Canadian Junior Boys championship –  poured in five birdies Thursday to card a 2-under-par 70, moving him to 3 under par for the tournament.

A double-bogey on No. 15 after hitting it in the fescue off the tee prevented him from really challenging Vandette.

“I didn’t get up and down for bogey, and took the double,” said Ross. “Hopefully I can go out there tomorrow and see where I end up.

Quebec City’s Louis-Alexandre Jobin-Colgan had the low round of the day, a 5-under-par 67 moving him into a tie for third with Mill Bay, B.C.’s Tristan Mandur and Ryan McMillan of Winnipeg, Man.

Despite Vandette carding his worst round of the tournament, Quebec continues to lead by a wide margin in the team competition thanks to Jobin-Colgan’s stellar round. They hold an eight-shot lead at 11 under par over B.C. who is 3 under par.

“It’s pretty cool that our teammates have our back,” said a smiling Vandette. “(Louis-Alexandre) is a really good player, hopefully he can play well again tomorrow, I’m really excited for the team.”

New Brunswick is in third at 4 over par.

Click here to view the full Canada Games leaderboard.

Zach Bauchou shot a final round 2-under-par 68 to win the 113th playing of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at The Toronto Golf Club on Thursday.

The 21-year-old from Forest, Va., limited himself to one bogey on the day and made three birdies on the back nine to win the tournament by a single stroke—a victory he has been inching towards all season.

“I’m really honoured and pleased,” Bauchou said, standing next to the 18th green moments before he was awarded the Earl Grey Cup. “I’ve had a really good summer so this caps off the summer and the good playing I’ve had. I finished third twice and I’ve been in the last group both times on those so today, to [start] in the last group and not make many mistakes, was awesome and that was really cool.”

Bauchou played the 18th green conservatively knowing he had a one-shot lead. After putting his approach shot in the middle of the green and putting it to within two feet, he huddled with his caddie and said five words to him.

“Oh, we’re going to California.”

In addition to becoming the 22nd American to claim the title of 2017 Canadian Men’s Amateur champion, Bauchou earned an exemption into the 2017 U.S. Amateur at the Riveria Country Club in Palisades, Calif., from Aug. 14-20.

In addition to participating in the U.S. Amateur Championship, Bauchou earned an exemption to the 2018 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont, and will also be exempt from 2018 U.S. Open Local Qualifying.

Shintaro Ban of San Jose, Calif., shot one of the two low scores of the day with a 66 to move up the leaderboard and into second place at 7 under par. The 21-year-old made the turn at even par before going on a tear and making birdies on hole Nos. 10, 11, 13 and 16.

For much of the afternoon, Ban and Bauchou took turns atop the leaderboard. On the 18th green, Ban had 40 feet left for a birdie that would bring him into a tie for the lead while Bauchou still had two holes to play. Ban’s ball looked promising as it headed toward the hole, ultimately stopping inches from the cup.

“I was just trying to make sure I got the ball there,” said Ban. “I thought I had the right read but it broke a little more than expected. I mean, it was a 40-footer, I can’t ask for much. It was creeping but it just wasn’t enough.”

Napanee, Ontario native Josh Whalen was the low-Canadian of the tournament shooting a 1-under-par 69 during the final round to earn bronze medallist honours.

“I can speak for all the Canadian guys like Matt Williams and Hugo Bernard, in saying that as Canadians we really want to be the ones to take it home,” said Whalen. “Low Canadian isn’t something I thought of at the start but it’s definitely something I’m proud of and speaks to the way I played today.”

After he made a birdie on the 10th hole, Whalen was leading the tournament at 6 under par, but a bogey on No. 15 stretched Bauchou’s lead to three, which proved too much to surmount.

Fifty-four-hole leader Camilo Aguado from Colombia had a rough day after a triple-bogey on the ninth hole derailed his tournament, moving the Colombian down the standings to a T4 finish.

Team Canada National Amateur Squad member and 2016 Hugo Bernard (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.) started in the final group but shot a 2-over-par 72 to finish tied for fourth.

Earlier in the week Bernard joined with Marc-Olivier Plasse (Mercier, Que.) and Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.) to help Team Quebec win the province’s seventh Willingdon Cup inter-provincial team championship.

The Toronto Golf Club played host to the 113th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship alongside Islington Golf Club, who co-hosted the 264-player field during the first 36 holes.

The 2018 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will be held Aug. 6-9 at Duncan Meadows Golf Resort and Pheasant Glen Golf Resort, in Vancouver Island, B.C.

Click here for full results.

Pos	Player	Today	Thru	Total	R1	R2	R3	R4	Total
1	Zach Bauchou [TO]  Forest, VA	-2	F	-8	66	70	68	68	272
2	Shintaro Ban [TO]  San Jose, CA	-4	F	-7	67	67	73	66	273
3	Josh Whalen [TO]  Napanee, ON	-1	F	-5	67	69	70	69	275
T4	Camilo Aguado [TO]  Colombia	+3	F	-4	66	67	70	73	276
T4	Hugo Bernard [TO]  Mont-Saint-Hilaire, QC	+2	F	-4	66	67	71	72	276
T6	Lee Detmer [TO]  Washington, DC	-3	F	-3	70	72	68	67	277
T6	Maxwell Sear [TO]  Unionville, ON	-1	F	-3	72	66	70	69	277
T8	Chase Johnson [TO]  Barberton, OH	-2	F	-2	72	68	70	68	278
T8	Josh Armstrong [TO]  Australia	E	F	-2	69	69	70	70	278
T8	Matt Williams [TO]  Calgary, AB	+2	F	-2	69	69	68	72	278
T11	Garrett Rank [TO]  Elmira, ON	-3	F	-1	68	72	72	67	279
T11	A.J. Ewart [TO]  Coquitlam, BC	+1	F	-1	64	72	72	71	279
T13	Ryan Davis [TO]  Berkley Heights, NJ	-2	F	E	72	69	71	68	280
T13	Sam Meek [TO]  Peterborough, ON	-1	F	E	70	65	76	69	280
T13	Jimmy Jones [TO]  Lake Cowichan, BC	-1	F	E	68	75	68	69	280
T16	Étienne Papineau [TO]  St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC	+1	F	+1	68	72	70	71	281
T16	Joey Savoie [TO]  La Prairie, QC	+2	F	+1	66	72	71	72	281
T16	C. Tanner Napier [TO]  Paris, TX	+5	F	+1	69	65	72	75	281
T19	Patrick Cover [TO]  Huntersville, NC	+1	F	+2	71	64	76	71	282
T19	Timmy Hildebrand [TO]  Carmel, IN	+1	F	+2	66	70	75	71	282
T19	Nicholas Ross [TO]  Dundas, ON	+3	F	+2	69	69	71	73	282
T22	Marc Casullo [TO]  Aurora, ON	-2	F *	+3	71	72	72	68	283
T22	Henry Lee [TO]  Coquitlam, BC	-1	F	+3	71	71	72	69	283
T22	Sean Stuart [TO]  Halifax, NS	+2	F	+3	71	73	67	72	283
T22	Emmett Oh [TO]  Calgary, AB	+4	F	+3	74	68	67	74	283
T22	Stratton Nolen [TO]  Austin, TX	+9	F	+3	69	64	71	79	283
T27	Jake Scarrow [TO]  Dewdney, BC	E	F	+4	70	73	71	70	284
T27	Eric Flockhart [TO]  Mississauga, ON	E	F	+4	65	74	75	70	284
T27	Thomas Critch [TO]  Cedar Park, TX	E	F *	+4	72	72	70	70	284
T27	Zaahidali Nathu [TO]  Richmond, BC	+1	F	+4	72	69	72	71	284
T27	Peyton Callens [TO]  Langton, ON	+2	F	+4	68	73	71	72	284
T27	Chandler Phillips [TO]  Huntsville, TX	+3	F	+4	68	73	70	73	284
T27	Josiah Dixon [TO]  Bognor, ON	+4	F	+4	71	69	70	74	284
34	Johnny Travale [TO]  Stoney Creek, ON	-1	F *	+5	71	72	73	69	285
T35	Blake Windred [TO]  Australia	+1	F *	+6	73	70	72	71	286
T35	Henry Westmoreland IV [TO]  Wacissa, FL	+4	F	+6	72	71	69	74	286
T37	Lawren Rowe [TO]  Victoria, BC	+3	F	+7	71	73	70	73	287
T37	Blake Wagoner [TO]  Cornelius, NC	+3	F	+7	73	69	72	73	287
T37	Jeevan Sihota [TO]  Victoria, BC	+2	F *	+7	74	70	71	72	287
T37	Austin James [TO]  Bath, ON	+4	F	+7	68	73	72	74	287
T37	Spencer Soosman [TO]  Westlake Village, CA	+1	F *	+7	69	73	74	71	287
T42	Brendan MacDougall [TO]  Calgary, AB	+3	F *	+8	72	69	74	73	288
T42	Kevin Fawcett [TO]  Toronto, ON	+3	F *	+8	69	74	72	73	288
T42	Stoney Crouch [TO]  Mount Juliet, TN	+5	F	+8	72	67	74	75	288
T42	Josh Gliege [TO]  Eagle, ID	+3	F *	+8	67	71	77	73	288
T42	Philip Knowles [TO]  Jacksonville, FL	+2	F *	+8	69	72	75	72	288
T42	Jino Sohn [TO]  Chandler, AZ	+7	F	+8	69	68	74	77	288
T42	Myles Creighton [TO]  Digby, NS	+1	F *	+8	70	73	74	71	288
T42	Andre Garcia [TO]  Mansfield, TX	E	F *	+8	69	75	74	70	288
T42	Harris Bundy [TO]  Toronto, ON	-3	F *	+8	72	69	80	67	288
T42	Kaleb Gorbahn [TO]  Smithers, BC	-4	F *	+8	74	69	79	66	288
52	Lin Yuxin [TO]  China	+6	F	+9	66	74	73	76	289
T53	Charles Huntzinger [TO]  Duluth, GA	+5	F *	+10	73	70	72	75	290
T53	Charles-Eric Belanger [TO]  Quebec, QC	+5	F *	+10	72	71	72	75	290
T53	Max Sekulic [TO]  Rycroft, AB	+4	F *	+10	72	72	72	74	290
T53	Bruce Tomie [TO]  Bedford, NS	+4	F *	+10	71	73	72	74	290
T53	Sameer Kalia [TO]  Campbellville, ON	+3	F *	+10	71	73	73	73	290
T53	Graysen Huff [TO]  Eagle, ID	+2	F *	+10	68	73	77	72	290
T53	Chase Komaromi [TO]  London, ON	E	F *	+10	76	68	76	70	290
60	Joshua Seiple [TO]  Castle Rock, CO	+4	F *	+11	70	70	77	74	291
T61	Spencer Painton [TO]  Aurora, CO	+3	F *	+12	70	74	75	73	292
T61	Aidan Gavey [TO]  Caledonia, ON	+2	F *	+12	74	70	76	72	292
T61	Bryce Evon [TO]  Windsor, ON	+2	F *	+12	73	71	76	72	292
T64	Jake Koppenberg [TO]  Bellingham, WA	+10	F	+14	70	71	73	80	294
T64	Marc-Olivier Plasse [TO]  Mercier, QC	+7	F *	+14	69	73	75	77	294
T66	Taylor Durham [TO]  Vancouver, BC	+7	F *	+15	70	72	76	77	295
T66	Mark Coldham [TO]  Ottawa, ON	+7	F *	+15	72	71	75	77	295
T66	Joshua Montgomery [TO]  Ancaster, ON	+2	F *	+15	69	74	80	72	295
T69	Daniel Gale [TO]  Australia	+10	F *	+16	72	68	76	80	296
T69	Jack Wood [TO]  Banff, AB	+4	F *	+16	75	69	78	74	296
T69	Luke Moser [TO]  Waterloo, ON	+3	F *	+16	71	73	79	73	296
72	Thomas Code [TO]  Dorchester, ON	+7	F *	+18	76	68	77	77	298
73	Chad Watts Denyes [TO]  Hamilton, ON	+9	F *	+20	73	71	77	79	300
T74	Andrew Chin [TO]  Honolulu, HI	+9	F *	+22	72	71	80	79	302
T74	Benjamin Farrington [TO]  Fort McMurray, AB	+7	F *	+22	74	66	85	77	302

Quebec continues to lead the way after round two of the Canada Games with Beaconsfield’s Christopher Vandette and Céleste Dao from Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot leading the way.

Teeing off in the first group of the day following a four-hour weather delay, Vandette came out firing with an eagle and a birdie in his first four holes to card a 3-under-par 69.

“You can’t spend too much energy during delays,” said Vandette, the 36-hole leader. “I was trying to keep my energy up, and I ended up being able to go out and start well.”

The 16-year-old was steady the rest of day pouring in two more birdies and making just one bogey. His scrambling was what kept his momentum going.

“I missed it in the right spots,” added Vandette. “Then I was able to get up and down from there.”

Ryan McMillan from Winnipeg is in sole possession of second, five shots back of Vandette at 3 under par after carding an even-par 72 in round two.

Victoria, B.C., native Keaton Gudz and Canadian Junior Boys champion Calvin Ross from Fredericton, N.B., are tied for third at 1 under par.

Quebec is leading the boys team competition at 8-under-par 280. B.C. is second at 1 under par and Alberta is third at even par.

“We’ve never won gold before so it’s a pretty cool feeling,” said Vandette. “I’m pretty pumped about it so hopefully we can keep it going the next two days.”

On the girls side, 2017 Quebec Junior Girls champion Dao  had two birdies in round two and the only blemish on her card was a bogey on No. 15.

“I tried to keep it simple with my shots. Pars were good for me,” said Dao. “I was bogey-free on the first nine so I was happy with that, and I was really confident in my putting today.”

Co-leader Alisha Lau (Richmond, B.C.) struggled on the front nine in windy and wet conditions, going out in a 1-over-par 37. But she chipped in for birdie on No. 10 and got the ball rolling from there.

“I was in a bit of a groove after that and feeling it,” said Lau. “I got into a good rhythm and I was confident on the back nine. I hit some good shots that gave me good opportunities I was able to convert.”

The 2017 B.C. Junior Girls champion closed with a 2-under-par 34 on her second nine recording four birdies along the way to card a 1-under-par 71 in round two.

Ellie Szeryk from London, Ont., is in the bronze medal position at 3 over par.

In addition to Dao’s 71, Rosemere, Que., native Brigitte Thibault carded a 2-over-par 74 in round two giving Quebec a commanding eight shot lead in the girls’ team competition.

“I’m very happy to have an under-par score for my teammates,” said Dao. “Yesterday Sarah-Eve (Rheaume) had a 4 under par round and I was so happy for the team. I hope we can keep it up.”

B.C. is second with a two-day total of 5-over-par 293 and Ontario is third at 299 (+11).

Quebec is looking to become the first province other than B.C. to win gold in the boys or girls team competition.

Click here to view the full leaderboard.

To no one’s surprise, Jim Rutledge leads the Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada.

The soon-to-be 58-year-old from Victoria posted an opening-round 5-under-par 65 at Burlington Golf & Country Club and leads by a shot over fellow PGA of Canada legend Gar Hamilton.

“I had a few chances over the first five or six holes to make a birdie, but I stayed patient and made a good on one No. 8 and that got me rolling for a good back nine,” Rutledge said.

Rutledge eyes his fifth Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada this week at Burlington. His past victories came in 2015 at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club; 2013 at Lookout Point Country Club; 2012 at Emerald Hills Golf Club; and 2010 at Rattlesnake Point Golf Club. He’s also a former winner on the Web.com Tour, has six Mackenzie-PGA TOUR Canada titles and is a former PGA Championship of Canada winner.

However, Rutledge’s run for his fifth PGA Seniors’ title won’t be an easy trot with Hamilton nipping at his heels. Hamilton, who will turn 68-years-old later this month, is a four-time PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada and a PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada winner.

Hamilton attributed his fine first-round play to rolling it well on Burlington’s impressive greens.

“The greens roll very true, but you have to watch these slopes because they’re some pretty speedy situations out there.”

Burlington Golf & Country Club features undulating topography and an attractive location on Hamilton Bay. Today’s challenging layout at Burlington Golf and Country Club, still essentially that designed by Stanley Thompson, Canada’s leading contemporary golf course architect, opened in 1924.

Hamilton leads the Super Senior division as well, holding a five shot lead over Jerry Anderson of Credit Valley Golf & Country Club.

Richmond Golf & Country Club’s Doug Morgan, a winner earlier this summer of the PGA of Canada – BC Zone Seniors’ Championship, sits alone in third at 3-under-par. He’ll be paired alongside Rutledge and Hamilton on Thursday for the second round.

“The rough is a little gnarly out here, so you’ve got to keep it play by controlling your ball off the tee,” Morgan said. “For me being a first-timer it’s really neat to play alongside and socialize with all these legends like Gar Hamilton.”

Club de Golf Le Champetre’s Jean Laforce and Mike Burrows of Austria are T4 at 1-under-par. Last year’s champion Claude Grenier; two-time PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada winner Phil Jonas and PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada winner Ian Doig are all at even-par, T6. Jeff Buder, Cory Draper, Keir Smith and Jerry Anderson round out the top 10.

Past PGA of Canada president Ian Clarke leads the Diamond Division.

The PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada was first played in 1938 as a division of the Canadian PGA Championship. In 1973, the championship became an independent event and has remained as such.

Among the Canadian golf legends to win the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada are Stan Leonard, Moe Norman—who won a record seven straight years from 1979-1985—Bob Panasik, Al Balding—who wowed the golf world by winning at age 76 in 2000—and Rutledge.

To follow the Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada online throughout tournament week, visit pgaofcanada.com,

Click here to view the full leaderboard and second round tee times.

Camilo Aguado pulled out to a one-stroke lead after he shot an even-par 70 during the third round of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at The Toronto Golf Club on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old Colombian carded three straight birdies on holes six, seven and eight to lead by as much as three strokes, but a triple-bogey on No. 16 limited his lead to one heading to the final round of the championship.

“I’m happy, leading by one heading to the last round,” he said, after making par on the 18th hole. “But I made a stupid mistake on 16, I shouldn’t have used my driver. I still feel good because I made three straight birdies on the front nine. I missed a couple chances on the back, but I also made some good saves, so it all worked out.”

Aguado headed to the first tee coming off two bogey-free rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday – the only two of his competitive career – and promptly hooked his opening tee shot left of the fairway, eventually making his first bogey of the tournament.

“I hit a really bad tee shot because I was a little bit nervous,” he said. “Then I hit a bad chip and missed my putt and that’s that. It had to happen at some point but I made a birdie on the next hole so it was alright.”

Bernard, the defending champion and member of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, shot a 1-over-par 71 to secure his spot in the final grouping, one-stroke back of Aguado.

Thursday will mark a familiar position for the 22-year-old from Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que. In 2016, Bernard entered the final day of the same championship three strokes back of Blair Bursey (Gander, N.L.) and ended up shooting a 5-under-par 65 to win the event by two-strokes.

“I like to be the chaser, so I love where I am,” Bernard said. “I just need to play my game – if I can stick to that I know I will have a chance to win tomorrow.”

Despite sitting near the top of the leaderboard, Bernard hasn’t felt like he has been playing his best golf and has been relying heavily on one facet of his game.

“It was a grind just like yesterday – a rough day from every part of my game except from my short game,” he said. “The short game saved me today and I’m happy with the score.”

His wedge work didn’t go unnoticed by his playing partners.

“Hugo really showed how to score well without hitting it well,” said Aguado. “If I shot like that I’d be submitting a 76 or something like that. He was just hitting amazing chips all day long.”

Tied with Bernard at 6 under par are Americans Zach Bauchou and Stratton Nolen.
Bauchou, from Forest, Va., shot the lowest of the top four after he carded a 2-under-par 68 and moved himself to the final grouping. The 21-year-old made the turn at 1 over par but went bogey free down the stretch with three birdies.

Nolen, who was coming off a second-round start that saw him register six birdies in his first six holes, shot a 71 on Wednesday. The Austin, Texas, native opened his round with a birdie but made the turn at 1 over after bogeys on holes seven and eight.

He will tee off the final round with Matt Williams (Calgary, Alta.), and Josh Whalen (Napanee, Ont.) in
the second-last group.

In addition to claiming the title of 2017 Canadian Men’s Amateur champion, the winner will earn exemptions into the 2017 U.S. Amateur at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., and the 2018 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. The champion will also be exempt from U.S. Open Local Qualifying and, if applicable, eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur.

For full results click here.

Pos	Player	Today	Thru	Total	R1	R2	R3	R4
1	Camilo Aguado [TO]  Colombia	E	F	-7	66	67	70
T2	Zach Bauchou [TO]  Forest, VA	-2	F	-6	66	70	68
T2	Hugo Bernard [TO]  Mont-Saint-Hilaire, QC	+1	F	-6	66	67	71
T2	Stratton Nolen [TO]  Austin, TX	+1	F	-6	69	64	71
T5	Matt Williams [TO]  Calgary, AB	-2	F	-4	69	69	68
T5	Josh Whalen [TO]  Napanee, ON	E	F	-4	67	69	70
T5	C. Tanner Napier [TO]  Paris, TX	+2	F	-4	69	65	72
8	Shintaro Ban [TO]  San Jose, CA	+3	F	-3	67	67	73
T9	Josh Armstrong [TO]  Australia	E	F	-2	69	69	70
T9	Maxwell Sear [TO]  Unionville, ON	E	F	-2	72	66	70
T9	A.J. Ewart [TO]  Coquitlam, BC	+2	F	-2	64	72	72
T12	Emmett Oh [TO]  Calgary, AB	-3	F *	-1	74	68	67
T12	Joey Savoie [TO]  La Prairie, QC	+1	F	-1	66	72	71
T12	Nicholas Ross [TO]  Dundas, ON	+1	F	-1	69	69	71
T15	Lee Detmer [TO]  Washington, DC	-2	F *	E	70	72	68
T15	Chase Johnson [TO]  Barberton, OH	E	F	E	72	68	70
T15	Josiah Dixon [TO]  Bognor, ON	E	F	E	71	69	70
T15	Étienne Papineau [TO]  St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC	E	F	E	68	72	70
T19	Chandler Phillips [TO]  Huntsville, TX	E	F	+1	68	73	70
T19	Jimmy Jones [TO]  Lake Cowichan, BC	-2	F *	+1	68	75	68
T19	Sean Stuart [TO]  Halifax, NS	-3	F *	+1	71	73	67
T19	Timmy Hildebrand [TO]  Carmel, IN	+5	F	+1	66	70	75
T19	Jino Sohn [TO]  Chandler, AZ	+4	F	+1	69	68	74
T19	Sam Meek [TO]  Peterborough, ON	+6	F	+1	70	65	76
T19	Patrick Cover [TO]  Huntersville, NC	+6	F	+1	71	64	76
T26	Ryan Davis [TO]  Berkley Heights, NJ	+1	F	+2	72	69	71
T26	Henry Westmoreland IV [TO]  Wacissa, FL	-1	F *	+2	72	71	69
T26	Peyton Callens [TO]  Langton, ON	+1	F	+2	68	73	71
T26	Garrett Rank [TO]  Elmira, ON	+2	F	+2	68	72	72
T30	Austin James [TO]  Bath, ON	+2	F	+3	68	73	72
T30	Zaahidali Nathu [TO]  Richmond, BC	+2	F	+3	72	69	72
T30	Lin Yuxin [TO]  China	+3	F	+3	66	74	73
T30	Stoney Crouch [TO]  Mount Juliet, TN	+4	F	+3	72	67	74
T34	Jake Koppenberg [TO]  Bellingham, WA	+3	F	+4	70	71	73
T34	Blake Wagoner [TO]  Cornelius, NC	+2	F *	+4	73	69	72
T34	Henry Lee [TO]  Coquitlam, BC	+2	F *	+4	71	71	72
T34	Jake Scarrow [TO]  Dewdney, BC	+1	F *	+4	70	73	71
T34	Eric Flockhart [TO]  Mississauga, ON	+5	F	+4	65	74	75
T34	Lawren Rowe [TO]  Victoria, BC	E	F *	+4	71	73	70
T34	Thomas Critch [TO]  Cedar Park, TX	E	F *	+4	72	72	70
T41	Brendan MacDougall [TO]  Calgary, AB	+4	F	+5	72	69	74
T41	Marc Casullo [TO]  Aurora, ON	+2	F *	+5	71	72	72
T41	Kevin Fawcett [TO]  Toronto, ON	+2	F *	+5	69	74	72
T41	Charles Huntzinger [TO]  Duluth, GA	+2	F *	+5	73	70	72
T41	Blake Windred [TO]  Australia	+2	F *	+5	73	70	72
T41	Charles-Eric Belanger [TO]  Quebec, QC	+2	F *	+5	72	71	72
T41	Josh Gliege [TO]  Eagle, ID	+7	F	+5	67	71	77
T41	Jeevan Sihota [TO]  Victoria, BC	+1	F *	+5	74	70	71
T49	Spencer Soosman [TO]  Westlake Village, CA	+4	F *	+6	69	73	74
T49	Philip Knowles [TO]  Jacksonville, FL	+5	F	+6	69	72	75
T49	Johnny Travale [TO]  Stoney Creek, ON	+3	F *	+6	71	72	73
T49	Daniel Gale [TO]  Australia	+6	F	+6	72	68	76
T49	Max Sekulic [TO]  Rycroft, AB	+2	F *	+6	72	72	72
T49	Bruce Tomie [TO]  Bedford, NS	+2	F *	+6	71	73	72
T55	Marc-Olivier Plasse [TO]  Mercier, QC	+5	F	+7	69	73	75
T55	Myles Creighton [TO]  Digby, NS	+4	F *	+7	70	73	74
T55	Joshua Seiple [TO]  Castle Rock, CO	+7	F	+7	70	70	77
T55	Sameer Kalia [TO]  Campbellville, ON	+3	F *	+7	71	73	73
T59	Graysen Huff [TO]  Eagle, ID	+7	F	+8	68	73	77
T59	Taylor Durham [TO]  Vancouver, BC	+6	F *	+8	70	72	76
T59	Mark Coldham [TO]  Ottawa, ON	+5	F *	+8	72	71	75
T59	Andre Garcia [TO]  Mansfield, TX	+4	F *	+8	69	75	74
63	Spencer Painton [TO]  Aurora, CO	+5	F *	+9	70	74	75
T64	Michael Crisologo [TO]  Richmond, BC	+8	F *	+10	72	70	78
T64	Aidan Gavey [TO]  Caledonia, ON	+6	F *	+10	74	70	76
T64	Chase Komaromi [TO]  London, ON	+6	F *	+10	76	68	76
T64	Bryce Evon [TO]  Windsor, ON	+6	F *	+10	73	71	76
T68	Harris Bundy [TO]  Toronto, ON	+10	F	+11	72	69	80
T68	Thomas Code [TO]  Dorchester, ON	+7	F *	+11	76	68	77
T68	Chad Watts Denyes [TO]  Hamilton, ON	+7	F *	+11	73	71	77
T71	Kaleb Gorbahn [TO]  Smithers, BC	+9	F *	+12	74	69	79
T71	Jack Wood [TO]  Banff, AB	+8	F *	+12	75	69	78
T73	Andrew Chin [TO]  Honolulu, HI	+10	F *	+13	72	71	80
T73	Joshua Montgomery [TO]  Ancaster, ON	+10	F *	+13	69	74	80
T73	Luke Moser [TO]  Waterloo, ON	+9	F *	+13	71	73	79
76	Benjamin Farrington [TO]  Fort McMurray, AB	+15	F	+15	74	66	85

Hugo Bernard, Camilo Aguado and Stratton Nolen sit tied at 7 under par after the second round of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship taking place at The Toronto Golf Club and Islington Golf Club on Tuesday.

Bernard, the defending champion and member of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, shot a 3-under-par 67 one day after carding a 66 to co-lead the championship by one stroke. The 22-year-old recorded four birdies and a single bogey during a round that never felt quite right for the Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., native.

“It was a grind from No. 1 to No. 18,” he said, after his round at The Toronto Golf Club. “It wasn’t my best ball-striking, but my short game was there and my putting was there too which helped put together a good round.”

Through two rounds, Aguado has matched Bernard’s opening round scores. On Monday, the 23-year-old from Colombia, shot his first bogey-free round in competitive play and then followed it up with another bogey-free round on Tuesday.

“I made some changes with my coach over the last two weeks,” he said, at the 18th green of Islington Golf Club. “My swing has since felt easier and my misses more predictable. There’s just something that I like about these two Toronto courses.”

Vaulting up the leaderboard was Austin, Texas native Nolen. The 22-year-old carded a 6-under-par 64 to tie the competitive course record at Islington Golf Course – the second to do so in as many days alongside 18-hole leader A.J. Ewart.

Nolen got off to as hot a start as you can get after he carded a birdie on each of his first six holes.

“Well, I blacked out and I woke up on seven, and I guess I was six under,” he joked. “No, but really. I was just feeling good going in – I’ve been swinging good all year – and the putts were really going in early. That’s key out here. I had six one putts in the first six holes, and that’s all you can ask for.”

Eventually, as he expected, his hot streak stopped rather abruptly.

“I knew it was going to end when I hit the tree on seven.”

Nolen carded the only bogey of his round on No. 7 and made one more birdie to end his round tied at the top of the leaderboard.

Team Quebec captured the Willingdon Cup after they won the inter-provincial competition by 11 strokes. The team consisting of Bernard, Marc-Olivier Plasse (Mercier, Que.) and Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.) shot a combined 7 under par to capture their first team championship in 20 years (1997) and seventh victory all-time

Bravo à l’Équipe du Québec qui a gagné la Coupe Willingdon!! pic.twitter.com/zD5wSoF05d

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) August 8, 2017

Team Manitoba finished in second at 4 over par and Team Ontario stayed even par on Tuesday to slide into third place at 7 over par.

A total of 76 players who finished 4 over par or better have advanced to the final two rounds of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship to be contested at The Toronto Golf Club.

In addition to claiming the title of 2017 Canadian Men’s Amateur champion, the winner will earn exemptions into the 2017 U.S. Amateur at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., and the 2018 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. The champion will also be eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur, if applicable.

For full results click here.

Quebec golfers are leading the way at Southwood Golf and Country Club in Winnipeg after round one of the Canada Summer Games. Christopher Vandette from Beaconsfield, Que., fired an opening round 5-under-par 67 to lead the boys’ division and Quebec City’s Sarah-Eve Rheame carded a 4-under-par 68 to sit atop the girls’ division.

Vandette – the third-place finisher at last week’s Canadian Junior Boys Championship – had a clean card in round one recording five birdies and no bogeys to sit two shots ahead of Winnipeg’s Ryan McMillan who posted an opening-round, 3-under-par 69.

“I hit it off the tee really well and hit a lot of greens, I was putting it close,” said Vandette. “Inside 10 feet I made a lot of putts.”

The 16-year-old’s only mistake was hitting it in the water on the par-5 13th hole.

“It was a reachable par-5, so I was able to recover and make par,” added Vandette. “Other than that, all day long I played well and kept it in the fairway.”

McMillan, who lives just 20 minutes away from Southwood and has played the course a dozen times, used that to his advantage when preparing for the Games.

“Normally when we’re out here playing it’s just hit it find it,” said McMillan. “But, the last couple times I was really thinking about what clubs I should be hitting off the tee and where I should be missing.”

The 2017 Manitoba Junior Boys Champion took advantage of his local knowledge pouring in four birdies in his opening round with the only blemish on his card coming with a bogey on the first hole.

Taylor Beckstead (Alliston, Ont.) is tied for third with Keaton Gudz (Victoria, B.C.) at 2 under par.

Vandette’s first round 67 has Quebec leading the team competition by three strokes.

On the girls’ side, Rheaume has a four-shot lead after her opening-round 68. She made only two bogeys in round one and her strong start to the Games was powered by three straight birdies on holes 13-15.

“I was hitting good iron and approach shots into the green all day,” said Rheaume. “I hit it close to the pin on 13, made a 15-foot putt on 14 and had a tap-in on 15.”

She’s playing Southwood for the first time this week and enjoyed her first competitive round at the Thomas McBroom track.

“It’s pretty flat around here, not much elevation,” said Rheaume. “It’s fun to play I liked it. I just need to keep hitting fairways and greens and making putts.”

B.C. teammates Alisha Lau from Richmond and Hannah Lee from Surrey are tied for second at even par along with Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que.) and Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont).

On the strength of Dao and Rheaume’s strong starts, Quebec is leading the girls’ team competition with a 4-under-par 140 in round one, putting them four shots ahead of British Columbia who is even par (144). Ontario is in the bronze medal position at 146 (+2).

“It’s nice to help the girls for this first round,” added Rheaume. “Hopefully it goes well for us the rest of the week.”

Led by Vandette’s low round of the day Quebec also leads in the boy division at 6-under-par (138), three shots ahead of British Columbia who posted a 3-under par 141 in round one.

Manitoba is in third at 1 under par.

British Columbia is the two-time defending champion in the male and female individual and team events – the only province or territory to win a gold medal at the Canada Summer Games since golf became part of the Games in 2009.

Click here to view the full leaderboard.