NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. – Jim Herman shot his second straight 7-under 65 on Friday to take the second-round lead in the PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship.

President Donald Trump’s regular golf partner while working as an assistant professional at Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey, Herman had a one-stroke lead over Bill Haas at rain-softened Keene Trace.

Encouraged by Trump to pursue a playing career, Herman won the 2016 Shell Houston Open for his lone tour title.

Haas followed his opening 65 with a 66. He made a 45-foot eagle putt on the par-5 eighth, his 17th hole.

David Toms was two strokes back at 12 under after a 64. The 52-year-old Toms made a 13-foot eagle putt on the par-5 fifth, his 14th hole of the day. D.J. Trahan, Kelly Kraft and Kramer Hickok also were 12 under, each shooting 67.

Jose de Jesus Rodriguez (65), Austin Cook (66), Sebastian Munoz (68) and Wes Roach (69) were 11 under.

Tom Lovelady played the first six holes on the back nine in 7 under, capped by a 10-foot eagle putt on the par-5 15th. He bogeyed the par-3 16th and parred the last two for a 65 to top the group at 10 under.

J.T. Poston, the first-round leader after a 62, had a 73 to drop into a tie for 18th at 9 under. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., a stroke behind Poston after an opening 63, also was 9 under after a 72.

Ben Silverman (68) of Thornhill, Ont., and David Hearn (68) of Brantford, Ont., were tied for 44th at 6 under. Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., and Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., missed the cut.

John Daly missed the cut with rounds of 71 and 72. Fighting osteoarthritis in his right knee, the 53-year-old Daly was playing his first PGA Tour event since he was approved for a cart last fall. Denied a cart by the R&A for the British Open, he has been approved for a cart at PGA Tour events until the end of the year.

The winner will receive a spot in the PGA Championship, but not in the Masters.

Full scoring can be found here.

RED DEER, Alta. – The world’s best amateur golfers are set to compete in the 106th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship taking place at Red Deer Golf & Country Club in Red Deer, Alta. from July 22-26.

The championship was first held in 1901, making it one of the oldest golfing competitions in the world. Red Deer Golf & Country Club will play host to 156 players from 13 countries over four stroke play rounds.

“Golf Canada is delighted to present the 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at such a terrific venue,” said Dan Hyatt, the Tournament Director. “We are confident Red Deer Golf & Country Club will challenge some of the top amateur golfers as they showcase their skills.”

First organized in 1919 and on its current site since 1922, Red Deer Golf & Country Club is among the 150 oldest continuously active golf courses in Canada. The club has hosted numerous provincial and national championships, including the 1976 Alberta Open (won by Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Moe Norman), the Alberta Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championship and the Canadian Golf Club Professional Championship. Red Deer Golf & Country Club is also slated to host the 2022 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship.

“The Red Deer Golf and Country Club membership and staff are anxious to host the 106th Canadian Women’s Amateur,” said Don McFarlane, General Manager of Red Deer Golf and Country Club. “Our golf course is in great condition, and we feel a great fit for this National Championship. We are proud of our facility, and look forward to showcasing it, and our community to the 156 participants and to those watching. The venue and our enthusiastic and supportive membership will ensure good competition, and a memorable week for all.”

In 2018, Yealimi Noh of Concord, Calif. won the championship by a single stroke over Dylan Kim of Sachse, Tex. Noh trailed Kim by a single stroke entering the final round and her even-par 71 was enough for her to capture the title. It was a tremendous week of golf for Noh, who made only four bogeys over the 72 holes.

Current LPGA Tour star Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.) is a recent winner of the event, having captured the title in 2013. Former U.S. Women’s Open Champion Ariya Jutanugarn and reigning Augusta National Women’s Amateur Champion Jennifer Kupcho each won the Canadian Women’s Amateur in 2012 and 2017, respectively.

(Red Deer Golf & Country Club)

A full field of competitors will compete for the Duchess of Connaught Gold Cup and the title of Canadian Women’s Amateur champion, including Team Canada National Amateur Squad member Brigitte Thibault of Rosemère, Que., and Tiffany Kong of Vancouver, who was the low Canadian in 2018.

An inter-provincial team championship will be played in conjunction with the first 36 holes of the competition, with three-player teams vying for the inter-provincial title. Team British Columbia, consisting of Mary Parsons (Delta, B.C.), Christina Proteau (Port Alberni, B.C.) and Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.) shot a combined 8 over par to capture British Columbia’s second straight team championship.

The field will be reduced to the low 70 and ties for the final two rounds.

In addition to claiming the title of 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion, the winner will earn exemptions into the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Miss., and the 2019 CP Women’s Open at Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont. from August 19-25.

Additionally, the low Canadian will earn an exemption into the 2019 CP Women’s Open.

NOTABLES

Brigitte Thibault, Rosemère, Que.
The Team Canada National Amateur Squad member is the highest ranked Canadian in the field (No. 176). Having recently concluded her sophomore season at Fresno State University, Thibault is enjoying a successful 2019 season, winning the Mountain West Conference Championship and the 2019 Ontario Women’s Amateur. The 20-year-old participated at the 2019 Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship and was named to the 2019 Pan-Am Games team in June.

Sarah Dunning, Waterloo, Ont.
A member of the University of Guelph women’s golf team, Dunning qualified for the championship by winning the 2019 Canadian University/College Championship in May. The victory came in dramatic fashion, with Dunning draining a 25-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole to win the tournament by one stroke. She has played the Canadian Women’s Amateur on six occasions.

Andrea Lee, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Formerly the No. 1-ranked woman on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Lee has played at the last two U.S. Women’s Open Championships. She led the United States to the gold medal in the team event at the 2017 World University games, placing fourth in the individual competition in the process. Lee finished runner-up at the 2016 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship as a 17-year-old.

Lucy Li, Redwood Shores, Calif.
Li has reached as high as No. 4 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Only 16 years old, Li holds the record for the youngest qualifier at the U.S. Women’s Amateur (10 years old in 2013) and the U.S. Women’s Open (11 years old in 2014). She won the silver medal in the mixed team event at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics.

Tiffany Kong, Vancouver
Kong was among the leaders through the first two rounds of last year’s Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, eventually finishing in a tie for 14th as the low Canadian. She continued her solid play by finishing in a tie for third at the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship a week later. Kong helped Canada to a fourth-place result at the 2018 World Junior Girls Championship.

Emilia Migliaccio, Cary, N.C.
Currently ranked No. 9 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Migliaccio is the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference individual champion, having won the event as a member of the Wake Forest University golf team. The 20-year-old participated at the 2019 Arnold Palmer Cup as a member of Team USA.

More information about the 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship can be found here.

HALIFAX, N.S. — Dru Love played the best golf of his professional career Thursday afternoon, besting the Oakfield Golf and Country Club course record by two strokes, making eight birdies and two eagles en route to an opening-round 60 at the inaugural HFX Pro-Am.

Hot out of the gate, the University of Alabama alum made birdie on the first hole of the day and proceeded to play the par-5s in a combined 5-under par.

Adding seven more birdies throughout the day, the 12-under 60 matched the second-lowest round on the Mackenzie Tour this season.

“I got off to a good start, making a birdie, and hit both my approach shots on the par-5s inside 15 feet, two-putting the first one, and then I managed to make the second one and got going,” said Love. “It was a great day.”

Fresh out of the shrink wrap, Love debuted a new putter, which he says “got hot” at just the right time.

“I’ve been telling my teacher and my dad that if I get the putter going, everything is going to take care of itself,” said the 25-year old. “I’m beyond ecstatic with how it’s going with the putter, I’ve been struggling all year, so it was fun to see it get in the hole today.”

Turning to the back nine, Love played hole Nos. 10-13 in 5-under, putting himself at 10-under with five holes to play. Making birdie on No. 16, Love had a chance to match Greyson Sigg’s feat from the GolfBC Championship, finishing with three consecutive birdies to shoot 59.

“We had to wait for about 25 minutes on No. 17 tee and I think I started thinking about it too much,” said Love. “I knew if I made birdie there, I would have a putt on 18 to shoot 59, but I’m not mad about it. It’s the first time I’ve been in that position, that close to shooting 59, so I had a blast and I’m ready to learn from it and go build on it [Friday].”

With his ball off the green on No. 17 following his fourth shot, Love chipped in for par from 25 feet, and on No. 18 he walked in a 15-foot birdie putt from the fringe to take a two-stroke lead into the second round.

“I knew it was going in before I hit it. I had the perfect read and I had been making everything all day,” said Love, who has made the cut in all three of his Mackenzie Tour starts this season. “It was all about the putter, everything I hit either lipped out or went in.

“I’m not going to be picky; I’m going to be grateful for my 60.”

Two strokes back of Love is Jared Wolfe, who matched the Oakfield course record, at the time, with a bogey-free 60.

Taylor Pendrith carried the momentum from his runner-up finish into the first round in Halifax, posting a 7-under 65 and is the low Canadian heading into the second round.

MIDLAND, Mich. – Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer shot a best-ball 6-under 64 on Thursday for a share of the second-round lead in the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, the LPGA Tour’s first-year team event.

Stephanie Meadowand Giulia Molinaro had a 61, and Frenchwomen Celine Boutier and Karine Icher shot 62 to match Pressel and Creamer at 10-under 130 at Midland Country Club. The teams will play alternate shot Friday and close Saturday with a best-ball round.

“You have two balls in play, you can play much more aggressively,” Pressel said. “I know I certainly could play aggressively knowing my partner had my back the whole way around.”

Trying to get into the U.S. Solheim Cup mix, Pressel and Creamer birdied six of the last eight holes on their opening nine – the course’s back nine – then parred the last nine.

“Morgan played awesome on the back nine, which was our front nine,” Creamer said. “I couldn’t really get anything going on this side. But we’ve got two more days left so we’re not in bad position by any means. It wasn’t our ‘A’-game today, but still very pleased with where we’re sitting.”

Meadow, from Northern Ireland, and Molinaro, from Italy, had eight birdies in a 10-hole stretch, making five straight on Nos. 5-9.

“We talked about it and said, ‘We’ve just got to time it right,” Meadow said. “There’s something about when your partner’s in a little bit of trouble we kind of pick up the pace and try to make birdie and kind of have their back. I think that’s what we did really well today.”

Boutier and Icher birdied four of the five and closed with three straight birdies.

“Our games complement each other really well,” Boutier said. “When I was struggling a bit, she was there to save the team, and the opposite, so it was pretty good.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, the first-round leaders after a 65 in alternate-shot play, had a 66 to fall a stroke back with Kim Kaufman-Kris Tamulis (62), Tiffany Chan-Peiyun Chien (62), Pajaree Anannarukarn-Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras (63), Mirim Lee-Amy Yang (64) and Cydney Clanton-Jasmine Suwannapura (64).

“Would have liked to make a few more birdies,” Henderson said. “I feel like it’s very unusual that we have a better score alternate shot than in best ball.”

Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee and Robyn Choi of New Zealand fell from third into a tie for 23rd at 5-under after a round of 68.

Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City and partner Sophia Popov of Germany and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., and partner Daniela Darquea of Ecuador missed the cut of 4 under.

The French duo of Celine Herbin and Joanna Klatten had a 60, the best round of the day, to get to 7 under.

Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson were 5 under after a 64. Sisters Jessica and Nelly Korda (67) and Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn (65) also were 5 under.

Full scoring can be found here.

PORTRUSH, Ireland – The strangest weather J.B. Holmes ever experienced was at Royal Portrush.

Just not on Thursday in the British Open.

Holmes, who grew up in a Kentucky town so small that he made the high school golf team when he was in third grade, dropped a mild surprise after he shot 5-under 66 for a one-shot lead that his first experience in links golf was at Royal Portrush.

“The first hole we had short sleeves on,” he said. “The clouds came up, and the next hole it was raining so hard we couldn’t see. People were losing umbrellas that were blowing away. Three holes later, we were taking all our rain gear off and we were hot again.”

Holmes says University of Kentucky supporters arranged for a non-competition golf trip once every four years, and this one took place in about 2005. They started at Royal Portrush, went to Royal County Down and moved their way about Ireland.

But he loved the style of play. The real adjustment was by the caddies who saw the burly kid smash driver.

“At the time, most of the caddies we had weren’t used to somebody hitting 315 or 320, so I got some bad lines,” Holmes said. “I think when I was playing here, I hit five or six shots exactly where they told me, and I lost the ball.”

He only remembered the opening holes when he returned this week – Nos. 7 and 8 are new for this Open – especially the 374-yard fifth hole.

“The caddie told me to hit 3-iron over the stone,” Holmes said. “I said, ‘Why don’t we hit it at the green?’ He says, ‘Nobody hits it at the green.’ I hit 3-iron through the fairway and said I’m going to hit driver. And I actually hit it up on the green.

“First taste of it was a lot of fun,” he said. “It was unique.”

Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) is the low Canadian after round one, sitting in a tie for 54th at 1 over.

TURNER’S TURNAROUND

Few hung around to see the end of the best round of Ashton Turner’s remarkable career. After all, this was the last group of the day at the British Open and it was after 9 p.m. at Royal Portrush.

Turner’s parents were there, though, willing their boy on. They’ve been doing it for 20 years.

When he was 1, Turner broke his skull when he fell into a fish tank. It was discovered he had a rare form of cerebral palsy that causes an interruption of muscle control in the legs and arms.

Warned that their son might never walk again, Turner’s parents looked if there was a sport that could help him with his co-ordination. There was – golf.

Twenty years later, he was shooting a 2-under 69 to be tied for 16th at Portrush.

This is the Englishman’s second straight year at the British Open. He struggled in his debut at Carnoustie, with his back story putting him in the limelight.

“Not making excuses for last year,” Turner said, “it was hectic but I didn’t play great and didn’t prepare as well as I could. This year, it’s been great to just properly focus down to business.”

WEATHER REPORT

The sun came out, and the clouds rolled back in. The wind blew and rain came and went, sometimes so quickly that players didn’t have a chance to get under an umbrella in time.

If you didn’t like the weather Thursday at Royal Portrush, all you had to do was wait five minutes for it to change.

“The first nine holes I took on and put off my rain gear probably at least nine times,” Matt Kuchar said. “It went from hot and cold and wet and dry. I had it all out there today.”

The British Open, of course, is known for weather. Sometimes wind is the only defence for links courses sitting on the edge of the sea.

At Royal Portrush, though, Mother Nature seemingly couldn’t decide what to do.

“Felt like three or four seasons out there,” Justin Rose said. “The jacket was on and off. There was enough wind to keep it tricky but also not enough. Whatever it was, today was the perfect amount of wind on a links course.”

The wind made it tricky for players, and playing in the rain always adds another layer of difficulty. That didn’t stop J.B. Holmes from shooting a 66 with a large group of players just a few strokes behind, but it may limit how low the eventual winner goes if conditions remain the same.

“If we get the same periods of sun, couple of squalls, same strength of wind, I’d snap your arm off if anyone got to double digits (under par),” Paul Casey said.

Holmes said he doesn’t worry about conditions, and the less he thinks about them the better he plays.

“Every time you play in an Open you’re going to have unique conditions where it’s going to be windy and more than likely rainy,” Holmes said. “You just have to accept those conditions and the more you can do that and just try to play one shot at a time, that’s really kind of the secret.”

STRONG DEBUT

Two good tournaments got Bob MacIntyre into the British Open. He made his debut with one round he won’t soon forget.

MacIntyre was runner-up in two straight starts in May on the European Tour, in Denmark and England, and that helped propel him into the top 20 in the Race of Dubai, one of the categories for Open exemptions.

He started birdie-birdie at Royal Portrush. He made eagle on the par-4 fifth by driving the green. He was tied for the lead playing the 18th, until a bogey by missing the green sent him to a 68. And yes, the 22-year-old from Scotland noticed the leaderboards.

“I’m watching it every moment,” MacIntyre said, adding that when he made eagle on No. 5, he turned to his caddie and said, “We’re leading the Open.”

MacIntyre has one victory as a pro at the Sahara Kuwait Golf Championship on the developmental MENA Tour (Middle Eagle North Africa). This is his first full year on the European Tour, and he’s making the most of it.

He made his debut at the Scottish Open last week and felt the nerves. That helped in the British Open, his first major.

“Last week prepared me for this week,” he said. “Everything that’s happened just now has prepared me for the next thing. There’s still more things to see and prepare for. And I just have to take that as it comes.”

Full scoring can be found here.

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. – Nick Taylor sits one stroke back of the lead at the PGA TOUR’s Barbasol Championship.

J.T. Poston shot a 10-under 62 on Thursday to take the first-round lead.

Poston birdied six of the first eight holes at rain-softened Keene Trace, bogeyed the par-3 ninth and added five more birdies on the back nine for his lowest score on the PGA Tour.

“It was one of those days everything clicked,” Poston said. “Hit it good, hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens. I was hitting it so good I didn’t really have that many lengthy birdie putts that I made until the last hole.”

Winless on the tour, the 26-year-old former Western Carolina player closed with a 27-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th.

“The greens had been a little on the firmer side at the start of the week, firmer than I think most guys would expect,” Poston said. “But a lot of rain last night and so they’re soft, and they’re really good greens and you can make a lot of putts. They’re rolling really well. You hit the fairway and you get a lot of wedges in your hand and guys are going to make a lot of birdies.”

Nick Taylor was a stroke back. The Canadian had an eagle and seven birdies in a bogey-free round.

“I hit every green, I didn’t miss a fairway, so it was very solid tee to green and putts were going in,” Taylor said. “Everything was kind of clicking today. With the soft conditions, it was different than the practice rounds. I thought it would be a little bit more difficult, and then that rain came in last night and definitely softened things up. ”

Wes Roach opened with a 64.

“I played solid, hit a lot of fairways, gave myself some good opportunities with some wedges and short irons, and was able to hit some quality shots, and putted nice,” Roach said.

Bill Haas was at 65 with Roberto Castro, Jim Herman, Kelly Kraft, Josh Teater, Kramer Hickok, D.J. Trahan and Sebastian Munoz.

John Daly shot a 71, following a triple bogey on the par-4 fourth with an eagle on the par-5 fifth. Fighting osteoarthritis in his right knee, Daly was denied a cart by the R&A for the British Open, but has been approved for a cart at PGA Tour events until the end of the year. This is his first PGA Tour event since he was approved for a cart last fall.

“It’s just getting worse every day,” Daly said. “Probably have to go back and maybe duct tape it. I did it in Wisconsin. The knee’s falling, so you could literally pick my knee up and put it back. It’s brutal, but especially downhill and stuff like that.”

The tournament winner will receive a spot in the PGA Championship, but not in the Masters.

Full scoring can be found here.

HARTLAND, N.B. – Isabella Ferguson of Ottawa completed an incredible comeback to win the girls division, while Malik Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que., maintained his lead to the win the boys division at the Future Links, driven by Acura Atlantic Championship at Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club on Thursday.

Ferguson was in a tie for third entering the final round, trailing leader and defending champion Haley Baker of Halifax by 10 strokes. The 14-year-old carded the only under par round in the girls division over the three tournament days. Her 2-under-par performance was enough to surpass the defending champion, but Baker forced a playoff with birdies on each of her final two holes.

On the first playoff hole, Baker missed a ten-foot birdie putt, and Ferguson dropped her four-footer to birdie the par-5 1st and win the title.

“I started with two birdies on the first four holes. That definitely gave me confidence,” said Ferguson. “I was very nervous [in the playoff]. I had a good drive which calmed me down a little bit. I was all shaky over my putt, but I kept it together.”

It was the second consecutive year that Baker and her younger sister, Abbey, both finished in the top-three at the Future Links, driven by Acura Atlantic Championship. Abbey finished third at 15 over for the tournament, one shot ahead of Heather McLean (Port Williams, N.S.), with Julie Gauvin of Dieppe, N.B. in fifth.

The top five golfers earned exemptions to the 2019 Canadian Junior Girls Championship from July 29-August 2 at Lethbridge Country Club in Lethbridge, Alta.

Dao, recorded an even-par 72 in the final round to win the tournament by two strokes. He is the second member of the Dao family to capture a Future Links title – his older sister, Céleste, won the 2017 Future Links, driven by Acura Québec Championship.

“On No. 16, which is a tough hole, I made two really good shots,” said Dao. “I knew that I had the tournament at my fingertips then. This year I was really struggling, and this is a big win for me. It’s my first national win.”

Daniel Kirby, a Hartland, N.B., native who was playing at his home course, led for the majority of the final round. A double-bogey on the par-4 16th from Kirby opened the door for Dao, who made two clutch birdies on his final four holes to win the tournament.

Felix-Antoine Levasseur (Nicolet, Que.) and Jake Smith (Dartmouth, N.S.) finished tied for third at 1-under-par for the tournament.

Defending champion Owen Mullen (Truro, N.S.) rounded out the top five finishers receiving an exemption into the 2019 Canadian Junior Boys Championship from August 11-15 at Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club.

Full results can be found here.

MIDLAND, Mich. – Canadians Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp shot a 5-under 65 in alternate-shot play Wednesday to take the first-round lead in the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, the LPGA Tour’s first-year team event.

Henderson and Sharp had seven birdies and two bogeys at Midland Country Club.

“We really got it going, kind of fed off each other,” Henderson said. “She hit some good shots, I made some putts and vice versa. So it really worked out nice and it’s a good way to start.”

Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel were a stroke back.

“We’re best of friends we’ve played a lot of team events together, so it’s nothing new for us to be able to come out here,” Creamer said. “We haven’t played alternate shot for a little while, and when we have played it in the past, it’s always match play and you never have to finish. Out here you actually have to shoot a score, which is a little bit different.”

The teams will play best-ball Thursday, return to alternate shot Friday and close Saturday with a best-ball round.

“It’s intense, but then we got out our tension and then we played and we were free-wheeling it,” Sharp said. “I think the first few holes we didn’t really know what to expect and we had a lot of adrenaline, and then we calmed down and played really nicely together.”

The 21-year-old Henderson won the Meijer LPGA Classic a month ago in Grand Rapids to break the Canadian record for tour victories with nine. Also the Lotte Championship winner in April in Hawaii, Henderson broke a tie with Sandra Post for the Canadian record on the LPGA Tour and also moved ahead of George Knudson and Mike Weir for the overall country mark. The 38-year-old Sharp is winless on the LPGA Tour.

The teams of Minjee Lee-Jin Young Ko, Robyn Choi-Jaclyn Lee, Jasmine Suwannapura-Cydney Clanton and Amy Yang-Mirim Lee shot 67.

“We chatted pretty much the whole way around,” Lee said. “We usually don’t get to get this opportunity to play with our friends too much, so I think that was the best part.”

The sister duo of Nelly and Jessica Korda topped the group at 68.

“Start of the round, kind of just getting used to everything, the new format,” Nelly Korda said. “Gave each other some good opportunities on the back and took advantage of a couple. Anything under par for alternate shot is good, so we’re happy with that.”

 

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Sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn shot 70, and Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson opened with a 71. Rookies Jennifer Kupcho and Maria Fassi also had a 71. They staged a memorable duel that Kupcho won at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

“Alternate shot’s always really hard. We knew that coming in and we didn’t really know how it was going to go because we didn’t try it,” Kupcho said. “It went better than what I thought it was going to go, so I was pretty happy.”

Suzann Pettersen, making her first tour start after a 20-month break for the birth of her first child, and European Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew had a 73. Pettersen will be a vice caption for the European team.

“I just really enjoyed it,” Pettersen said. “It was nice to play with Beany. Some good shots and some average shots and some that we just got out of the way. Overall, very happy to be back.”

Full scoring can be found here.

Add Jordan Spieth to the list of players who have made the switch to the new Titleist T100 irons.

Titleist officially launched its new T-Series – as well as the new 620 MB and 620 CB irons – at the U.S. Open, and the T100 has quickly become one of the most played models on the PGA TOUR.  Charles Howell III and Cam Smith switched the first week. They have since been joined by Open Championship participants Charley Hoffman and Sungjae Im. Titleist has been the most played iron brand on the PGA TOUR for six consecutive years and 15 of the last 16.

While Spieth waited to put the T100’s in the bag until the season’s final major, he is not unfamiliar with the iron. In fact, according to lead Titleist Tour Representative,  J.J. VanWezenbeeck, Jordan was clearly the most influential player in the development process.

“It was over two years ago that Jordan and [Titleist Director of Iron Development] Marni Ines had already started discussing what Jordan was looking for in a next generation iron,” said VanWezenbeeck. “The keys for Jordan were sole, offset, and overall look. As we created early prototypes and discussed specifics with Jordan and other players, we found an opportunity to take everything we learned with the AP2 line and build an entirely new iron. There was an obvious challenge to surpass the most played tour iron in the world.”

The final T100 prototype was revealed to Jordan and other select players during a Titleist photo shoot at Scioto CC during the week of the Memorial.

“Jordan immediately commented that the offset and top line was everything he wanted,” said VanWezenbeeck. “As we moved to the tee, Jordan kept commenting to Marni about how the club set up and the look was just what he was looking for. Knowing we succeeded in those categories, now the question became, ‘are you getting the performance of the AP2 line and more, despite being in a sleeker chassis?’ His performance and responses at the hitting session confirmed we succeeded at what we set out to do.”

Spieth immediately referenced the improvement in sole interaction and feel on the face. He also saw an increase in ball speed at the top of the bag which allowed even better distance gapping. Spieth was asked to provide his reaction to his initial fitting session with the new irons.

“The way these turned out is amazing,” said Spieth. “I remember a couple of years ago when we were talking about my AP2’s and the Titleist team asked what I’d like to see improved. I told them I preferred the sole being a little bit different and the least amount of offset and top-line as possible. When I set the new T100’s down for the first time I could already tell the difference compared to my gamer AP2 irons. They made the exact improvements I was looking for in an iron. They look really, really good. They slide through the turf nicely, and my mishits are straighter and further than on my AP2 irons.”

Spieth, who is not one to change equipment without a lengthy testing period, asked if he could put the T100’s in play that week. However, the tour launch for the new irons was not scheduled until the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Due to the player feedback Titleist received at the photo shoot, the launch was accelerated two weeks earlier to the U.S. Open. Spieth decided to take the irons home and familiarize himself with them during an extended time off. He is confident the new irons are game ready.

“When I first saw the T100 irons and it didn’t say ‘AP2’ on it, I had to have full trust,” said Spieth. “I’m sitting there saying, ‘Man, I played the same iron that said the same thing on it since 2010,  probably earlier.’ But I’ve been playing Titleist clubs since I was 12 years old, and they’ve never led me the wrong direction and they’ve always gotten better. And the idea of a name change – really an entire change across the board with their irons – is big. But there are big changes. These T100s are fantastic.”

PORTRUSH, Ireland – Inside the entrance to Rathmore Golf Club, just past a sign offering umbrellas for sale on a rainy day, sits a replica of the U.S. Open trophy the club’s favourite son won at Pebble Beach in 2010.

A large painting of Graeme McDowell hangs next to the bar, just in case anyone at the working man’s club on the grounds of the more exclusive Royal Portrush needed to be reminded where he tagged along with his dad as a little kid and fell in love with the game.

It was in the bar where friends and fans crowded in to celebrate until the sun came up when McDowell won his only major championship, sneaking liquor in because it was way past closing time.

It’s where he’s back this week, playing next door at Royal Portrush in a British Open that Rathmore members are desperately hoping he can win at home.

“If we get the result we want on Sunday, we may not close the lounge until October,” said Robb Doherty, a retired police detective who serves as the club’s treasurer. “It’s very much a rags to riches story for Graeme, through both talent and hard work.”

The British Open is back in Northern Ireland for the first time in 68 years, with a trio of local players in the field. Rory McIlroy lives nearby, and 2011 champion Darren Clarke now lives in Portrush itself.

Taste of ??! @Graeme_McDowell drains a 30-footer on 18 and punches his ticket to @TheOpen ????@SteamWhistle ? pic.twitter.com/ijhON9pGOo

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 9, 2019

But it is McDowell who is the true hometown hero. The son of a grammar school shop teacher, he honed his game at Rathmore and on the adjoining Royal Portrush links.

And, out of the three, it is McDowell who came precariously close to not making an Open he desperately wanted to be in. If not for a rebounding game and one extraordinary putt he might have been moping at home in Florida instead of teeing off Thursday morning with a legitimate chance of winning a tournament he wants more than any other.

“It would be too bittersweet,” McDowell said about his close call. “It would be too tough to watch the guys go out there and compete on this place where I kind of learned the game.”

It would have been especially tough because McDowell was one of the Irish players who kept pestering the R&A to bring the Open back to Portrush for the first time since 1951, something that was once impossible because of “The Troubles” and fears that there was not enough infrastructure to handle 200,000 fans in four days.

Their perseverance paid off five years ago when the R&A announced that it had awarded the Open to Royal Portrush.

“It started out as a joke, why can’t we go back to Portrush,” McDowell said. “I think The R&A couldn’t ignore the fact that this could be a commercial success. The jokes became very serious. It was like, we can do this, we can pull it off.”

Thankfully for McDowell the work he began putting into his game after dropping off the golf radar paid enough dividends to get him in the Open after not qualifying for the last two. He won a secondary tournament in the Dominican Republic early this year to move up in the rankings, then made a curling 30-footer on the final hole at the RBC Canadian Open to secure his spot.

It came only after the 39-year-old had a talk with himself about the state of the game he’s loved since he was a kid.

“I said, hey, if you continue to play the way you’re playing, this game is going to be gone a hell of a lot quicker than you thought it was going to be gone. What’s that going to feel like?” McDowell said. “I think coming to that realization helped me because it made me start to embrace the challenge a little bit more, enjoy the time I have left out here. I started to kind of get less frustrated and start to, like I say, start to enjoy the act of trying to pull myself out of the hole I dug for myself. And it’s weird, the fog started to lift a little bit.”

For McDowell returning home means he can’t walk two steps without someone offering him encouragement or asking for a selfie. He said he was stunned by the noise made when he walked onto the first tee Tuesday for a practice round, and the crowds will be even bigger when he tees off for real on Thursday.

His expectations for the week go far beyond just making the cut.

“If I can somehow get out of the blocks tomorrow, get myself settled down, and get into the mix this weekend, it would be pretty cool to be coming back down on Sunday,” he said. “That’s the vision. That’s the goal and I can’t wait to hear what it sounds like.”

That’s the vision at Rathmore Golf Club, too, where business in the lounge was brisk on a rainy Wednesday as golf fans stopped for a pint or two to get out of the rain.

Mostly, though, they’re just happy he’s home and teeing it up when it counts.

“It wouldn’t have felt the same at all without Graeme in the field,” Doherty said. “Here, Graeme is still one of the boys.”