Since capturing her maiden LPGA title as a bright eyed 15-year-old amateur at The Vancouver Golf Club, Lydia Ko has become one of the sport’s brightest stars – and one of golf’s greatest ambassadors.

Today, as the current world No. 1, the 19-year-old from New Zealand is excited about the buzz around other young stars who have made their breakthroughs this season.

Looking back, it was in late August of 2012 at the Canadian Women’s Open that the then-15-year-old garnered attention from the entire sporting world by beating out the LPGA’s best – just two weeks after winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

“I never knew I had it coming, and I was so happy to win the U.S. Amateur – To win this, I never think about it.  I just wanted to make the cut,” admitted the talented teenage golfer in her presser after claiming the 2012 Canadian Women’s Open crown.

“When I saw that I was tied first after the second day, I was like, ‘wow, I’m feeling really good.’  And yeah, kind of surprised to have two wins in such a short time,” she added.

Today, with 14 LPGA Tour victories under her belt, the current world No. 1 still has fond memories of her surprising breakthrough victory on Canadian soil.

“I really didn’t expect that win of course but to have won that week it really gave me a lot of confidence and got me excited for the future,” she said during an interview at the Manulife LPGA Classic in Cambridge.

“Playing at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open recently, I really couldn’t believe that it’s already been four years since my first LPGA win in Vancouver,” added Ko, who now has three Canadian Women’s Opens titles and two majors to her name.

As arguably the Tour’s brightest star, the 19-year-old from New Zealand says the emergence and other young stars this year has done a lot to fuel the excitement among golf fans around the world.

One of those young stars is 18-year-old Canadian Brooke Henderson who captured her first LPGA major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June.

Having edged out Ko on the first playoff hole at the Sahalee Country Club – and moving up to world No. 2 in the process – Henderson spoke about the respect she has for the world No. 1.

“I was 14 playing in my first Canadian Open, and she was 15 and she won it. So I thought I was doing pretty well. And then she kind of showed me that there was much more.  And it definitely really has helped me to be better and to believe in myself, too, just watching her,” said Henderson after winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

With both still in their teens and sitting on top of the world rankings, the talented Smith Falls golfer predicted more exciting finishes ahead between herself and Ko.

“It’s pretty cool that we’re both kind of coming on to the stage. She was a little bit before me. But looks like our careers will probably start pretty much close to the same time and probably end at the same time,” added the young Canadian.

“I hope we have lots of extra holes like that or lots of times where we’re contending for the championship.”

Since capturing the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Henderson has been surpassed by the 2016 Ricoh Women’s British Open champion Ariya Jutanugarn in the world rankings.

The 20-year-old from Bangkok, Thailand has been impressive with five victories so far in 2016 and recently captured the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in August.

With her two closest rivals in terms of rankings also being very close in age, the recent Olympic silver medalist acknowledges the likelihood – and benefits – of a budding rivalry in years to come.

“Both Ariya and Brooke have been playing great.  Both of them got their first major win this year and I got mine in the last major of last year,” said Ko about the current world No. 2 and world No. 3.

“It’s been really fun to play alongside them and watch what they’ve been doing; I think we all push each other to get better.”

While a rivalry means there will be uncertainty as to who comes up on top, the thoughtful young golfer from New Zealand recognizes the biggest winners of having others like Henderson and Jutanugarn step into the spotlight are the golf fans around the world.

“We all feed off each other and that’s exciting for the crowds and the media,” said the world No. 1. “Because it means that they will get to see some very exciting golf, which is great for the game.”

NORTON, Mass. – Paul Casey made a birdie and eagle over the last three holes Sunday for a 5-under 66 and a three-shot lead going into the Labour Day finish at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Casey hit his tee shot to 5 feet for birdie on the par-3 16th, and then drilled a 3-iron into the swirling wind on the par-5 18th, and it worked out perfectly. It landed just left of the green, caught a ridge and rolled to 30 inches for the eagle.

He was at 15-under 198.

Brian Harman was second after a 68, and PGA champion Jimmy Walker, Kevin Chappell and Smylie Kaufman were four shots back.

The starting times for Monday were moved because remnants of Hermine were expected to produce 35 mph wind and rain.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., shot a 69 and is tied for 11th at 8 under. Adam Hadwin (73) of Abbotsford, B.C., is well back in a tie for 61st.

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. – Caroline Masson broke out of a star-filled pack Sunday to win the LPGA Manulife Classic for her first tour title.

The 27-year-old German player rebounded from an opening double bogey to make nine birdies in a 5-under 67. She beat third-round leader Mi Hyang Lee, Minjee Lee and Solheim Cup teammate Karine Icher by a stroke, finishing at 16-under 272 at Whistle Bear.

Masson joined Anna Nordqvist and Brittany Lang as the only players over 23 years old to win in the first 24 events this season – and also joined Nordqvist as the only European winners.

Mi Hyang Lee had a 71, Minjee Lee shot 68, and Icher 66.

Mi Hyang Lee parred the final two holes to miss a chance for a playoff.

Masson didn’t make a par until the seventh hole, following the double bogey with three straight birdies, a bogey on No. 5 and a birdied on the sixth. The former Oklahoma State player had four straight birdies on Nos. 9-12, bogeyed the par-4 13th and birdied the par-5 16th. She birdied all four par 5s.

Ariya Jutanugarn tied for fifth at 14 under in her bid to win three straight events for the second time this season. The second-ranked Jutanugarn made two late bogeys for a 70.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko and 2015 winner Suzann Pettersen also were 14 under. Ko had a 68, and Pettersen finished with a 66. Canadian star Brooke Henderson tied for 39th at 7 under after a 71.

Alena Sharp finished at 9-under and tied for 26th.

Baddeck, N.S. – Syracuse, New York’s Dan McCarthy made history Sunday, shooting a final round 4-under 68 at Bell Bay Golf Club to win the Cape Breton Open and become the first player in Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada history to win four times in a season.

The 31-year old rode a streak of three straight birdies on the back nine to finish 18-under and secure a three-shot win over Denver’s Michael Schoolcraft, winning for the fourth time this year and strengthening his hold atop the season-long Order of Merit.

“This one was tough,” said McCarthy. “I played well all day long, and early on I had a lot of opportunities that I didn’t convert. It really didn’t happen until I made a good par save from about six feet on 14, and I just needed to see one go in. It was tight all day long. This was not easy today by any stretch.”

After carding birdies on the first two holes, it looked as though McCarthy would once again run away from the field. The LeMoyne College graduate started the day tied for the lead with Schoolcraft and Burlington, Ontario’s Michael Gligic, and had already converted three 54-hole leads or co-leads into victory this season.

But after a mid-round stall and a charge by Gligic, who took the lead with birdies on the ninth and 10th holes, McCarthy found himself chasing from behind. He found his spark, however, by draining a six-foot par putt on the 14th hole that but the momentum squarely behind him.

“That was a big relief. I had been missing putts all day long, and when you’re missing, you’re a little unsure of your reads. I finally rolled that one right in the middle, and that gave me the confidence going forward,” said McCarthy.

Suddenly, the Order of Merit leader was in control, and with birdies on 15, 16 and 17, the lead ballooned to four shots, clearing the way for a walk up the 18th hole with victory all be secured.

With the win, McCarthy expands his commanding lead atop the Order of Merit to $60,988 over No. 2 Taylor Moore, guaranteeing himself a spot in The Five and Web.com Tour status for next season. The only way McCarthy cannot finish atop the Order of Merit now would be for Moore to win out and McCarthy to earn less than $6,512 in the remaining two events of the season.

“I’ve struggled getting through Q-School and all that, but I’ve played a lot of really good golf over the last couple of years, and I just didn’t do it at the right time. It feels amazing to do it right now at the right time and hopefully seal the deal,” said McCarthy of achieving his goal of reaching the Web.com Tour.

For McCarthy, who has preached a patient approach based on playing his own game for the whole year, the unprecedented season of winning comes thanks to experiences in the past that didn’t turn out as glorious as they have this year.

“I’m a little older than some of the other guys in that top five. I’ve unfortunately screwed up a number of times, and I think we learn the most from our mistakes. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my career, and tried to learn as much as I could from those,” said McCarthy.

Schoolcraft’s birdie on the 18th hole earned him his best career Mackenzie Tour finish and moved him to eighth on the Order of Merit, while Gligic, Moore and Dillon Rust finish in a three-way tie for third at 14-under.

GLIGIC EARNS FREEDOM 55 FINANCIAL TOP CANADIAN HONOURS

With a total score of 14-under par in a tie for third place, Burlington, Ontario’s Michael Gligic finished as the top Canadian on the leaderboard, earning Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week honours and a $2,500 prize. Gligic also captured the honour earlier this year at the Players Cup.

The top Canadian on the leaderboard each week takes home the award, with the top Canadian on the Order of Merit at season’s end earning the Dan Halldorson Trophy, Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year honours and a $25,000 prize.

CALGARY – Paraguay’s Carlos Franco rallied to win the Shaw Charity Classic on Sunday at chilly Canyon Meadows for his first PGA Tour Champions victory.

Three strokes behind defending champion Jeff Maggert entering the round, the 51-year-old Franco shot his second straight 7-under 63 to beat Bernhard Langer and Michael Allen by two strokes.

Franco birdied the par-5 18th to finish at 18-under 192. He had three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the front nine, birdied four of the first five on the back nine and made his lone bogey on the par-3 16th. The four-time PGA Tour winner won in his 25th start on the 50-and-over tour.

Langer shot 64. The 59-year-old German star won the Boeing Classic last week for his fourth victory of the year and 29th overall on tour.

Allen closed 64-63 after opening with a 67.

Maggert shot 74 to tie for sixth at 10 under. He opened with consecutive 63s.

Rod Spittle was the top Canadian, finishing 8-under and tying for 14th.

Tom Watson shot 67 on his 67th birthday to tie for 26th. He had a 65 on Friday.

John Daly tied for 53rd at 1 under after a 74.

NORTON, Mass. – Kevin Chappell did just about everything right Saturday, even when making his lone bogey, on his way to a 7-under 64 that gave him a one-shot lead in the Deutsche Bank Championship and another chance at his first PGA Tour victory.

Chappell pitched in for eagle on No. 7 and made a 35-foot birdie putt on the next hole. Even better was the 15-foot bogey putt on the 13th hole, and his great escape from a bad shot when trying to lay up on the par-5 18th.

He was at 11-under 131, one shot ahead of PGA champion Jimmy Walker (64) and Paul Casey (66).

Dustin Johnson was poised to join Chappell in the lead until an approach into the woods led to double bogey on the par-5 closing hole.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., stayed in contention with his second-straight round of 68. He’s at 6 under and in a tie for 13th. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., shot a 72 and is 2 over for the event.

CALGARY – Jeff Maggert shot his second straight round of 7-under 63 at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club on Saturday to move atop the Shaw Charity Classic leaderboard.

The defending champion has the outright lead at 14 under through two rounds of play at the PGA Tour Champions event.

Maggert is three shots clear of Carlos Franco, who also carded a 63, to get to 10 under. Charles Schwab Cup standings leader Bernhard Langer shot his second straight round of 65 to finish Round 2 at 10 under and in third place.

“Jeff Maggert is a good friend of mine, too, and he played well,” said Franco. “I know he’s a fantastic player, but I’m prepared to come strong tomorrow.”

Michael Allen followed up his opening-round 67 with a 64 on Saturday and is tied for fourth at 9 under with Fred Funk and Jose Coceres. After paring the first hole, Allen reeled off five straight birdies before cooling off a bit on the back nine.

“Maggert’s a tough competitor. When he plays well, he doesn’t make a whole lot of mistakes,” said Allen, who teed off almost two hours ahead of the leaders. “If he’s leading by three or four, it’s going to be hard to catch him, that’s for sure.”

Rod Spittle of Niagara Falls, Ont., had a solid round of 4-under 66 to move into a tie for 18th spot overall at 6 under heading into Sunday’s final round.

“I just hit it in the fairway and probably hit a few more greens today,” said Spittle, who had a chance to get to 7 under, but he missed a short putt for birdie on the par-5 18th hole.

“It would be nice to have a do-over. It wasn’t a very good effort. The third shot was probably closer than the fourth one. I made my fair share today. It would have been nice to finish that way. We’ll see what we can do tomorrow.”

Victoria’s Jim Rutledge and Vancouver’s Stephen Ames are sitting well back in a tie for 66th place at 2 over after shooting rounds of 73 and 72 respectively.

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. – It’s easy to find Brooke Henderson at the LPGA Manulife Classic.

You don’t need a map of Whistle Bear Golf Club or an app on your phone and you don’t even have to ask a course official for help.

All you have to do to follow the crowds that trail the 18-year-old phenom from hole to hole. Even though Henderson’s not the top player at the tournament, not even the low Canadian, the world No. 3 is by far the most popular, with hundreds of fans following her.

“I turned to (sister and caddy) Britt at one point, I was like, ‘it’s going to be boring when we go back to not having this kind of crowd,”’ said Henderson after stepping off the 18th green. “It’s really been so much fun to play in front of, and I just thank everybody for coming out.”

After speaking with reporters, Henderson waded into an area roped off by police and security so she could pose for pictures and sign memorabilia, with one fan even coming away with an autograph on her face.

Even when she struggled on the 18th hole – her tee shot got lost in the woods and she had to settle for a bogey – the fans cheered the native of Smiths Falls, Ont., on. That bogey and another on 17 sank her to 3-under 69 on the day and into a tie for 29th at 6 under.

“I was 5-under through 16 holes and had the whole crowd behind me, and the crowds were amazing today,” said Henderson. “Unbelievable really, and I just love playing in front of them, and I had a lot of fun today, which again, is kind of newer. I haven’t been enjoying it as much, but today I really enjoyed myself.”

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (70) and Quebec City’s Anne Catherine Tanguay (68) were the low Canadians, tying for 23rd at 7 under. Maude-Aimee Leblanc (72) of Sherbrooke, Que., was tied for 46th.

“I’m just really thrilled,” said Tanguay, who splits her time between the LPGA and Symetra Tours. “I don’t think I made any mistakes today and that was the goal for me this week.”

The crowds may have been focused on Henderson, but all four Canadians have enjoyed the support of the home-town fans. Henderson had the earliest tee time of the four and after she had completed her autograph duties the fans stayed at the 18th green to give a rousing ovation to each Canadian player as they sank their final putts of the round.

“The fans are amazing,” said Sharp. “There are so many people out here watching and it’s great to see for women’s golf. We don’t get a lot of tournaments where we get huge crowds like this so you’ve got to soak it up.”

Sharp, who placed a career-best fourth at last week’s Canadian Women’s Open, hopes to finish the Manulife Classic with a strong performance and contend for her first ever LPGA title.

“Tomorrow that’s my goal, to start from tee No. 1 no matter who’s done what before I tee off and just play one shot at a time and see how it goes,” said Sharp.

South Korea’s Mi Hyang Lee shot a 6-under 66 to take the top spot on the leaderboard at -14. Fellow Korean Hyo Joo Kim, who shot a 68 to sit in second and a shot behind the lead, Lee will be in the same pairing for the fourth and final round.

Lee will have a lot of competition in a very close field, with eight other players within four shots of her, including world No. 1 Lydia Ko.

BADDECK, N.S. – Syracuse, New York’s Dan McCarthy, Burlington, Ont.’s Michael Gligic and Denver’s Michael Schoolcraft all reached 14-under through three rounds on Saturday at Bell Bay Golf Club to share the 54-hole lead headed into the final round of the Cape Breton Open.

McCarthy, the current Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit leader, rebounded from an opening double bogey to birdie his final two holes of the day and shoot a 4-under 68, matching Gligic, who blazed through Bell Bay with a 10-under 62, along with Schoolcraft, who fired an 8-under 64.

“I told myself I had 35 more holes to play to get it back together,” said McCarthy, who will go for an unprecedented fourth win of the season on Sunday. “There were just a couple squirrely shots to start – not really nerves or anything, just some boneheaded stuff. Birdies on the last two to get a share and have a chance tomorrow, those were huge.”

Gligic, a 26-year old in his seventh full season on the Mackenzie Tour, produced 10 birdies on the day to shoot 62, marking the new competitive course record at Bell Bay.

“It was tough out there, and I probably made it look a little bit easier, but I played my butt off,” said Gligic, who sits 11^th on the Order of Merit. “I didn’t miss to many shots, and when I did it was in the right spots, and my short game was pretty good. My irons were sharp all day, and I was making a lot of 5- to 15-footers, and it added up pretty quickly.”

“That’s pretty ridiculous,” said McCarthy of Gligic’s round. “That’s outstanding. Mike and I have played together at this event and he’s played well, so it’s about time we see his name up there.”

For Schoolcraft, the day’s highlight came when he nearly aced the 17^th hole for the second day in a row. On Friday, the 24-year old holed a 7-iron from 190 yards and nearly did it again on Saturday with a 9-iron, stopping just inches short of the cup.

“It was actually a better shot today. The one yesterday got a really good bounce, and today was all over it and just a little bit short,” said Schoolcraft.

One shot behind the trio at 14-under was Southlake, Texas’ Brian Dwyer, who carded a 3-under 69, followed by Church Point, Nova Scotia’s Austin Connelly at 12-under thanks to a Saturday 67.

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. – Nicole Vandermade arrived on the putting green Tuesday at Whistle Bear Golf Club, the site of this week’s Manulife LPGA Classic, and the first thing she received was a big hug from Lorie Kane.

“What are you doing here, are you playing?” asked Kane.

“I am!” responded Vandermade enthusiastically, to a high-five from the Hall of Famer.

Vandermade had Monday Qualified the day prior, after a 73 got her through.

She had been playing at her home course – Brantford Golf and Country Club – at least once a week, and thanks to a friendship with Sean Casey at Glen Abbey Golf Club, she practiced there nearly every weekday this summer as well.

“I had been playing well, but playing well on your home course is much different than playing well in a tournament. I honestly just came out here trying to play my game and see what happens. I knew if I did that, I’d have a good shot,” she admitted. “But obviously anything can happen out here, so I just tried to enjoy myself and count them up at the end and see what happens.”

On Tuesday Vandermade, who was part of Golf Canada’s National Team from 2006-2011, enjoyed catching up with old friends like fellow Canadian Jennifer Kirby, and the aforementioned Kane. She also managed to get in some practice, as although she lived close to Whistle Bear, she didn’t play the course growing up.

“It’s weird, I played a junior tour growing up where the Tour Championship was at this golf course, but I played a different event that week and couldn’t play here,” she said. “I’ve always known about it but never gotten out.”

The 26-year-old, who has a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Texas at Austin, worked with Golf Canada in the Player Development Experience department this summer. She worked the National Team and Olympians making sure their gear was in order amongst other important tasks.

She finished Friday, and got right to ‘work’ Monday for the qualifier. But despite her quick success, she’s come to the Manulife LPGA Classic without any expectations on what might happen.

“Honestly I’m taking it week by week,” she explained. “I finished work last week, playing here this week obviously, I’m playing the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada (at Credit Valley Golf and Country Club) next week, and then honestly I have no idea what I’m doing after that.”

Vandermade has even begun applying for “real” jobs.

“One is an athletic department at a university, and a couple other local ones. I’ll see what I get back from that,” she stated. “I’ll probably keep playing but honestly I have no idea, I’m just playing and enjoying it and seeing what happens.”

Also Monday qualifying was Vivian Tsui of Markham, Ont.

With the addition of the pair, there are now 13 Canadians in the field for the 2016 Manulife LPGA Classic.