LAS VEGAS – Andrew Putnam birdied two of the last three holes Friday for a 6-under 65 and a share of the second-round lead with Russell Knox in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Putnam is played his fourth PGA Tour event. He earned his tour card this year through the Web.com Tour.

“It was a good round,” said Putnam, who birdied all three par 5s. “I started off slow, one bogey, but played good out there. I played the par 5s well today, was able to take advantage of those.”

Knox, from Scotland, had a 67 to match Putnam at 10-under 132 at TPC Summerlin. Knox had six birdies and two bogeys – on Nos. 2 and 3 – in the second round.

“I got a bit worried, though, because I was all over the map,” Knox said. “I didn’t feel real good with my swing, and I knew if I just made some pars, eventually something would click. And I made a couple putts, which really settled me down.”

Andrew Svoboda and Tony Finau were a stroke back. Finau shot 65, and Svoboda had a 67.

“I putted really well today,” Svoboda said. “I made some long putts.”

Defending champion Webb Simpson topped the group at 8 under after a 65.

“I just kept it right in front of me,” Simpson said after his bogey-free round. “That’s what I did last year on this golf course. If you keep hitting the fairways, you’re going to have opportunities to make birdie. I made some putts today. Didn’t make many yesterday. All around, just a good, solid day.”

Martin Laird, the 2009 winner who was tied with Stewart Cink for the first-round lead, was in the group at 8 under after a 70. He had a double bogey on the par-4 seventh – his 16th hole of the day.

Spencer Levin, George McNeill, Ben Martin, Bo Van Pelt, Scott Piercy and Wes Roach also were 8 under. Levin and McNeill shot 63 – the best rounds of the week.

Levin birdied seven his last eight holes.

“I was 1 over through three, so to shoot 8 under is pretty cool,” Levin said. “I made a couple nice putts on my 17th and 18th holes, which kind of makes you feel a little better. I really didn’t play that bad, I just didn’t putt well yesterday. I probably played a little better today tee to green, but not much. It’s just the putts went in today.”

McNeill birdied seven of his last 10 holes.

“Obviously, I knew what I had to do,” McNeill said. “I wasn’t trying to really force anything, but fortunately got off to a decent start, and again in the middle of the round kept it going, and then a nice finish birdieing 18.”

Cink followed his opening 64 with a 75 to drop into a tie for 45th at 3 under. He had a quadruple bogey on the par-4 11th – his second hole of day – and made a bogey on the 12th. He also had a bogey on No. 6 and a double bogey on No. 7.

Stuart Appleby went the other direction, rebounding from a 74 with a 64 to move into a tie for 30th at 4 under.

Canada’s Nick Taylor had a bogey-free 65 Friday, which included a pair of birdies and back-to-back eagles. The PGA Tour rookie is tied for 16th at 6-under.

A fellow Canadian, David Hearn, is also tied for 16th with Taylor. Hearn shot a 66 Friday.

Adam Hadwin followed up his opening-round with a 1-over 72 to fall into a tie for 45th at 3-under par.

Jarrod Lyle had a 71 to fall into a tie for 22nd at 5 under. The Australian is making his second PGA Tour start since a recurrence of leukemia some 18 months ago.

FedEx Cup winner Billy Horschel missed the cut with rounds of 71 and 72. At No. 13, he was the top-ranked player in the field.

Bae Sang-moon, the Frys.com Open winner Sunday in the season opener in Napa, California, also shot 71-72 to miss the cut.

The final round of the 2014 PING CCAA Golf National Championships were washed out Friday. Heavy rain was forecasted throughout the week in Quebec City and the surrounding area and Mother Nature finally forced the cancellation of Round 3. The event was shortened from 54 holes to 36.

As a result, the Holland Hurricanes captured their first-ever CCAA National Championship title in the men’s division. All-Canadian Eric Locke led the Hurricanes to a tournament-best overall score of 286. Holland placed three shots ahead of the Camosun Chargers to earn gold.

The defending champion University of the Fraser Valley Cascades were forced to settle for bronze, six strokes back of the Hurricanes. The host Lions finished one-shot back of a medal.

Locke, meanwhile, tied for fourth individually. Brett Wilson (T-7), Justin Shanks (13th), Neal Ryan (T-17) and Luke Allen (T-39) also contributed in the Hurricanes victory.

The host St. Lawrence Lions saw their streak of six straight individual women’s champions come to an end, but the women’s team celebrated the team title on Friday after a commanding 9-shot victory.

The defending champion University of the Fraser Valley Cascades took silver, two shots ahead of PACWEST rivals UBC Okanagan.

In men’s individual play, Jarred Callbeck of Camosun College fired rounds of 68-70 for a one-shot victory. Callbeck had a 36-hole total of 138 to sit at 6-under.

Hugo Bernard (139) of Cégep André-Laurendeau fired a 68 in difficult conditions on Thursday which earned him a silver medal. Adam Poulin (140) of Champlain St. Lawrence finished third at 4-under. An impressive total of 10 golfers were under par after two rounds.

In women’s individual play, Lorelle Weavers of Niagara College fired back-to-back 77’s to capture gold with a two-round total of 154. Weavers finished ahead of St. Lawrence Lions teammates Noémie Ouellette (156) and Océane Jacques (158). Carolyn Lee of UBC Okanagan also finished at 158. Two bronze medals were awarded. Of the nine female All-Canadians, eight placed in the Top 10.

The St. Lawrence Lions had previously won gold in women’s individual play in each of the last six seasons.

At the Closing Ceremony and Awards Banquet, the CCAA announced the tournament All Stars. Men’s winners included Callbeck, Bernard, Poulin, Étienne Papineau (St. Lawrence Lions), Locke and Grant Maskiewich (Camosun Chargers).

Women’s All Stars were Weavers, Ouellette, Jacques and Lee.

Recipients of the PING Fair Play Awards were Brennan Smith of St. Lawrence College Kingston and Elizabeth Stewart of MacEwan University.

The 2015 National Championships will be hosted by the University of the Fraser Valley.

Final Standings

Men’s Team

Men’s Individual

Women’s Team

Women’s Individual

CONOVER, N.C. – Jay Haas and Joe Durant shot 8-under 63 on Friday to share the first-round lead in the Champions Tour’s Greater Hickory Kia Classic.

The 60-year-old Haas, the 2005 and 2009 champion, had an eagle and seven birdies on the first 14 holes, dropped a stroke on the par-4 15th and closed with two pars. The former Wake Forest player won the last of his 16 Champions Tour titles in June 2012.

Durant had his best score since joining the 50-and-over tour in April. He rebounded from two early bogeys with eight birdies and an eagle on Rock Barn Golf and Spa’s Champions Course.

Roger Chapman and Scott Dunlap shot 65. Kirk Triplett, a two-time winner this season, was another stroke back along with Bill Glasson, Mike Goodes, John Riegger and Rocco Mediate.

Colin Montgomerie opened with a 69. A two-time major winner this season, Montgomerie is second in the Charles Schwab Cup standings – 771 points behind Bernhard Langer with three events left.

Langer is skipping the tournament. He has a tour-high five victories, two of them majors.

Also opening with 69s were Canadians Stephen Ames and Rod Spittle.

Jim Rutledge was even after an opening-round 71.

ASH, England – Top-seeded Henrik Stenson defeated Thongchai Jaidee 2 and 1 to reach the quarterfinals undefeated after the opening three rounds of the World Match Play Championship.

Stenson sealed the win when his wedge shot into the 17th green spun back into the hole for birdie on the London Club course. He finished with an eagle and six birdies on the final day of round-robin play and will play fellow Swede Jonas Blixt in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Thongchai, last year’s runner-up, was eliminated.

American Ryder Cup player Patrick Reed also advanced after beating Jamie Donaldson 3 and 2, and will play Geroge Coetzee of South Africa.

In the other quarterfinals, Victor Dubuisson of France faces Mikko Ilonen of Finland and Joost Luiten of the Netherlands takes on Pablo Larrazabal of Spain.

Stenson was 3 up with four holes to go but three-putted on the 15th and then watched as Thongchai chipped in for birdie on the next. However, the Swede responded with an even more spectacular birdie on the next.

“It was getting a little bit more interesting and while I didn’t hit the best approach with my second into 17, I thought if I could get my lob-wedge to spin back it might be close. But then it was a bonus and quite spectacular when it went into the hole,” Stenson said.

Luiten also finished undefeated in round-robin play after eliminating defending champion Graeme McDowell with a 2 up victory.

Luiten, was overlooked for European Ryder Cup selection in favor of Lee Westwood, had been 3 down to McDowell after eight holes before going ahead for a first time with a birdie at 17 and then also managing to birdie the last.

“It is always hard when you are 3 down after eight holes but I had plenty more holes and I managed to get back on my game and hit some good shots,” Luiten said.

Reed, who was undefeated in the recent Ryder Cup, was 2 up after just four holes and then moved to 4 up with a birdie at 12.

“It feels good to win as today I made a lot of clutch and solid putts,” he said. “This is one of those events I’ve always wanted to play. I watched it last year on TV back home. Justine, my wife, goes, `I think we need to play there next year or whenever we get a chance.’ And luckily we got an invite this year and I couldn’t pass it up.”

Dubuisson lost Friday’s match to Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher 2 and 1, but advanced after two previous victories.

Larrazabal eliminated Ireland’s Shane Lowry by the same margin.

Blixt defeated England’s Paul Casey in a playoff after their match ended all square. Italy’s Francesco Molinari won his first match in defeating Coetzee 2 and 1, but the South African still finished second in his group behind Stenson.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Greg McLaughlin is taking over as president of the Champions Tour.

McLaughlin was the president of the Tiger Woods Foundation for 14 years until he left this year to join the PGA Tour management. The PGA Tour said he will start his new job in January and replace Mike Stevens, who is stepping down after 35 years in golf administration.

McLaughlin previously was a tournament director at the Nissan Open in Los Angeles, the Honda Classic and the Western Open. He was the first tournament director to give Woods a sponsor’s exemption to a PGA Tour event when Woods was 16.

Part of his job at the Tiger Woods Foundation was to oversee three tournaments – the Quicken Loans National, Deutsche Bank Challenge and the World Challenge.

Another season over – another award for Winnipeg’s Derek Ingram. Team Canada’s Men’s National Team Coach was back in his hometown to receive the Teacher of the Year honour from the PGA of Manitoba for the seventh time in his career.

Ingram, also a Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame member, is coming off a very successful year with Team Canada which saw all five members of the Men’s National Amateur Team crack the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) Top 100 – that achievement had not happened before in the program’s 10 year history.

Although very modest, Ingram does share a great sense of pride in the accomplishments of the Team Canada program in 2013/14.

“I feel very honoured to be recognized with this award again and it motivates me to remain focused on hopefully another great season” said Ingram. “In regards to the National Team, we probably had the best results and the best year to date. I do feel a lot of pride and satisfaction in helping the guys develop and get the results that they deserve.”

New this year, Ingram also took on additional responsibilities with Golf Canada as the coach of the Men’s Young Pro Squad, an initiative created to assist Canada’s young professionals in the journey from amateur golf to the professional ranks.

Aside from coaching Team Canada, Ingram teaches out of the Elmhurst Golf & Country Club in Winnipeg, where he is the Head Teaching Professional. His teaching roots run deeper at the national level as well, where he helps facilitate National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) training at the PGA of Canada offices to fellow members.

He has also been recognized as the PGA of Canada’s Teacher of the Year award two times (’03, 07).

Click here for the full list of 2014 PGA of Manitoba award recipients

HONG KONG – Ernie Els grabbed control of the Hong Kong Open with a two-stroke lead at the halfway mark by carding a 5-under-par 65 on his birthday Friday.

Els, who turned 45, has a 9-under total of 131 to lead Raphael Jacquelin of France and Australians Scott Hend and Cameron Smith by two shots on the Fanling Course at Hong Kong Golf Club.

One shot further behind was a group of 11 players, including first-round leader Jyoti Randhawa of India.

“The course is there for the taking. I feel I can win this,” said Els, in the midst of his first Hong Kong Open. The four-time major winner is going for his first win of the year.

He began the second round two shots behind Randhawa in second place, and was soon into his stride, knocking in five birdies on his opening nine holes. He reached 10 under before attempting an ambitious drive for the green at the tricky 288-yard, par-4 fourth hole, only to find himself in the rough. It ended in his solitary bogey in the round.

“The fourth hole was a bit of a bummer, I didn’t really have to go for it (the green), and I lost some momentum there,” Els said. “I had it really going and it could have been really low.”

Defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez, dealing with food poisoning, missed the cut by three shots. He made a par-70 to total 2-over 142.

Jimenez was bidding to become the first player to win the Hong Kong Open five times as well as complete a hat trick.

“It is disappointing that I couldn’t do it. But I was still not fit and it was hard out there,” the Spaniard said.

Canada’s Richard T. Lee finished at 3-over 143 (73-70) and did not qualify for weekend play.

Also missing the cut was Nicolas Colsaerts, whose second round of 79 included two double bogeys and eight bogeys.

HONG KONG – Ernie Els grabbed control of the Hong Kong Open with a two-stroke lead at the halfway mark by carding a 5-under-par 65 on his birthday Friday.

Els, who turned 45, has a 9-under total of 131 to lead Raphael Jacquelin of France and Australians Scott Hend and Cameron Smith by two shots on the Fanling Course at Hong Kong Golf Club.

One shot further behind was a group of 11 players, including first-round leader Jyoti Randhawa of India.

“The course is there for the taking. I feel I can win this,” said Els, in the midst of his first Hong Kong Open. The four-time major winner is going for his first win of the year.

He began the second round two shots behind Randhawa in second place, and was soon into his stride, knocking in five birdies on his opening nine holes. He reached 10 under before attempting an ambitious drive for the green at the tricky 288-yard, par-4 fourth hole, only to find himself in the rough. It ended in his solitary bogey in the round.

“The fourth hole was a bit of a bummer, I didn’t really have to go for it (the green), and I lost some momentum there,” Els said. “I had it really going and it could have been really low.”

Defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez, dealing with food poisoning, missed the cut by three shots. He made a par-70 to total 2-over 142.

Jimenez was bidding to become the first player to win the Hong Kong Open five times as well as complete a hat trick.

“It is disappointing that I couldn’t do it. But I was still not fit and it was hard out there,” the Spaniard said.

Canada’s Richard T. Lee finished at 3-over 143 (73-70) and did not qualify for weekend play.

Also missing the cut was Nicolas Colsaerts, whose second round of 79 included two double bogeys and eight bogeys.

INCHEON, South Korea – Karine Icher of France shot a 4-under 68 in the second round to take a one-stroke lead and sit atop the European-dominated leaderboard at the KEB-HanaBank Championship on Friday.

Icher birdied three of her final four holes for a 5-under 139 total on the Ocean Course at the Sky72 Golf Club.

Brittany Lincicome of the United States, who birdied her final two holes for a 70, and Beatriz Ricari of Spain (70), were tied for second.

Azahara Munoz of Spain (69) was among those tied for fourth, two strokes behind, as was Suzann Pettersen of Norway and Sandra Gal of Germany, who shot 71s.

The wind subsided but Icher said she played “a completely different course” in the second round because of the changing wind directions.

“This week, my coach was here and we practiced a lot of low shots,” Icher said. “It seemed to pay off. Here, it’s always windy. I’ve never played in Korea without wind. Low shots are pretty strong in my game now.”

Icher has five victories on the Ladies European Tour but none on the LPGA circuit.

“It’s the final four or five tournaments for us, so I’d like to win one,” Icher said. “There’s nothing else I’m looking for.”

Lincicome’s tee shot on the par-3 17th hole nearly won her a new car for a hole-in-one when it rolled and hit the flagstick, but it bounced a few feet away.

“I like tournaments where not too many, maybe like five or 10-under par wins, so just keep doing 2-under each day, and I’m right there,” Lincicome said.

No. 3 Lydia Ko of New Zealand shot 69 after an opening 73 and was three strokes behind and tied for 10th along with Haeji Kang of South Korea, who led by two strokes after an opening 67 but shot 75 Friday.

Second-ranked Inbee Park, who could move to No. 1 with a win in the absence of top-ranked Stacy Lewis of the United States, carded 73 and was five strokes behind Icher. Ko could also move to No. 1 with a win.

U.S. Women’s Open champion Michelle Wie improved from her opening 76 with a 70, and was seven strokes off the lead. Wie is making her first start since withdrawing during the first round of the Evian Championship in September after reinjuring a stress fracture in her right hand.

Women’s British Open winner Mo Martin also improved from her opening 78 with a 69 in her return from a thumb injury. She’s eight strokes behind.

Defending champion Amy Yang of South Korea, who made 69 on Thursday, posted 79 with eight bogeys and one birdie and was nine behind Icher.

There was no second-round cut in the field of 78.

LAS VEGAS – Stewart Cink birdied seven of the final 11 holes Thursday for a 7-under 64 and a share of the first-round lead with Martin Laird in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Cink had a bogey-free round at TPC Summerlin in his first start since dropping out of the FedEx Cup playoffs after the second event. He won the last of his six PGA Tour titles in the 2009 British Open.

“Well, 64 is good for anybody, I think, but on the first day of the year, you don’t really ever know what’s going to come out, the first day of the season,” Cink said. “It’s been six weeks since I played and you have to prepare yourself to be ready for both, a great start and a not so great start, and just be ready to keep going.

“I have to be honest, through seven holes I had seven pars and it didn’t look like anything special out there except a whole lot of grazed putts. I just kind of was patient and waited for a good stretch, and a good  stretch happened.”

Laird also had a bogey-free round. He played the front nine in 5-under 30 and added birdies on Nos. 15 and 18, holing a 50-foot putt on the last. The Scot won the 2009 event and lost in a playoff in 2010 when Jonathan Byrd made a hole-in-one on the fourth extra hole.

“I missed a bunch of opportunities on the back nine, putted great on the front and hit it actually better on the back than I did the front nine, just kept missing 8-, 10-footers,” Laird said. “Then I said to my caddie walking up the last, watch, `This will be typical, I’ve just missed 8-, 10-footers and I’ll probably make this 50-footer.’ And I did, so it was just one of those days, and it was nice to see that one go in.”

Scotland’s Russell Knox was third at 66. He played his first 11 holes in 7 under, dropped strokes on Nos. 5 and 6 and closed with a birdie on No. 9.

“Got off to a good start, made a nice putt on the first hole, and the front nine I played so well,” Knox said. “I hit it good, putted unbelievable. Just got a little ahead of myself, started thinking about that magic number a little too early.”

Jarrod Lyle, Bo Van Pelt, Hideki Matsuyama, Sam Saunders, Brian Stuard and Andrew Svoboda shot 66.

Lyle is making his second PGA Tour start since a recurrence of leukemia some 18 months ago. The Australian tied for 31st last week in the season-opening Frys.com Open in Napa, California.

“It was a good round today,” Lyle said. “Got off to a bit of a shaky start, but I rolled some putts in and just kept myself out of trouble, which is a nice thing to do.”

To keep his PGA Tour card, Lyle needs to earn $250,825 in his next 19 events to reach the equivalent of No. 125 on the money list in 2012. He made $33,300 last week.

“I’ve got a job to do and I’ve got to try to make as much money as I can to try and regain my playing privileges,” Lyle said. “I’m starting the year just like everybody else. I’ve probably got less events than other people have got to play, but the goal is exactly the same, go out there and make as many cuts as you can, finish as high as you can on the leaderboard, and great play takes care of a lot of issues.”

Canada’s Adam Hadwin is tied for 10th after opening with a bogey-free 4-under-par  67.

Andres Romero had a hole-in-one on the 203-yard 17th en route to tying Hadwin with 67. He used a 7-iron.

Defending champion Webb Simpson opened with a 69.

David Hearn is 1-under after a 70.

FedEx Cup winner Billy Horschel had a 71. At No. 13, he’s the top-ranked player in the field.

Frys.com Open winner Bae Sang-moon also had a 71, as did Canadian Nick Taylor.