LAKE FOREST, Ill. – This is one of those weeks where Jordan Spieth felt confident enough to make a guarantee.

He wasn’t talking golf. He was talking hotels.

“When they ask what day I’m checking out I can say, `I’m checking out on Sunday.’ It’s nice,” Spieth said.

He was joking. Maybe.

Spieth missed the cut in the opening two FedEx Cup playoff events, the first time in his career he has gone home early in back-to-back events. He managed to go back to No. 1 in the world for one week before returning the ranking to Rory McIlroy during an off week. The slow start in the PGA Tour postseason did cost him No. 1 in the FedEx Cup, though he still has a clear shot at the $10 million bonus next week in Atlanta.

The BMW Championship starts Thursday with a 70-man field and no cut at all. So the 22-year-old has that going for him.

The third FedEx Cup playoff event is the final stop before the top 30 advance to the Tour Championship next week at East Lake. It’s important to get into the top five because those players only have to win the Tour Championship to claim golf’s biggest payoff. The top three – Jason Day, Spieth and Rickie Fowler – are assured of that.

Most of the drama figures to be at the bottom.

This is how the final stop before Atlanta is shaping up:

THE TOP: Henrik Stenson has moved from No. 41 to No. 4 in two weeks without winning. He was runner-up to Day at The Barclays and runner-up to Fowler at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Another runner-up finish at Conway Farms could move him all the way up to No. 2.

Winners of FedEx Cup playoff events usually only have to win to assure going into the top five. But there has been so much dominance this year – Day, Spieth and Fowler have combined for 10 wins on the PGA Tour – that down to No. 29 has a mathematical chance to get into the top five. That spot belongs to Russell Knox, who says his best club right now is the putter.

THE BUBBLE: Louis Oosthuizen is holding down the 30th spot, and he’ll have to play decent to keep it.

The trouble might be right above him. There’s a history in the BMW Championship of players just inside the top 30 having a poor week and falling out. Bill Haas is at No. 27, and he knows the sting of narrowly missing out. Haas finished at No. 31 in 2010 and at No. 32 in 2012.

Harris English is No. 32 and has bad memories of this event. He wound up No. 32 a year ago and No. 31 the year before that.

The last time the BMW was at Conway Farms, Matt Jones missed a 7-foot putt on the last hole that cost him a trip to East Lake.

THE BOTTOM: George McNeill is at No. 70 and needs a great week to advance.

The focus is on Hunter Mahan at No. 52, mainly because he has never missed a playoff event since the FedEx Cup began in 2007. He tied for fourth in Boston to advance, but needs another big week to keep his streak alive.

Jerry Kelly had to make a 3-foot birdie putt on his final hole in Boston just to get to Chicago. His clock is ticking.

THE LATE ARRIVAL: Sergio Garcia would like to get to the Tour Championship, though the Spaniard is not losing sleep over it. Otherwise, he would have played much sooner than the BMW Championship. Garcia sat out The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship, and his standing dropped from No. 31 to No. 54.

He still earned as many points as Spieth (no points for two missed cuts), although Spieth could afford it.

MICKELSON: Phil Mickelson was planning to shut it down for the year until he was picked for the U.S. team at the Presidents Cup. He is No. 61 and will be done for the year unless he finishes around third. But his enthusiasm for the game suddenly picked up.

“This is the most excited I’ve been this late in the year because I’m looking forward to being on the team,” Mickelson said. “It’s meant a lot to me to be a part of that team, and I want to play well and I want to get some momentum.”

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The best remaining players on the PGA Tour are north of Chicago for the third straight tournament that features an $8.25 million purse and a chance to claim the $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup.

The rest are in North Carolina for the second event in the Web.com Tour Finals, which offers a $1 million purse and a chance to keep their jobs.

Sean O’Hair knows both worlds.

Less than a year ago, O’Hair finished another fruitless season and was relegated to trying to earn his full card back at the Web.com Tour Finals. He missed two straight cuts, and then came through in the third event with a tie for third that effectively locked up his job status.

And now he’s at the BMW Championship with Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and the rest of golf’s biggest stars. O’Hair is No. 38 in the FedEx Cup, on the cusp of moving into the top 30 and advancing to the Tour Championship, which would get him into the majors next year and give him a mathematical chance at golf’s biggest payoff.

“This is not pressure,” O’Hair said Wednesday. “Pressure is trying to keep your job. This is opportunity.”

Pressure was what he endured a year ago after finishing 160th in the FedEx Cup and being relegated to the Web.com Tour Finals, his world ranking at No. 513 and his doubts about his future starting to fill his head.

It was his second straight year at the tour’s new version of Q-school. It wasn’t much fun.

“I had to ask myself, `Do I still want to do this?’ And then I had to ask myself, `Do I still have the drive to do what it takes?’ And I was able to answer both those questions,” O’Hair. “I had to remind myself that I wasn’t a Web.com player.”

The secret was to keep his game simple.

O’Hair realized that for too long, he was relying on too many people who offered advice and instruction on his game. He began leaning more on them than his own instincts, which ran against how he reached this stage in the first place.

He works with a club pro in Philadelphia, though more as a second set of eyes. O’Hair puts in the work on his own.

Wednesday was no different. He stuck to a strict schedule nearly three hours before his tee time in the pro-am at Conway Farms – a putting drill for 30 minutes, a visit to the physical therapist for stretching, range time and the pro-am. The time was filled more with concentration than chatter.

That’s the work ethic that made this year such a strong recovery.

It started in March when O’Hair made four birdies over the last six holes and saved par on the final hole for a 67 to get into a three-way playoff with Spieth and Patrick Reed in the Valspar Championship. He had a 12-foot putt to win on the second extra hole to win only for the ball to spin hard out of the lip, and then Spieth won it on the next hole with a 35-foot birdie putt.

Still, it was a boost that brought some stability to O’Hair’s game. He had another chance at the Greenbrier Classic, and he started the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship on Labor Day two shots out of the lead and tied for fourth.

One more week like that and he’ll be at East Lake.

But that’s the goal of so many others this week at Conway Farms. Day, Spieth and Boston winner Rickie Fowler are virtually certain to be in the top five in the FedEx Cup going to Atlanta, meaning they only have to win the Tour Championship to claim the $10 million prize.

Henrik Stenson is at No. 4 after runner-up finishes in the opening two playoff events. Hunter Mahan is at No. 52 and is trying to keep alive his streak of never missing a playoff event since the FedEx Cup began in 2007. Harris English is No. 32. He missed the Tour Championship by one spot in 2013 and by two spots a year ago.

So there’s a lot at stake in an event that has no cut. It just doesn’t feel that way to O’Hair, who has turned one corner by getting into the FedEx Cup playoffs, which sure beats where he was at this time a year ago.

DIVOTS: BMW has become an official partner of USA Golf Federation for golf’s return to the Olympics next year in Rio. … The top three in the FedEx Cup will be grouped together – Day, Spieth and Fowler. They have combined for 11 wins worldwide and three majors this year, and Day (27) is the oldest in the group. … Sergio Garcia is playing in the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time after sitting out the last two events. He fell from No. 31 to No. 54.

Although Team Canada’s Tristan Mullally can recite every line of Caddyshack, his busy days on the course are very far from Journey songs and chasing gophers.

Rather, he relates more to giving the game everything you have, and in turn it will give it back to you—a philosophy he passes on to the women of Team Canada’s National Squad.

Mullally, a native of Straffan, County Kildare, took over the reigns as Team Canada Women’s Head Coach in 2011. Since that time, the PGA of Canada Class ‘A’ member has imparted his work ethic to five different National Squads (with a sixth to be announced in late September).

Among the athletes, Mullally has shared many successes that helped pave the way for Canada’s next generation of elite golfers. Most notably, Mullally is recognized for helping Canadian teen sensation Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., in her journey to the LPGA—something he doesn’t take lightly.

“Brooke is a special player; we knew that ever since she joined our program in 2011. It’s been a privilege to coach her, along with all the other girls on our National Squads, who have racked up many impressive results of their own.”

In the 2014/15 season alone, Team Canada notched two victories on the Symetra Tour from Young Pro Squad member Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., and National Squad graduate Augusta James of Bath, Ont. Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Richmond Hill, Ont.—also on the Young Pro Squad—followed suit with her first professional win on the Canadian Women’s Tour in June.

Mullally’s role expanded to accommodate the newly introduced Young Pro Squad—which includes Henderson in addition to Kim and Lee-Bentham.

“The program extends the support of the National Team staff to our elite young amateurs as they make the difficult transition to the professional ranks,” said the 2014 Petro Canada Coaching Excellence Award winner. “Sure, my schedule got busier, but I am behind the initiative one-hundred percent—it is a big part of the goal of placing our athletes amongst the world’s best.”

On top of Team Canada’s professional success, Mullally’s strategy continues to focus on developing the National Amateur Squad—which also garnered impressive results this year, including wins at the Ontario and Alberta Amateur Championships, as well as on the Cactus Tour.

As anticipated, both Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., and Jennifer Ha of Calgary turned professional in late August—following the upward trend outlined for Team Canada’s athletes. It also signifies a transition period for the team, with the selection process underway for 2016/17.

“It’s always an exciting time of year for the coaches, as we get to reflect on the success of the athletes and look forward to welcoming new players, new personalities and new challenges into our program,” said Mullally.

Details on next year’s Team Canada are expected to be announced in early October. Selection criteria can be viewed here.

LONDON, Ont.—Highland Country Club isn’t your obvious venue to contest a modern championship among a group of golf’s rising stars.

Hidden off one of the main roads in the heart of London, Highland is an old school country club that this week plays host to the Mackenzie Tour/PGA Tour Canada’s Freedom 55 Financial Championship, which will see the tour’s top 59 golfers compete for a spot on the Web.com Tour. The tour’s best players—JJ Spaun, Cheng Tsung Pan,  and the likes of Canadian bomber Taylor Pendrith and breakthrough rookie Adam Svensson—will battle it out on a golf course that is nearing its century mark.

Vancouver’s Ryan Williams knows the level of competition on the Mackenzie Tour well. He’s been competing on the tour for eight years, and last year won the Freedom 55 Championship when the tournament was at Sunningdale, a private club that hosted the tournament the first two years it was in London.

“The tour is so much better and deeper than when I first started,” Williams says. “No one is scared of anyone else and everyone is trying to kick everyone else’s ass.”

One of the keys is the fact there’s no cut at the Mackenzie Tour finale. On one hand Williams says that removes some of the pressure, but it also pushes players to make as many birdies as they can.

“When you come into the tour championship and you know there’s no cut, you just get up and go for it,” he says.

Ian Andrew, a golf architect from Brantford, Ont., knows the course this week’s tournament will be contested on exceptionally well. He renovated the course, and continues to consult to the club, making slight changes to some tees and rebuilding the par 3 sixth hole. An acknowledged expert in the work of Stanley Thompson, Andrew says Highland may not have the length many expect from a modern design, but compensates for it with some devilish holes and tricky greens.

“I do think it is a place where a lot of players aren’t just going to hit driver off the tee all day,” Andrew says. “It is going to be won or lost on the par 3s, especially holes like the second, the 12^th and the 15^th.”

The course was designed by two of Canada’s most famous golfers—the Thompson brothers, Nicol, who was the longtime pro at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, and Stanley, Canada’s most noted golf designer. In the early 1920s the brothers, along with Toronto Golf Club professional George Cumming, operated a design firm, which is how they became involved with Highland.

The course’s nines will be flipped for the Mackenzie Tour’s final event of the year so the championship ends on a relatively unconventional hole, the current short ninth. Playing at just over 300 yards, the hole has a small raised green that pitches steeply from the back to the front. Players will surely challenge it, but those missing it with a driver are going to struggle if approaching from anywhere but the fairway.

Andrew thinks it will be Highland’s final holes—which will end the front nine in the touring being used for the tournament—that will prove the biggest challenge for anyone hoping to post a low score. The current 15^th hole is a par three measuring over 230 yards that plays to a tricky green with a steep slope on the right that falls away to rough below. It is followed by the 16^th hole, a unique roller coaster par four where trouble looms throughout. The hole’s fairway shifts to the right and runs down a hill, leading to a steep slope with the green perched at the far end of a valley.

“It is an all-world hole, maybe the best out there,” Andrew says. “You have a couple of ways of playing it—you can attack it and try to get down into the valley, but that has a lot of trouble. Or you can lay back and go at the green with a long iron. That takes the trouble out of play.”

For Williams, he believes the Mackenzie Tour is still under-recognized, despite the fact alumni Nick Taylor went from playing on the tour to winning on the PGA Tour in just over a year. Spectators coming out to London could well be following a star on the verge of a breakthrough. The likes of Stuart Appleby, Steve Stricker, Mike Weir, and more recently players like Tony Finau, have all emerged from the Mackenzie Tour (or its previous incarnations like the Canadian Tour.) But in Williams estimation, the level of competition continues to improve.

“There are so many great players out here, so many great Canadians in the group, that it is just really difficult,” Williams says. “Everyone is playing better, hitting it farther. Maybe people forget all the players that got their start out here.”

Come Sunday, five players will punch their ticket to the Web.com Tour and the next step in their careers. Williams hopes to be among them.

Dates: September 14-20

Course: Highland Country Club (London, Ont.)

Par/Yards: 34-36—70/6,754 yards

Field: 59 (Top 60 on the Order of Merit eligible)

2014 champion: Ryan Williams

Purse: $200,000/$36,000 (winner)

Format: 72-hole stroke play

Website: freedom55financialchampionship.com

Hashtag: #F55FChamp

The Thames Valley Children’s Centre (TVCC) is the official charitable beneficiary of the Freedom 55 Financial Championship. Fifty-five per cent of ticket proceeds will go towards the wide range of services provided to more than 8000 children, youth and their families through the organization’s London Centre and its 15 regional office locations across Southwestern Ontario. Clients range in age from birth to 19 with services supporting a range of special needs including physical disabilities, communication disorders, developmental delays and autism spectrum disorders.

Children aged 17-and-under get in free all week at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship. Free junior tickets are available for download here. Additional details, including ticket information, can be found at www.freedom55financialchampionship.com.

The Freedom 55 Financial Championship is the final of 12 events on the 2015 Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada schedule. There have been five events in as many weeks to close out the race to finish in The Five and earn status on the Web.com Tour for 2016.

The top 60 players on the Order of Merit through the Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial make the field and retain exempt status on the Mackenzie Tour for the 2015 season.

The 2015 event begins at a new home, with the Stanley Thompson-designed Highland Country Club in London, Ont., hosting the season finale.

For more on how the Freedom 55 Financial Championship can play out, read the full article here.

The Thames Valley Children’s Centre (TVCC) is the official charitable beneficiary of the Freedom 55 Financial Championship. Fifty-five per cent of ticket proceeds will go towards the wide range of services provided to more than 8000 children, youth and their families through the organization’s London Centre and its 15 regional office locations across Southwestern Ontario. Clients range in age from birth to 19 with services supporting a range of special needs including physical disabilities, communication disorders, developmental delays and autism spectrum disorders.

Children aged 17-and-under get in free all week at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship. Free junior tickets are available for download here. Additional details, including ticket information, can be found at www.freedom55financialchampionship.com.

The 2015 edition of the World Junior Girls Championship will be held at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa from September 20-25. In addition to showcasing a number of the world’s most talented 18-and-under female golfers, the event will focus on the continued development of the sport.

“The World Junior Girls Championship is about more than this year’s participants and their opportunity to learn through international competition,” said Jeff Thompson, Chief Sport Officer of Golf Canada. “It is also about the sustainable development of golf in Canada and strengthening the relationship between the national golf associations around the world.”

Mike Kelly, Interim Executive Director of the Golf Association of Ontario, mirrored Thompson’s sentiments. “The chance to gather a number of elite coaching minds from around the world to share their knowledge and experiences is an invaluable opportunity. Through the junior girls skills development clinic and the junior-amateur fundraiser, we hope to leave a lasting imprint on the golfing community in the Ottawa area.”

A coaching summit is set to take place on Sunday, September 20 at The Marshes Golf Club. During the competitors’ practice rounds, PGA of Canada coaches will be paired with international coaches to exchange ideas and share in coaching methodology. Following the practice rounds, the PGA of Canada coaches will gather with Team Canada Women’s Head Coach Tristan Mullally and PGA of Canada Technical Director Glenn Cundari in a round-table discussion.

A junior girls skills development clinic will be conducted with PGA of Canada coaches introducing and developing golf-specific skills with junior golfers invited from the community. The junior-amateur fundraiser will see World Junior Girls Championship competitors play with local golfing enthusiasts to raise funds towards the development of golf in Ontario.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Golf funnyman David Feherty is joining NBC for analysis on tournament coverage and to continue his “Feherty” series on Golf Channel.

Feherty had been with CBS Sports for nearly two decades until he did not renew his contract after The Barclays three weeks ago.

NBCUniversal now will be his exclusive network home. The former Ryder Cup player from Northern Ireland will be part of the NBC team for PGA Tour coverage, the Olympics next year and when NBC gets the British Open starting in 2017.

His TV series will continue on Golf Channel. NBC also plans new ventures through a Universal Television development deal.

For tournament coverage, Feherty will split time between the golf course and as a tower analyst for NBC and Golf Channel.

As the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season comes to a close at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship, (the final event of the 12-event season, where the top 60 on the money list as of the Cape Breton Classic presented by PC Financial compete for the biggest purse of the year), 13 Canadians, each with a unique story, have a chance to jump into ‘The Five’ and earn status on the Web.com Tour for 2016.

From members of Golf Canada’s Young Pro Program to golfers who are giving the game one more chance, here are 13 Canadian golfers who are worth watching this week at Highland Country Club in London.

TAYLOR PENDRITH

Taylor Pendrith (Gabe Yee/ Golf Canada)

Money List: 4

Earnings: $54,936

How he got there: The only player without a 2015 victory currently in The Five, Pendrith has been oh-so-close to breaking through, falling three times in a playoff at the PC Financial Open, National Capital Open to Support Our Troops and the Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial. With his prodigious length – he leads the Tour in driving distance at nearly 340 yards per drive – the member of Golf Canada’s Young Pro squad has become a fan favourite.

ALBIN CHOI

Albin Choi (Michael Burns/ Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada)

Money List: 5

Earnings: $51,017

How he got there: The Young Pro member captured the second event of the year – the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist – and, despite taking the week off in Calgary, has remained a staple in ‘The Five’ for the entire season. He’s looking to return to the Web.com Tour after an up-and-down stint there in 2014. Team Canada Head Coach Derek Ingram says of Choi: “I’ve never doubted his ability to be a superstar in this game.”

KEVIN SPOONER

Kevin Spooner (Michael Burns/ Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada)

Money List: 8

Earnings: $42,617

How he got there: Spooner, who quit golf to be a server at a local Vancouver restaurant after a disastrous college career, emerged victorious at The Syncrude Boreal Open Presented by AECON in the third event of the year. Two other top-15 finishes has Spooner on the bubble of ‘The Five’ going into London. The athletic Spooner hits the ball a mile and has no fear in going after the difficult shot.

ADAM SVENSSON

Adam Svensson (Chuck Russell/ Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada)

Money List: 9

Earnings: $41,850

How he got there: Svensson has played a mixed schedule of Web.com Tour and Mackenzie Tour events this year, but, when he was in the field on the Mackenzie Tour, his results have been astounding, with a playoff loss and finishes of T2, T3 and T5. At the Wildfire Invitational he co-led after the first round before dropping back over the weekend.

CHRISTOPHER ROSS

Christopher Ross (Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada)

Money List: 10

Earnings: $39,603

How he got there: Ross, the son of former Golf Canada Executive Director (and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member) Stephen Ross, won the Wildfire Invitational presented by PC Financial in dominating fashion. His 25-under-par finish was the lowest on the Mackenzie Tour in 2015 and his win was the fourth by a Canadian – the most on the Mackenzie Tour since 2012.

BRAD CLAPP

Brad Clapp (Michael Burns/ Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada)

Money List: 11

Earnings: $39,119

How he got there: Clapp, who split his time between playing professionally and teaching in British Columbia, hit, perhaps, the shot of the year on the Mackenzie Tour on the 72nd hole of The Great Waterway Classic: a towering approach to four feet, setting up an eagle and securing his first Mackenzie Tour win.

MACKENZIE HUGHES

Mackenzie Hughes (Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada)

Money List: 14

Earnings: $32,017

How he got there: The 2013 Order of Merit champion spent 2014 on the Web.com Tour but after struggling there, the Golf Canada Young Pro came back to the Mackenzie Tour this year and is the only player to make every cut so far this season. His steady play has earned him four top-15 finishes.

RILEY WHEELDON

Riley Wheeldon (Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada)

Money List: 20

Earnings: $27,554

How he got there: The bright-eyed native of British Columbia battled injuries in 2014 after finishing inside ‘The Five’ in 2013. He’s had an up-and-down season in 2015 missing four cuts, but has three top-10’s. He lost in a playoff in the first event of the season to American Drew Weaver.

BEN SILVERMAN

Ben Silverman (Michael Burns/ Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada)

Money List: 22

Earnings: $25,994

How he got there: You can never miss Silverman on the course, as his sponsorship from Loudmouth Clothing guarantees he has the brightest outfits on tour. His game has been just as bright as his outfits this year, with two top-5 finishes.

COREY CONNERS

Corey Conners (Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada)

Money List: 32

Earnings: $20,329

How he got there: Another member of Golf Canada’s Young Pro Program, Conners – like Pendrith and Svensson – played a mixed bag of events this season on the PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour. He has two top-10s on the Mackenzie Tour, including a third-place finish in Thunder Bay. Conners is also the only person to play in a Mackenzie Tour event and the Masters in 2015.

DANNY SAHL

Danny Sahl (Michael Burns/ Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada)

Money List: 33

Earnings: $19,810

How he got there: Sahl, who has spent the majority of the past three seasons caddying for Mike Weir on the PGA TOUR, made the most of an opportunity to play during Weir’s break from playing, finishing second at the ATB Financial Classic while playing on a sponsor’s exemption.

SEANN HARLINGTEN

Seann Harlingten (Michael Burns/ Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada)

Money List: 34

Earnings: $19,245

How he got there: Harlingten, who quit golf for six years and became a stockbroker, is enjoying his best year as a professional. The 28-year-old, who barely hits balls on the range due to an old wrist injury from his younger days, has three top-15 finishes this year.

CORY RENFREW

Cory Renfrew (Michael Burns/ Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada)

Money List: 38

Earnings: $15,641

How he got there: Now in his fourth full season on the Mackenzie Tour, Renfrew has been consistent as ever, with eight made cuts in 10 starts and two top-10s, including a T5 finish in his hometown of Victoria.

The Thames Valley Children’s Centre (TVCC) is the official charitable beneficiary of the Freedom 55 Financial Championship. Fifty-five per cent of ticket proceeds will go towards the wide range of services provided to more than 8000 children, youth and their families through the organization’s London Centre and its 15 regional office locations across Southwestern Ontario. Clients range in age from birth to 19 with services supporting a range of special needs including physical disabilities, communication disorders, developmental delays and autism spectrum disorders.

Children aged 17-and-under get in free all week at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship. Free junior tickets are available for download here. Additional details, including ticket information, can be found at www.freedom55financialchampionship.com.

MAYETTA, Kan. – Annie Park won the Prairie Band Casino & Resort Charity Classic on Sunday for her third victory in nine Symetra Tour starts this season.

Park earned $15,000 to jump from fourth to second on the money list with $66,125, more than enough for a 2016 LPGA Tour card as a top-10 finisher.

The 20-year-old former Southern California player from Levittown, New York, closed with a 7-under 65 at Firekeeper for a three-stroke victory. She finished at 13-under 203.

Park is the 10th player in tour history to win at least three times in a season. She won in July in Rochester, New York, and last month in Milwaukee.

Mexico’s Margarita Ramos was second after a 69.

Brittany Altomare shot a 71 to finish third at 8 under.

Canadian Sara-Maude Juneau closed with a round of 74 to finish T4 at 7-under. Jessica Wallace registered an even-par final round to sit in a three-way tie for sixth.

BEN EION, Nova Scotia – C.T. Pan sank a 5-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to defeat Canadian Taylor Pendrith and win the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s Cape Breton Celtic Classic. The native of Taiwan and University of Washington product finished with a 72-hole total of 19-under-par 269 and the victory was his first on the Mackenzie Tour.

After each player made birdie on the first extra hole, both hit their second shots into a greenside bunker. Pan chipped out first to 5 feet and Pendrith followed, hitting his chip to 4 feet. Moments later, Pan sank his birdie putt and then watched as Pendrith’s birdie attempt slid by the right side, handing Pan the victory.

“I can’t find words to describe how I feel right now,” Pan said following his win. “It was amazing how I played my last five holes and then the two extra playoff holes. It’s been amazing.”

As the day unfolded, it appeared Pan would be in line for a nice finish, but would need something to happen for him to win the event. He was only 14 under after 13 holes and trailed by as much as four strokes. However, things changed at No. 14 when he hit a 3-iron to 3 feet and made the first of five birdies in a row.

“I told myself I really needed to start making some birdies when I got to No. 14. I knew I was about four shots back and told myself I needed some magic now,” Pan added. “After that birdie on 14, I felt really good about where my game was and I liked the pin position at No. 15 when I saw it. I made another birdie there.”

Pan added three more birdies to close out his round, including a chip-in on No. 18 from 30 feet to post the first 19-under-par score for the day.

Playing two groups behind, Pendrith’s downfall on Sunday would be his play in the par 5s. After making birdie or eagle on all the par 5s in the first three rounds, he started his day with bogeys on three of first five par 5s, including Nos. 1 and 3 early in his round. He was able to battle his way back into the mix with seven birdies later in his round, but missed a golden opportunity to close things out when he made par on the par-5 16th hole and then missed a short birdie putt at No. 17.

“I thought I hit a really good putt at No. 17 and it just went about a foot left and caught the edge and missed. I made a good putt on it. That’s the way it goes,” said Pendrith. “But I played the par 5s really bad today. If I played the par 5s like I had been, I probably would have won. I made three bogeys on them and you can’t make bogeys. I’m obviously disappointed losing in a playoff for the third time this year, but I was four-over-par through five holes early this week, and to shoot 19 under for the week is pretty good.”

This was the last week players could qualify for the Freedom 55 Financial Championship next week in London, Ontario. Among the players earning their spots in the 60-player field by their play this week were Max Gilbert, Dan McCarthy and Kyle Wilshire, while Jay Myers, Steve Carney and Daniel Bowden slipped out of the top 60. In the race for The Five, Pendrith moved into the top five, while Drew Weaver slipped from fifth to seventh.

NUMBERS YOU NEED TO KNOW:

28: The total number of birdies by Taylor Pendrith during the week which led all players.

1: Number of bogeys for Adam Svensson over his final 39 holes.

4: The number of eagles in the event for Justin Bardgett.

15: The most difficult hole on the course for the week.

1,627: The number of birdies for the week on The Lakes GC.

QUOTABLES

“I set a couple of goals at the start of the year and I’m on the way there. I always have really high standards for myself and I’m still working hard and trying to have a really good year.” T.C. Pan on his 2015 season so far.

NOTES

• With a total score of 19-under, Taylor Pendrith claimed Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week honours on Sunday along with a $2,500 prize. Each week, the top Canadian on the leaderboard will earn the award, with the top Canadian on the Order of Merit at season’s end earning the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year and a $25,000 prize.
• Weather: 17 degrees Celsius. A mix of sun and clouds. Winds 10 km/NE.
• Preferred lies were utilized in the final round.
• C.T. Pan now has 13 consecutive sub-par rounds heading into next week’s event.