VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, North Carolina – Team Canada’s Corey Conners has advanced to the match play finals at the 114th playing of the North & South Amateur Championship at Pinehurst Resort.

The Listowel, Ont. native and Kent State Golden Flash won his semi-final match up 6&5 Saturday morning over Harley Abrams of Boca Raton, Fla.

Conners, the No. 7-ranked amateur in the world, made quick work of Abrams, who plays collegiality for the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Conners was 6-up thru 9 holes in the semi-final before winning holes No. 12 and 13 to secure his spot in the final.

There’s no hiding the fact that Conners has taken a liking to Pinhurst’s layout and is enthused at the opportunity that lies ahead.

“I played well last year, but it didn’t work out, and I just wanted to come back,” said Conners, who won the prestigious Jones Cup in February and set a slew of records while at Kent State. “I love Pinehurst, and I love the courses here. The names on that (North & South Amateur Championship) trophy are legends of the game, so to have my name there would be pretty special. It’d be a great honor and pretty proud moment.”

There was nearly an all Canadian match up in the finale, which is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

Blair Hamilton, a Team Canada Development Squad member in 2012, suffered a slim defeat in the other semi-final match up. Hamilton, from Burlington, Ont., was topped 1-up by Michael Cromie of Cary, N.C.

Cromie, a Georgia Bulldog, now faces Conners in the finals which are scheduled for 1pm. Click here to follow scoring online.

(SASKATOON, Sask) – With friendly scoring conditions on a gorgeous prairie day, England’s Kelvin Day and Kalamazoo, Michigan’s Erik Barnes carded birdies by the bunches at Dakota Dunes Golf Links to share the 36-hole lead at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel.

Day carded a 10-under 62, tied for the low round of the day, while Barnes birdied his final four holes of the day to shoot 63, with both players ending the day at 11-under through two rounds. The duo led by two over first round leader Drew Stoltz and Michigan’s Matt Harmon.

Day’s position is remarkable given his rough start yesterday, when he was 4-over for his first 12 holes. Since then, he’s carded 15 birdies and no bogeys to vault up the leaderboard.

“I’m pretty happy considering where I was yesterday. I’ve had a pretty good charge coming back,” said Day, who hails originally from Surrey, England but now calls Charlotte, North Carolina home. His 62 was tied for the low round of the day with Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Stephen Carney, and was one shot off the course and tournament record held by California’s Cody Slover.

Barnes, meanwhile, finished with a flash, carding birdies on his final four holes to tie Day at the top. The 26-year old said nearly everything went right for him on Friday, with all facets of his game clicking.

“I hit it really good and I putted good,” said Barnes. “I would have been really hard for me to screw it up because I just kept hitting it where I was looking, and every time I looked up, the putts were going where I was looking.”

First round leader Stoltz of Little Rock, Arkansas was unable to summon the magic that led to his brilliant 63 on day one, holding in with an even par 72 on Friday. Still, Stoltz was optimistic about his chances heading into the weekend just two off the lead.

“Hopefully today is my bad day, but you don’t win it on Friday,” said Stoltz. “I’m only two back heading into the weekend and two good rounds away from doing what I want to do.”

Trail, B.C.  – After three exciting rounds of play, the CN Future Links Western Champion titles have been claimed by 17-year old Trevor Yu of Vancouver and Annie Songeun Lee, 18, of Surrey, B.C.

After gaining a three stroke lead in the second round, Yu continued his strong play today, shooting 1-under-par 71 for a final score of 5-under-211. This win has earned him an exemption into the Canadian Junior Boys Championship, taking place later this summer in Niagara Falls, Ont.

“It always feels great to earn an exemption into the national event,” said Yu after today’s win. “It will be great to go back again and see how my game holds up against the best in Canada.” 2014 will mark the fourth year Yu has competed in the Junior Boys Championship, and he has set his sights on success: “Every year my game is getting better, I’m constantly trying to improve little things. So I’m really looking forward to going back to the championship this year.”

Four strokes behind Yu, Logan Yanick, 17, of Courtenay, B.C. claimed second place after a final round of 69, and a total score of 1-under-par 215. 17-year old Cole McKinnon of Surrey continued to hold onto his third place spot with rounds of 71-73-72.

In the Junior Girls division, Lee finished the championship with a score of 14-over-par 230 after rounds of 74-76-80.  This win has earned her an exemption into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, taking place late July in Thornhill, Ont.

“Today’s round was tough because I had an afternoon tee time and the wind really affected my play,” said Lee of today’s round of 80. “But this is my last year competing in junior events, so to have won a CN Future Links event in my last year as a junior feels great.”

Marie Donnici, 18, of Vancouver claimed the second place spot, scoring four birdies on the front-9 for an even-par round and total score of 16-over-par 232. Third place is shared three ways by Calgarians Kenna Hughes and Quinn Fitzgerald and 15-year old Natalie Chu of Vancouver. The trio finished with a final score of 17-over-233.

The top six competitors in the Junior Boys division of each CN Future Links Championship will earn exemptions into the 2014 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, which will be contested July 28 – August 1 on the Legends on the Niagara’s Battlefield course in Niagara Falls, Ont. The Junior Girls champion from each CN Future Links Championship will earn an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Junior Girls Championship which runs July 28 – August 1 at the Thornhill Golf and Country Club in Thornhill, Ont.  In addition, the champion receives an exemption into a 2015 Canadian Women’s Tour Event.

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. – Billy Hurley III has been waiting for a breakthrough moment on the PGA Tour. On Independence Day, the former U.S. Navy officer might have set himself up for one this weekend in the Greenbrier Classic.

Hurley shot a season-best 7-under 63 on Friday to take the second-round lead.

Hurley’s bogey-free round included a chip-in from 29 feet on No. 4 in cool conditions before the wind picked up considerably late in his morning round.

“You know, anytime you play good, it’s great, right?” Hurley said. “There’s special days of the year for our country, and having served … adds something to it. It’s kind of pretty cool, I guess, to shoot 7 under on the 4th of July.”

It’s a nice storyline. Then again, having military experience wasn’t on his mind in jumping to the top of the leaderboard.

“I was just trying to keep getting the ball in the hole,” he said.

Hurley was at 9-under 131 at Old White TPC. Eleven players were within four shots of him.

Kevin Chappell (65) and Chris Stroud (66) were a stroke back. Troy Matteson

Troy Matteson had a 61 to vault into fourth place at 7 under. He has made the cut in all five years of the Greenbrier Classic.

Brice Garnett (66), Steve Stricker (68) and Chris Kirk (69) were another stroke back at 6 under.

Hurley graduated from Annapolis in 2004 and spent five years in the Navy. He playing golf sparingly while stationed in Hawaii and worked out as much as he could.

Being mentally tough on the course comes easy for Hurley, whose missions included steering a Navy destroyer through the Suez Canal.

Playing partner Chris Stroud said it was “special” for a former military man to be leading the tournament and was amazed at how Hurley could recapture his golf game.

“There’s a lot to be said about that,” Stroud said.

Hurley rejoined the PGA Tour this season and has three top 10 finishes so far, including a tie for eighth at Congressional last week. His best career finish is a tie for fourth in the AT&T National two years ago, also at Congressional.

A solid ending at The Greenbrier resort would get him into the British Open later this month. The four best finishers not previously eligible among the top 12 on the final leaderboard will earn spots in the July 17-20 tournament at Royal Liverpool.

Playing alongside good friend Hurley, Stroud birdied four of his first five holes but gained no more ground.

Chappell’s round included holing a 35-yard pitch on the par-3 15th after a poor tee shot.

Chappell’s only top 10 finish of the season came at Colonial. But this week, he’s at ease amid the mountains, Howard’s Creek running through the Old White TPC and the rest of the resort’s atmosphere.

“You know, the course has a great flow to it, just at peace out there,” he said. “All the running water and all the good scenery just puts me in a good spot.”

Matteson holed a 35-yard pitch on the par-3 15th and needed just 19 putts – one shy of the PGA Tour record held by eight players.

“It was unlike any day I’ve had this year,” said Matteson, who had missed the cut in 11 of his previous 13 tournaments. “I just haven’t been getting it in the hole all year, and to have a day like this really kind of turns things around.”

Bubba Watson was among five players at 5 under. He shot 67.

First-round leader Jonas Blixt had three early bogeys and shot 73 to drop into a tie for 25th at 3 under.

FexEx Cup points leader Jimmy Walker (75) was among those who missed the cut. He finished 5 over.

Ninety players advanced to weekend play at even par or better. Patrick Rodgers shot 75, but at even par for the tournament he made his third straight cut since turning pro.

On the Canadian side, David Hearn shot 66 to end the round tied for 13th. Stephen Ames follows behind with a 68, tying him for 25th. Both Brad Fritsch and Mike Weir failed to make the cut and advance to weekend play.

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – Canada’s Roger Sloan shot a 6-under 65 on Friday for a share of the second-round lead with Mexico’s Jose de Jesus Rodriguez in the Web.com Tour’s Nova Scotia Open.

The 27-year-old Sloan, a former Texas-El Paso player from Calgary, Alberta, matched first-round leader Rodriguez at 10-under 132 on Ashburn Golf Club’s New Course.

Sloan hit 13 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens.

“You really have to set up the next shot and you have to be conscious of the slope of the greens and where the pin is located,” Sloan said. “It’s fun to play golf like that because this year Mother Nature has given us some pretty soft courses and it becomes a putting contest. Out here it’s a battle. You have to be aware of where your ball is going at all times.”

Rodriguez followed his opening 63 with a 69.

“It was a good day. I hit it very good again,” Rodriguez said. “I lose two putts from 1 meter. The one on No. 10 was 2 feet, straight up. It was an easy putt but I moved my head. It’s OK. It’s golf.”

American Zack Sucher and England’s David Skinns were tied for third at 7 under. Sucher shot 66, and Skinns had a 70.

As Brightwood Golf and Country Club celebrates 100 years in the business, one long-time member is set to celebrate his own impressive milestone at the historic Dartmouth club.

Eighty-six year young, Don O’Hearn has now been a member at Brightwood Golf and Country Club for the past 70 years. And those 16 years of his life when he wasn’t a member Don was never far away from the course he grew up on.

Don O’Hearn was born February 20, 1928 in Dartmouth, N.S., just a mere stones throw away from the 2nd green at Brightwood Golf and Country Club. When Don was born, Brightwood had been established for 14 years, and his father Martin had been the first ever caddy at the course.

The O’Hearn family has always enjoyed a strong golfing tradition. Don’s brother Lawrence “Butch” O’Hearn became is the first and only Nova Scotian ever to earn a PGA Tour Card. Brother Clarence “Gabby” was a strong amateur player who went on to win various NSGA titles. Another brother, Bernard, was set to become a club professional at Chester Golf Club before he sadly passed away at age 29. He was regarded as arguably the best golfer amongst the brothers. Don’s aunt Margaret was a talented golfer who  served as head caddy master at Brightwood for many years. In total, eight of the eleven O’Hearn children played golf, with many of the brothers and sisters excelling at the sport.

At age 9 Don began to work as a caddy at Brightwood, starting a relationship that has now spanned eight decades. During the 1930’s a caddy’s salary was actually quite lucrative.

“We used to make $0.35 a round,” said O’Hearn smiling. “That was good money back then. I used to buy a chocolate bar and a pop for $0.10, and the rest would go to Mom for her to buy my winter clothes”.

O’Hearn would caddy until he was 16. He learned the game from being on the course everyday.

“ We used to have a club in our hands all the time,” he explained. “As a caddy we would constantly be swinging the club. We had a great time as caddies, and after we’d finish for the day we would sneak out onto the course to play the holes away from the clubhouse, it wasn’t as busy back then you see.”

After his caddying career came to a close, O’Hearn became a member of Brightwood. However because of an incident involving bananas he almost lost his golfing privileges altogether.

“Who told you about that!” asked O’Hearn when questioned about the event, clearly surprised his tricks had been documented by NSGA Historian Allan Dunlop.

Early in his first year O’Hearn had almost been expelled from the course because of a broken window frame on the old clubhouse window.

“I came up to the course and there were a few buddies of mine who were standing near the clubhouse basement, I guess some of the guys were kind of hungry so they were trying to push the window far enough aside to grab a bowl of bananas near the window,” he said.

The friends were successful, but the frame cracked during the incident. O’Hearn was spotted in the process and as the only culprit recognized. He then faced a suspension from the club.

All was soon forgotten and O’Hearn luckily only had to repay for the stolen bananas.

O’Hearn continued to play golf competitively, but found it increasingly difficult to balance his work career as a steam fitter and still have time to play events. Eventually O’Hearn began working with the Nova Scotia Government plying his trade with the Department of Public Works, again his job prevented him from playing much competitive golf.

O’Hearn played his first Nova Scotia Amateur in in 1957, where he cracked the top-20. In 1963, he went on to shoot 72-71-64-74 en route to a 1 stroke victory over his brother Lawrence. His third round 64 tied a course record and set a competitive course record at the time.

Don would be the only brother to win the championship. He also captured two senior championships – 1983 and 1991. In 1989, while partnering with his brother Clarence “Gabby”, the O’Hearns became the first team of brothers to win the Senior Men’s Four Ball Championship.

Today, Don still tees-it-up three times a week with friends.

“We usually play on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday,” explained O’Hearn, who still maintains a sharp handicap of 10. “We have a great time, we really do, and we still always play for something, at least $5.”

With this year’s championship being played at his home course, O’Hearn decided he would like to play the Amateur during Brightwood’s 100^th anniversary.

“The only reason I am playing is because it’s the 100^th anniversary,” he added. “I thought it would be special to get out and play.”

Kody Blois is a graduate of Saint Mary’s University, President of the East Hants Sport Heritage Society and is the Tournament and Communications Coordinator for the Nova Scotia Golf Association. You can follow him on twitter @kodyblois or follow his blog kodyblois.blogspot.ca.

From coast to coast, Canada is creating champions both on and off the golf course.

Cue Patrick Murphy, a 17-year-old Alberta native of Crossfield. The three-time Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) Big Chief Beef Jerky Alberta Junior Champion has built up an impressive golf resume, earning him a scholarship to play NCAA Div I golf for the UCLA Bruins – his most proud achievement to date.

“I’m certainly very proud of my commitment to UCLA,” said Murphy. “It’s not that often a Canadian kid can head down south for great Div I golf – and I think it’s really exciting that Canadian golf is growing that way, especially in the last five years or so.”

Murphy grew up in Yellowknife, learning the game with his dad at the local club. After the family moved to Crossfield, Murphy continued his love of the sport and now plays out of Glencoe Golf & Country Club.

His third consecutive win at the Alberta Junior in June was a significant one, setting three new records in the process. Murphy was dialed in, carding an opening round 10-under 62 to set the course record at Carstairs Golf Club in Carstairs, Alta. He finished at 18-under par for the tournament, setting both the one-day and two-day record for the CJGA.

“That was pretty cool,” laughed Murphy. “To go that low, it’s almost unconscious. Especially in back-to-back rounds.”

In preparation of joining UCLA, Murphy’s summer schedule is jam-packed. He will be teeing-it-up at the Alberta provincials, both the Canadian Amateur and Junior Championships, and the Callaway World Junior Golf Championship.

Murphy sneaks in training sessions when he can with PGA of Canada professional Paul Horton out of the Heritage Pointe Golf Club in Calgary. He is very optimistic about where his game is headed, and the future of Canadian golf altogether.

“It’s really exciting that more Canadian golfers are being recruited to attend top schools in the States,” said Murphy. “It shows that Canada can compete against the world’s best and it’s something I’m very proud of.”

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – Kevin Stadler increased his lead at the French Open to three strokes by shooting a 3-under 68 in the second round on Friday.

The American made six birdies and dropped three shots, including a double bogey on his last hole, for a 10-under 132 total.

“I wasn’t expecting to play this well obviously, but I enjoyed the golf course,” Stadler said. “I thought it was a course that suited me from the very beginning.”

Stadler was making his French Open debut but quickly got a good feel for this punishing golf course that will host the Ryder Cup in 2018.

Frenchman Victor Riu (67) was in second place, two strokes clear of 2012 winner Marcel Siem (72). Defending champion Graeme McDowell (69) and U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer (68) stayed in contention, respectively tied for fourth and 11th, while Thomas Bjorn and George Coetzee missed the cut.

“(If) he keeps playing (like) that, he’s going to be tough to catch,” McDowell said about Stadler.

Stadler had a six-stroke cushion after 16 holes Friday and was on course to tie the record for the tournament’s lowest score after the first two rounds, set by Seve Ballesteros with 130 in 1985.

But he failed to find the fairway with his first three shots on the par-5 No. 9, then sent the ball into the bunker with his fourth.

“Been struggling the last couple months, but I had a nice week off last week,” Stadler said. “I pretty much just completely got away from it, didn’t really touch a club other than one day, and got over here, and just kind of recharged the batteries a little bit. The swing flaws kind of disappear when you don’t touch a club too often, and I felt comfortable from the get-go once I got here.”

Stadler won the Phoenix Open in February and was in a tie for eighth at the Masters in April.

Craig Stadler, Kevin’s father, won the Masters in 1982 and shared 22nd place at the French Open in 1987.

“I just read recently that he played here,” Stadler said. “I didn’t know he played here. So we didn’t talk about it at all.”

Siem finished the first round one stroke behind Stadler, but lost further ground by making five bogeys and four birdies.

“The 10-under, when you see that all day long on the scoreboard this morning with no wind, I just tried to keep up there,” Siem said. “I just tried to equalize that. Just tried to shoot 4-under today. That was the problem. You have to be very, very patient on this golf course, otherwise it kills you, and that’s what happened today.”

Jose Maria Olazabal, the 2001 champion, retired because of a back injury.

GRAVENHURST, Ont. — Team Ontario member and Waterloo resident Trevor Ranton outlasted 67 other junior boys to claim the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) 2014 Investors Group Junior Boys’ Match Play Championship on July 4 at Taboo Resort. The 17-year-old who plays out of Whistle Bear Golf Club topped Whitby’s Spencer Dobbs in the final 3&2.

Ranton was ranked fifth heading into the match, while Dobbs held the No. 3 seed in the tournament. Ranton was dominant. In the semifinals he earned a 7&6 win over Niagara Falls’ Jaret Chipman. In the quarter finals, Ranton was victorious 3&1 over Toronto’s Minwoo Park. Ranton’s quest to the title also went through Selwyn’s Mitchell Holden (5&4), Toronto’s Will Gavarkovs (5&3), and Shelburne’s Kyle Johnston (7&5).

As for Dobbs, he earned a birth in the finals by defeating another Team Ontario member and last year’s runner up, Unionville’s Max Sear (2&1). Dobbs also picked up wins over Elmvale’s Andrew Nagel (5&4), North Bay’s Ryan Neil (19 holes), Seaforth’s Logan Lammerant (5&4), and Janetville’s Ryan Trapp (7&6).

After the win, Ranton talked about his successful week at the tournament.

“I started the week playing really well,” said Ranton. “Through the middle three matches I faltered a little bit, but was still able to win the second and third matches pretty easily. Then in the quarter-final match, I was two-down thru 11 and then found my game and managed to win. The semi-final match was my best of the week. I started with a bogey, but then followed it up with five birdies on the next 11 holes.”

It was the big win in his semi-final match that helped give Ranton the push he needed heading into the finals.

“I got a lot of confidence and momentum after that and wanted to keep it going,” he added. “I started really well in the finals. I started with a birdie and really got back in the grove I was in the day before.”

Ranton says there were points in the final match where he felt he was able to take control.

“He (Dobbs) made a couple of mistakes early and I kept playing steadily. I thought I was doing pretty well and then he made a birdie on 11 and put it really close on 12, so I kind of faltered there. But I got up and down to halve 12 and then birdied 13 and that’s when I thought I probably had it.”

Ranton still has a busy summer ahead including participating in the GAO Investors Group Men’s Amateur, the U.S. Junior Amateur and the GAO Investors Group Junior Boys Championship.

RICHMOND, British Columbia – Naomi Ko won the 2014 British Columbia Golf Junior Girls’ Championship title at The Dunes at Kamloops on Friday with a 6-under par 286 after four days of competitive play.

The Team Canada member shot even par on the par 73, 5886-yard course on the final day of the championship on her way to winning the title.

“I felt pretty good going into the round, I started off with a bogey so I knew I had to make a couple birdies to get where I needed to,” said Ko. “Plus Kathy and Alix are really good players so I knew I couldn’t get behind, I knew I needed to make birdies.”

Ko, 16, made four birdies on Friday to counterbalance her four bogeys it would be enough to keep her in first. After shooting a 69 on the first day of competition she co-led the championship with Alix Kong and Hannah Lee, but slipped into a tie for fourth halfway through the competition.

“I knew it was a four-day tournament so I knew I had 36 holes to recover, which I did yesterday when I shot 3-under,” added Ko. “I didn’t let myself get down, I just tried to stay as positive as I could on the course and it worked.”

Ko adds the 2014 Junior Girls’ title to a long existing list of achievements as a junior golfer, including a second place finish at the 2013 BC Juvenile Girls’ Championship, third at the 2013 BC Junior Girls’ Championship and  a tie for 11th at the 2013 BC Women’s Amateur Championship, just to name a few.

Kathy Lim, of Langley, finished two strokes back of Ko as the BC Junior Girls’ runner-up with a 4-under 288 after playing incredibly consistently throughout the week with scores of 71-71-71-75. The 16-year-old was never out of contention for the title and was even tied for first after the second round.

Rounding out the top three is the championship’s leader thru the first three days of competition. Kong, who was celebrating her 18th birthday, recorded her highest score of the week on the final day (77) posting a final score of 289 (-3) only one stroke behind Lim.

The Capilano Golf and Country Club member struggled early on, double bogeying back-to-back on holes 5 and 6, and would not be able to recover on the back half shooting 1-under. Her efforts would, however, be enough to earn her the final spot on the team named to Nationals.

Ko, Lim, and Kong will represent British Columbia Golf at the Canadian Junior Girl’s Championship being held at Thornhill Golf & Country Club in Thornhill, Ont. July 28 – August 1.