CHURCH POINT, N.S. – Defending champion Calvin Ross shot a 3-under-par 68 and Meghan McLean carded a 3-over-par 74 to lead their respective divisions at the Future Links, driven by Acura Atlantic Championship at Clare Golf and Country Club on Tuesday.

Ross registered four birdies and a single bogey during his opening round. The 18-year-old from Fredericton, N.B., made his first birdie just before he made the turn and started to find his game down the stretch.

“I started getting it going on number nine,” he said, after his opening round. “I took a bogey on 12 but after that my putter was red hot and rolled in a few good putts. It saved me more than a few times and really helped me out near the end.”

Sitting one stroke behind Ross is Sydney Forks, Nova Scotia’s Aubrey Farrell who registered the only other round under par. The 18-year-old attacked the course right off the bat with back-to-back birdies to start the tournament. After a pair of bogeys left him at even par before heading to the back nine, he tightened up his game and made birdies on holes 14 and 16 to hold his spot in second.

Back in third place locked up in a three-way tie are: Jordan Guenette (Minesing, Ont.), Andrew Bruce (Corner Brooke, N.L.) and Jack Anderson (Hallifax, N.S.) who all shot even-par 71’s.

In the girls division, McLean carved herself out a two-shot lead after carding six bogeys and three birdies. The Port Williams, N.S., native was the only player to record more than one birdie in the girls division.

“The course was in really good shape so it definitely made it a lot of fun to play,” she said. “When you were on the fairway you knew you were going to have a good lie, but when you were in the rough anything could have happened. I was having trouble putting at first, it took my awhile to get used to the greens, but I settled down on the back nine and was happy with all the birdie putts I made.”

In second place, two strokes behind McLean, is Kiley Rodrigues from Kingston, Ont.. The 17-year-old got off to a solid start with six straight pars, but stumbled with three consecutive bogeys after that. She later added two more bogeys on the back nine and sits at 5 over for the tournament.

Raesa Sheikh, from Markham, Ont., and Laura Jones from Moncton, N.B., are both tied in third at 6 over par after they each shot a 77 for their opening round.

The top six finishers in the Boys Division will earn exemptions into the 2017 Canadian Junior Boys Championship on July 31-Aug. 3 at Cataraqui Golf and Country Club in Kingston, Ont. The top six in the Girls Division will earn exemptions into the 2017 Canadian Junior Girls Championship on Aug. 1-4 at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumberland, Ont.

Full results can be found here.

The RBC Canadian Open is more than just 72 holes of world-class golf – it is one of Canada’s most historic sporting events with activities for golf and sport enthusiasts both inside and outside the ropes.

Fun and interactive partner programs enhance the fan experience and add to the prestige of Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship.

RBC will be enhancing the spectator experience for all with their Someday Seats, which will be located at 10 locations along the rope lines. Front-row Muskoka chair seating will put spectators right into the action!

RBC will also be unveiling their Someday Lounge at #TheRink – this amazing greenside atmosphere will be the perfect spot to celebrate golf, hockey and Canadiana, while catching all the action on the most exciting Par-3.

WestJet’s Closest to the Pin Toss returns to offer spectators the chance to win a flight anywhere the airlines travels for two. Fans can purchase mini-balls from WestJet volunteers around the course and then take part in the ball toss on the 18th green at the end of each tournament day. Proceeds support Ronald McDonald Houses across Canada.

ZTE returns with the ZTE Grand X View tent, this year located beside Golf Canada House Powered by Boston Pizza. In this space, ZTE will offer fans a unique vantage point to watch the athletes as they make their way from the 6^th green to #TheRink – an experience unlike any other.

Shaw is back with their 7-day Closest to the Pin Challenge and new this year is the ParticipACTION 150 Play List that will showcase the ultimate list of all the physical activities that make us Canadian.

Another new addition is the Levelwear Valley Shuttle that will offer all spectators a free ride into and out of the valley at the 11^th hole.

BMW is returning with their BMW Pavilion located at the 7^th hole, and this year will feature the BMW Ultimate Long Putt Challenge where fans will have a chance to putt for great prizes including the grand prize of a 1-year lease of a BMW 4 series.

Located just off the 10th fairway, the Golf Canada Golf Zone offers FREE fun activities for the whole family. Pose for a picture with the RBC Canadian Open trophy or the 1904 Olympic Trophy. Enjoy a bag of popcorn while signing-up for a free Golf Canada membership.

Take advantage of phone charging stations and cool down in the air-conditioned environment – all for FREE. While there, experience the storied history of Canadian golf with a tour through the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum.

Check out the ZTE Spectator Village for engaging activities from a number of the event’s supporting partners, including Future Links junior golf activities, charging stations, giveaways, Tweet Caddies, beer gardens, food trucks and more.

Can’t decide which day to attend the RBC Canadian Open. Here are a few highlights of some of the daily activities taking place…

RBC Canadian Open 5K Run – Saturday July 22
Landmark Sport Group in conjunction with Golf Canada will once again be putting on the RBC Canadian Open 5K Golf Run. On Saturday, July 22, 2017 the second annual RBC Canadian Open 5K Running Event will provide participants the opportunity to run or walk along the spectator and cart pathways of Glen Abbey Golf Club. The route begins near the 1st tee of the Championship Course and finishes alongside the iconic and picturesque 18th green. This event is ideal for traditional and non-traditional running audiences. All participants will receive a bib, shirt and finisher’s medal. Registration is $60 and all participants receive a free Anyday ticket to enjoy the championship. www.golfrun.ca

Hall of Fame Induction & Official Opening Ceremony – Tuesday July 25
On Tuesday, July 25 at 10 a.m. our Opening Ceremony will officially kick off the RBC Canadian Open and include the Canadian Hall of Fame induction of Judy Darling Evans and golf club maker Bob Vokey. The ceremony, which will offer free attendance, will conclude with a military flyover and the singing of the national anthem.

Red & White Day – Friday, July 28
The RBC Canadian Open is Canada’s National Championship and to celebrate ‘Our Open’, Friday, July 28 of tournament week will once again be ‘Red & White Day’. Spectators, sponsors, players and attendees are encouraged to wear Canada’s national colours in support of our Canadian golfers in the field.

Canadian Armed Forces Day Presented by Commissionaires  –  Saturday, July 29
Commissionaires will be hosting Canadian Armed Forces Day on Saturday July 29, 2017. All current and former members of Canada’s Armed Forces who register in advance at www.commissionaires-cgl.ca will be entitled to a “military pass” that will provide access to the tournament grounds and upgraded venues.

Arnold Palmer Day – Sunday, July 30
In 1955, Arnold Palmer came to the Canadian Open uncertain he’d have another season on the PGA TOUR. Inconsistent play kept the 26-year-old from winning any events or finding financial success. A Tour rookie with little money, Palmer travelled between tournaments by car with his wife, Winnie.

Growing frustration and a lack of success led to difficult conversations with Winnie – the harsh reality that he may be forced to leave the professional circuit to earn a steady paycheque as a club pro in his hometown of Latrobe, PA.

That uncertainty and those conversations would soon change as Palmer earned a four-stroke win at the 1955 Canadian Open, his first as a professional, for a top prize of $2,400 – equivalent to about

$22,000 in today’s currency. With enough money to continue for another season, Palmer picked up two wins the following year. In total, The King amassed 95 victories world wide, including seven major championships.

None of those may have been possible had he not won the 1955 Canadian Open that rookie year. The victory was so significant that the Canadian Open trophy was one of just three on display in his office at the time of his passing.

The Canadian Open is proud to have been a chapter in The King’s storied history. He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten. Help us keep the King’s memory alive by taking part in Arnold Palmer Day. We’ll be handing out special AP55 buttons to the first 5,000 fans onsite. Visit the 1^st tee to catch a glimpse of the Seagram Gold Cup – the trophy he won in 1955. Or visit the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame & Museum’s Arnold Palmer exhibit which will include game worn clothing, equipment and more.

As part of the RBC Canadian Open’s commitment to family fun, admission for kids 17-and-under is FREE all week.

A full listing of events and activities can be found here.

Beef is back on the menu at the British Open, and Andrew Johnston can only hope there’s as much sizzle to be found at Royal Birkdale as there was last year when he made an entertaining run on the weekend at Royal Troon.

There are brains here, too, thanks to a last minute win Sunday by Bryson DeChambeau, who defies golf convention with his swing thoughts and has physics formulas stamped on the back of his wedges.

Golf in what seems now to be a permanent post-Tiger era remains alive and somewhat well. That’s especially true on this side of the pond, where huge crowds will turn out this week for the 146th version of what they prefer here to call simply The Open.

The winner on Sunday will be crowned championship golfer of the year. Based on the small sample size of recent major championships, it is likely to be someone you know little about.

The last seven major championships have been won by players who had never won a major in their lives. That could go to eight this week if an up and coming player the likes of John Rahm – who dominated the Irish Open in his last outing – can win this Open.

'If I can do a quarter of what Seve did, I'll be really satisifed with my career.' – @johnrahmpga pic.twitter.com/VrfklGMEcd

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2017

Or maybe local resident Tommy Fleetwood, who didn’t exactly come in through the front door of the pro shop when he played a few holes here and there growing up.

“It was a course I would have crept on now and again,” Fleetwood said.

The revolving cast of new winners is part of the reason this Open – and golf itself – seems to be struggling for a story line. The course may be the best in England and the field full of great talent, but even the bookies here can’t figure out who should be favoured.

Gone forever are the days when Woods dominated and every conversation in the sport revolved around what he was doing.

“It shows the quality of golf that everybody plays at right now,” said Sergio Garcia, the Masters champion who is still looking for his first Claret Jug. “It’s a really high level and it doesn’t matter if you’ve won a major or not, everybody can definitely do it.”

That everybody certainly includes Garcia himself, who spent the better part of the last two decades tantalizing fans with his talent but never delivering in a major before a brilliant back nine comeback gave him the green jacket at Augusta National this year.

A kiss for good luck! @TheSergioGarcia with his fiancee Angela Akins who are set to get married in Texas in two weeks time. ?? pic.twitter.com/jyS0kaVeJI

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2017

His Open career began as an amateur at Royal Birkdale in 1998, and he’s had several legitimate chances to win the Open, only to kick them away. But he’s now a major champion and, with a wedding set for next week, he could be a storybook champion should he emerge with the iconic jug engraved with winners of years past.

“Obviously I am excited about it,” Garcia said. “I am confident about my possibilities but I can’t tell you if I’m going to be right up there on Sunday with a chance. I’m hoping that I will be, but unfortunately it doesn’t work like that every week.”

The player nicknamed Beef certainly understands that. The bearded, portly Johnston entertained the crowd at last year’s Open, nearly upstaging a tremendous duel between Phil Mickelson and eventual winner Henrik Stenson in the final round before finishing eighth.

But Johnston has struggled to make cuts ever since, as did DeChambeau until he came through Sunday with a blistering back nine to win for the first time in the John Deere Classic.

That gave him the final qualifying berth in the Open, and a chance to demonstrate some unusual theories he has about golf, including using the same length shaft in all of his irons.

.@JDCLASSIC winner @b_dechambeau has the physics equation for work on one of his wedges with the word "Do" in front of it.

Do work. pic.twitter.com/NrgE22qI6z

— Matt Cochran (@PGATOURCochran) July 16, 2017

A win here would be an extreme longshot, but strange things can happen in golf. That’s especially true at a tournament where just a few years back 59-year-old Tom Watson came within a par of winning before losing to Stewart Cink in a playoff.

So maybe the search for a new hero will focus on the hometown kid with the flowing bangs who used to sneak onto Royal Birkdale to play a few holes while his dad walked the dog around the course perimeter.

A win for Fleetwood – now the No. 1 player on the European Tour – might even get him noticed in the town where he grew up. So far, his appearance here has been welcomed with a collective shrug.

“There’s nobody fainting in the street as I walk past,” Fleetwood said. “So I’m still waiting.”

Abbotsford, B.C.’s Adam Hadwin is the top Canadian in the field, coming to Royal Birkdale ranked No. 54 in the world. He is joined by Austin Connelly who is a dual Canadian-American citizen playing on the European Tour.

Click here to view the tee time for Thursday’s first round at the British Open.

Kathrine Chan learned Monday that boring is not always bad. A round of 18 straight pars that Chan called “boring” earned the 17-year-old Richmond resident a spot in next month’s U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship in southern California.

Chan’s even-par round of 72 topped the field and earned her one of two spots that were up for grabs at a qualifier at Richmond Country Club. Delta’s Mary Parsons earned the other spot with a one-over 73.

“I think this is a first for me,” Chan said of her long string of pars. “I am pretty surprised with myself. I felt like I was scrambling all day for par. I made a lot of up and downs. It was a boring round, but I am happy with the result. The U.S. Amateur is a tournament I have always wanted to play in.”

Chan is heading into Grade 12 at J.N. Burnett  secondary in Richmond and hopes to play college golf. “I’m just going through that process,” she said. “It’s complicated and tough, but in the end it’s going to work out.” The U.S. Women’s Amateur goes Aug. 7-13 at San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, Calif.

While Chan was churning out pars, Parsons birdied her final two holes to grab the second spot. “I knew even-par would be good,” Parsons said. “I was just trying to get as close to that as I could. I bore down the last four holes. I three-putted on 14, drained a really long putt on 15 and sunk a long putt from off the green on 17.”

The 17-year-old Parsons is a member of Golf Canada’s national development team. She got her season off to a good start with a win at the Future Links Pacific Championship at Chilliwack Golf Club in May, but her game hasn’t felt quite right of late.

@bc_golfer congratulates @maryyparsons for qualifying @USGA Women's Amateur. Good Luck Mary! pic.twitter.com/NHdOZLch3S

— BC Golf (@bc_golfer) July 17, 2017

“I played pretty well today,” she said. “I felt like I was back in my zone, something that I have been missing for a while. I had been kind of struggling on the course and mentally wasn’t in it. Today it felt like I was back to myself on the golf course.”

Her round on Monday created a dilemma of sorts for Parsons. She had been awarded a spot on British Columbia’s team to the Canada Summer Games next month in Winnipeg. That event conflicts with the U.S. Women’s Amateur, so Parsons had to forfeit her spot on the Summer Games team. It wasn’t an easy decision.

“I have mixed feelings,” She said. “I’m disappointed to be missing out on the Canada Summer Games, but I know going forward U.S. Am is a whole other thing to be excited about. They are different, one is a team event and one is individual. But they are both prestigious events.”

Parsons was happy to learn that her Canada Games team spot will be going to her good friend, Tiffany Kong of Vancouver. Parsons, who is off to begin her freshman year at the University of Indiana, now has a busy end to her summer.

She has the Canadian Women’s Amateur, the Canadian Junior Girls and the U.S. Women’s Amateur in succession. “Three big events and then I head to school right after,” Parsons said.

Seventeen players competed in Monday’s qualifier. Surrey’s Michelle Kim (74) and Phoebe Yue of West Vancouver (75) were awarded first and second alternate positions.

Debbie Pyne, managing director player, development for British Columbia Golf said Hannah Lee of Surrey and Alisha Lau of Richmond will join Kong on B.C’s Canada Summer Games team. The boys’ team, announced earlier this month, includes Nolan Thoroughgood and Keaton Gudz, both of Victoria, and Tristan Mandur of Mill Bay.

For the full Richmond Qualifier leaderboard click here.

STOUFFVILLE, Ont. – Garrett Rank, John Foster and Jake McNulty all qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship at Granite Golf Club on Monday.

Rank captured medallist honours after he carded a course-record, 9-under-par 63 during his second round of the day, moving him to 10 under for the tournament. The 29-year-old from Elmira, Ont., went bogey-free with nine birdies during his record-setting round.

“Any time you set a course record it’s really neat,” he said, after his medallist victory. “But more so it means that the golf was really fun. It was just fun being out there, making lots of birdies, hitting a lot of quality shots and seeing the ball roll in the hole is always fun.

“These are the days where you have to sit back for 15, 20 minutes or maybe even an hour and actually soak it in and really enjoy it because these days are few and far between.”

Rank, like the rest of the field of 72, played 36 holes in the qualifying event. During his first round, he stumbled on the final six holes of the back nine and notched three bogeys and a triple bogey – his only bogeys recorded during the entire competition.

“It was just bad course strategy,” he said, of the stretch of six holes. “I was just a little too aggressive at certain parts trying to make birdies, but in the second round I just tried to make pars during those holes and it worked out.”

Foster, a 24-year-old from Concord, Ont., finished five strokes behind Rank after he scored a 1-under-par 71 followed by a 68, both of which were highlighted by strong finishes. Heading down the final stretch, Foster, who started his final round from the tenth tee, made birdies on holes 5, 8 and 9 to secure him his second-place qualifying position.

McNulty sat back in the standings as he started his second round in the afternoon. A triple bogey on 16th hole of his opening round lead to a 1-under par 73. But, in his second round he carded just one bogey while his six birdies resulted in a 5-under-par 67 to squeeze him into the final qualifying spot by one stroke, ending the tournament at 4 under.

Matthew Ion Young and David French both earned alternate status after they finished 3 under in the qualifier. Ion Young defeated French in a one-hole playoff and will be the first alternate.

The U.S. Amateur Championship will take place at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Aug. 14-20. The tournament consists of 36 holes of stroke play before the top 64 move on to match play.

Canada’s Ben Silverman carded a 4-under-par 67 to finish T5 at the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank at Oakridge Country Club in Farmington, Utah, on Saturday.

The 29-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., recorded six birdies and two bogeys to sit at 19-under par two shots back of winner Brice Garnett (Gallatin, Mo.).

Coming into this weeek Silverman’s top three finishes on the Web.com Tour this season are: T8 at the Rust-Oleum Championship, T17 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation and a T19 at the El Bosque Mexico Championship by Innova.

He moved up from 73rd to 50th on the Web.com Tour Order of Merit with his best result of the season.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Camarillo, California’s Johnny Ruiz shot a final round 5-under 67 on Sunday at Whitewater Golf Club to come from behind and win the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel for his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada win.

The 23-year old made seven birdies on the day, including one at the 72nd hole, to reach 13-under for the week and win by one over Dallas, Texas’ Kramer Hickok, Fulton, Mississippi’s Chad Ramey and Edmond, Oklahoma’s Max McGreevy.

The win moves Ruiz into second on the Mackenzie Tour Order of Merit, in position to earn a spot in the top three after next week’s Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval and an exemption into the PGA TOUR’s RBC Canadian Open.

“It feels awesome. It’s the best win of my career, and hopefully there are more to come, but it definitely feels good to get one under the belt now,” said Ruiz.

Ruiz was making his ninth career start on the Mackenzie Tour. Earlier this year, he earned exempt status for the first eight events of the season with a T2 finish at the British Columbia Q-School.

Winner, winner ?

Johnny Ruiz fires a final round 5-under 67 to win his first #MackenzieTour title. pic.twitter.com/iUgyUsgvt3

— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) July 16, 2017

Ruiz had conditional status on the Mackenzie Tour in 2015 and missed the cut in all four starts. He did not begin playing golf until age 14 and notched his first pro win at the 2016 Monterey Open.

Ruiz works with noted swing instructor George Gankas, who also teaches PGA TOUR player Sung Kang.

Starting the day three shots behind Hickok and his fellow 54-hole co-leader Patrick Newcomb, Ruiz made the turn in 2-under, but still trailed as Hickok reached 14-under with a flawless front nine.

With Whitewater Golf Club showing its teeth and the Sunday pressure mounting, however, Ruiz’s steady ball-striking and calm demeanor proved critical, as he made his way to the clubhouse with three more birdies, including a two-putt at the par-5 18th to reach 13-under.

“I was just thinking one more, one more. I kept telling myself it was my day, and every time I told myself that, I made another putt. Going into 18, I thought I needed one more at least for a playoff,” said Ruiz.

Hickok, the winner at last week’s Players Cup, gave himself chances to catch Ruiz coming down the stretch, but couldn’t convert, missing putts inside of 10 feet at each of the last two holes that would have tied him at the top.

“Frustrating that I had the lead after nine and gave it up,” said Hickok. “That’s something I think I’m going to learn from, and figure out and go from there, but in hindsight looking back, they’ve been a great couple of weeks.”

Amazing people, amazing community, amazing event.

This year's @StaalOpen raised more than $270,000 for the @StaalFamily Foundation ? pic.twitter.com/ink3OUjdMU

— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) July 16, 2017

For Ruiz, the win marks a measure of redemption from a near-miss last month at the GolfBC Championship, where he held the lead coming up the 18th hole but made bogey and ultimately lost when Robby Shelton birdied the last to win by one.

“It feels good to finally get one,” said Ruiz.

McGreevy, a rookie who helped the University of Oklahoma to a NCAA Championship earlier this year, joined Ramey in a career-best tie for second alongside Hickok, while a shot further behind were Mequon, Wisconsin’s Jordan Niebrugge and Long Beach, California’s Brett Lederer.

With a total score of 8-under par in a tie for 15th, West Vancouver, British Columbia’s Seann Harlingten 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.

Despite missing the cut this week, Wilmer, Alabama’s Robby Shelton held on to his lead atop Order of Merit through five events. The top three players on the Order of Merit after next week will earn a spot into the RBC Canadian Open July 24-30 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario, along with Ruiz moving into second on the Order of Merit to secure his spot Kramer Hikcock grabbed the third spot.

Click here for the full leaderboard

Sung Hyun Park won the U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour victory.

The 23-year-old from South Korea shot her second straight 5-under 67 and won a final-round battle with front-running Shanshan Feng and teenage amateur Hye-Jin Choi at Trump National Golf Club.

Park birdied the 15th to move into a tie for the lead and the 17th to open a two-shot edge after Choi made a double bogey on the previous hole. Park finished at 11-under 277 for a two-stroke win over Choi.

President Donald Trump attended the biggest event in women’s golf for the third straight day. There was a peaceful protest after he arrived at his box near the 15th green shortly after 3 p.m.

It ended up being a quiet week of politics. The golf was excellent.

Hoisting the ?! Sung Hyun Park #USWomensOpen pic.twitter.com/JdWPz3Kd05

— LPGA (@LPGA) July 16, 2017

Park needed a fine chip from over the green on the par-5 18th hole to save par and win the $900,000 top prize from the $5 million event.

Walking to the scoring tent to sign her card, she got a thumps-up from Trump from his box.

Choi finished with a 71 to finish as the low amateur for the second straight year. She was 38th in 2016.

Top-ranked So Yeon Ryu (70) and fellow South Korean Mi Jung Hur (68) tied for third at 7 under. Feng, from China, had a 75 to drop into a tie for fifth at 6 under with Spain’s Carlota Ciganda (70) and South Korea’s Jeongeun6 Lee (71).

South Koreans Sei Young Kim (69), Mirim Lee (72) and Amy Yang (75) tied for eighth at 5 under. Marina Alex of nearby Wayne, New Jersey, was the best of the American at 4 under after a 70. It was the worst finish in the Open for the top American since Paula Creamer was seventh in 2012.

Brooke Henderson (71) of Smiths Falls, Ont., tied for 13th at 3 under.

Choi was the story for most of the final round. The 17-year-old had a two-shot lead with nine holes to play and needed a birdie at 15 to regain a piece with Park.

Translation: Congratulations Sung Hyun Park! #USWomensOpen pic.twitter.com/O56pSnJbac

— LPGA (@LPGA) July 16, 2017

The 139-yard, par-3 16th over water ended her hopes. Her tee shot landed in the water to the right of the hole. She ended with a double bogey and basically lost her chance of becoming the second amateur to win the Open. She birdied the final hole.

Catherine Lacoste remains the only amateur to win the Open, doing it in 1967.

Feng, who was the leader after the first three rounds and carried a one-shot edge into the final 18 holes, triple bogeyed the final hole.

The win was redemption for Park, who is the leading rookie on the LPGA Tour this year. She had the 36-hole lead in the Open last year and shot final rounds of 74-74 to finish two shots out of a playoff with eventual champion Brittany Lang and Anna Nordqvist.

Park saved her best for the last two rounds this year and won. It was not her first professional win, she won seven times on the KLPGA Tour in 2016 and three times the year before.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Third-round leader Patrick Rodgers knew that it would take a ton of birdies Sunday to win the John Deere Classic.

Bryson DeChambeau took that advice to heart.

DeChambeau overcame a four-stroke deficit to beat Rodgers by a stroke for his first PGA Tour title _ and a spot next week in the British Open.

The 23-year-old DeChambeau birdied four of the final six holes at TPC Deere Run for a 6-under 65 and an 18-under 266 total. In 2015, the unconventional former SMU star became the fifth player to win the NCAA individual title and U.S. Amateur in the same year.

The win punctuated a comeback of sorts for DeChambeau, who capped a string of eight consecutive missed cuts last month in the U.S. Open – where he was 6 over for two rounds.

New TOUR winner @b_dechambeau comments following his emotional first victory at the @JDCLASSIC. https://t.co/gJmaaQhHie

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 16, 2017

“I was able to right the ship about three or four weeks ago, and it’s been steady Eddie ever since,” DeChambeau said. “It is vindication.”

Rodgers closed with 70.

DeChambeau made a 14-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to pull even with Rodgers. Rodgers then had a par putt on No. 17 lip out, and sent his tee shot on 18 into the rough.

“He’s a great competitor, and I was kind of shocked he bogeyed 17,” DeChambeau said about Rodgers. “I thought I was going to be in a playoff.”

Wesley Bryan (64) and Rick Lamb (66) tied for third at 16 under, and past tournament champions Steve Stricker (64) and Zach Johnson (67) topped the group at 15 under.

DeChambeau played the front nine in even par, then birdied six of the final nine holes to surge to the top of the leaderboard.

Rodgers, on the other hand, had four bogeys _ and his approach on No. 18 sailed past the green. Rodgers nearly chipped in from 50 feet to force a playoff, missing the cup by a foot.

DeChambeau became the 10th first-time winner on the PGA Tour this season.

“Our tendency when you have the lead is to kind of hold on and play safe and guard against making mistakes,” said Rodgers, who remained winless on the PGA Tour. “But I had guys coming at me with some really low rounds. Obviously, Bryson shot a great one.”

Bryan, who won the RBC Heritage in April for his first career victory, shot a 30 on the back nine. Lamb was 13 under for the final two rounds but was done in by pedestrian efforts in the first two rounds.

Stricker, who won at TPC Deere Run from 2009-11, grabbed a share of the lead before Rodgers teed off Sunday.

A terrific effort by Rodgers, but Bryson DeChambeau secures his first TOUR victory. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/t0rvIBfEsv

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 16, 2017

The 50-year-old Stricker went 8-under par through 14 holes to jump all the way up from 34th place. But his only bogey came on the 18th hole, when his par putt grazed the cup.

“Realistically, if I could have made a couple more birdies there and could have got it to 18-under, who knows? Just couldn’t get it in there,” Stricker said.

Johnson, who won the tournament in 2012 and has finished in the top three six times in his last eight appearances, challenged the leaders yet again before falling back. Johnson picked up bogeys on a pair of par 4s on the back nine, and he missed a 4-foot birdie putt on 14.

“My goal was to birdie every hole and give myself a chance on every hole. Early on it looked like my game plan was being executed,” Johnson said.

Bubba Watson shot a 68 to finish at 9 under.

Click here for the full leaderboard

Canada’s Ben Silverman carded a 6-under-par 65 to move to T5 during the third round of the Utah Championship at Oakridge Country Club in Farmington, Utah, on Saturday.

The 29-year-old from Thronthill, Ont., recorded seven birdies and a bogey to bring him to 15-under par for the tournament, three shots back of leader Jacques Blaauw. Silverman was propelled by his strong finish when he registered three birdies in the final five holes.

His top three finishes on the Mackenzie Tour this season are: T8 at the Rust-Oleum Championship, T17 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation and a T19 at the El Bosque Mexico Championship by Innova.