SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Australia’s Cameron Percy won his first Web.Com Tour title Sunday, birdieing the final two holes for a one-stroke victory over four players in the Price Cutter Charity Championship.

The 40-year-old Percy, a five-time winner on the Australasian Tour, closed with a 5-under 67 to finish at 21-under 267 at Highland Springs. He earned $121,500 to jump from 33rd to 12th on the money list with $217,347. The top 25 after the final two regular-season events will earn 2014-15 PGA Tour cards.

“It feels unbelievable,” said Percy, making his 131st start on the tour. “I’ve been playing well for a while. To get out with a win feels fantastic.”

Brandt Jobe, Zac Blair, Michael Kim and Carlos Sainz Jr. tied for second. Jobe finished with a 65, Blair had a 66, and Kim and Sainz shot 67. Kim was penalized a stroke on No. 18 for lifting his ball in the rough.

“I was in the first primary cut and it’s been muddy all week,” Kim said. “I wanted to check if there was mud on the ball anywhere for the lay-up. I marked it, I picked it up, and I put it back right where it went. The rules official came over because we weren’t’ sure if that was a penalty or not. And he told me it was a one-shot penalty. … It’s pretty disappointing.”

Percy drove into the left rough on the par-5 18th and hit a hybrid from 208 yards through the green. After a free drop from a sprinkler head, Percy got up-and-down for the victory.

“It’s amazing what goes through your head,” Percy said. “I got lucky that ball was next to the sprinkler.”

Former Team Canada member Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. was the leading Canadian, finishing tied for 9th, three shots back of Percy.

GLEN COVE, N.Y. – Kristen Gillman rallied to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur on Sunday, beating Canada’s Brooke Mackenzie Henderson 2 up in the 36-hole finale at Nassau Country Club.

The 16-year-old Gillman, from Austin, Texas, lost the 25th and 26th to fall 3 down. She won the short, par-4 27th with a birdie, cut it to 1 down with a birdie win on the par-4 30th and pulled even with another birdie win on the par-4 32nd.

Gillman took the lead with a birdie win on the par-5 33rd, matched the 16-year-old Henderson with pars on the 34th and 35th holes and took the par-4 18th with a birdie.

Gillman, coming off an 11-stroke victory last week in the Junior PGA Championship, is set to attend the University of Alabama in 2016.

Henderson failed in her bid to become the third Canadian winner in tournament history. Marlene Stewart accomplished the feat in 1956, and Cathy Sherk did it in 1978.

“I played well today, and I held the lead after the first 18,” said Henderson after her round.  “I just didn’t play quite as well on the back 18 as I would have liked.  Kristen played really well and she made a lot of putts when she needed to.”

The loss was emotional for Henderson, but the Team Canada member has a lot of reasons to smile after the strong finish.

“It’s been a great week,  I really enjoyed it,” added Henderson. “I definitely will learn a lot from this and take away a lot from this week.”

Henderson will likely move to No. 1 in the World Women’s Amateur Rankings next week.

(Copyright USGA)

Kristen Gillman (Copyright USGA)

WINDSOR, ON — The Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Juvenile (U17) Boys’ Championship, held in conjunction with the Ontario Summer Games, wrapped up on Aug. 10 with the final round of play. After many lead changes and names atop the leaderboard, it was Scarborough’s Gavin MacIver who took the title in the end with a final round of one-under (69) to bring his tournament total to three-over.

The 16-year-old Cherry Downs Golf & Country Club member entered the final round in a tie for third at four-over. But after round-two leader, Niagara Falls’ Jaret Chipman, faltered during the day, MacIver was able to take advantage.

“The final round started off ok,” said MacIver. “The leader (Chipman) was playing well. Then we got to the back nine and I had the lead. I soon found out that Jake (Bryson), in the second last group, was one up on me. Things really turned around on 11 and 12 when I birdied them and got the outright lead. I just brought it home from there.”

MacIver put a string of three birdies in four holes together on the ninth, 11th and 12th to help galvanize his round. In the process, he was also able to move ahead of Dunrobin’s Jake Bryson who also held the lead during the round.

“I was rolling in a lot of putts. I made a 20 footer on 12, downhill, which really got things going, from there I just tried to par the rest of the holes,” said MacIver.

It was that putting along with his play off the tees that MacIver attributed his success to. “My putting and shots from the tee were the strongest parts of my game this week. I gave myself good birdie chances all week. Today, I made all my short putts and drained a couple long ones that got my game going.”

Bryson, a member of the GAO’s Ottawa Regional Team, finished the day at even par (70) and was four-over for the tournament, earning the silver medal.

Rounding out the podium was Waterloo Regional Team and Greenhills Golf Club member Jackson Bowery. Bowery, the London resident, shot a three-over (73) and ended the tournament three shots back at six-over.

For the final leaderboard see the tournament site here.

The Ontario Juvenile Boys’ Championship is a 54-hole competition that features the province’s best junior golfers under the age of 17 competing for the Mike Weir trophy. This year the event is contested as part of the 2014 Ontario Summer Games.

WINDSOR, ON — The Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Juvenile (U17) Girls’ Championship, held in conjunction with the Ontario Summer Games, came to an end on Aug. 10 at the Roseland Golf & Curling Club in Windsor. When the final putt was drained, it was Ridgeway’s Madeline Marck-Sherk who walked away with the Juvenile Girls’ trophy and the Ontario Summer Games’ gold medal.

Marck-Sherk, 16-years-old from the Bridgeway Country Club and the GAO’s Waterloo Regional Team, got out to a great start during the round with birdies on the first and third holes. She would add an eagle on the 14th and finished the day two-under (70) to end the tournament at even par.

“It was a big week for me. I was able to drain some putts today and with a score of 70, I can’t have any complaints. It was such a great tournament and I am just so happy to have won this,” said Marck-Sherk.

After the round, Marck-Sherk credited her performance to her strong putting. “The early putts helped a lot, I was able to keep the momentum going and continue strong throughout the round. Coming into the tournament I knew there was a chance for me to win and making it to the final group, I knew there was a possibility.”

Finishing second was Ottawa’s Grace St-Germain. The Team Ontario and Hylands Golf Club member finished the day one-over (73) to end the tournament at five-over. Marck-Sherk spoke about what playing in the final group with the 2014 Canadian Junior Girls’ and Quebec Women’s Amateur champion was like. “It was tough, I knew she would be tough competition. We are good friends and I was honoured to play with her. She played well today, the nerves were there for me, but I was able to overcome them.”

Picking up the bronze medal was London resident and London Hunt and Country Club member Isabella Portokalis. Portokalis, a Waterloo Regional Team member, finished the day one-over (73) and ended the tournament at eight-over.

For the final leaderboard, visit the tournament site here.

The Ontario Juvenile Girls’ Championship features the province’s best junior golfers under the age of 17 competing for the Sandra Post trophy. Past champions of the event include Post, Jessica Shepley, Alena Sharp, Stephanie Sherlock, and Rebecca Lee-Bentham. This year the event was contested as part of the 2014 Ontario Summer Games.

BELMONT, Mich.  – Inbee Park figures the best defense against the nerves that come with being in the lead is a hot putter.

Using a new blade putter this week, Park made two long birdie putts on the back nine Saturday and finished with a 3-under 68 to remain a stroke ahead after the third round of the Meijer LPGA Classic.

“I feel like I haven’t holed that kind of putt for a long time and it’s all of a sudden happening this week,” Park said. “This putter, it seems like it’s going really on line and I feel like I’m stroking the ball better this week.”

The third-ranked South Korean player holed a 25-footer from the fringe on the par-3 14th, bogeyed the par-4 15th after missing a 3-foot par try and rebounded with a 35-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th.

The 26-year-old Park won six times last season and took the Manulife Financial in June in Canada for her 10th LPGA Tour title. She had a 13-under 200 total at Blythefield Country Club.

“I think it would have been nice if I had probably two- or three-(shot lead),” Park said. “That gives me more breathing room, but one is still better than nothing. I’m in better position than everybody else.”

South Korean rookie Mirim Lee was second after a 67. Norway’s Suzann Pettersen was another stroke back after a 69.

Cristie Kerr matched the low round of the tournament with a 64 to jump 44 spots to a tie for 12th at 5 under. She hit 10 of 13 fairways and had only 26 putts.

Park, using a blade putter instead of a mallet for the first time since 2008, birdied the first hole and stayed in front until Pettersen birdied Nos. 7 and 8 to tie for the lead. The tie lasted one hole before Park rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt at the ninth.

Pettersen birdied the par-4 13th with a 20-footer to tie again, only to have Park roll in the 25-footer from the fringe at 14. Pettersen then matched Park’s bogey at 15, also missing a 3-foot par try.

That’s when Lee slipped in between the two with birdies at Nos. 15 and 16.

Pettersen, who for much of last year was No. 2 in the rankings to Park’s No. 1, said she struggled with her game, gusty wind and greens that are firming up.

“Overall it was one of those days where you just fight to stay in it,” said Pettersen, ranked fourth in the world. “I didn’t have the greatest of feels throughout the round. There were a lot of challenges out there, and there will be as many tomorrow and hopefully I can do just a little better.”

Park, who shot 66 in each of the first two rounds, said it was easily the toughest day of the three.

“The wind was quite tricky to me,” she said. “I played pretty consistent again, but the golf course was tougher, the conditions harder. I have to stay consistent and keep rolling in some putts.”

Park knows very little about Lee.

“I know she’s from Korea and she played on the KLPGA Tour, and I know she’s hitting it quite long from seeing it from behind today,” Park said. “Except for that, I really don’t have much information. Obviously she played quite solid for three days.”

Lori Kane leads the Canadians carding 71 in the third round to sit tied for 43rd. Alena Sharp and and Rebecca Lee-Bentham shot 74 and 75 respectively to share 60th.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.  – As Rory McIlroy watched the ball drop into the cup on his final stroke of the day, he pumped his right fist and managed a slight grin.

He had fended off every challenger Saturday.

He was right where he wanted to be going to Sunday.

Leading the PGA Championship.

McIlroy finished off a 4-under 67 with an 8-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole, getting up-and-down from a bunker to maintain a one-shot advantage after the third round.

“It’s not the biggest lead I’ve ever had, but I’m still in control of this golf tournament,” said McIlroy, who birdied three of the last four holes. “It’s a great position to be in.”

With greens softened by overnight rain, this was a day for going low at Valhalla. Plenty of players did, most notably Bernd Wiesberger. The 28-year-old Austrian provided the biggest surprise of the round, shooting a 65 that put him in the final group of a major for the first time.

Shoot, this is only the second time he’s ever made a cut at a major.

“This is a dream come true,” said Wiesberger, a regular on the European Tour. “I’m very proud of myself, the way I played today. This is a completely new situation for me.”

Beyond Wiesberger, there were plenty of players ready to take aim at McIlroy on what figures to be a wild final day on the rolling hills outside of Louisville.

Rickie Fowler was right in the mix again at another major, shooting a 67 that left him two shots behind McIlroy’s 13-under 200. Fowler has been the runner-up at the last two majors, and finished fifth at the Masters. Maybe this is the week he finally breaks through.

Then there’s Phil Mickelson, who already has five major titles. Lefty hasn’t won since the 2013 British Open – his longest drought since 2003 – but he’s clearly back on his game. He birdied four of the last five holes for a 67 and was three shots off the pace.

“I needed to finish strong to get back in it,” Mickelson said.

Australia’s Jason Day was also three strokes behind, having lost some ground despite a 69 that included a barefooted shot. After hitting his drive left of a creek at No. 2, he had to take off his socks and shoes and roll up his pants to get across the water. He wound up saving par.

Still, that was a rather pedestrian score in this round, with 37 players getting into the 60s. Hunter Mahan joined Weisberger with a 65, matching the best round of the week, and seven guys shot 66.

At one point, there was a five-way tie for the lead. When it was done, McIlroy was still on top but a dozen players were separated by only five shots, meaning the leader will have to work a little harder for this major than he did for the three first three championships.

McIlroy had runaway victories at the 2011 U.S. Open and 2012 PGA Championship, and took a six-shot lead to the final round of the British Open last month, hanging on for a two-stroke win that was never really in doubt.

He doesn’t mind a tougher challenge.

“Yeah, it’s stressful at times, but you’ve got to enjoy it,” McIlroy said. “This is the best position to be in at a golf tournament.”

Weyburn, Sask. native Graham DeLaet is tied for 10th after carding 68 in the 3rd round. He’s sitting 8-under, five shots back of McIlroy.

OTTAWA, Ont. – After shooting a 1-under 70 at Hylands Golf Club on Saturday, Leicester, England’s Greg Eason will look to go wire-to-wire at the FORCES & FAMILIES OPEN and earn his first PGA Tour Canada win in Ottawa.

The 22-year old rookie countered three bogeys on the day with four birdies to jump to 14-under par through three rounds at Hylands Golf Club, three strokes clear of fellow Englishman Kelvin Day, Canadians Peter Campbell and Jordan Krantz and American Jeff Dennis.

“I couldn’t do anything wrong the first couple of days. Today I hit some sloppy shots. The short game was good and got me out of trouble a few times,” said Eason, who pulled ahead of the field by as many as four shots before making one final bogey following an errant drive at the 18^thhole. “It would have been nice to par the last. I didn’t hit it great today. It was a bit of a grind and it felt like a long day, but I’m really pleased to get under par out of it and put myself in a good position for tomorrow.”

The University of Central Florida grad finds himself in the final group for the second time in three events on PGA TOUR Canada, after finishing one shot behind Wes Homan at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel three weeks ago. With a strong pedigree at UCF, where he was named an All-American as well as American Athletic Conference Player of the Year in his final season, Eason says he expects to be comfortable in the heat of battle on Sunday.

“I think that winning is winning, and contention is contention. Luckily I was able to put myself in that position a few times in college, so I’m going to know what to expect and hopefully I’ll be able to see it through,” said Eason, who won six times in his four seasons in college. “I’ve kind of been there before in college, and it’s still golf. I know we’re all professionals now, but it still is golf and you’re still trying to put the ball in the hole, so hopefully it will be no different.”

Dennis, who calls Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida home, was Eason’s closest pursuer late in the day, but after a bad drive at the 18^th, struck the flagstick with his third shot and watched his ball spin off the green, leading to a bogey.

“I played steady. I got some good breaks in the beginning, and I guess it all evens out after 18. I’m in the mix so all I can do is go out and play tomorrow,” said Dennis.

Krantz, a native of Vermillion Bay, Ontario, briefly tied Eason for the lead at 13-under earlier in the day, but made double bogey at 18 to drop back into a tie for second with fellow Canadian Peter Campbell of Baddeck, Nova Scotia.

Day will play alongside Eason in an all-English pairing on Sunday after shooting a 5-under 66. North Vancouver, British Columbia’s Eugene Wong, who shot a 10-under 61 on Friday to hold second place through 36 holes, fell to a 4-over 75 to drop to a tie for 14^th.

Baddeck, Nova Scotia’s Peter Campbell made the switch from a long to a short putter before the FORCES & FAMILIES OPEN, and the results have paid off for the 31-year old, who sits tied for second at 11-under after a 4-under 67 in round three.

“I’ve been hitting it great all year, it’s just my putter has been really killing me. This week I’ve made a lot of putts, so confidence is rolling now, so I’ll just try to keep it going,” said Campbell. “I played steady all day long. I didn’t get myself into any trouble.”

Campbell has been a world traveler in 2014 after securing medalist honours at NEC Series – PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Q-School this winter. In seven starts there, he has three top-25 finishes, including a T2 finish at the Mundo Maya Open. Campbell said the experience has been ultimately helpful as he looks to make his way up the professional ranks.

“It’s been different. It’s been a lot of learning how to travel, managing my time. I’ve got a wife and daughter back home, so that’s tough being away, but you manage and deal with it the best you can. It’s been fun so far for sure.”

GLEN COVE, N.Y. – Kristen Gillman and Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson won semifinal matches Saturday to advance to the 36-hole final in the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Nassau Country Club.

The 16-year-old Gillman, Austin, Texas, beat 15-year-old Andrea Lee of Hermosa Beach, California, 4 and 3. Henderson, the 16-year-old Canadian who is No. 2 in the world amateur ranking, edged 16-year-old Hannah O’Sullivan of Paradise Valley, Arizona, 1 up.

“It feels awesome,” Gillman said. “Coming into this week that’s all you wanted. It feels great to accomplish that.

Gillman is coming off an 11-stroke victory last week in the Junior PGA Championship.

“It helped me a lot about all the momentum and just the confidence I had in my game,” Gillman said.

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., is trying to become the third Canadian winner in tournament history, following Marlene Stewart in 1956 and Cathy Sherk in 1978.

“It’s amazing. I’m really excited to play tomorrow,” Henderson said. “As I said earlier, I still have a lot of work to do. It’s exciting to be in the final. Best finish previous to this week was round of 32, so it’s great to have a chance to win and contend for the title.

“Definitely going to play my game, be smart about decisions. Match play is really different from stroke play. You’ve got to be really careful and smart.”

Henderson overcame an early two-hole deficit. She took the lead with a birdie win on the par-4 14th and matched O’Sullivan with pars on the final four holes.

“She was playing really well,” Henderson said. “She’s a great player and she has a great future ahead of her. It was a lot of fun out there. I made a couple mistakes early that got me 2 down, but I was able to fight back, and that’s really key to learn how to do that.”

Michelle Wie announced today that she will miss three to five weeks of competitive golf due to a stress reaction in a bone of the index finger on her right hand. After withdrawing from this week’s Meijer LPGA Classic, Wie was examined by hand surgeon Dr. Tom Graham at the Cleveland Clinic, who made the diagnosis and will consult with Michelle on her return to golf this year.

“I was looking forward to playing the next three weeks,” said Wie, who will now miss the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at London Hunt and Country Club. “It’s honestly one of my favorite stretches on tour. It’s extremely disappointing to miss these events, but I am relieved to have a proper diagnosis.”

“Michelle has developed an ‘acute-on-chronic’ injury influenced by the volume in which she practices and plays,” said Dr. Graham. “Michelle is very aware of her body and was keen to pick up on this injury before it may have created a more severe problem.”

“Seven years ago, I would have tried to play through this injury and it is important to me not to make that mistake again,” Wie added. “I feel more comfortable now listening to my body and, while it’s hard to miss this stretch of events, I know I will be better suited to continue a great year and finish strong.”

Graham described that injuries of this severity typically requires about three to five weeks of limited practice and play before returning to competition. He also treated Wie several years ago when she broke her wrist.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – At No. 7, Tiger Woods bent over so gingerly to pick up his tee that you wondered whether he’d get back up.

At No. 8, he leaned so heavily on his putter while retrieving a ball from the cup that the shaft bowed like a guitar string.

By then he was 3-over par for the day, a half-dozen strokes on the wrong side of the cut line with a still-sore back and one foot already out the door. Sympathy for Woods might be in short supply, but it was still sad to watch.

Sadder still, we might look back someday and remember what happened at this PGA Championship as his Willie Mays moment.

Like Woods, Mays was the greatest player of his era. But Mays was already 41 and a shell of what he used to be by the time he returned to New York to play his final two seasons for the Mets. In Game 2 of the 1973 World Series, he stumbled and fell trying to run down a ball in the outfield and said not long after, “growing old is a helpless hurt.” He batted in Game 3 and never appeared in a major league contest again.

Woods may not be done winning majors, but he’s close. He’s 38 and the physical breakdowns are gradually piling up closer together, like some slow-motion car crash. The days when he was better than everyone with every club in the bag are a fast-fading memory. He drives the ball erratically and can’t make short putts when they matter most.

Woods said Friday after shooting a second consecutive 74 that his back nearly went out on him while practicing on the range. If nothing else, his performance on the golf course afterward made that easy to believe. He made only one birdie in the first round – holing out from 100 feet with a wedge – and didn’t make his first conventional birdie until he rolled in a 12-footer on No. 15 in round two. About the only time he looked out from under the bill of his cap and up at the gallery was to acknowledge a warm ovation for his third and final birdie at No. 18.

Afterward, Woods said most of the same things he’s been saying a lot the last few years. He needs to get stronger. He needs to fix some technical flaws. His game is close to coming back together. The only revealing thing Woods said was when someone asked whether he felt old.

“I felt old a long time ago,” he replied, smiling. “It’s darn near 20 years out here.”

Golf desperately needs Woods, but now the converse is true, too. That much was clear when he rushed back to play in this tournament just a few days after he withdrew from last week’s barely able to bend over far enough to tie shoes.

Speculation ran the gamut earlier this week on what Woods genuinely hoped to accomplish: win the tournament, impress U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson enough to make the team as a wild-card pick, get enough face time to add another sponsor to his dwindling stable – take your pick. No matter what his real motivation was, he’s leaving town empty-handed yet again. He hasn’t contended on the final nine of a major since that November day in 2009 when his SUV careened out of control down the driveway of his Florida mansion.

Woods’ critics were out in force long before then. Some portion of the audience found him too arrogant right from the start, and even after he ascended to the top of the game and tournament after tournament put on the best show in sports. Another big chunk peeled off after the scandal. Every time he’s humbled – and despite a combined eight tour wins in 2012-13, there have been no shortage of those instances – Woods gets carpet-bombed on social media and barroom conversations.

Where he goes from here is anyone’s guess. Woods said he has no idea what his schedule the rest of the year looks like. Asked what he’d tell Watson if he calls about the Ryder Cup, Woods was glib.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “He hasn’t called.”

At this point, Watson shouldn’t bother. The soon-to-be-65-year-old captain didn’t make the cut, either, but he still beat Woods here, and at last month’s British Open to boot.

Woods wasn’t waiting around in any case. Not long after his round was done, he threw his golf shoes, along with the rest of his gear in the back of a car, and slipped into a pair of sneakers – this time without even bothering to tie the laces.