Shanshan Feng is going to have the president of the United States looking over her shoulder in the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open, and probably a lot of South Korean fans, too.

The 27-year-old from China rolled in a short birdie putt on the final hole Saturday to take a one-shot lead after three rounds of the biggest tournament in women’s golf.

Teenager Hye-Jin Choi and perennial Open bridesmaid Amy Yang were tied for second in an event where the South Koreans have shined.

The top six players chasing Feng are all from South Korea, and you have to go all the way to eighth place to find a U.S. player. That’s Cristie Kerr, who was five shots off the lead.

It should make for an interesting final day in a tournament that had an even bigger stage with Trump in attendance. He’s the first sitting president to attend a U.S. Women’s Open.

Feng shot a 1-under 71 to reach 9-under 207 at the president’s Trump National Golf Club.

“Coming to this week, I didn’t have any expectation at all,” said Feng, who has lead from the start after shooting a 66 in her quest for a second major. “I just _ I wanted to bring out my ‘A’ game. And then I think I did really well for the first three days, and then I’m going to stick to my game plan. I just focus on my own game and let’s see what happens.”

Choi and Yang each shot 70.

Sung Hyun Park, the top rookie on the LPGA Tour, was 6 under after a 67. Top-ranked So Yeon Ryu (71), Mirim Lee (67) and Jeongeun6 Lee (73) were 5 under.

Kerr, a former Open winner and a member at this course, was tied at 4 under with Spain’s Carlota Ciganda (72).

Feng had a one-shot lead after the first round and a two-shot margin at the halfway point, but she just could not hit it close in the third round. She had a couple of 10- to 15-footers for birdie on the back nine that never threatened the hole and she did not convert until hitting her third on the par-5 18th to about 5 feet.

Choi, the 17-year-old who is the world’s No.2 ranked amateur, might have been the most consistent player after bogeying her first hole. She birdied Nos. 8, 11 and 16 and just missed another on the final hole.

“I didn’t have the greatest start but I think if I just stay focused and play the game as maybe not necessarily play safe but maybe more aggressively I think I’m going to be OK,” Choi said through an interpreter.

Yang, who has four top-five finishes in the last five years including seconds in 2012 and ’15, had a roller-coaster round. She had five 5s, a bogey and a double bogey, which came on No. 3 after a bad shot out of a bunker.

Park played the back nine in 6 under. She led after 36 holes in this event last year and finished third, two shots out of a playoff.

“Yes, quite a few Korean players on the top leaderboard,” said Park, who said the course is similar to some in South Korea. “I think most of them, if not all, have strong capability to play really well.”

Playing with Feng, Jeongeun6 Lee had a crazy round that started with three straight bogeys. She added four birdies and two more bogeys in her final 15.

Ryu, the only two-time winner this year on the LPGA Tour, had three birdies after two early bogeys.

Mirim Lee had six birdies in the last 11 holes to get into contention.

Kerr had three birdies and bogey in the first six holes and then parred out the rest of the way.

“I feel pretty good,” Kerr said. “I’m going out there doing my thing and I’m trying to be in a good mental space where I’m not putting pressure on myself.”

With the arrival of the president Friday afternoon, security was stepped up Saturday. Dogs sniffed cars driven by players entering the course and fans and media had to walk through airport-type security checkpoints.

Outside the course, a small procession of cars and trucks circled the course and bore signs criticizing Trump and supporting women’s rights.

Trump spent the night in his house on the course and took the short drive from his residence to his box overlooking the 15th green, arriving around 2:35 p.m. Walking up the stairs, he yelled to the crowd asking them about the players’ scores.

Brooke Henderson of Canada was at 2 under, along with Christina Kim, who shot a 68 playing in the first group, and moved into a tie for 12th place.

Stacy Lewis, the former No.1 ranked women who has not won since 2014, played her first 10 holes in 5 under and moved within a shot of the lead heading to No. 11. However, she flubbed a couple of chips near the green and took a triple bogey. Her day ended miserable with a 10 on 18, leaving her at 2 over.

Defending champion Brittany Lang saw any chance of repeating end with an 8-over 80.

Dallas, Texas’ Kramer Hickok and Murray, Kentucky’s Patrick Newcomb reached 11-under through 54 holes on Saturday at Whitewater Golf Club to share the lead heading into the final round of the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, the fifth event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

Hickok, coming off a win last week at the Players Cup, carded 1-under 71 in round three to give himself a chance at his second consecutive Mackenzie Tour win, while Newcomb, a winner earlier this year on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, managed a 3-under 69 to match Hickok at 11-under, one stroke ahead of Fulton, Mississippi’s Chad Ramey through three rounds in Thunder Bay.

“I’m still playing good golf,” said Hickok, who will look to become the first player during the Mackenzie Tour’s PGA TOUR era (2013-present) to win in back-to-back weeks. “I’m doing everything that I need to do, which starts with limiting mistakes and getting the ball in the fairway to start.”

“I’ve played really well. I’ve had some really quality stretches of golf. Today was a roller-coaster ride. I got off to a really hot start and forgot how to play golf for a few holes, and then figured it out coming home,” said Newcomb, who will look to become the first player to win on both PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and the Mackenzie Tour on Sunday.

Hickok and Newcomb were among the 78 players who returned to finish their second rounds on Saturday morning after play was suspended on Friday due to darkness. Hickok played nine holes in 5-under par to complete a 7-under 65 in round two, then made just one bogey and two birdies in round three to share the 54-hole lead.

With plenty of momentum from his Players Cup win, the 25-year old Hickok said he’d rely on his experience last week in Winnipeg, where he secured the win with birdies on each of his final two holes.

“It’s something I’m always going to look back on and just rely on down the stretch. I’ve done it before, and so I can keep on doing it now. It’s nice to know I can bring out my best stuff when I need it,” said Hickok.

Ramey, who led after Thursday’s play, carded his second 66 of the week, while a group of four players – Kimberley, B.C.’s Jared du Toit, Mequon, Wisconsin’s Jordan Niebrugge, Osceola, Wisconsin’s Charlie Danielson and Maysville, Kentucky’s Mark Blakefield – were a shot further behind at 9-under.

Patrick Rodgers is 18 holes away from his first PGA Tour win.

But the 25-year-old former Stanford star knows that it’ll likely take a lower score than the one he shot Saturday to secure such a milestone victory.

Rodgers shot a 3-under 68 in the third round, maintaining a two-stroke lead in the John Deere Classic.

Rodgers had a 16-under 197 total at TPC Deere Run. He’s trying to become the third player in five years to win the Quad Cities event for his first PGA Tour title.

“It’s going to be a shootout because there’s a lot of birdies to be made out here, and I’m going to have to make my fair share in order to stay at the top,” Rodgers said.

Daniel Berger had a 63 to match Scott Stallings (64) at 14 under.

Nicholas Lindheim (66) was 13 under, and Jamie Lovemark (66), Bryson DeChambeau (70) and J.J. Henry (68) were another stroke back. Area favourite Zach Johnson had a 70 to drop five strokes back.

Rodgers, who opened with rounds of 65 and 64, was hampered by a pair of bogeys. But Rodgers also had five birdies, and he saved par on the 17th after hitting his tee shot into the gallery.

“I wasn’t as sharp as I was the past couple of days. So, I guess I did a good job mentally to get in at 3-under par,” Rodgers said. “All in all, if you told me at the start of the day that I’d have the same lead I started with, that’s a positive thing.”

Berger, who won the St. Jude Classic last month in Memphis and lost a playoff at the Travelers Championship in his last event when Jordan Spieth holed out a bunker shot, birdied seven of his first 11 holes. Six of those birdie putts came from inside 10 feet.

Berger and Rodgers are among four players with a tournament-high 19 birdies.

“In Memphis I drove the ball phenomenally. This week I haven’t driven it that well, but I’ve kind of kept it in play for the most part and I’ve made a bunch of putts, which has been the difference,” said Berger, one of only two players in the top 10 in the FedEx Cup standings in the field.

Stallings shot a 30 on the back nine and eagled the par-5 17th hole with a 22-foot putt. He’s shot back-to-back 64s after opening with a 71 on Thursday.

“I can’t control what anyone else does. I couldn’t event tell you some of the other guys that are on the leaderboard,” Stallings said. “We’ve gotten ourselves this far, and we’re happy to be in the position we’re in.”

Johnson, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native who won at TPC Deere Run in 2012 and notched six top-three finishes in his last eight appearances, again drew the biggest galleries. But he followed an eagle on the 14th hole with a double bogey on No. 15.

Bubba Watson’s decision to skip the Scottish Open for the chance to accumulate FedEx Cup points might not work out in his favour. Watson had a 68 and was tied for 57th at 6 under.

Kelly Kraft made arguably the day’s most impressive shot on No. 17. His tee shot landed on a walkway behind a hospitality tent, and Kraft hit his second shot over 200 yards and eventually saved par.

Kimberley, British Columbia’s Jared du Toit, Honolulu, Hawaii’s Lorens Chan and Atherton, California’s Jonathan Garrick all reached 8-under par and shared the second-round lead before play was suspended due to darkness at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, the fifth event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

Du Toit, a Golf Canada National Team member, carded a 2-under 70 to post the clubhouse lead through 36 holes and was matched shortly after by Chan thanks to a second-round 67, while Garrick reached 8-under through seven holes of his second round when play was called for the day.

“I did a pretty good job of committing to every shot. I was never too far out of position, and the few times I was, I was able to recover pretty well. It was a grind, but I’m definitely happy with the way it went,” said du Toit, who played 35 holes on Friday.

Productive day at the office for @Jareddutoit.

He's 8-under heading to the weekend at the #StaalOpen. pic.twitter.com/OpRUw1vvLe

— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) July 14, 2017

du Toit is coming off a standout amateur career that concluded in June with his senior season at Arizona State University, where he was named a 2017 NCAA 2nd team All-American.

He captured the attention of a nation last year when he played his way into the final group on Sunday at the RBC Canadian Open before finishing T9.

Du Toit turned professional at the Bayview Place Cardtronics Open presented by Times Colonist and earned status on the Mackenzie Tour by placing inside the top-60 on the Order of Merit through the first re-shuffle after last week’s Players Cup.

Like du Toit, Chan had only just teed off on his first hole when play was suspended Thursday and made it through a marathon day with rounds of 69 and 67 on Friday to share the lead.

“It was just about making sure I could last all day, because I knew it was going to be hot and humid. I just wanted to stay level and not use too much energy,” said Chan, who finished his day with a birdie at the difficult par-4 ninth. “I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty tired towards the end. Nine’s a tough hole, but I hit a good tee shot. It was nice to finish with a birdie.”

Garrick’s day started early and finished late, having completed two holes – and making birdie at both – this morning to conclude an opening 7-under 65, then coming back in the evening to get his second round started.

“I feel good about my game. I’ve had stretches where I played well, but I’m starting to feel calmer mentally on the golf course, so to put together a bunch of good holes and put myself in position is good just because I haven’t done that yet this year,” said Garrick.

78 players were left to complete round two when play was suspended and will resume in position at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Development Squad’s Chloe Currie carded a 3-over-par 75 in the final round of the Investors Group Ontario Women’s Amateur finish T5 at 9 over par at Galt Country Club in Cambridge, Ont.

The Mississauga, Ont., had had three birdie, and six bogeys to finish 10 shots back Kesley Sear from Unionville, Ont., who won at 2 over par.

Sear carded a 2-over-par 70 in Friday’s final round, the lowest score of the day.

Madeline Marck-Sherk from Ridgeway, Ont., was second at 3 over par after a final round 71 (-1).

Another Mississauga resident Michelle Ruiz was third at 9 over par.

Currie, 17, is in her second year on the Team Canada Development Squad. She was T5 at the 2017 Future Links driven by Acura Ontario Championship earlier this year.

Maple, Ont., native Alyssa DiMarcantonio was fourth 10 over par. Rounding out the top-five was Mitchell, Ont., native Courtney Tolton who was T5 with Currie at 12 over par.

Currie’s Development Squad teammate Monet Chun is T32 at 27 over par – carding an 11 over par 83 in round three.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Patrick Rodgers shot a 7-under 64 on Friday to take a two-shot lead after the second round of the John Deere Classic.

Rodgers had eight birdies and a bogey to finish at 13-under 129 at TPC Deere Run. Finishing on the front nine, he had five birdies in a seven-hole stretch before closing with a bogey on the par-4 ninth.

“It was nice to keep making birdies and keep the gas pedal down,” Rodgers said. “It was tricky with some breeze, but I know 13 under is not going to win the golf tournament. So, I got to keep that same mindset for the next two rounds.”

Bryson DeChambeau was second after a 65.

Local favourite Zach Johnson, the 2012 winner, had a 67 to join Charles Howell III, the co-leader after the first round, at 10 under. Howell followed his opening 63 with a 69.

Kevin Tway (63), Chesson Hadley (64), Chad Campbell (68) and J.J. Henry (64) were 9 under.

Tway had nine birdies in a 10-hole stretch en route to the best round of the day.

Hadley is coming off a victory Sunday in the Web.com Tour event in New York.

Rodgers, the 25-year-old former Stanford star who is winless on the PGA Tour, has followed the formula that many players have used to win at TPC Deere Run _ converting makeable birdies and largely avoiding mistakes.

Rodgers also made his fair share of tough shots, notably chipping in from 50 feet on the par-3 third hole and holing a 50-foot birdie putt on the seventh hole.

“I put together a really nice round. Was very much in control. Rolled in some nice putts and stayed very patient,” Rodgers said.

DeChambeau, who was just above the FedEx Cup playoff cut line entering the weekend, survived a pair of early bogeys to grab second place.

Tway was struggling to stay above the cut line when he went on his birdie binge, making seven in a row at one point. But Tway’s tee shot on his 17th hole found the rough and he was forced to settle for a bogey.

Tway’s round, the best of his career, was highlighted by a 28-foot birdie putt on the forgiving third hole.

“I was kind of hoping it would never stop,” Tway said. “You’ve got to make a lot of birdies around here.”

Hadley said after his bogey-free round that he felt like he was playing with “house money” after wrapping up a PGA Tour for next season card last week.

“I’ve been heading in the right direction for a while, and I think it kind of starts with your attitude, how you think about and handle things,” Hadley said. “So I kind of finally got that right, and then everything came together last week obviously.”

First-round co-leader Ollie Schniederjans had a 74 to drop eight shots behind Rodgers.

Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson shot a 70 to make the cut at 3 under, as did Davis Love III (68). Three-time tournament winner Steve Stricker (67) made the cut on the number at 2 under.

Defending champion Ryan Moore shot a 71 and missed the cut, finishing at 3 over after two rounds. Moore missed the previous five weeks with a left shoulder injury.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Shanshan Feng opened a two-shot lead Friday after two rounds of a U.S. Women’s Open that got its first visit from a sitting president.

Fresh from a Bastille Day celebration in Paris, President Donald Trump pulled into his Trump National Golf Club around 3:40 p.m., visited his president’s box next to the 14th green less than two hours later and played to the crowd, waving at the fans, giving them the thumbs up and pumping his fist.

That’s what a president can do for crowds not used to being within a 100 yards of one. Many critics of the president had hoped he would stay away from the $5 million tournament because of his comments about women and the fear that he would steal the spotlight.

Only three sitting presidents have attended USGA events with Warren G. Harding (1921) and Bill Clinton (1997) going to the U.S. Open.

Feng was the star on the course for the second straight day. The 27-year-old Chinese player shot a 2-under 70 and had a 36-hole total of 8-under 136 on the 6,732-yard course that played even longer because of rain over the past two days.

“My putting is really working. I’ve had two good rounds and I just hope to keep doing the same thing” – Shanshan Feng at #uswomensopen pic.twitter.com/Gc27b86Boi

— LPGA (@LPGA) July 14, 2017

Amy Yang of South Korea continued her good play in the Women’s Open and remained in second place, although her deficit grew to two shots after a 71. Yang has four top-five finishes in this event in the past five years.

Jeongeung Lee, who has had a win and 10 top-10 finishes on the KLPGA Tour, shared second after posting a second straight 69.

Lee uses the “6” after her first name because there are six other South Korean players with the same name.

Hye-Jin Choice, a 17-year-old from South Korea who is the world’s second-ranked amateur, also was at 6-under after a second straight 69. She was tied with Feng at 8 under after 15 holes, but bogeyed two of her next three holes to fall back.

Seon Woo Bae, a winner in South Korea last year, was alone in fifth place at 5 under after a 69.

Top-ranked So Yeon Ryu (72) and 2015 winner In Gee Chun (70) topped the group at 4 under, while Marina Alex (70) of Wayne, New Jersey was the top American at 3 under. Lydia Ko (73) and Smiths Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson (71) also were 3 under.

"I'm a few shots back. Hopefully I can make that up the next 2 days & put myself in contention on Sunday” — Brooke Henderson #uswomensopen pic.twitter.com/7VCYHZGntg

— LPGA (@LPGA) July 14, 2017

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp and Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., did not make the cut.

Earlier in the day, 2014 winner Michelle Wie withdrew because of a neck injury. She shot a 73 on Thursday and stopped on her second hole the next day.

Among those missing the cut at 2 over were Brittany Lincicome, who said two weeks ago that Trump should not attend the tournament so the focus would be on the golfers, and Danielle Kang, who two weeks ago won the KPMG Women’s PGA. Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn and two-time Open champion Inbee Park also missed the cut.

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Golf Canada concludes its 2017 Future Links championship season as the Future Links, driven by Acura Atlantic Championship is ready to take place at Clare Golf and Country Club from July 17-20.

With support from the Nova Scotia Golf Association, the Future Links, driven by Acura Atlantic Championship is the final regional junior championship presented in partnership with Acura this season. The 54-hole stroke play tournament will begin with a practice round on July 17 before the tournament gets underway with round one on July 18.

Founded in 1967, Clare Golf and Country Club will be hosting its first ever Future Links Championship. Overlooking St. Mary’s Bay, the course offers a challenging layout for golfers of all abilities and possesses a full variety of holes with distinctive character and beauty.

“Golf Canada and the Nova Scotia Golf Association are excited to present the 2017 Future Links, driven by Acura Atlantic Championship in Church Point,” said David Campbell, Tournament Director. “The beautiful setting here at Clare Golf and Country Club will pose a tough test for Canada’s premier junior golfers and give them an opportunity to showcase their skills against the strongest junior golfers in Atlantic Canada.”

The field will consist of 76 junior golfers in the Junior Boys Division with the top six earning exemptions into the 2017 Canadian Junior Boys Championship on July 31-Aug. 3 at Cataraqui Golf & Country Club in Kingston, Ont. A tie for the sixth position will be decided by a playoff following the conclusion of play.

The Junior Girls Division will consist of 22 golfers with the top six (including ties) earning an exemption into the 2017 Canadian Junior Girls Championship on Aug. 1-4 at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumberland, Ont.

On July 17, the U.S. Men’s Amateur Qualifier will take place at Granite Golf Club in Stouffville, Ont., while the U.S. Women’s Amateur Qualifier will be hosted by Richmond Country Club in Richmond, B.C.

The current fields consist of 75 men and 17 women competing against each other at their respective qualifiers for a chance to play in the U.S. Men’s Amateur Championship at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., from Aug. 14-20 and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, Calif., from Aug. 7-13.

The men will navigate the gentle rolling countryside of Granite Golf Club, which borders a protected wildlife habitat, that was designed by Canadian golf architect Thomas McBroom. Over at Richmond Country Club, the women will take on one of B.C.’s premiere golf venues set within the greenbelt of the agricultural land reserve.

Highlighting the men’s field is Canada’s top ranked amateur golfer Garrett Rank (No. 90) from Elmira, Ont. In 2016, the 29-year-old won his third consecutive Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and finished T2 at the Sunnehanna Amateur Tournament for Champions.

Also in the men’s competition is 21-year-old Matt Lemay who plays for the Georgian Grizzlies. This season, he won the bronze medal at the PING CCAA Golf National Championships and lead his school team to a silver medal at the OCAA Championships. Back in 2014, he walked away with the Ontario Junior Boys Championship title.

In the women’s contest, Surrey, B.C.’s Michelle Kim leads all Canadians in the field. The 19-year-old is the highest ranked Canadian participant on the World Amateur Golf Rankings at No. 357. Kim is fresh off a T3 finish at the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship at the end of June, and in 2015 she won the Canadian Girls Championship, the B.C. Junior Girls Championship and the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship.

Representing Team Canada’s Development squad is 18-year-old Mary Parsons who successfully defended her 2016 title at the Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific Championship in May. The Delta, B.C. product had four victories in 2016 and finished third at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship.

More information – including tee times – on the Men’s and Women’s Qualifiers.

FERNIE, B.C. – Logan Carver rebounded after a sloppy start to edge the competition in the final holes while Angela Zhang won the girls division at the Future Links, driven by Acura Western Championship at Fernie Golf and Country Club on Thursday.

Carver shot a 3-over-par 73 to complete his wire-to-wire victory by one stroke. The 18-year-old, who held the lead through the first two rounds, recorded four bogeys on the front nine and two more immediately after making the turn to fall three strokes behind both Ty Steinbring and Ethan Choi.

Carver capitalized on late mistakes by the other two boys and finished the tournament going birdie-birdie and scraping out the victory.

Choi (Pincher Creek, Alta.) and Steinbring (Barrhead, Alta.) looked like they were clear of Carver heading down the stretch, but Choi carded two bogeys in his final four holes and Steinbring fell down the leaderboard due to a triple bogey on the 15th hole, opening the door for Carver’s dramatic finish.

Choi carded a final-round 72 to secure his second-place finish while Steinbring shot a 4-over-par 74 to finish in third, two strokes back of Carver.

Rounding out the top six finishers in the boys division who earned exemptions into the 2017 Canadian Junior Boys Championship on July 31-Aug. 3 at Cataraqui Golf and Country Club in Kingston, Ont., are: Bennett Ruby (Waterloo, Ont.), Hunter Thompson (Calgary, Alta.) and Michael Valk (Medicine Hat, Alta.).
Zhang shot a 1-under-par 71 to lock up the girls division and win her first Future Links, driven by Acura event.

The 15-year-old Vancouver native was leading after the first round on Tuesday, but she entered Thursday one shot back of Claire Lovan of Surrey, B.C. Zhang got off to a good start going bogey-free on the front nine and managed to hold off Lovan’s late surge to come away with a two-stroke victory.

Lovan, also 15, struggled to start her final round and carded two bogeys and a double bogey on holes four, five and six. After she made the turn, Lovan managed to close out her round bogey free and dropped in two birdies during her last four holes, but the push was too late to catch Zhang.

Rounding out the top six earning exemptions to the 2017 Canadian Junior Girls Champions on Aug. 1-4 at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumberland, Ont., are: Sydney Scraba (Calgary, Atla.), Tillie Claggett (Calgary, Alta.), Taylor Stone (Calgary, Alta.) and Stephanie Chelack (Calgary, Alta.).