Maude-Aimée LeBlanc will be participating in the U.S. Women’s Open from July 7 to 10. She won her spot Tuesday at the Hermitage Country Club in Manakin-Sabot, Va., finishing three shots ahead of the field.

The qualifying selections are decided during a marathon 36-hole event.

LeBlanc had started off with a solid 71 in the morning round and came back stronger in the afternoon with a 68 bogey-free round featuring four birdies.

She is eligible as a regular LPGA member for all tournaments except invitational tournaments and national championships which include the British Open.

The U.S. Women’s Open will be held at CordeValle in San Martin, Calif., in six weeks.

LeBlanc’s decision to remain in Virginia despite the disappointment of being eliminated last Friday midway through the Kingsmill Championship paid off for the Sherbrooke, Que. native.

“It’s official, I’ll be playing in the 2016 Open,” she proudly posted to Facebook after securing her spot.

Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON – Niagara College’s Professional Golf Management (PGM) program celebrated their continued support of Golf in Schools with a donation exceeding $1,900 to three schools in the Niagara region (with additional funds to follow).

The donation marks the sixth consecutive year students in the PGM program have donated to Golf Canada’s in-school program. Since 2010, over $10,000 has been raised resulting in 14 Niagara schools adopted into the Golf in Schools program. Funds are generated through the program’s PGM Invitational Golf Tournament, an annual fundraising event conducted by the 3^rd year PGM class that attracts 80 participants including students, alumni, faculty, and industry supporters.

With the funds, Niagara College adopted three intermediate schools in the St. Catharine’s region. Each school received the intermediate kit (valued at $635), which comes equipped with age-appropriate equipment and a teacher-friendly learning resource that was developed in conjunction with PHE Canada and the PGA of Canada.

“On behalf of Golf Canada, I’m very proud of the continued dedication of the professional golf management students at Niagara College and their support of junior golf in their community,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “Their investment in the Golf in Schools program represents an important link between education, community and junior golfers—the future of our sport.”

Grant Fraser, Coordinator of the PGM program at Niagara College, continues to see the benefits of this initiative for the community, the college and his PGM students.

“I believe that it is important for the golf community to support the Golf in Schools program and to do all we can to help grow the game. The professional golf management students at Niagara College are part of that community,” said Fraser. “One of the key topics we discuss in our Event Management class is the importance of giving back and doing what we can to introduce the game to students at schools throughout the Niagara region. Supporting Golf Canada’s Golf in Schools program helps us do this.”

Niagara College’s generous contributions have added to the national total of over 2,900 schools delivering the best-in-class program. Offered at the elementary, intermediate and high school level, Golf in Schools has instilled the fundamental values and life skills associated with golf to over 300,000 Canadian students.

Just like the game itself, says Bernard Brault, taking golf photos may look easy but it takes dedication and talent to become exceptional at either.

“To get really great photos is really hard,” says the native of Montreal who has been playing the game and chronicling it through a lens for most of his 60 years.

Nancy Lopez in a bunker during Brault’s first professionnal golf assignment at Vallée du Richelieu during the Peter Jackson Classic. (Bernard Brault)

Jan Stephenson kisses the trophy after winning the Peter Jackson Classic at the Summerlea Golf Club. (Bernard Brault)

Joanne Carner flips her putter during the Peter Jackson Classic at the Summerlea Golf Club. (Bernard Brault)

Since his first photo was published almost 40 years ago in Le Courrier du Sud, a weekly newspaper in his hometown of Longueuil, Que., Brault has taken an unbelievable number of memorable photos, not just of golf but also of other sports, travel, and news events.

How incredible is that number?

“In 2015, I took 456,000 photos.” Extrapolate that over a 40-year career!

Working since 1984 for the Montreal daily La Presse, plus stints with United Press Canada and Reuters, Brault says golf is one of the most challenging assignments faced by a photographer.

Brad Faxon hits his tee shot on the 10th hole during the final round of the Championnat de Quebec, part of the Champions Tour. (Bernard Brault)

“You have to be in the right place at the right time with the right light. You’re not in an arena, a closed space. You have to be all over the course. It takes a lot of skill and a lot of luck, sometimes.

Long before becoming Golf Canada’s official photographer 20 years ago, Brault had immortalized many Canadian golf events. His first golf photos were of the 1979 Peter Jackson Classic.

His first major assignment was the 1980 RBC Canadian Open at Royal Montreal Golf Club, where he got to shoot Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and other legends.

The legendary Jack Nicklaus hits a shot in the rough during the first round of the Canadian Open at the Royal Montreal Golf Club. (Bernard Brault)

Although he has covered dozens of tournaments since, his favourite remains the 1997 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal where Mike Weir gave Canadian fans a thrill by defeating Tiger Woods in their singles match.

Tiger Woods hits a fairway wood on the fairway of the 6th hole during the first round of the Canadian Open at the Royal Montreal Golf Club. (Bernard Brault)

No matter what the venue or the profile of the event, Brault says the challenges remain the same.

“I think a lot of golf fans think they would like to trade places with us photographers because we are inside the ropes, close to the action.

Camilo Villegas lines his putt. (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)

“What they don’t know is how difficult the job is. With camera bodies and lenses and so on, we are carrying about 20 to 25 pounds of gear. If the weather is bad but the players are out there, so are we. And some players just don’t like having photographers there but we have to do our job.

“What everyone has to understand is that we are not paparazzi. We are professionals. And we are proud of what we do.”

Michele Wie on the tee off early in the morning. (Bernard Brault)

Brittany Lincicome holding a giant dragonfly on the green. (Bernard Brault)

Brault is the definition of a professional, as witnessed by his multiple honours, about 300 in total, including Canadian Photographer of the Year in 1996 and 2007 and National Newspaper Award finalist in 1996 and 2008.

Brault, who admits to playing upwards of 100 rounds a year in the late 1990s, has cut back his golf as he spends time with his partner Martine St-Pierre and their daughter Mathilde.

He has no inclination to do the same with his photography and that is good news for Canadian golf fans.

Jason Day reacts after sinking a putt on the 18th hole to win the 2015 edition of the RBC Canadian Open held at Glen Abbey Golf Club. (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)

To mark the arrival of the golf season, Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada are pleased to launch the new website for PGA Junior League delivered by CN Future Links.

Structured in a team vs. team format, PGA Junior League builds on the fun, social aspect of golf through its welcoming environment. Led by team captains, each squad hosts 9-hole matches against neighbouring facilities in their community throughout the summer.

Each match is conducted using the scramble format, encouraging juniors to strategize their shots together while limiting the stress of individual performance. Teams consist of two competitors at a time, with substitutes to be rotated under the direction of the team captains. Parents, adults and Community Golf Coaches are also encouraged to join as scorers and match monitors.

A highly successful program in the United States, PGA Junior League joins the CN Future Links suite of programming with many years of success and a strong track record.

To register a team at your facility, visit the brand new website at www.pgajrleague.ca

PARKSVILLE, B.C. – Student athletes from the nation’s top university and college golf teams will measure their mettle at the 2016 edition of the Canadian University/College Championship. The 14^th playing of the championship will be held May 31 to June 3 at Morningstar Golf Club in Parksville, B.C.

Conducted by Golf Canada, the event was created to provide Canada’s best university and college golfers with the opportunity to compete in a national event. The University of Victoria Vikes will play host as the country’s student athletes gather at Morningstar Golf Club. The Les Furber design founded in 1991 has been home to the 2009 and 2012 CN Future Links Pacific Championships, the 2010 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship and the B.C. event on the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour.

“We are delighted to host this national championship and to welcome the teams and Golf Canada to the city of Parksville,” said Mike Loftus, Host Club Tournament Chair and Vice-President of Sales at the club. “The course is in excellent condition and this competition will add another exciting chapter to the history of our club. We look forward to the challenge it will provide these young men and women.”

“The Canadian University/College Championship is an excellent stage to showcase the talents of the country’s best collegiate golfers,” said Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “It is an honour for these players to represent their schools. This championship is a culmination of their year-long efforts both in the classroom and on the course. I know they will each make their schools proud.”

The University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds men’s team looks to defend its national title following a decisive wire-to-wire win at the 2015 championship at Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ont. Jack Wood, 2014 individual champion Scott Secord and Evan Holmes will return in an effort to recreate the success which saw the team register a 12-stroke victory last year. Holmes of Calgary finished two strokes clear of the competition to claim individual honours.

Julie Brossoit, Caroline Ciot, Veronique Fortin-Latreille and Sarah-Andréa Landry of the Université de Montréal Carabins women’s team hung on to capture team honours in 2015. The quartet will return as the school chases a third national collegiate championship. Brynn Tomie of Bedford, N.S. – now graduated after having completed her studies at the University of Victoria – won last year’s individual title.

The 2016 competition will feature 20 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams from across the country vying for the national championship titles. Following the third round, the field will be reduced to the top 10 men’s teams and the top six women’s teams, in addition to any individuals within 15 shots of the lead.

Additional information regarding the 2016 championship, including full team rosters, can be found here.

2016 UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP – MEN’S TEAMS:

• Camosun College Chargers
• Concordia University Stingers
• École de technologie supérieure Piranhas
• Georgian College Grizzlies
• Niagara College Knights
• Queen’s University Gaels
• Université du Montréal Carabins
• Université Laval Rouge et Or
• University of Alberta Golden Bears
• University of British Columbia Thunderbirds
• University of Calgary Dino’s
• University of Guelph Gryphons
• University of Lethbridge Pronghorns
• University of Manitoba Bisons
• University of the Fraser Valley Cascades
• University of Toronto Varsity Blues
• University of Waterloo Warriors
• University of Western Mustangs
• University of Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks
• University of Victoria Vikes

2016 UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP – WOMEN’S TEAMS:

• Humber College Hawks
• Queen’s University Gaels
• Université du Montréal Carabins
• Université Laval Rouge et Or
• University of Alberta Pandas
• University of British Columbia Thunderbirds
• University of Lethbridge Pronghorns
• University of Toronto Varsity Blues
• University of Victoria Vikes
• University of Waterloo Warriors
• University of Western Mustangs
• University of Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks

IRVING, Texas – For Jordan Spieth, it only seems as if it has been a while since he topped a leaderboard. For Ben Crane, it actually had been.

Crane shot a 7-under 63 on Friday at the Byron Nelson to take the second-round lead at 12-under 128. He was one stroke ahead of a quartet of players that included Spieth, playing only his second tournament since squandering a five-stroke lead on the back nine when trying to win his second consecutive Masters.

Spieth was alone in the lead for a bit while playing in the morning, but after finishing his round of 65 was tied at the top with Brooks Koepka (64) and Bud Cauley (65). First-round co-leader Sergio Garcia also joined them after a 66 later in the day.

“It hasn’t been that long,” said Spieth, speaking before Crane’s afternoon round. “The Masters felt like it was quite a while ago and that’s why it almost feels like, that’s why I’m getting the questions, ‘Was it nice to have your name back on top?’ Well, I mean (it was) two tournaments ago.”

Canada’s Adam Hadwin is four shots back and tied for eighth. The Abbotsford, B.C., native birdied two of his last three holes to finish with a 66. Fellow Canadians Graham DeLaet, of Weyburn, Sask., and Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont., are projected to miss the cut.

The last time Crane had led a tournament was going wire-to-wire to win at Memphis two years ago, the last of his five PGA Tour victories and his last top-10 finish. This is his 48th tournament since.

Crane, who turned 40 in March, took the lead after six birdies in an eight-hole stretch during the afternoon, including a 70-footer from a greenside bunker at the par-4 third hole, his 12th of the day, to get to 10 under for the tournament. He initially took the outright lead with a 3-foot birdie putt at the par-4 sixth.

“I’ve been struggling really for three years now, but intermittent bits of encouragement,” Crane said. “This has been one of those weeks where I feel like my game is really coming around.”

His only bogey came on his 17th hole Friday, the 463-yard eighth hole where his first two shots found the primary rough before his 16-foot par chance curled under the cup. Crane had two-putted from 50 feet on the previous hole to save par, and regained the outright lead with his final stroke of the day, a 14-foot birdie putt to match the best 36-hole score at Lord Byron’s tournament.

“A great way to finish and just kind of good continuation of all the good stuff that was happening throughout the day,” Crane said.

After the Masters last month, Spieth didn’t play again until missing the cut last week at The Players Championship. The Dallas native and world’s No. 2-ranked player is now at TPC Four Seasons, where he played his first PGA Tour event as a 16-year-old amateur six years ago and finished in a tie for 16th, still the best of his five previous starts there.

Spieth has hit 33 of 36 greens so far, and the only one he missed Friday was No. 9, his final hole of the day. He pitched to 11 feet and saved par.

“I still got pretty frustrated at times because I would have a really good wedge number … that should be within 10 feet all day,” he said. “With the size of the greens, my misses are still holding the greens. I’ve had so many 40-footers out here I’ve managed to get in in two putts.”

Spieth made the turn after three consecutive birdies, two-putting from 45 feet at the par-5 16th and rolling in a 35-footer at the par-3 17th. A 30-foot birdie try at No. 2 curled just under the hole, and a 45-foot eagle chance at the par-5 7th hole stopped just short. His only bogey Friday was a three-putt at the par-3 13th, the same as in his opening 64.

Even without feeling like he’s playing his best golf, Spieth has had consecutive rounds in the mid-60s.

“Great sign,” Spieth said.

D.A. Points had nine birdies and a bogey through 13 holes in his second round, then parred the last five holes to finish a round of 62, the best round of the day and nine strokes better than his first round.

Defending champion Steven Bowditch shot 70 on Friday and just made the cut at 2-under 138. The Australian who lives in North Texas had missed the cut in his five previous tournaments, and seven of the last nine.

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Through 36 holes of the Web.com Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation, Cheng Tsung Pan and Matt Fast sit tied for the lead at 13-under 130.

Fast entered Friday’s second round with a share of the first-round lead, following an 8-under 63 at tournament host Thornblade Club on Thursday.

At The Reserve at Lake Keowee, the former Mississippi State golfer kept his momentum intact, posting six birdies en route to a 5-under 67 – good for a 13-under 130 tally and the outright lead for all of one hour before Pan finished play.

Playing much of the second round amidst overcast skies and scattered showers, Fast shined early on the Jack Nicklaus-designed course adjacent to Lake Keowee, posting three birdies in his first five holes of the day.

His torrid start, however, gave way to a mid-round lull featuring 10 consecutive pars from No. 6 through No. 15.

“It was frustrating there for a while,” Fast said. “I was hitting it good and not getting anything out of it.”

Fast’s failure to convert birdie tries ended abruptly, and in stellar fashion, over his final three holes. Approach shots to 3 feet, 15 feet and 10 feet rounded out a closing tear for the 29-year-old, who converted each birdie try for a three-birdie finish that vaulted him from a tie for eighth into the solo lead, albeit temporarily.

“I hit 17 greens today. Just about everything was 10 to 20 feet,” said Fast after his round. “I was just trying to stay patient out there, because I wasn’t really making anything.”

Fast entered the week at No. 79 on the money list, posting just one top-25 this year – a T23 effort at last week’s Rex Hospital Open.

The 36-hole lead in Greenville marks his second of the year, dating back to a pair of opening 65s at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by NACHER, which gave way to a T26 finish.

Fast will play his third course in three days on Saturday, but he insists the simplicity of approach remains the same.

“It’s a different course with different greens, but it’s the same deal,” Fast said. “Get the ball in the fairway and give yourself as many looks as you can. It’s all about getting in position for Sunday at Thornblade, because everyone knows this is a shootout.”

For Pan, Friday’s round at The Reserve at Lake Keowee was a veritable flurry of red figures, with seven birdies and a dramatic hole-out for eagle on the par-4 18th (his ninth) giving way to a second-round 63.

The former University of Washington star birdied three of his first eight holes before holing a 6-iron from 173 yards on the uphill 18th.

“I hit it really good, really pure. I hit it just like I wanted to, and then my friends on the green started yelling, ‘It’s in! It’s in!” said Pan. “It was really good to make an eagle there. It’s a tough hole, so it was nice to do something special.”

Pan birdied Nos. 1 and 2 to reach 7-under for the day before closing with a pair of birdies on Nos. 8 and 9 amidst a brief downpour and strong winds to match Fast atop the 36-hole leaderboard.

The Chinese Taipei native competed on Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada last year, winning The Players Cup and the Cape Breton Classic on his way to a second-place finish on the season-ending Order of Merit.

The experience, he says, prepared him for his year on the Web.com Tour, where he is two days away from possibly claiming the biggest win of his young career.

“I played well last year up in Canada, winning twice. I love the feeling of winning, so I want to get back to there,” he said. “I know we have a lot of holes left, so winning is not something I’ll put in my mind right now. I just want to keep making more birdies.”

Brandon Hagy and Matt Atkins are tied for third at 12 under par, one shot back of the co-leaders.

Hagy turned professional in 2014 after a heralded career at Cal-Berkeley, where he earned consensus first-team “All America” honors as a senior, the prestigious Byron Nelson Award and was named to the U.S. Palmer Cup team that summer.

Since then, the 25-year-old has split time between the PGA TOUR and the Web.com Tour, notching three starts on the latter in 2016 alone, with a T8 at the El Bosque Mexico Championship presented by INNOVA serving as his best finish. The top-10 in Mexico marked the first of his career on the Web.com Tour, coming in his 12th start since turning professional.

“I was second in Evansville going into Saturday. I didn’t have a good weekend, but I was pretty close there,” he said, referencing the Web.com Tour’s recent United Leasing & Finance Championship. “You just have to draw on all sorts of experiences in the past – leading tournaments, winning college events, all of that type of stuff helps. It’s still just hitting a white ball around a course.”

Like Hagy, Atkins opened his week at The Reserve at Lake Keowee, posting a 6-under 66 before matching his first-round score with a follow-up 66 at The Preserve at Verdae.

The former University of South Carolina-Aiken golfer posted seven birdies against just one bogey on the day, including birdies on each of his final two holes – the par-4 eighth and the par-5 ninth.

Atkins, currently 11th on the money list, has had a breakthrough season on the Web.com Tour. The Owensboro, Kentucky native has two top-5 finishes this year, including a runner-up effort at the Club Colombia Championship presented by Claro, where he fell victim to a 72nd-hole birdie by winner Sebastian Munoz.

Drew Weaver, Julian Etulain and Jason Allred are all tied for fifth at 11 under par.

At The Reserve at Lake Keowee, Calgary’s Ryan Yip was 2-under 70 and sits T37. Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., carded a 68 to move into a tie for 47th. Eugene Wong shot 71 and is T100. Richmond Hill, Ont., native Taylor Pendrith – a member of Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad – was 1-under.

Adam Svensson was even-par on the day at Thornblade; at 5-under, the Surrey, B.C., product is T47. For the second consecutive day, Ontarians Ben Silverman (Concord) and Young Pro Squad member Mackenzie Hughes shot matching scores. The pair carded 68s and sit T90. Edmonton’s Wil Bateman matched his opening 72 and is T121.

Completing the quartet of Young Pro Squad members in the field was Toronto’s Albin Choi, who tallied a 1-under 71 at The Preserve at Verdae.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – So Yeon Ryu had six birdies in an eight-hole stretch and shot a 7-under 64 on Friday to take the second-round lead in the Kingsmill Championship.

Ranked 11th in the world but sixth in the race for the four spots on South Korea’s Olympic team, Ryu opened with a bogey on the 10th hole, then used the birdie run to make the turn in 5-under 30.

“I’ve been putting really nice,” Ryu said. “My first hole I made a bogey, but it felt really great the next two holes. I made birdie-birdie right away. Even my shot and birdie putt, and putting – I think today just everything was really working well.”

The 2011 U.S. Women’s Open champion added birdies on the par-4 fourth and par-5 seventh and closed with two pars to reach 7-under 135 on the soggy River Course.

“This one is definitely my favorite golf course that we play,” Ryu said. “I consistently play really well here, so I feel really comfortable to stay here. I think I just really like the atmosphere, so I really enjoy it. So enjoying it makes me play better.”

Fourth-ranked Stacy Lewis, No. 6 Amy Yang and first-round leader Mika Miyazato were a stroke back. Lewis had a bogey-free 66, Yang had a 67, and Miyazato followed her opening 65 with a 71.

Lewis tied for second two weeks ago in Alabama for her 10th runner-up finish in a 49-event drought. The 11-time tour winner has 23 career second-place finishes.

“The putts were going in,” Lewis said. “I hit the ball a lot better today and gave myself some better looks and made the putts. The golf course is just playing hard. It’s playing long. You have a lot of long irons into the par 4s, so you’re not going to make a ton of birdies, and when you do hit it close, you need to make the putt.”

Yang birdied the first three holes. She’s No. 2 in the South Korean Olympic standings.

“I was hitting better than yesterday, more solid at impact, making more solid putts, and made some, too,” Yang said. “I left a couple of good chances out there, but looking forward to playing on the weekend. I’ve been working with my coach on my swing and feeling good about it.”

Rain is expected over the weekend on the already wet course.

“It’s just going to be a long weekend,” Lewis said. “You get ready for that. You get ready for delays and playing in the wet, and this golf course is going to get even harder. You just kind of mentally prepare for it and know it’s going to happen, and if it doesn’t, that’s a great thing.”

Defending champion Minjee Lee was in the group at 5 under after a 71. The 19-year-old Australian won last year at Kingsmill in a Monday finish and added her second tour title last month in Hawaii.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko was 1 under after 68. The 19-year-old New Zealander won the Kia Classic and major ANA Inspiration in consecutive weeks in Southern California.

Second-ranked Inbee Park, playing alongside Ko, withdrew after six holes because of a lingering left thumb injury. The tournament was her first after a month out because of the injury.

Third-ranked Lexi Thompson, also in the group with Ko, matched Ko at 1 under after a 69. Thompson is coming off a victory two weeks ago on the Japan LPGA.

Fifth-ranked Brooke Henderson, playing with Lewis, also was 1 under after a 71.

Michelle Wie missed the cut with rounds of 72 and 78. She’s winless since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open and hasn’t had a top-10 finish in 35 events.

Maude-Aimée Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., carded a second consecutive 74, while Kelowna, B.C., native Samantha Richdale shot 73.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Kenny Perry navigated condition changes and a course he’s still learning to retain the Regions Tradition lead.

Perry shot a 2-under 70 on Friday to maintain a one-stroke advantage over Bernhard Langer and Billy Andrade after two rounds. The course was hit by early light rain and the wind switched directions from the opening day.

Perry had three birdies and a bogey to reach 10-under 134 at Greystone in the first of the year’s five PGA Tour Champions majors. The 2014 Regions Tradition winner has missed only one green in regulation in the first two days.

Conditions changed after his bogey-free opening 64. Tournament officials opted for a two-tee start because of weather concerns, with Perry and Langer starting on the 10th tee. The course received 0.14 inches of rain overnight and in the morning, forcing a 30-minute delay to start but escaping any heavy rain during play.

“Totally different golf course,” Perry said. “We had northeasterly winds (Thursday). I think today was southerly, and so the golf course played totally different. A lot longer, I thought.

“A lot of the par 5s I was hitting 6 and 7 iron into, I was hitting 5 woods and woods in today, so pretty challenging. I mean, plus, I don’t have a lot of experience here so that was kind of hard. You’re kind of out there guessing.”

Langer picked up one stroke with a round that also included a single bogey. But he finished better after closing Thursday with a bogey.

“(I) didn’t make all the putts I wanted to make, but made a few par saving putts there toward the end,” Langer said. “So I’m right there, good chance for the weekend. Just got to get my game together.”

Andrade birdied the final hole for a 68, including six birdies and two bogeys. Other players told him coming in that he’d like the course, and it’s proving true so far.

“It kind of fits my style and I knew that going in,” Andrade said.

Three players are at 8 under, including Gene Sauers, Scott McCarron and last year’s runner up Kevin Sutherland.

Sauers and McCarron both returned from multi-year hiatuses from their playing careers at one point, though for very different reasons.

Sauers shot a 70 for a two-day total of 136. He had a bogey and three birdies, all in the final six holes with nothing but pars the rest of the way. Sauers has four runner-up finishes on the senior tour and hasn’t won since the PGA Tour’s Air Canada Championship in 2002.

He missed seven years because of a rare skin condition, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, that clogged blood vessels in his arms and legs and eventually caused his skin to burn from the inside out.

McCarron eagled the par-5 second hole after opening with his only bogey of the round for a 66. Also a TV analyst, he won three PGA Tour championships despite giving up pro golf for four years to work in his family’s clothing business.

Sutherland had his second straight 68.

Recently turned 50, John Daly finished with his second straight roller-coaster 70. He had a triple bogey to go to 4 over through three holes and also had a string of four birdies in six holes.

Defending champion Jeff Maggert was 3 under after a 73.

Calgary’s Stephen Ames was 1-under and sits T39. St. Catharines, Ont., native Rod Spittle shot a second straight 72 and is tied for 50th.

MIDLAND, Ont. – Canada’s junior golfing talents will gather in Midland, Ont., for the 2016 CN Future Links Ontario Championship from May 27-29. Players will test their skills during a practice round on May 26 before the 54-hole stroke play tournament gets underway.

The CN Future Links Ontario Championship is the second in a series of six junior competitions played across the nation in partnership with CN. Midland Golf & Country Club boasts a rich history of tradition and has challenged local golfers in the Georgian Bay area since its founding in 1919.

“Golf Canada is proud to bring this year’s edition of the CN Future Links Ontario Championship to Midland Golf & Country Club. This picturesque course will provide an excellent opportunity for these fine athletes to test their games in the early part of the season,” said Justine Decock, the competition’s Tournament Director.

Thomas ‘Jack’ Simpson will return in an attempt to defend his CN Future Links Ontario title. Last year, the Team Canada Men’s Development Squad member chipped in for eagle on the first extra hole to capture a thrilling playoff victory.

The full complement of the National Team Women’s Development Squad will be in attendance at Midland Golf & Country Club. Grace St-Germain of Orleans, Ont., will look to improve upon last year’s third-place result at Pine Knot Golf & Country Club in Dorchester, Ont., where Alyssa Getty finished 6-over 219 to claim victory.

Joining St-Germain are Surrey, B.C., native Hannah Lee and Chloe Currie of Mississauga, Ont., who will attempt to take lessons learned in the past year to build upon their respective fifth and T15 finishes from a year ago. Squad members Tiffany Kong (Vancouver) and Kathrine Chan (Richmond, B.C.) will complete the Team Canada contingent.

Four additional CN Future Links Championships will cross the country this summer:

• June 3-5 – CN Future Links Quebec – Beauceville, Que. – Club de golf Beauceville
• June 10-12 – CN Future Links Prairie – Neepawa, Man. – Neepawa Golf & Country Club
• July 4-6 – CN Future Links Western – Medicine Hat, Alta. – Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club
• July 12-14 – CN Future Links Atlantic – Fairview, P.E.I. – Countryview Golf Club

The top six finishers in the Junior Boys division will gain entry into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship to be contested August 1-4 at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L. In the case of ties, exemptions will be decided via hole-by-hole playoff. All players within the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls division will each earn exemptions into this year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship, hosted by The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S., from August 2-5.

Prior to the championship on Wednesday, May 25, Golf Canada and Special Olympics Canada will hold the second of two regional competitions in support of Special Olympics golf. The first event was held at The Dunes at Kamloops Golf Club before the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. A field of 24 local athletes will compete over nine holes. Following the event, PGA of Canada professionals will conduct a clinic for Special Olympics coaches and athletes with a focus on improving skills and leadership within the sport.

Additional information regarding the 2016 CN Future Links Ontario Championship, including participants, start times and up-to-date results can be found here.