Terry Lenyk - Golf Canada

VENICE, Fla. – Brogan McKinnon of Mississauga, Ont. held firm and maintained her lead at the second stage of the LPGA Tour’s Q-School, shooting a second-round 1-under 71 to move to 7-under 137 (66-71) thru 36 holes.

McKinnon, a former member of Team Canada, holds a two-stroke advantage over Minjee Lee of Australia, Ginger Howard of Bradenton, Fla. and Celine Herbin of Spain. Carly Werwie Kenosha, Wisc. is fifth at 4-under 140.

“It was a good day,” said 19-year-old McKinnon. “Just like yesterday, all parts of my game were working well. I made three birdies on the front nine after a bogey and my putting was great again. I feel like my game is in pretty good shape.”

With the 36-hole lead in hand, McKinnon will now aim for medalist honors.

“It would be nice to get my first professional win at qualifying tournament, but top 80 is every players goal and if I need to play it safe I will, but I will try and win now.”

McKinnon played in seven Symetra Tour events and one LPGA Tour event in 2014. She did not advance to Stage III of Qualifying Tournament in 2013.

The top 80 players plus ties advance to Final Stage of LPGA Qualifying Tournament, which takes place at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla. December 3-7. Final stage is a five-round event with a cut after round four.

Other Canadians currently sitting within the top-80 midway through Stage II include Kelowna, B.C.’s Samantha Richdale (74-69–143, T15); Brittany Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. (73-72–145, T34); Augusta James of Bath, Ont. (74-71–145, T34); Natalie Gleadall of Stratford, Ont. (72-73–145, T34); Jessica Wallace of Langley, B.C. (76-70–146, T52); and Nicole Zhang of Calgary (71-75–146, T52).

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – New Zealand caddie Steve Williams says he plans to retire but will consider offers of part-time work next year and would team up with former boss Tiger Woods, if asked.

Two weeks ago, Williams ended a 3-1/2 year association with Adam Scott during which Scott rose to become the world’s top-ranked golfer and the first Australian to win the Masters. The 50-year-old Williams told Fairfax Media on Thursday he wants to reduce his caddying to spend more time with family in New Zealand.

He said he is “90 per cent certain it’s going to be a permanent break from caddying” but he will consider working part-time in 2015.

Asked if he would be prepared to work with Woods again, Williams said “he’s definitely someone I’d consider.”

“He’s a tremendous talent, but it’s hard to say right now because it’s only two weeks since I’ve hung up the clubs,” Williams said.

The 11-year professional and personal relationship between Williams and Woods ended in 2011 with some acrimony. Williams said they had met occasionally on tour since, though Woods’ recent injuries meant they had not seen each other often.

He said his move to scale down his caddying “wasn’t a tough decision.”

“At the end of the day, I’ve known in the back of my head that retirement or taking a break from caddying was on the horizon. I’ve done it for 36 years,” he said.

“I just came to the decision that it’s time to take a break. It allows me to spend summer here in New Zealand and spend more time with my family.”

Williams, who has a wife and a 9-year-old son, didn’t expect finding work to be a problem.

“I’ve already had a couple of offers to caddy, but I’m not sure that’s what I want to do,” he said, adding that he was exploring other opportunities.

Markham, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Team USA got out to an early lead and never let it go, finishing with a team-total score of 17-under par 559 for the wire-to-wire victory at the inaugural World Junior Girls Golf Championship at Angus Glen Golf Club (South Course) in Markham, Ont.

The Americans (137-141-137-144—559) began Wednesday’s final round with a commanding 16-shot lead and went on to shoot a team-total, even-par 144 to capture top spot on the medal podium.

Team USA counted matching rounds of even-par 72 by 16-year old Megan Khang (67-73-70-72—282) and 15-year old Angel Yin (73-72-73-72—290) while 15-year old Mika Liu (70-69-67-73—279), who finished as individual gold medalist, rounded out the scoring with a round of 1-over 73.

For Team USA non-playing captain Courtney Myhrum, the victory capped a special week that left her beaming with pride for her young squad.

“They’re my dream team, it’s been wonderful it’s been a great week and a real team effort; I couldn’t be more proud of the three of them, the way they conducted themselves on the course and off the course,” said Myhrum. “Go play and have fun, there is really not much else I can say to these three. They had great course management and are really easy to captain because they know how to get around the golf course – they didn’t really need me this week.”

Sweden, which began the day tied for fifth, five shots back of a podium placing, vaulted into the silver medal by counting the low team-total of the final round – 5-under par 139. Leading the way for the Swedes was 18-year old Emma Svensson (76-70-72-67—285) who counted the low round of the day on the South Course at Angus Glen, a sizzling 5-under 67. Seventeen year old Filippa Mork (81-75-77-72—305) saved her best round – even-par 72 – for the final day to count the second score while 18-year old Michaela Finn (74-72-72-75—295) rounded out the scoring for Sweden.

Team Canada (144-146-141-149—580) was looking to build on their team-best score from Tuesday but it wasn’t meant to be as the host country shot a final-round, team-total 5-over 149 to claim the bronze medal. The Canucks counted final-round scores of even-par 72 by Brooke Henderson (17) of Smiths Falls, Ont. (70-73-71-72—286) and 5-over 77 by Grace St-Germain (16) of Ottawa (74-73-78-77—302) while teammate Naomi Ko (17) of Victoria (77-79-70-81—307) completed the scoring with a non-counting 81.

Rounding out the top-five in the team competition at the inaugural World Junior Girls Team Championship was Team Denmark (149-143-141-150—583) in fourth at 7-over 583 followed by Spain in fifth (147-146-142-152—587) at 11-over 587.

Canada’s second team in the competition comprised of Jaclyn Lee (17) of Calgary (72-77-75-75—299), Selena Costabile (16) of Thornhill, Ont. (78-74-74-76—302) and Alisha Lau (14) of Richmond, B.C. (83-80-75-74—312) shot a final-round, team-total 5-over 149 (150-151-149-149—599) to finish tied for 13^th position.

In the individual competition, 15-year old American standout Mika Liu (70-69-67-73—279) shot a final-round, 1-over 73 to win the gold medal by three shots over her USA teammate Megan Khang (67-73-70-72—282). Liu came into Wednesday’s final round with a four-shot lead over Khang and was more excited to contribute to the team victory than capturing individual gold.

“Yes, I am extremely happy that my team won first and that I did too – it is a total celebration,” said Liu, the no. 48 ranked player on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. “To be able to share the podium with my teammates who were out there on the course with me and my captain and manager makes me extremely happy and proud because we came here together and we are able to leave as champions together.”

Sweden’s Emma Svensson (76-70-72-67—285) saved her best play for the final round, firing a 5-under 67 and tournament-total 3-under 285 to edge out Canada’s Brooke Henderson (70-73-71-72—286) by a single stroke and capture the bronze medal. Team USA’s Angela Yin Angel Yin (73-72-73-72—290) and Ireland’s Olivia Mehaffey (77-67-74-72—290) tied for fifth at 2-over for the tournament.

Click here for full scoring.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Vancouver’s Ryan Williams and Burlington, Ont.’s Michael Gligic will represent Canada at the inaugural Bridgestone America’s Golf Cup, a new event featuring teams from the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Latinoamérica and PGA Tour Canada taking place October 20-26 at the Pilar Golf Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Williams, 33, claimed his first PGA Tour Canada win at the Tour Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial and finished as the highest Canadian on the Order of Merit at No. 6, making him eligible for the event. With the option of choosing any other Canadian from the top 20, Williams chose Gligic, 25, the next highest Canadian at No. 11.

“It’s a huge honour any time you have the opportunity to represent your country, and to have a chance to compete against some of the world’s best players in this exciting format is a big thrill,” said Williams, who had three top-10s in addition to his win in 2014. “Michael’s a great player who had a really strong season and I’m fired up to compete with him and see how competitive we can be.”

The Tournament format will be two-man teams playing Four-Ball (Best-Ball) over 72 holes, with a maximum of 36 teams in the field. Six of those teams, including the team of Williams and Gligic, will be pre-determined by invitation, while the additional 30 teams will come from the PGA Tour Latinoamérica Order of Merit (OOM).

“I’m thrilled Ryan chose me to compete alongside him and represent our country and PGA Tour Canada,” said Gligic, who posted three top-10 finishes in 2014 and was the runner-up in a playoff at The Wildfire Invitational presented by PC Financial. “We know how strong the level of play on PGA Tour Canada is, and we’re both excited to play against such a strong field.”

The remainder of the field will be finalized following the Transamerican Power Products CRV Mazatlan Open on October 12. At No. 26 on PGA Tour Latinoamérica Order of Merit, Nova Scotia’s Peter Campbell is in position to represent Canada along with another Canadian of his choice from that Tour’s Order of Merit.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – One incredible month of golf was enough for Rory McIlroy to be voted PGA Tour player of the year.

The award was announced on Wednesday and surprised no one. McIlroy won the award, which is a vote of PGA Tour members, for the second time in three years.

He joined Tiger Woods, Greg Norman and Nick Price as the only multiple winners of the Jack Nicklaus Award since it began in 1990.

“I’d like to win a lot more in my career, and I feel like I can,” McIlroy said from St. Andrews, where he is playing in the Dunhill Links Championship.

McIlroy and Jimmy Walker each won three times on the PGA Tour, though the size of the trophy tilted heavily in favor of the 25-year-old from Northern Ireland. McIlroy went wire-to-wire to win the British Open, rallied from three shots behind on the final day at Firestone to capture his first World Golf Championship, and won the PGA Championship with a sterling back nine at Valhalla.

He became only the seventh player to win the final two majors of the year, and the first since Padraig Harrington in 2008.

McIlroy failed to win on the European Tour or on the PGA Tour in 2013 during a turbulent year when he switched out all of his equipment, and would end up in a legal mess after leaving his management company.

He also struggled with a phenomenon that became known as “Freaky Friday” for taking himself out of tournaments with bad second rounds. He solved that enigma and roared back to No. 1 in the world with a solid year that became spectacular with his two major titles.

McIlroy also led the PGA Tour with 12 finishes in the top 10, and he never finished worse than 25th. He also won the PGA Tour money title with just over $8.2 million, and he won the Vardon Trophy for the lowest adjusted scoring average.

He won the award over Martin Kaymer, who won The Players Championship and U.S. Open; Masters champion Bubba Watson; FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel; and Walker.

The tour does not release vote totals.

“I guess it just makes me realize that even though last year wasn’t the year I wanted, the last three or four years have been very, very good,” McIlroy said. “It gives me even more motivation to go on and work harder and try to win more tournaments, more majors, and be involved in more Ryder Cups like last week.”

McIlroy contributed two wins and two halves in Europe’s 16 1/2-11 1/2 victory over the Americans last week at Gleneagles.

The PGA of America’s award for player of the year is based on points, and effectively ended when McIlroy captured his second major. Just like two years ago, he is virtually certain to win the money title on both sides of the Atlantic, and sweep the significant awards in Europe.

“Being voted player of the year by your peers is something that’s important,” he said. “They are the guys that you play week in and week out, and the guys you are trying to beat week in and week out. And if they appreciate what you’ve done over the year, and see the hard work you’ve put in, and golf you’ve played, and think that’s been the best of the season, that’s something that means a lot to me.”

Chesson Hadley of the U.S. was voted PGA Tour rookie of the year.

Hadley won the Puerto Rico Open, which was held opposite a World Golf Championship at Doral. Among the three rookies on the ballot, he was the only player with a PGA Tour victory, and the only one to advance to the third round of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Markham, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Team USA continues to dominate the 15 country field of competitors at the World Junior Girls Golf Championship after firing a team-total score of 7-under par 137 to increase their lead to 16 shots heading into the final round of the inaugural event at Angus Glen Golf Club (South Course) in Markham, Ont.

After starting the day with a comfortable 12-shot lead, Team USA (137-141-137—415) continued their sizzling play on Tuesday and with only 18 holes to play, look poised to claim the championship team title on Wednesday at Angus Glen.

Mika Liu (70-69-67—206) continued to lead the way for the Americans shooting 5-under 67 Tuesday and pairing with teammate Megan Khang (67-73-70—210) to count a team score of 7-under 137 to lead the host Canadian team by 16 shots heading into Wednesday’ final round.

“You know what, I am just so proud of these kids – it’s shaping up really well,” said Team USA non-playing captain Courtney Myhrum. “This is a marathon, this format – everybody has to play well, you can’t just have one superstar on your team. This kid (Mika), is unbelievable, they all are. I think we have a 16 stroke lead going into the final round and it’s a nice place to be.”

Liu, 15, tied the low round of the tournament with her 5-under 67 that included six birdies and a single bogey under breezy overcast conditions at Angus Glen. The young American standout set out Tuesday to improve on her 69 a day earlier and did just that.

“Today, I improved on what I practiced yesterday. I hit the fairways I missed yesterday, I hit greens, and just had many more opportunities for birdies, and I did make more,” said Liu, currently the no. 48 ranked player on the World Amateur Golf Rankings. I only made one bogey today, so that was very helpful. I will continue to work on my swing, and I will focus mainly on putting again – both on the short putts and long ones for speed. Mentally, I will still be the same as during the practice round. I will play my game, talk to my teammates, talk to the other players and enjoy my time out there.”

Khang (16), carded three birdies and a single bogey for a third-round, 2-under 70 as the second USA score to count while 15-year old teammate Angel Yin (73-72-73—218) shot a non-counting 1-over 73 to round out the USA team scores.

Team Canada (144-146-141—431), had their best team score of the tournament, shooting 3-under on the day. Naomi Ko (17) of Victoria (77-79-70—226) shot her best round of the tournament, 2-under 70, to lead the way for Canada who head into Wednesday’s final round two shots up on Team Denmark (149-143-141—433) for second spot in the team competition.

Brooke Henderson (17) of Smiths Falls, Ont. (70-73-71—214) counted a score of 1-under 71 for Canada while teammate Grace St. Germain (16) of Ottawa (74-73-78—225) rounding out the Canadian scores with a 6-over 78.

Besides Team USA, Canada and Denmark holding down the top three positions, Spain is alone in fourth at 3-over for the tournament (147-146-142—435) with Italy (147-145-146—438) and Sweden (150-144-144—438) tied for fifth at 6-over.

Canada’s second team in the competition comprised of Jaclyn Lee (17) of Calgary (72-77-75—224), Selena Costabile (16) of Thornhill, Ont. (78-74-74—226) and Alisha Lau (14) of Richmond, B.C. (83-80-75—238) shot a team-total, 5-over 149 (150-151-149—450) are in 13^th position at 18-over through 54 holes.

With her third-round 67, Mika Liu (70-69-67—206) continues to top the individual leader boad at 10-under par, four shots better than her USA teammate Megan Khang (67-73-70—210). Canada’s Brooke Henderson (70-73-71—214) is alone in third at 2-under for the tournament while Denmark’s Line Hansen (76-67-72—215) and Hana Ryskova of the Czech Republic (74-71-70—215) are tied for fourth at 1-under.