CHASKA, Minn. – Hannah Green keeps getting out of tough spots, and it’s taken her to a place she has never been.

Green twice escaped trouble with unlikely par saves, including one shot she holed from off the green, and made four birdies for a 3-under 69 and took a three-shot lead into the weekend at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

It’s the first time she has held the 36-hole lead in her second year on the LPGA Tour.

The 22-year-old Australian has made one bogey over 36 holes at Hazeltine National, one of the strongest tests of the year. Ariya Jutanugarn, a two-time major champion, closed within one shot until a series of misplays on the back nine. She had another 70.

“Even when you play this type of golf at just a regular event, you’re pretty proud of yourself, but this week especially,” Green said. “I’ve never put myself in this position in any event, so to be doing it this week at such a great venue definitely shows things are going the right way. I’ve had some luck going my way. I do hope that continues.”

Green was at 7-under 137.

Defending champion Sung Hyun Park (71) and Lydia Ko (70) were four shots behind. Fifteen players remained under par after two rounds, with the cut at 5-over 149.

Michelle Wie not only made it to the tee, she played all 18 holes with a right wrist injury that doesn’t seem to be getting any better. She managed only nine pars and no birdies in her round of 82.

“Even on the worst day, it’s still great being out here,” Wie said. “I still had fun today, just stuff is hard. Hazeltine is hard. I just was overly optimistic about how I could play this week and the status of my wrist.”

Green thought luck was on her side when she holed a short-sided bunker shot for birdie on the par-5 seventh near the end of her opening round. Friday was even better.

She didn’t notice the water right of the 12th green during practice rounds. She took a penalty drop, and with the pin on a shelf in the back left of the green, her biggest concern was getting it close without the risk of a big number.

“If I landed it too far there was a possibility of it going over the back. I didn’t want to leave myself with another chip to then possibly make bogey or double at worse,” Green said. “I had to land it perfectly and I guess I did. I knew it was going to be close but I didn’t think it had the chance of going in. I really wasn’t really watching it going into the hole. I just heard the crowd roar.

“I just laughed because with the hole-out on 7 yesterday and with the hole-out today, it’s really going my way.”

After a missed chance at birdie on the par-5 15th, Green was in trouble again on the 16th hole, the signature hole at Hazeltine. Her shot took a surprising kick to the right, leaving the ball between clumps of grass. She got that up-and-down for par and was on her way.

Jutanugarn hit 6-iron to 30 feet for eagle on the par-5 seventh and closed out the front nine to get to 6 under. But her chip came out heavy behind the 13th green and led to bogey, and she turned a birdie opportunity into bogey on the par-5 15th.

After hammering her 3-wood, she hit a piercing 2-iron that stayed down the right edge and went into the first of two bunkers. With the pin tucked behind the next bunker, she went from sand to sand, blasted out to 12 feet and missed the par putt.

“Really tough bunker shot,” she said.

Green is in her second full year on the LPGA Tour, having won three times on the Symetra Tour in 2017 to earn her card. She had such a successful amateur career in Australia that she was awarded the Karrie Webb Scholarship in 2015, and one of the perks was coming to the U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster.

The 44-year-old Webb is Australia’s most prolific champion with seven majors as part of her 41 titles on the LPGA Tour. Webb, the only player to win five different LPGA Tour majors, first came to America under a similar program started by Greg Norman, and now has one in place for female amateurs.

Green swam, played tennis and golf as a teen before devoting her time to golf when she was 15. She wasn’t even playing golf when Webb was winning five out of eight majors, giving her the career Grand Slam at the quickest rate. About the time Green realized she might have a future in golf, Webb already was in the Hall of Fame.

“As soon as I had the chance to come to the U.S. Open, that’s when Karrie was my idol,” Green said. “I feel like all other Australian golfers have her as an idol. She had Greg Norman as her idol and had a similar scholarship. She’s done that for us. I’m really grateful that she’s given so much to so many people.”

As for Wie, she was headed to Florida to find answers, unsure when she would play next.

“In an ideal world, I would wake up and my wrist is fine, I play next week and everything would be perfect,” she said.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton was the low Canadian at 3 over while Brooke Henderson was 5 over.

The PGA of Canada’s oldest and most prestigious championship takes place next week at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Ont.

Seventy-two of the association’s best players look to capture the 98th playing of the PGA Championship of Canada.

Teeing it up at Whistle Bear and looking to add their name to the P.D. Ross Trophy includes 22 past PGA of Canada national champions, eight of whom are past PGA Championship of Canada winners.

Additionally, 43 of the top 50-ranked players from the RBC PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC are in the field, including the entire top 10.

“It’s absolutely wild how stacked the field is for this year’s PGA Championship of Canada,” said the PGA of Canada’s managing director of championships and foundation Adam LeBrun. “When you have all these past national champions, plus a number of up-and-coming players from across the country, you’re going to have a first-rate championship that ultimately produces a worthy champion.”

Built on more than 230 acres, Whistle Bear is regarded as one of southern Ontario’s most distinctive golf destinations. Host of the 2004 and 2005 PGA Championship of Canada (as part of the Nationwide Tour schedule), the links-style venue features more than 100 bunkers throughout the 18 holes, as well as water on more than half of the holes.

Re-launched in 2011, the PGA Championship of Canada was contested strictly as a match play event thru 2014 with players from the four brackets—Stan Leonard, George Knudson, Al Balding and Moe Norman—looking to advance through the six rounds to capture the P.D. Ross Trophy. However, the 2015 championship at Cabot Links saw a format change, with 64 top-ranked players from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC playing two rounds of stroke play. The top-16 players from the 36-hole stroke play portion of the event filled out the four match play brackets with the eventual champion winning four match play rounds.

This year’s championship at Whistle Bear will follow the same format.

Pierre-Alexandre Bedard looks to become the first back-to-back winner of the championship since Knudson won in 1976 and 1977. The 23-year-old from Club de Golf Cap Rouge bested Gordon Burns 1-up on a relentlessly hot and humid Friday at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club in the championship’s final match.

“This is definitely the biggest win of my entire life and I’m so proud of myself,” Bedard said after his win in 2018. “It’s so incredible to have my name on the same trophy as all the legends who came before me, not to mention all my fellow Quebecers who have won this championship over the past couple years.”

Since 2011, six PGA of Canada members from Quebec—Vincent Dumouchel, Eric Laporte, Dave Levesque, Marc-Etienne Bussieres, Jean-Philip Cornellier and  Bedard—have captured the PGA Championship of Canada.

In addition to Bedard, past champions of the PGA Championship of Canada include Moe Norman, George Knudson, Al Balding, Bob Panasik, Tim Clark, Lanny Wadkins, Jim Rutledge, Wilf Homenuik, Stan Leonard, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer.

PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC points are also up for grabs at Whistle Bear. The eventual winner will take home 60 points, with the runner up gaining 50 points. The player who earns the most ranking points (in national and zone events) in 2019 will be awarded the Mike Weir Player of the Year crown at next year’s Canada Night.

Attendance to the PGA Championship of Canada is free and spectators are encouraged to attend during championship play.

TOYOTA CITY, Japan – Christopher Vandette of Beaconsfield, Que., fired a 3-under-par 68 in the final round to finish third in the individual boys division at the TOYOTA Junior Golf World Cup. Canada finished sixth in the team competition.

Vandette’s score of 68 was his third round in the 60s this week. A bogey on the par-4 13th was the lone blemish on the 17-year-old’s scorecard. His score of 63 on Thursday was tied for the lowest round of the competition, helping him finish five shots back of winner Samuel Simpson of South Africa.

Laurent Desmarchais saved his best round for last, as his 4 under performance brought him to 3 under for the tournament. The Longueuil, Que., native was bogey-free on the back nine and finished in a tie for 20th.

Jeevan Sihota of Victoria, B.C. also shot under par, with his 1 under earning him a 34th place finish.

William Duquette of Laval, Que., withdrew from the competition before the final round and finished in 60th.

The quartet of Vandette, Desmarchais, Sihota and Duquette were competing individually, with each nation’s three lowest scores counting towards the team competition.

Canada ranked sixth of 15 teams in the team competition at 14 under, having gained eight shots in the final round. South Africa won the event at 41 under, 11 shots clear of Japan in second.

In the girls division, Japan won the team event with a score of 18 under, three strokes ahead of the United States. Cory Lopez of Mexico, Rose Zhang of the United States and Cassie Porter of Australia finished tied for first in the individual competition at 11 under.

Full scoring can be found here.

CROMWELL, Conn. – A week of major championship pressure at the U.S. Open and a cross-country trip made for a lot of tired players at the Travelers Championship. Greens made soft by rain on a relatively easy course helped perk up many of them Thursday.

Six players shot a 6-under 64 to tie for lead, with defending champion Bubba Watson (69) , two-time winner Phil Mickelson (67) and 79 others within five shots going into the second round.

Brooks Koepka, coming off a runner-up finish at Pebble Beach, had a 71 and said he was among those fighting exhaustion.

“When you think about all the travel we’ve done and how much last week takes out of you,” he said. “When you are in contention in a major, it’s going to drain you.”

The leaders included Zack Sucher and Kyoung-Hoon Lee, who each shot their lowest rounds on the PGA Tour. Sucher made a 9-foot birdie putt on No. 18 in the last group of the day to join a group that also included MacKenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. who sank an 18-foot birdie putt on his final hole.

Abraham Ancer shot a 30 on his back nine. Bronson Burgoon birdied four of his first six holes, and Ryan Armour, who has missed the cuts in four of his last five starts, tied his lowest round of the season.

“I gave myself a lot of opportunities, which I hadn’t been doing lately, Armour said. ”I hadn’t been hitting a lot of greens, wasn’t shaping the golf ball the way I want to shape it. We worked really hard the last few days.“

Englishman Paul Casey, who gave up a four-shot lead in the final round a year ago, missed a 17-foot par putt on the 18th and finished in a group of six at 65.

Memorial champion Patrick Cantlay was part of a group of 12 at 66.

Cantlay started on the back nine and was tied for the lead when his tee shot landed in water on the par-3 eighth hole, leading to a double bogey. But that did not affect the confidence of the former UCLA star, who was just 19 years old when he shot a 60 on this course during the second round in 2011, setting a PGA Tour record for amateurs.

“I definitely feel comfortable around here,” he said. “It’s one of the only golf courses I think I get on the first tee at the beginning of the day and think I can birdie every hole.”

Defending champion Bubba Watson opened with a 69 in his bid for his fourth Travelers title. That would put him in the company of Billy Casper, the only golfer to win four times at Connecticut’s PGA Tour stop.

Watson, who came from six-shots back on the final day to win a year ago, seemed relaxed as he participated in an afternoon whiffle ball game with a group of players’ children outside the new clubhouse.

“Around this golf course, you’ve got to just know there’s going to be birdies out there,” he said. “Today was a little more difficult because a little bit of mist here and there just made the ball react different on the greens with some shots.”

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was tied for 61st at 1-under 69, Adam Hadwin, also from Abbotsford, was in a group tied for 87th at even-par 70. Ben Silverman of Thornhil,, Ont., and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., were tied for 136th at 3-over 73. Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., was tied for 143rd at 4-over 74.

Mickelson, who won back-to-back tournaments here in 2001 and 2001 was playing in Connecticut for the first time since 2003. On Wednesday, the 49-year-old said he probably would never win a U.S. Open. But he’s in contention again in Connecticut.

“I didn’t hurt myself any,” Mickelson said. “I made a few mistakes out there that I have to clean up tomorrow. I feel like the round should have been three or four lower, and if I can do that tomorrow and shoot three or four lower, I’ll be right in it for the weekend.”

He was playing with 2017 champion Jordan Spieth, who put a shot onto the railroad tracks and another in the water on his way to an eight on the par-5 13th. He finished with a 73.

Chip McDaniel shot a 69 and could also be excused if he was a bit tired. The 23-year-old arrived in Connecticut early Monday morning after taking a red-eye flight from his first U.S Open. He then played in a qualifier that afternoon, making the field after three playoff holes.

“Just because of my situation, one good week out here could change my life,” McDaniel said. “I have to try to get a start in every PGA event.”

Viktor Hovland shot a 67 in his professional debut. The Oklahoma State junior, who was the low amateur at the U.S. Open, received one of four sponsor exemptions into the tournament.

“I try not to think too much about it, but obviously there is a difference,” Hovland said. “I’m just trying to make birdies and avoid bogeys. I think instead of thinking about money, I’m thinking more about I want to have some kind of status for next year.”

CHASKA, Minn. – Michelle Wie returned to competition Thursday in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship looking as if she had never left.

She was icing her right hand. She shot a 12-over 84.

And then she wondered, through tears, how much time she had left.

“It’s hard,” Wie said after matching her highest score on the LPGA Tour as a pro. “It’s just one of those situations where I’m not entirely sure how much I have left in me. So even on the bad days, I’m just like trying to take time to enjoy it.”

At this point, her voice was cracking and she began wiping tears from her eyes as she stood outside the clubhouse at Hazeltine National.

“It’s tough,” she said, before walking away.

Wie has lived with fame her entire career, from winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links at age 13, competing against the men on the PGA Tour at age 14 and turning pro at age 16. She has five LPGA victories, most notably the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014, most recently the HSBC Women’s World Championship at the start of the 2018 season.

The most recent injury was to her right hand. She had surgery in October, returned in Thailand in February and had to withdraw from her title defence in Singapore a week later as she still coped with pain.

Wie sat out a month and returned at the LPGA’s first major and then her hometown event in Hawaii, both times missing the cut. She withdrew from the U.S. Women’s Open three weeks ago, and didn’t start hitting balls again until last week.

Hazeltine proved to be too tough for someone whose hand is that fragile, and that was before dark clouds, cooler temperatures, wind and rain arrived as she was finishing a round to forget.

Wie had two birdies to go along with two double bogeys, six bogeys and a quadruple bogey on the par-3 eighth over the water, her penultimate hole.

“It was kind of a little foolish to think that I would shoot really well – just hitting golf balls last week – at Hazeltine,” Wie said. “It’s a tough golf course but I’m really, really happy that I played. Just feeling a lot of joy just being out there and competing again. It’s going to take time and I’ve just got to be patient, and thankfully I have all afternoon to get warm again and take care of my wrist.”

Wie also shot an 84 in the third round of the Evian Masters in 2007. Her highest score on any tour was an 85 at the CJ Nine Bridges Classic in 2004 when she was 14.

She played with Lydia Ko, who saw a good attitude to go along with a big struggle.

“Clearly, she loves the game and she’s passionate about it and she’s not out there just because she’s a golfer. She loves it,” Ko said. “She loves being out here with the girls and that’s why even though has to go through the treatments and everything, she keeps coming out and trying. … She’s definitely got nothing to lose. She’s proven herself in all different levels. She’s a U.S. Women’s Open champion. But it shows how much she loves the game.”

Wie had said earlier in the week she talked to the LPGA Tour about taking a medical leave the rest of the year. She thought she was getting healthy enough to rehabilitate and try to play without pain.

“Every bit of my body wants to play and it sucked sitting out of the U.S. Open,” she said. “I just didn’t want to do it again and I’m here.”

Just maybe not for long.

A quartet of Canadians are in the field. Brooke Henderson, sits in a tie for 84th at 4 over, and Alena Sharp is one stroke behind Henderson in a tie for 103rd. Jaclyn Lee and Anne-Catherine Tanguay are both tied for 124th at 7 over.

The RBC Canadian Open is always an event to remember. To make this a successful championship, RBC and Golf Canada rely on the hard work and dedication of volunteers.

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TOYOTA CITY, Japan – Christopher Vandette of Beaconsfield, Que., carded an 8-under 63 on Wednesday at the TOYOTA Junior Golf World Cup, moving himself into sixth place in the individual boys competition heading into the final round.

Vandette’s 63 is tied for the lowest round of the tournament thus far. He was bogey-free in round three, with an eagle on the par-5 6th highlighting a scorching moving day at Chukyo Golf Club. He sits five shots back of leader Samuel Simpson of South Africa.

Sihota also shot in the 60s in round three, shooting a 3-under 68. The Victoria, B.C., product is in a tie for 37th after 54 holes.

Desmarchais carded even-par 71, holding steady in 33rd at 1 over on the tournament, while Duquette shot 8 over and is in 58th.

The Canadian quartet features Vandette, Laurent Desmarchais, Jeevan Sihota and William Duquette. The players are competing individually, with each nation’s three lowest scores counting towards the team competition.

Canada ranks ninth of 15 teams in the team competition at 6 under par, having gained three spots in the third round. South Africa are the leaders at 38 under, nine shots clear of Japan in second.

In the girls division, Japan holds a three-stroke lead over the United States and Mexico. Cassie Porter of Australia and Siwoo Chung of South Korea are leading the individual competition at 8 under par.

Full scoring can be found here.

When dropping in taking free relief or penalty relief, your ball must be dropped in and come to rest in the defined relief area.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry (NYSE: KFY) announced today a 10-year agreement making the Los Angeles-based, global organizational consulting firm the Umbrella Sponsor of the newly named Korn Ferry Tour.

In replacing Web.com, Korn Ferry’s sponsorship takes effect June 19 and extends through the 2028 season. The Korn Ferry Tour will continue to award PGA TOUR membership to the Tour’s 50 leading players, including the top 25 from the Regular Season points list and the top 25 from the three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals points list.

The announcement was made jointly by PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan, Korn Ferry Chief Executive Officer Gary Burnison, and Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin on Wednesday morning in New York City.

“We welcome Korn Ferry to the PGA TOUR family with today’s announcement,” said Monahan. “Our thanks to Gary Burnison and his team for a partnership that will promote Korn Ferry’s mission of helping people and organizations exceed their potential, collaborating with a Tour that has proven to identify the next generation of PGA TOUR talent over the last 30 years.”

Korn Ferry also becomes a PGA TOUR Official Marketing Partner as the “Official Leadership Development Firm” of the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and Korn Ferry Tour. Additionally, Korn Ferry will assume sponsorship of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance in Evansville, Indiana – the third and final event in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

“We’re excited to partner with the PGA TOUR. Our organizations are both all about talent – getting players and people to that next level and advancing their careers. People will never discover their full potential until they are provided an abundance of opportunity. Korn Ferry and the Korn Ferry Tour provide that opportunity,” said Burnison. “This sponsorship will further elevate our brand as a global organizational consultancy and extend awareness of our firm to new audiences around the world.”

Korn Ferry develops and coaches 1.2 million people a year, puts someone in a new job every three minutes and has worked with companies to evaluate and assess nearly 70 million professionals. The firm has offices in more than 50 countries and 8,500 employees.

Korn Ferry works with clients to design their organizational structures, roles and responsibilities. The firm helps them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward, develop and motivate their workforce. Korn Ferry also helps professionals at all levels navigate and advance their careers.

“This is a tremendous day for our organization, and we are eager to work with Gary and his team as we continue to build the Korn Ferry Tour from the strong foundation already in place,” said Baldwin, the first female to be named president of one of the PGA TOUR’s six global Tours earlier this year. “Korn Ferry has an impassioned desire to enhance the careers and brands of our players through this incredibly competitive Tour. This partnership will allow us to further those goals while elevating the Tour and our tournaments for our partners and fans.”

With 50 available PGA TOUR cards for the following season (since 2013), the Korn Ferry Tour is the path to the PGA TOUR. Twenty-five TOUR cards are reserved for the leading points earners at the end of the 24-event Regular Season. Another 25 are up for grabs at the three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals that follow the Regular Season in August and September.

During the PGA TOUR’s 2017-18 season, eight players from the Korn Ferry Tour Class of 2017 won titles, including Aaron Wise, whose victory at the 2018 AT&T Byron Nelson was the 500th by a former Korn Ferry Tour player – a list which includes 23 major championships and eight PLAYERS Championships.

Four players from the Class of 2018 have won on the PGA TOUR this season – Cameron Champ (Sanderson Farms Championship), Adam Long (The Desert Classic), Martin Trainer (Puerto Rico Open) and Max Homa (Wells Fargo Championship).

Other notable PGA TOUR players who got their start on the Korn Ferry Tour include major champions Justin Thomas, Jason Day, Bubba Watson and Zach Johnson.

For more information on the Korn Ferry Tour, please visit PGATOUR.com.

TOYOTA CITY, Japan – Christopher Vandette of Beaconsfield, Que. shot even-par 71, but Canada fell to 12th place in the team competition during the second round at the TOYOTA Junior Golf World Cup.

The Canadian quartet features Vandette, Laurent Desmarchais, Jeevan Sihota and William Duquette. The players are competing individually, with each nation’s three lowest scores counting towards the team competition.

Coming off an opening-round 69, Vandette was sitting at 4 under for the tournament heading into the final four holes of round two. The 17-year-old struggled after posting two bogeys on the par-5 16th and the par-4 18th, bringing him back to even par on the day. The bogey on No. 16 was uncharacteristic for Vandette, who had made birdie on each par 5 in the tournament to that point.

Vandette is T16 after 36 holes, eight shots back of leaders Abel Gallegos Caputo of Argentina and Gustav Andersson of Sweden.

Desmarchais shot 1-over 72 and is T28, while Sihota is 6 over in a tie for 43rd .

William Duquette is 57th at 14 over.

Canada ranks 12th of 15 teams in the team competition at 5 over par. South Africa are the current leaders at 19 under.

In the girls division, the United States hold a one-stroke lead over Japan. Rose Zhang of the United States and Siwoo Chung of South Korea are leading the individual competition at 5 under par.

Full scoring can be found here.