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At the CP Women’s Open, we’re reminded of the many reasons why it’s great to be an Audi owner.

AURORA, Ont. – Brooke Henderson was off to a rough start at the CP Women’s Open, struggling to read the swirling winds at Magna Golf Club.

She had started the day in a three-way tie for third, just three shots back of second-round leader Nicole Broch Larsen. But after bogeys on Nos. 4 and 6, it seemed like Henderson had played herself out of Canada’s national championship on Saturday and would not be able to defend her crown.

But that all changed with the eighth hole.

“I felt like I was playing decent golf, but it just wasn’t really going my way,” said the 21-year-old Henderson. “Then on the seventh green a little boy gave me a high five and then he continued that the rest of the round.

“He kind of cheered me up a little bit. I think I tried to get back to even on the front nine. Going to the eighth tee I was trying to just make two birdies, get it back to even, and then see if I could go really low on the back.”

Yes, she could.

Henderson fired three-straight birdies after that high five, shooting 9-under par on her last 10 holes. Her 7-under 65 round closed the gap to finish the day just two shots back of co-leaders Broch Larsen and world No. 1 Jin Young Ko.

It was a miraculous comeback after Henderson trailed Broch Larsen by as many as eight shots and had slid back into 20th on the leaderboard.

“I can’t really remember the last time I was in the 20s through nine holes,” said the native of Smiths Falls, Ont. “I think just taking into tomorrow, if I can try to keep this momentum and energy that I had on the last few holes, hopefully maybe hit it a little bit better off the tee, hit it a little closer, and hopefully my putter can bail me out.”

No. 12 was also a key hole for Henderson. After a precise layup got her near the pin she drained a 10-foot putt for an eagle on the 513-yard par 5.

“I was 1 under on the day at that point and I was feeling a lot better about myself than 2 over,” said Henderson. “Once I made that eagle it just gave me a lot of energy and birdied the next two holes, and then just kind of periodically coming in.”

Broch Larsen and Ko were in the final pairing for the day and were focused on their own duel, essentially playing a one-on-one match. Broch Larsen had her third straight 6-under 66 at the tournament and Ko has a 7-under 65 to put them both at 18 under overall, two shots ahead of Henderson.

Although both of them were zeroed in on their own performances, Broch Larsen said they both knew something was up in the group ahead of them, judging purely from crowd reactions.

“We could definitely hear those roars coming in on the back nine,” said Broch Larsen after handing in her scorecard. “Every time they went a little bit louder than normal I knew Brooke made a birdie.

“I don’t know what she’s at but I knew she had a rough start and she had a good back nine, I guess.”

Henderson was the first Canadian to win the CP Women’s Open in 45 years when she triumphed at Wascana Country Club in Regina last year. If Henderson’s victorious on Sunday, she’ll become only the third player in the tournament’s history to win back-to-back titles, joining Lydia Ko (2012, 2013) and Pat Bradley (1985, 1986).

She’s not going to get ahead of herself, though.

“I’m really far from that. It’s going to a long 18 holes,” said Henderson, who will be in the final group with Ko and Broch Larsen on Sunday. “I’m not even in the lead, so it doesn’t really look likely. At the same time, I feel like if I can make a lot birdies and kind of get the momentum my way, you never know what can happen.”

Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay, the other Canadian left in the field, shot a 1-under 71 to improve to 5-under overall.

Tanguay bogeyed the par-4 third hole before picking up birdies on two of her next three holes. She bogeyed the 10th but got the stroke back with a birdie on the 12th hole.

Defending champion Brooke Henderson shoots an electrifying 29 on the back nine to put the pressure on the leaders heading into Sunday at the CP Women’s Open.

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AURORA, Ont. – Watching Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Lorie Kane work the crowd at the CP Women’s Open, you’d have no idea she was coming off one of the worst performances of her pro career.

Kane was all smiles as she chatted with fans, shot promotional videos and watched some of the third-round action by a CP mini-train set up by the 12th tee at Magna Golf Club.

She struggled mightily in her record 29th career appearance at the tournament with an 87-80 scoreline that left her last in the 153-player field at 23-over-par 167.

“This is a humbling game,” Kane said. “It can take everything you’ve got and beat you up bad. But then you know, I get to come back, I have the fan support. That’s the part that I’m still amazed at – that people care.”

One of the most personable and engaging athletes going, Kane is a beloved figure in the Canadian golf community. She feels the support from fans at every turn when she plays in this annual tournament.

Kane said she still has the drive to test herself against the best players on the LPGA Tour and also enjoys giving back in her role as ambassador for the CP Has Heart community investment program.

“I’m probably on the back nine of playing regularly,” Kane said. “My relationship and my partnership with CP is extremely important to me. I’m hoping that I can continue to help them grow the heart health campaign and be a part of the CP Women’s Open until I probably don’t want to play.

“But next year, going to Shaughnessy (in Vancouver), is huge.”

Kane, a four-time winner on the LPGA Tour, plays a part-time competitive schedule that includes some Legends Tour stops. Despite the limited action, she was still surprised at her first-round struggles.

“I knew that I was going to be up against it a little bit,” she said. “I haven’t had many tournament rounds under my belt to date. I had an injury this past winter that stopped me from going down to Australia. I normally play six to eight weeks down there.

“I had low expectations but by no means did I think I would stumble like I did on Thursday.”

Kane went eight holes in a row with either a bogey or double-bogey in her opening round. She scored better on Friday despite hitting only five of 18 greens in regulation.

“It’s been a while since I’ve made it to the weekend,” she said. “I think the biggest thing for me is I don’t want to feel like I’m playing ceremonial golf because if I do that, then I’m taking up a spot. I want to be competitive and I want to give my best.

“Not only for myself but for Canadian Pacific because without the railway, women’s golf wouldn’t be where it is in this country.”

Kane, 54, is hoping to get more competitive rounds under her belt as she prepares for the Senior LPGA Championship in mid-October. She’ll likely play next week at the Cambia Portland Classic and also has pro-am and team events on her upcoming schedule.

“There’s golf being played and there’s competitive golf being played,” Kane said. “And I’ll tell you, the senior ladies are as competitive today as they (ever) were. Pat Bradley is stalking putts like she’s going to win the US Open. So the competition is fun.”

Kane has been the low Canadian at this tournament on nine occasions – eight outright and one tie – with her best result coming in 2001 with a third-place tie. It’s likely that she will receive exemptions to participate in the CP Women’s Open for as long as she wants to continue playing at the event.

Kane has 99 career top-10 finishes and has earned US$6.95 million since turning pro in 1993. She previously shared the tournament’s all-time appearance record with JoAnne Carner.

“I think if you ask any athlete, we’re always thinking forward,” Kane said. “We never go back, because you’re supposed to be living in the moment. I have revisited my accomplishments in my own little way and I’m proud of myself.

“But I’m also annoyed with myself that I can have days like I had on Thursday and even yesterday. I did clean some stuff up but still didn’t have my best. (But) yeah, I’m proud of what I’ve done.”

Learn about Titleist Golf Ball Education at the CP Women’s Open.

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ATLANTA – A storm delay at the Tour Championship slowed the momentum of Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas, right when they were starting to pull ahead in the chase for the $15 million FedEx Cup.

The final hour Friday showed how quickly it can change – and for Rory McIlroy, why no one is holding back in the season finale.

Koepka didn’t make a birdie on the back nine until the par-5 18th when he hit 5-iron from 239 yards to 8 feet behind the hole. He had to settle for a two-putt birdie, a 3-under 67 and a one-shot lead. Because he started the tournament at 7-under par as the No. 3 seed, he was at 13 under going to the weekend.

“The lead is always nice, so I’ll take that,” Koepka said. “The rain delay kind of killed any momentum I had. I didn’t feel like I had any good golf shots after the rain delay, but that’s part of golf. Everybody’s got to deal with the same thing.”

He was one shot ahead of Justin Thomas, who played his final 10 holes in 1 over for a 68, and McIlroy, who had a birdie-birdie finish.

And just not any birdie.

McIlroy, who trailed by four shots early on the back nine, sent his drive on the 18th hole so far to the right it brought the out-of-bounds practice range into play. He was fortunate to have his ball in dirt under a pine tree, leaving him 242 yards away. McIlroy decided to choke up on a 5-wood and slice it around a tree some 50 yards in front of him, then over the water and near the green.

It came out perfectly, landing in a tiny strip of grass behind bunkers. He got up-and-down for a 67 and was right where he needed to be.

“I felt comfortable doing it,” McIlroy said.

Xander Schauffele also made a late surge with a birdie-eagle finish, holing a 25-foot putt on the par-5 18th for a 69. He was two shots behind. Paul Casey had a 67 and was four shots behind at 9 under.

Giving McIlroy good vibes going into the weekend was the score no one sees. McIlroy and Casey are at 7-under 133 over two days, the best 36-hole score in the 30-man field. So he figures he’s doing something right with his game.

The scoring for the FedEx Cup underwent a radical change this year, with players in the highest position in the FedEx Cup getting a head start in relation to par. Thomas is the No. 1 seed and started at 10 under before a shot was even hit. Koepka began at 7 under, McIlroy started at 5 under and Schauffele was at 4 under.

The lowest score to par wins the FedEx Cup and its $15 million bonus.

McIlroy didn’t want to waste any chances, and all he saw from the woods was opportunity.

“I had a little gap,” he said. “Whenever you’re on my side of the tree, you could see what’s on the right-hand side. I obviously curved it a lot. I thought that if I flushed a 5-wood, it might be too long. So I really gripped down on it. In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t – might have got on the green.

“Made 4 off a bad tee shot, so I’m not complaining.”

Koepka ran off three straight birdies late on the front nine to tie Thomas for the lead, and then never got back on track after players returned to the range and headed back to the course. He missed the green from the 13th fairway and made bogey. He had to scramble for par from short of the 14th green, and behind the 17th green. But his tee shot found the 18th fairway, setting up the birdie he needed.

Thomas, who began the tournament with a two-shot lead and was tied at the top after his opening 70, quickly got his game back in order and went out in 32, tied with Koepka.

“It would be hard for me to say that it didn’t kind of stop my momentum because I was playing really flawlessly that front nine,” Thomas said. “The course was playing a little different after that delay. … For as much as I feel like I scored well on the front nine, just nothing got going on the back nine.”

He’s still one shot behind, and finally he has a leaderboard that makes sense to him.

Thomas said it was strange for him to see 10 under next to his name as he was starting out Thursday, and that he had a two-shot lead before hitting a shot.

“Today definitely felt more normal,” he said. “It felt like I was just trying to build a lead as opposed to yesterday.”

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., the lone Canadian in the field, shot 71 and sits 15th at 2 under.

Koepka will play in the final group with Thomas, the last two to win PGA Tour player of the year. McIlroy and Thomas have won the FedEx Cup two of the last three years. Schauffele won the Tour Championship two years ago and has yet to have a round over par in his 10 trips around East Lake.

Halfway through, and the FedEx Cup finale is really just getting started.

Whipping up a cookie chat with TSN Sports anchor Natasha Staniszewsi, talking about the strength of women’s sport in Canada