Calgary – Austin Connelly and Carlos Sainz Jr., are tied atop the leader board at 11-under 133 through 36 holes of the ATB Financial Classic, the eighth event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

Playing in the first group on the golf course this morning, Connelly continued to play conservative and converted birdies on both par 5s on the front nine before adding two more on Nos. 13 and 14. Sudden windy conditions led to his only bogey at the par-3 16^th, but Connelly quickly rebounded with a timely birdie at the par-4 18^th to ascend to 11-under for the tournament.

“I came in with the same mindset that I had going into yesterday which was to give myself as many good looks as possible – try to keep it on the proper sides of the hole,” Connelly said. “Out here it’s really important to keep it below the hole because you can find yourself in some extremely difficult situations on these greens if you don’t do that.”

At 19 years, 10 months and 18 days, Connelly is the youngest player in the field. With this being his first full season on Tour, the young Canadian is quickly learning what it takes to manage being in contention.

“It takes a lot of playing out here and being in the situation — it’s definitely an adjustment,” Connelly said. “This is the fourth event out here where I’ve been at or near the lead at least through the middle of the second round so I’m starting to get a lot more comfortable around the lead, whereas three or four events ago I was a little less comfortable.”

On the opposite side of the draw, Sainz was greeted with blustery conditions for his afternoon tee time, but was not fazed by the challenge en route to a bogey-free 5-under 67.

“My game plan was to hit it lower in this wind,” Sainz said. “I wanted to take advantage with how well I’m playing, and this course is still doable in the wind because the fairways aren’t too tight, and I was fortunate to make some putts along the way.”

After only one birdie on the front nine, the former Mississippi State Bulldog poured in four birdies on the back, including three on the last four holes, to vault up the leader board and join Connelly in Saturday’s final pairing.

“Realistically if you shoot a couple under in the wind or even par you are not losing a lot of ground, so to shoot 5-under is obviously a bonus,” said Sainz, a former winner on the Mackenzie Tour. “Now that I’m at the top of the leader board it’s a little different scenario so I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

Tyler McCumber and Paul Barjon are tied for third at 10-under, one stroke back. Barjon birdied his final three holes to shoot a 7-under 65 and tie the low round of the tournament. McCumber eagled the par-5 13^th to turn in a 4-under 68.

BLAINE, Minn. – Monday qualifier Glen Day shot a 7-under 65 in perfect conditions Friday to take the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ 3M Championship.

“Yes, I have a little more motivation as a Monday qualifier,” Day said. “I didn’t play as well today as I did Monday. I had no expectations this week. I just wanted to get into the tournament.”

On Monday, he topped the five qualifiers with a 7-under 64 at nearby Victory Links.

On Friday playing in the first group off the first tee at TPC Twin Cities, the 50-year-old Day had four straight late birdies in his bogey-free round.

“I made some putts and avoided mistakes,” Day said. “The greens are great. I was first out and they were perfect. Think first group out is an advantage.”

Jeff Maggert and Rod Spittle shot 66, and two-time champion Bernhard Langer was at 67 along with Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Woody Austin, Kevin Sutherland, Carlos Franco, Scott Dunlap, Bart Bryant and Monday qualifier Jean-Francois Remesy.

Langer closed with a 20-foot eagle putt. He has broken par in all 22 of his rounds in the event.

Montgomerie had nine birdies and three bogeys.

“Nine birdies and three mistakes,” the Scot said. “We know this course isn’t one of the most difficult. The fairways are quite generous and the greens are super. You’ve got to holing putts. I was doing that today. We’ll see how it does the next two days.”

Day made a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-4 second and ran in a 10-footer on the par-5 third. He holed a 6-footer on par-4 11th, and made four straight on Nos. 14-17 – holing putts of 4, 25, 8 and 10 feet.

“There are a lot of birdie holes on the back nine. It’s a horse race out here, especially on this course.”

Day won the 1999 MCI Classic for his lone PGA Tour title. On the senior tour, he tied for sixth in Mississippi in April and last month in Endicott, New York.

Larry Nelson shot his age with a 68, the third time he was accomplished the feat. The World Golf Hall of Famer also bettered his age last year in the event with a second-round 66 at age 67.

John Daly opened with a 72, and two-time defending champion Kenny Perry and local favourite Tom Lehman shot 73. Lehman teamed with Arnold Palmer to design TPC Twin Cities.

Fred Funk withdrew after 12 holes because of a back injury.

There’s nothing so beautiful as sisterly love.

In less than two weeks, Canadian siblings Brooke and Brittany Henderson are set to team up, on the fairways of Rio, as golf returns to the Olympics for the first time since 1904. The Henderson’s hope their passion for the sport — and their love for each other — gives them an edge as they go for gold in Brazil.

When he’s not on tour or crafting another chart-topping song, one of Chip Taylor’s favourite things to do is watch golf. “I especially love the women’s tour and rooting for the Henderson sisters,” says the recent Songwriter’s Hall of Fame inductee.

Taylor, best known for the hits “Wild Thing” and “Angel of the Morning,” has had his compositions covered by the likes of Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield and Frank Sinatra; he gets chills whenever he pens a song with staying power. The story of the Henderson sisters recently inspired the songwriter’s muse. About three years ago, he started to watch YouTube videos of the Canadian golfers. “I thought they were terrific together,” he recalls. “Brooke had this amazing powerful swing. I was rooting for her to make it. I’ve followed her career since and then I started to write some songs about them.”

Chip’s EP I’ll Carry for You released just two weeks ago on Train Wreck Records features a batch of songs that give him the chills. Brooke and Brittany’s deep-rooted love for one another inspired the title cut. In this song, Taylor sings:

“Sisters of the same blood/Same moon up above/Same air that I breathe/Same dreams that you see/Sisters hurt when they fall/ All you’ve got to do is call me/And I’ll carry for you/ I’ll carry for you.”

Born James Wesley Voight in Yonkers, New York, the songwriter says Brooke and Brittany’s journey to the LPGA captivated him from the start. “The story is just so amazing,” he says. “How kind they are together … you can just see their love for each other when they are going around the golf course.”

The 76-year-old songwriter feels a similar bond with his two siblings; his brothers are Academy Award winning actor Jon Voight and Barry — one of the foremost geologists in the world in the area of interpreting volcanic activity. While his brother Jon did not caddy for him, he always walked with him when Chip competed in junior tournaments and offered moral support and encouragement.

Taylor’s love for golf came naturally. Taylor’s dad was a golf professional. Chip played in many amateur tournaments during his formative years and he turned pro a while before he found success in the music business. His adopted name originated because he was so good around the greens.

“My dream was music, but I loved golf,” he concludes. “These days, whether I’m on the road, or making a new album, I’m always trying to catch up on golf … that is my relaxation.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON CHIP TAYLOR.

Brooke and Brittany Henderson (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)

The Rio Olympic Golf Course has been recognised for its commitment and contribution to the enhancement of the environment.

Following three years of extensive reporting, monitoring, evaluation and site visits from an independent auditor, spanning the design, construction and grow in phases of the project, The Rio Olympic Golf Course has achieved GEO Certified^® Development status.

“The IGF is delighted that more than three years of planning, design and construction of the Reserva de Marapendi Golf Course have culminated in the course being awarded GEO Certified^® Development status”, said Antony Scanlon, Executive Director of the International Golf Federation (IGF). “From the start, it was imperative that this once degraded site should emphasise the biodiversity of the location while maintaining its environmentally protected status and ensuring that the risks to the indigenous species and habitat would be minimised. We believe this has been achieved successfully, and we are very proud of the fact that once the athletes leave, Rio will have a sustainable, environmentally protected setting to play an important social, educational and sporting role in the years ahead.”

Notable actions and achievements highlighted in the independent GEO Certified^® Development report include:

Nature

• 80% of the existing site had zero vegetation cover
• Successful transplantation of more than 15,000 native plants with 95% success rate for establishment
• Establishment of on-site plant nursery to propagate more than 475,000 plants from native seeds and stock onto the golf course site
• Removal and control of existing exotic species
• Overall compensation for 1.4ha of loss of reduced quality restinga habitat, with net increase in conservation managed restinga of more than 33 ha
• Design of ‘naturalised’ golf course, creating opportunities for gradual re-colonisation by native species, and strong habitat connectivity across the site
• Long term ecological and environmental monitoring and management plan in place and approved by local authorities
• 167% increase in vegetation cover
• Net increase in biodiversity reported of 118 to 263 species found on the site
• Speedy recolonisation by rare and protected species including burrowing owl, caiman, capybara, lapwings, sandpipers and egrets
• Comprehensive pollution prevention measures carried out across the course throughout construction and management, and integrated into the design and construction of the modern maintenance facility

Resources

• Use of entirely on site construction materials – no extra sand or soil imported
• Use of Zeon Zoysia and SeaDwarf Seashore Paspalum grown locally – the most drought and pest tolerant species for the site, propagated in Brazil, which also allows for lower quality irrigation water, reducing need for water treatment
• Use of fuel efficient and hybrid maintenance machinery. All Jacobsen equipment uses GreensCare™, a 96% biodegradable hydraulic fluid made of renewable seed-oil based product
• Clubhouse designed using passive design principles
• Clubhouse utilisation of local, recycled and certified materials
• 100% recycled slate quarry waste for the pathways
• More than 90% of all construction materials were sourced from within 400Km of the site
• Cleared exotic plants were recycled as mulch to aid transplantation operations
• The Toro irrigation system is pressurised with the most up-to-date energy efficient pump system in order to optimise pressure and minimise energy use

Community

• Agreement between municipality and BGC to run the facility as the Brazilian golf centre of excellence for coaching and training – of local golfers, as well as national teams
• The agreement establishes that the golf facility will be free-access to the public and the development and implementation of four centres:
  • An environmental education centre to increase awareness about the environment and sustainable golf development at the local schools and communities
  • A knowledge and technical centre for youth ages 14-18, to promote social inclusion through sport, in partnership with technical schools and universities, offering caddie, coach and referee development programmes and specialised vocational training in greenkeeping and sports turf, Machine Operator and environmental management
  • A high performance Golf Academy – to improve the quantity and the quality of the Brazilian players at the world ranking

A development golf centre to grow the quantity of new golf practitioners through programmes like “Golfe para a Vida” (golf for life), in partnership with public and private schools and/or other communities.

CROMWELL, Conn. – Jerry Kelly played off the emotion of what he considers a home crowd Thursday in the Travelers Championship, shooting a 6-under 64 for a share of the first-round lead with Vaughn Taylor and Andrew Loupe.

The 49-year-old Kelly played at the nearby University of Hartford. Headed to the PGA Tour Champions after this season, Kelly won the last of his three PGA Tour titles in 2009.

“I’m not that man who has people constantly yelling wherever I go,” Kelly said. “I kind of take those good vibes and run with it. It’s fun.”

Kelly started his afternoon on the back nine, sinking a 45-foot putt for eagle on his sixth hole of the day, the course’s signature par-4 15th. The green was redesigned as part of a $3.5 million course renovation project this year and the front left pin placement was new.

“It was a question mark, how fast it was going to be and I judged it correctly, apparently,” he said.

Loupe and Taylor went out early, when relatively soft greens and little wind helped the scoring.

Taylor, the 40-year-old who won for the first time since 2005 at Pebble Beach this year, strung together five consecutive birdies starting on the 12th hole and shot a 30 on the back nine.

“That was a nice little run and I needed that,” Taylor said. “I was playing well and just needed something to kind of get me going.”

Loupe, who at 27 is looking for his first PGA Tour win, had seven birdies and a bogey on the day. He pulled into a tie for the lead after a 128-yard approach shot on 18 gave him a 2-foot birdie putt.

Nick Taylor, of Abbotsford, B.C., is tied for 24th after an opening round 68 while fellow Abbotsford native Adam Hadwin finished with a 70. Derek Gillespie (72), of Oshawa, Ont., is at 2 over.

Jon Rahm, the 21-year-old Spaniard who turned pro in June, eagled the par-5 13th hole and was a stroke back along with Ben Martin and Marc Leishman.

Ninety-three players shot par or better, including U.S. Olympians Bubba Watson (67), Matt Kuchar (69), and Patrick Reed (70).

They are playing the first two rounds as a trio, and fans stood four and five deep at times to watch them, chanting “USA! USA!” as they arrived at the 18th tee.

Reed was using the red, white and blue golf bag he received this week as part of his Olympic team gear

“All three of us are very excited and eager to get over there,” said Watson, the tournament’s defending champion. “We hear all the USA chants. But at the same time, you want to play well here.”

Besides the Americans, three other Olympians are playing in Cromwell.

Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen and Germany’s Alex Cejka each shot 68, and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington came in at an even-par 70.

The tournament was moved from its traditional spot in June, a week after the U.S. Open, as the PGA Tour shuffled its schedule to accommodate the Olympics.

But the schedule didn’t affect the quality of the field, which includes 10 players ranked in the top 30 in the world, led by Watson, who came into the week ranked sixth.

South Korea’s Si Woo Kim had the shot of the day. The 21-year-old aced the 215-yard fifth hole on his way to a 69.

Austin Connelly, Dillon Rust and Joe Parkinson shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday in ideal scoring conditions at Country Hills Golf Club to share the first-round lead at the ATB Financial Classic, the seventh event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

Connelly began the day with birdies on three of his first four holes, then hit a cold stretch through the middle of his round, which included his only bogey at the par-5 second hole, his 11^th. But over the last six holes, the 19-year-old Canadian rattled off three birdies and an eagle to catch the leaders and post 7-under.

“After the bogey on No. 2 I was 2-under and looked at the leader board and saw that some guys were going pretty low,” said Connelly, who recently logged his best professional finish with a solo third at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel three weeks ago. “I knew the front nine out here is easier than the back so I knew I would have some opportunities coming in.”

Like Connelly, Rust made a late charge at the lead. At 4-under through 16 holes on Thursday, the native Texan did not seem to be a threat to the lead until a hole-out from 120 yards for eagle on the par-4 17^th and a birdie on the 18^th vaulted him to the top of the leaderboard.

“The finish was pretty awesome,” Rust said. “I was 4-under through 16 and on a day like today that score is not really getting after it that much. I hit a perfect 54-degree wedge on 17 and it went right in the hole. Made a couple really nice swings on 18 and made a five footer. I finished with basically four perfect swings.”

After two early bogeys in his round, Parkinson used two eagles on the par-5 seventh and 13^th to regain his momentum. He then birdied the last from 200 yards to put an exclamation mark on his low round of the season, crediting a more aggressive strategy.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit, so for this event I wanted to come out and be a little more aggressive,” said Parkinson, who has yet to finish inside the top 25 through the first six events. “I was very aggressive in college and I felt like since I’ve been out here I have been really conservative trying to play smart golf and I think today I played more aggressive and it paid off.”

Eight players are tied for fourth at 6-under par: Brock Mackenzie, Will Starke, Carlos Sainz Jr., John Chin, Charlie Bull, Sean Kelly, Tyler McCumber and Ted Smith.

Nike is getting out of the golf equipment business, a surprising development that likely sends Tiger Woods and other players searching for new clubs.

Nike announced Wednesday it will stop making clubs, golf balls and golf bags, instead focusing more on its shoes and apparel, long its strength in the golf marketplace.

“We’re committed to being the undisputed leader in golf footwear and apparel,” Nike Brand President Trevor Edwards said in a statement. “We will achieve this by investing in performance innovation for athletes and delivering sustainable profitable growth for Nike Golf.”

Woods has been with Nike since he turned pro in 1996 and remains the biggest ambassador of the Beaverton, Oregon-based company. Mark Steinberg, his agent at Excel Sports Management, said that won’t change. But he also said Woods likely will have different equipment in the bag whenever he returns.

Nike also signed Rory McIlroy to a big deal in 2013. It also has Brooks Koepka, who is in position to make his first Ryder Cup team.

They could, in time, wind up being fused forever in our collective imagination. The way Jack and Arnie were. Are.

Or Kathy Whitworth and Mickey Wright. Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. A rivalry to define a generation.

There is that chance. A very real chance. They’re both just teenagers, prodigious toddlers actually, with a big, wide world of golfing nuance yet to explore.

Ko vs. Henderson.

Has a nice ring to it. Looks absolutely smashing up in twinkling lights on a marquee.

In a strong field, Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson are destined to be front and centre at Priddis Greens outside Calgary, Aug. 25-28, when the CP Canadian Women’s Open treks back west. Different storylines for an identical aim.

Ko will be endeavouring to collect her fourth Canadian title in five years, a truly extraordinary accomplishment for anyone, yet someone so young; while Henderson looks to hunt down a first national professional championship and join only Jocelyne Bourassa way back in 1973 as a Canadian winner of our national title.

Given their ages, their abilities and their mutual approach to excellence, golf buffs are anticipating this being a must-watch for the next decade or more.

Great rivalries are healthy for sport.

And if this becomes one, they’ve got one helluva first act to build on: Henderson dropping a 7-iron out of the sky from 155 yards away to within three feet for a tap-in bird and her first LPGA Major title, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club, outside Seattle.

In coming from behind to beat the world’s consensus No. 1, Henderson identified herself as the prime contender to the title.

The best part of all this being the attitude both women bring to the course.

Rivalries need not necessarily be duelling-pistols-at-20-paces. They can also be forged on admiration, common ambition and a may-the-best-player-win attitude.

“She’s one of the nicest girls you’d ever want to meet,’’ enthuses Henderson of Ko. “She’s not out there to beat others, she’s out there to beat the golf course; to be better herself. Which I think it’s an amazing way to look at the game, at competition. I try to do the same thing.”

“Golf is about honestly, perseverance and respect, adds Henderson. “She’s a great example of that. I think it’s really cool. She’s 19. I’m going to be 19. Hopefully we do have that rivalry – if that’s what you want to call it – for the next 10 years, push each other to be better and better. That’s good for us, good for the game.”

“If we had more playoffs like KPMG … even if I was one the losing end of all of those for the next 10 years I think it’d be incredible to be at that level, at her level.”

Henderson’s sister, sometimes caddy and aspiring LPGAer, Brittany, says the atmosphere inside the ropes is no different than it seems from outside.

“Well, we hope it’s going to be like that,’’ she said, smiling. “Not so much a rivalry, exactly. But seeing them playing well week after week, in contention for tournaments. They’re friends. Both so composed. Seem mature way beyond their years.”

“Our dad, I know, was a positive influence on us, taught us about sports and being a good person in general. He deserves a lot of credit for what Brooke has done. Lydia, I think it’s her mom that helps her. So parents should get their due.”

“What both Brooke and Lydia are doing is remarkable. It really is. I don’t know how they’re doing it. I wish someone would’ve told me, let me in on the secret.”

When Ko passed through Calgary earlier in the summer the head-to-head battle at Sahalee had yet to be waged. But she had – and has, no doubt – nothing but positive things to say about Henderson.

“I’ve known Brooke since we were both amateurs,’’ said the two-time major winner. “Obviously she had a great amateur career. I feel like she’s had an even more amazing professional career. She’s doing amazing things for the up-and-coming juniors, for the women’s game and growing the game in Canada.”

“She’s doing fantastic. Putting herself in good positions week in and week out. She’s an impressive player, hits the ball a long way but is also very consistent and one of the best putters out there. So, yeah, I think it’s exciting. I think Canada is going to be very excited for the Olympics. A player like Brooke is going to grow golf in Canada the way Lorie (Kane) did.”

Both women had the opportunity to tour the 6,681-yard, par-72 layout earlier in the summer, Ko during that stopover in early June, Henderson in late July.

“I really like it,’’ adjudged Henderson. “It’s tree-lined, there’s lots of elevation change. More back to the grass I grew up on. The views are phenomenal.

I’m excited to come back here in just a few weeks and play in our national championship. I’m excited for the Canadian fans, too. Over the last couple of years, my fans at this tournament have just continued to grow and the fairways were lined last year, so I’m excited to see what this year holds.’’

The top two female players on the planet. One an adopted citizen of Canada by way of wins and support; the other the genuine article, born and reared in Smiths Falls, Ont.

It quite simply doesn’t get much better than the anticipation the Open at Priddis Greens. A rivalry to define a generation? Like Nancy Lopez and Pat Bradley? Anika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb? Tiger and Lefty?

Well, early indications are that the chance most certainly exists. And time is very much on their side.

Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson.

Their names fused together forever in the collective imagination; both linked to high achievements, low scores and the sight of the two of them walking side by side on late Sunday afternoons, the last ones on course atop the leaderboard as the sun begins to set and the shadows lengthen.

SPRINGFIELD, N.J. – Jimmy Walker did everything required of a major champion on the longest final day in 64 years at a PGA Championship.

And then Jason Day made him do a little bit more.

Walker was standing over an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th hole Sunday when he heard a roar that caused him to twice back off the putt. It was Day, the defending champion and world’s No. 1 player, down to his last chance and delivering with a 2-iron that landed in front of the pin and stopped 15 feet away for eagle.

Walker answered, like he had done all day, with a birdie for a three-shot lead.

Moments later, another roar.

Day made the eagle putt, and the lead was down to one.

“There was nothing easy about the day – really about the week, for that matter,” Walker said. “Especially coming down the last hole.”

He went for the 18th green knowing it was his easiest chance for the par he needed to win. The outcome was still in doubt until Walker missed the green to the right, pitched out of deep rough to 35 feet and rolled his first putt about 3 feet past the cup.

Walker calmly made it to capture the PGA Championship, ending a long and wet week at Baltusrol, and still having just enough strength left to hoist the 37-pound Wanamaker Trophy.

“He really put it on me to make a par,” Walker said. “Sometimes pars are hard. But we got it.”

That par gave him a 3-under 67 and a one-shot victory and made the 37-year-old from Texas a major champion. Even with the silver trophy at his side, Walker still had a hard time letting that sink in.

Because of rain, the 36-hole final was the longest in PGA Championship history since Jim Turnesa won his 36-hole match in 1952. Walker at least had time to rest in his travel bus – he’s a frequent neighbour of Day on the PGA Tour – and get right back out into the final round. Walker, who shot a 68 in the morning for a one-shot lead over Day, didn’t make a bogey over the last 28 holes.

Day, trying to join Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back winners of the PGA Championship in stroke play, came out to the 18th green with his son to watch the finish and quickly found Walker. “Great stuff, mate,” he said.

“It was nice to get the eagle, just to try and make Jimmy think about it,” Day said after a 67. “But obviously, Jimmy just played too good all day.”

In a most peculiar final day at a major, the PGA Championship allowed for preferred lies – that never happens in a major – because of nearly 4 inches of rain during the week that drenched the Lower Course. Desperate to beat the clock and avoid a second straight Monday finish at Baltusrol, the pairings stayed the same for the final round.

Walker and Day were playing with occasional mud on their golf balls on the back nine of the third round Sunday morning as some players behind them were able to lift, clean and place their golf balls in short grass in the fourth round.

But it ended on a happy note for Walker. He is a major champion, completing a sweep of first-time winners in the majors this year. Better yet: It moved him from No. 29 to No. 4 in the Ryder Cup standings, all but assuring him a spot on the team.

He finished at 14-under 266, one shot from David Toms’ record score in the 2001 PGA Championship.

Walker began the back nine by holing a 45-foot bunker shot on No. 10 and making a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 11. The final birdie on the 17th was the most important because he had a cushion. And thanks to Day, he needed it.

“Two-putting from that is pretty difficult, especially trying to go for your first major,” Day said. “But he’s handled himself pretty good.”

British Open champion Henrik Stenson, trying to join Ben Hogan as the only players to win back-to-back majors at age 40, faded with a double bogey on the 15th hole.

“It was a long day. I never felt like I brought my ‘A’ game,” said Stenson, who started the final round two shots behind and closed with a 71. “I think I hit more poor shots in the two rounds today than in the previous six or seven rounds combined.”

For the second straight major, this became a duel over the final hour.

Day pulled within one shot with a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 11, but he never had another birdie chance closer than 25 feet until the two par 5s at the end. Even so, the Australian battled to the end with the second of two 2-irons at 18 leading him to shout, “Get back there!” And it did.

Thanks to Walker holding his nerves, it just wasn’t enough.

“God, just to be in it and be there and have a chance and then to finish it off is just … it’s so gratifying,” Walker said.

MILTON KEYNES, England – Ariya Jutanugarn won the Women’s British Open on Sunday at Woburn for her first major championship and fourth LPGA Tour victory of the year.

The 20-year-old Jutanugarn closed with an even-par 72 for a three-stroke victory over American Mo Martin and South Korea’s Mirim Lee. Jutanugarn became the first major winner from Thailand.

“I think it’s really important for me and for Thai golf, also,” Jutanugarn said. “Like my goal, I really want to win major and I did. I’m really proud of my achievement because I accomplished my goal this year.”

She will be one of the favourites at the Rio Olympics.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Jutanugarn said. “I can’t wait. I’m really excited about that.”

She finished at 16-under 272 on the Marquess Course, the hilly, forest layout that is a big change from the usual seaside layouts in the tournament rotation.

Lee closed with a bogey for a 73. She matched the tournament record Thursday with an opening 62.

“I really had fun,” Lee said. “That was the most important thing. I had fun throughout the whole thing.”

Alena Sharp of Hamilton was the top Canadian. She shot a 71 for a share of 31st place. Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., tied for 50th while Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., finished in 69th place.

Martin, the 2014 winner at Royal Birkdale, shot a 70.

“That was my heart and my soul out there,” Martin said. “That’s all I had. I gave it everything I could.”

The long-hitting Jutanugarn had a six-stroke lead over Lee at the turn, but Lee picked up five strokes on the next four holes with three birdies and Jutanugarn’s double bogey on the par-4 13th.

“On 13, I’m like, ‘Oh, what’s wrong with me,”’ Jutanugarn said. “But after that, I’m really like be patient and I can come back really good.”

Jutanugarn made a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th to take a two-shot advantage to the final hole. Jutanugarn closed with a par, and Lee dropped a stroke.

Jutanugarn, the long-hitter who leaves driver out of the bag and hammers 3-wood and 2-iron off the tee, broke through four months after blowing a late lead in the first major championship of the year. In early April in the ANA Inspiration in the California desert, Jutanugarn – at the time, best known for blowing a two-stroke lead with a closing triple bogey in the 2013 LPGA Thailand – bogeyed the final three holes to hand the title to Lydia Ko.

Jutanugarn put the hard lessons to use in May, winning three straight events to become the LPGA Tour’s first Thai champion. And Saturday at Woburn, she shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 to pull two strokes ahead of Lee and break the tournament 54-hole record of 201.

Jutanugarn is projected to jump from sixth to third in the world ranking Monday. A year ago, she was 52nd.

Stacy Lewis was fourth at 11 under after her third straight 70.

The top-ranked Ko tied for 40th at 1 under after a 74.

Jutanugarn’s older sister, Moriya, had a 75 to tie for 43rd at 3 over.