SOUTHPORT, England – Ayako Uehara of Japan felt confident with the putter and played in the best weather Royal Birkdale has to offer. It was the right combination to take the lead Thursday in the Women’s British Open. And the best she could manage was a 4-under 68.

Pot bunkers can present problems on any links course. Throw in some thick grass and par becomes a problem.

Michelle Wie could attest to that. The U.S. Women’s Open champion spent too much time chipping out of sand and rough on her way to a 75. Cristie Kerr didn’t make a birdie, shot 81 and withdrew with a sore back. Only nine players broke par, all but two of them in the relative calm of a sunny morning along the Irish Sea.

“It’s only going to get harder,” defending champion Stacy Lewis said after a 71. “Anything under par on this golf course is a good score.”

Uehara got her lone mistake out of the way early and made another bogey after the opening hole. She made three birdies in a four-hole stretch, added two birdies on the back nine and built a one-shot lead over Mo Martin.

“Ayako obviously put up a really good number,” said Lewis, who played in her group. “She seems like she wasn’t in trouble at all. She was just greens, greens, center of the green. You can kind of learn a little bit from that and maybe not go at so many pins.”

Morgan Pressel scrambled her way to a 70, joined by Sarah Kemp and Mina Harigae. The only players who broke par in the afternoon were former U.S. Women’s Open champion So Yeon Ryu and Amy Yang, who played in the final group at the U.S. Women’s Open last month. Both shot 71.

“I don’t think they can make it any easier,” Pressel said.

That doesn’t bode well for Wie, who was introduced on the first tee as the U.S Women’s Open champion and then posted her highest score of the year. Wie had to birdie the par-5 18th hole – the only time she hit driver – to finish 3 over.

“Thought I made a good game plan,” Wie said. “Just didn’t hit good shots today.”

Canada’s Alena Sharp, the lone Canuck in the field, did fare better than Wie. The Hamilton, Ont. native carded a 2-over 74.

The scores Thursday might have been a preview of what the men can expect next week at Royal Liverpool for The Open Championship, through Royal Birkdale is a stronger test. The links courses are separated by about 25 miles, and a wet spring has allowed the grass to get thick and lush. That makes it difficult to make contact with the golf ball, assuming it can be found. Tiger Woods won at Liverpool in 2006 on a fast course with wispy grass.

“The golf course is so hard, I couldn’t imagine four days of this much rough and all the wind and everything it entails,” Lewis said “It’s nice to have it pretty calm today.”

Pressel had 23 putts, though only four of them were for birdie. She escaped with par when she found trouble off the tee and one time salvaged bogey. Playing her third shot from the right rough to a pin on the right side of the tough 16th green protected by a pot bunker, Pressel played short of the green and got up-and-down to limit the damage. Her putter made all the difference.

“I was happy that I made it look easier than it actually was,” Pressel said.

It wasn’t like that for everyone.

Paula Creamer was 5-over par after five holes and rallied for a 75. The best comeback belonged to Jessica Korda, who went out in 39 and then made four birdies on the back nine to return to even par. Karrie Webb, Inbee Park, Suzann Pettersen and Kraft Nabisco champion Lexi Thompson also were at even par.

The way it looked Thursday, anyone around par might be in good shape when it ends on Sunday.

Wie now has to climb back on a course that makes it feel as though she has to scale a mountain. She tried to rely on her powerful stinger off the tee, using mostly hybrids, to stay short of the bunkers and out of the rough. But she hit only seven fairways, leading to three of her bogeys.

“I definitely felt like my tempo was a little bit off,” Wie said. “But it’s a long way until Sunday, and I battled out there. It’s not the score I was looking forward to on Thursday, but it could have been a lot worse.”

Martin had a plan for Birkdale, too. She is one of the shorter hitters on the LPGA Tour and can’t recall a round where she hit so many 3-woods off the tee, all in an effort to stay out of trouble.

“Every hole, every shot is its own test,” Martin said. “You just really have to have so much strategy. It keeps you in the moment and it’s a challenge. It’s a fun challenge.”

Calgary – Jaclyn Lee, a member of Team Canada’s Development Squad, capped off the Alberta Junior Girls Championship with a final round 73 to defend her title at Bearspaw Country Club, winning by 4 shots over Development Squad teammate Sabrine Garrison.

The 17-year-old Calgary native also captured the Sun Life Financial Ladies Amateur Championship one week earlier with a win at Whitetail Crossing in Mundare, Alta.

“It hasn’t really settled in yet,” said Lee. “I never thought this would happen. I’m really excited to win these past two weeks.”

Despite bogeys on holes 1, 2, and 4, Lee was able to overcome her erratic start with birdies on 5, 8, and 9 before cruising through the back nine to cap off the championship in convincing fashion.

Lee, joined by Calgary’s Sabrine Garrison and Bria Jansen of Cochrane, Alta. will form the Alberta Junior Girls Interprovincial team that will compete at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship in a few weeks. She will also represent Alberta on the Ladies Amateur Interprovincial team as her busy schedule continues.

Calgary’s Kenna Hughes, 16, won the Juvenile Girls Championship after a 74, her low round for the championship. The round was even better than it sounded, but a triple bogey on the 16th hole negated 3 birdies on 7, 8, and 12. Still, she’ll take the positive of her good score and overall success in the championship and look to build on it at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship.

At 17-years-old, Lee is still eligible to play in 2015 and will attempt to defend her title once more, hoping to become the fourth player to win three or more Alberta Junior titles.

Click here for full results.

Uehara, qui a remis une carte de 68, soit quatre coups sous la normale, détient présentement un coup d’avance sur Mo Martin, détentrice du deuxième rang à moins 3.

La meneuse a notamment obtenu trois oiselets en quatre trous, avant d’en ajouter deux autres lors du neuf de retour.

Mina Harigae, Sarah Kemp et Morgan Pressel, de leur côté, se partagent le troisième échelon, un coup devant Holly Clyburn, Stacy Lewis, So-Yeon Ryu et Amy Yang.

Marina Alex, Julieta Granada, Lydia Ko, Jessica Korda, Amelia Lewis, Ai Miyazato, Azahara Munoz, Anna Nordqvist, Inbee Park, Suzann Pettersen, Ji-Yai Shin, Emma Talley, Lexi Thompson et Karrie Webb, pour leur part, se situent en 10^e place, à quatre coups de la tête.

Cristie Kerr, qui a joué 81, a quant à elle été contrainte d’abandonner en raison de maux de dos.

Du côté des Canadiennes, Alena Sharp se trouve au 36^e rang à plus 2.

Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada are pleased to announce the addition of PGA Junior League Golf into the programming of CN Future Links—Canada’s national junior golf program.

PGA Junior League Golf was launched in the United States in partnership with the PGA of America as a pilot program in 2011. The mission of the program is to introduce a structured team environment to foster an enjoyment of the game among junior golfers that will last a lifetime.

The program is delivered through a low-stress, two-player scramble format accommodating juniors of all skill levels. Each event consists of a 9-hole match that is divided into three segments, allowing PGA of Canada professionals to ‘substitute’ players throughout from their team of 10-12 juniors.

In 2013, PGA Junior League Golf saw nearly 9,000 juniors and over 740 teams participate in the United States. At season end, six regional championships were completed, followed by the national championship.

With the partnership, CN Future Links will deliver PGA Junior League Golf locally in 2014 with the potential for a national championship in coming years. The program operates under the official name: PGA Junior League Golf delivered by CN Future Links.

“The team scramble format is a great way for juniors of all skill levels to experience the thrill of competition in a friendly, safe and welcoming atmosphere,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “We are very excited about the addition of this program into the CN Future Links suite of junior programs available to facilities across the country.”

PGA Junior League Golf delivered by CN Future Links is available in Canada at pgajrleaguegolf.ca. PGA of Canada professionals can utilize the website by registering a team for juniors to join. Following registration, teams are equipped with matching jerseys to be worn in scheduled events against neighbouring teams.

Under the leadership of PGA of Canada golf professionals, PGA Junior League Golf further adds to the positive, fun-filled experience of CN Future Links programming.

“The PGA Junior League is an excellent addition to CN Future Links and allows PGA of Canada members to be leaders in the delivery in the program,” said Gary Bernard, PGA of Canada CEO. “The partnership between the PGA of Canada and Golf Canada continues to grow, thus ensuring the continued growth of developing world-class programs for golf in this country.”

CN Future Links is a joint initiative of Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada and Canada’s provincial golf associations, which offers a full suite of junior golf programs for boys and girls ages 6-18, from beginners to those with a high degree of experience and playing ability. The CN Future Links program is committed to providing junior golfers and young enthusiast in communities across Canada with affordable and accessible golf programs.

Since launching in 1996, more than one million juniors have experienced quality golf activities through the CN Future Links program.

EDMOND, Okla. – Colin Montgomerie has been impressed with Bernhard Langer’s success.

The 56-year-old has three victories this season and won the most recent event, the Senior Players Championship. He has everyone’s attention as he heads into the U.S. Senior Open at Oak Tree National, starting Thursday.

“He’s as good as the German football team are, which is ridiculously good,” Montgomerie said of the team that advanced to the World Cup championship match after a 7-1 rout of Brazil.

Langer also has three runner-up finishes and 11 top 10s in 12 events. He has 2,362 points in the race for the Charles Schwab Cup; the second-place golfer, Jay Haas, is 882 points behind.

Langer is playing some of the best golf of his career.

“Well, the whole game has been pretty solid,” Langer said. “I’m hitting it pretty decent from tee to green and the putter is maybe a little bit better this year, just a fraction, than in previous years. It shows in the scores.”

This is the first Senior Open to be held at Oak Tree, but not the first significant event. Jeff Sluman won the 1988 PGA Championship at the course and Haas won the 2006 Senior PGA Championship.

Langer said Oak Tree is a good and difficult course.

“I would think it’s the hardest course I have ever played, or one of the hardest courses, the way it’s set up right now,” he said. “It’s just extremely demanding. And if the wind blows on top of that, it’s going to make it even harder.”

Langer will have competition. Kenny Perry, the defending U.S. Senior Open champion, has won three of the previous six senior major championships. Those victories give him confidence heading into the Senior Open.

“I look forward to the major tournaments now because I can be a little more aggressive,” he said. “I feel like I’m a lot more competitive and I have a lot more confidence. When I come in each week, I’m expecting to win. I may not win and I may not even make the cut, I don’t know, but I feel good mentally as I approach these events.”

Scott Verplank turned 50 on Wednesday, reaching the age requirement by one day. The Edmond, Oklahoma, resident has finished in the top 10 in every major professional championship event. Though he has the advantage of playing this event on his home course and he will be the youngest in the field, he doesn’t expect an easy time.

“These guys can still flat-out play,” Verplank said. “I’m not going to able to just roll out of bed and show up on the first tee and expect to beat everybody. I’m going to have to play at a very high level to compete.”

Vijay Singh will make his second start on the Champions Tour. The 51-year-old previously played in the 2013 Pacific Links Hawai’i Championship, where he tied for sixth. He won 34 PGA Tour events, including three majors.

Other former champions in the field include Olin Browne (2011), Brad Bryant (2007), Roger Chapman (2012), Dave Eichelberger (1999), Fred Funk (2009), Hale Irwin (1998, 2000), Peter Jacobsen (2004) Larry Laoretti (1992) and Perry (2013).

Irwin, the only two-time Senior Open winner in the field, would tie Jack Nicklaus for the career record of eight senior major titles with a victory.

Even with all the big names, most of the pre-event chatter has focused on Langer.

“It’s fantastic to see that someone can actually, in my book, improve over 50,” Montgomerie, who is third in the points standings, said. “There are very few guys in the world that can improve over 40. Bernhard Langer appears to be improving over 50. That’s a real compliment to say. So of course he’s the guy to beat.”

(Winnipeg) – Cape Coral, Florida’s Erik Barnes carded an 8-under 63 at Pine Ridge Golf Club in Winnipeg Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after 18 holes at The Players Cup.

The 26-year old put an exclamation point on his round, knocking his approach to four feet on the 18^th hole and converting the birdie to lead by one over fellow playing partner Josh Creel. Barnes is looking to continue his solid play from last week, when he finished fourth last week at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel.

“I’m playing well right now. It seems like the ball just wants to find the hole for me,” said Barnes. “Obviously it wasn’t the easiest conditions today and me and Creel just kind of kept feeding off of each other and kept making birdies. We both knocked some putts in and the next thing you know we played really well.”

Barnes made six birdies on the day, including a pair of 40-footers on the second and eighth holes to go along with a chip-in for eagle on the short par-4 13^th, where he drove it over the green and holed a delicate pitch down the slope.

Barnes added that he was spurred on by playing partner Creel, who briefly reached 8-under on the day before a closing bogey left him with a 7-under 64 on the day in solo second.

“It does help when you’re seeing someone else hit good shots and make some putts. It kind of gives you some extra motivation. It was fun out there today,” said Barnes.

“Erik and I were battling back and forth all day and I think when you’re seeing someone else play well it’s easier to feed off them and do the same. It was a solid day,” added Creel, a second year PGA Tour Canada member from Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Barnes capped his day with a birdie on the 18^th, where he drew a flier lie in the rough and hit a 7-iron into the wind from 177 yards, a distance he said he would normally hit a 5- or 6-iron. He knocked it to within four feet and calmly rolled in the birdie for the best round of the day.

“When you’re hitting a shot like that from that lie in there close, it’s a good day.”

The last time Sarnia, Ontario’s Matt Hill teed it up at The Players Cup, he was playing some of the best golf of his life, having captured his first PGA Tour Canada win the week before and sitting atop the Order of Merit, where he would go on to finish the 2012 season.

Hill, who finished tied for eighth here in 2012, showed that his game remains solid on Thursday, carding a 4-under 67 to share sixth spot after one round. He’s the top Canadian after round 1.

“I wouldn’t say I hit it great, but I made a lot of putts,” said Hill. “If I can hit it a little better and keep it up with the putter, it should be a good week.”

The former Team Canada member and 2009 Jack Nicklaus Award winner at N.C. State said he holds fond memories of his appearance here in 2012, when he would go on to be named PGA Tour Canada Player of the Year.

“I’m trying to take as much as possible from that year,” said Hill. I didn’t really make a lot of bogeys that year, which was fun. I’m just trying to do the same thing,” Hill said.

Ste-Victoire-de-Sorel, Qué. – CN Future Links Québec continued today at Club de golf Continental, Alyssa Getty and Kelvin Lim continue to lead their respective divisions after the second round of play.

Lim, 12, of Thornhill, Ont. carded a 2-over-par 74 on Wednesday to sit at even-par after two rounds. Lim broke out of yesterday’s tie with 15-year old Jason Chung, also of Thornhill, who now sits tied for tenth after an 8-over 80. Brendan Seys, 16, of Port Lambton, Ont. follows Lim by one stroke with a total score of 145, alongside 17-year-old Raphael Lapierre-Messier of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Qué. and Thomas ‘Jack’ Simpson, 15, of Toronto in a tie for third at 146 for the tournament.

In the Junior Girls Division, Alyssa Getty, 17, of Ruthven, Ont. continues to lead after shooting 7-over-par 79 in the second round for a total score of 5-over-149. Getty is followed by 13-year-old Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame Ile Perrot, Qué. who carded a 78 today, to sit three strokes behind at 152 for the championship. A trio of players including, Oceane Jacques, 17, of St-Gabriel de Valcartier, Qué., Diana McDonald, 16, of Kingston, Ont., and Danielle Sawyer, 16, of Grafton, Ont.  sit tied for third at 14-over 158.

After Gabriel Gingras aced the eighth hole in yesterday’s opening round, Emilie Tyndall continued the excitement in the second round, scoring a hole-in-one on the 160-yard 13^th hole.

The top six competitors in the Junior Boys division of each of six regional CN Future Links Championships being held in 2014 earn exemptions into the 2014 Canadian Junior Boys Championship to be contested July 28 – August 1 at the Legends on the Niagara’s Battlefield Course in Niagara Falls, Ont.

The Junior Girls champion from each 2014 CN Future Links Championship earns an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, which runs July 28 – August 1 at Thornhill Golf and Country Club in Thornhill, Ont.

The third and final round of CN Future Links Québec takes place tomorrow, beginning at 7:30 a.m. EST. For complete scoring and information, click here.

The Dartmouth Dodge Nova Scotia Junior Championships wrapped up today, with Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S. and Meghan McLean of Port Williams, N.S. being crowned champions.

In the boys competition, Creighton was victorious after turning in a performance for the ages. He was solid all week, scoring under par all four rounds and turning in a 71 Thursday to finish at 6-under for the tournament. Creighton would end up winning by a whopping 16-strokes over Oakfield, N.S.’s Ian Lewis. However, early on it looked as though it might be a closer finish.

“It was pretty close early on,” explained Creighton. “I made a 20 foot par putt on #2 to par, Ian was playing well and I was thinking I’m going to have to play another good round to win.”

In the end, Lewis would have a rough day, and Creighton was in the driver’s seat to win his first junior title.

The win marked the third individual title for Creighton, who previously won the Midget (now Bantam), Juvenile, and now Junior Championships.

Creighton’s sixteen stroke victory was also the largest since 1950 when Bob Rae won by 18 shots over Clarence “Gabby” O’Hearn at Lingan Golf and Country Club.

Creighton said he hopes to continue his success at the Canadian Junior Boy’s Championship, both as an individual and as a member of Team Nova Scotia.

The Canadian Junior Boy’s Championship takes place July 29-August 1, 2014 at Legends on the Niagara’s Battlefield Course in Niagara Falls, Ont.

Ryan Nowe, a Bridgewater, N.S. native,  finished third and will also represent Nova Scotia in Niagara Falls.

Finishing fourth and earning the final spot on the Nova Scotia team was 14-year-old Shaun Margeson from Oakfield, N.S. who won the two day Bantam Championship on Tuesday as well.

For full results of the Dartmouth Dodge Nova Scotia Junior Boys Championship, click here.

On the girls side, Meghan McLean and Allison Chandler of Chester, N.S. made the Dartmouth Dodge Junior Girls Championship the closest event in recent memory. The pair would finish regulation play deadlocked and would head to a sudden death playoff, where McLean won on the third playoff hole.

Elizabeth Furniss of Berwick, N.S. finished third and will join forces with Meghan, Allison Chandler, and other McLean sister Heather as Team Nova Scotia at the Canadian Junior Girl’s Championship July 29-August 1 at Thornhill Golf Club in Vaughn, Ont.

For full results on the Dartmouth Dodge Junior Girls Championship, click here.

SOUTHPORT, England – Michelle Wie loves that her name is etched on the U.S. Women’s Open trophy forever. She’s looking forward to an introduction on the first tee as a major champion.

Otherwise, the 24-year-old from Hawaii is ready to put her first major championship behind her. Wie is among the favorites when the Ricoh Women’s British Open gets underway Thursday at Royal Birkdale.

Wie says winning at Pinehurst No. 2 doesn’t guarantee she will play well in the LPGA Tour’s next major. But it’s hard to ignore what she has done this year. Wie has been in the top 10 at eight of her last nine tournaments. And she has been in the last group in both majors this year.

Royal Birkdale is where Wie first played the Women’s British Open in 2005 when she was a 15-year-old amateur. She tied for third.

ABERDEEN, Scotland – From Darren Clarke in 2011 to Phil Mickelson in 2013, the last three winners of the British Open have honed their links-course game at the Scottish Open a week earlier.

So perhaps it’s no surprise that trend has lured many top players to the northern tip of Scotland, not just for a tilt at the $850,000 top prize but also for some practice of the type of shots that will be required at the year’s third major at Hoylake.

Mickelson is a Scottish Open regular who won the tournament last year before going on to capture the claret jug at Muirfield.

He will face competition this year from the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Luke Donald and fellow Americans Jimmy Walker and Rickie Fowler when the tournament gets underway at Royal Aberdeen on Thursday.

The Scottish Open has regained its luster after a couple of lean years with weak fields, which comes as no surprise to Mickelson.

“I think it’s a common-sense thing,” he said in an interview with Britain’s Daily Telegraph published Wednesday.

“To win the (Scottish Open) gave me a lot of momentum. It was such a big factor because it allowed me to work on the short shots around the green, in the firm conditions. My short game was very sharp in Open week – a lot of that was due to the week before.”

After three years at Castle Stuart in Inverness, the Scottish Open has relocated even further north to the par-71 Royal Aberdeen, founded in 1780. It’s the world’s sixth-oldest golf course.

Mickelson is a big fan of the old Scottish courses – and of Scotland in general. And he has learned to embrace the quirky challenges that characterize links golf, such as playing in fierce winds and dealing with the unpredictable bounce on undulating fairways, which is some feat given his Californian roots.

He mastered it in that stunning two-week stretch last summer, culminating in a 6-under 66 on the final day at Muirfield that allowed him to pip Lee Westwood for victory at a third different major.

“It requires a lot more precision and great flight of the ball, as well as control on the ground and touch around the green. It is just the complete test,” said Mickelson, who has yet to win a tournament in 2014.

McIlroy has had mixed success in Europe this season, winning the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth – the European Tour’s flagship event – but then missing the cut at his home Irish Open a month later. He hasn’t played at the Scottish Open since 2009.

Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open winner, ended a yearlong title drought with a victory at the Quicken Loans National on the PGA Tour two weeks ago.

Former top-ranked Donald won the Scottish Open in 2011 and will partner with Mickelson in the first two rounds this year.

Nick Faldo, a six-time major winner, is also in the field. He will be playing his first regular European Tour event since 2010.