ONEIDA, Wis. – Canadian Brittany Marchand is in the early hunt at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic.

The Orangeville, Ont., native opened with an 8-under 64 to sit in a tie for third, two shots back of leader Katherine Kirk of Australia on Thursday.

Marchand was 2 under at the turn, but birdied six of the seven final holes to shoot up the leaderboard. She carded eight birdies and went bogey free.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is right behind Marchand after an opening 65. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc Sherbrooke, Que., opened with 72s.

Kirk carded 10 birdies en route to shooting 62. South Korea’s Sei Young Kim is second with a 63.

American Megan Khang matched Marchand with a 64.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada, in partnership with RBC, is pleased to announce that golf legend Lee Trevino will be taking part in the RBC Hall of Fame Day celebration on Tuesday, July 24^th, beginning at 11 a.m. ET, as part of the 2018 RBC Canadian Open.

A three-time RBC Canadian Open champion (1971, 1977, 1979) and member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, Trevino will join 20 honoured members of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame at a free outdoor public event to officially celebrate the newest inductees—former LPGA Tour player and broadcaster Gail Graham along with the late renowned golf course architect Arthur Vernon (A.V.) Macan as the 80^th and 81^st honoured members of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

Over the course of his professional career, Trevino won six major golf championships and 29 PGA TOUR events. Trevino’s victory at the 1971 Canadian Open at Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu in Sainte-Julie, Que, earned him golf’s Triple Crown, awarded to a golfer who wins The Open Championship, the U.S. Open and the RBC Canadian Open in the same year. Tiger Woods is the only other player to accomplish the feat (2000). Trevino’s win in 1977 is also remembered as the first Canadian Open conducted at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

Trevino will also be awarded a keepsake Triple Crown trophy during the outdoor celebration, which will take place in Spectator Village at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

“We are absolutely honoured to welcome golf legend Lee Trevino back to Canada to help celebrate RBC Hall of Fame Day at the RBC Canadian Open,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum.” As a three-time Canadian Open winner and one of only two golfers ever to win the illusive Triple Crown trophy, we are extremely proud to have Mr. Trevino participate in RBC Hall of Fame Day and celebrate his unique and meaningful connection to Canada’s National Open Championship.”

RBC Hall of Fame Day will be hosted by Canadian golf legend Sandra Post, an honoured member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Chair of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

Following the free public outdoor induction ceremony, Trevino and attending members of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame will participate in a gala luncheon—the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Induction Celebration presented by Emerick Construction—taking place inside the clubhouse at Glen Abbey. Individual tickets can be purchased by clicking here and full tables are also available by contacting cghf@golfcanada.ca. In addition, a silent auction—open online to the public—will be taking place in conjunction with the RBC Hall of Fame Day celebration with all proceeds going to the Golf Canada Foundation in support of Canadian golf heritage.

Media interested in attending the outdoor RBC Hall of Fame Day celebration on Tuesday, July 24 at 11:00 a.m. must register for media credentials prior to July 13, 2018.

Spectators interested in attending the FREE onsite celebration and induction ceremony on Tuesday of RBC Canadian Open week can find directions and parking here.

Tickets, volunteer or corporate hospitality opportunities are available at www.rbccanadianopen.com

KILDEER, Ill. – Brooke Henderson’s stellar run at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship came to end on Sunday after a rougher final round saw the Smith Falls, Ont., talent finish in a tie for sixth.

Henderson, who started the final day with a piece of second, ran into trouble on the front-nine with bogeys on the 2nd, 5th and 6th holes. Though she fought hard to recover, Henderson finished inside the top-ten at 6 under for the tournament.

Sung Hyun Park beat So Yeon Ryu on the second hole of a playoff Sunday in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship for her second major championship.

After a brief rain delay on the par-4 16th hole at Kemper Lakes, Ryu’s birdie try rolled past, and Park finished off her South Korean compatriot with a 10-footer. Park raised her arms and placed her hands on her head before hugging her caddie and wiping away tears.

Japanese teen Nasa Hataoko, after shooting an 8-under 64 to post at 10 under, dropped out of the playoff with a par on the par-4 18th.

Ryu made a 20-footer for birdie from the fringe, and Park followed from 10 feet.

Park closed with a 3-under 69. Ryu had a 73. She took a two-stroke lead on the 16th, but hit into the water on the par-3 17th en route to a double bogey. Park made a brilliant par save on 16.

The 24-year-old Park also won the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open.

Nine strokes behind Ryu entering the day, Hataoka nearly pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in LPGA Tour history. She was already off the course when Ryu made a 30-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to go two strokes up at 12 under. But Ryu’s tee shot on No. 17 went into the water to the left of the green, setting up the three-way tie.

Park just missed a birdie on that hole when her 20-footer hit the edge of the cup. And she had a chance to win it on 18, only to watch her 18-foot birdie attempt role just past the edge.

Jessica Korda (68) and Angel Yin (71) tied for fourth at 7 under, with Charley Hull (67) at 6 under. Brooke Henderson (74) – second through three rounds – was 5 under.

After rain soaked the course earlier in the week, the final three days were marked by temperatures in the 90s. And with storms forecast for late Sunday afternoon, organizers adjusted the start times and had groups of three tee off on the first and 10th holes.

Ryu started on No. 1 with Park and Henderson and ran into trouble after rallying on the closing holes to grab a three-stroke lead in the third round. She had one short putt rim out and another deflect out of the back of the cup in a double-bogey on No. 2.

Park, who began the day four back, then went to 9 under with back-to-back birdies, chipping in on the par-3 third and making a short putt on No. 4.

Ryu bounced back with birdies on No. 6 and 7. She went right at the pin on the par-3 sixth off the tee and then made about a two-foot putt. On the seventh, she finished with about a 20-foot putt.

A birdie on the par-5 No. 11 put her at 12 under before she bogeyed the par-3 13th.

The 19-year-old Hataoka was coming off her first tour victory at the NW Arkansas Championship last week and nearly pulled out this one even though began the day all but out of contention.

She had five birdies plus two eagles to go with one bogey. She eagled the par-5 seventh hole and bounced back from a bogey on the par-4 No. 10 with another eagle on the par-5 11th. She then birdied the 12th, 15th and 16th holes on the way to her sixth top 10 finish in her past seven LPGA starts.

KILDEER, Ill.– Canada’s Brooke Henderson shares the lead at the end of the second round at the LPGA Championship.

The 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., carded a 1-under 71 in the second round to move to 6 under for the tournament, tied with Koreans So Yeon Ryu and Sung Hyun Park toward the end of the morning wave.

Henderson was one off the pace after the first round of the LPGA Tour’s third major of the year, but vaulted into a tie for top spot with a birdie on No. 18 on Friday.

A six-time winner on the LPGA Tour, Henderson has finished in the top five at this event the past three years, including a victory in 2016.

Henderson was a bit uneven with four birdies and four bogeys over her first 17 holes but buried a 12-foot uphill birdie putt on 18 to sneak into a three-way tie for the lead. Henderson will go for her seventh career win this weekend.

“It was kind of up and down all day so to finish off with a really nice birdie putt on 18 gives me a lot of confidence into tomorrow,” said Henderson. “I love it (the new putter). I feel like you can see the line really well on the course.”

#OhCanada! No better way to kick off the long weekend celebrating #Canada than by having @BrookeHenderson fight hard to tie for first after two rounds of the @KPMGWomensPGA ??☝? pic.twitter.com/7KkcUQXfRF

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) June 30, 2018

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was the second lowest Canadian at 1 over. Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., (76) and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (78) are both at 3 over while Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay (74) is at 6 over.

SOUTHPORT, England – Jaclyn Lee secured her place in the semi-finals of the 115th Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship on Friday after making quite an impression at UK’s Hillside.

The Team Canada Development Squad member started off the week as one of the 64 players advancing to the match play round after two rounds of 18-stroke play and it only got better from there. Lee defeated Pauline Roussin-Bouchard and Emma Brozein of France in round one and two, respectively.

The Calgary, Alta., talent secured her place in the semi-finals beating Denmark’s Karen Fredgaard 2&1 following her impressive 6&5 third-round victory over Czech Republic’s Sara Kouskova.

“I was last over in the UK for the Ladies Amateur Championship a couple of years ago and didn’t fair too well so this has been a nice redemption,” said the 21-year-old. “I’m having a lot of fun here. I have the rest of my teammates here from Canada and it’s been great to see a lot of familiar faces from college golf here too, so it’s been cool.”

Lee must overcome Germany’s Leonie Harm to progress to the final after the 20-year-old Stuttgart golfer defeated Switzerland’s Priscilla Schmid 4&3. The University of Houston student came through a tie with her countrywoman Aline Krauter 6&5.

Fellow Team Canada member Grace St-Germain also made it to the round of 64 but fell short and lost 2&1 in her first match despite a valiant effort.

Local favourite Hollie Muse, who suffered a painful injury to her groin when she fell on uneven ground on Wednesday, will also be competing in the semi-finals after defeating Germany’s Ava Bergner 4&3 in the morning and a 5&4 victory over former Girls Amateur champion Emilie Paltrinieri in the afternoon.

Muse will be playing against American Stephanie Lau, who coincidentally competes against Lee often in the U.S. college golf circuit. The 21-year-old Northwestern University student defeated Norway’s Emilie Øverås 3&2 for her place in the semi-finals

The semi-finals get underway on Saturday with Lee’s semi-final match beginning at 1:30 ET. Should Lee advance, she will be teeing off in the finals later that day at 6 p.m. ET.

144 elite women’s amateur golfers from 24 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific arrived at the Southport course on Monday to take part in the first stage of the Championship which saw each player compete in two rounds of 18-hole stroke play.

The 64 lowest scores over the 36 progressed to the match play stage.

The last Canadian to win the Ladies’ British Open Amateur was Marlene Streit after her 7-and-6 victory over Philomena Garvey in 1953.

For more information, including up-to-date results, click here.

TORONTO, Ont. – Hopes were high at Weston Golf and Country Club on Wednesday as 37 players vied for one of three spots up for grabs into 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship taking place at The Golf Club of Tennessee in Kingston Springs, Tennessee on August 6-12.

Despite the threat of rain hanging over the tournament, Kelsey Sear posted an even-par 72 to top the field and earn one of three spots that were up for grabs at the qualifier held at Weston Golf and Country Club in Toronto.

The Unionville, Ont., talent ran into trouble with bogeys on holes 1 and 12 but otherwise cruised to victory over the competition.

Team Canada graduate Chloe Currie fired three sets of consecutive birdies to tie for second with fellow Mississauga, Ont., native Melany Chong at 1 over to earn the other available spots into the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

A playoff between Guatemala’s Pilar Echeverria and Siyan Chen of Howey In The Hills, Fla., was set to determine which players would be designated first and second alternates. After the playoff ended on the first playoff hole with Chen winning with a par to secure the first alternate spot. Echeverria will be the second alternate.

More information on the qualifier at Weston, including final results, can be found here.

ROGERS, Ark. – Nasa Hataoka didn’t have the star power in her final grouping at the NW Arkansas Championship.

What the Japanese teenager did have by the time she was finished was her first victory on the LPGA Tour.

Hataoka shot an 8-under 63 to run away with the tournament at Pinnacle Country Club on Sunday. The 19-year-old did so in record-breaking fashion, finishing with a tournament-best 21-under 192 total – three better than the mark set last year by So Yeon Ryu.

Tied at 13 under with ninth-ranked Minjee Lee entering the day, Hataoka was paired with Lee and third-ranked Lexi Thompson on Sunday. She jumped to the early lead and never let up while matching the lowest round of the week.

Austin Ernst was second after a 65. Lee and Thompson topped the group at 13 under.

Brittany Marchand (70) of Orangeville, Ont., finished at 5 under while Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay was 2 under.

They were all left looking up at the five-foot-two Hataoka, who entered the week ranked 30th.

“I (have) played with Lexi and all the big-name players,” Hataoka said. “Playing with them was really big for me, and winning this tournament was so huge for me.”

Hataoka won twice late last year on the Japan LPGA and has finished in the top 10 in five of her last six LPGA Tour stars, including a playoff loss last month in the Kingsmill Championship. This year has been a far change from last year when she made only eight of 19 cuts on the LPGA Tour, including a missed cut in Arkansas.

Much of her success has come in the last three months after she won the tour’s qualifying tournament in December to earn her full tour card. Hataoka missed the cut in two of her first three tournaments this year, but she’s now earned prize money in 10 straight events – including $300,000 on Sunday.

“She played amazing,” Thompson said. “… She’s just got a great game, no weaknesses, pretty long off the tee and just rolls it amazing on the greens. So, it was great to watch. It was definitely a well-deserved win.”

The final round was delayed by an hour and a half because of morning thunderstorms. When Hataoka did finally tee off, she did so in a tie with Lee at 13 under.

That didn’t last long after Hataoka chipped in from just off the green on the par-3 third hole for a birdie to reach 14 under. Lee, meanwhile, left her chip shot well short on the rain-soaked green and two-putted for a bogey that dropped her two shots off the lead.

Hataoka stretched her lead to four shots after reaching the 520-yard par-5 seventh hole in two and two-putting for birdie.

The following hole, she nearly holed out from the fairway for an eagle. Her approach shot hit the edge of the hole, resulting in a short break while a rules official did some minor repairs, and she settled for a two-putt par to remain at 16 under.

It was one of the few moments that didn’t go Hataoka’s way on Sunday, or all week. She followed by sinking a 20-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole to reach 17 under, and got to 17 under on No. 12.

A final birdie at the 15th pushed Hataoka into record-setting position at 19 under. She didn’t flinch on the final few holes, birdieing the par-3 17th and par-5 18th to reach 21 under.

Local favourite Stacy Lewis shot a 65 to tie for 22nd at 9 under. The former University of Arkansas star is expecting her first child in early November.

CROMWELL, Conn. – Bubba Watson says TPC River Highlands feels like home. It certainly a comfortable place again this week.

Watson overcame a six-stroke deficit Sunday to win his third Travelers Championship title, shooting a 7-under 63 for a three-stroke victory.

The left-hander became the first three-time winner on the PGA Tour this season and pulled within one of Billy Casper’s tournament record of four victories.

He finished at 17-under 263. Third-round leader Paul Casey, Stewart Cink, Beau Hossler and J.B. Holmes tied for second. Casey shot 72, Cink 62, Hossler 66 and Holmes 67.

Watson also came from six back to win the 2010 event for his first tour title and beat Casey in a playoff in 2015.

“I feel like this is my home course,” Watson said. “As soon as they put the schedule up, I sign up for this. I want to come back here. This means so much, not only from the golf side of it, but from the family side. My dad, it was the only time he got to see me win (in 2010). He got to see me qualify for the Ryder Cup at this event. So all these things just mean so much to my family.”

During the victory ceremony, Watson children – six-year-old son Caleb and three-year-old daughter Dakota – received small trophies of their own.

Watson shot a 33 on the front nine, but really got it going on the back, with five birdies. He tied Casey at 16-under par by getting up and down from the bunker for a birdie on the course’s signature 15th hole.

Still tied on the par-4 18th, Watson hit his tee shot 366 yards, then pitched inside three feet, giving caddie Ted Scott a big high-five before taking the lead with the putt.

“Hitting some of those shots, especially the shot on 18, downwind, it was very difficult, but somehow pulling it off” Watson said. “And that’s what we all try to do on Sundays is pull off the amazing shot.”

Adam Hadwin (66) of Abbotsford, B.C., and Mackenzie Hughes (70) of Dundas, Ont., tied for 42nd.

Casey, who shot 65, 67 and 62 to lead the field by four shots coming into Sunday, birdied his opening hole. But he gave that back on the fifth and had back-to-back bogeys on 16 and 17 to end any chance he had of catching Watson.

The Englishman has finished in the top 20 in eight of his last nine tournaments. He was second here during his first visit in 2015, came in 17th a year later and had a fifth-place finish in Cromwell a year ago.

“There was a lot of fight in there,” Casey said. “But, I fought my golf swing all day as you can see coming down the last couple of holes.”

Watson earned $1.26 million and a 500 FexEx Cup points, moving him into third place in the standings.

Cink tied the best round of the week with a 62 on Sunday. The two-time Travelers Champion came out blazing, opening with three straight birdies and putting up a 29 on the front nine. He was 7-under through 10 and acknowledged thinking about a sub-60 round after making birdie on the 15th.

“I knew that I needed three birdies to shoot 59. But quickly, I also remembered that the golf tournament was on the line and it would mean a lot more to me to win the Travelers Championship than to shoot a 59.”

He bogeyed 16, but finished the round with his 10th birdie.

Defending champion Jordan Spieth, who was tied for the lead after the opening round, shot a 69 to finish at 4 under. There hasn’t been a repeat champion in Cromwell since Phil Mickelson in 2001 and 2002. Spieth said he was originally planning to take time off until he defends his title at the British Open, but may re-evaluate that as he works on his game.

U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka shot a 65 to tie for 19th at 9 under. He said his top priority right now is rest, but said that won’t come until after he attends a bachelor party for his best friend next week.

“I don’t feel like I need to play; I feel like my game is in a good spot,” he said. “I played really well this week, just some stupid mistakes, just mental errors. That’s all it was, lack of focus, low energy. To be honest with you, I’m not surprised.”

Qualifier Chase Seiffert shot a 63 on Monday just to make the tournament. He shot a 64 Sunday to finish at 12 under and tie for ninth.

Seiffert’s round included an eagle at the sixth hole that saw him put second shot 301 yards over the green, before holing out from 49 feet away. The 26-year-old former Florida State star also qualified last year and tied for 43rd.

“I feel like my game’s good enough to be out here full-time and kind of confirms that with the way I’ve been playing this week and last year here as well,” he said.

Jason Day holed out on 18 from 38 feet, just in front of the greenside bunker to finish at 69 and 11 under.

ROGERS, Ark. – Minjee Lee wasn’t all that concerned when she missed her first cut of the year this month at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

The ninth-ranked Australian has certainly looked at ease and back in form at Pinnacle Country Club in her first event since then.

Lee and Japan’s Nasa Hataoka each shot 6-under 65 on Saturday to share the second-round lead in the NW Arkansas Championship 13-under 129. Lee is chasing her fifth victory since turning pro three years ago. It’s also an opportunity to put any lingering frustration over that missed cut two weeks ago behind her for good.

“I didn’t particularly hit it bad, even though I missed the cut at ShopRite, I just didn’t really hole any putts,” Lee said. “I’d been hitting it pretty solid going into that tournament and even into this tournament, too. Just to see a couple putts roll in has been nice.”

The 22-year-old Lee needed only 24 putts during her opening 64 on Friday, helping her to match the low round of her career. Despite needing 28 putts Saturday, she still briefly took the outright lead after reaching as low as 14 under after a birdie on the par-5 seventh.

Lee missed the green on the par-4 ninth soon thereafter to lead to her only bogey of the day and a tie with the 19-year-old Hataoka, who is in pursuit of her first career win.

Hataoka birdied six of eight holes midway through her bogey-free round on Saturday. It was yet another stellar performance from the Japanese teenager, who has finished in the top 10 in four of her last five tournaments and will be a part of Sunday’s final pairing.

“I try to make birdies and try to be under par, that’s really the key for me to get a top ten,” Hataoka said. “Golf is just trying to be in the top 10 every single week, so that’s the key.”

Third-ranked Lexi Thompson matched the low round of the day with a 64 to get to 11 under. She hit 17 of 18 fairways and shot a 5-under 30 on her opening nine, The American is in search of her first win since September in the Indy Women in Tech Championship.

Ariya Jutanugarn and Celine Boutier were 10 under.

First-round leader Gaby Lopez followed her opening 63 with a 75 to drop to 4 under. Fellow former Arkansas star Stacy Lewis also was 4 under after a 72.

Brittany Marchand will be the sole Canadian making the cut into Sunday’s final round at 4 under.

CROMWELL, Conn. – Paul Casey has come close each of the three previous times he has played in Connecticut. He has a great chance to break through Sunday in the Travelers Championship.

Casey shot an 8-under 62 on Saturday to take a four-stroke lead into the final round.

Casey, whose win at Valspar in Florida in March was his first PGA Tour title in nine years, called the bogey-free round at TPC River Highlands his best of the year.

The Englishman had six birdies and an eagle – at the signature par-4 15th hole – where he hit his tee shot onto the green and then sank a 23-foot putt. He broke out of the pack hitting all 18 greens and has a streak of 23 straight heading into Sunday. He was at 16-under 194.

“It was clinical,” he said. “I did everything I wanted to do. I can’t do any more than that.”

Casey was second here during his first visit in 2015, came in 17th a year later and had a fifth-place finish in Cromwell a year ago.

“I love this golf course,” he said.

Russell Henley was 12 under after a 67,and J.B. Holmes (65), Anirban Lahiri (65) and third-round leader Brain Harman (69) were 11 under.

“I think I can shoot a low number on this course,” Henley said. “You’ve got to make the putts. I’m definitely hitting it well enough, and if I can get a couple putts to fall, that would be good. But I can’t control what (Casey) is doing. I can just try to keep playing solid.”

Jason Day shot 66, and Bubba Watson 67, leaving them 10 under. Watson came from six back to the 2010 event and beat Casey in a playoff in 2015.

Watson would join Billy Casper as the only players to win this tournament more than twice. Casper won his fourth Connecticut title in 1973.

“I’m hoping the weather is real sunny when I’m teeing off and as soon as I putt out it gets windy and a little be of rain and gives me a better shot at it,” he said.

Morning rain and drizzle throughout the day kept the greens soft, but nobody was able to stay with Casey.

The shot of the day came from James Hahn, who aced the 154-yard 11th hole. Hahn’s tee shot went over the greenside bunker on the right front of the hole, struck the bottom of the flag pole and went into the hole, which required some repair work to the front lip after taking the hit.

“Sorry, not sorry,” joked Hahn, who said this was the sixth or seventh ace of his lifetime, but the first on Tour.

U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka shot a 69 to get to 4 under. Koepka said he plans to go right at every pin Sunday, then take time off from golf before the British Open.

“I’m going to try to shoot 60,” he said. “You’re so far back, you’ve got to kind of make a move and if you shoot 10 (under), you never know what can happen.

It was a bit of a squirrely round, quite literally for Rory McIlroy.

His opening tee shot was delayed when a squirrel camped right in front of him in the tee box. McIlroy finally got the shot off, hitting it wide right and into the rough en route to a bogey.

McIlroy had an eagle at 15, but three-putted 18 for a bogey and a 69. He was tied for 15th place at 8 under.

Defending champion Jordan Spieth was 3 under after a 71. He opened 63-73.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., shot a 71 to finish the round at under-4 while Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., shot a 73.