NEW DELHI – Shiv Chowrasia will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Hero Indian Open after he carded a two-under 69 on Saturday at the Delhi Golf Club.

Defending champion Siddikur Rahman, who had shared the lead with Chowrasia and three others on the opening day, finished with a round of one-under 70.

Australian Marcus Fraser was five shots off the lead in third with a 67, while Daniel Chopra and Prayad Marksaeng were tied in fourth. Paul Peterson and Anirban Lahiri were a further stroke behind them.

Chowrasia, who came up with his first bogey of the week on the 17th hole, said he would “think and play positive on the final day” as he looked for his maiden Indian Open title after finishing runner up three times.

Toronto native Richard T Lee sits tied for 50th at 2-over.

MELBOURNE, Australia – World No. 1 Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn shot 1-under 72s on Saturday to share the lead after the third round of the Women’s Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.

Ko and Jutanugarn had 54-holes totals of 7-under 212, one better than South Korea’s Amy Yang, who shot 70.

Julieta Granada of Paraguay and Australia’s Katherine Kirk, also with 70s, were tied for fourth, three behind the leaders. Kirk had four consecutive birdies from Nos. 13 to 16 to move her up the leaderboard.

England’s Charley Hull shot 76 and dropped back into a group tied for seventh with Jessica Korda (75), the 2012 champion at Royal Melbourne.

It was a tough, hot day at Royal Melbourne, particularly on the back nine. Only one player broke 70 – first-round leader Ilhee Lee with a 69. She’s tied for 13th and seven strokes behind.

Ko said conditions were so tough it was like playing in a major.

“You hit in on to the green and you have this humungous break,” Ko said. “It’s tough in every aspect … it does feel like a major.”

Kirk, who also had three bogeys and six birdies overall on Saturday, said Royal Melbourne had the firmest greens she expected to compete on all year.

“I’m very happy with it because it’s not easy to make birdies out there and I made six,” Kirk said. “I made two long putts and they’re just bonuses, but that’s probably as good as it gets today. You know this week that you’re going to make bogeys; it’s a tough golf course and they’re inevitable.”

Ko said she felt frustrated about not being able to make more birdies, but said she’d take a 2-under 71 before she began play on Sunday if offered.

“Yes, I would,” she laughed. “If I don’t have to play in that heat and get a 71 I’d take it.”

Canadian Alena Sharp shot a 2-over 75 and sits in a tie for 36th place.

LOS ANGELES – Retief Goosen handled the tough conditions at Riviera so well on Friday that it brought back some fond memories.

Sure, he’s a two-time U.S. Open champion, and the Northern Trust Open drew some comparisons to golf’s toughest test with its firm, fast conditions. For now, Goosen was just thrilled to be in the lead going into the weekend at any tournament.

Goosen rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on his final hole for a 1-under 70 and his first 36-hole lead in more than four years.

“It’s been such a long time since I’ve last been in contention,” Goosen said. “Who knows how my game is going to hold up? But I’m feeling good. My back is feeling great. So if the nerves can hold, just continue to make good golf swings and make a few good putts, who knows?”

He was one shot ahead of Ryan Moore (68), Graham DeLaet (67) and Justin Thomas, the 21-year-old rookie who already has been in the weekend hunt twice this year. Thomas made three crucial par saves on his final nine holes for a 69.

It’s easy to mention U.S. Open when the scores are high, especially on a course that once hosted one. But there was nothing easy about Riviera. Goosen was at 6-under 136, the highest 36-hole score to lead on the PGA Tour since the Quicken Loans National at Congressional, another U.S. Open venue.

“It’s playing similar to a major championship,” said Jordan Spieth, who had a 70 and was three shots behind. “And the rough … there’s really no rough. That’s what is great about this place. It only takes a couple days for them to make it like a major, and they don’t even have to do much.”

Goosen, who turned 46 earlier this month and hasn’t won in six years, has plenty of work ahead of him.

Two-time major champion Angel Cabrera made two bogeys over his last three holes for a 68 and was two shots behind. Defending champion Bubba Watson (69), Spieth and J.B. Holmes (69) were in the group three shots behind.

Nick Watney became the first player all week to reach 7 under early in the second round, and he was leading when he made the turn and made birdie on the par-5 first hole. He followed with four straight bogeys and shot 74, though he was still in range. Watney was in the large group at 2-under 140 that included Sergio Garcia (69), Vijay Singh (74) and Carlos Ortiz (73).

“If it continues to be like this, it’s only going to get tougher,” Goosen said. “There’s going to be some tougher pins out there, and par will be a good score on a lot of these holes. … The rough is thick in places. The greens are definitely becoming U.S. Open greens.”

The rough isn’t severe, but it doesn’t have to be. The greens are so firm that it’s difficult to get it close. Goosen had a sand wedge into the seventh green and it rolled out some 35 feet.

“It’s just tough to have birdie chances that are reasonable on this golf course right now,” Moore said. “The greens are so firm and so bouncy. I hit a handful of what I would say are as good of shots as I could possibly hit the last couple days and ended up with 45-footers.”

Watson was moving closer to the lead with a 40-foot eagle on No. 1 (he started at No. 10) and a 25-foot birdie on the next hole. But he hit a wayward tee on the third that led to bogey, and finished with six straight pars.

“I haven’t been able to get the ball as close as I want to,” Watson said. “I made two long putts, which me look like I played really good today.”

DeLaet and Thomas each saved their rounds with pars.

DeLaet, who rolled in a 40-foot birdie putt from the fringe on No. 4, had par putts of 10, 7, 6 and 5 feet the rest of the front nine for a solid round with just one bogey. Thomas saved par from the bunker in the middle of the green on the par-3 sixth hole and made an 8-foot par save on the next hole. He also made a 10-foot par putt on the long par-3 fourth hole.

“I felt like they were (worth) more than the birdie putts,” Thomas said. “To leave it in the spots I did and get up-and-down for par was huge.”

Goosen won his U.S. Opens at Southern Hills in a playoff and at Shinnecock Hills with his short game, particularly the putter. This only reminded him of a U.S. Open the way he had to fight for every score.

“I was working hard out there, keeping my score together and hopefully, this weekend it’s going to be the same,” he said. “It’s going to be a grind out there.”

Adam Hadwin of Moose Jaw, Sask. was even on the day and sits T48 at 2-over. Winnipeg’s Nick Taylor and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont. did not make the cut.

DIVOTS: Mike Weir withdrew on his front nine with soreness in his right elbow. He said he would see a doctor and likely not be ready for the Honda Classic. … Lucas Glover made a hole-in-one on the par-3 sixth hole, a tap-in birdie on the par-3 16th and 10-foot birdie on the par-3 fourth, the second-hardest hole at Riviera on Friday. He also had five bogeys, however, and missed the cut by one. … The cut was at 3-over 145. Fred Couples missed a 6-foot par putt on the 18th hole and missed it by one shot.

LOS ANGELES – Jack Nicklaus isn’t ruling out Tiger Woods breaking his record of 18 major championships provided he rediscovers his game.

Nicklaus said Friday on Golf Channel that Woods will have to do that on his own.

“You go through things, and you have to have a positive thing happen to you to turn it around,” Nicklaus said. “I think Tiger will turn it around. He’s too dedicated, he works too hard at it, he’s got too much talent. He’ll figure it out. And personally, I think he needs to figure it out himself. Because a teacher can’t teach what’s inside your head. You’ve got to be able to put that positive thought into your head yourself.”

Woods, coming off an injury-played season that caused him to miss two majors, the FedEx Cup playoffs and the Ryder Cup, began his 2015 campaign with a career-high 82 to miss the cut in the Phoenix Open and withdrawing after 11 holes at Torrey Pines with tightness in his lower back.

He said the tightness was not related to the back surgery he had last spring that kept him out a combined seven months. Woods decided not to play the Honda Classic next week and said he won’t return until his game is ready for tournament competition.

“Tiger is struggling. I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Nicklaus said. “I think he’s struggling more between his ears than he is any place else. He’s struggled with the driver most of his life really, but he’s always been able to find the golf ball and get it somewhere back around the green.

“And now he’s having trouble with the short game,” he added. “That is not a good combination, to drive it poorly and have a bad short game.”

Nicklaus spoke on Golf Channel from Doral, site of the Cadillac Championship. The Jack Nicklaus Villa at Trump National Doral was unveiled on Friday.

Woods has been linked to Nicklaus for his entire career, mainly because of the benchmark Nicklaus established with his 18 professional majors. As a kid, he had a chart taped up in his bedroom of what Nicklaus accomplished at various ages as an amateur.

Woods won his 14th major in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, a week before he had reconstructive knee surgery. He was ahead of pace then, but he has gone six years without winning a major, and he hasn’t played in six majors since his last victory because of injuries.

Nicklaus said he still thinks Woods will eclipse his record, a question the Golden Bear has been asked more than any other over the years. He once joked about the headlines he would create if he ever answered, “No.”

“I still do. Why would I not think that?” Nicklaus said. “He’s got a lot of golf in front of him. But it’s going to be up to him. He’s still got to do it. He may, he may not. Obviously, chances are harder for him now than five years ago, but I still think he has time on his side.”

During the past few days, I was fortunate to be a part of the Annual General Meeting of Golf Canada.  It started on Wednesday the 10^th and finished with an awards dinner on Saturday the 14^th.  I am on the Investment Committee and the Competitions Committee and am really impressed with the professional execution of the organization’s Committee and Board meetings.  Governance is adhered to explicitly, due in part to the need for Golf Canada to report to and follow the policies of Sport Canada.

During the meeting, a new membership model was proposed – one which will be implemented in stages over the next three years.  I am in favour of this model and I strongly recommend that all golfers in Canada get connected with Golf Canada, with at least the free version of membership.  Today we have 300,000 members out of an active golf population of over 1,500,000, in addition to approximately 3,000,000 “interested golfers.”  There will be more on this membership model in the next couple of months as a new website will be developed.

Every profession has a governing or regulatory body that has its members’ interests at heart. To be part of these organizations, one must pay annual fees.  Accountants, lawyers, investment professionals, doctors, teachers and unions all have fees they must – and expect – to pay.  In the same way, all sports need funding to handle rules, compliance, growth, archives, championships, player development, and the organization itself.  Golf is no exception.

Did you know that Golf is the highest participation sport in Canada? 

Hockey is second.  More info here.  And yet, only 10 per cent of golfers provide funds for its governance – this needs to change…and it will with the new membership model. The link below is a summary note from Scott Simmons CEO of Golf Canada.

Annual General Meeting Golf Canada – Click Here

Congratulations to Doug Alexander on a wonderful year of leadership. Paul McLean has some big shoes to fill and I’m sure he will have a fabulous term. If you wonder what the Governing Body of Golf in Canada is doing, please click on the committee report link for a list of Committees and a list of the volunteers who work countless hours for the betterment of the game. There are also 2014 highlights and 2015 objectives for each committee.  I am WOWED at the dedication these volunteers and staff members show in making golf such a great lifelong sport.

Committee Reports – Click Here.

Golf Canada is helping to create heroes.  Corey Conners form Listowel, Ont. and Brooke Henderson from Smiths Falls, Ont., both made it to the finals of the U.S. Amateur in 2014.  Nick Taylor won on the PGA Tour and Graham DeLaet is ramping up his PGA career.  Below are just a few of the accomplishments from our players in 2014.

Golf is now an Olympic sport and will be in the Pan Am games in Toronto this summer.  Cheer on our heroes and support Golf Canada – the organization that sets the stage for fun and achievement in our sport.

Kelly Roberts is Senior Vice-President, Portfolio Manager with National Bank Financial Wealth Management. He is a member of both the Investment and Competitions Committees with Golf Canada. The London, Ont. native is a two-time winner of the Ontario Amateur Championship (1972, 1973). Roberts was elected to the Golf Association of Ontario’s Hall of Fame in 2006.

Augusta James begins her pro career today as the Gateway Classic at the Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Ariz. gets started to kick off the 2015 Symetra Tour.

The Gateway Classic will feature 120 of the top up-and-coming female golfers looking to make their mark on the sport. At stake for the winner is $15,000 and an early lead atop the Volvik Race for the Card money list. At year’s end, the top 10 earners will receive full LPGA Tour cards for the 2016 season.

Almost one-tenth of the field will be made up of Canadians. Twelve Players from across the country will try to claim the top prize and make it consecutive Gateway Classic wins by Canadians after Alena Sharp shot a 12-under 204 to emerge victorious in 2014.

When asked earlier this month about the prospect of playing on tour with her fellow Canadians, Bath, Ont.’s James responded, “The really nice thing about the fact that we’re all Canadian is a lot of us have grown up playing golf together through the junior and amateur ranks. And now, they have been more than helpful with giving me information and with any questions that I have.”

The 11 Canadians playing in the Gateway Classic this weekend are:

• Natalie Gleadall – Stratford, Ont.
• Brittany Henderson – Smiths Falls, Ont.
• Augusta James – Kingston, Ont.
• Sara-Maude Juneau – Québec City, Qué.
• Sue Kim – Langley, B.C.
• Jennifer Kirby – Paris, Ont.
• Maude-Aimée Leblanc – Sherbrooke, Qué.
• Rebecca Lee-Bentham – Toronto, Ont.
• Lisa Meldrum – Montreal, Qué.
• Samantha Richdale – Kelowna, B.C.
• Nicole Vandermade – Brantford, Ont.
• Jessica Wallace – Langley, B.C.

The 2015 Gateway Classic will conclude on Sunday. For additional information and results, visit the tournament’s website here.

A little Canadian National Team reunion. #putes @TheSueKim @JessWGolf #unicornspotting pic.twitter.com/qQQrNl4Udj

— Melissa Mabanta (@Melissa_Mabanta) February 20, 2015

NEW DELHI – Shiv Chowrasia shot a 4-under 67 Friday to take the sole lead at the Indian Open.

Chowrasia, a two-time winner on the European Tour, had four biridies for a 10-under 132 total.

Defending champion Siddikur Rahman (68) was a stroke behind, while Chapchai Nirat (71) and Joakim Lagergren (71) were tied for third, four strokes behind Chowrasia.

Canadian Richard T Lee is T13 at 2-under par.

MELBOURNE, Australia – No.1-ranked Lydia Ko of New Zealand, helped by a chip-in eagle, took a share of the second-round lead Friday with South Korea’s Jang Ha-na and Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand at the Women’s Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.

The 17-year-old South Korean-born Ko, playing her second tournament since becoming the youngest golfer, male or female, to earn the top ranking, shot a three-under 70 while Jang finished with a 69 and Jutanugarn had a 71, giving the leaders 36-hole totals of 6-under 140.

England’s Charley Hull, the Ladies European Tour’s top money winner last year, was in fourth place after a 71, two strokes behind.

American Jessica Korda, the 2012 champion at Royal Melbourne, shot 71 and was in fifth place, three strokes off the lead and tied with South Korean Amy Yang, who shot 70.

Ko began the day two strokes off the lead and pulled level when she holed out with a 9-iron from 125 meters on the par-4 15th hole.

She was upset with herself on the 15th tee after only taking par on the preceding par-5 hole, which she eagled in the first round.

“That anger led me to hit an aggressive drive on the 15th,” said Ko. “I was so upset from the hole before that I gambled. A little bit of anger is good because it lets the steam out, whereas sometimes I’ve had experiences where I’ve kept it in and it’s definitely not helped me.”

The 22-year-old Jang, in her rookie year on the LPGA tour, finished tied for second last month at the Coates Championship.

The 18-year-old Hull’s mostly good round was offset by problems on the sixth green, where she missed putts twice from less than three feet.

“I just four-putted that hole, it just didn’t go in,” Hull said. “I had a couple of three-putts as well. It’s just a learning experience for me. Sometimes I can get a bit ahead of myself and do silly stuff like that. But then I feel I concentrate well afterwards and try and get them back.”

Last week at the Australian Ladies Masters, Hull was in a shared tied for the lead going into the final round before triple bogeying the sixth hole, including an air swing and a penalty drop. She finished tied for second, three behind Australian winner Su Oh.

Oh opened with a 79 at Royal Melbourne and had a 78 Friday to miss the cut. Defending champion Karrie Webb also had a 78 but finished right on the cut line of 5-over 151, 11 strokes behind the leaders.

Canadian Alena Sharp is tied for 26th at 2-over 148.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Tiger Woods will not be playing the Honda Classic next week.

The decision was not a surprise. Woods said last week his game was not acceptable for tournament golf and that he would not play again until he felt like it was. His agent confirmed in an email that he would not be playing the Honda Classic.

Woods has played only two tournaments this year. He had a career-high 82 in the Phoenix Open and missed the cut by 12 shots. The following week at Torrey Pines, he withdrew after 11 holes because of tightness in his back.

Woods said that was not related to back surgery he had last spring.

Woods is No. 66 in the world and will not be eligible for the World Golf Championship at Doral.

LOS ANGELES – This much can be said about a six-way tie for the lead after the opening round at the Northern Trust Open.

At least it was Thursday and not Sunday.

Vijay Singh and Retief Goosen, a decade ago among the top five players in the world, were together again at the top of the leaderboard after each posted a 5-under 66 while playing in the same group. The 51-year-old Singh hasn’t won since 2008. Goosen, who turned 46 earlier this month, hasn’t won since 2009.

They were joined by Pebble Beach runner-up Nick Watney, Daniel Summerhays, James Hahn and Derek Fathauer.

The real star, as usual, was Riviera.

The fabled course off Sunset Boulevard remains such an interesting test that on a day when an overcast sky gave way to sunshine, with barely enough wind to move leaves on the eucalyptus trees, no one could do better than 66 and the average score was just under 73.

“There were no easy shots,” Dustin Johnson after a hard-earned 70.

That explains why no one could get too far ahead, and that’s not unusual.

And yes, there was a six-way tie on Sunday one year. That was in 2001, when Robert Allenby ended a six-man playoff quickly with a 3-wood to 5 feet on the 18th hole in a cold rain, a magnificent shot that was worthy of a plaque in the fairway. All he got was the first-place check, and when the Australian returned the following year to register as the defending champion, the woman behind the desk didn’t recognize him. She probably would now.

Just three years ago, nine players were tied for the lead after the opening round.

“They are just quality holes out there,” Geoff Ogilvy said after a 68. “It’s an incredible bunch of holes on not an amazing piece of land, really, compared it to a lot of other great courses. Cool and interesting stuff – uphill, downhill, you have to move the ball both ways, awkward angles. It’s just a great golf course, really. And it’s immaculate this year. Nobody likes the drought in California, but it’s good for a course like this to dry out a little bit.

“When golf courses are stressed, they actually play their best,” he said. “And it’s getting really close to that level.”

Singh and Goosen know a thing or two about droughts.

Singh, a three-time major champion in the Hall of Fame, won the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2008 to effectively wrap up the FedEx Cup title, and he hasn’t won since then. About the only news he has made in the last couple of years is the lawsuit against the PGA Tour over its anti-doping policy.

He moved into a share of the lead with a 35-footer from just off the 15th green, followed by a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th hole. He finished strong except for missing a pair of birdie putts inside 12 feet.

“I’m finally not hurting as much as I did the last five years,” Singh said. “That’s a big part of playing good golf. You’re not hurting, you can go out and play and you’re comfortable. Right now, nothing hurts. The golf swing feels good, and I’m happy to be playing.”

Goosen won a pair of U.S. Open titles more than a decade ago, but his last victory was in 2009 at Innisbrook in Florida.

Both now are outside the top 200 in the world ranking. They played with 28-year-old Brian Harman, who shot 78.

“It was nice to see the two old boys play pretty good,” Goosen said.

Three players failed to break 80. One of them was Scott Piercy, who became this year’s face of the par-4 10th hole. He began his round by going from the front bunker to the back bunker to the front bunker to the back bunker before a great putt for double bogey.

Carlos Ortiz of Mexico, who had a 67, summed up the 312-yard hole this way: “I’ve never seen a par 4 that short that hard.”

Defending champion Bubba Watson ended his streak of 43 consecutive holes without a bogey at Riviera when he hit into the trees to the right of the fifth fairway. He did enough right for a 70, a respectable start. He even made a birdie on the 10th hole, which sounded like an accident.

“As we can see throughout the years, that hole is very, very difficult, and par is a great score there,” Watson said. “It might just be because I’m so scared to death of the hole.”

Ogilvy and Justin Thomas were among those at 68, while Jordan Spieth rallied for a 69 with a 31 on his front nine.

Graham DeLaet leads a field of five Canadians following an opening-round 1-under 70 for a share of 16th-place. Adam Hadwin sits T68 at 2-over.