MILTON KEYNES, England – Hinako Shibuno of Japan finished with a birdie to win the Women’s British Open by one shot over Lizette Salas as she wrapped up a stunning major championship debut on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Shibuno, a rookie on the Japan LPGA Tour who was making her LPGA Tour debut, birdied five of the final nine holes in a 4-under 68 and 18-under 270 overall.

Largely unknown before the championship, Shibuno – nicknamed “Smiling Cinderella” – started Sunday with a two-stroke lead but lost it with a double bogey on the par-4 3rd. She bounced back with birdies on Nos. 5 and 7 before a bogey on the 8th at Woburn Golf Club.

But in three of four rounds, Shibuno has shone on the back nine. She did it in 31 on Sunday – and just 30 on Thursday and Saturday.

“She just gets up and rips it. She did really great,” rival Ashleigh Buhai said about Shibuno.

Brooke Henderson (72) of Smiths Falls, Ont., tied for 41st.

Salas, who started the final round tied for fourth, quickly played herself into contention with three birdies in the first four holes, and she added five more in a 7-under 65.

But the American will regret not taking another birdie chance on the 18th when she shared the lead with Shibuno.

“I told myself, ‘You got this. You’re made for this.’ I put a good stroke on it. I’m not going to lie, I was nervous,” Salas said after her best finish at a major. “You know, I haven’t been in that position in a long time. Gave it a good stroke. I controlled all my thoughts. It just didn’t drop.”

Jin Young Ko, who was seeking her third major title of the year after winning the Evian Championship last week, was two shots back in third after a bogey-free 66.

“I had a little pressure, but I like that pressure,” Ko said.

Morgan Pressel (67) finished fourth at 15 under, just ahead of Buhai (70), whose hopes were dented Saturday when she let a five-shot lead slip. The 30-year-old South African finished fifth at 14 under.

“If you had given me a top five at the beginning of the week, I most certainly would have taken it,” Buhai said.

Also, Celine Boutier shot a 66 to finish the tournament at 12 under, followed by Carlota Ciganda (70) at 11 under and second-ranked Sung Hyun Park (73) at 10 under.

American Nelly Korda (68) tied for ninth with Jeongeun Lee (71) at 9 under, two shots ahead of Lexi Thompson (67).

Defending champion Georgia Hall (73) tied for 35th.

Full results can be found here.

Garrett Rank, of Ont., beat the odds to win the 117th Western Amateur at Point O’ Woods Golf & Country Club on Saturday.

The 31-year-old Rank, an NHL referee, earned the George R. Thorne Trophy with a 3 and 2 victory over Daniel Wetterich, of Cincinnati, Ohio. The last mid-amateur to win the Western Amateur was Danny Green in 1997 at The Point, which was hosting the tournament this week for the first time since 2008.

“This is the end of a dream week,” said the Team Canada alumnus.

Rank, who finished fifth at 6 under in stroke play on Thursday, trailed in all four of his matches. He was 1 down after five in the final, but took the lead with a birdie at No. 7. Rank went 2 up after making a birdie on the ninth.

Wetterich answered with a birdie at No. 10, but Rank took control with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 14-15 to go 3 up. He parred the 16th to end the match.

Rank carded six birdies and won seven holes. Wetterich made four birdies and won four holes. The two didn’t tie a hole until No. 8.

“The front was back and forth, and it was fun,” said Wetterich, who graduated from Ohio State in the spring. “He just made a lot of putts, and he wouldn’t give me any wiggle room.”

A native of Elmira, Ontario, Rank played golf and hockey growing up and earned scholarships in both sports to University of Waterloo in Ontario. After being diagnosed with testicular cancer in his second year of college, he quit hockey and focused on golf.

In 2012, Rank was the runner-up to Nathan Smith at the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Illinois.

“I’ve had a lot of close calls in big events,” Rank said. “To finally break through is huge. I’m a big believer in the more you put yourself under pressure you learn something every time. I relied on that.”

The win gives Rank an exemption into next year’s Evans Scholars Invitational at The Glen Club in Glenview, Illinois. Wetterich also received an invitation into the Korn Ferry Tour event.

“I’m really excited about how I played,” Wetterich said. “Overall, I’m really content with the week, and I will build on what I did [Saturday] going forward.”

Rank is the second Canadian champion – Jim Nelford won the tournament in 1977 at The Point. He’s the first international winner since Danny Lee in 2008.

“I know how important and cool this is in amateur golf,” Rank said. “It hasn’t sunk in yet, and I’m sure I’ll be even more proud when it does.”

After playing in the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship on Aug. 20-23, Rank reports to NHL training camp Sept. 9. Even following a win at the Western Amateur, among the most prestigious tournaments in the world, Rank isn’t compelled to turn golf into a full-time job.

“I have no regrets about not being professional,” he said. “I have no doubt I could be a great pro and could do well in the game of golf. But I love my job. I have one of the coolest jobs in the world. I know how the ups and downs of golf work and have seen a lot of great players not make it.

“When you get to play in tournaments like this and have success, I don’t know why you would want to chase being a professional golfer.”

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Byeong Hun An shot a 4-under 66 on Saturday for a one-stroke lead after three rounds at the Wyndham Championship.

An was at 17-under 193 entering the final round of the PGA Tour’s final event before the playoffs.

Former Wyndham winner Webb Simpson and Brice Garnett were tied for second, with Simpson shooting a 65 and Garnett a 66. Ryan Armour was 15 under following a 65.

An has held or shared the lead after each of the first three rounds, and has yet to play a hole worse than par. The 27-year-old South Korean with three international victories has put himself in position to claim his first win on tour.

Canadian Mackenzie of Dundas, Ont., is in a tie for 10th at 12 under par. Fellow countryman Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., is tied for 16th at 11 under.

Overall, it was yet another low-scoring day at Sedgefield Country Club. For a while midway through An’s round, six players were tied for the lead at 13 under.

An started to get some separation from the crowd with three birdies in the four-hole span from Nos. 5-8, moving to 16 under.

Then came his best shot of the day, a 50-foot birdie putt on the par-4 14th. He then closed with four straight pars.

Simpson – a native North Carolinian who named his daughter Wyndham after his first career victory came here in 2011 – strung together three birdies around a bogey midway through his back nine to move to 16 under. If nothing else, he’s in good position to claim his fifth top-10 finish in six years at this tournament.

Garnett made the turn at 15 under following back-to-back birdies, then rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the 17th to pull even with Simpson and saved par on the 18th after rolling his third shot from a greenside bunker to within 3 feet from the flagstick.

Armour climbed into contention with six birdies in a 10-hole stretch midway through his round that put him two strokes back.

And Viktor Hovland finished his season-best round with a birdie on the 18th after landing his 150-yard approach shot some 3 feet from the flagstick. He was tied for fifth with J.T. Poston and Paul Casey at 14 under.

After winning the U.S. Amateur last year, Hovland turned pro two months ago after tying for 12th at the U.S. Open.

“I just try to tell myself that I don’t have anything to lose,” Hovland said. “I’ll be on the Korn Ferry Tour no matter what happens kind of unless I play really well tomorrow, and to be in the spot where I am right now after college, that’s a pretty good spot to be in.”

It wasn’t a low-scoring day for everyone, though: Jordan Spieth had three double-bogeys and a bogey during a birdie-free 77 that left him at 2 under for the tournament. It came two days after he flirted with a career-best round, putting just 23 times during his first-round 64.

“I putted my (butt) off for two days to be able to be where I was at, and you can’t exactly fix your ball striking in a day,” Spieth said. “It’s just too much to try and force it. So this extra day could serve me really well through the playoffs.”

MILTON KEYNES, England – Hinako Shibuno’s dream debut continued Saturday as she fired a 5-under 67 to seize a two-shot lead going into the final round at the Women’s British Open.

The 20-year-old Shibuno, a rookie on the Japan LPGA Tour who is making her LPGA Tour and major championship debut, hit six birdies in the final nine holes of the third round for a 14-under 202.

Overnight leader Ashleigh Buhai (72) started with a three-shot lead at Woburn Golf Club and stretched it to five as Shibuno had bogeys on Nos. 5 and 9. But with Sung Hyun Park also closing in, Buhai stumbled with three bogeys in five holes. The 30-year-old South African, who has never won on the LPGA Tour, dropped to second at 12 under.

Second-ranked Park was a shot further back in third after a bogey-free 68.

Americans Morgan Pressel and Lizette Salas, and top-ranked Jin Young Ko, were tied for fourth on 10 under. Ko (68) is seeking her third major title of the year after winning last week’s Evian Championship in France.

Pressel birdied eight holes on her way to a 66, while Salas (70) had two bogeys in her opening nine.

Defending champion Georgia Hall was 10 shots back after a 74.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson (74) was tied for 37th.

MILTON KEYNES, England – Ashleigh Buhai stretched her surprise lead at the Women’s British Open to three shots, shooting a bogey-free 5-under 67 in Friday’s second round.

Buhai, a 30-year-old South African who has never won on the LPGA Tour, birdied four of the final eight holes to post 12-under 132.

“I’m trying not to keep thinking it’s a major. It’s just another tournament,” said Buhai, whose best previous British Open finish was a tie for 30th in 2017. “I just keep trying to do what I’ve done the last few weeks. I’ve kept the mistakes off the card the last two days.”

Alone in second at 9 under was 20-year-old Hinako Shibuno, a rookie on the Japan LPGA Tour who is making her LPGA Tour and major championship debut.

“I just wanted to make the cut. That’s all,” Shibuno said.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is tied for 18th at 4 under after shooting a 1-under 71 on Friday. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp missed the cut at 4 over.

Shibuno, who shot 66 on Thursday, had a 69 on Friday and wowed spectators at Woburn Golf Club with her fearless play. She led for much of the afternoon before Buhai overtook her. Shibuno has two victories in Japan this year and is ranked 46th in the world.

American Lizette Salas was third at 8 under. She birdied the first four holes en route to a bogey-free 67.

“Awesome day,” Salas said.

Bronte Law, the top-ranked English player at No. 19, also shot 67 and was four shots back alongside Celine Boutier, second-ranked Sung Hyun Park, Caroline Masson and local favourite Charley Hull, who is playing on her home course. Boutier had the day’s lowest round at 66.

Danielle Kang had a disappointing 72 and was six shots back.

“I don’t know, nothing really felt like yesterday,” Kang said. “I guess today was one of those off-days and yesterday was the day that everything comes together. But I know what I’m capable of. Even if I’m playing bad, I know I can give myself opportunities.”

Defending champion Georgia Hall was also 6 under after a 69, along with Ariya Jutanugarn (70), Carlota Ciganda (69) and top-ranked Jin Young Ko, who was frustrated after a 70. Ko is seeking her third major title of the year after winning last week’s Evian Championship in France.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Canada’s Adam Svensson made a run at golf’s magic number before settling for a 9-under 61 on Friday at the Wyndham Championship.

The 59 watch was on after the 25-year-old golfer from Surrey, B.C., made seven birdies for a 28 on the front nine at a soft and wet Sedgefield Country Club. But Svensson cooled down with two birdies on the back nine, preventing him from becoming just the 10th player in PGA Tour history to shoot 59.

“I was kind of like, all right, I’m 9 under par (after No. 13) and there’s still four or five holes and a par 5,” Svensson said. “I was actually pretty calm. I thought I would be a little more nervous than I was.”

Svensson was tied with Canadian Mackenzie Hughes and four others in third place heading into the weekend at 11 under – two strokes behind leader Byeong Hun An.

An was at 13-under 127 halfway through the PGA Tour’s final event before the FedEx Cup playoffs. Brice Garnett was a stroke back after a 64.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., was the lone Canadian to shoot 59 on the PGA Tour, doing so in 2017 at the CareerBuilder Challenge.

Svensson missed a five-foot putt for birdie at No. 15 and a 15-footer for birdie at No. 17, pretty much ending his shot at a 59. He made an 11-foot par putt on No. 18 to complete a bogey-free round.

“I was happy with the way I played. I had a couple missed putts coming down the stretch,” he said.

59 watch for Canadian @adamsvensson59 ??

He needs to go 2 under in his final 4 holes @WyndhamChamp pic.twitter.com/HSYPd0n8EZ

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) August 2, 2019

Hughes, from Dundas, Ont., shot 66 after opening with a 63 to stay in contention entering the third round.

Three other Canadians made the cut. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., (66) and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., (66) are 5 under, while Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., (69) is 4 under.

The 61 came at a great time for Svensson, a PGA Tour rookie. He sat 171st in the FedEx Cup standings entering the Wyndham Championship, the final event before the playoffs.

The top 125 qualify for the playoffs and guarantee themselves PGA Tour cards for next season. If Svensson does not reach the top 125, he’ll have to go to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to try to maintain his status on the top tour.

“I was talking to Danny (Sahl), my caddie, who said, ‘You know what? Go out and just no pressure, just go out there and play and see what we can do,”’ Svensson said.

Svensson also shot a 61 in January in the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii. He is the only player this season to shoot multiple rounds of 61 or better.

An made his move up the leaderboard with three straight birdies late in his round.

Finishing on the back nine, the 27-year-old South Korean who’s winless on tour had birdies on Nos. 3-5 and closed his second consecutive bogey-free round with four straight pars.

“I came close last couple years and, you know, maybe this week might do it,” An said about that long-awaited first victory. “But still have two more days and there are a lot of players behind me. … Just do what I’ve been doing the last couple days and just hit a lot of fairways and greens and make some putts. If someone plays better than me, then he deserves to win it, but as long as I keep these bogey-free rounds going.”

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Emily Zhu of Richmond Hill, Ont., carded a final round of 4 under 68, overcoming a two-stroke deficit to win the 65th Canadian Junior Girls Championship held at Lethbridge Country Club in Lethbridge, Alta.

Zhu finished the tournament at 13 under, having posted her first career bogey-free round on Thursday. She finished five strokes ahead of YanJun (Victoria) Liu (Vancouver) and Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que.).

“I’m still kind of in shock,” said Zhu. “Going into this tournament I really wanted to win, so this win makes me feel really, really good. I tried to play it like yesterday – focus on my shot and focus on hitting each one as good as I can.”

It was an eerily similar situation to last year for Zhu. In 2018, she was in the final group and only one stroke back of the leader, eventually finishing in second. This year was different however, with the Team Canada National Development Squad member surpassing 54-hole leader YanJun (Victoria) Liu.

“I focused on each shot – don’t overthink anything,” said Zhu. “Make sure that the shot at hand is going to be as good as I can.”

A pivotal moment came on the par-4 No. 11, where Zhu birdied and Liu double-bogeyed. The three strokes gained on the hole were more than enough for Zhu.

The 15-year-old also won the Juvenile Girls Championship (for 16-year-olds and under) for the second consecutive year, with Liu finishing runner-up and Brooke Rivers (Brampton, Ont.) coming in third. As the Canadian Junior Champion, Zhu earns an exemption into the 2020 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

Liu and Dao finished runner-up at 8 under. Liu carried a two-shot lead into the final round, but shot 3 over.

Dao, the defending champion, carded 3 under 69 on Friday. She made three birdies in the final round of her career as a junior competitor. The 18-year-old made the cut at all six the Canadian Junior Girls Championships she played.

Brooke Rivers (Brampton, Ont.) finished fourth at 5 under for the tournament, eight back of Zhu.

Hsin Chiao Chang of Chinese Taipei and Hailey McLaughlin (Markham, Ont.) finished tied for fifth at 3 under.

Play was resumed at 2:00 p.m. local time following a 56-minute weather delay.

Full results can be found here.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Byeong Hun An and Sungjae Im each shot 8-under 62 on Thursday to share the lead after one round at the Wyndham Championship.

Mackenzie Hughes, Rory Sabbatini, Patrick Rodgers and Johnson Wagner were a stroke back behind the South Korean leaders in the final PGA Tour event before the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Former Wyndham winners Brandt Snedeker and Webb Simpson joined Jordan Spieth among the nine players at 64.

The co-leaders shot the best rounds of their PGA Tour careers. An, a 27-year-old South Korean seeking his first career victory on tour, closed with birdies on four of his final six holes and a sand save on the par-4 18th.

An had four birdies on the front nine at Sedgefield Country Club along with those four on the back nine during his bogey-free round. He hit 15 greens in regulation.

“I’ve got to do a couple more of these rounds,” An said. “One good round won’t do it, so I need to keep it up and make a lot of birdies.”

Im, one of nine players in the field with a chance at finishing in the top 10 on the points list and earning some bonus money as part of the new Wyndham Rewards Top 10 program, had three straight birdies on Nos. 14-16 and also was bogey-free. He started at No. 25 on the points list.

For a while, it looked as though Spieth would join them atop the leaderboard – teeing off on No. 18 one stroke behind the leaders, but he sent his drive out of bounds. After taking the penalty stroke, he placed his fourth stroke 21 feet from the flagstick and rolled in that putt for arguably the best bogey of the day.

“I got up there and had a putt at it, I was just trying to get the right speed,” Spieth said. “And 5 feet to go, it looked really good, just like they did all day.”

Spieth had just 23 putts during his round.

“You want putts for birdie. You want to be hitting greens in regulation,” Spieth said. “Really, two bad swings today kept it from being my lowest round on the PGA Tour. There’s a lot of good in that.”

At No. 67 on the points list, Spieth – the 2015 FedEx Cup champion – is in no danger of missing the post-season.

Others at Sedgefield aren’t so secure.

The top 125 qualify for The Northern Trust next week at Liberty National, and are assured of keeping their tour cards for next season, if they don’t already have them.

Garnett, who started at No. 121 on the points list, and Power, who is No. 144, are among those who are squarely on the playoff bubble.

“I know if it doesn’t go well where I’m going,” said Josh Teater, who is No. 165. “So I kind of made that up … in my mind a few weeks back that, hey, if I make all three cuts and finish 40th, it makes no difference, so let’s go try to play great and if we end up playing terrible, it doesn’t matter.”

The other main subplot at Sedgefield is the chase for the top 10 and the remaining $5.3 million in bonus money that is still up for grabs. The top three spots have been locked up.

Paul Casey, who at No. 8 on the points list is the highest-ranked player in the field. Eight other players, including Simpson, began the tournament with a shot at climbing into the top 10 and claiming some of that bonus cash.

“I sound free-wheeling and I am, I’m very kind of in a position where I can only improve my position in the FedExCup and maybe grab a bigger Wyndham Rewards than I already kind of got,” Casey said after his 65. “It’s not locked up, there’s still guys that can pass me. But yeah, I want to move up, plain and simple.”

MILTON KEYNES, England – Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa shot a 7-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead in the first round of the Women’s British Open on Thursday.

Buhai finished just ahead of Japan’s Hinako Shibuno and American Danielle Kang, who each had a bogey in rounds of 66.

“In my last few tournaments I’ve had three good rounds and one not so good round, so I’m hoping this is the week I can do four good rounds,” said Buhai, whose best finish this year is a tie for 11th. “The last few weeks I have been just trying to stay mellow and keep everything in check, and it seems to be helping.”

Top-ranked Jin Young Ko, seeking her third major title of the year after winning last week’s Evian Championship in France, was well positioned after a 68.

“I’m not tired yet,” Ko said. “I will do my best for this week, and then I had just great playing today, so I’m just happy.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., opened at 3 under 69, while Hamilton’s Alena Sharp shot an opening round of 2-over 74.

“I was just sort of making some key saves when I needed them, but just hitting the ball in good places and giving myself some looks, and it was really nice to finish with two birdies at 15 and 16 and kind of get my round to -3, and I feel like that’s a good position going into the next three days,” said Henderson.

Buhai, who has never won on the LPGA Tour, made her only bogey on the par-5 11th but responded with three straight birdies on Nos. 14-16. Her best previous British Open finish was a tie for 30th in 2017.

“I had a bit of a wobble in the middle of my round, and to finish with three birdies and come in strong – I had a goal when I saw the lead was 6 to get to 7, so I holed like a 30-footer on the 16th hole and that got me to 7,” she said.

Playing on her home Marquess Course at Woburn Golf Club, Charley Hull delighted fans with a bogey-free 67. Hull, who suffered from food poisoning at last week’s Evian Championship, showed no lingering ill effects.

“Sometimes it’s harder when it’s your home golf course because you know where not to hit it as well as where to hit it,” Hull said. “Like today, for instance, the 13th hole, it’s the first time I’ve hit that fairway for about three years, so I was quite happy about it.”

Kang, who won the Women’s PGA Championship two years ago for her only major, missed the cut last week at the Evian Championship, allowing her to arrive early for the second of back-to-back majors.

“There might have been a little bit of a blessing in disguise that I missed the cut last week because I came here on Saturday actually and I got a lot of rest, I played a few rounds,” Kang said. “I like being prepared in a proper way and competing in a proper way.”

Joining Hull at 5 under were second-ranked Sung Hyun Park, Moriya Jutanugarn and Megan Khang.

U.S. Women’s Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 and Ariya Jutanugarn shot 68 along with Ko. Defending champion Georgia Hall opened with a 69.

“I think it’s important for me to take all the emotions in and really enjoy it. I loved it out there today,” Hall said. “I just loved having so much support.”

Lexi Thompson, whose wayward passport after the Evian Championship caused a delay for a van carrying golf bags for nearly 40 players to Woburn, opened with a 71.

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – YanJun (Victoria) Liu of Vancouver remains in the lead, although her advantage over the field is down to two strokes at the 65th playing of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship held at Lethbridge Country Club in Lethbridge, Alta.

Liu carded a round one 1 under 71, sinking two birdies. Her lone bogey came on the par-4 No. 11 – only her second bogey of the tournament.

“Today was a harder round than yesterday,” said Liu. “I got into some trouble again. I saved some up-and-downs and had a couple of nice birdies. I’m not going to think about the lead. I’m just going play like my first day.”

This is Liu’s third appearance at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, having finished in a tie for 13th and a tie for seventh in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Emily Zhu sits two strokes back of Liu at 9 under. The Richmond Hill, Ont., product’s 5 under 67 tied for the lowest score of the round and was the first bogey-free round of her career.

“Of course, I could have gone even lower, but overall I’m very happy with how I played,” said Zhu. “I know [my competitors] pretty well. They’re some of my good friends so it will be really nice playing with them tomorrow.”

Zhu was in an almost identical position at the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship. She was one shot back of the leader and in the final group, eventually finishing second.

“This year is a little different because I am a bit more prepared and experienced than last year,” Zhu added. “I would definitely like to shoot even lower tomorrow, hopefully, and then take the title.”

Tiffany Kong (Vancouver) sits in third, five shots back of Liu at 6 under.

Defending champion Céleste Dao tied Zhu for the low score in the third round at 5 under. Dao made six birdies, including three straight to close out her round. An eagle on the par-5 No. 3 helped move the Team Canada National Development Squad member into fourth place.

Three players sit in a tie for fifth at 4 under; first round leader Euna Han (Coquitlam, B.C.), Brooke Rivers (Brampton, Ont.) and Hailey McLaughlin (Markham, Ont.).

The shot of the day belonged to Alyssa Chang of Surrey, B.C. The 16-year-old aced the 161-yard No. 12 for her second career hole-in-one. She carded even-par 72 in the third round.

“Today was definitely crazy,” said Chang. “I saw the ball and it was just rolling, rolling and I just didn’t want it to stop and it went in. I was jumping up and down and all the parents were clapping.”

The 2019 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2020 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

Full scoring can be found here.