AKRON, Ohio – The PGA Tour is refuting a report that Dustin Johnson has been suspended.

Johnson said in a statement Thursday he was taking a leave of absence to seek professional help for “personal challenges” that brought an end to his season. Johnson will miss the PGA Championship, the FedEx Cup playoffs and the Ryder Cup.

Golf.com reported Friday that the tour had suspended Johnson for six months for using cocaine and failing a drug test. The website cited a source it did not identify.

The PGA Tour has a policy of not commenting on disciplinary actions. But it issued a statement Friday afternoon to clarify that Johnson has taken a leave of absence “and is not under a suspension from the PGA Tour.”

Niagara Falls, Ont. – After 72 holes of play that consisted of multiple course records, low scores, and weather delays, 18-year-old Austin James of Bath, Ont. claimed the 2014 Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Legends on the Niagara’s Battlefield Course. 

James gained momentum in Wednesday’s second round, which continued into Thursday due to a weather delay, when he matched the course record with an 8-under-par 64. He continued his strong play in Thursday afternoon’s third round, which was suspended due to darkness when James was 2-under through nine holes.

“I tried not to let [the suspensions] affect anything and just kept playing the way I was playing,” said James after Friday’s awards ceremony. “It was a good test to see if I could do it mentally and I’m happy I did.”

It was evident that James did not let the week’s suspensions faze him. He finished the third round with a score of 4-under-par 68, and began his fourth round just a few hours later. His final round even-par 72 was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole and led James to finish with a score of 15-under-par 273 for the championship. 

James’ victory comes just one week after his older sister, Team Canada member Augusta James, claimed the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. Their simultaneous victories make them the only siblings to have won Canadian national championship titles in the same year.

“I will definitely remember this moment for a while, I’m really blessed to have her as a sister. She’s a really good golfer, so it’s great to try and compare myself to her.” James said.  “Obviously her win last week was incredible, winning by six at such a big event with such strong competition. I really have her to thank for this week, it kind of made me believe that it was possible, and that I could win something like this.”

Following James by four strokes to finish in second was Team Canada Development Squad member Tony Gil, 16, of Vaughan, Ont. Gil’s final combined score of 11-under-par 277 crowned him the Juvenile Boys Champion. He also broke the course record of 8-under-par 64, originally set by Patrick Murphy and matched by James earlier this week, with a 9-under-63 in the third round. Murphy, 17, of Crossfield, Alta. finished in third at 10-under-278 for the championship. 

Final results and a full field list are available here.

BLAINE, Minn. – Monday qualifier Marco Dawson shot a 9-under 63 on Friday to take the lead in the Champions Tour’s 3M Championship, leaving Bernhard Langer a stroke back five days after the German star’s record-breaking victory in the Senior British Open.

Dawson, playing the back nine first at TPC Twin Cities, birdied three of his first four holes and chipped in for eagle on No. 18. After a birdie on the par-5 third hole, he birdied three of his final four holes.

Langer, the two-time 3M champion who won by a tour-record 13 strokes Sunday at Royal Porthcawl, was tied for second with Jeff Maggert, Rocco Mediate and Vijay Singh. Langer holed out from the fairway for an eagle on the par-4 14th and added birdies on Nos. 16 and 18.

Kenny Perry opened with a 65, and Paul Goydos had a 67 in his debut on the 50-and-over tour.

Rob Spittle is the leading Canadian, carding 68 in the opening round. Jim Rutledge scored 72 to tie for 57th heading into the weekend.

Thornhill, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Grace St-Germain carded four consecutive under-par rounds to claim the 2014 Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Thornhill Golf and Country Club. 

The 15-year-old showed poise over the final 18 holes, withstanding Team Canada Development Squad member Valérie Tanguay by firing a final round 1-under 71. The victory is the Ottawa native’s first national championship and comes on the heels of wins at the Quebec Women’s Amateur and Ontario Junior Girls Match-Play.

“It feels great, it’s a great accomplishment and it’s an honour to have my name on that trophy,” St-Germain said following her round.

St-Germain finished the championship as the only player under-par at 6-under 282 to claim both the Junior Girls and Juvenile division titles. Over 72 holes she carded 18 birdies to finish seven strokes ahead of Tanguay after rounds of 70-70-71-71. 

“This morning on the putting green, Reggie [GAO’s coach] just told me to just breathe and smile and you’ll be okay, so I just tried to breathe and smile,” she said about overcoming her final round nerves.

With St-Germain’s win she also earns an exemption into the 2015 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and all three Canadian Women’s Tour stops next season. 

Tanguay of St-Hyacinthe, Que., battled with St-Germain on the opening nine, trading the lead back and forth before stumbling on the closing stretch. The 18-year-old struggled on the back-nine posting a 4-over 40 to finish in solo second at 1-over 289 after a final round 5-over 77.

Thornhill’s Selena Costabile claimed solo third after a 3-over 75 to finish the championship at 3-over 291. Costabile also finished in second place in the Juvenile division, while Development Squad member Naomi Ko of Victoria carded a 2-under 70 to finish in fourth overall at 4-over 292.

Courtney Tolton of Mitchell, Ont. rounded out the top-5 after a final round 1-under 71 to finish at 6-over for the championship.

AKRON, Ohio  – Sergio Garcia doesn’t know anything about being in a zone. He had no trouble identifying the best round of his career.

Garcia one-putted the final 11 holes and made birdies on his last seven holes Friday in the Bridgestone Invitational to tie the course record at Firestone with a 9-under 61 and take a three-shot lead into the weekend.

He had a birdie putt on every hole on the back nine, missing only a 15-footer from the fringe at No. 11. Garcia shot 27 on the back nine, a course record.

“Just one of those moments that you love and you enjoy, and you wish there were no end,” he said.

It matched the tournament record held by Tiger Woods, who shot 61 in 2000 and 2013, and Jose Maria Olazabal, who shot his 61 in 1990. Woods went on to win by 11 shots in 2000 and seven shots last year. Olazabal won by 12 in the World Series of Golf.

Garcia still has work to do.

He was at 11-under 129, three shots clear of Justin Rose, who had a 67. British Open champion Rory McIlroy birdied his last two holes for a 64 and joined Marc Leishman of Australia (67) four shots out of the lead.

McIlroy played in the group behind Garcia, and could hear what was going on if he couldn’t see it.

“Every time I looked, he was putting a ball in the hole and the crowd was cheering,” McIlroy said. “I knew that he was making a few birdies.”

Garcia was five shots out of the lead when he had to scramble to save pars on back-to-back holes to close out the front nine on what seemed to be an ordinary round. Two good swings on the 10th hole led to a 20-foot birdie putt. He hit 8-iron to 2 feet on No. 12 and 3 feet on No. 13 for the easiest birdies he had all day, and those turned out to be the start of his big run.

The Spaniard finished in style, making birdie putts of 15, 25 and 20 feet on his last three holes.

It reminded Garcia of the Travelers Championships earlier this summer, when Kevin Streelman closed with seven straight birdies to beat Garcia and K.J. Choi by one shot.

“When I made the one on 17 I thought, `This kind of looks familiar from what happened not too long ago,'” Garcia said. “Obviously, Sunday would be even nicer. But I’ll take what I can get.”

His previous best score was a 62 on three other occasions – as a 19-year-old at the Scottish Open and Byron Nelson Classic in 1999, and at Mount Juliet in 2002 at the American Express Championship.

Woods also shot his 61s at Firestone in the second round. He could have used something remotely close to that to stay in range of Garcia. Instead, Woods hit only four fairways off the tee and couldn’t seem to make anything on the green. It added to a 71, leaving him 10 shots behind.

“I didn’t hit the ball well. I didn’t putt well. I didn’t do anything well,” Woods said. “The only thing I did well was I fought hard. Grinded hard. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a very good day.”

Starting times for the third round were moved up to Saturday morning, with threesomes off both tees, because of a forecast for storms. That figures to only keep Firestone soft, allowing players to attack the pins provided they’re in the short grass.

Rose missed only two greens in posting a 67 as his momentum builds toward the final major of the year next week at the PGA Championship. He wouldn’t mind adding a WGC title this week. Either way, there is a long stretch of big tournaments, and Rose is headed in the right direction. He won back-to-back starts at Congressional and Royal Aberdeen before stalling slightly at the British Open.

“I’m feeling good about peaking at this time of the year,” Rose said. “Every week is big. You could argue a major championship in the middle of it all is the one you’d really love to peak for next week. But at the same time, there’s not a bad golf tournament now for about two months. Looking forward to the whole stretch.”

He didn’t realize when he finished that Rose would have three shots to make up on Garcia starting out the third round.

It didn’t come entirely out of the blue for Garcia. Just two weeks ago, he challenged McIlroy briefly at Royal Liverpool until tying for second in the British Open. But this was something special, and Garcia could sense it.

“It feels great to be able to … equal the course record on a course like this. Even playing soft, it’s not that easy a course,” Garcia said. “You have to drive the ball very, very well. You have to put the ball on the greens on the right spots because you can get some really, really fast putts.

“Being in a group with Tiger and Jose Maria, it feels really good.”

Canada’s Graham DeLaet is tied for 9th after shooting 69 in the second round, only days after claiming low Canadian honours at the 2014 RBC Canadian Open.

RENO, Nev. – Nick Watney made nine birdies Thursday in a bogey-free round in the Barracuda Championship to take a two-point lead in the modified Stableford event.

Watney earned 18 points at Montreux Golf and Country Club. Players receive 8 points for double eagle, 5 for eagle, 2 for birdie, 0 for par, minus-1 for bogey and minus-3 for double bogey or worse.

“I’m very pleased with the way I played today,” said Watney, from Fresno, California. “This is pretty close to home. So it’s nice to see a lot of friends and family. I’m enjoying myself and hope it continues like this.”

Watney is making his first appearance in the event since 2008 after failing to qualify for the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational. He’s 124th in the FedEx Cup standings, with the top 125 getting into The Barclays – the playoff opener that he won in 2012 for the last of his five PGA Tour titles.

“You definitely don’t want to miss tournaments and not qualify for tournaments,” said Watney, who hasn’t had a top-10 finish since finishing second in the 2013 BMW Championship. “So it’s definitely a factor. But if you tee off thinking about that, you probably won’t play as well as you should.”

Geoff Ogilvy and Tim Wilkinson were tied for second.

Ogilvy, the Australian who won the 2006 U.S. Open, had eight birdies in his bogey-free round. Wilkinson, from New Zealand, had nine birdies and two bogeys.

“It was there for the taking,” said Ogilvy, 151st in the FedEx Cup standings. “I birdied the holes I was supposed to.”

Chad Campbell and Scotland’s Martin Laird were fourth at 13 points, and 2009 winner John Rollins was another point back along with Kevin Chappell, John Huh and Wes Roach.

Watney closed his afternoon round with a birdie on the par-5 18th. He also birdied Nos. 2, 4, 8-10 and 13-15.

“It seems to be pretty calm in the mornings around here and then the wind kicks up,” Watney said. “It’s just another factor, combined with the elevation and the uphills and downhills. Definitely gets your attention. We were very happy to get the round in with no rain because if we had to come back tomorrow and play extra holes, this is one of the toughest walks we have. So it’s nice to get it in and definitely sleep well tonight.”

Ogilvy, making his first appearance in the event since 2002, won the last of his seven PGA Tour titles in 2010. He has only two top-25 finishes this season and has missed 11 cuts in 20 events.

“I played well,” said Ogilvy, coming off a 34th-place tie last week in Montreal in the RBC Canadian Open. “Kind of weird. Was a bit 50-50 on actually coming here. Even after last week, I was kind of just frustrated and not making enough birdies really. I thought, `Well, I’m going to come and make 18 pars and not score enough points.'”

Wilkinson, winless on the PGA Tour, is 108th in the FedEx Cup standings. He birdied the final five holes on the back nine.

“I enjoy it out there,” Wilkinson said. “Good scenery.”

Gary Woodland, the winner last year, is playing in the World Golf Championship event in Ohio.

Canada’s Mike Weir has 4 points, while Brad Fritsch has 2.

AKRON, Ohio – Tiger Woods showed signs of a positive recovery Thursday at the Bridgestone Invitational.

Not just from back surgery, but from making bogeys.

Woods bounced back with birdies all three times that he made mistakes, opening with a 2-under 68 on a soft, gentle day for scoring at Firestone. It left him four shots behind Marc Leishman of Australia, and hopeful that this time he can build on a solid start.

Woods opened with a 69 at the British Open two weeks ago, only to plunge down the leaderboard the rest of the week at Royal Liverpool.

“I hit a lot of good shots,” Woods said. “I dropped shots at three holes out there today (and) got it right back on the very next hole.”

For so many players, the opening round of this World Golf Championship felt like either a warmup or an audition for bigger events to follow. Ryan Moore was among three players at 65, a good start for someone looking for one big week to get him on the Ryder Cup team.

Two more Ryder Cup hopefuls – Patrick Reed and Francesco Molinari of Italy – were among those another shot back.

British Open champion Rory McIlroy, who next week will chase his second straight major, was among the leaders until not paying attention to packed sand in a bunker that sent him to a double bogey late in his round. He still wound up with a 69.

Leishman has quietly gone about his work in reasonable form, with top 10s recently at Congressional and Royal Liverpool. He had the perfect formula for Firestone, a big golf course where good scores are available by keeping the ball in play.

“I drove the ball well. It makes this course a lot easier when you’re on the fairway,” Leishman said. “It’s pretty tough when you’re playing from the rough. Then, I hit my irons really well and was rolling the ball awesome. So it’s a pretty good combination for a tough golf course like this, something I can hopefully keep going.”

Charl Schwartzel and Justin Rose joined Moore one shot out of the lead.

Woods said only a mild breeze and soft conditions from overnight rain allowed for scoring, though he noted that no one went terribly low. The 64 by Leishman seemed like a good score, so maybe Woods was basing that on his own experience at a course where he has won eight times.

Woods twice has shot his career-best 61 at Firestone, including last year on his way to a seven-shot victory. That he managed six birdies was a sign that he was making putts, even though two of his birdies were tap-ins.

He still had a few wild moments, starting with a three-putt bogey from 10 feet on the opening hole. He hooked his drive so badly on the par-5 second hole that he worried it might not clear the lake on the adjacent third hole. It was far enough left to leave him a good angle with a 5-wood that he put on the green for a two-putt birdie.

His only big mistake was a shot into the trees on the ninth hole. It took him two shots to get out, and from behind the green he couldn’t get up-and-down and made double bogey. Just like two other bogeys in his round, he answered with a birdie with a shot into 6 feet on No. 10.

“I feel like I made some progress,” Woods said. “As I said, this is only my seventh round back. So it’s just going to take a little time. I’m starting to get in the flow of things. If you look at my iron shots into the holes today, a majority of them were pin-high. So I’m starting to get the feel back in my hands and get my trajectory under control.”

Woods missed three months following back surgery, and the six rounds he has played since returning have not been inspiring, except for that opening round at Hoylake. He needs more rounds like that to remind Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson he would be worth selecting, and to try to extend his season beyond the PGA Championship next week by moving up 90 spots in the FedEx Cup standings to qualify for the playoffs.

Phil Mickelson’s biggest struggle was with his health. He didn’t arrive in Ohio until Wednesday night because of strep throat, and he opened with a 71.

Canada’s own Graham DeLaet got his tournament off to a good start, coming off a top 10 finish at last week’s RBC Canadian Open at Royal Montreal. The Weyburn, Sask. native opened with a 3-under 67 and is tied for 5th heading into Friday.

Brad Faxon and David Fay are returning to the broadcast booth for Fox Sports.

Faxon worked briefly for NBC Sports and most recently for Golf Channel. He will serve as the lead studio analyst and a hole announcer for Fox, which has signed a 12-year deal to broadcast the U.S. Open and other USGA events starting next year. Fox also will broadcast the Shark Shootout in December.

Fay was executive director of the USGA until retiring at the end of 2010, and he was in the booth during U.S. Opens for NBC Sports to serve as the rules expert. That’s the role he will take with Fox.

“Long known for his smooth putting stroke, Brad’s transition to broadcasting has been just as easy,” said Mark Loomis, the coordinating producer for Fox Sports. “He still has great relationships with, and knowledge of, today’s tour players, and that insight will prove invaluable to our telecasts.”

Loomis said adding Fay was a “no-brainer” because of his deep knowledge of the USGA and its championships.

Fay was a driving force behind the USGA’s recent move to play the U.S. Open on public golf courses more often, starting with Bethpage Black in 2002. The U.S. Open next year is at Chambers Bay outside Seattle, another public golf course.

London, Ont. (Golf Canada) –  Michelle Piyapattra of Corona, Calif., Team Canada amateur Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C. and Simin Feng of Windermere, Fla. have all earned exemptions into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at London Hunt and Country Club in London, Ont. August 18-24, based on their play during the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour season.

The 16-year old Henderson, currently the no. 2 ranked amateur golfer in the world, captured the second Canadian Women’s Tour stop of the season in Niagara Falls, Ont. at Legends on the Niagara as well as the PGA of Canada Women’s Championship at Firerock Golf Club in Komoka, Ont. Although previously exempt into the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, Henderson shot rounds of 65-66 (-13) to win the PGA of Canada Women’s Championship by five strokes.

Henderson’s play this season earned her the prestigeious Jocelyne Bourassa Player of the Year award and Amateur of the Year honours as she finished the season atop the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit.

Piyapattra earned her exemption into Canada’s Women’s National Open Championship after winning the Canadian Women’s Tour stop at Morningstar Golf and Country Club in Parksville, B.C., in a playoff.

Samantha Richdale and Simin Feng received the final two exemptions based on the 2014 Order of Merit standings at the end of season. The duo finished tied for fourth at the PGA of Canada Women’s Championship to secure their exemptions from the Order of Merit.

The exemptions were announced at the conclusion of the PGA of Canada Women’s Championship which served as the third and final stop on the Canadian Women’s Tour.

A final listing of the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit can be found here.

Additional exemptions into Canada’s National Women’s Open Champion will be announced in the coming weeks.

The exemption contingent from the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour season will join a world-class field at London Hunt and Country Club that includes a number of confirmed LPGA Tour stars including two-time defending champion and Rolex Rankings no. 2 Lydia Ko, Rolex Rankings no. 1 Stacey Lewis, no. 3 Inbee Park,  no. 5 Lexi Thompson and no. 12 Paula Creamer.

In addition to Ko, past Canadian Women’s Open champions confirmed to compete include Brittany Lincicome (2011), Michelle Wie (2010), Suzann Pettersen (2009), Katherine Hull-Kirk (2008) and Cristie Kerr (2006) who won the event when it was last held at the London Hunt and Country Club.

A field of 156 competitors will vie for the US$2.25 million purse when the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open makes its return to London Hunt and Country Club for the first time since 2006.

Tickets for all tournament days of the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open are still available with children aged 17 and under getting in free all week with a ticketed adult.

As an added incentive, title sponsor CP has stepped up to encourage spectators to buy advance tickets to the event for the benefit of the Children’s Health Foundation in London Ontario. Through the CP Ticket Rally for Heart campaign, for every eligible ticket purchased to the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open until August 17th, 2014, Canadian Pacific will donate at least $100 per ticket to the Children’s Health Foundation in support of paediatric heart health programs.

London, Ont. (Golf Canada) –  Michelle Piyapattra of Corona, Calif., Team Canada amateur Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C. and Simin Feng of Windermere, Fla. have all earned exemptions into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at London Hunt and Country Club in London, Ont. August 18-24, based on their play during the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour season.

The 16-year old Henderson, currently the no. 2 ranked amateur golfer in the world, captured the second Canadian Women’s Tour stop of the season in Niagara Falls, Ont. at Legends on the Niagara as well as the PGA of Canada Women’s Championship at Firerock Golf Club in Komoka, Ont. Although previously exempt into the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, Henderson shot rounds of 65-66 (-13) to win the PGA of Canada Women’s Championship by five strokes.

Henderson’s play this season earned her the prestigeious Jocelyne Bourassa Player of the Year award and Amateur of the Year honours as she finished the season atop the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit.

Piyapattra earned her exemption into Canada’s Women’s National Open Championship after winning the Canadian Women’s Tour stop at Morningstar Golf and Country Club in Parksville, B.C., in a playoff.

Samantha Richdale and Simin Feng received the final two exemptions based on the 2014 Order of Merit standings at the end of season. The duo finished tied for fourth at the PGA of Canada Women’s Championship to secure their exemptions from the Order of Merit.

The exemptions were announced at the conclusion of the PGA of Canada Women’s Championship which served as the third and final stop on the Canadian Women’s Tour.

A final listing of the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit can be found here.

Additional exemptions into Canada’s National Women’s Open Champion will be announced in the coming weeks.

The exemption contingent from the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour season will join a world-class field at London Hunt and Country Club that includes a number of confirmed LPGA Tour stars including two-time defending champion and Rolex Rankings no. 2 Lydia Ko, Rolex Rankings no. 1 Stacey Lewis, no. 3 Inbee Park,  no. 5 Lexi Thompson and no. 12 Paula Creamer.

In addition to Ko, past Canadian Women’s Open champions confirmed to compete include Brittany Lincicome (2011), Michelle Wie (2010), Suzann Pettersen (2009), Katherine Hull-Kirk (2008) and Cristie Kerr (2006) who won the event when it was last held at the London Hunt and Country Club.

A field of 156 competitors will vie for the US$2.25 million purse when the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open makes its return to London Hunt and Country Club for the first time since 2006.

Tickets for all tournament days of the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open are still available with children aged 17 and under getting in free all week with a ticketed adult.

As an added incentive, title sponsor CP has stepped up to encourage spectators to buy advance tickets to the event for the benefit of the Children’s Health Foundation in London Ontario. Through the CP Ticket Rally for Heart campaign, for every eligible ticket purchased to the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open until August 17th, 2014, Canadian Pacific will donate at least $100 per ticket to the Children’s Health Foundation in support of paediatric heart health programs.