HOYLAKE, England — With a thunderous drive down the middle of the fairway, Rory McIlroy began the final round of the British Open with a commanding lead Sunday and a keen sense of history.

McIlroy knew that a victory at Royal Liverpool would give him the third leg in a career Grand Slam. He already won the U.S. Open in 2011 and the PGA Championship in 2012.

“I’ve got a lot to play for,” he said beforehand. “This is a huge day for me.”

Not backing off a bit, he pulled out the driver at No. 1 and rocketed it more than 300 yards, straight as can be. Then, after sticking his approach to 15 feet, he rolled in the birdie putt to take his score to 17 under – just two shots away from matching Tiger Woods’ scoring record for any major in relation to par. Woods won the 2000 Open at St. Andrews with a `19-under total.

The 25-year-old McIlroy began the day with a six-stroke lead. Barring an unprecedented collapse, he would head to Augusta National next spring looking to join Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen as the only players to win all four of golf’s biggest events.

Only Woods and Nicklaus won three of the majors at 25 or younger.

McIlroy posted three straight rounds in the 60s on the way to a 16-under 200. He teed off in the final group with Rickie Fowler, knowing that a victory would also mean a big payday for his dad.

British media reported that Gerry McIlroy and three of his friends placed a combined bet of 400 pounds (now $680) in 2004 on McIlroy winning the British Open before he turned 26.

McIlroy was 15 at the time.

The odds were 500-1, so they would win 200,000 pounds ($340,000) if McIlroy lifted the claret jug.

They had to like their chances. No player had surrendered such a big lead on the final day of the Open.

Fowler was at 206, while Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia were another shot back. The only other players closer than 10 shots to the lead were France’s Victor Dubuisson (208) and Italy’s Edoardo Molinari (209).

Storms rumbled through Hoylake after the third round, which the R&A wisely started early off two tees because of the forecast, but there was plenty of sunshine for the early starters Sunday and a freshening breeze off the Irish Sea.

Sixty-four-year-old Tom Watson, playing what is likely his next-to-last British Open, showed he’s still got plenty of game by shooting a 4-under 68. He finished at 1-over 289 for the tournament.

“It was a good day,” said Watson, a five-time Open champion who will be the U.S. captain for the Ryder Cup this fall. “I played a real solid round of golf.”

No so for Tiger Woods. Playing only his second tournament since back surgery, he had hoped to give Watson a strong reason to be included on that American team. Woods sure didn’t impress at Royal Liverpool, finishing five shots behind the captain.

Woods made another double bogey – his third of the week, to go along with two triple bogeys – and struggled to the finish with a 75. That left him at 294 for the week and a staggering 22 shots behind McIlroy before the leader even teed off.

“I just made too many mistakes,” Woods said, “way too many mistakes.”

Representing Canada, Brampton native David Hearn sits tied for 36th and at par.

BOISE, Idaho – Steve Wheatcroft rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to beat Steven Alker and win the Albertsons Boise Open on Sunday.

The pair battled back and forth at Hillcrest Country Club and were tied at 24 under after regulation play.

Wheatcroft watched as Alker’s 30-foot birdie try stopped a couple feet short of the cup and then stepped up and made his putt.

“This is unbelievable. I’m just speechless,” said the 36-year old from Jacksonville, Florida, who won for the second time in his career. “I’ve been playing so badly this year that I thought I might be done. I lost all belief.”

Wheatcroft rediscovered his game at last week’s Utah championship where he finished tied for 21st after opening with rounds of 65-66.

“There’s something about this place,” said Wheatcroft, runner-up to Luke Guthrie here in 2012.

“It started to sink in a few weeks ago that if I didn’t start playing better I’d have to find something else to do. I knew I had to keep fighting and I had some good tournaments ahead of me. I really thought I was going to win this week.”

Wheatcroft started the final day two shots back of Alker, who broke the tournament’s 54-hole record with a 20-under 195 total.

Rookie Justin Thomas put a charge on late and posted a 65 to reach 22 under, good for third place.

Indiana rookie Chase Wright (66), No. 2 money winner Andrew Putnam (66) and second-round co-leader Zack Sucher (70) finished tied for fourth, five off the pace.

The victory for Wheatcroft vaulted him from No. 89 to No. 11 on the money list and guaranteed him a return trip to the PGA Tour in 2015.

“I’ve had an awful year and now I’ve had two good weeks and now it’s a good year,” Wheatcroft said. “With a baby on the way you worry about where the money is going to come from. That check is going to pay for a lot of diapers.”

Canada’s Nick Taylor was the leading Canadian. He finished tied for 15th at 15-under 269.

Thunder Bay, ONd – Cincinnati, Ohio’s Wes Homan carded a 4-under 68 on Saturday at Whitewater Golf Club to take a two shot lead heading into the final round of the inaugural Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel.

The 30-year old bested playing partner Greg Eason of England, who began the day tied with Homan, by two shots in round three to reach 16-under through 54 holes, five clear of Apopka, Florida’s Jeffrey Corr in third and seven clear of two players in fourth. Homan will take a solo lead for the first time after any round in his four seasons on PGA TOUR Canada.

“I’m excited. You can’t ask for a better position. That’s why I was here today, and we’ll go see what we can do tomorrow,” said Homan, a Southern Methodist University grad.

Homan’s round was highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 7^th, when his approach from the fairway struck the flagstick and set up a short eagle putt. He would go on to convert and jump two shots in front of Eason, where he finished the day.

“I had 255 to the flag. It looked really good in the air and I saw it dink off the flag. Maybe it’ll go in tomorrow,” said Homan of his approach on the 7th. “I hit some really great shots. I made some good birdies and had one bad club choice and bad a bogey, but I feel like I can bounce back pretty well from that. It was nice.”

Homan’s best finish on PGA TOUR Canada is solo second at the 2011 Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist, when he shot a final round 65 to finish two shots behind eventual winner Jose de Jesus Rodriguez of Mexico. Homan, who currently sits 22^nd on the Order of Merit, said he looked forward to the challenge of trying to convert the lead into his first PGA TOUR Canada win.

“It’s just me versus the course,” said Homan. “We’ll see what I can do. Somebody could play great and steal it from me, but as long as I try as hard as I can on every shot that’s all I can do.”

Eason, a 22-year old rookie, said he liked how he managed the pressure of playing in the day’s final pairing and was excited to be in his position despite falling two behind.

“Second place, I’d have taken that before the week started. If I can play some nice golf and hole a few putts, then who knows,” said the University of Central Florida grad, who birdied the 17^th to pull within two of Homan. Eason added that he didn’t plan on worrying about what Homan would do on Sunday, and instead would try to focus on his own performance.

“To be honest, I’m not really going to focus on that. I’m just going to go ahead and play my own game and see where I end up. If it’s good enough it’s good enough, and if it’s not, it’s not,” he said.

Victoria, British Columbia’s Cory Renfrew was low Canadian through three rounds in sixth spot at 8-under following a 5-under 67.

RENFREW LOOKING TO SPRINGBOARD FROM WEB.COM TOUR EXPERIENCE
After a pair of starts on the Web.com Tour over the last two weeks, Cory Renfrew returned to PGA TOUR Canada this week with renewed focus and motivation, having gotten a taste of the next level and knowing he can get back there soon with a solid finish to his summer.

“Knowing I can compete out there gives me confidence, and knowing I can win out here and compete at the top level is big too. That’s my goal for the rest of the season,” said Renfrew, who played the Nova Scotia Open on a sponsor’s exemption and finished in the top 25 to gain entry into the following week’s Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank.

The University of British Columbia grad carded a 5-under 67 on Saturday to move up 19 spots to solo sixth in Thunder Bay, and said his experience at the next level has motivated him to try and finish in The Five and earn Web.com Tour status for next year.

“I was ecstatic to make it for two weeks on the Web.com Tour,” said Renfrew. “I played well in Nova Scotia and had fun. It’s a different kind of ballgame out there and I’m hopefully going to use this as practice for out there for years to come.”

Renfrew, who won the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON in 2012 and finished 15^th on the Order of Merit last year, has made two of three cuts this season and finished a season-best T-34 in Fort McMurray.

SYLVANIA, Ohio – Lee-Anne Pace made a name for herself as an amateur in her native South Africa, then proved herself with eight wins on the Ladies European Tour.

Now she’s ready to make waves in the U.S.

Pace shot a 3-under 68 on Saturday to grab a share of the third-round lead with Laura Diaz in the Marathon Classic. She can barely express what a breakthrough win on the LPGA Tour might bring.

“It’ll mean quite a lot to be able to come out here and play well,” she said after recovering from bogeys at 11th and 12th holes with three late birdies. “It already has made my week. I was so tired in the beginning of the week and now this has happened, so I’m very excited.”

Pace could have foundered after losing the two shots to par. But she came right back to birdie the next two holes and then added another at the par-5 17th to join Diaz at 11-under 202.

The 33-year-old, in her 10th year as a pro, wants to keep it simple in the final round at Highland Meadows.

“I play a very similar type of game every time I go out there: Hit the fairways and try to hit the green and make the putt. And so far it’s been working,” she said. “Hopefully, coming down the stretch it’s going to be enough.”

It was a day of highs and lows for Diaz, the leader since birdieing her first five holes in an opening 62. She led by four and then three strokes after the first two rounds.

Chasing her first win since 2002, she could have regained the outright lead but left a 7-foot birdie putt short on the 18th to finish with a 71.

Up by three shots on the fourth hole on Saturday, the 39-year-old faltered with a double-bogey.

After pull-hooking her drive under a pine tree, she and caddie Pete Smith moved away some twigs and the ball moved. The gallery around her let out a collective gasp. She quickly assessed herself a one-shot penalty and ended up punching back to the fairway, hitting to the green and two-putting for the double.

By the time Diaz got to the tee at No. 9, rookie Jaye Marie Green’s torrid play had pulled her into a tie for the lead. Playing one group ahead, Pace would nail a 20-foot birdie putt from the fringe to join them.

But before Pace’s putt, Diaz hit the shot of the day.

Officials had moved the tees up on the 255-yard, par-4 hole to allow players to go for the green off the tee. Pace and playing partner So Yeon Ryu, the 2012 winner of the Marathon, vacated the putting surface to allow Diaz and Lydia Ko to hit their drives. Diaz’s ball landed 25 yards short of the green and had a bead on the pin before edging past. Diaz later rolled in the 10-foot downhill eagle putt to regain a two-shot lead.

Diaz bogeyed the 12th. The lead remained one shot until Pace hit into the deep rough near the bunker fronting the par-5 17th, dropped a delicate gap wedge to 8 feet and then rolled in the birdie putt to forge the tie.

Diaz consistently left birdie putts short all day.

Asked if a player can ever forget how to win after a long respite, she said, “I can’t say that I knew how to do it then, and I don’t know that I know how to do it now.”

Green applied pressure with a low round early on the cloudy day.

The medalist in last year’s LPGA Tour qualifying school, she turned in 30 and birdied four holes in a row before closing with a par on the par-5 closing hole. The 63 allowed her to climb from a tie for 31st at the start of the day to a share of the lead before Diaz’s eagle.

Green is tied a shot back with Ryu, who birdied the 15th, 16th and 17th holes for a 68.

Another shot back, at 9-under 204, was Ko, who birdied the last two holes in a 70. The group at 205 included Cristie Kerr (68) and last week’s Women’s British Open champion, Mo Martin, who had a 67.

Eighteen players are within four shots of the lead.

Pace sounded thrilled by the all the potential mayhem.

“Yeah, the whole LPGA is chasing,” she said.

Canada’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham slipped down the leaderboard into a tie for 19th at 6-under 207. The Team Canada member carded a 72 on moving day.

Quebec’s Maude Aimee-LeBlanc shot 69 Saturday. She’s sitting at 3-under 210 and is tied for 43rd.

HOYLAKE, England – From the time they faced each other in the Walker Cup, a couple of 18-year-olds with the world at their feet, Rickie Fowler figured he’d go at it again someday with Rory McIlroy in a major championship.

If only it was a fair fight.

Fowler will be playing in the final group of a major for the second straight time, but he faces a daunting six-stroke deficit heading to Sunday at the British Open.

With a brilliant finish to the third round, McIlroy put himself in prime position to capture his third major championship. Fowler only hopes he can put a bit of pressure on the leader.

Fowler and McIlroy were both rising young stars when they played in the 2007 Walker Cup, one of the top amateur competitions.

HOYLAKE, England – If organizers of the British Open needed any vindication of their historic decision to use a two-tee start at Royal Liverpool on Saturday, it came from Rory McIlroy about 30 minutes after his round.

Torrential rain was pounding the roof of the media tent as McIlroy was holding a news conference, discussing his third-round 68 that inched him closer to a first claret jug.

Asked if The R&A made the correct decision to go off two tees and send the whole field out early, the tournament leader looked up and pointed to the skies.

“It was a great decision,” McIlroy said. “They got it right.”

In a move that riled traditionalists, The R&A looked at the forecast of thunderstorms and heavy rain and decided late Friday to make an unprecedented schedule change. Half of the field was to begin on the 10th hole and all 72 remaining players were to set out within two hours of each other.

Sure enough, the heavy rain arrived – 30 minutes after McIlroy rolled in his eagle 3 at No. 18 to secure a six-shot lead with the last action of the day.

Players finishing their third rounds were generally accepting of the two-tee start.

“We’ve never done it before at the Open Championship,” said 2011 champion Darren Clarke, who was disbelieving when he was told over dinner on Friday. “It’s one of the beauties – you get good tee times, you get bad tee times.

“But they had to do it today, and it looks like they’ve made the perfect call.”

There had been only intermittent outbreaks of rain and barely any wind at Hoylake by the time McIlroy wrapped up the third round shortly before 4 p.m. local time (11 a.m. EDT).

McIlroy’s group finished about three hours earlier than usual on a Saturday at the British Open.

There was thunder and flashes of lightning in parts of the northwest of England overnight, and the forecast of more of the same across the area on Saturday led The R&A to act. A two-tee start had never been done in the tournament’s 154-year history.

Spectators arrived with their rain gear and umbrellas. A sign at the back of the ninth green read: “Be prepared, thunderstorm possible.”

In fact, the main gripe among players and fans was that they were not given enough time to prepare. One spectator was heard complaining that the decision was made too late, because it disrupted his travel plans.

“There’s a lot of surprise (among players) that no one could get their tee time until 10:30 last night,” 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose said. “That’s very tough when you’re trying to prepare for the tournament.”

Swedish player Henrik Stenson said he had gone to bed not knowing his tee time.

“My caddie woke up in the middle of the night and checked it,” Stenson said.

The split tee times also meant that the duties of Ivor Robson, the official starter for the British Open since 1975, were halved. Players getting underway on the 10th were introduced to the crowds by European Tour official Mike Stewart.

“I don’t know what to do now,” Robson told the BBC after calling out his last name for the day at 11:01 a.m. local time (6:01 EDT). “The last two days the tee times have been 6:24 (a.m.) till just past 4 (p.m.). I will watch golf I suppose.”

Thunder Bay, Ont. – Cincinnati, Ohio’s Wes Homan and England’s Greg Eason shot a pair of matching 7-under 65s Friday at Whitewater Golf Club to share the 36-hole lead at the inaugural Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel.

The pair stood three shots clear of Joshua Stone in third place through at 12-under par through two rounds, carding identical opening rounds of 67-65.

“It’s been great. I’ve played really well, putted well and had a lot of fun this week,” said Eason, who is without a bogey over his first two rounds in Thunder Bay. “The course suits me, I think. I’ve got a nice game plan for it and I’ve managed to play well.”

Homan, playing in the morning’s first group off the first tee, took advantage of the calm conditions with four consecutive birdies to begin his round, and said that he had been waiting to emerge with a pair of good rounds over the past few weeks.

“I’ve been hitting it where I’ve wanted for a couple of weeks and just waiting for some putts to drop, and finally it’s kind of shaking my way, so we’ll see what we can do,” Homan said, adding that the real fun was about to begin with rounds three and four on the horizon. “Thursday and Friday, you just want to get past them and play the weekend and that’s when the fun starts, so I’m excited.”

Eason, a 22-year old rookie on PGA Tour Canada, said his solid play over the first two rounds was thanks in part to an adjusted attitude and style of play. The University of Central Florida grad, who has made every cut this year and has one top-10 finish, admitted he has been putting pressure on himself to perform in his first season as a pro and took a more relaxed approach this week.

“I’ve been surprised how many good players there are out here. I can’t believe how many good players there are and what sort of score it takes to win an event,” said Eason. “I’ve been kind of taken aback by that. It’s been very penal with how punishing you can be on yourself for scores that really aren’t that bad.”

The native of Leicester, England said he realized after a handful of events that he would be better off playing his own game than worrying about other players shooting low scores around him, part of the maturation process in his first season as a pro.

“I’ve been trying to play a little smarter this week than I’ve been the last few rounds and it’s paying off,” said Eason, who was named an All-American in his final season at UCF this spring. “I’m just trying not to think about what score is going to win and just get the best score I can.”

“I’ve been trying to force it, looking at some of the scores. I mean, 24-under won [at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel] a few weeks back,” said Eason. “You don’t get that without being aggressive, so I was trying to be aggressive, but this week I kind of took a step back and looked at fairways and greens and it’s been paying off.”

One shot behind Stone in a tie for fourth were Seattle, Washington’s Blake Snyder and Order of Merit No. 2 Tim Madigan of Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

Los Angeles’ Bryan Bergna recorded the second double eagle of the 2014 season on Friday, holing a 6-iron from 210 yards on the par-5 third hole at Whitewater Golf Club. The albatross was part of a 4-under 68 that moved Bergna up 49 spots into a tie for 22nd.

“It looked good the whole way. When it disappeared, it was amazing. It landed towards the front and released out. It was crazy,” Bergna said. “I thought it was funny because I’ve never had a hole-in-one and I get a double eagle before I’ve ever had one. I was 4-under through 3 holes, so it was a good start.”

Surrey, B.C.’s Devin Carrey also recorded a hole-in-one with a 5-iron from 204 yards at the 15^th.

Montreal – Golf Canada and RBC announced today the final field of competitors set to challenge for the $5.7 million (USD) RBC Canadian Open, July 21-27 at The Royal Montreal Golf Club.

Defending champion Brandt Snedeker will be challenged by a world class field of PGA Tour stars that includes World No. 5 Matt Kuchar, World No. 16 Dustin Johnson, World No. 17 Graeme McDowell, World No. 18 and two-time Canadian Open champion Jim Furyk, World No. 20 Luke Donald, World No. 26 Charl Schwartzel, World No. 46 Hunter Mahan and World No. 58 Ernie Els.

The field of players will also include eleven past champions who will challenge for Canada’s National Open title including Snedeker, Scott Piercy (2012), Sean O’Hair (2011), Carl Pettersson (2010), Nathan Green (2009), Jim Furyk (2006 & 2007), Mark Calcavecchia (2005), Vijay Singh (2004), John Rollins (2002), Billy Andrade (1998) and Dudley Hart (1996).

In all, 156 players will compete for the $5.7 million USD purse next week in Montreal when Canada’s National Open Championship returns to The Royal Montreal Golf Club for the 10th time.

The RBC Canadian Open will once again feature a strong international contingent as 16 countries will be represented including the United States, Scotland, Argentina, Brazil, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Korea, Venezuela, South Africa, Fiji, Sweden, Australia, England, Colombia and Canada.

Leading the charge for the Canadian contingent are PGA Tour players Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont., Stephen Ames of Calgary and Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont.

Other Canadians set to compete include the Web.com Tour’s Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. who won the 2014 Web.com Tour’s Chile Classic as well as fellow Web.com Tour player Nick Taylor of Abbottsford, B.C. who was offered an exemption.

In addition, recently crowned 2014 PGA Championship of Canada winner Dave Levesque of Montreal and PGA of Canada Player Rankings leader Billy Walsh of Markham, Ont. will also join the field alongside the 2013 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion, Kevin Carrigan of Victoria. PGA Tour Canada’s Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont. and Beon Yeong Lee of Montreal are also set to compete after winning the their regional qualifying sites. Additionally, Team Canada’s Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont. and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C. earned exemptions into Canada’s National Open Championship.

“The field is set and we’re ready to kick off the 105th playing of Canada’s National Open Championship,” said Bill Paul, Tournament Director of the RBC Canadian Open. “The golf course is in tremendous shape and ready to challenge the world’s best golfers for the 10th time. Our team of nearly 1,500 volunteers is ready and there is no doubt that Canadian golf fans will be treated to a terrific showcase next week at The Royal Montreal Golf Club.”

Three additional exemptions will be confirmed on Sunday evening following the conclusion of PGA Tour Canada’s Stall Foundation Open in Thunder Bay, Ont. The top three players on the PGA Tour Canada Order of Merit at the conclusion of the Stall Foundation Open will earn an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open.

Click here to view the full field.

HOYLAKE, England – As his tee shot curled farther and farther away from the 17th fairway, heading toward all sorts of trouble, Tiger Woods simply stuffed his club in the bag.

He appeared to mumble something to himself, but that was about it.

No fiery outburst. No course language. No complaints about someone talking too loud, or being on the phone, or snapping a picture.

Shoulders slumping, Woods looked as though he had accepted his fate.

There won’t be a 15th major championship.

Not at this British Open.

Woods needed a birdie at the final hole – his only one of the day – just to make the cut. He walked off the 18th with a 5-over 77, his worst Open round since that stormy day at Muirfield in 2002, and headed to the weekend a staggering 14 shots behind the leader, Rory McIlroy.

“Not very good,” Woods said.

Indeed, it wasn’t.

Woods made double-bogey at the first hole, a bogey at the second. Just like that, all the good vibes from a 69 in the opening round were wiped away, his score tumbling to even par. From there, it was a grind – 14 pars in a row as McIlroy pulled away.

Then came the 17th, where Woods made such a mess of things, he nearly missed the cut at a major for only the fourth time in his professional career. That aforementioned tee shot sailed out of bounds right of the fairway, though Woods didn’t realize it until he had walked some 150 yards toward his ball.

Back to the tee box he trudged, to hit another after taking a one-stroke penalty. This time, Woods yanked it off in the tall grass to the left, between the 16th and 17th fairways. Four more shots were required to finish off a triple-bogey 7 that nearly finished off his hopes of getting in two more much-needed rounds.

Clearly, Woods is rusty after undergoing back surgery on March 31. He missed the Masters and the U.S. Open, finally returning to action at Congressional three weeks ago. He missed the cut in that event, and his opening round at Hoylake – five birdies in six holes on the back side – was merely an aberration.

There’s a lot of work to do.

“I had some opportunities to make a few birdies along the way to get back to even par for the day, and I just never did,” Woods said. “I just never made anything. I had myself in good positions to make birdies, and I just didn’t do it.”

More distressing for those in the Woods camp, his body language looked more and more defeated as McIlroy kept adding to what was a mere three-shot lead over Woods at the start of the round.

Woods sounded downright delusional when he brought up Paul Lawrie’s comeback from a 10-shot deficit on the final day at Carnoustie in 1999.

That, of course, required Jean Van de Velde to essentially give the tournament away on the 72nd hole.

Hard to see McIlroy making such a blunder – and, even if he did, Woods’ game being in any sort of shape to take advantage of it.

“I’m pretty far back,” Woods conceded. “Luckily I’ve got two rounds to go. And hopefully I can do something like Paul did in `99. He made up, I think, 10 in one day. Hopefully I can play well on the weekend and at least give myself a shot at it going to the back nine on Sunday.”

Actually, Woods’ rehabilitation would seem to be a longer-term project.

He showed flashes of his once-dominant form – that stretch of birdies on Thursday, a testy chip over a pot bunker to set up a 6-footer for birdie at the 18th on Friday – but the consistency just isn’t there. Too many errant drives. Too many iron shots that just weren’t quite close enough to the flag. Too many putts that came up short or slid by the cup.

What made it all the more striking was the performance by McIlroy, usually considered the most likely player to succeed Woods as the face of the game.

The Boy Wonder from Northern Ireland made his second straight 66 look downright easy, barely breaking a sweat on the sticky day.

“He plays pretty aggressively to begin with,” Woods said. “And when he’s going, he can get it going pretty good.”

That’s what they used to say about Woods, who was only 32 when he won his 14th major championship.

Now he’s 38, and still waiting to add another.

Hard to see that changing at Royal Liverpool.

CHATHAM — It was a lead that could not be overcome as Mitchell’s Courtney Tolton was able to cruise to win the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Investors Group Junior Girls’ Championship, July 18, at Maple City Country Club. Tolton entered the final round with a seven-shot lead and was never in jeopardy as she carded a one-over (73) to earn the title.

The 18-year-old Tolton, who plays for the Longwood University golf team, had an up and down start to her round with a birdie on the first hole but a double bogey on the second. After another bogey on six, she would birdie the eighth to finish the front nine one-over. One more birdie on the 12^th followed by a bogey on 15 had her finishing the round one-over (73) and four-under for the tournament.

“I think I definitely did a good job keeping my shots in play,” said Tolton after the win. “I made sure to hit fairways, greens and made my two putts to get out of there and onto the next hole.”

Tolton is a former member of the GAO’s Team Ontario and had to hold off the current members (Alyssa Getty, Grace St-Germain, Monet Chun and Annika Haynes) this week. After the first round, it was Kingsville’s Getty who had the lead after a course record four-under (68). However, Getty would struggle on the final three rounds and eventually finished the final round two-over (74) and tied for second at four-over for the tournament.

Richmond Hill’s Chun entered the day in a tie for third at three-over. She jockeyed for second place with Getty and St-Germain throughout the day and had an opportunity to finish alone in the position, but a bogey on 18 brought her into a tie. She finished the round at one-over (73) and four-over for the tournament.

Starting the day in the second to last group was Ottawa’s St-Germain. After beginning the day with three bogeys on the first three holes, she settled down with birdies on eight and nine. She would finish the day one-over (73) and joined Getty and Monet as silver medalists at four-over for the tournament.

In fifth, was Oakville’s Haynes. Haynes had a consistent day and finished at even par (72), eight-over for the tournament.

Because Getty, St-Germain and Chun all tied for second they needed a playoff to determine which two would join Tolton in representing Ontario for the Inter-Provincial competition at the Canadian Junior Girls’ Championship, July 29-Aug. 1 at the Thornhill Golf and Country Club. In the playoff, Getty’s second shot went wide of the green and she would have to settle for bogey. St-Germain and Chun each two-putted for par earning the spots.

Tolton summed up her week after the win. “I feel really happy about the win especially since this is my last junior year. I started off strong and finished out well, I can’t say I would have wanted it any other way.”

As a former member of the team, Tolton said she expected this year’s Team Ontario to play well and challenge her during the tournament. “I was happy for them all, I expected that was how it was going to be, with them right in the hunt.”

Playing with the lead, Tolton knew she had to play the same game she had in the other three rounds to close out the win. “I really didn’t change my thought process. I just wanted to keep it in play and come out even or one-over, it really didn’t matter to me as long as I kept the lead.”

In the end, that is just what she did earning the 2014 title.

For more information and the final leaderboard, click here.