PARAMUS, N.J.  – Now that the majors are over, Adam Scott is going after the only big prize left this year – a shot at the $10 million FedEx Cup title.

Scott ran off four straight birdies in the middle of his round Friday, and then closed with an approach that settled a foot from the cup for a tap-in birdie and a 6-under 65. That gave him a share of the 36-hole lead with Cameron Tringale at The Barclays.

Three dozen players were within five shots of the lead, a group that includes British Open and PGA champion Rory McIlroy. The world’s No. 1 player, going after his fourth straight victory, shook off some rust on the range and was nine shots better than his opening round with a 65.

Scott won The Barclays a year ago at Liberty National, and it felt like a bonus in a year in which he won his first major at the Masters. He never had a serious chance at any of the majors this year, and he is looking at the FedEx Cup playoffs differently.

“There’s so much to play for, and for me to be satisfied with the year, I need four really great weeks,” Scott said.

Scott and Tringale were at 8-under 134. Kevin Chappell (67), Brendon Todd (69) and Jim Furyk (69) were one shot behind. The group two shots back included Henrik Stenson (64), Jason Day (64) and Ernie Els, who is playing his sixth straight tournament and shot a 68.

Some scorecards needed more than just numbers, starting with Phil Mickelson.

Lefty took a bogey on the “five-and-dime” fifth hole, thusly named because Byron Nelson always used a 5-iron and a wedge. Mickelson, like so many other players, tried to drive the green and took a wild detour. His shot bounced into the grandstand, behind a row of seats on the thin carpet of the hospitality area. Instead of dropping into deep grass, he chose to play it out of the bleachers, right next to a half-filled glass of beer on a table.

It went too long, over the green and into a bunker, though it gave the crowd a thrill.

“It wasn’t hard to make contact. It was hard to hit it on that skinny little green and get it to stop,” Mickelson said.

He compared it with trying to hit a shot off the cart path, except the carpet “doesn’t scrape up your club as much.”

Mickelson birdied his last hole for a 72 to make the cut on the number.

Seung-yul Noh made a bogey by playing off the wrong green – except it turned into a triple bogey because he didn’t know that he wasn’t allowed to hit off the putting surface from a different hole. His tee shot on No. 11 was so far right that it landed on the third green. Noh took a divot off the green, and a rules official drove up and told him the rule, which comes with a two-shot penalty.

McIlroy kept his excitement to birdies. The 25-year-old from Northern Ireland said he took a week away from golf to celebrate his big summer – two majors and his first World Golf Championship – and paid for it with an opening 74. But the range session Thursday afternoon did wonders, and he went from below the cut line to within five shots of the lead.

He also made those “Freaky Friday” rounds that ruined so many tournaments a distant memory.

His last four second rounds have been 66, 64, 67 and 65. That’s more like “Fun Friday,” and they’ve put the No. 1 player back in the mix.

“It’s a very bunched leaderboard,” McIlroy said. “I’m still five shots behind, but there’s a lot of players between me and the leaders – obviously, a few quality guys at the top, Adam being one of them. So I’m going to have to shoot a couple of rounds similar to today to maybe win this thing.”

Scott was so clean from tee-to-green that he shot 65 and walked away lamenting a pedestrian effort with his putter. He missed six putts inside 12 feet and played the par 5s in 1 over. No wonder he called that “some of the best golf I’ve played all year.”

“It just wasn’t my day today on the greens,” he said.

The top 100 from the FedEx Cup advance to the second playoff event next week outside Boston, with the top 70 advancing to third event in Denver and the top 30 going to East Lake in Atlanta for the Tour Championship and a shot at the $10 million prize.

Lee Westwood kept his PGA Tour season going – barely. He shot a 73 and made the cut on the number at 1-over 143. Because 79 players made the cut, there will be a 54-hole cut Saturday, only the second such cut in the playoffs since the new policy began in 2008.

LONDON, Ontario – So Yeon Ryu pulled away from the pack at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open with a second straight bogey-free round.

Ryu shot a 6-under 66 Friday at London Hunt and Country Club to get to 15 under, the best two-round start in the tournament’s history and five strokes ahead of fellow South Korean Na Yeon Choi, playing partner Anna Nordqvist and Danielle Kang.

“A lot of birdies is still a good sign, but no bogeys is more (of) a great sign because it means I play really consistent and when I was in trouble I handled it pretty well,” she said. “That’s my goal. I aim for the bogey-free round all four days.”

If Ryu keeps it up over the weekend, she’ll have a good chance at winning her first tournament since the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic in 2012. With eight top-10 finishes this year, including a tie for fifth at the U.S. Women’s Open, she hasn’t been far off.

Even amid her victory drought, Ryu tries not to complain or worry.

“I’m happy to be just travelling all around the world,” she said. “I’m really happy to show my golf swing and my golf game to all golf fans. The thing is to not really think about the result thing. I’m playing golf and I’m happy.”

Ryu “absolutely” is happier when playing the kind of golf she has over the past couple of days. She returned to the same local restaurant, Izakaya Shogun Japanese Sushi & Grill, Thursday night that she had dinner at with South Korean teammates the previous day _ for takeout this time _ and said she’d have to think about it again before her third round.

Whatever Ryu is eating, the rest of the field will have what she’s having.

“So Yeon is probably making everything she looks at,” said Cristie Kerr, the champion the last time this tournament was in London back in 2006, who shot a 4-under 68 Friday to get to 9 under.

American Brittany Lincicome, who was a runner-up to Inbee Park at last week’s LPGA Championship, had the best round of the day with a 65 to move to 8 under. Lincicome said her confidence level was “really high.”

“I felt really confident when I stepped on the first hole,” she said. “It was a very smooth day and it was nice to get some putts to fall.”

Joining Lincicome at 8 under were Lizette Salas, Lindsey Wright, Mi Hyang Lee and Xi Yu Lin.

Four Canadians were among the 87 players who made the cut: Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., at 5 under and amateurs Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Jennifer Ha of Calgary at 3 under and Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., at 1 under. The other 11 in the field finished at even or over par to miss.

Henderson had missed the cut in this tournament in her two previous appearances but is now 4 for 4 making the cut in LPGA Tour events this year. But she wasn’t satisfied despite shooting a 71.

“Honestly, today, I could’ve easily been five-under,” Henderson said. “I had so many opportunities for birdie inside 10 feet and just didn’t capitalize on them.”

Nordqvist felt the same way playing with Ryu but struggling with her putter.

“I was trying to keep up with her on the greens,” the Swede said. “I played really well today, too, and I couldn’t seem to make any putts. … It’s a bit frustrating, but she played really well and I try to feed off her.”

One of the last players to tee off Friday, Kang saw Ryu’s 15 under and didn’t let it bother her. Instead, she watched the leaderboard with delight thinking about what she can do on this course.

“That tells me that there are birdies out there,” said Kang, who borrowed defending champion and friend Lydia Ko’s ball marker after forgetting her own. “You just got to go by the scoreboard, the scoreboard tells you everything you need to know.”

Like a lot of players, Choi wasn’t focused on others’ performances before she teed off. The 2012 U.S. Women’s Open champion also took a different approach Thursday night after shooting a 64, going shopping and to the movie theatre to see “Into the Storm.”

“I just tried to relax,” Choi said. “Always when I think about too much golf, even off the golf course, it sometimes gives me a lot of stress.”

Choi stressed about her driver after shooting a 70 Friday to tie Nordqvist for second. It’s her hope that fixing a left hook in her swing can help her stay in the hunt.

Kang, a 21-year-old from San Francisco, is in contention and feeling confident going into the weekend.

“There’s a lot of people contending, and there’s a lot of birdies out there and everyone’s shooting low, so you’ve just got to keep making birdies,” she said.

American Jessica Korda had a hole-in-one on the eight, drilling an 8 iron from 147 yards from the tee. She shot a 70 to get to 4 under through two rounds. … Organizers waived the $10 parking fee for the weekend to encourage more fans to come out to the course.

LONDON, Ont. – Safely in position to make the cut after her second round at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, amateur Brooke Henderson still talked like playing on the weekend was in doubt.

“I left a lot of opportunities out there and missed a lot of birdies, but that’s OK,” she said. “If I play the weekend, we’ll get them.”

Saying “if” wasn’t necessary. After shooting a 1-under-par 71 to get to 3 under for the tournament, the 16-year-old will get those opportunities Saturday and Sunday.

Henderson was one of four Canadians to make the cut, along with Jennifer Kirby, amateur Jennifer Ha and Sue Kim. Henderson will move on after not making it past the second round in this event the past two years.

“I’m a lot more comfortable on the big stage,” Henderson said. “It’s awesome, because when I was out here at 14, I was pretty nervous and didn’t really know anybody. Now, I know quite a few of the pros and they know me. I’m more comfortable in the big setting with all the fans and all the cameras.”

Henderson has to be with all the attention on her this week at London Hunt and Country Club. Playing in a group with Kirby of Paris, Ont., and Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto, Henderson was still the main draw.

Following a second-place finish at the U.S. Amateur and a tie for 10th at the U.S. Women’s Open, Henderson has high expectations on her as the future face of Canadian golf. She doesn’t know what her secret is, but the soon-to-be 17-year-old doesn’t flinch at the exposure she’s getting.

“It’s a challenge to be able to play well for (fans), and I love it,” the Smiths Falls, Ont., native said. “I know they’re all cheering for me, so really it’s positive energy.”

Kirby used some of that positive energy to remain as the low Canadian at 5 under with an even-par 72 Friday. That had her 10 strokes off the lead, held by South Korea’s So Yeon Ryu.

“I didn’t make a lot of birdie putts, but I made a lot of par saves,” Kirby said. “Hopefully I can go a little lower on the weekend.”

Ha, who’s from Calgary, had the best morning round of any Canadian with a 3-under 69 to get her to 3 under for the tournament. Kim of Langley, B.C., just made it a 1 under.

Lee-Bentham, Sara-Maude Juneau of Fossambault, Que., Natalie Gleadall of Stratford, Ont., and Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont., missed by a stroke at even par.

Lorie Kane (Charlottetown), Alena Sharp (Hamilton) and Jessica Wallace (Langley) were 1 over, Maude-Aimee LeBlanc (Sherbrooke, Que.) was 2 over, Samantha Richdale (Kelowna, B.C.) was 3 over, Erica Rivard (Tecumseh, Ont.) was 4 over and Nicole Vandermade (Brantford, Ont.) was 5 over.

VYSOKY UJEZD, Czech Republic  — Jamie Donaldson shot a 3-under 69 Friday to retain a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Czech Masters and keep alive his hopes of a spot on Europe’s Ryder Cup team.

Seeking his third European Tour victory, the Welshman was in a position to stretch his lead after producing six birdies and a bogey before finishing the second round with two bogeys on the last three holes for an overall 9-under 135.

“I won’t dwell on the poor shots,” Donaldson said. “I played two pitches at seven and eight and misjudged them both so one’s come out hot and one’s come out dead. That slowed the run down, up until that point I was really motoring.”

Donaldson currently has a qualifying spot for his debut Ryder Cup but still needs a top-seven finish to have a place guaranteed for next month’s match against the United States at Gleneagles.

“If I can go out there tomorrow and play as well as I’ve played over the last couple of days I’ll be in a strong position going into the final round,” Donaldson said.

Gregory Bourdy of France is one stroke back after carding 67.

Another Ryder Cup hopeful Stephen Gallacher (67) is tied in third after the Scot hit five straight birdies for a 7-under 137 while Joost Luiten of the Netherlands, also seeking a Ryder Cup place, shot 71 for a 3-under 141.

It has been an inaugural tournament for the Albatross Golf Resort near Prague as the European Tour returns to the Czech Republic for the first time since 2011.

TORONTO – Nike Golf has reimagined golf irons with the introduction of its new Vapor franchise – Vapor Pro, Vapor Pro Combo, and Vapor Speed.

The modern family of irons was unveiled to a global media audience this week near New York City during an event featuring Nike athletes Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, and celebrity golf aficionado Jimmy Fallon.

The Vapor irons blend the detailed craftsmanship of Nike’s master club builder, Mike Taylor; the engineering expertise of The Oven; and the imagination of Nike designers. The result; a family of irons featuring a pinnacle Nike innovation called Modern Muscle.

Modern Muscle is a modification of a standard muscle-back design that moves the iron’s center of gravity to the centre of the clubface, crafted to yield more efficient and pure strikes. The innovation has already contributed to a major championship victory when Rory McIlroy put a prototype Vapor Pro Combo 2-iron (MM Proto) in the bag and went on to win the 2014 Open Championship.

While Rory was the first to win with Modern Muscle in the bag, the innovation itself started with insights from Tiger Woods.

“Our engineers and designers at The Oven have been working with Tiger for quite some time to evolve this innovation and bring it to the golf athlete,” said Rob Arluna, Nike Golf’s Global Golf Club Business Director. “We started with the traditional blade and asked what could be done to enhance its performance and modernize the design while maintaining a traditional, pure look at address. Thanks to Tiger’s inspiration, coupled with Rory’s added insights, we made the Vapor Pro blades feel and perform better with a technology advantage over the traditional blade. We then extended that innovation and design to Vapor Pro Combo and Vapor Speed.”

“Years back when we tested the parts with adjusted weighting, I immediately noticed a more balanced feel and more consistent performance.” said Woods. “Working with the club team to bring this concept to life was a great experience.”

With a modernized take on the classic blade profile, the Vapor Pro is Nike Golf’s most precise iron to date. The Vapor Pro Combo has the clean lines and workability of a blade with the power of a distance iron – resulting in the ultimate blend of precision and power. The Vapor Speed delivers pure power for the golf athlete who wants maximum distance and forgiveness through the set.

Within Nike, the name Nike Vapor is synonymous with the company’s most premium innovations that boldly elevate athlete performance. The Nike Vapor name is featured in other categories within Nike, including baseball and global football.

The Vapor irons will be available on Nike.com and at select retailers October 31, 2014.

Vapor Pro Irons

Specifications: 3-PW, True Temper Dynamic Gold X/S/R (RH/LH);

Cdn MSRP:  $1100 3-PW Steel

Vapor Pro Combo Irons

Specifications:  3-AW; True Temper DG Pro (RH/LH)

Cdn MSRP: $1200 4-AW Steel

Vapor Speed Irons

Specifications:  3-SW; True Temper Dynalite 105 Steel S/R (RH/LH); MRC Fubuki Z graphite S/R/A/W

Cdn MSRP:  $850 4-AW Steel; $950 4-AW Graphite;  $780 5-PW Women’s

West Vancouver, B.C. – Top male senior golfers from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and the United States will compete at the 2014 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship which will take place from August 25-29 at Capilano Golf and Country Club in West Vancouver, B.C.

The Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, featuring players aged 55 and over, is played over 72 holes with a cut after 36 holes to the low 70 scores and ties. The Super Senior Championship, featuring players aged 70 and over, is contested concurrently over the first 36 holes of the championship. The Senior Inter-Provincial Team Championship, featuring three-player teams representing each of the ten provinces, also runs concurrently with the first 36 holes of the tournament.

Conducted since 1962, the 2014 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship will see 156 players take to Capilano Golf and Country Club.

“The field is incredibly strong at this year’s Canadian Men’s Senior Championship,” said Golf Canada Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “Capilano is going to challenge these elite competitors from across our country and worldwide and we’re looking forward to another great championship.”

Calgary’s David Schultz will return to defend his title after his one-stroke victory over Chip Lutz last year at The Briars Golf Club. Additionally, Schultz will be joined by a strong contingent of international players ranked inside the top-50 on Golfweek’s Senior Amateur rankings including, No. 2 Steve Sharpe of Greensboro, N.C., No. 8 Cyrus Whitney of Oro Valley, Ariz., No. 15 Jeff Burda of Modesto, Calif., No. 16 Brady Exber of Las Vegas, Nev., No. 25 Pat Thompson of Asheville, N.C., No. 49 Doug Williams of Hong Kong and No. 50 John Hull of Scottsdale, Ariz.

Capilano Golf and Country Club consistently ranks inside the top-10 courses in Canada. The Stanley Thompson designed course has a rich history in competition as the club has previously hosted seven of Golf Canada’s national championships alongside the World Amateur Team Championship in 1992. Additionally, the Pacific Coast Amateur was contested at the club in 2003 and 2013.

“Our membership has come together to support this championship and we are all looking forward to making this an event to remember for the competitors and spectators,” said General Manager, Brad Burgart. “Hosting a national championship is a great honour and we’re excited to watch as these elite competitors vie for a national championship title at our club.”

Locally, Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Doug Roxburgh of Vancouver headlines the list Canadian competitors. Roxburgh, a 4-time Canadian amateur champion and a 13-time B.C. Amateur Champion, recently defended his title at the 2014 B.C. Men’s Senior Championship. He will look to add his first Canadian Men’s Senior title to his incredible amateur career. 

In the Inter-Provincial Team Competition, the Team Alberta contingent of Frank Van Dornick, Jim Russell and Pat McGowan will look to defend their title after besting Team British Columbia in 2013 by seven strokes.

The 2014 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship winner will earn an exemption into the 2014 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship at Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach, Calif. September 13-18, 2014. 

More information on the championship can be found here.

CHILLIWACK, BC – Euna Han came from behind to win the 2014 BC Girls’ Bantam Championship at Meadowlands Golf Club, while Andrew Spalti held on to win the 2014 BC Boys’ Bantam Championship after leading thru days of competition.

Han shot a two-under 68 on the second day of competition to overtake the lead from her position in third place after the first round, finishing with a two-day total of 138 (-2) as the only female competitor under par. The 12-year-old Meadow Gardens golfer bogeyed only a single hole during her final round on the way to claiming the title, and boasted a bogey-free back nine for the duration of the Championship, defeating several players her senior for the title, playing with composure beyond her age.

“It felt obviously great,” she said. “I just tried to play my best the whole round. I didn’t know how  they were playing until the last couple of holes. I feel really great about it.

“My putting was working well today, I missed a short putt on 16 but just continued on and forgot about it and I was a bit lucky today, I hit a tree and came back to the fairway, so I was lucky.”

Though it didn’t hurt having a few good bounces on her side, luck likely had very little to do with her round. Han finished eighth in last year’s Bantam Championship at only 11 years old, showing she is a great player even at a young age, and certainly one to watch.

Shirin Anjarwalla 14, led after the first round of the Championship, but dropped back to finish in second place shooting 73 (+3) on day two. The Nanaimo golfer started the day with a double bogey and unfortunately wasn’t able to make up the ground to reclaim the lead, but still finished strong at 1-over par (141) for the tournament.

Burnaby’s Sumie Francois finished third in her final year of eligibility for the Bantam Championship at +2 (142) after two days of tough-fought competition. Francois, 14, made an eagle on number 11 after four bogeys out but was unable to create the momentum she would need to take over the lead.

Last year’s Champion Alisha Lau and Tiffany Kong finished T4 to round out the top five.

Andrew Spalti (British Columbia Golf)

Spalti, 14, led through two rounds of competition to claim the boy’s title shooting 69 both days, finishing 2-under par (138). His second round (-1) was highlighted by five birdies, helping him to hold on to the lead.

This was Spalti’s first year playing in the BC Bantam Championship and his final year of eligibility.

“It feels good,” he said. “Early in the front nine I though I lost the lead and all my group members started making birdies and were coming in strong to the back, but I managed to fight back. I bogeyed the last one, but luckily I still locked in the lead.

Spalti explained that his putting was one of the strongest points of his game and definitely was the biggest contributor to helping him secure the win.

Earlier this summer, the Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club member missed the cut at the Junior Boys’ Championship, but showing impressive self-command rebounded to win the Bantam title. Spalti withdrew from the Juvenile Championship next week but is planning to return to provincial championships next summer.

Khan Lee played a bogey-free second round making a strong push for the title finishing -2 on Friday. Lee, 14, finished second with 139 (-1).

Callum Davison finished with the day’s low score -3 to help move him into a tie for third with Daniel Sun, who shot -2 on Friday. The pair finished even for the championship.

Novice Championship

The Novice division was added to the Bantam in 2014 for competitors with less experience in provincial competition. Natasha Kozlowski of Prince George finished in first with 91 points, followed by Sienna Kraus with 81 points and Claire Lovan of Surrey with 78 points in third.

On the boy’s side, Tyler Casper won the Novice Championship with 87 points, closely followed by Stephen Pon with 83 and in third, Jerry Li with 76 points.

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. – It will remain a sore spot with Fred Couples until he’s finally able to add the accomplishment to his resume.

For all the tournament’s won during his career, Couples has still never won in the Seattle area, where he grew up.

Not that he’s had many chances. With Seattle lacking a regular PGA Tour stop the most marquee events that Couples has participated were the 1998 PGA Championship and 2010 U.S. Senior Open, along with being a regular participant in the Boeing Classic since joining the Champions Tour in 2010.

Couples is back at the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge this week trying to win that elusive hometown title in the 10th edition of the popular tournament.

“It’s really one of my favorite courses and not just because I’m from here, but it’s for a longer hitter,” Couples said. “It’s always in immaculate condition. The greens are perfect, the fairways are perfect. You get a good amount of people out there to watch.”

He’s come close to breaking through in his hometown in the past. Three times Couples has finished in the top three of events around Seattle. That included his runner-up finish to Bernhard Langer at the 2010 Senior Open played at nearby Sahalee Country Club. Last year Couples closed with a 66 on the final day of the Boeing Classic but was unable to catch John Riegger and finished third.

“For me personally, my first senior tour event was at Sahalee and I lost to Langer. It wasn’t the end of all ends, but I was trying to win hard and this is a tournament that I really would love to win,” Couples said. “I probably don’t have that many more chances, maybe another two or three years before I get too old to totally compete, but that is my goal.”

Although unlikely, Couples is hoping to give himself two chances to win in his home state in 2015. Couples said he plans on trying to qualify for the U.S. Open being played at Chambers Bay if he does not receive an exemption for the tournament.

Couples and Langer will be paired together for the first round on Friday. It will be just the second Champions Tour start for Couples since May, slowed by continued back problems. His only victory this season came at the Toshiba Classic in March.

Meanwhile, Langer is the clear leader in the Charles Schwab Cup points race. He’s won five times this season, including last week’s victory at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open. He’s finished first, second and first in his last three starts and nearly caught Kenny Perry on the final day of the 3M Championship to make it three consecutive victories.

Also participating in the Boeing Classic for the first time will be Kevin Sutherland fresh off shooting the first 59 in Champions Tour history in last week’s tournament. Sutherland, who bogeyed the 18th or he could have posted a 58, will be paired with Paul Goydos and Chip Beck. Both Goydos and Beck shot 59s in their careers on the PGA Tour.

PARAMUS, N.J.  – Rory McIlroy took a week to celebrate his blockbuster summer and paid for it in The Barclays with his worst start in two months.

He could afford a day off.

That wasn’t the case for players like Bo Van Pelt and Paul Casey, and they picked a good time to produce good scores.

With no guarantee of playing beyond this week, Van Pelt opened with three straight birdies Thursday and chipped in for eagle late in his round for a 6-under 65 that gave him a one-shot lead in the opener of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Van Pelt is No. 104 in the FedEx Cup. Only the top 100 advance to the next tournament.

Casey is No. 118 with a lot on his mind – specifically the birth of his first child in two weeks – and played bogey-free at Ridgewood to join seven other players at 66. That group included Brendon Todd, who is trying to get Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson’s attention as a possible wild-card pick; and Hunter Mahan, who at No. 62 is in danger of missing the Tour Championship for the first time since the FedEx Cup began in 2007.

Ridgewood featured some of the deepest rough of the year, though the greens were soft enough to allow for birdies if players could keep it in the fairway. The average score was 70.8, with 44 rounds in the 60s.

McIlroy was not among them.

The British Open and PGA champion went 13 holes before he made his first birdie and finished with a 74. That ended a streak of 14 straight rounds under par, and it was his highest score in the opening round since a 74 in the Irish Open in June.

“Fatigue isn’t playing a part,” he said. “It’s I think just not putting the time in that I probably should have over the past week. And I think I allowed myself that and deserved that. But this is the consequence of it and I need to work hard this afternoon and go out tomorrow and shoot a good number.”

McIlroy established himself anew as golf’s No. 1 player with a wire-to-wire win at the British Open, a come-from-behind win at a World Golf Championship and a late charge at Valhalla to win the PGA Championship and become the third-youngest player with four majors.

“I wanted to enjoy it for a week,” he said.

Van Pelt doesn’t have that luxury. He started his year missing seven cuts in nine tournaments before it slowly started to come around over the last month. He felt he was heading in the right direction and received more confirmation Thursday. Van Pelt didn’t make a bogey, and finished strong with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 16th and the eagle on the par-5 17th hole that put him in the lead.

“As poorly as I played at the start of the year, I’m just kind of glad to be here,” Van Pelt said. “Things have been trending in a lot better direction. So I felt fortunate to be here with the position I was in three months ago. I just felt like if I kept doing what I was doing, hopefully I would at least get to next week and then kind of cross that bridge when I got there.”

Jim Furyk, Charles Howell III, Brendon de Jonge, Ben Martin and Cameron Tringale also were in the group one shot behind.

Casey hasn’t had a top 10 on the PGA Tour all season and didn’t make it into the playoffs with much room to spare. He’s not sure how long he’ll be around, although a solid start was sure to help.

“I think today was probably a product of really not having really any expectations and just going out there and smashing it around and having fun,” Casey said.

McIlroy had his fun last week, and he was headed to the range after his opening round to get his game back. He took an early double bogey by barely getting out of a bunker and chipping 15 feet by the hole on No. 12, and then going long into a bunker for a bogey on the par-5 13th.

“It’s not a bad thing,” he said. “A score like this would be tougher to take if I had not just come off the weeks that I had. But at the same time, I want to play well and I want to give myself chances to win tournaments.”

Mahan is the only player to compete in every playoff event since the FedEx Cup began. He is assured of two tournaments, though he needs a good week somewhere to keep alive his hopes of reaching Atlanta for the Tour Championship. The top 70 advance to the third week, and the top 30 get to East Lake for the finale. Plus, he hopes to audition for one of the captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup.

“It will be a bonus to make it to Atlanta and it will be a bonus right now to make the Ryder Cup team,” Mahan said. “So I have nothing to be nervous about or get out there and doubt myself. I have to trust myself because everything I’m doing is good and everything else will kind of take care of itself.”

David Hearn is tied for 32nd after carding 69 in the opening round. Graham DeLaet carded a 7-over 78 and is tied for 121st.

Sherbrooke, Qué.  – In a hole-by-hole playoff against Aurora, Ont.’s Mary Ann Hayward, Helene Chartrand of Pincourt, Qué. claimed the 2014 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship at Club de golf Milby in Sherbrooke, Qué. on Thursday.

Chartrand entered the third and final round seven strokes behind Hayward, who led the field at 5-under 141 after Wednesday’s second round. After Hayward made three bogeys on the front nine followed by four more on the back, Chartrand was able to match the 3-time champion with an even-par score of 219 for the tournament, leading to a hole by hole playoff. Chartrand defeated Hayward with a birdie on the second playoff hole.

“Mary Ann is a great player,” said Chartrand who fired a 2-under 71 final round. “Basically I had nothing to lose; coming back from seven strokes was part of the miracle.”

This win comes almost one month after Chartrand claimed the Mid-Master title at the 2014 Canadian Women’s Amateur in Woodstock, Ont.

“I got more confident with my game playing with all of the youngsters and all the superstars,” she said of her Mid-Master win. “I think it built some confidence in my game and I kind of learned that I can come back.”

Winning the 2014 Canadian Women’s Senior has earned Chartrand an exemption into the 2014 U.S. Women’s Senior in Deal, N.J. She’s no stranger to the tournament, having played it twice in 2013 and 2012.

“It feels so great [to have earned an exemption] because I did ask for an exemption and I was rejected,” said Chartrand. “I did play in the last two U.S. [Women’s] Seniors and I just loved it. So for me, it’s a dream come true to be able to go. It will be my third one in a row and I’m very excited.”

Judith Allan-Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. finished nine strokes behind Chartrand and Hayward to claim third place in the tournament with a score of 9-over 228. Sherbrooke’s own Jocelyn Smith finished one stroke behind at 229 for the championship.