PARIS – Rory McIlroy will skip the Bridgestone Invitational and instead play at the French Open, a boost for the European Tour during a crowded summer schedule caused by the Olympics.

McIlroy won the Bridgestone Invitational two years ago, and he failed to defend his title in the World Golf Championship last year while recovering from ruptured ankle ligaments.

The Bridgestone Invitational typically is held a week before the PGA Championship. The PGA Tour moved it to the week of June 30-July 3 — two weeks after the U.S. Open and two weeks before the British Open. However, that’s the same date as the 100th edition of the French Open at Le Golf National, which will host the Ryder Cup in 2018.

The European Tour decided not to sanction the World Golf Championship in Ohio for the first time. European Tour members who play the Bridgestone Invitational will not have the earnings count toward the Race to Dubai, and the money or points will not count toward the Ryder Cup.

Henrik Stenson already has said he will not play in the Bridgestone because of the schedule, though the Swede said he would take that week off and stay in Sweden.

McIlroy has not played the French Open since 2010. The oldest national open in continental Europe is followed by the Scottish Open and the British Open at Royal Troon.

“Le Golf National might not be a pure links course, but it is traditionally firm and fast, and can throw up some tricky conditions,” McIlroy said Monday. “It’s a great test of golf, and I think playing there, as well as staying in Europe, will offer the best conditions to prepare for The Open at Troon.”

SAN ANTONIO – Charley Hoffman made a 9-foot birdie putt on the final to win the Valero Texas Open on Sunday.

The 39-year-old Hoffman closed with a 3-under 69 at TPC San Antonio for a one-stroke victory over Patrick Reed. Hoffman finished at 12-under 276 and earned $1,116,000 for his fourth PGA Tour victory.

Playing alongside Hoffman, Reed also birdied the par-5 18th for a 69. He missed birdie putts inside 8 feet on the par-3 16th and par-4 17th.

Reed, who was born in San Antonio, put the pressure on Hoffman with a tap-in birdie at the 18th after reaching the fringe on the 595-yard hole in two. His shot to the green came from the left-hand rough, and had to clear an oak tree and creek in front of the green.

Hoffman followed by hitting his third shot from a greenside bunker to set up his birdie.

Chad Collins was a career-best third at 10 under after a 69. He birdied four of the last five holes.

Third-round leader Ricky Barnes, looking for his first PGA Tour win in 222 tries, stumbled to a 74 to drop into a tie for fourth at 9 under with Kevin Chappell (68), Billy Herschel (70), Ryan Palmer (69) and Martin Piller (70). It was a career best for Piller, the husband of LPGA Tour player Gerina Piller.

Brendan Steele, the 2011 winner who led the first two rounds, had a 75 to tie for 13th at 7 under.

Reed pulled within a shot of Hoffman with a 23-foot birdie putt from the fringe at 15. Hoffman mised a 10-foot birdie try on the hole.

Reed missed a bending, right-to-left putt from 7 feet that could have tied Hoffman at 16, and missed a straighter putt from about the same distance on the next hole.

Piller birdied the 12th with a 14-foot putt to take a two-shot advantage over Reed and Hoffman.

But he gave it back with a double bogey on the par-3 13th. His tee shot plugged into the sand in the steep-faced bunker fronting the green. He blasted out – past the green – then chipped back and two putted.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., finished tied for 13th at 7 under while fellow Canadian Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was tied for 21st at 6 under.

DALY CITY, Calif. – Haru Nomura held on in strong wind to win the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic on Sunday for her second LPGA Tour victory of the year.

The 23-year-old Japanese player closed with a 1-over 73 in wind gusting to 35 mph at Lake Merced to finish at 9-under 279 and beat South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace by four strokes.

Nomura won the Australian Women’s Open in February, pulling away to beat top-ranked Lydia Ko by three strokes for her first LPGA Tour title.

Nomura had a rules scare Saturday. After her third-round 71, she met with rules officials to examine her play from an awkward stance on a slope in a bunker on the par-5 sixth hole. The officials decided no penalty was warranted for building a stance, leaving her with a par instead of a double bogey.

Pace finished with a 74.

Ko shot a 75 on her 19th birthday to tie for sixth at 1 under with Canada’s Brooke Henderson. Ko won the tournament the previous two years.

Henderson carded a final round 76 to pick up her 8th straight LPGA top 10 finish.

Third-ranked Lexi Thompson (71) also was 1 under along with Jenny Shin (72) and Mi Jung Hur (74).

Michelle Wie withdrew because of neck spasms after playing the first 15 holes in 11 over. Wie was 16 over after opening with rounds of 73, 73 and 75.

She’s winless since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open and hasn’t had a top-10 finish in 33 events. Last year, she struggled with left hip and ankle injuries. In 2014, she fought a stress fracture in her right hand.

Antigua, GUA – Team Canada Yong Pro Squad member Corey Conners finished in a tie for second at the Stella Artois Open.

Conners shot a 6 under 66 in his final round to move up three spots on the leader board and tie Puma Dominguez for second place at 13-under for the tournament.

The 22-year-old native of Listowel, Ont., is ranked fourth in the Order of Merit with 3 top ten finishes in the PGA Tour Latinoamerica.

American John Young Kim won the event with a 15 under 273.

LEON, Mexico – Wesley Bryan won the El Bosque Mexico Championship on Sunday for his second Web.com Tour title of the year, shooting a 5-under 67 for a four-stroke victory.

Bryan finished at 19-under 269 at El Bosque and earned $117,000 to jump from second to first on the money list with $260,820. The top 25 at the end of the regular season will earn PGA Tour cards.

The 26-year-old former University of South Carolina player won the Chitimacha Louisiana Open last month for his first tour title.

Third-round leader Brad Fritsch, the Ottawa native coming off a victory two weeks ago in the Servientrega Championship in Colombia, had a 73 to tie for second with Richy Werenski. Werenski closed with a 66.

Another Canadian, Roger Sloan of Calgary, finished tied for 5th at 13-under 275 after a final round 66.

RIDGEDALE, Mo. – Woody Austin and Michael Allen won the PGA Tour Champions’ Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge on Sunday, giving Austin two straight victories and three in the last four events on the 50-and-over tour.

Austin and Allen birdied the final hole for a one-stroke victory over David Frost and Roger Chapman.

Austin and Allen closed with a 6-under 48, playing nine holes of modified alternate shot and nine of better ball on the par-3 Top of the Rock course. They finished at 23-under 156. Frost and Chapman also shot a 48.

Austin won the Tucson Conquistadores Classic last month in Arizona for his first senior title and took the Mitsubishi Electric Classic last week in a playoff in Georgia. Allen has eight senior titles.

Billy Andrade and Joe Durant, the winners last year, were third at 21 under after a 49.

Larry Nelson and Bruce Fleisher completed a wire-to-wire victory in the Legends Division for players 65 and older, beating John Bland and Graham Marsh by two strokes. Nelson and Fleisher shot a 4-under 23 in a better-ball nine to finish at 19-under 116. Bland and Marsh also had a 23.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Brittany Altomare won the Guardian Retirement Championship on Sunday at windy Sara Bay, beating Denmark’s Nicole Broch Larsen with a birdie on the fifth hole of a playoff.

Altomare closed with a 2-under 70 to match Broch Larsen at even-par 70. Broch Larsen had a 75.

“It is an incredible feeling,” Altomare said. “I feel like I am on a high.”

After Altomare and Broch Larsen each parred the par-5 18th four times before Altomare broke through for her first career victory with a 4-foot birdie putt.

“The moment that ball went in, it was almost like a relief like, ‘I did it’ finally,” Altomare said. “This is my fourth year as a professional and it is exciting, it is a relief and a confidence booster.”

The 25-year-old former University of Virginia player from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, earned $16,500. She expects to play in the next six LPGA Tour events are gaining status at the money-list reshuffle.

“This win gives me an incredible amount of confidence,” Altomare said. “I know my game is ready and I know I can do it so I am just excited.”

Thailand’s Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong was third at 3 over after a 70.

Sara-Maude Juneau of Fossambault-sur-le-Lac, Que., tied for 5th at 6-over 222.

Two other Canadians cracked the top 15. Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto and Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City had a share of 15th 8-over 224.

SAN ANTONIO – Ricky Barnes shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead in the Valero Texas Open in a bid for his first PGA Tour victory.

Winless in 221 starts with a career-best runner-up finish in the 2009 U.S. Open, the 35-year-old Barnes had an 11-under 205 total at TPC San Antonio. He closed with a bogey after a wild drive near a cactus bush on the par-5 18th.

“I’d be lying if I would say it was a successful career being out here without a win,” Barnes said. “This is why you play the game, right? Come in on Sundays and have a chance to win.”

Brendan Steele, the leader after each of the first two rounds, was second after a 72.

“I played with Ricky last week, and his game is looking really good right now,” said Steele, the 2011 winner for his lone tour title. “I was really struggling. I was able to make enough recovery shots to not make many mistakes and I was able to be patient enough and make a couple of birdies at the end.”

Former world No. 1 Luke Donald and three-time tour winner Charley Hoffman were two strokes back. Donald, coming off a second-place tie last week in the RBC Heritage in South Carolina, shot a 68. Hoffman missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the last hole and settled for a 70.

“Sure feels good to be back in contention again and having chances to win,” Donald said. “I switched putters last week (and) obviously making more putts.”

Patrick Reed was fifth at 8 under after a 70. He was born in San Antonio.

Billy Horschel (67) and three-time major winner Padraig Harrington (68) were 7 under along with Chad Collins (67), Jon Curran (71), Martin Piller (71) and Nick Taylor (66).

Horschel hasn’t won since the 2014 Tour Championship, and Harrington has one PGA Tour win last year in the Honda Classic since his claimed his third major at the 2008 PGA Championship.

“I think if I’m in command of my game,” Horschel said, “it doesn’t matter where I am. I can get the job done. I’ve figured out something in my swing.”

In addition to his seven birdies, Barnes did well to rescue himself from trouble. His bogey from the 18th could have been much worse when his drive went left and settled next to the cactus.

“A bad swing at the end,” Barnes said. “If you told me 5 under today, I would have taken it before the round.”

He birdied No. 11, 12 and 14 to take the lead. He managed that despite finding the fairway bunker at No. 12, and he blasted to 3 feet from a greenside bunker at the par-5 14th.

“It’s not a fluke being out here,” said Barnes, coming off a ninth-place tie in the RBC Heritage. “I’ve been showing a lot lately. Just need to keep what I’m doing the last three days.”

Steele got off to a sticky start. He wasn’t as lucky as Barnes when pulled his tee shot on No. 2 into a cactus bush and took an unplayable lie on the way to a bogey.

“I didn’t hit many fairways today,” Steele said. “Kind of bad right out of the gate.”

Hoffman had a share of the lead before a bogey at No. 12. He reached the par-5 14th in two and converted for a birdie, and made a 6-footer for another birdie at 16.

“Obviously, this course fits my eye,” Hoffman said. “I’ve been knocking on the door for the last month and a half. I want to get a win and take what comes along.”

DALY CITY, Calif. – Haru Nomura shot a 1-under 71 in cool and breezy conditions Saturday at Lake Merced and escaped a two-shot penalty to maintain a three-stroke lead in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.

The 23-year-old Japanese player met with rules officials after the round to discuss her play from an awkward stance in the left greenside bunker on the par-5 sixth hole.

“It was slopey, so I was trying to take a stance, but I kept slipping downhill, and in order to get a firm stance, I had to – even when I had to do a practice swing – I had to swing real hard, and when I did, I kept moving forward again and again,” Nomura said. “There was no option, but to move like that, but they were saying that I was moving excessively, but what I was trying to tell them was, ‘OK, then what is the guideline. There should be some sort of a standard, a regulation that explains what an infraction is and not.'”

The officials decided no penalty was warranted, leaving her with a par on the hole and a 10-under 206 total.

“For me the two-stroke penalty, it wouldn’t really have made a big difference,” Nomura said. “If I did something wrong, I have to accept it. But there was really no clear rule about what the guidelines were, so I would just focus on my game and just leave it at that.”

She won the Australian Women’s Open in February, pulling away to beat top-ranked Lydia Ko by three strokes for her first LPGA Tour title.

“You could say it’s confidence and you can call it what it is, but what I feel right now is I feel very comfortable about golf,” Nomura said. “I just want to have fun. I’m not thinking about trying to beat someone. It’s really about having fun.”

Ko was six strokes back at 4 under after a 73. The two-time defending champion will be 19 on Sunday.

“My game wasn’t really up to it today,” Ko said. “It was pretty average. But I felt like chipping, short game-wise it was good, but I wasn’t making the putts that needed to go in for birdie or those crucial par saves. … I’ve just got to stay positive.”

South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace and South Korea’s Na Yeon Choi were tied for second.

Pace had a 69. She won a 2014 event in China for her lone LPGA Tour title.

“Obviously, the conditions are going to be the same tomorrow probably, a little cooler, I think,” Pace said. “But just the same thing. On a course like this you have to play on the right side. You have to stay below the hole keep it in the fairway and on the greens.”

Choi shot 71. She won twice last year and has nine LPGA Tour victories.

“It was tough,” Choi said. “I think especially the greens were so firm and a lot of holes have front pins, so it’s hard to stop the ball around the pin. … I like chasing, so I feel great about this tournament and this week and about my game. I have confidence, so just keep playing aggressive.”

So Yeon Ryu was 5 under along with Brooke Henderson, Catriona Matthew and Gerina Piller. Ryu, the first-round leader after a tournament-record 63, followed a second-round 75 with a 73.

Henderson has seven straight top-10 finishes. The 18-year-old Canadian chipped in for birdie on the par-5 18th for a 69.

“I kind of mis-hit my approach shot there, but was able to come back with a nice chip-in and make the day feel a little bit better than it was,” Henderson said. “I’m really close and my game is close to being really good. I just have to stay patient and keep doing what I’m doing.”

The 46-year-old Matthew shot a 71, and Piller had a 72.

“It was really hard,” Piller said. “The pins were a lot tougher today. They put a lot of them on the front, and the course is firming up again. Yesterday it was pretty soft with the rains. But front pins make it pretty difficult to get it close. And the wind, you’ve got to accommodate for the wind, accommodate for the cold, so it just makes it a tough day.”

Minjee Lee also was 4 under after a 74. The 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion at Lake Merced, the Australian won last week in Hawaii for her second LPGA Tour title.

LEON, GTO, Mexico – Brad Fritsch will play in the final group on Sunday for the second straight Web.com Tour event. After a bogey on the par-4 17th, Fritsch bounce backed with a birdie on thRoyce Thompsone par-5 finishing hole for a 3-under 69. His 16-under-par 200 total puts him two clear of Wesley Bryan (71) after 54 holes of the El Bosque Mexico Championship presented by INNOVA.

Five-time PGA TOUR winner Jonathan Byrd, who recorded nine birdies in his third round, is in solo third after a sizzling 65.

Martin Flores (70) trails by five while Ollie Schniederjans (66), Mexico’s Sebastian Vazquez (67) and Brian Campbell (72) are six off the pace in a share of fifth.

“I could get used to it,” said Fritsch, who will be paired with Bryan in the final round. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be besides in the lead. I’m going to embrace it tomorrow.”

Fritsch is riding a wave of confidence like something you would find on Oahu’s North Shore. When he arrived in Leon, the 38-year-old from Ottawa, Ontario didn’t plan on hitting many drivers around El Bosque Country Club, but things changed quickly. The Steve Newgent design is very demanding on some of the par 5s, especially the eighth and 18th, two holes that don’t fit Fritsch’s eye.

“There are a lot of things that can go wrong on those holes,” said Fritsch, who is 13-under on the par 5s this week. “Sometimes plans change when you’re swinging it well, and with confidence you can be a little more aggressive.”

Fritsch was certainly that on the par-5 18th hole. From the fairway, Fritsch chose to go for it in two and sailed his second over the green. From there, he chipped it to 5 feet and made the putt to post 16-under.

Fritsch’s day wasn’t as smooth as his scorecard appeared. He had a few breaks go his way including a nice birdie on the par-5 10th, where he drained a 20-footer after running his chip past the hole. The Campbell University graduate also made a great par-save at No. 14. Fritsch blocked his drive right behind a patch of trees and was forced to hit a low runner into the greenside bunker. He blasted his third to 5 feet and knocked in the par putt to stay at 16-under.

“Those are momentum changers,” said Fritsch.

Fritsch has put a lot of time into his game. Not only is the 16-year-pro seeing the results, others on Tour are taking notice as well.

“If we can all catch the Tiger Woods of the Web.com Tour right now,” said Byrd, who is four back heading into Sunday. “He’s playing pretty good right now.”

After the round, Fritsch wasn’t able to pinpoint one thing that’s caused this surge of good play. He believes it’s a combination of the hard work he has put in back home in Holly Springs, North Carolina, and a hot putter.

“A couple of people have asked me that,” said Fritsch. “As one area gets better, it snowballs and the rest of the game clicks.”

Bryan’s day didn’t go as he had planned. After a birdie at the 10th, he made a “boatload of pars,” eight to be precise, to close out his third round. Despite the 1-under score, the 26-year-old from Columbia, South Carolina, has a chance to earn his second Tour win on Sunday.

“Anytime you put yourself in contention, that’s mission accomplished,” said Bryan. “I’ve got to put my head down and go to work tomorrow.”