(Vancouver, BC) – North Vancouver’s Eugene Wong got his PGA TOUR Canada season started off on the right foot on Thursday, firing a bogey-free 6-under 66 at Point Grey Golf and Country Club to share the first round lead at the PC Financial Open with Clarkston, Washington’s Joel Dahmen and Mexico’s Mario Clemens.

Wong, playing in front of friends and family on a familiar golf course, carded six birdies and converted a tricky sand save on the 18^th hole for par to preserve a flawless opening round, one that he said he had been anxiously awaiting after resting in the weeks leading up to the start of PGA TOUR Canada’s second season.

“It’s definitely a confidence booster,” said Wong, a two-time winner on PGA TOUR Canada, who grew up playing junior tournaments at Point Grey. “I knew I was ready even though I didn’t play many tournaments coming in. I planned on not playing too much since there’s a long season ahead of me.”

Dahmen, entering his fifth season on PGA TOUR Canada with momentum after claiming two Gateway Tour wins in the offseason, said he couldn’t wait to get his season started and search for his first win on TOUR.

“It feels great to get the season off to a good start,” said Dahmen, who made five birdies, an eagle and one bogey on Thursday. “You’re always apprehensive or a little anxious to get it going, and I had a great winter. I was anxious to get this started. I had a month off after my last tournament, so I wasn’t really sure how I was going to play.”

The 26-year old University of Washington alum had a handful of chances to win on PGA TOUR Canada in 2014, and said he hopes his experiences in the winter will help him if he has a chance to claim his first victory later this season.

“I struggled on Sunday last year. I had three chances to win and didn’t get it done, and so to play through the winter and to win a few times and learn how to win was huge,” said Dahmen.

While Wong and Dahmen come into the season looking to improve on past success, Mexico’s Mario Clemens looked like a veteran in his first PGA TOUR Canada start. The British Columbia Q-School grad, who won the 2013 Mexican Amateur Championship and finished T-4 at the NEC Series – PGA TOUR Latinoamérica’s Abierto de Chile, said he was thrilled to be in Canada as he looks to play his way onto the Web.com Tour in 2015.

“This is the fastest way to the PGA TOUR, I think. So far, Canada’s just been amazing. Vancouver is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. The views here are just spectacular and the people are so nice, very welcoming.”

Clapp claims rainy weather as advantage on day one

Making his debut as a PGA TOUR Canada member, Chilliwack, British Columbia’s Brad Clapp made himself look like a veteran, firing a 5-under 67 to share fourth place with Sacramento, California’s John Catlin and Seattle, Washington’s Blake Snyder. The bulk of his round came in Monday’s morning rain, an element Clapp said actually may have helped Vancouver-based players like himself.

“I’ve said it to a few of the Vancouver guys, if it rains a little bit and it’s wet out here, it’s a huge advantage for us,” said Clapp. “The way the ball flies and how it reacts on the greens, and just staying dry. There are a lot of guys that play fair-weather golf all year round and we don’t have that advantage, so it was nice to get some rain and even nicer to play well in it.”

Clapp, who is making his debut on TOUR after a successful run on the PGA of BC club circuit, including a win at the 2012 PGA of BC Championship, said he was able to calm his nerves enough in front of friends and family at Point Grey.

“I just tried to treat it like any other tournament and it felt like any other tournament, so it was good. I stayed really patient and I’m happy with today for sure.”

Williams looking to join Huskie alums on PGA TOUR Canada and beyond

If Moscow, Idaho’s Chris Williams’ resume looks familiar, it’s because it’s nearly identical to that of Nick Taylor, who played his way from PGA TOUR Canada onto the Web.com Tour last season. Both claimed former spot atop the World Amateur Golf Rankings and a Ben Hogan Award while playing at the University of Washington, where several players have come from on their way to PGA TOUR Canada.

“There’s a bunch of us out here, and obviously Nick went through here last year on the way to the Web.com Tour. It’s a nice play to play,” said Williams, who fired a 4-under 68 in round one to sit tied for seventh. Other former Huskies in the field include Dahmen, Brock Mackenzie, Joe Panzeri and Darren Wallace.

“Nowadays it’s tough to find a place to play, so it’s perfect to have a 12-tournament schedule and plan out your travel for the summer,” said Williams. “And obviously, at the end of the year there are those five spots on the Web.com Tour, so it’s really competitive. Click here for scores

DES MOINES, Iowa – Jay Haas is winless on the Champions Tour this season. He’s at the right place to change that this weekend.

The 60-year-old Haas has won the Principal Charity Classic three times and is the highest-ranked player in the field in the event that begins Friday at the Wakonda Club. Haas won the event at Glen Oaks in 2007, 2008 and 2012.

If Haas follows through with a victory, he’ll join Jack Nicklaus and Hale Irwin as the only players to win the same Champions Tour event four times. Nicklaus did it in the Tradition and Irwin in the Senior PGA Championship). Irwin also won the Kaanapali Classic/Turtle Bay Championship a record six times.

“I’ve been playing a lot of good golf, and that’s given me confidence, certainly,” said Haas, coming off a third-place finish last week in the Senior PGA Championship in Michigan. “But coming in here, I don’t necessarily think of it like a tennis tournament where you’re the No. 1 seed and you’re supposed to get to the finals and all that stuff. I don’t think of it in those terms because I know that, I watched these guys play and they’re all good and can kick my butt at any time.”

That might be true. But after a brief dip in 2013, Haas is again among the circuit’s top golfers.

Haas has finished in the top 10 eight times in nine events this season and has already made more money than he did in 21 tournaments in 2013. Bernhard Langer and Senior PGA winner Colin Montgomerie, who are first and second on the money list, are skipping this weekend’s event.

Ironically, Haas will be paired with Irwin in the first round on Friday.

“I can’t really put a finger on it other than I’ve done everything a little bit better,” Haas said about his resurgence. “I don’t have a weakness in my bag right now in the sense of, I like all my clubs.”

Tour rookie Joe Durant matched the low round of last week’s major with a final-round 64. Durant has notched back-to-back top 10s and should be among the handful of players poised to push Haas.

Michael Allen tied for seventh in Iowa last season and is sixth on the money list. Russ Cochran won last year after Jay Don Blake three-putted the 17th hole during the final round, but Cochran has finished in the top 10 just once in nine starts this season.

The event drew the biggest crowd in its 14-year history last year when nearly 34,000 showed up for the final round.

“The most intense fans in the country are in the Midwest. You just draw a line from Iowa, up around Minnesota over to Ohio, that’s where the intensity is. So having good tournaments, well-run tournaments in this part of the country is really important to us,” PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said after touring the course Thursday.

DUBLIN, Ohio – Whether it’s his health or his personal life, Rory McIlroy is not easily distracted when he’s on top of his game.

McIlroy made two eagles and three birdies on the back nine at Muirfield Village – along with a double bogey – on his way to a 9-under 63 and a three-shot lead Thursday after the opening round of the Memorial.

A week ago, McIlroy began his week at Wentworth by announcing he and tennis star Caroline Wozniacki had broken off their engagement. Then, he went out and won the BMW Championship for his strongest win in more than two years.

At the Memorial, McIlroy caught his spikes in the turf on his second shot at the seventh hole and felt pain the rest of the round, especially when he had to put a little extra pop into tee shots or long irons. He was limping when he walked off the stage after talking about how he made five birdies and two eagles after hurting his knee.

It was the lowest opening round in 39 years at the Memorial.

“I don’t think it’s anything more than just being confident with my game,” McIlroy said. “I was expecting this to happen. I’ve been playing well. I’ve been posting good numbers, good rounds. And I knew my game was close. And honestly, I don’t think it’s anything to do with what’s happening off the golf course. It’s just I’ve been trending in the right direction, and it’s starting to all come together.”

Masters champion Bubba Watson, Chris Kirk and Paul Casey each had a 66 while playing in calmer and slightly softer morning conditions. Keegan Bradley was at 67, notable not because it was his best score at Muirfield Village but because it was his first time in his four years on the PGA Tour that he did not use a belly putter.

Adam Scott, who won at Colonial last week in his debut at No. 1 in the world, lost momentum with a shot into the water for double bogey on No. 9, and he missed some birdie and eagle chances on the back nine that would have allowed him to stay close with McIlroy. He settled for a 69.

Phil Mickelson also looked sharp – at least for 15 holes. He was at 5 under after a birdie on the 15th hole – at the time, just one shot out of the lead. But he hit into the water on the par-3 16th and did well to escape with bogey. He came up short on the 17th and muffed two flops shots on his way to double bogey. And he finished with another double bogey by three-putting the 18th. That gave him a 72.

“Just threw away a good round,” Mickelson said.

The course began to get firm under a hot sun late in the afternoon, which didn’t appear to bother McIlroy. Jordan Spieth picked up birdies on the par 5s, had a good par save on the 16th and squeezed out a 69 that left him pleased.

“Anything under par is a good score,” Spieth said. “Obviously, Rory didn’t think that.”

McIlroy was more than nine shots better than the field average. His only scare came on the seventh hole when his spikes caught and applied a little more torque on his knee. McIlroy said he had never experienced that before, though he felt some ice and work in the fitness trailer should take care of it.

“The inside of it is sore, a little swollen,” McIlroy said. “Some treatment and I should be fine for the morning.”

The golf after that was simply spectacular.

From the deep rough right of the 10th fairway, he hammered a shot to the middle of the green and it caught a slope and settled 4 feet away. He hit 4-iron to 25 feet on the par-5 11th and holed a 25-foot birdie putt in the center of the cup. He holed a tough 15-foot birdie on the 13th, and then hit a towering 5-iron to 15 feet on the par-5 15 for another eagle. McIlroy picked up his final birdie with a 12-foot birdie after a great tee shot to the deceptively tough front pin on the par-3.

He finished his round with an 8-foot putt to save par from the bunker.

His only blunder came on the 14th when he tugged a wedge too hard and too far left into a plugged lie in the bunker. He played well away from the flag to avoid going down the slope and into the water, but left it in the sand. His next shot had to be good to get within 6 feet of the flag, and it wasn’t. The ball ran off the green and down a slope. He had to get up-and-down for a double bogey.

McIlroy answered by smashing another tee shot into the fairway and hitting that high 5-iron onto the green for eagle, erasing the double bogey.

It’s just one round, but considering it was McIlroy, it was an attention-getter. McIlroy is one of those players who can follow up a win with more great play. When he won the PGA Championship by eight shots in 2012, that was the start of three victories in four starts against the strongest fields of the year.

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Lydia Ko is trying to pace herself in her first season on the LPGA Tour.

“I skipped last week and I skipped the tournament in Texas, as well,” the 17-year-old Ko said Thursday, a day before the start of play in the ShopRite LPGA Classic. “Obviously, I would like to play the whole schedule and get to every tournament, but it is definitely tough playing all 32 events.”

Ko won the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in California in late April and has five top-seven finishes in 10 tour starts this year.

“I’ve been really enjoying myself, playing on the tour,” said Ko, born in South Korea and raised in New Zealand. “I think every moment has been really special. I can’t believe that already a third has gone by.”

The teenager won the Canadian Women’s Open as an amateur the last two years and took the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters in December in Taiwan in her second start as a professional. She has six victories in pro events, also winning in Australia and New Zealand, and is No. 3 in the world.

“I really don’t think about my ranking,” Ko said. “I just feel like I’m another golfer going out there to play some golf, and you know, to be at the top, and I guess when you’re ranked the best female golfer in the world, that’s something special. I mean, hopefully I can be the world’s No. 1 golfer. It doesn’t need to be now. That’s what I’m thinking. I just want to pace myself and really enjoy it, and I mean, I have just got to have fun and, to me, that’s the most important thing.”

Ko will play alongside top-ranked Inbee Park and Paula Creamer in the first two rounds on the Bay Course at Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club.

Park missed the cut last week in Alabama, ending her streak at 22 events. She’s winless in nine tour starts this season after sweeping the first three majors last year and finishing the season with six victories.

“I didn’t have a good week last week, but you always get a time that you’re not playing so well,” Park said. “I was very confident after a two-week break. I was hitting the ball great. I was putting great. I was very confident coming into last week, and once the tournament started, I just don’t know what happened. I lost everything. I was hitting the ball bad. I was putting so bad last week.”

Ko and second-ranked Stacy Lewis, the 2012 tournament winner, both have a chance to take the top spot from Park this week. Lewis won the North Texas LPGA Shootout four weeks ago.

Michelle Wie, the winner in Hawaii, has seven top-10 finishes in 10 events this year. She’s coming off a third-place tie Sunday in Mobile.

“I’m just going out there and working hard,” Wie said. “I just want to get better and better every week. And it’s fun. It’s fun when you work hard and practice hard and you kind of see results. This year, it’s been a lot of fun and definitely motivating me to work even harder, just because it’s fun to play well.”

She’s grouped with Lizette Salas and Kraft Nabisco winner Lexi Thompson. Salas is making her first start since winning the Kingsmill Championship two weeks ago in Virginia for her first PGA Tour title.

“It’s back to work and I feel great,” Salas said. “I’m really glad I took that week off to recharge my batteries.”

Jessica Korda also is in the field after winning in Mobile for her second victory of the year.

“I’ve kind of settled into it now,” Korda said. “I think after my second win I was really, really excited and it definitely kind of showed me that the first one wasn’t a fluke. This one, I felt more like myself. I felt really comfortable out there and I just knew how to go through all the motions and emotions.”

She’s comfortable on the Bay Course, though she has had to adjust to the softer greens.

“It’s in really good condition,” Korda said. “The rough is definitely very high this year and it’s going to be very important to stay in the fairway. I think the greens are in really good shape. They’re a little spongy, so definitely a lot different from last week where they were a little bit firm. So, had to get used to chipping into the green being a little bit more aggressive, just seeing a little different line.”

Last year in the event, Hall of Famer Karrie Webb won her first LPGA Tour title in two years, rallying for a two-stroke victory over Shanshan Feng. Webb won the Women’s Australian Open and Founders Cup this year to push her LPGA Tour victory total to 41.

WINNIPEG, Man. – Canada’s top university and college golfers will convene at Southwood Golf and Country Club, from June 2-6 to compete in the twelfth playing of the Canadian University/College Championship, conducted by Golf Canada.

The Canadian University/College Championship is a showcase of the finest university and college golf programs in Canada. The event was created with the intention of giving the top Canadian university and college golfers the opportunity to compete for a national championship, as well as acting as the Canadian team qualifier for the World University Golf Championship. 

This year marks the first time The University of Manitoba has been host to this national golf event. In all, 155 male and female golfers from post-secondary institutions across Canada will vie for both team and individual titles at the par-72 Thomas McBroom designed Southwood Golf and Country Club.

“We are so thrilled to welcome the best university and college golfers to Southwood. At first sight, this seemingly flat course appears calm. When Mother Nature decides to be the equalizer you will experience prairie winds that meet no resistance,” said Gordon Hudson, Host Club Tournament Chair. “Our volunteers are eagerly looking forward to making the 2014 Canadian University/College Golf Championship a memorable one for these great players.”

The field will be comprised of 19 men’s and 11 women’s teams as well as 155 individual competitors. Following the third round, the field will be reduced to the top 10 men’s and the top six women’s teams, as well as any teams and individuals within 15 strokes of the lead.

“The field at this year’s Canadian University/College Championship shows the talent we have in collegiate golf across the country,” said Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “This course will surely challenge the players and should provide a true test for the winning teams and individual medalists.”

On the men’s side, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds will look to defend their title after securing a 21-stroke victory over Université Laval Rouge et Or at the 2013 Canadian University/College Championship at Club de golf Val des Lacs in Ste-Sophie, Que. Returning players for the Thunderbirds include, Conner Kozak and Scott Secord, along with Jack Wood.

In the women’s team division, the Université de Montreal Carabins will look to capture their second straight championship. The squad will be led by Sabrina Sapone, 2013 Individual Women’s Champion, alongside Caroline Ciot, Véronique Fortin-Latreille and Sarah-Andréa Landry. The Carabins will look to defend against the Thunderbirds who will be vying for their 10th women’s team title since the championship originated in 2003. 

Individually on the women’s side, Sapone returns to defend her six-stroke victory over the University of Victoria Vikes Megan Woodland in 2013. Sapone recently competed on the Canadian Women’s Tour in Parksville, B.C. where she finished tied for 34th against a strong field of professional and amateur players. In the Men’s division, Ugo Coussard of the Université Laval Rouge et Or will not return to defend his individual title from last season.

 Golf Canada and Southwood Golf and Country Club invite spectators and media to attend the 2014 Canadian University/College Championship. The event is open to the public and admission is free for the duration of the championship.

The following teams and individuals will be competing in the 2014 Canadian University/College Championship, conducted by Golf Canada. For a full listing of team rosters and individual players, click here.

Men’s Teams:
University of Victoria Vikes 
University of Alberta Golden Bears 
University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 
University of Calgary Dinos 
University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 
Western University Mustangs 
University of Toronto Varsity Blues 
University of Guelph Gryphons 
University of Waterloo Warriors 
Brock University Badgers 
University of the Fraser Valley Cascades 
Humber College Hawks 
Grant MacEwan University Griffins 
Université Laval Rouge et Or 
École de technologie supérieure Piranhas 
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes 
Université de Montréal Carabins 
University of Manitoba Bisons 
McMaster University Marauders

Women’s Teams:
University of Victoria Vikes 
University of Alberta Pandas 
University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 
University of Toronto Varsity Blues 
University of Waterloo Warriors 
Western University Mustangs 
Carleton University Ravens 
Université de Montréal Carabins 
Université Laval Rouge et Or 
University of the Fraser Valley Cascades 
University of British Columbia Thunderbirds

MALMO, Sweden – Sweden’s Jens Dantorp and Eddie Pepperell of England both opened with 6-under-par 66s to share the lead after the first day of the Nordea Masters on Thursday.

Boosted by the support of family, friends and other fans in Malmo, the 25-year-old Dantorp hit six birdies and no bogeys on his home course.

Looking ahead to the second round Dantorp said: “I cannot promise another bogey-free round but I’ll try to keep playing and putting well.”

Pepperell surged to the top of the leaderboard with three birdies on the last five holes.

“I played well today and I hit the ball better, which is the main thing for me. I’ve not been hitting the ball that well over the last couple of weeks, despite some good results,” he said.

Scotsman Stephen Gallacher, Daan Huizing of the Netherlands, Northern Ireland’s Gareth Maybin and Swedes Rikard Karlberg and Sebastian Soderberg trailed the top duo by one shot.

World No. 2 Henrik Stenson hit seven birdies but four bogeys spoiled things for the Swede, who finished with a 3-under 69.

“No catastrophe, but I feel like I left a couple of shots out there,” said Stenson, who was irritated by spectators not keeping their mobile phones on silent.

“We have problems with mobile phones whether we play in China, Germany and apparently also in Sweden,” he said. “People can take as many pictures as they want, as long as they turn the sound off.”

NELSON’S BAY, Australia – Kangaroos, poisonous snakes, world-class golfing and a championship win – it was quite a week for Brian MacLeod, one of Truro’s most prolific golfers.

MacLeod, who is fully blind, shredded the competition earlier this month in Nelson’s Bay, Australia, en route to winning the Australian Open. The title is yet another to add to MacLeod’s long list of wins, but it was only half of a doubleheader that didn’t pan out exactly how MacLeod had wanted.

Immediately following the Aussie Open was the 2014 ISPS HANDA World Blind Golf Championships, a bi-annual tournament that has eluded MacLeod thus far. “I really wanted to pick up a win in that one,” MacLeod said. “I played really well through the Australian Open, and tried to carry that over into the worlds.”

MacLeod came in to the worlds on fire, having won the Australian Open, as well as posting scores of 88 and 93 in tournaments in Arizona. The first day of competition at worlds, however, would prove to be a little more trying. After shooting an opening round of 120, MacLeod found himself well back of the lead, held by good friend and perennial competitor, Zohar Sharon. With a string of narrow fairways, the course quickly left MacLeod struggling to make up for his mistakes. “I got stuck in the trees and took probably three or four shots at it and I just couldn’t get out.” MacLeod would end up shooting back-to-back 10s, leaving himself in a hole he couldn’t dig his way out of. “From there, it’s pretty hard to battle back,” he said. “I just had to focus and try to get out of the round without too much damage.”

Heading into the clubhouse after the disappointing first round, MacLeod tried to keep a short memory and come back strong the next day. “I just didn’t want to have another bad day,” he said. “Everyone shot poorly, but I didn’t want to do that again. I just wanted to prove I could post a good score.”

And post a good score, he did. MacLeod bounced back with a round of 100, the lowest score posted by a B1 (totally blind) golfer all tournament. Despite the struggles in the opening round, MacLeod had placed himself back in the mix of things in the 36-hole tournament. He’d finish seven shots back of Sharon.

Read more about Brian’s win and his next tournaments here.

The latest World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) has all five members of Canada’s National Women’s Amateur team inside the top 100 for the first time in program history.

No. 3 – Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.)

No. 64 – Jennifer Ha (Calgary)

No. 80 – Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Québec City, Qué.)

No. 84 – Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.)

No. 90 – Augusta James (Bath, Ont.)

Women’s Head Coach, Tristan Mullally, could not be more proud of the hard work that each player has put in, along with the dedication of the coaching staff.

“This is a validation of work that’s being done both in the background and with the players – it’s a testament to the effort put forth by Golf Canada and the entire supporting staff,” said Mullally. “In year’s past the target has been to get one or two players into the top 100 – to have all five is an accomplishment we are all proud of. The goal now is to keep going and get all the girls into the top 50 and so on”.

Reluctant to take any credit, Mullally did go on to express the pride that the coaching staff feels from such an achievement.

“When I came on board to the program, I was certainly taking over from some unbelievably good work,” he said. “Things have continued to grow and I am very proud, but more than that I am truly proud of the players because it comes down to their performance in the end. We (the coaches) work incredibly hard to impact the lives of these players. It’s a very important job and we take it very seriously.”

DUBLIN, Ohio – By most standards this has been a good year for Jason Day. He won the Match Play Championship and finished 20th at the Masters.

But to put the season in perspective, Tiger Woods has played more competitive rounds since February than Day has.

The Aussie has missed most of the last three months due to a bad thumb, while Woods is on the shelf for the foreseeable future after back surgery.

After his long layoff, Day can’t wait to tee it up in Thursday’s first round of the Memorial Tournament.

“It was frustrating. It was really frustrating,” Day said of a ligament injury in his left thumb that sidelined him for six weeks after he played in pain at Augusta. “Because everything felt great. My whole body felt great except for one thing – my thumb.”

That appendage not only kept Day, seventh in the world golf rankings, from earning a living but even practicing.

“You can probably get away with maybe a bad back or a bad knee, but if you can’t hold a club, then that’s not fun,” he said.

But now Day – a member of Muirfield Village – will be surrounded by friends, neighbors and family when he finally gets to return to action.

“I went through phases,” he said of the time he killed during his recuperation. “I’d be like very happy during the week and on Sunday I’d be moody because I’d see the guys winning. I guess my wife, Ellie, knew when to come and talk to me and when not to.”

Ellie and the native of Beaudesert, Australia, have found a home in the Columbus area. She is from an hour or so away. So the Days, including son Dash, settled in the suburbs. Now he works on his game on the course that Jack (Nicklaus) built instead of some warmer clime.

“To be able to win in front of Jack and the fans here, it would be obviously a great honor,” the 26-year-old said.

Woods, who has won the Memorial five times, won’t be competing. He called Nicklaus on Wednesday morning, wished him luck and passed along his regrets.

“He said he’s doing well, progressing well, and he’s looking forward to getting back into the game,” said Nicklaus, the Memorial’s founder and host. “He misses it.”

There are still plenty of other candidates to challenge for the title in the 39th Memorial, including defending champion Matt Kuchar, world No. 1 Adam Scott, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson and Rory McIlroy, in addition to 2010 Memorial winner Justin Rose.

Kuchar captured the 2013 Memorial by two shots over Kevin Chappell and likes his odds at a repeat.

“I feel optimistic about my chances,” said Kuchar, behind only Woods in terms of scoring average in tournament history. “This course has been really good to me – one of my favorite places. I’ve had great success in the past and feel the state of my game is still pretty good.”

Scott ascended to the top spot in the world rankings and then solidified his position by winning last week, beating Jason Dufner in a playoff at the Colonial.

“I just had a random lunch with Luke Donald and he made a comment something like, `It feels pretty good up there’ or something like that,” Scott said. “And for sure it does. The feeling for me is I’m motivated to work hard and try to stay there for a little bit.”

Mickelson does not have a glittering history at Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village – just two top-fives in 13 starts – but is coming off a two-week respite at home where he’s worked on his game and tried to get in the proper mindset for the U.S. Open in two weeks at Pinehurst.

“I’m not worried about results as much as I am getting the game sharp,” said Mickelson, needing only a U.S. Open title to complete a personal Grand Slam. “But I do think the results are going to come if I just play well. I’m not worried about finishing first or second or top 10 or what have you, but building momentum, building confidence in my game over the next couple of weeks.”

Watson, like Mickelson also a lefty, has not played well at the Memorial. He’s never finished higher than two ties for 23rd in his eight starts. But that doesn’t mean he’s conceding anything.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a real high finish, but I look forward to the challenge,” the two-time Masters champion said. “Hopefully, now that I’m playing a little bit better, it’ll show on Sunday afternoon.”

McIlroy won on the European PGA Tour last week at Wentworth in the wake of the breakup of his engagement with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. He declined to discuss details of the separation on Wednesday.

Everyone, of course, is chasing the $1.1 million first-place check and the congratulatory handshake from Nicklaus on the 18th green. But everyone also is looking ahead to Pinehurst.

“It was really nice to get that win last weekend,” McIlroy said. “It gives me some confidence coming into here – and obviously the U.S. Open in a couple weeks’ time.”

DUBLIN, Ohio — The LPGA Championship is getting a new name, two big partners and a lot more exposure.

In what amounts to a merger announced Thursday morning, the LPGA Tour and PGA of America have become partners in the Women’s PGA Championship. It will be the first women’s major run by the PGA of America starting in 2015 at Westchester Country Club in New York.

KPMG will be the title sponsor and use the week to host a major conference that brings together top female executives from business, politics, sports and society.

“Of anything we’ve done over the last 18 months, there’s nothing I’m more excited about than this,” said Pete Bevacqua, the chief executive of the PGA of America. “We’re excited because we feel we need to do something big, something important with the women’s game. Our two key mandates are serving our members and growing the game. And so much of growing the game is getting more women involved.”

The plan is to move the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship around the country. The purse will increase in 2015 to $3.5 million, up from $2.25 million this year, and it will become only the second LPGA Tour event on network television, joining the U.S. Women’s Open.

NBC Sports will televise the Women’s PGA on the weekend.

The LPGA Championship dates to 1955 and had been sponsored by Wegmans in Rochester, New York. LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said Wegmans had reached a point that it could no longer be a title sponsor, and the solution proved to be ideal.

The partnership means the LPGA can lean on the PGA of America to run the major – Kerry Haigh, who sets up the PGA Championship and American-based Ryder Cup courses, will be in charge of Women’s PGA. And it allows the LPGA’s second-oldest major to rotate to major markets.

Whan said most of the championships will be in the New York area, allowing KPMG a strong market to host its business forum, though it would move to other markets to create space from a glut of majors in the area over the next decade.

Westchester was a popular stop on the PGA Tour for 40 years until 2007, with a list of winners that included Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Ernie Els.

“I am so excited to see the LPGA Championship take another huge leap forward,” said Nancy Lopez, a three-time LPGA champion. “For me, it has always been a special event that every player strives to win. But now, with the addition of network television, the awesome jump in prize money and the rotation of world-class venues – plus the opportunity to impact women in golf and in business – this is big time.”

One part of the merger includes teaching professionals.

The PGA of America has women among its 27,000 members. The LPGA has its own Teaching and Club Pro division. Starting next year, Whan said the Women’s PGA Championship field would include spots for club professionals from both organizations, a total number expected to be about eight players.

Whan said the idea came together quickly, and that KPMG was the first company they approached.

“They’re going to have a significant impact outside the ropes,” he said.

KPMG’s involvement in golf main had been endorsement deals with Phil Mickelson and Stacy Lewis, both of whom won the British Open last year. A big part of the week at the Women’s PGA will be a symposium for top business leaders that will be held on site.

“This sponsorship provides KPMG with a unique opportunity to take a leadership role in expanding women’s leadership, on and off the golf course,” said John Veihmeyer, global chairman of KPMG.

The LPGA Championship will be played Aug. 14-17 at Monroe Golf Club outside Rochester for the last time under its old name.