Having proven his ability to hold his own against the world’s top amateur golfers, Listowel, Ont.’s Corey Conners has his sights set on doing the same against the world’s top pros in the near future.

With five collegiate tournament victories to his credit, along with a semi-final appearance at the 2013 U.S. Men’s Amateur, the 22-year-old has some respected golf insiders believing he has all the tools to make that successful transition to the next level.

One of them is Canadian men’s national team head coach, Derek Ingram.

“He’s does all the right things and he’s just been super steady out there,” said Ingram. “He’s got a fantastic combination of length and accuracy off the tee; along with a fantastic putter.

“Corey’s improved in small incremental amounts in every area of his game over the years and if he continues to put in the work, I just think he’s just going to have a tremendous career as a professional golfer,” Ingram added.

Besides praise from Ingram, the recent Kent State graduate is also spoken about highly by his former head coach at the university, Herb Page.

Having won the 2013 and 2014 Gopher Invitational, the 2014 General Hackler Championship, the 2014 Mid-American Conference Golf Championship and the 2014 Jones Cup, combined with a semi-finals appearance at the 2013 U.S. Men’s Amateur, Page says Conners has been nothing short of a superstar on the Kent State team.

He also points to Conners’ steady progression and hard work as an indication of a bright future ahead for the amateur standout.

“He came in to Kent State as a really good junior player from Ontario and he’s leaving as one of the top amateurs in the world,” said the long time Kent State head coach. “And I see no reason why he shouldn’t continue to make that progression.

“Corey’s a very bright young man off and on the golf course and very determined; he’s got all the skills and all the tools to reach his goals on the golf course.” Page added about the talented young Canadian who stands at six feet even.

For his part, Conners says both programs have played a vital role in his maturity and development as a golfer.

“Being part of Team Canada and the Kent State golfing program has obviously been instrumental to helping me to become a better player,” he acknowledged.

“At Kent State, we had a great team there and it was great to play in a lot of competitive collegiate tournaments,” noted Conners.

“It was an awesome experience. I learned a lot about how to manage things on and off the course; and definitely grew as a person,” he added about his four years at Kent State which saw him graduate with a major in actuary math.

The 22-year-old was also quick to recognize the important benefits of his four years spent as a member of the Canadian national team program.

“Being on Team Canada is a big honour; the resources that we have available to us are second to none,” he pointed out. “Derek (Ingram) and all the staff are really great in helping us to get a good plan together and being properly prepared before we compete.”

Grateful for the strong support and encouragement from Kent State and Golf Canada, Conners has plans to make the complete transition from amateur to pro after the World Amateur Golf Championships in September.

Conners had the chance to taste what life would be like as a member of the PGA Tour when he competed at the RBC Canadian Open in Montreal. It was an experience that left the talented young golfer hungry for more.

“It’s definitely fun playing in front of the big crowds; definitely a motivating and exciting experience for me,” he noted.

“I was disappointed that I didn’t play a little better,” admitted Conners, who posted a five over par in the first two rounds and failed to make the cut. “But still this was an awesome experience for me.”

Despite the disappointment of missing the cut, the amateur standout says the entire experience from competing against the world’s best at the Royal Montreal Golf Club has given him extra clarity on where he envisions himself within the next few years.

“Competing at this stage made me realize that this is definitely where I want to be,” said Conners. “So I’m going to keep working hard and try to earn a place out here on the PGA tour.”

Woodstock, Ont. – Team Canada’s Augusta James ran away with the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship on Friday winning by six strokes after a final round 2-under 69 at Craigowan Golf and Country Club.

James showed that she was in command early, firing a 3-under 32 to open up her final round. Her front-nine came on the heels of Thursday’s record-setting performance where she carded the lowest round in the championship’s 101-year-old history with an 8-under 63. 

“There’s no better way to describe it then I’m pumped,” said James. “It’s such an honour to be part of a strong tradition, so many fantastic women before me have won this tournament so I’m proud to have my name up with them.”

Over the 72-hole championship the N.C. State Wolfpack senior carded 19 birdies and only five bogeys to finish at 14-under 270. The victory also earned her exemptions into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

“Tristan [Team Canada’s Women’s Head Coach] and I were talking about how I’ve put in a lot of work and it’s tough because you want to force it to happen but you have let it happen,” James continued. “This week obviously I was able to do that and I’m proud of myself and happy that I was able to.”

The win marks the largest of the 21-year-old’s career and was extra special for James as her family and teammates from Team Canada and N.C. State University were behind the 18th green to celebrate when she finished. 

“We do play an individual sport, we all have different tee time things like that but we are through and through a team and we want the best for each other,” James said. “Brooke [Henderson] and I roomed together this week and there was never any type of issues, we had a great night last night and a great night all week, to have that support from my N.C. State team and Golf Canada was fantastic.”

Australia’s Su-Hyun Oh finished in solo second at 8-under par after a final round 2-under 69. Oh narrowly edged out Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. who carded a 1-under 70 on Friday to finish in third. Kendall Martindale of Jefferson City, Tenn. claimed solo fourth at 5-under 279, while Lauren Diaz-Yi of California shared fifth place at 4-under par alongside China’s Jing Yan.  

In the Mid-Amateur division (25+), Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C. repeated as the champion for the fourth consecutive year. Proteau carded a final round 7-over 78 to finish seven strokes ahead of Helene Chartrand of Pincourt, Que. at 14-over 298. 

“It feels great, I didn’t play well today but I finished with a birdie on 18 which was nice but looking at the four days total I played really solid,” Proteau said. “I feel really proud of that achievement, you do have to play well to win that part of the tournament and it was nice to get it done today.” 

Chartrand captured the Mid-Master division (40+) by 11 strokes over Marion Reid of Etobicoke, Ont. finishing at 21-over for the championship.

Post-round results and a full-field list are available here.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The United States shuffled its lineup in the second round of the International Crown and got the desired result, beat Spain twice Friday to earn its first points in the eight-country competition.

Lexi Thompson and Cristie Kerr took control on the back nine against Belen Mozo and Beatriz Recari in a 3-and-2 win, and Paula Creamer and Stacy Lewis held on to beat Azahara Munoz and Carlota Ciganda 2 up.

One day earlier, the top-seeded U.S. lost twice to Taiwan and was the only country without a point.

That caused Lewis to say: “Well, I guess we learned that those pairings didn’t work very well.”

Thus, the Americans traded partners Friday – and the new teams proved to be far more productive.

The Kerr-Thompson pairing won holes 10-12 to go 3 up, and Creamer-Lewis took the lead for good by winning No. 7 before adding to their advantage on Nos. 9 and 11.

Munoz and Ciganda got to 1 down heading to 18 before both landed shots in a bunker, and they ended up conceding the hole.

Thailand leads Pool A with five points, followed by Taiwan and the U.S. with four points apiece and Spain with three.

Japan stands atop Pool B with six points. South Korea has four points and Sweden and Australia each have three.

On Saturday in the final day of better-ball play, the United States will face Thailand, and Spain will play Taiwan. In Pool B, Sweden will face Australia, and South Korea will play Japan.

The top two teams in each pool, along with the winner of a playoff between the third-place teams, will compete in singles matches Sunday for the inaugural International Crown title.

Thailand moved atop Pool A with a pair of wins over Taiwan, which wasn’t able to sustain the momentum it generated with twin wins over the U.S. one day earlier.

Moriya Jutanugarn and younger sister Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand teamed to beat Candie Kung and Teresa Lu 3 and 2. The Jutanugarns took the lead with birdies on the par-4 first and did not lose a hole all day.

Thailand’s other tandem, Pornanong Phatlum and Onnarin Sattayabanphot, beat Yani Tseng and Teresa Lu 1 up with a birdie on the 18th hole.

Next up for Thailand: The Americans.

“We’re probably going to try to keep the same confidence like today, and then just go have fun,” Sattayabanphot said. “Let’s see how it goes.”

In Pool B, Japan’s Ai Miyazato and Sakura Yokomine rallied from six holes down with seven to play to halve with Katherine Kirk and Lindsey Wright of Australia. The comeback ended with Japan capturing the final three holes.

“It feels amazing right now,” Miyazato said. “Until 12 holes, I and Sakura just felt like today was Australia’s day. We tried to accept the results, and said that every extra hole is just a bonus.”

Kirk said, “It hurts, obviously, but we can’t change what happened. But we can certainly learn from it and certainly go out there (Saturday) and try to make amends.”

The tide turned after the Australians were put on the clock on the 12th hole.

“We lost our timing and that was pretty much it,” Wright said. “It was just awful.”

Japan’s other duo, Mamiko Higa and Mika Miyazato, beat 18-year-old amateur Minjee Lee and 40-year-old Karrie Webb 3 and 2.

In another matchup, Sweden split with South Korea. Caroline Hedwall and Anna Nordqvist beat South Korea’s Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu 1 up, and Na Yeon Choi teamed with I.K. Kim to edge Pernilla Linberg and Mikaela Parmlid 1 up.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – The Royal & Ancient Golf Club will hold a postal vote on whether to admit women members for the first time.

The club announced Friday that it would allow members to vote by post rather than limiting the vote to members attending in person.

The club says “by taking this decision all members can take part in this historic vote.”

Club rules previously required members to be present to vote. R&A secretary Peter Dawson said last week at the British Open that “it’s clear that the majority of R&A members feel that postal voting would be appropriate in this case.”

The result will be announced on Sept. 18.

The 260-year-old club has about 2,400 members around the world.

BRIDGEND, Wales  — Bernhard Langer has a seven-stroke cushion to take into the third round of the Senior British Open after shooting a 5-under 66 Friday to add to his opening 65.

The German is on 11-under 131 overall at a sunny Royal Porthcawl with Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie and South African-based Englishman Chris Williams tied for second on 4-under 138.

Montgomerie shot 66 while Williams added a 70 to his opening 68.

Spaniard Pedro Linhart (69) was a further shot back in fourth, while Americans Bob Tway (73) and Tom Watson (66) shared fifth on 2-under 140.

Watson had a faultless round of 66 with three birdies, an eagle at the 18th and no dropped shots.

Langer was beaten in a playoff by Mark Wiebe of the United States in last year’s championship at Royal Birkdale after blowing a two-stroke lead on the final hole when he failed to get out of a greenside bunker.

“It still hurts when I think about it,” Langer said. “If you put me in that situation a hundred times, I think I would win 98 or 99.”

Langer started with a bogey five at the opening hole when he pulled a 4-iron into a bad lie, hit his second over the green and didn’t get up and down.

He recovered with three straight birdies from the fourth, hitting a sand-wedge to six feet, a 3-iron to seven feet and chipped his third to three feet on the par-five sixth and sank it.

Two more birdies came at Nos. 11 and 12, he saved his par at the 14th with a 15-foot putt, then hit a drive and a 5-iron to 10 feet at the 18th and just missed his eagle attempt.

“I played very aggressive and smart today,” said Langer, who was champion at Carnoustie in 2010. “I missed a couple of opportunities early on but I’m very pleased overall. Playing good golf on a great course is a lot of fun. But you have to be very careful, very smart and hopefully execute properly.”

Montgomerie hit back from dropping strokes at the first two holes to post six birdies in the next seven, including five on the run from the fifth, for 31 on the first nine holes. He then got two more on the way and just one dropped shot.

Despite the impressive round, he wasn’t hopeful.

“I’ve got a massive mountain to climb to catch Bernhard,” admitted Montgomerie.

Tway, only two behind Langer overnight, got to 5 under with a birdie at the sixth, but then slipped to level par before closing with two birdies.

Fred Couples had to settle for a par 71, while Tom Pernice Jr. came back from an opening 78 to bag eight birdies and drop just one shot for 64 and the best round of the tournament so far.

Wiebe, playing with Langer, made an early exit after shooting 77 for an 11-over 153 – some 22 strokes worse than the man he beat last year.

MONTREAL – It was almost as if Jim Furyk, Graham DeLaet and Matt Kuchar were a team when they went on a birdie spree in the second round of the US$5.7 million RBC Canadian Open on Friday.

The threesome were all smiles after they combined for 22 birdies (and only three bogeys), while Furyk and DeLaet tied the course record with 63s in near-perfect scoring conditions at Royal Montreal’s usually daunting Blue course.

Furyk, who birdied four straight holes early in his round, emerged with a share of the tournament lead at 10-under 130 with veteran Tim Petrovic, who shot 66.

Weyburn, Sask., native DeLaet in was in a tie for third at 8-under 132 with Kyle Stanley, who had 67.

“They’re fun to play golf with,” Furyk said of DeLaet and Kuchar. “We chatted a lot out there.

“And then to have everyone play well, you’re seeing birdie putts going in, it’s a lot of fun. And I think you can feed off that a little bit. Those guys are making birdies, you feel like putts are going in, it’s a good vibe.”

In a way they are a team. They are among the 10 PGA Tour players sponsored by RBC that includes Graeme McDowell, who had five birdies of his own for a 65 to sit at 7-under 133 along with Justin Hicks (67), Scott Brown (66) and Andrew Svoboda (66).

Kuchar’s 65 put him in a group at 6-under 134 that included first-round co-leader Michael Putnam, who shot 70.

Forty-four-year-old Furyk had extra motivation. He won the event back-to-back in 2006 and 2007. One more win would put him in a tie for the second-most Canadian Open titles with Tommy Armour, Sam Snead and Lee Trevino. Leo Diegel won four in the 1920s.

“Winning any event is special,” said Furyk, who has 14 career victories. “I’ve had a lot of success (in Canada) and really a lot of support here.

“But we’re only at the halfway point.”

Furyk came into the tournament off a sizzling 65 at Royal Liverpool on Sunday that got him fourth place in the British Open. He hopped on a charter after that round to get to the RBC Canadian Open in time to readjust to the Eastern time zone and get reacquainted with the course, which he played while on the U.S. team that defeated the Internationals at the 2007 Presidents Cup.

With the fairways and greens softened by heavy rain on Wednesday, Royal Montreal was ready to be taken.

“The golf course is soft and receptive, and they have it set up where we can attack and fire at pins, so scores are going to be good,” he said. “It would be a totally different scenario if these greens were firm.”

DeLaet isn’t short of motivation either. Canada’s top-ranked player at No. 31 in FedEx Cup standings is seeking his first PGA Tour win and would like nothing more than to become the first home grown player to win the Canadian Open since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

He started the second round at 1-under, then posted five birdies on the first eight holes and nine on the day to go with a pair of bogeys.

“I felt I was in control of my game all day, with a couple of little hiccups,” the 32-year-old said. “I mean, all three of us played great.

“I never saw so many putts rolling in. It was a lot of fun. We were feeding off each other. When you see putts rolling in from everywhere like it was in our group, you just feel like putting’s easy or something and you just start holing them.”

Tying the course record was a particular thrill for the Canadian. It was set in the second round the last time the Canadian Open was played at Royal Montreal in 2001 by David Morland IV and Scott Verplank, the tournament winner.

“To share a course record here is pretty special and to have two guys in one group do it is pretty amazing,” said DeLaet.

Petrovic has been a surprise. The 47-year-old was on a family vacation when he got the call on Tuesday that he was in the RBC Canadian Open as the seventh alternate when another player withdrew. He arrived the next day and barely had time to look at the course.

Then he opened with a six-under 64 and followed with a 66 to take a share of the lead.

I have been hitting the ball really well for about the last three weeks,“ said Petrovic, who missed the cut at his last five tournaments. ”I’ve seen signs of some good rounds coming.

“Am I surprised? Maybe a little.”

It was a rough day for amateur Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hills, Ont., who stole the show in Thursday’s opening round with a 65. The 23-year-old Team Canada member gave back all his strokes by shooting five over par.

“It was a disappointing round,” said Pendrith, who had a double bogey, four bogeys and only one birdie. “To play well yesterday and come out and not play my best, I didn’t hit many greens – only six – and didn’t give myself too many chances for birdies.

“My short game was pretty good – I had a few nice saves – so I can’t be too disappointed about that. The ball striking was off today.”

Jackie Little of Port Alberni, B.C. won her second consecutive Alberta Senior Ladies Championship, facing winds up to 60km/h in the final round.

“Conditions were challenging, and that makes you focus in a little bit harder,” said Little, following her final round 75 which gave the BC Public Player her second consecutive Alberta Senior Ladies Championship title.

Following her victory, Little explained that although winning is important, even more so is the camaraderie she shares with her competitors.

“Everyone is trying to compete and win, but championship is secondary; it is more about seeing everyone and enjoying the company of the ladies,” said the two-time Canadian Women’s Senior Champion.

Growing up in Edmonton and playing at the Glendale Golf Course, Little has a long history of playing golf in Alberta.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

MOSCOW — David Horsey shot a 4-under 68 Friday for a two-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the Russian Open.

The 29-year-old Englishman dropped two shots in his first four holes of the second round but then birdied four of the last six for an overall 11-under 133.

Double European Tour winner Horsey is just one of three players in the world’s top 200 competing at the Tseleevo Golf and Polo Club course near Moscow.

Belgium rookie Thomas Pieters is second on 9 under after also shooting 68.

Scotland’s Peter Whiteford, looking for his first Tour success in his 181st tournament, shot a 1-under 71 and is third at 7 under.

Horsey last won in 2011 at the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco but made major changes to his swing at the start of the year.

“Dropping a couple of shots early on as I did is always disappointing … I just needed to stay patient and keep giving myself birdie putts,” Horsey said.

The 22-year-old Pieters turned professional 13 months ago but has only managed to make the halfway cut in five events this year with his best finish being second in May’s Spanish Open.

Whiteford went close to a maiden Tour win last year, losing a playoff for the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea.

Now the 33-year old Scot has put himself into contention again for a breakthrough success on the European Tour.

“My start today was shocking as my first tee shot went straight into the rubbish, and I was four over par after five holes,” he said. “But it was a good fightback.”

Since 1938, the Canadian Junior Boys Championship has stood as a proving ground for young male golfers under the age of eighteen. This tournament has seen the likes of Web.com Tour player Nick Taylor, Champions Tour player Jim Rutledge, and various Canadian Golf Hall of Famers including George Knudson, Gary Cowan, and more.

Previously hosted at Timberwolf Golf Club in Sudbury, Ont. (2013), and Osprey Ridge Golf Club in Bridgewater, N.S. (2012), this year’s national championship will be played at The Niagara Parks Commission’s (NPC) Legends on the Niagara Golf Complex Battlefield Course, located in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Doug Carrick was responsible for the design of Legends’ Battlefield Course, which is situated next to the historic site of the War of 1812’s Battle of Chippawa. It includes four signature holes, all wrapped around a beautiful 7 hectares (19 acre) man-made lake. The centrepiece of the facility, which links everything together, is a spectacular clubhouse designed by Canadian Architect Peter Berton. This building truly captures the spirit of the Niagara area and it embodies NPC’s vision of a world-class golfing venue that exists in concert with Niagara’s natural and historic setting.

In July of 2004, the Battlefield Course played host to the best women golfers in the world when the Canadian Women’s Open was held at Legends. The course continues to host prestigious golf championships, including the Canadian Women’s Tour Ontario stop in both 2012 and 2014. The Canadian Junior Boys Championship will run from July 29 – August 1, 2014, with a practice round being staged on July 28.

“Niagara Parks believes that hosting national championships of this caliber demonstrates our efforts to help grow the game of golf across the country,” stated Janice Thomson, Chair of The Niagara Parks Commission. “We look forward to hosting this prestigious tournament and to working with Golf Canada to ensure our competitors and their families have the most memorable of experiences when they visit Niagara and Niagara Parks.

According to NPC’s Head Golf Professional, Curtis Labelle, “Legends on the Niagara Golf Complex offers a championship-caliber facility with all of the amenities required to host a national championship. On the Battlefield Course the greens are elevated, undulating and have subtle breaks. This combined with the length of the golf course, well-guarded bunkers and water hazards will provide the challenge our championship competitors are looking for.”

For more information about the Canadian Junior Boys championship, including: starting times, post-round results, and full tournament details, click here.

MONTREAL – Canadian amateur golfers came close to making a splash at the RBC Canadian Open on Friday.

Ultimately, of the five Canadian amateurs competing in the second round, only 23-year-old Taylor Pendrith made the cut.

Despite shooting a 5-over 75 in the second round to erase the stellar 5-under 65 he shot on Thursday, Pendrith squeaked into the next round at even par, 10 strokes behind leaders Jim Furyk and Tim Petrovic.

“It was a disappointing round today,” said Pendrith, who finished one stroke off the lead after the first round of play. “To play well yesterday and come out and not play my best (today) … I didn’t hit many greens and didn’t give myself too many chances for birdies. That’s the main thing. My ball striking was off today.”

Meanwhile, amateur Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., narrowly missed the opportunity to golf throughout the weekend.

The 20-year-old had a birdie on 16, and another on 18, to finish at 1-over 171 after two days, missing the cut by one stroke.

“I’m a little rattled right now,” said Svensson. “I’m pretty disappointed. I know I can make the cut easily if I play well. My putting wasn’t there this week. It happens. My game can beat a lot of pros, and I can definitely make the cut at the Canadian Open.

“It’s always good experience. But I don’t need experience anymore, I just need to go out there and play my game.”

Corey Conners and Kevin Carrigan finished 5-over after 36 holes, while Chris Hemmerich, after a tough first round on Thursday, finished 8-over 148 overall.

Pendrith, at No. 18 in the World Amateur Golf rankings, is Canada’s top male amateur. A recent graduate from Kent State University in Ohio, Pendrith is a hard-hitting golfer who could make the move from amateur to professional as early as this fall.

Since 1984, only six amateur Canadian golfers had made the cut at the Canadian Open: Chris Baryla in 2003; Richard Scott and Victor Ciesielski in 2006; Nick Taylor in 2008; and Albin Choi in 2012.

“It’s a great experience,” said Pendrith of his first tournament playing versus the pros. “I’m having a great time out here. To get a round of 65 in my first PGA Tour is pretty awesome. The whole atmosphere was amazing. I’m hoping to be back here in a couple of years.”

Making the cut alongside Pendrith were five other Canadians – David Hearn (3-under 137), Adam Hadwin (1-under 139), Brad Fritsch (even par), veteran Mike Weir (even par), and Graham DeLaet (8-under 132).

On the heels of an impressive first-round performance in which he sunk five birdies, Hearn finished the day at even-par thanks, in part, to an eight-foot putt for birdie on the eighth hole.

“If you look at the card, that’s kind of the way I played,” said Hearn, who finished 32nd in last week’s British Open. “I made some good saves when I needed to, and I just never really got the ball quite as close as I did yesterday. But I hit the ball great from tee to green. If I can continue to do that for the rest of the week, I know I’m going to play well.”

Hadwin sunk three birdies on Friday to finish at 1-under 69 on the day, while Fritsch’s birdie on 18 gave him a 2-under 68, good for even par after two rounds.

Weir, the 2003 Masters champion, came close to bettering his score from the green on several occasions. The crowd favourite two-putted for par on the par-4 fourth hole, and again on the par-5 sixth hole, narrowly missed the cup with his first putt both times.

“They call it a game of inches, right?” said Weir, who is playing in his 24th Canadian Open. “There were a lot of things that, if they fall the other way, it could have been a good score. It just didn’t happen today. A lot of really good putts with nice speed on the correct side of the hole looked like they were going to go in, but for whatever reason they just didn’t.

“I had great crowd support out there and I was hoping to just make a few birdies and get some momentum going and get some roars going, but it just didn’t happen today.”

Four-time PGA Tour-winner Stephen Ames of Calgary finished at the bottom of the pack, shooting 10-over 150 for the tournament’s fourth-worst result.

Going into the weekend, Canadian hopes now rest on Graham DeLaet, who moved into third at 8-under after two rounds. DeLaet, ranked 38th in the world, tied the Royal Montreal course record on Friday after sinking nine birdies for 7-under 63. He also became the first Canadian since Weir in 2004 to finish in the top-3 after 36 holes.

Canadians Robbie Greenwell (2-over 142), Eugene Wong (2-over 142), Dave Levesque (3-over 173), Benjamin Silverman (4-over 144), Michael Gligic (4-over 144), Beon Yeong Lee (5-over 145), Bill Walsh (7-over 147) and Kevin Stinson (13-over 153) did not make the cut.