CROMWELL, Conn. – A week of major championship pressure at the U.S. Open and a cross-country trip made for a lot of tired players at the Travelers Championship. Greens made soft by rain on a relatively easy course helped perk up many of them Thursday.

Six players shot a 6-under 64 to tie for lead, with defending champion Bubba Watson (69) , two-time winner Phil Mickelson (67) and 79 others within five shots going into the second round.

Brooks Koepka, coming off a runner-up finish at Pebble Beach, had a 71 and said he was among those fighting exhaustion.

“When you think about all the travel we’ve done and how much last week takes out of you,” he said. “When you are in contention in a major, it’s going to drain you.”

The leaders included Zack Sucher and Kyoung-Hoon Lee, who each shot their lowest rounds on the PGA Tour. Sucher made a 9-foot birdie putt on No. 18 in the last group of the day to join a group that also included MacKenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. who sank an 18-foot birdie putt on his final hole.

Abraham Ancer shot a 30 on his back nine. Bronson Burgoon birdied four of his first six holes, and Ryan Armour, who has missed the cuts in four of his last five starts, tied his lowest round of the season.

“I gave myself a lot of opportunities, which I hadn’t been doing lately, Armour said. ”I hadn’t been hitting a lot of greens, wasn’t shaping the golf ball the way I want to shape it. We worked really hard the last few days.“

Englishman Paul Casey, who gave up a four-shot lead in the final round a year ago, missed a 17-foot par putt on the 18th and finished in a group of six at 65.

Memorial champion Patrick Cantlay was part of a group of 12 at 66.

Cantlay started on the back nine and was tied for the lead when his tee shot landed in water on the par-3 eighth hole, leading to a double bogey. But that did not affect the confidence of the former UCLA star, who was just 19 years old when he shot a 60 on this course during the second round in 2011, setting a PGA Tour record for amateurs.

“I definitely feel comfortable around here,” he said. “It’s one of the only golf courses I think I get on the first tee at the beginning of the day and think I can birdie every hole.”

Defending champion Bubba Watson opened with a 69 in his bid for his fourth Travelers title. That would put him in the company of Billy Casper, the only golfer to win four times at Connecticut’s PGA Tour stop.

Watson, who came from six-shots back on the final day to win a year ago, seemed relaxed as he participated in an afternoon whiffle ball game with a group of players’ children outside the new clubhouse.

“Around this golf course, you’ve got to just know there’s going to be birdies out there,” he said. “Today was a little more difficult because a little bit of mist here and there just made the ball react different on the greens with some shots.”

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was tied for 61st at 1-under 69, Adam Hadwin, also from Abbotsford, was in a group tied for 87th at even-par 70. Ben Silverman of Thornhil,, Ont., and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., were tied for 136th at 3-over 73. Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., was tied for 143rd at 4-over 74.

Mickelson, who won back-to-back tournaments here in 2001 and 2001 was playing in Connecticut for the first time since 2003. On Wednesday, the 49-year-old said he probably would never win a U.S. Open. But he’s in contention again in Connecticut.

“I didn’t hurt myself any,” Mickelson said. “I made a few mistakes out there that I have to clean up tomorrow. I feel like the round should have been three or four lower, and if I can do that tomorrow and shoot three or four lower, I’ll be right in it for the weekend.”

He was playing with 2017 champion Jordan Spieth, who put a shot onto the railroad tracks and another in the water on his way to an eight on the par-5 13th. He finished with a 73.

Chip McDaniel shot a 69 and could also be excused if he was a bit tired. The 23-year-old arrived in Connecticut early Monday morning after taking a red-eye flight from his first U.S Open. He then played in a qualifier that afternoon, making the field after three playoff holes.

“Just because of my situation, one good week out here could change my life,” McDaniel said. “I have to try to get a start in every PGA event.”

Viktor Hovland shot a 67 in his professional debut. The Oklahoma State junior, who was the low amateur at the U.S. Open, received one of four sponsor exemptions into the tournament.

“I try not to think too much about it, but obviously there is a difference,” Hovland said. “I’m just trying to make birdies and avoid bogeys. I think instead of thinking about money, I’m thinking more about I want to have some kind of status for next year.”

The RBC Canadian Open is always an event to remember. To make this a successful championship, RBC and Golf Canada rely on the hard work and dedication of volunteers.

Click here to learn more.

When dropping in taking free relief or penalty relief, your ball must be dropped in and come to rest in the defined relief area.

Click here to learn more.

Brooke Henderson is now the undisputed monarch of Canadian golf. Her predecessors can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.

The 21-year old from Smiths Falls, Ont., won the Meijer LPGA Classic on Sunday to break the Canadian record for professional golf titles. The victory elevated her over Sandra Post, Mike Weir and George Knudson, who have eight wins apiece on their respective tours.

“I knew it was coming,” said Post on Monday. The Canadian Golf Hall of Famer noted that normally Henderson wins by a wide margin, rather than the one-stroke victory she earned over Lexi Thompson, Nasa Hataoka, Su Oh and Brittany Altomare. “I think I was looking at it as more a tournament rather than the ninth win because in my mind that was a given.

“I hope she goes to double figures with the wins and runs it up as high as she can for the next Canadian.”

Weir also wasn’t concerned about his record. Instead, he was excited to see an elite golfer at the top of her game.

“I don’t really pay that much attention to records and things like that, that’s more for other people’s water-cooler talk,” said Weir, also a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. “I just appreciate watching good golf and I appreciate excellence in all sports. When you see a player really excelling themselves and improving their own game and seeing them round into form, as Brooke has, it’s great to see.”

Although Henderson’s nine career wins is impressive, she is a ways off from reaching the all-time mark on the LPGA Tour.

Kathy Whitworth holds the all-time professional record with 88 wins on the LPGA Tour. Sam Snead has the most among men with 82. That record may fall, however, with Tiger Woods picking up his 81st PGA Tour win at this year’s Masters.

Golfing great Annika Sorenstam, third in LPGA Tour history with 72 wins, tweeted her support of Henderson on Monday afternoon.

“Congratulations to ?BrookeHenderson on winning the #meijerlpga,” said Sorenstam, adding an emoji of a champagne bottle popping and a trophy.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also voiced his support on Twitter.

Congratulations on making history, @BrookeHenderson! We can’t wait to see what’s next for you. ??⛳https://t.co/xalwKnhyGQ

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 17, 2019

Henderson also won the Lotte Championship in April in Hawaii.

Just six months into the year, she is an early contender to win the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s athlete of the year and the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as the Canadian female athlete of the year. Henderson has won the Rosenfeld three of the past four years, including in 2017 and 2018.

Post, who won the Marsh in 1979 and back-to-back Rosenfelds in 1979 and 1980, didn’t want to make any bold predictions just yet though.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in sport this year, do we? It’s not an Olympic year, that’s a good thing,” said Post. “All I’m saying is that she’s got a good shot at it. But I think it’s great that we can have that conversation.”

Weir, who was awarded the Marsh in 2003 after winning the Masters, also likes Henderson’s chances.

“Her odds are great, she’s playing great,” said Weir. “There’s still a lot of the year left in other sports but clearly in the golf world Brooke’s setting herself apart from any other player, man or woman, in this country. She’d be a real deserving recipient.”

Now under the Rules, when your ball is lost or out of bounds, your course or can use a Local Rule that does not require you to play under stroke and distance.

Click here to learn more.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Gary Woodland denied Brooks Koepka’s bold bid at history with two clutch shots and made U.S. Open memories of his own, starting with that silver trophy in his hands at Pebble Beach.

Woodland finished in style Sunday. He holed a 30-foot birdie putt for a 2-under 69, giving him the lowest 72-hole score in six U.S. Opens at Pebble Beach and a three-shot victory over Koepka, who was going for a third straight U.S. Open.

Koepka had to settle for a footnote in history as the first player with all four rounds in the 60s at the U.S Open without winning. But he made Woodland earn every bit of his first major championship.

Clinging to a one-shot lead with more pressure than he has ever felt, Woodland seized control by going for the green on the par-5 14th hole with a 3-wood from 263 yards, narrowly clearing a cavernous bunker and setting up a simple up-and-down for a two-shot lead.

Even more significant was a shot from 90 feet.

Woodland hit the edge of the green on the par-3 17th all the way to the right, with the pin on the hourglass green on the other side.

Ahead on the 18th, Koepka’s 3-iron went just over the back of the green, leaving him a chip for eagle to tie, with a birdie likely to do the trick considering what Woodland faced. Koepka chipped to just inside 10 feet and missed the putt.

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 16: Gary Woodland of the United States poses with the trophy after winning the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links on June 16, 2019 in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Woodland delivered again. Unable to use putter to get it close, he perfectly clipped a pitch over the mound, and it checked about 12 feet short of the hole and trickled down to tap-in range.

That effectively ended the U.S. Open. Woodland played conservatively down the 18th and made one last birdie that only mattered in the record book. He finished at 13-under 271, one shot better than Tiger Woods’ historic rout in 2000.

The difference was Woods won by 15 shots and was the only player under par. With a marine layer blocking the sunshine, and no significant wind at Pebble Beach all week, 31 players finished under par.

Koepka closed with a 68 for his second runner-up in the majors this year, along with his second straight PGA Championship title.

Justin Rose was the only one who caught Woodland, with a birdie on the opening hole. Rose bogeyed from the bunker on No. 2, and fell out of the race with three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on the back nine. He shot 74 and shared third with Xander Schauffele (67), Jon Rahm (68) and Chez Reavie (71).

Brooke Henderson wins the Meijer LPGA Classic (for a second time), collecting her 9th career LPGA title — the most ever by a Canadian.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Brooke Henderson won the Meijer LPGA Classic on Sunday to break the Canadian record for tour victories with nine.

The 21-year-old Henderson led wire-to-wire for her second victory in three years at Blythefield Country Club, closing with a 2-under 70 in chilly conditions to hold off Lexi Thompson, Nasa Hataoka, Su Oh and Brittany Altomare by a stroke.

Henderson broke a tie with Sandra Post for the Canadian record on the LPGA Tour and also moved ahead of George Knudson and Mike Weir for the overall country mark.

“That’s really cool,” Henderson said. “Earlier this year to get my eighth win and to tie that record was a huge deal for me. To now to kind of breakthrough that is awesome. I’m just really excited for the rest of the summer and hopefully many more wins in the future.”

With caddie/sister Brittany and mother Darlene looking on, father Dave sprayed her with champagne to celebrate.

“It’s really special,” Henderson said. “I’m so happy that both my mom and my dad can be out here to watch my sister and I win this. It’s always special when they’re here, especially on Father’s Day.”

Also the Lotte Championship winner in April in Hawaii, Henderson matched the tournament record of 21 under that she set in 2017 (when the course played to a par of 71) and also was tied last year by So Yeon Ryu. Henderson opened with consecutive 64s, playing 30 holes Friday after rain delayed the start Thursday, and had a 69 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round.

“It’s a lot like the courses I grew up playing back home in Canada,” Henderson said. “I love it out here. Just trying to hit good shots and hopefully make a lot of birdies. Didn’t make as many as I wanted, but just enough.”

The final putt at @MeijerLPGA that sealed the deal in Canadian #golf history ???? pic.twitter.com/q9i2cIsFZz

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) June 16, 2019

Her lead reduced to a stroke after a bogey on the par-4 16th, she three-putted the par-5 18th from 45 feet for the winning par.

“When I was walking up here I thought maybe I would have to birdie or eagle this hole to get the job done, but when I looked at the scoreboard I was sort of shocked that all I needed to do was three-putt and par,” Henderson said. “I’m really grateful about that because I was shaking pretty bad on those last couple putts.”

Henderson had Canadians from coast-to-coast cheering her on all throughout.

“Congratulations to Brooke on becoming the winningest Canadian professional golfer ever on the PGA or LPGA,” said Sandra Post, Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Honoured Member. “I’m so happy for her and her family and for golf in Canada. I know there are many more wins in store.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Win No. 9, so fine ???? @brookehendersongolf wins one for the history books, becoming the winningest Canadian golfer of all time ?? #LPGA #meijerlpgaclassic

A post shared by CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) on Jun 16, 2019 at 2:21pm PDT

“On behalf of Canadian golf fans across the nation, we are so proud of Brooke Henderson on her incredible 9th LPGA Tour victory,” said Laurence Applebaum, Golf Canada CEO. “She’s made Canadian golf history at 21 years of age and there is no doubt that the very best is yet to come for this inspiring young athlete. We can’t wait to celebrate this victory and the defense of her CP Women’s Open title this August at Magna Golf Club!”

Thompson followed her course-record 62 in the third round with a 68, closing with an eagle for the second straight day. The 2015 winner at Blythefield, she was coming off a victory last week in New Jersey.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t hit it that great today, but I made some really good putts on my second nine,” Thompson said. “I had a little bit of a muscle spasm in my shoulder all day, but it is what it is, you can’t control that. So, overall great week.”

Hataoka shot 65, also making an eagle on the par-5 18th. Oh had a 66, and Altomare shot 68.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp had a strong tournament, finishing tied for ninth at 13-under with a final round of 72.

Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee (71) finished at 2-under while Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City (74) was at 1-under.

Jennifer Kupcho, four strokes behind Henderson entering the day, had a 76 to drop into a tie for 23rd at 11 under in her third professional start. The former Wake Forest star won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April.

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the third major championship of the year, is next week at Hazeltine in Minnesota.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Brooke Henderson birdied the final three holes Saturday for a 3-under 69 and a two-stroke lead over Annie Park in the Meijer LPGA Classic, with Lexi Thompson three shots back after matching the course record with a 62.

Trying to break a tie for the Canadian victory record for both women and men, the 21-year-old Henderson had a 19-under 197 total at Blythefield Country Club. She opened with consecutive 64s, playing 30 holes Friday after rain delayed the start Thursday, then got off to a slow start Saturday with three birdies and three bogeys in the first 15 holes.

“I kind of found it hard to find my rhythm during the middle part of the round, so I kind of got started batting third and that’s never a good sign,” Henderson said. “But to come back with three birdies at the end there makes the round feel a little bit better.”

The 2017 winner at Blythefield, Henderson successfully defended her Lotte Championship title in April in Hawaii for her eighth LPGA Tour victory, tying Sandra Post’s Canadian record. George Knudson and Mike Weir share the mark on the PGA Tour, also with eight victories.

“Of course, that’s in the back of your mind, but it’s long from over,” Henderson said. “There’s so many great players close to the top of the leaderboard. And this course, you know there’s a lot of birdies out there, so it’s going to take a low score. So, hopefully, I can just continue to hit good shots and give myself a chance for the win.”

Park birdied the par-5 18th for her second straight 65.

Three straight birdies to close out the round for @BrookeHenderson ????

She takes a 2-stroke lead into the finale at the @MeijerLPGA pic.twitter.com/LAE8S5Slc3

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) June 15, 2019

“Overall, it’s been good with shots, short game, putting,” Park said. “Hopefully, I can keep that momentum going on for tomorrow. I can’t wait.”

The American returned early Saturday to complete the final hole of the suspended third round, making a birdie on 18.

“Took a good nap in there,” Park said.

Thompson, the 2015 winner, eagled the 18th, hitting an 8-iron approach within 2 feet.

“It helped to have a really good number, let alone a short number,” Thompson said. “But you have to take advantage of it. There’s a lot of birdie holes out there and a lot of opportunities, so you just have to take advantage of them.”

The winner last week in New Jersey, she had the eagle, 10 birdies and two bogeys.

“I had a good warmup on the range, felt good about my game,” Thompson said. “The last two days I haven’t struck it to my capability and what I’ve been working on in my game, but today it kind of all fell together.”

Brittany Altomare matched Thompson at 16 under with a 69.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp shot up the leaderboard with a 64. She’s tied for ninth at 13 under. Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay (72) is 3 under while Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee (73) is 1 under.

Jennifer Kupcho was another stroke back after her third 67. The former Wake Forest star is making her third professional start. She won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April and the NCAA individual title last year.

“Just go into it just like any other tournament,” Kupcho said. “I mean, I always like the chase, so I’ll just go out there and play my game and see what shows up tomorrow.”

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the third major championship of the year, is next week at Hazeltine in Minnesota.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – An impossible par from the rough. An improbable birdie from a divot.

If Gary Woodland can handle whatever comes his way this weekend as well as he did Friday, he might be holding a trophy at the end of the U.S. Open.

Woodland brought his power game to the majors once again, shooting 6-under 65 to head into the weekend at 9 under and with a two-shot lead over Justin Rose.

The 65 matched the record for a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach – a number previously shot by Rose on Thursday, and Tiger Woods 19 years ago.

For Woodland, the feat appeared virtually undoable as he lined up a chip from the deep rough just past the canyon that separates the eighth fairway and green – his second-to-last hole. He made a delicate chip to 15 feet, then sank the putt to save par and give him momentum heading to No. 9.

“That’s one you’re hoping to get close, but it’s nice when it goes in,” Woodland said.

Pumped from that make, he hit a 316-yard drive into the middle of the fairway on the 526-yard par-4 ninth. Perfect, except it came to rest in a divot. Woodland grabbed 7-iron, gouged it out to the right side of the green – then made that 50-footer to take a two-shot lead over Rose.

“It was a nice putt to go in, and kind of keep the momentum going,” Woodland said.

That birdie dropped him to a cumulative 22-under par in the first two rounds of the last four majors. He had the lead heading into the weekend in one of those majors – the 2018 PGA at Bellerive – and played Saturday with Brooks Koepka and Sunday with Woods.

But it turned out to be a bit too much. Woodland shot 71-69 over the weekend and finished in a tie for sixth.

“You learn you have to stay within yourself. You can’t get caught up in what’s going on around you,” he said. “Obviously there’s a lot more noise going on. Playing with Tiger on Sunday, I’d never seen anything like that.”

Tiger won’t be anywhere near him at Pebble Beach on Saturday. He finished with a pair of bogeys to shoot 72 and finished at even-par – still among the 79 players to make it through to the weekend, but with tons of room to make up and not much time to do it.

“We’ve got a long way to go, and we’ll see how it shapes up for tomorrow,” Woods said.

There were 10 players within five shots of the lead, including Koepka, in search of his third straight title, and Rory McIlroy, who made double-bogey on No. 14 after failing to hit the green with wedge on two straight shots. But he followed that with back-to-back birdies to finish at 5 under.

“I didn’t quite get those three shots back, but 2 under for the last four after what happened, I’m very pleased with it,” McIlroy said.

He was one of 31 players to finish under par after a second consecutive day of calm wind and cloudy skies that brought an occasional thin mist across the course.

Pleasant enough, though not everyone enjoyed their trip around Pebble Beach.

Patrick Reed flubbed a chip at the right of the 18th green and snapped his wedge over his thigh. He made double-bogey there to make the cut on the number, at 2 over.

Francesco Molinari was cruising at 5 under before he put one in the canyon on No. 8 – the start of a double-bogey-bogey finish that left him tied for 19th, at 2 under.

“I liked it more before the last two holes,” Molinari said, when asked about his position.

Woodland liked his position best.

But it’s the U.S. Open. Nobody can feel too comfortable.