IRVING, Texas – Brooks Koepka overcame two early bogeys and the huge shadow of playing alongside Jordan Spieth in his home event, shooting a 5-under 65 on Saturday to take the lead into the final round of the Byron Nelson.

Koepka was at 16-under 194 to match the best 54-hole score at the Nelson and put him two strokes ahead of Spieth.

Koepka took the lead with a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 14. That was the same hole where Spieth hit his drive into the water, had to punch into the fairway and then drained a 23-foot bogey putt in his round of 67.

Spieth played his first PGA Tour event at the Nelson as a 16-year-old amateur six years ago. He is now the world’s No. 2-ranked player and the crowd favourite. His image is everywhere, including the 8,000 bobbleheads given away Saturday.

Matt Kuchar (65), Bud Cauley (68) and Sergio Garcia (68) were tied for third at 13 under.

Canada’s Adam Hadwin shot a 69 and dropped five spots into a tie for 13th. The Abbotsford, B.C. native is 9 under for the tournament.

Playing in the final threesome with Spieth and second-round leader Ben Crane, Koepka hit his first drive way left on the way to an opening bogey. There were birdies at Nos. 3 and 5, but Koepka followed with another bogey at No. 6 when he hit his first two shots into the rough.

But Koepka played bogey-free the rest of the day and took over as the lead with a birdie at the difficult 405-yard 14th hole. Spieth made the long putt to keep that hole from being worse right after his first par this week at the par-3 13th, where he had after three-putted for bogey each of the first two days.

At 26, Koepka is four years older than Spieth but has only one win (Phoenix in 2015) in his 54 previous PGA Tour starts.

Crane, who turned 40 in March, shot 72 and dropped to 10 under and in a tie for 11th. He is looking for his first victory in 48 starts since winning at Memphis two years ago in what also was his last top-10 finish.

Garcia was 15 under and with the outright lead after his fourth birdie of the round, and second in a row, when he made a 25-foot at No. 8, a 463-yard par 4. But the 36-year-old Spaniard, the 2004 Nelson champion, then three-putted from nearly 60 feet at the 9th hole before missing the fairway with his drive at No. 10 and being unable to make a 9-foot par save before pars on his last eight holes.

That second bogey came about the same time Spieth, in the final group right behind him, made a 9-foot birdie at the 416-yard No. 9 to get to 14 under for the lead.

This is Garcia’s 61st PGA Tour start since his last win in 2012, his first at TPC Four Seasons in that span.

Spieth is playing the Nelson for the sixth time, the fourth as a professional. The Dallas native’s best finish was a tie for 16th as a 16-year-old in 2010, when he was tied for seventh after the third round _ his best 54-hole showing until now.

Since playing at the Nelson that first time, and then the following year missing his high school graduation ceremony after making the cut again, the only year he missed playing Lord Byron’s tournament was in 2012, when he was at the University of Texas and the Longhorns were NCAA champions. As a pro, he had never been better than tied for 18th going into the final round and hasn’t finished better than a tie for 30th last year.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Ariya Jutanugarn moved into position for her second straight LPGA Tour victory Saturday, shooting a bogey-free 6-under 65 to take the third-round lead in the Kingsmill Championship.

The 20-year-old Jutanugarn had three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the front nine on the soggy River Course and birdied three of the last six. She’s coming off a victory two weeks ago in Alabama that made her the first Thai winner in LPGA Tour history.

Jutanugarn had a 10-under 203 total.

Second-round leader So Yeon Ryu bogeyed the final hole to drop a stroke back along with fellow South Korean player In Gee Chun and Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum.

Ranked 11th in the world but sixth in the race for the four spots on South Korea’s Olympic team, Ryu shot a 69.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., is well back in a tie for 43rd after shooting a 71 in her third round.

Chun had a 62 to tie the course record set by Jiyai Shin in 2012. The U.S. Women’s Open champion is eighth in the world and fourth in the South Korean Olympic race.

Phatlum shot a 65.

Defending champion Minjee Lee was 8 under after a 68. The 19-year-old Australian won last year at Kingsmill in a Monday finish and added her second tour title last month in Hawaii.

Laetitia Beck (66) and sixth-ranked Amy Yang (69) also were 8 under.

Fourth-ranked Stacy Lewis, a stroke behind Ryu after a second-round 66, had a 70 to fall into a tie for eighth at 8 under. Lewis tied for second two weeks ago in Alabama for her 10th runner-up finish in a 49-event drought. The 11-time tour winner has 23 career second-place finishes.

Third-ranked Lexi Thompson had a 67 to move into a tie for 18th at 5 under. She’s coming off a victory two weeks ago on the Japan LPGA.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko was tied for 24th at 4 under after a 68. The 19-year-old New Zealander won the Kia Classic and major ANA Inspiration in consecutive weeks in Southern California.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Bernhard Langer surged to a four-stroke lead Saturday in the Regions Tradition.

A stroke behind leader Kenny Perry entering the round, Langer shot a 3-under 69 to move to 12-under 204 in the first PGA Tour Champions major of the year – while Perry and others stumbled at Greystone.

The 58-year-old Langer won the Chubb Classic in February for his 26th victory on the 50-and-over tour.

Perry held the lead after each of the first two rounds but had a double bogey on the opening hole on his way to a 74. He and Scott McCarron, who shot a 72, were tied for second place going into the final round.

John Daly was among five players at 7 under after a 69. Playing in his second PGA Tour Champions event, the two-time major winner had a double bogey, two bogeys, an eagle and five birdies.

MILTON, Ga. – Laura Wearn won the Gosling’s Dark ‘n Stormy Classic on Saturday for her first Symetra Tour title, and Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom was second to break the season money record.

Wearn led after all three rounds, closing with an even-par 72 for a 6-under 210 total at Atlanta National Golf Club. She birdied the par-5 18th after dropping strokes on 12, 13 and 17.

“This win means the world to me, I’m just so excited,” Wearn said. “I haven’t really been that close before so to win the first time I am in contention is really cool. Hopefully, I can take what I learned from this experience and win a few more this year. … It gives me confidence that I can compete out here and that every week is truly an opportunity to win. Confidence is definitely the main thing the win does for me.”

The 25-year-old former Furman player made $15,000 to jump from 72nd to 17th on the money list with $18,592, with the top 10 at the end of the season earning LPGA Tour cards. She missed most of last season after back surgery.

“It was a tough process and it was frustrating that I had to miss most of last year,” Wearn said. “Everyone told me that it takes a long time to come back, but you’ll get there eventually and to win just over a year after surgery is awesome. I definitely didn’t think I’d come back that quickly.”

Sagstrom birdied the 18th for a 70 to finish a stroke back. The 23-year-old former LSU player earned $9,467 to push her seven-event total to $103,181. Cindy LaCrosse set the previous mark of $94,578 in 2010.

“I don’t play to win, I don’t play to lose, I play to get better and I got a lot better today and that is all I am focusing on,” Sagstrom said. “Of course it is nice to set a record, but I am just trying to get better every day.”

She has two victories this season, one short of an immediate LPGA Tour promotion, and six top-five finishes.

Wearn opened with a bogey, made a double bogey on the second hole and birdied the third.

“I was pretty nervous off the first tee and I chunked my tee shot,” Wearn said. “I had trouble on 2 also, but on 3 I hit a great shot and made the birdie and that settled me down. I kept telling myself that it is a long day.”

She eagled the par-5 ninth and birdied Nos. 10 and 11.

“I hit two great shots on nine and made the putt and on ten I did the same thing,” Wearn said. “On 11, I drained probably a 40-footer so that was awesome when it went in. I was honestly not expecting it at all. I was just trying to two-putt.”

Kristy McPherson (71) and Prima Thammaraks (75) tied for third at 3 under. Casey Kennedy (70) and Hye-Min Kim (72) followed at 2 under, and Kendall Dye (72), Erica Popson (73), Dottie Ardina (69) and Wichanee Meechai were 1 under.

Augusta James of Bath, Ont., carded a final round 74 and ended up with a share of 11th.

MONTREAL – Steve Wood of Winnipeg was officially made 46th President of the PGA of Canada at the association’s recent Annual General Meeting.

A PGA of Canada member since 1994, Wood has served on the National Board or Directors’ since 2008. In his eight years on the national board, he has chaired numerous committees including the Membership, Education and Finance Committees. Prior to becoming a member of the national board, Wood was a member of the Manitoba Board of Directors’ from 2000-2007, serving as zone president from 2006-2007.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue serving and representing the members of the PGA of Canada as the 46th President,” Wood said. “This is a very proud moment in my professional career and look forward to the next two years.”

Wood replaces Constant Priondolo of Montreal. Taking over for Wood as vice-president is Mark Patterson of Elbow, Sask., who spent the past two years as secretary. Vancouver’s Tom Monaghan becomes the new secretary.

A PGA of Canada Class “A” Member since 1998, Wood is currently the head golf professional at Rossmere Country Club in Winnipeg.

Kevin Thistle (Alberta), Teejay Alderdice (Ontario) and Dave Levesque (Quebec) were also made national directors at the Annual General Meeting.

The PGA of Canada Board of Directors is comprised of the association’s president, vice president, secretary and zone representatives.

For more information on the PGA of Canada’s Board of Directors, click here.

John (Johnny) Johnston, a former Canadian Amateur champion who is a member of the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame, died Tuesday at the age of 91.

Johnston, known as J.J. to his many friends, was a longtime member of Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver.

Johnston’s long list of achievements as an amateur golfer include a B.C. Amateur title in 1966. He won the B.C. Open at Marine Drive as an amateur in 1967 and that same year also won the Mexican Amateur.

He played on B.C.’s Willingdon Cup team on multiple occasions and represented Canada in the America’s Cup, World Amateur and Commonwealth competitions. “He was a guy who was one of the legends at Marine Drive,” said Dick Zokol, a fellow Marine Drive member and two-time PGA Tour winner. “I looked up to him. He flew bombers in World War Two and I loved to hear his stories.”

Johnston was renowned for his short game. He and Ron Willey defeated Jack Nicklaus and Deane Beman in an America’s Cup match. “He was a very gregarious guy,” Zokol said. “He was really good friends with George Knudson. He came from that era. He wasn’t a great ball-striker, but he could putt.”

Johnston became a member of Marine Drive in 1952. His Canadian Amateur win came in 1959 at his home course, where he beat Ontario’s Gary Cowan in the final. “John was a real character,” said fellow Marine Drive legend Doug Roxburgh.

“I heard so many stories from him about playing against the best of his era. His passing is very sad, but he is in a better place. Perhaps Stan (Leonard) and him will be teeing it up against each other again soon.”

Johnston, who received invitations to play in both the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby tournaments, was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 1971. He joined the B.C. Golf Hall of Fame in 2005.

Career highlights include:

• Won the Canadian Amateur, defeating Gary Cowan at Marine Drive in 1959
• Won BC Amateur in 1966
• Won BC Open at Marine Drive as an amateur in 1967, won Mexican Amateur in 1967
• Made BC’s Willington Cup Team 9 times from 1958-1967
• Represented Canada in America’s Cup 4 times, World Amateur twice and Commonwealth Competition twice
• Inducted into BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1971
• Won Marine Drive Golf Club’s Championship 6 times
• Teamed with Ron Willey, defeated Jack Nicklaus and Deane Beman in match play competition (America’s Cup)

Saskatoon – Graham DeLaet and brewer Bomber Brewing have launched a new craft beer, Prairie Baard – Blue Collar Craft.

Over the upcoming weeks, the beer will be available in SLGA locations across Saskatchewan and in liquor distributors throughout Alberta – including Sobeys, Safeway, Co-op, and Liquor Depot, with plans to expand its footprint coast to coast across Canada in the near future.

For the launch and just in time to kick off the May long weekend, Prairie Baard will hit shelves at SLGA University Heights in Saskatoon and SLGA South Albert in Regina.

To officially launch Prairie Baard, DeLaet will be touring two locations to host kick-off events, where consumers can enjoy Prairie Baard tastings and meet Graham DeLaet and the team behind the beer:

• Wednesday, May 25th from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
  SLGA University Heights – 503 Nelson Road, Saskatoon, SK

• Thursday, May 26th from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
  Sobeys Royal Oak – 8888 Country Hills Blvd NW, Calgary, AB

DeLaet, born and raised in rural Saskatchewan, has a passion for all things Canadian – including hockey, fishing, golf and of course, beer. In collaboration with Bomber Brewing, the concept of Prairie Baard was designed by DeLaet with these passions in mind while building the concept of the beer from the ground up. Throughout the creation process, DeLaet inserted his personal tasting notes into the development of the recipe with Bomber.

Prairie Baard’s Golden Ale is brewed with 70% Saskatchewan Barley and 30% Saskatchewan wheat, both of which are malted in Biggar, SK.

Muirfield was removed from the list of courses that can host the British Open golf tournament, after the Scottish club voted against admitting female members in a move Thursday that provoked sharp criticism from players and lawmakers.

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, which owns Muirfield, announced its decision to retain the club’s male-only policy following a ballot of its 750 members. A two-thirds majority was required for a change to take place, but 36 percent of members voted against allowing women.

The Royal and Ancient, which runs the British Open, said Muirfield has been taken off the list of courses that can host golf’s oldest major championship.

“Going forward we will not stage the Championship at a venue that does not admit women as members,” R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said in a statement. “If the policy at the club should change, we would reconsider Muirfield as a venue for The Open in future.”

Muirfield is one of 10 courses on the British Open rotation and has staged the event 16 times, most recently in 2013. Royal Troon, which hosts this year’s tournament from July 14-17, is the only other club on the rotation to still exclude women.

British sports minister David Evennett said the decision by Muirfield’s members was “extremely disappointing” and “sends out completely the wrong message.”

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister, voiced her disappointment on Twitter.

Scotland has women leaders in every walk of life. It is 2016. This is simply indefensible. https://t.co/qrULGuFG8v

— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) May 19, 2016

Speaking after finishing his first round at the Irish Open, two-time British Open champion Padriag Harrington backed the R&A’s decision to remove Muirfield from the list of hosts.

“We love playing the golf course but there’s more to modern golf than just the course,” Harrington said. “Gone are the days where you can discriminate in a club. The R&A have a bigger responsibility to society, and they’ve done the right thing.”

Henry Fairweather, captain of Muirfield, said the club had to follow the rules set by its members.

“Women will continue to be welcome at Muirfield on the course and in the clubhouse as guests and visitors, as they have been for many years,” Fairweather said.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews, the spiritual “Home of Golf,” opened its membership to women in 2014 for the first time in 260 years. Royal St. George’s, another British Open host, ended its male-only membership last year.

Augusta National, home of the Masters, decided in 2012 to invite women to join.

On the last occasion Muirfield hosted the British Open, when Phil Mickelson lifted the claret jug, the R&A was heavily criticized for allowing Muirfield to stage the event given its opposition to having female members.

A consultation exercise with members was opened as a result.

Scottish newspaper The Scotsman reported Wednesday that a group of members at Muirfield – leading a “No” campaign against women joining the club – had canvassed fellow members, saying “it is accepted that we may have to change, but we should not do so now on the basis suggested.”

“A traditional resistance to change is one of the foundations of our unique position in golf and our reputation,” the members wrote in the letter, according to The Scotsman.

Troon has separate men’s and women’s clubs and is consulting members over whether to alter that arrangement.

Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. – The Web.com Tour and the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada announced today a joint donation of $20,000 to the relief efforts directed towards the recent wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alta., which impacted Fort McMurray Golf Club, annual host of the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON.

“We’ve always been touched by the support from the Fort McMurray community, from families billeting players at their homes to volunteers who put hard work and dedication into the event,” said Mackenzie Tour President Jeff Monday. “We look forward to seeing that spirit come through as the community recovers and gets back on its feet.”

Dry conditions and high temperatures in Fort McMurray over two weeks ago sparked a wildfire blaze that forced the evacuation of nearly 90,000 residents – one of the largest evacuations in Canadian history. The fire caused extensive damage to the clubhouse and course at Fort McMurray Golf Club.

“The tragic wildfires in Alberta have impacted many lives in one of the country’s great golf provinces. It is our hope that this joint donation between the Web.com Tour and the Mackenzie Tour will inspire others to follow suit, helping not only Fort McMurray, but the region as a whole, in an extreme time of need,” said Web.com Tour President Bill Calfee.

In addition to the donation put forth by the Web.com Tour and the Mackenzie Tour, players will show their support over the next two weeks by pledging a donation amount for each birdie they make, and asking fans to do the same.

All donations put forth by the Tours and raised by players and fans will be directed towards the United Way of Canada, through the PGA TOUR Charities, Inc.

The Mackenzie Tour will kick off its 2016 season with the Freedom 55 Financial Open, to be contested May 26-29 in Vancouver. Participating players at each event will set a dollar amount to donate for each birdie made, and fans will be able to match that number or contribute a set amount to pledge their support.

“I’m really pleased that the Web.com Tour and the membership are coming together to support such a worthy cause. A lot of us are Mackenzie Tour alums, and thus played in Fort McMurray. As well, many of us stayed with host families there, in homes we can only assume are now gone or badly damaged,” said Web.com Tour member and Alberta native Brad Fritsch. “What we are doing this week is a small token of our gratitude towards the Fort McMurray community. They support professional golf and golfers, so it is incumbent upon us to step up and help them in their time of need. Hopefully we can raise a whole lot of money and help with the process of rebuilding their lives.”

“The people in Fort McMurray have been so supportive of Mackenzie Tour players and always welcomed us into their community with open arms. Hopefully we can make some birdies and help raise a bunch of money to support and give back to a place that’s given us so much over the years,” said 2015 Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON champion Kevin Spooner.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – To see him now, it’s hard to believe Jason Day had only one victory in his first six years on the PGA Tour.

Then again, consider the start of the year.

Day finished a combined 35 shots out of the lead in the three tournaments he finished. The other was Torrey Pines, where he was defending champion and missed the cut while coping with a nasty virus.

Since then, he has gone wire-to-wire against strong fields twice in the last two months, and he effectively did the same at the Dell Match Play when only one of the seven matches he won reached the 18th hole. He has seven victories in his last 17 tournaments. He is No. 1 in the world with the highest points average since Tiger Woods.

For Day, it’s all about the long haul.

To measure his career to date, he is different from Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth in one respect. Everyone knew McIlroy and Spieth had exceptional talent, and it didn’t take long for them to get on the fast track. McIlroy locked up his European Tour card in two events, won in his second full season and was a U.S. Open champion at 22. Spieth had no status when he turned pro, won on the PGA Tour, was the youngest American to play in the Presidents Cup and had two majors at 21.

Day had every bit as much talent.

He turned heads when he came to America to play the Web.com Tour and won a tournament at 18. What followed were marriage, nagging injuries, his first child, finding a balance between home and golf and questions about why he wasn’t winning more.

The answer was a hard look at who he was and motivated him.

Colin Swatton, his longtime coach and caddie, recalls a conversation they had early in his career.

“He said, ‘When do you think I’ll win on tour?’ And I said, ‘You’ll win when you want to win. You’ll dominate when you want to dominate.’ He never understood that,” Swatton said Tuesday. “And then at the British Open he was like, ‘Gosh, I let another one slip through my fingers. Enough is enough. This is my time. This is when I want to make my mark in golf.’

“Motivation for any player has to come from within.”

Day looks back at that British Open last summer as a turning point in his career. He came up short on a 30-foot birdie putt to get into a playoff at St. Andrews, and he walked away more determined than ever to make it his time. He would follow up that week with a win at the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey.

There was another moment this year at Doral that reminded the 28-year-old Australian what it took.

Swatton prefers data over emotion because that’s what gets through to Day, so he keeps files of information. One reason Day started off the year so slowly is because he stayed away from the game for three months, mainly because wife Ellie gave birth to their second child.

Day was disappointed at Doral, where he tied for 23rd and was never in the picture.

Swatton was realistic. He knew that Day couldn’t expect to have the same form after sitting out three months. Hours lost meant more hours required to reformulate the swing and the feel. So he kept a log of the hours Day had put in and showed it to him after Doral.

“When he walks off and he’s disappointed, you have to present him with facts. You can’t present him with emotion,” Swatton said. “I said, ‘The fact is, this is all the practice you’ve done.’ He looked at it and said, ‘Oh my goodness.’ I said, ‘Exactly.’

“He just had to be patient.”

Day is diligent when it comes to work. He thought winning would come easier when he showed up on the PGA Tour in 2008. He doesn’t want to make that mistake again. So he kept working. And he started winning. And here he is, No. 1 by a margin that suggests he might be there for some time.

“He found what motivates him to work hard,” Swatton said. “And right now he’s motivated to do something similar to Greg Norman, to Tiger Woods. I think he just loves winning. Walking down 18 on Sunday, people are yelling and screaming, and he said, ‘This is why I work hard. This walk.’

“It’s not about the $1.8 million or whatever,” Swatton said. “He just loves winning.”

It doesn’t come as easily as he can make it look.

Day said he has been building to this moment, even during the lean years, finding something that will make him a little better each year.

“Look, I’m in it for the long haul,” he said after his most recent victory. “It’s not like I’m here for five years and someone younger than me is going to be a half-step quicker or I’m going to be an old, slow man. At the end of my career, I want to be able to look back and know that I incrementally got better as the years went on. And if I can focus on that, then I will.

“As long as I want it, and if I do the work, then I’ll get better.”