Team Canada

Canada’s Sue Kim wins Symetra Tour event

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Sue Kim (Gregory Shamus/ Getty Images)

LAKE WALES, Fla. – Team Canada’s Sue Kim won the Symetra Tour’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic on Sunday, leading a Canadian sweep of the first three places.

Kim, the 24-year-old former University of Denver player from Langley, B.C., closed with a 2-under 70 to finish at 5-under 211 at Lake Wales Country Club. This was Kim’s second Symetra Tour win, as she also won the tour’s 2013 Decatur-Forsyth Classic.

Kim earned $18,750 to take the lead on the money list with $20,201. The final top 10 will earn 2016 LPGA Tour cards.

“Words can’t describe how important a win is out here,” said Kim, who moved from South Korea to Canada when she was 10. “This is definitely a confidence booster and lets me know that I can go back out on LPGA and compete. This win definitely gives me a good mindset to go back out there.”

Sisters Brooke and Brittany Henderson tied for second, three strokes back. The 17-year-old Brooke Henderson finished with a 70, and Brittany Henderson shot a 74.

“It’s a really good feeling,” Brooke Henderson said. “It would’ve been better to be one and two, but Sue had a great week and I’m happy for her.”

Kim opened with rounds of 70 and 71 and was the only player in the field under par all three days.

“It was a great tournament for me from the first day forward,” Kim said. “I had the right people around me this week to get me in position to win. It was a great patient tournament for me to grab the `W.'”

Mississauga, Ont.’s Brogan McKinnon tied for 5th at even-par 216.

Amateur Team Canada

Alisha Lau wins rain-shortened MJT at Meadow Gardens

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Alisha Lau (Golf Canada/ Graig Abel)

PITT MEADOWS, B.C.  – Team Canada member Alisha Lau, 15, of Richmond, B.C., fired 69 to win the MJT Girls Division title and Low Overall at the Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s rain-shortened recent stop at Meadow Gardens Golf Course in Pitt Meadows, B.C.

The tournament was scheduled to run March 28th and 29th and also serve as a qualifier for the IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championships, but inclement weather forced cancellation of the final round, meaning the qualifier will move to April 25th and 26th at Pagoda Ridge Golf Course in Langley, B.C.

“It feels nice to put a good round together in the beginning of the season, especially with some of the changes I’ve been making,” said Lau, who won by four strokes. “Over the winter I worked a lot on my swing. This win will give me a bit more confidence playing again.”

The MJT Girls 14 and under division was won by Michelle Cha, 13, of Surrey, B.C., (83).

Shayne LaRochelle, 19, of Coquitlam, B.C. claimed the MJT Junior Boys 17-19 title after shooting 73.

Another score of 73 secured the MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16 win for Mathew McConnachie, 16, of Surrey, B.C.

There was a tie for the lead with a score of 83 in the MJT Bantam Boys 13-14 division between Andy Jang, 14, of Langley, B.C., and Dylan Bercan, 13, of Vancouver, with the trophy decided on countback and going to Jang.

A five stroke margin ensured the MJT Peewee Boys 12 and under win went to Cole Bowering, 12, of Vancouver.

For full scores, click here.

DP World Tour

Richie Ramsay wins Trophee Hassan II

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Richie Ramsay (Andrew Redington/ Getty Images)

AGADIR, Morocco – Richie Ramsay of Scotland shot a 3-under 69 Sunday to win the Trophee Hassan II by one shot ahead of Frenchman Romain Wattel and claim his third European Tour title.

Ramsay wasted a three-shot lead before recovering with three straight birdies from the 12th hole at the Golf du Palais Royal to finish with a 10-under 278 total.

Wattel birdied the 17th but settled for par on 18 for a 70.

Six players shared third place on 8 under, including South African George Coetzee, who needed to win in order to secure a place at the Masters.

Ramsay said “I stood over the putt at the 12th hole and thought my putter feels great. I thought, `Just go for it, this is your time.'”

 

Amateur Team Canada

France earns six-stroke victory at Southern Cross Invitational

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Team France

TIGRE, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Medalist Romain Langasque of France dominated the field at Nordelta Golf Club, finishing at 14-under par (71-69-67-67), 9 strokes ahead of runner-up Jarryd Felton of Australia to lift Team France to the come-from-behind victory.

In total, France finished comfortably in first with a combined 846 (18-under) after trailing second place Ireland (852) through 36 holes. Rounding out the podium was Australia, who held a narrow one-stroke margin over Canada through 36 holes before pulling away in the final two rounds to finish at 5-under par (859).

Canada’s Development Squad held the fourth spot at 877, fending off Argentina’s last-ditch effort on Sunday to overtake the Canucks—they finished two-back at 879.

The leaderboard was rounded out by Chile (882), South Africa (886) and Portugal (890).

The inaugural Southern Cross began in 1999 between Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Since then, the event combined with the Four Nations and Ten Nations Cup to include the larger field it hosts today.

Click here for full scoring.

Amateur Team Canada

Canada’s Corey Conners finishes T6 at Azalea Invitational

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Corey Conners (Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Team Canada’s Corey Conners put forth another strong effort on Sunday, finishing in usual fashion inside the top-10 (T6) at 6-under par at the Azalea Invitational.

The 23-year-old Conners closed with a final-round, 3-under 68 in his last competitive round of golf prior to teeing it up at the pinnacle of professional golf — The Masters.

With the Masters quickly approaching, the Listowel, Ont., native will fly back to West Palm Beach, Fla., where he will continue his preparation.

“We’re both very pleased with his consistent performance this week,” said Team Canada Men’s Head Coach Derek Ingram. “We’re also able to further identify strong areas in his game, and others that could use additional attention in these next few days we have to practice.”

As a refresher, Conners earned his ticket to the Masters after finishing runner-up at the 2014 U.S Men’s Amateur Championship. He since won the prestigious Lake Macquarie championship in Australia earlier in January.

Fellow Team Canada member Austin Connelly was also in the field at the Azalea Invitational, finishing T18 at 1-under par for the tournament.

The Azalea Invitational has its own roots in history as well, having been hosted almost every year at the Country Club of Charleston since 1946.

Click here for full scores.

Thomas Curtis claims Grey Goose World Par 3 Championship

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Thomas Curtis (PGA of Canada)

Thomas Curtis outlasted the field Sunday at the Fairmont Southampton Turtle Hill Golf Club to capture the Grey Goose World Par 3 Championship.

The 29-year-old put together rounds of 56-54 for a two-day total of 2-over-par 110 for the championship win and the $20,000 first place prize.

“Bermuda is such a fun place and really just a beautiful island with great people,” Curtis said about his Bermuda experience. “The golf course is so much fun and when you end up winning it makes the experience so much sweeter.”

American Jimmy Lytle finished alone in second, two shots behind Curtis. A trio of European Senior Tour winners —Anders Forsbrand, Barry Lane and Mark Mouland— finished T3, three-shots back.

Recently married, Curtis, along with his wife and their newborn baby daughter are honeymooning this week in Bermuda and says this win will make the trip all the sweeter.

“My wife has very kindly let me play golf on our honeymoon, so I definitely need to thank her, although we’ll probably have to go on a second honeymoon now,” he said. “But now I’ve got a couple days off to spend with the family here and really enjoy our time together and that makes it all the sweeter.”

PGA of Canada member Brian McCann —whose 4-under-par 50 on Sunday was the championship’s low round— Kenny Leech and James Hazen all finished T6.

In addition to the professionals in the championship, the 110-player field was rounded out by an impressive list of amateur golfers—from Bermuda, the United States, Canada and Europe—vying for titles in the men’s, women’s and senior amateur divisions.

Bermudian Mark Phillips won his second-straight men’s amateur division title, while Canadian Heather Fudge took the women’s amateur division crown. Craig Christensen of Bermuda won the senior men’s division.

To check out the full leaderboard, click here.

LPGA Tour

Mirim Lee leads LPGA Tour’s Kia Classic

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Mirim Lee (Donald Miralle/ Getty Images)

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Mirim Lee took the Kia Classic lead Saturday, while top-ranked Lydia Ko easily increased her LPGA Tour under-par streak to 27 rounds but dropped two late strokes and ended up four shots behind.

Lee shot a 6-under 66 to reach 16-under 200 at Aviara, leaving her a stroke ahead of former UCLA player Alison Lee in the final event before the first major of the season next week at Rancho Mirage.

“I think comfortable,” Mirim Lee said about the final round. “I just think patience, patience, patience.”

The 17-year-old Ko shot a 67 to move within two rounds of matching Annika Sorenstam’s LPGA Tour record for consecutive rounds under par of 29 set in 2004. Ko pushed her worldwide streak to 30.

“It’s definitely a little frustrating, and especially finishing off with a bogey,” Ko said. “But I had an 18-yard putt, and you just don’t want to be in that position in the first place. It’s just, I think, everything balances out. I chipped in for eagle and all that. It could have been a worser day, could have been better. But I know that I’m hitting the ball well, so hopefully I can take this to tomorrow and just give myself a lot of opportunities.”

Mirim Lee had five birdies and a 6-foot par save on the par-4 18th in a back-nine 31. The 24-year-old South Korean player won LPGA Tour events last year in Michigan and China.

“I think putting was best,” Mirim Lee said. “It was better than yesterday, so score was good.”

The 20-year-old Alison Lee had her second straight 66. She’s making her fourth LPGA Tour start as a professional. Last year, she won the Pac-12 title as a freshman at UCLA and was co-medalist at Q-school.

“I feel like I’ve had a lot of experience and played in a lot of tournaments to know that I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself,” Alison Lee said. “So, over the last stretch of holes, I just played my own game, stayed in the moment, and to be honest, I didn’t even know what I shot until I signed my scorecard.”

Ko eagled the par-4 seventh with a 10-yard chip and birdied Nos. 8, 11, 13 and 14 to take the lead at 14 under, but hit into the water and made a bogey on the drivable par-4 16th and lost another stroke on 18.

“Overall, the last couple days, I felt like my irons were really solid,” Ko said. “I was kind of on and off with the long clubs, but I felt like I hit the ball well, and that means I could be a little bit more positive about it. The only really loose shot was that tee shot on 16 and my second shot on 18. But it’s good that I’m confident enough that I can go for these tough pin positions.”

The New Zealander has two worldwide victories this year, winning the tour’s Women’s Australian Open and the Ladies European Tour’s New Zealand Women’s Open in consecutive weeks. She has 10 straight top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour. Ko has six career LPGA Tour victories, has never missed a cut in 48 career tour starts and has 10 worldwide wins in pro events.

Cristie Kerr and Japan’s Sakura Yokomine were 13 under. Kerr bogeyed the final hole for a 68, and Yokomine eagled the 16th in a 67.

Se Ri Pak matched the course record with a 64 to join Ko, Paula Creamer and Jennifer Song at 12 under. Creamer closed eagle-birdie-birdie for a 66. Song also had a 66.

Lexi Thompson, preparing for her title defense in the ANA Inspiration, was 11 under after a 65.

Morgan Pressel, tied for the second-round lead with Mirim Lee after matching the course record with a 64, had a 72 to fall into a tie for 10th at 10 under.

Second-ranked Inbee Park also was in the group at 10 under after a 68. She took last week off after winning in Singapore and finishing second in a Ladies European Tour event in China.

Canada’s Alena Sharp is tied for 35th at 4-under, 12-shots off the lead.

 

PGA TOUR

Jimmy Walker leads hometown Texas Open

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Jimmy Walker (Marianna Massey/ Getty Images)

SAN ANTONIO – Jimmy Walker opened a four-stroke lead over fellow Texan Jordan Spieth, shooting a 3-under 69 on Saturday in his hometown Texas Open.

Walker, who lives 35 minutes away from TPC San Antonio, is looking for his fifth title in two tour seasons. He had a 9-under 207 total after opening with rounds of 71 and 67.

“It’s a tough golf course,” said Walker, the winner of the Sony Open in Hawaii in January. “I thought coming into today that even par or maybe 1 under would be a good score. You definitely want to find a way to extend the lead, but you have to be smart about it.”

Spieth shot a 71. The 21-year-old Dallas player, coming off a playoff victory two weeks ago at Innisbrook, had a double bogey, two bogeys and two birdies on the final six holes.

“It’s not ideal – I really look for more consistency,” Spieth said.

FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel birdied the final three holes for a 69 to get to 3 under.

“I wanted to give myself some opportunities coming in,” Horschel said. “It was a nice one to get at 16 – it was blowing downwind and that green has been pretty firm all week. And they had the tees moved up at 17 and 18, just straight downwind today.”

Five players were seven back of Walker at 2 under. Zach Johnson birdied the last two holes for a 72, Chesson Hadley had a 71, tour rookie Scott Pinckney shot 69, 2011 champion Brendan Steele had a 72, and Jason Kokrak finished with a 71.

Phil Mickelson was even par after a 74. He had a near double-eagle on the 14th hole.

Tied making the turn, Walker broke away from Spieth with a two-shot swing on the par-5 14th and extended when Spieth hit his tee shot at the par-3 16th into more trouble well right of the grandstand.

Both players have long-established roots in Texas. Spieth played on the Texas Longhorns’ national champion team in 2012, and Walker was an All-American at Baylor.

“Jordan and I played the first two days out here and we had a lot of people,” Walker said. “We’ll probably have even more people tomorrow. It should be fun.”

Playing in the group ahead at No. 14, Spieth left a long bunker shot in the sand and failed to make a 13-footer once he got on the green.

Walker planted a wedge shot a foot away from the cup and made birdie.

Spieth got a shot back with an 8-foot birdie putt at 15, then hit a tee shot on the 191-yard 16th that ended up about 40 yards right of the green. He took two chips and lipped out a 4-footer en route to a double bogey.

“I’m going to have to hit the ball better than I did today,” Spieth said. “A couple of tough breaks on the back nine. All in all, I was playing a really solid round of golf, minus a couple of decisions and a couple of swings.”

Spieth bounced back to birdie the short par-4 17th.

Walker also birdied 17 after hitting a short pitch to 7 feet away. He capped his round with a 9-foot birdie putt on 18.

Mickelson had all sorts of short-game troubles while shooting a front-nine 40.

That included two shots from the fringe leading to a double bogey at No. 4, taking four shots to find the hole and bogeying after driving into a greenside bunker at the short par-4 fifth, missing a 3-foot par putt at the seventh and missing a green in regulation while blasting from a greenside bunker at the par-5 eighth.

He also missed birdie putts of 8 feet at Nos. 2 and 6.

He nearly holed out for double-eagle from 258 yards on the par-5 14th. His eagle put him back in red figures, but he bogeyed 16.

Champions Tour

Kevin Sutherland takes Champions Tour lead

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Kevin Sutherland (Chris Condon/ PGA TOUR)

SAUCIER, Miss. – Kevin Sutherland birdied three of the final six holes Saturday for a 5-under 67 and the second-round lead in the Champions Tour’s Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic.

Those birdies pushed him to the top and he protected the lead with key par saves from bunkers on the last two holes, including one from a buried lie and awkward stance on the par-3 17th.

“I didn’t have a stance and the ball’s plugged,” Sutherland said. “If someone would have given me a 4, I would have taken it. I thought if I could just pop it out I might could run it up to the hole. I was just hoping to get a putt at it and I did and I was fortunate enough to make it. Just ended up in a bad spot but was able to make the best of it.”

Sutherland, the one-time PGA Tour winner who shot the first 59 in Champions Tour history last year in Endicott, New York, chipped in for birdie from behind the 12th green and birdied Nos. 15 and 16.

He had a two-stroke lead over 2011 MGRC champ Tom Lehman, but he doesn’t have the “hangover” from a record round like he did the last time he took a lead into the final round.

“This is very different, a different mentality,” Sutherland said. “When I shot the 59, it almost felt like I had won something already. There were all the congratulations, and the million texts and all that stuff and everybody wanted to talk about it, which is totally understandable. It was hard to come out the next day and be focused.

“As much as I wanted to be, I wasn’t as focused as I needed to be. I don’t think that will be a problem tomorrow. Whether I play well or not is a different subject, but I know I’ll be ready to play. At Dick Sporting Goods (Open), I was still living off a hangover from the day before.”

Lehman climbed the leaderboard with a bogey-free 66, highlighted by a 50-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eighth hole.

“You just have to get it over the ridge and then it’s all about gravity,” Lehman said. “It’s a matter of getting up to the right on the high side in the right spot where it can just trundle on down the hill. It looked perfect from the beginning. It was one of those long putts that at worst case is going to be really close. Within 5 or 6 feet, I thought it was in.

“Those are the kinds of things that happen when momentum is on your side, and to do well in golf you have to have things like that happen. You can’t be perfect all the time. You have to get away with some imperfection and that was certainly one case of that.”

Tom Pernice Jr. and David Frost were 6 under. Pernice had a 69, and Frost shot 70.

Scott Dunlap had a 65, the best round of the week, to join Colin Montgomerie, Joe Durant, Olin Browne and Woody Austin at 5 under. Montgomerie and Durant shot 72 after sharing the first-round lead. Browne had a 68, and Austin shot 71.

Miguel Angel Jimenez was 2 over after a 70. The Spaniard won the season-opening event in Hawaii in January for his second victory in three career Champions Tour starts.

“It’s a tough course so anybody within five or six shots still has a chance to win with a really hot round,” Lehman said. “Everybody knows the golf course. It’s a matter of who goes out and enjoys it the most, is the strongest mentally and gets a break or two when then need it and makes some putts.”

Canada’s Stephen Ames has a share of 21st at even-par after a 73. Rod Spittle is tied for 31st (+2) and Jim Rutledge is tied for 69th (+9).

DP World Tour

Trio share lead thru 54 holes of Trophee Hassan II

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Romain Wattel (Andrew Redington/ Getty Images)

AGADIR, Morocco – Romain Wattel of France produced a late charge Saturday to share the lead with Scottish pair Richie Ramsay and Andrew McArthur on 7-under par heading into the final round of the Trophee Hassan II.

McArthur and Wattel shot 5-under 67s while overnight co-leader Ramsey had to be content with a 71 after hitting five birdies and four bogeys.

“It was a thrilling back nine,” said Wattel, who picked up four shots in his last four holes. “I was two under quite quickly then I had a few mistakes … You have to be patient here and on the good side every time.”

South African George Coetzee (71), who must win to secure a place at the Masters in less than two weeks, remains in the mix after a superb back nine at the Golf du Palais Royal.

Coetzee, who carded five birdies and one bogey on the back nine, is among seven players lying just one shot off the leaders, along with former champion David Horsey.

“I made some silly errors, mental errors, but I feel like I am still in a good space,” Coetzee said. “When you make mistakes, you focus on doing the mental stuff correct and it kind of takes care of itself.”

The tournament remains wide open with only four shots separating the top 29 players.