MALMO, Sweden – Alexander Noren clinched his second Nordea Masters title on Sunday, shooting a 1-under 71 to finish four shots ahead of last week’s Irish Open winner Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark.

The 32-year-old Swede easily protected his two-shot overnight lead, finishing with a 12-under total of 276. Kjeldsen also shot a final-round 71.

Max Kieffer of Germany, who was second going into the final round, had two straight double bogeys on the fourth and fifth hole and shot a 75, finishing in a tie for third.

Alexander Levy of France (71) and Swedish duo Jens Dantorp (74) and Sebastian Soderberg (74) also tied for third, six shots behind Noren.

It was Noren’s fourth career European Tour victory. He also won the Nordea Masters in 2011.

Victoria, B.C. – Toronto’s Albin Choi carded a 5-under 65 Friday at Uplands Golf Club to take the solo 36-hole lead at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist.

The 23-year old carded six birdies and a bogey to reach 11-under par and build a three shot lead over North Vancouver’s Eugene Wong after three rounds in Victoria.

“To get off to such a good start today got the ball rolling early, and I just felt great out there,” said Choi, who birdied four of his first five holes and led by as many as five shots on Friday. “I had no clue to be honest. I was just trying to stay in my bubble out there. I knew I was in a good spot, but I had no idea I was separating myself from some of the players.”

For the second straight Saturday, Choi will play in the final group after holding solo second place through 36 holes at last week’s PC Financial Open. Though he fell to a 1-over 73 at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in that round, Choi said the experience would be helpful heading into the weekend in Victoria.

“It was nice being in the final group on Saturday at Point Grey. There was a great crowd, it was a nice atmosphere and I’m kind of hoping for and expecting the same thing here,” said Choi, who went on to finish T10 for his first Mackenzie Tour top-10 finish. “Last week doing it once, I’m glad to put myself back in contention again and it’s great to be in the mix.”

The 2010 Canadian Amateur Champion and a member of Golf Canada’s Young Pro Squad, Choi played on the Web.com Tour in 2014 but finished outside the top-100 on the money list to lose status. This spring has been a strong one for Choi, however, with medalist honours at this year’s Florida Qualifying Tournament to go along with two wins on the SwingThought.com Tour.

“Apparently what I’ve been doing has been working pretty good,” Choi joked while saying he wouldn’t try to get ahead of himself on the tricky Uplands layout. “I’m just going to make aggressive swings to smart targets. You really don’t need to try and overpower this golf course. You just need to take what it gives you and play smart.”

Wong, who has posted three top-10 finishes in four starts on the PGA TOUR China Series this spring, carded four birdies and one bogey to hold solo second at 8-under. The two-time Mackenzie Tour winner said playing several events heading into his season debut in Canada would be helpful in the heat of battle this weekend.

“It’s definitely a good thing having a few starts under my belt. I know that I’ve competed very well over the past few weeks, and I know that my game can stack up to most players now,” said Wong.

Seven players, including Victoria native Cory Renfrew, were five back of Choi in a tie for third at 6-under par through 54 holes.

LEWISTON, N.Y. – Ana Paula Valdes, a native of Morelia, Mexico, surged in the final round of play at the Women’s Porter Cup to edge out Canadian Christina Foster of Concord, Ont., for the one-stroke victory on Friday.

Valdes, a Clemson University commit, fired a 6-under 65 for the low-round of the 54-hole event, finishing at 8-under par to end the second-round leading Foster’s bid to keep the title north of the border (Brooke Henderson won in 2014).

The tournament boasted a strong showing of Canadians atop the leaderboard with four Canucks inside the top-10. Trailing runner-up Foster was St-Georges-de-Beauce, Qué., native and Kent State senior, Josée Doyon, who finished in third place at 2-under par.

Next in line were Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.) and Jennifer Ha (Calgary)—both members of Team Canada’s Amateur Squad—who finished T4 and sixth, respectively.

Rounding out the top 10 was Development Squad member Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C. The N.C. State commit finished in a tie for seventh at 1-over par for the tournament (71-71-72).

This was the third annual Women’s Porter Cup, which runs as the sister event to the men’s tournament, taking place at the end of July.

Click here for full scoring.

@portercup @GolfCanada it’s a wrap #greatevent #thankyou pic.twitter.com/17rb3CV7v1

— ann carroll (@AnnAnncarroll) June 5, 2015

DUBLIN, Ohio – David Lingmerth took a step toward turning his game around with a 7-under 65 at the Memorial on Friday. It gave the Swede a one-shot lead going into a weekend that includes Tiger Woods.

But just barely.

Long after Lingmerth capped off a bogey-free round at Muirfield Village, Woods was 40 yards away from the flag on the 18th green and in dire need of getting up-and-down to save par and avoid missing his first cut at the tournament he has won five times.

For his second straight tournament, he holed a key putt to survive.

“At least I was able to make those putts, so that’s a positive sign,” Woods said after his 2-under 70. “Now I just need to put myself in the position where those putts are to win tournaments, not to make cuts.”

He was 11 shots behind Lingmerth, who was at 12-under 132.

Woods had to hang on, making two straight bogeys before his par save on the final hole. For Jason Dufner, it was a thrill a minute.

Dufner made a 5 on a par 3 and a 3 on a par 5. And that was before he made a hole-in-one – his fourth eagle of the week – on the par-3 16th hole. He followed that with a bogey. It was relatively boring after that, and the former PGA champion wound up with a 67 that put him in final group with Lingmerth, just one shot behind.

Dufner didn’t have much to say – he rarely does, even when he won the PGA Championship two years ago – and spoke only to Ohio-based reporters. Until a tie for eighth last week at the AT&T Byron National, he had gone just over a year without a top 10 on American soil. The only time he made news was when his divorce was reported.

“I’m hitting it really good,” Dufner said. “I’m having enough good holes, good shots, to offset some of the mistakes I’ve had.”

Ryan Moore, gearing up for a U.S. Open near his hometown outside Tacoma, Washington, had another 67 and was at 10-under 134, along with Andy Sullivan of England, who can earn a spot at Chambers Bay with a good week at the Memorial.

A trio of past champions – Hideki Matsuyama, Jim Furyk and Justin Rose – were in the group that was three shots behind. Joining them was Patrick Rodgers, who made eight birdies in a round of 66 and is poised to at least secure temporary membership on the PGA Tour.

Good scores were stacked up behind them. There were plenty of birdies available on a course that still presents trouble around every corner.

“Every shot gets your attention,” Rose said.

It got the attention of Masters champion Jordan Spieth. He went out in 31 and was creeping up on the lead when he wound up on the wrong side of the 10th green and made double bogey, and he never recovered. Spieth missed a half-dozen putts from 10 feet or in and had to settle for a 70 that put him six shots behind.

Phil Mickelson made a late eagle for a 68 and was in the group at 4-under 140.

Kenny Perry made bogey on his last hole for a 73 and missed the cut by one shot. The 54-year-old took a career money exemption for the year so he could end his career at the Memorial, which he won two times.

Lingmerth had missed four cuts in his last five starts, and the start of this tournament was ominous when he was 2 over through four holes. He made seven birdies on his last 12 holes on Thursday, and he made seven more Friday.

“I started giving myself some opportunities and the putts started dropping in,” Lingmerth said.

Dufner was tied for the lead late Thursday until he hit his tee shot into the water on the 18th and made double bogey.

He started Friday on the back nine and was in trouble early when he hit into the water on the par-3 12th and had to make a 4-footer to salvage double bogey. His fortunes changed quickly. He hit a wedge to 5 feet for birdie on the 14th. He hit hybrid into 6 feet for eagle on the 15th. And then he hit 6-iron into the hole on the par-3 16th.

Five under on three holes goes a long way.

“Probably the best I’ve ever done,” Dufner said.

Woods, meanwhile, opened with three birdies in four holes, though he was still wild off the tee. He mixed bogeys with birdies and was in reasonable shape at 3 under for the tournament until he missed the 16th green long and made bogey, and then found a deep patch of rough just off the left side of the fairway at the 17th, had to lay up and could get no closer than 30 feet from 100 yards. That bogey put him on the cut line, and he popped up his 3-wood off the 18th tee into rough.

But he saved his par and saved his weekend.

This is the third straight tournament that Woods made the cut, something he hasn’t done in a year. He believes he is making progress, though the bar has been lowered significantly at the moment.

Canada’s David Hearn sits as the top Canadian. He’s tied for 16th at 6 under after two 69s.

CAMBRIDGE, Ontario – Suzann Pettersen shot a 7-under 65 on Friday for a share of the second-round lead with Mariajo Uribe in the Manulife LPGA Classic.

Pettersen had seven birdies in a 10-hole stretch at Whistle Bear Golf Club. The 34-year-old Norwegian player won the last of her 14 LPGA Tour titles in 2013.

Uribe, from Colombia, had five birdies in a 66 to match Pettersen at 13-under 131. She won the tour’s unofficial HSBC Brazil Cup in 2011.

Cristie Kerr, tied for the first-round lead with Cheyenne Woods and P.K. Kongkraphan after matching the course record with a 63, was a stroke back after a 69. She won the Kia Classic in California in March for her 17th LPGA Tour title.

Yani Tseng and Brittany Lang topped the group at 11 under. Tseng had a 65, and Lang, the 2012 winner at Grey Silo in Waterloo, shot a 68.

Woods had a 73 to drop into a tie for 19th at 8 under. She’s Tiger Woods’ niece.

Kongkraphan also struggled, shooting a 75 to fall into a tie for 35th at 6 under.

Second-ranked Inbee Park, the winner last year at Grey Silo, had a 68 to reach 7 under.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko was 5 under after a 68.

Canadian Alena Sharp was the top Canadian. The Hamilton, Ont., native was tied for 23rd at 7 under after a 70 Friday.

Brooke Henderson, the 17-year-old Team Canada member who was third in the Swinging Skirts in April in California, missed the cut by a stroke with rounds of 71 and 70.

Sister Brittany Henderson also dropped out, shooting 72-70.

DES MOINES, Iowa – Bill Andrade and Argentina’s Jose Coceres share the first-round lead at 6-under 66 on Friday in the Champions Tour’s Principal Charity Classic.

Andrade had seven birdies and a three-putt bogey on No. 14 at Wakonda Club. The four-time PGA Tour winner teamed with Joe Duran to win the Legends of Golf in April for his first Champions Tour title.

“I love this place,” Andrade said. “I just think it’s like a where I grew up in Rhode Island, so it’s tree-lined, it’s like a mini-Westchester I kind of call it. I just think a fabulous place and it played very nicely today I thought.”

Andrade rebounded from the bogey on the par-3 14th with a birdie on the par-5 15th and birdied the par-4 18th for a share of the lead.

“You’ve got to, obviously, drive it in the right places and you have to get a little lucky on some tee shots if the ball stays in the fairway, so you have to have a little imagination off the tee,” Andrade said. “Then it’s hitting greens and getting it in position where you’re not above the hole all day and you have chances to make birdies. There’s a lot of birdies out there and the course is in great shape. It’s a fun track to play. If you don’t pay attention you can get beat up a little bit.”

Coceres, from Argentina, had six birdies – four on the final seven holes – in his bogey-free round. The two-time PGA Tour champion is winless on the 50-and-over tour.

“I played very well,” Coceres said. “Very happy for my golf from putter, everything, very good. … The course is in very good condition.”

Defending champion Tom Pernice Jr. was a stroke back along with Mark Calcavecchia, Paul Goydos, Michael Allen, Brian Henninger, Grant Waite and Jeff Coston.

“It was nice to get off to a good start,” said Pernice, a playoff winner last year over Doug Garwood. “Great weather conditions, the golf course is in great shape, so to get in 5 under is a good start. Got away with a few sloppy shots at times and just didn’t drive the ball as well as I could have, but had some good recoveries, hit some good putts.”

Bernhard Langer and Canada’s Rod Spittle topped the group at 68 and held a share of 10th thru 18 holes.

Davis Love III opened with a 70. He’s making his fourth Champions Tour start since turning 50 in April 2014.

Another Canuck, Jim Rutledge, opened with a 75.

Collegiately speaking, 2015 is an odd year for Team Canada.

Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.), teammates at Kent State and 2014 Co-Mid-American Player of the Year award winners, graduated and began their professional careers as members of Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad.

Adam Svensson (Surrey, B.C.) turned professional mid-way through his junior season at Barry University, chalking up eight NCAA titles during his collegiate tenure. He also joined the Young Pro Squad mid-season along with Conners (who turned professional following the Masters).

Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.) entered her fifth year studying chemical engineering at N.C. State, becoming ineligible to continue competing for the Wolfpack.

17-year-old Smiths Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson elected to turn professional and join the Young Pro Squad, foregoing her scholarship to the University of Florida after becoming the world’s No. 1 ranked female amateur.

Dual-citizen Austin Connelly entered his first year with Team Canada’s Amateur Squad, boasting a World Amateur Ranking inside the top-10 as an 18-year-old high school student.

That leaves just five athletes currently playing with NCAA programs—four on the Amateur Squad and one on the Development Squad (Tyler Saunders). All five athletes earned honours as first-team selections for their respective conference. See how they got there:

With Ha and Tong graduating, and Hamilton entering his senior year, Team Canada’s veterans are primed to pass the torch down to the younger group, many of whom are committed to start their collegiate careers in 2016:

Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.) – University of Houston

Trevor Ranton (Waterloo, Ont.) – Indiana University

AJ Armstrong (St. Albert, Alta.) – Washington State University

Patrick Murphy (Crossfield, Alta.) – UCLA

Jaclyn Lee (Calgary) – Ohio State University

Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.) – N.C. State University

Austin Connelly (Dual-citizen) – University of Arkansas

This is an exciting transitional period for Team Canada—one that follows the intended pathway of the program, with athletes graduating up the ranks as they work towards becoming Canada’s elite golfers.

BRADENTON, Fla. – Ben Taylor made a tricky 8-foot par putt on the 18th hole Wednesday to give LSU its first NCAA golf championship in 60 years.

The Tigers beat Southern California 4-1 at The Concession Golf Club for their fifth team title and first since 1955.

“To finally get it done is something very special.” LSU coach Chuck Winstead said. “We played and lost to a very good Alabama team last year that won the national championship. It’s more than golf for them, because I’m proud of them as golfers and as men.”

After Taylor holed the putt for a 1-up victory over Bobby Gojuangco, he dropped his putter and embraced teammates who raced up the fairway to the final green.

“The first (putt) was up the slope and very quick, and I didn’t even get it anywhere near the hole on that putt,” Taylor said. “Then I had an 8-foot putt, down grain and hill. Coach always says to hit the last putt, it’s just one more putt. When I hit it, I knew it was going in the hole without a doubt.”

Taylor, from England, helped Nova Southeastern win the 2012 Division II title before transferring to LSU.

“It was a very special moment to end my college career with a putt to win a national championship,” Taylor said.

Brandon Pierce got LSU on the board, beating Rico Hoey 2 and 1. Zach Wright extended his record to 5-0, topping Sean Crocker 3 and 2. Eric Ricard beat Jonah Texeira 1 and 2.

Eric Sugimoto accounted for Southern California’s lone point, beating Stewart Jolly 1 and 2.

“I’ll remember this for the rest of my life,” Sugimoto said. “It’s bittersweet college golf ending, and besides not winning it all today, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Southern California missed a chance for its first team title.

“Second place is way better than third,” Trojans coach Chris Zambri said. “In the end, where we are, that’s how we’re measured, so I’m pretty bummed. You’ve got to play great and survive, so when you get (to the final), you want to get it done. Again, second beats third, fourth, dead last by a mile, yet we still haven’t won a national title and that’s a bummer.”

On Monday, SMU’s Bryson DeChambeau won the individual title.

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – Tiger Woods has played a second practice round at Chambers Bay in preparations for the U.S. Open in two weeks.

Woods was on the course Tuesday morning under cloudy skies and occasional showers. Woods arrived in the area Sunday night and his practice round on Monday drew curious spectators to the hills overlooking the waterside golf course along Puget Sound. Woods’ visit happened to come on the two cloudiest days in the last couple of weeks.

Woods made the trip to the Pacific Northwest before heading to the Memorial in Ohio, his last tuneup before the U.S. Open. Woods hasn’t played since The Players Championship, where he finished 69th after shooting 3 over par.