SAUCIER, Miss. – Jeff Maggert became the 17th player in Champions Tour history to win in his debut, shooting a 4-under 68 on Sunday at the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic at Fallen Oak.

Maggert fell into a tie for the lead with Billy Andrade after making bogey on No. 16, but responded with an astonishing, 50-foot putt for birdie on No. 17 that pushed him back ahead.

Maggert’s decisive putt had a large break from left to right and was over a ridge, and the 50-year-old struck it perfectly, shaking his head in disbelief after it fell in the hole.

Andrade, who started the day tied with Fred Funk for the lead, shot a 71 to finish in second two strokes back.

Maggert finished the tournament with an 11-under 205.

Both Canadians broke par and cracked the top-30.

Victoria, B.C. native, Jim Rutledge, tied for 26th at 2-under 214 (74-69-71).

Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont. finished a stoke back at 1-under 215 (72-71-72). He tied for 29th.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Matt Every always believed he would finally win on the PGA Tour. He couldn’t have imagined it happening Sunday at Bay Hill.

Nine shots out of the lead going into the weekend, still four shots behind Adam Scott going into the final round, Every took advantage of a surprising collapse by the Masters champion and held on to the very end for a 2-under 70 to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Every made two bogeys in the last three holes, including a 4-foot par putt he missed on the 18th hole. That forced him to wait 10 excruciating minutes to see if Keegan Bradley could force a playoff. Bradley’s 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole missed on the left side.

Cocky by nature, Every choked back tears when he realized he had won in his 92nd try as a professional.

“It’s hard,” he said, stopping to compose himself. “It’s tough, man. You just never know if it’s going to happen. You get there so many times. It’s nice to get it done.”

Scott, in his final tournament before he defends his title at Augusta National, came undone.

Along with two quick bogeys to start his round, he didn’t make a birdie over the final 14 holes. Nothing summed up his awful day like the par-5 16th, the easiest at Bay Hill. Every made a bogey to fall to 14-under par. Scott, playing behind him in the final group, had a 20-foot eagle putt on the 16th to tie for the lead. He ran it 4 feet by, and then missed that for a three-putt par.

Scott closed with a 76 to finish third. He had to win to reach No. 1 when he arrived at the Masters. Now, the No. 1 spot held by Tiger Woods for the last year will be up for grabs at Augusta among Woods, Scott and Henrik Stenson, who tied for fifth at Bay Hill.

Every grew up about 90 minutes away in Daytona Beach. This was the first PGA Tour event he attended as a kid, coming with his father to watch Mark Calcavecchia, his favorite player. After a wild final hour, Every donned the blue blazer on the 18th green and had an audience with The King – tournament host Arnold Palmer.

“I kept telling myself, `Maybe it’s going to be somewhere special,'” Every said about going for his first win. “This is really cool. I still can’t believe it.”

Every finished at 13-under 275, one shot ahead of Bradley, who needed two late birdies for a 72.

Until Sunday, about the only time Every made news on the PGA Tour was when he was arrested and jailed on a misdemeanor drug possession charge at the 2010 John Deere Classic after agents were called to a casino hotel because of a strong odor of marijuana coming from the room he was in.

Every paid the price with a three-month suspension that kept him from retaining his PGA Tour card. He once said earning his card back was his greatest achievement, though that sure takes a seat back to his win at Bay Hill.

Along with getting into the Masters, Every qualifies for two World Golf Championships and the PGA Championship.

Jason Kokrak closed with a 73 to finish alone in fourth. Erik Compton, twice a recipient of a heart transplant, shot 69 and tied for fifth with Stenson and Francesco Molinari of Italy (73).

As big of a win as it was for Every, it was crushing for Scott. His long putter staked him a big lead at the halfway point, and it hurt over the final two rounds, particularly on Sunday. The longest putt he made all day was from 12 feet for par on the 15th hole, and he missed five putts inside 10 feet.

He had talked Saturday night about being in the prime of his career and needing to capitalize on chances. Instead, the 33-year-old Australian let another one get away.

Scott had a three-shot lead over Bradley to start the final round and had another sloppy start.

This time, however, he didn’t recover.

He went bunker-to-bunker for bogey on the opening hole and pulled his 3-wood off the tee and into the water for another bogey on No. 3. He appeared to steady himself with an up-and-down birdie on the par-5 fourth.

He didn’t make another birdie the rest of the way.

Every seized control after one of his worst shots of the day, and one of his best breaks. He pulled his tee shot on No. 9 toward the trees and the out-of-bounds stakes, only for the ball to roll along the cart path for a slight opening through the trees. He hit that 15 feet below the hole for birdie, and then tied Scott for the lead with a 20-foot birdie putt on the next hole.

And when Every made an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-5 12th, it was the first time since mid-morning Thursday that someone other than Scott was not atop the leaderboard. And it only got better for Every – and worse for Scott – the rest of the way.

Canada’s David Hearn shot a 2-over 74 Sunday. He finish 1-over par at 289 and tied for 52nd.

LAKE WALES, Fla. – China’s Yueer Cindy Feng won the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic on Sunday for her first Symetra Tour title.

Feng closed with a 5-under 67 to finish at 9-under 207 at Lake Wales Country Club. She eagled the par-5 10th and had five birdies and two bogeys.

Making her third start on the tour, Feng earned $18,750 to jump from 10th to first on the money list with $22,484. The top 10 at the end of the season will earn LPGA Tour cards.

Megan McChrystal, Jackie Stoelting and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que. – the second-round leader – tied for second, four strokes back at 211. McChrystal shot 67, Stoelting 71, and LeBlanc 72.

LeBlanc, a former Canadian Junior Girl’s champion and Team Canada member, had two birdies and two bogeys on the day.

The other Canadians were able to go substantially lower during the final round.

Sara-Maude Juneau of Fossambault, Que. (213) fired a 4-under 68 en route to her fifth place finish. Juneau, also a former Team Canada member, tallied six birdies and a pair of bogeys Sunday to finish at 213.

Kelowna, B.C.’s Samantha Richdale saved her best golf for the final round. She had the lowest score of all Canadians on the day – a 5-under-par 67. She tied for 14th at even par 216.

Brantford, Ont.’s Nicole Vandermade had a 4-under 68 Sunday. She credited her putter for the solid round.

Vandermade finished tied for 14th with Mississauga, Ont.’s Brogan McKinnon. The pair shot matching 4-under 68’s and were 2-over par for the tournament.

McKinnon, who is playing her first event as a professional, also thanked her play on the short grass after her round.

Both Vandermade and McKinnon are former members of Team Canada.

Canadian Scores:

T2. Maude-Aimee Leblanc – 67-72-72–211 (-5)
5.  Sara-Maude Juneau – 73-72-68–213 (-3)
T14. Samantha Richdale – 78-71–67-216 (E)
T24. Nicole Vandermade – 76-74-68–218 (+2)
T24. Brogan McKinnon – 73-77-68–218 (+2)

ORLANDO, Fla. – The World Golf Hall of Fame is changing the criteria, voting process and timing of player inductions.

No one has been elected this year while the criteria went through an overhaul. The next induction will be May 2015.

Officials have eliminated the PGA Tour and International ballots for men. Instead, the four categories will be for men, women, veterans and lifetime achievement. Active players must have 15 wins on major tours or two majors.

The biggest change is the voting. Instead of a panel of media, golf dignitaries and Hall of Fame member, a 16-person panel will do the voting. The majority of that panel is golf administrators, along with three golf writers and four Hall of Fame members. A 20-person panel will nominate potential inductees.

PHOENIX – Lydia Ko topped the crowded leaderboard in the JTBC Founders Cup, pulling ahead with two late birdies.

The 16-year-old New Zealander shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday to reach 16-under 200 at Desert Ridge. She tapped in for birdie on the par-5 15th after missing an 8-foot eagle putt and took the outright lead with a 10-footer on the par-3 17th.

Ko won the Canadian Women’s Open as an amateur the last two years and took the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters in December in Thailand in her second start as a professional. She has five victories in pro events, also winning in Australia and New Zealand.

Jessica Korda and Mirim Lee were a stroke back, and a dozen players were within four shots. Korda had a 66, and Lee shot 70.

Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. carded a third round 70. She tied for 42nd spot at 6-under-par.

LAKE WALES, Florida – Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que. shot an even-par 72 in the second-round of the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic Saturday to remain at 5-under-par for the tournament and maintain a one-stroke lead. 

LeBlanc got off to a strong start with a birdie on the first hole.  She made four total birdies on the front nine to move to 8-under for the tournament at the turn.

The tides turned on the back nine quickly when she made bogey on the tenth hole.  After three straight pars, LeBlanc made double bogey on the par-4 14^th hole.

“It was not as good as yesterday, I didn’t make as many putts,” said LeBlanc.  “The greens were very tough to read again and I just made a couple bad swings on the back nine and it cost me a double bogey on 14.”

LeBlanc finished her round with four straight pars to stay at 5-under-par for the tournament.

“Even par is not that bad and I’m still in contention, so I can’t be too disappointed.”

LeBlanc, who led by two strokes after day one, will take a slim one stroke lead into Sunday.

“I’ll just try to focus on what I do best and keep a good tempo, today I struggled a bit with my tempo and my swing,” said LeBlanc, a former Team Canada member who won a National Championship with Purdue in 2010.  “Tomorrow, I need to just stay relaxed and smooth and just play as if I was playing back home.”

The recipe for her first tournament win in her first Symetra Tour event will be simple.

“If a can drop a couple putts, I’ll be in good shape.”

Jackie Stoelting, Karlin Beck and Yueer Cindy Feng are tied for second at 4-under-par for the tournament.

The cut was made at 6-over-par.  A total of 76 players made the cut and will play on Sunday.

Canadian Scores:

1. Maude-Aimee Leblanc – 67-72–139 (-5)
T22.  Sara-Maude Juneau – 73-72–145 (+1)
T51. Samantha Richdale – 78-71–149 (+5)
T62. Nicole Vandermade – 76-74–150 (+6)
T62. Brogan McKinnon – 73-77–150 (+6)
— MISSED CUT —
Christine Wong – 73-78–151 (+7)
Erica Rivard – 75-77-152 (+8)
Stephanie Sherlock – 75-77–152 (+8)
Jessica Wallace – 76-77–153 (+9)
Ashley Sholer – 82-71–153 (+9)
Angela Buzminski – 76-78–154 (+10)
Lisa Meldrum – 75-84–159 (+15)

SAUCIER, Miss. – Billy Andrade hasn’t played much competitive golf over the past four years. It was hard to tell on Saturday.

The 50-year-old Andrade had the low round of the day, firing a 7-under 65 to jump into a tie for the lead with Fred Funk after the second round of the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic at Fallen Oak.

Andrade made nine birdies on Saturday, including a stretch of six over seven holes midway through the round. The exclamation point came on the final hole, when he drained a 20-foot putt for birdie.

It’s the second time in less than a year that Andrade has been in contention to win a tournament in the Magnolia State. He finished fifth at the Sanderson Farms Classic in Madison, Miss., last summer, which was easily his best finish in three starts on the PGA Tour last year.

“I have no idea what it is about Mississippi,” Andrade said laughing. “But right now, I absolutely love it.”

Andrade is playing in just his fourth Champions Tour event. His best finish was eighth place at the ACE Group Classic in February.

Fred Couples started the day with a two-stroke lead, but fell into a tie for second place after shooting a 71. Jay Haas and Jeff Maggert both had 69 to join Couples one stroke behind the leaders.

Andrade has been mostly on the sidelines the past four years, working part time as an analyst for the Golf Channel. He’s started just eight tournaments on the PGA Tour since 2010 and said it’s been nice to play several events in a row on the Champions Tour since he turned 50 to regain some consistency.

“It was kind of a swirly, windy day,” Andrade said. “We didn’t know if the wind was helping us or hurting us on some holes. But I got off to a nice start with a birdie on the first hole and then got into a nice rhythm.”

Andrade and Funk are at 8-under 136 for the tournament. Funk shot a 67 on Saturday.

“I like coming here because it’s a pretty difficult golf course and I like hard golf courses,” Funk said. “When you’re playing well, you try to get a little separation, although we’re not too separated on the board right now.”

There are 11 players within three shots of the lead.

Couples had a good start on Saturday, going 2-under through his first six holes. But he had 11 pars and a bogey the rest of the way to finish at 71, which snapped his streak of 12 straight rounds on the Champions Tour in the 60s.

The streak was one shy of Hale Irwin’s record set in 1999.

“It was just a little sloppy,” Couples said. “I didn’t make a birdie on the back nine, so that’s a lot of holes without making a birdie.”

David Frost was disqualified Saturday after removing a stone in a bunker on Friday, which should have resulted in a two-stroke penalty. A Champions Tour official said Frost self-reported the violation after Saturday’s round.

Frost was tied for sixth place at 6-under before his disqualification.

Canada’s Rod Spittle (St. Catharines, Ont.) and Jim Rutledge (Victoria, B.C.) are tied for 26th at 1-under par.

Because of expected rain, the tee times have been moved earlier for Sunday’s final round. The leaders are scheduled to tee off at 10 a.m. CT.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Adam Scott still has the lead at Bay Hill. At least five other players suddenly have a realistic chance at winning.

Scott lost more than half his lead Saturday in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He missed three par putts inside 8 feet and had to settle for a 1-under 71. That gave him a three-shot lead over Keegan Bradley going into the final round.

Bradley’s approach to the 18th narrowly cleared the rocks and set up a 4-foot birdie putt for a 66.

Scott was at 15-under 201.

Matt Every (66) and Jason Kokrak (67) were four shots behind. Neither has ever won on the PGA Tour. Chesson Hadley and Francesco Molinari each shot 69 and were another shot behind. Hadley can qualify for the Masters with a high finish.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont. carded a 1-over 73 on moving day, which saw his drop 13 spots into a tie for 42nd.

PHOENIX – Mirim Lee remained atop the JTBC Founders Cup leaderboard in her third LPGA Tour start.

The 23-year-old South Korean player shot a 5-under 67 on Friday to take a two-stroke advantage over 16-year-old Lydia Ko into the weekend at Desert Ridge’s Wildfire Golf Club.

A three-time winner on the Korean LPGA, Lee played the final eight holes in 5 under, making an eagle and three birdies to reach 13-under 131. She opened with a 64 on Thursday for a one-shot lead.

Ko, the Canadian Women’s Open winner as an amateur the last two years, shot 66. The first-year pro played a late six-hole stretch in 6 under with an eagle and four birdies.

Sun Young Yoo was third at 10 under after a 65.

Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. was the lone Canadian to survive the 36-hole cut in Arizona. Kirby carded a second round 1-under 71 and sits in a tie for 38th at 4-under 140 heading into the weekend. Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham sat in a tie for 18th after the opening round but struggled on Friday carding a 5-over 77 to finish three strokes outside of the cut line alongside Sue Kim of Langely, B.C. at 1-over par.

LAKE WALES, Florida – In her first Symetra Tour event of the season, Canada’s Maude-Aimée LeBlanc fired a 5-under-par 67 Friday to take a two-stroke lead after the first-round of the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic.

LeBlanc’s round started as good as she could have asked with an eagle on the par-5 tenth hole.  She birdied the 13^th hole and made the turn at 3-under.

On the front nine, she birdied three of her first six holes.  After a bogey on the seventh hole, she concluded her round with a birdie on the par-5 ninth hole.

“I stroked the ball really well today,” said 25-year-old LeBlanc.  “It was a little windy, so that was tricky and some pins were tough to get close and I was struggling a little with the speed of the greens, but I stayed patient and made some good rolls and I played well.”

On her final hole, a par-5, LeBlanc took advantage of the downwind and had a 5-iron into the green.  She wound up in the green side bunker, but hit a great bunker shot to end her round with a birdie.

“I hit my bunker shot to about a foot and was able to make the putt so it was definitely a nice way to finish,” said LeBlanc with a wide smile.  “I’m definitely looking forward to coming back tomorrow.”

LeBlanc has a two-stroke lead over a pair of Americans – Ginger Howard and Kendall Dye – who both shot 3-under 69.

“It’s always nice to be in contention, that is what everybody is working to do,” said the Sherbrooke, Que. native.  “I’m going to stay with the same plan tomorrow and Sunday, I’ll be patient and I’m going to try to make some putts.”

LeBlanc played in the first two LPGA events of the season.  She missed the cut at the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic and the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.  The event in Australia, which was held from February 12-16, was the last time Leblanc played competitive golf.

“I worked on my swing and got some new clubs and that really made a big difference,” said LeBlanc.  “Just been playing well for the last couple of weeks and I’m glad it showed here today.”

Canadian Scores:

1. Maude-Aimee Leblanc – 67 (-5)
T27.  Sara-Maude Juneau – 73 (+1)
T27. Brogan McKinnon – 73 (+1)
T27. Christine Wong – 73 (+1)
T61. Erica Rivard – 75 (+3)
T61. Stephanie Sherlock – 75 (+3)
T61.  Lisa Meldrum – 75 (+3)
T78. Angela Buzminski – 76 (+4)
T78. Nicole Vandermade – 76 (+4)
T78. Jessica Wallace – 76 (+4)
T107. Samantha Richdale – 78 (+6)
T141. Ashley Sholer – 82 (+10)