It’s been a summer of learning for Céleste Dao, and she hasn’t even been in school.

Dao, of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Québec (about 40 minutes from Montréal) has played golf this year in Japan, Mexico, and Ireland – to name a few, she’ll be heading to Argentina later this year, too – but she’s most looking forward to heading back to Canada.

Dao will be playing her third World Junior Girls Championship this fall at Camelot Golf and Country Club  – 20 minutes from downtown Ottawa – and she says it’s the most fun experience she’s had. Although golf is such an individualistic game, she relishes the chance to represent her country and play as a group.

“I love team events,” she says. “It’s good to have different kinds of tournaments so we can see different pressure and different parts of our game. I’m really looking forward to that.”

Dao was also given an exemption into the CP Women’s Open in Regina, Sask. where she said her goal was to make the cut (she finished T140 at 8 over par).

#TeamCanada's Céleste Dao and past participants share their experience in playing in the World Junior Girls Championship in Canada #WJGC

Learn more ➡️ https://t.co/LrZtdx34tL pic.twitter.com/tEyfVyeFov

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) September 4, 2018

Her win at the Mexican Junior Girls Championship in May – she won in a playoff after being six shots back of the lead going into the final round – gave her the momentum she needed to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open later that month. She says her experience from the major (she shot 83-80 to miss the cut, but did get in a practice round with both Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp) is going to be helpful as she tees it up in Canada’s national championship.

“I can manage my stress and now I know what it looks like. Before, I never knew. Now I have a little clue. I think I’m going to be better,” she says.

This is Dao’s first year on Team Canada after a tremendous 2017 campaign that saw her notch six victories across a wide spectrum of events including the Québec Women’s Amateur and the Québec Junior Girls.

She started to play golf when she was three years old, after her father showed her. She started hitting balls in her garage off a mat, and then got more serious a few years later – starting to play tournaments at age eight.

We’re pleased to announce the six athletes selected to represent Canada in the 5th annual World Junior Girls Championship @camelotgolfclub from Sept. 11-14 #WJGC – CANADA ONE Celeste Dao Ellie Szeryk Tiffany Kong – CANADA TWO Emily Zhu Sarah Beqaj Lauren Kim

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Aug 30, 2018 at 7:49am PDT

She says she loves the whole experience of being a part of Team Canada, but especially the travel.

The week before the CP Women’s Open Dao was in Northern Ireland playing the Girls’ British Open Amateur Championship (she was eliminated in the second round of match play), and she’ll represent Canada at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in October.

Her favourite country, she says, has been Japan. But she says she started to enjoy Ireland the more she got to explore. “It’ll be a tie,” she says with a laugh.

But there’s no place like home.

Dao is eager to don the red-and-white at an event, the World Junior Girls Championship, she’s thoroughly enjoyed the last three years.

“I really enjoy that tournament. We play against so many international teams and we always have fun with the girls,” she explains. “I think we’re going to do great.”

Click here for more information on the World Junior Girls Championship.

CALGARY – Scott McCarron did it the hard way, but he successfully defended his Shaw Charity Classic title.

Although McCarron started the final round at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club on Sunday in fourth place, he had five birdies in his first 11 holes before thrilling fans with a hole in one on 14 to vault to the top of the leaderboard with a 7-under 63.

“It was just a perfect 9-iron for me (from 148 yards),” said McCarron, whose ace bounced once before going in. “As soon as I hit it, I knew it was going to be good, but I didn’t know how good. Someone told me that it hit once, one-hopped and went right in the hole. That was a huge momentum change right there.”

The 53-year-old golfer from Moorseville, N.C., finished with a birdie on the par 5, 18th hole to end the 54-hole tournament at 15-under 195 to take home the winner’s share of $352,500 U.S. It was the first time this season that a player was able to successfully defend his title, and the first time in six attempts that McCarron was able to accomplish the feat in his PGA Tour Champions career.

It was also McCarron’s fourth come-from-behind victory in his PGA Tour Champions career and second this season after rallying to win the American Family Insurance Championship in June.

“I feel very comfortable just a little behind or in the lead,” he said. “I’ve put myself in that position a lot and I’ve come through a lot. I’ve also failed a lot too. The more times I fail, the more times I learn.

“There’s so many tournaments where I feel like I gave it away, but you’ve got to go all 54 holes out here and to do that you’ve got to play some pretty good golf. You’ve got to control your emotions if you can. I was able to do that pretty well today.”

Second-round leader Joe Durant shot a disappointing round of 67 on Sunday to finish in a three-way tie for second spot with Kirk Triplett and Scott Parel.

“I didn’t feel great hitting it and I kept putting so much pressure on my putting, but eventually I got sloppy,” said Durant, who missed a short putt for par on the 17th hole.

“I didn’t take my time and missed it, lipped it out and made bogey – just a total mental meltdown. When you do stuff like that, you don’t deserve to win a golf tournament.”

Triplett and Durant could have pulled into a tie with McCarron on the final hole, but neither were able to sink lengthy putts.

“I hope Scott remembers Joe and I at Christmastime this year,” said Triplett, who started his round with birdies on his first four holes before cooling off and carding a round of 5-under 65.

“He earned it. He birdied the last hole, but we could have made him work harder.”

Parel had Sunday’s best round of 8-under 62. He just missed an eagle putt on 18 that would have tied the course record of 61 (held by Miguel Angel Jimenez and Fred Couples) and put him in a playoff with McCarron.

“To have a chance, I figure I needed to make that putt,” said Parel, who reeled off six birdies on his back 9. “I hit the ball great today. I’ve been in a good place for the last few weeks and made a few putts on the back nine.”

Jimenez, who finished one shot behind McCarron last year, shot 67 to end up alone in fifth place. Jimenez still sits atop the Charles Schwab Cup money list, while McCarron jumped from fifth spot to second.

“We have so many good players all in the top 10 that if they get hot here in the next few weeks, there’s going to be a lot of guys with a chance coming down to the Schwab Cup finals,” McCarron said.

In his final PGA Tour Champions event, Rod Spittle, of Niagara Falls, Ont., finished as the top Canadian in a six-way tie for 17th spot at 6 under after a round of 1-under 69.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Spittle said. “I never thought that I could get my golf game back to this level. To come and compete with everybody for the last little while has just been an awful lot of fun.”

Vancouver’s Stephen Ames carded a round of 69 while Calgary’s Steve Blake had a 71 to finish well back of the leaders at 2 over and 8 over, respectively.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Marina Alex rallied to win the Cambia Portland Classic for her first LPGA Tour title, closing with a 7-under 65 on Sunday for a four-stroke victory over Georgia Hall.

Alex birdied the final five holes in a front-nine 30 to take the lead and added birdies on the par-5 12th and par-4 15th at tree-lined Columbia Edgewater. The 28-year-old former Vanderbilt star made her only bogey of the day on the par-4 18th, leaving her at 19-under 269.

“My goal was 8 under to give myself a chance, but I even thought maybe that wouldn’t have been good enough,” Alex said. “It was just an incredible day. I’m proud.”

She didn’t look at a leaderboard until the final hole.

“I was trying purposefully not to look at the leaderboard because I think sometimes it just gets me a little stressed out,” Alex said. “I get anxious, and then I think, ‘Oh, I have a lead, I need to protect it.’

“I kind of just pretended all day that I was behind and that I needed to play catch-up. I think it really helped me just play my best. I didn’t know I had a four-shot lead until basically the third shot – no, after the third shot – into the green here on 18.”

The New Jersey player gave caddie Travis Wilson his second straight victory in the event. Wilson is teaming with Alex with regular boss Stacy Lewis preparing for the birth of her first child.

“He’s such a wonderful guy,” Alex said. “He has such a calm demeanour about him, and it definitely helped me relax, We had so much fun the past three weeks.”

Wilson spent three weeks with Alex.

“I’m so happy for her.” Wilson said. “She’s a great girl. She works hard. She’s been close a number of times, and to be the guy that gets her through to get that first win, I’m going to remember that forever.”

Alex matched the course record with a 62 on Thursday, then shot 71-71 to begin the final round six strokes behind Women’s British Open champion Hall.

“It was tough to back up the first round with some good rounds,” Alex said.

Hall had a 75. The 22-year-old Englishwoman played the front nine in 2 over, with bogeys on the par-4 first and par-5 seventh.

“The pin positions were really, really tough,” Hall said. “The front nine was unbelievable. I couldn’t even get to hardly any of them. I was just trying to like stay patient and do what I could to kind of stay in it. I mean, she shot, what, 7 under? That’s incredible. … My hats off to her.”

Rookie Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was in a tie for fourth heading into the final round, but shot a 77 to fall into a tie for 16th alongside Team Canada Young Pro Squad teammate Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City (73).

Brooke Henderson of Smith Falls, Ont., had a 75 to tie for 21st at 4 under. The Canadian star, the 2015 and 2016 winner at Columbia Edgewater, won the CP Women’s Open last week on home soil in Saskatchewan, then opened with a 64 on Thursday, before slipping back with rounds of 71 and 74.

Japan’s Ayako Uehara was third at 13 under after a 69.

Australia’s Minjee Lee, two strokes behind playing partner Hall entering round, had a 77 to finish fourth at 11 under.

“It was very bad,” Lee said. “I didn’t really have my ‘A’ game on.”

Lexi Thompson shot 70 to tie for ninth at 7 under in her third event following a three-week break for emotional and mental fatigue.

NORTON, Mass. – Abraham Ancer of Mexico learned the hard way that a game that got him to the PGA Tour was good enough to win.

A Labor Day finish on the TPC Boston will be his biggest test.

Ancer opened with three straight birdies, had a birdie chance on all but one hole and shot a 6-under 65 that gave him a one-shot lead going into the final round of the Dell Technologies Championship that could change his career.

He showed up at the second FedEx Cup playoff event at No. 92 in the standings, hopeful of getting into the top 70 to keep his season going. A victory would send him to East Lake for the Tour Championship and give him a spot in all four majors.

But one look at the leaderboard is enough to suggest that 18 holes is a long way off.

Right behind is a player who had the lowest score before the largest gallery at the TPC Boston. That would be Bryson DeChambeau, who played with Tiger Woods for the first time in competition and delivered a 63 to get within one shot of the lead.

Tyrrell Hatton had a shot bounce off a cart and into the woods, never to be found, leading to double bogey. He still managed a 69 and joined DeChambeau one off the lead. They were among 10 players within four shots of the lead, a group that includes major champions Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth.

“I just know to win I’ve got to play good,” Ancer said. “There’s no way if you play sloppy you’re going to win out here. So I know I have to put up a good score out there tomorrow. And I know if I follow my game plan and make some putts, that could happen.”

He was at 13-under 200.

Woods had to settle for a 69 that left him in a tie for 16th – along with Adam Hadwin (70) of Abbotsford, B.C. – at 7 under.

At least Woods saw plenty of good golf. DeChambeau has become of his regular practice partners, though they had never been in the same group until Sunday.

DeChambeau opened with two birdies and finished even stronger, with short birdie putts on the 16th and 17th, and then a 5-iron from 237 yards that stopped rolling 2 feet from the hole for an eagle.

“He’s my childhood idol,” DeChambeau said. “I’ve admired him my whole entire life. And to be finally able to play with him under tournament conditions, it was different. I was a little nervous, for sure. But I was able to get out there and execute shots and worry about my game and focus on hitting the best shots possible. And I was able to play really well like that.”

Not since Vijay Singh in 2008 has anyone captured the opening two FedEx Cup. DeChambeau led by four shots at Ridgewood Country Club last week and never was seriously challenged. This time, the 24-year-old Californian will have to come from one shot behind against a 27-year-old playing in only his 49th PGA Tour event.

Hatton had the lead until his approach on the par-4 12th went off a cart path and into the trees, and a search party of some three dozen fans and volunteers never found it. He did well to escape with a double bogey, and then finished with a birdie for a 69.

Justin Rose (70) and Cameron Smith (67) were another shot behind, followed by Emiliano Grillo (64) and Kyle Stanley (66).

McIlroy was making a charge until hitting into the water on the 16th hole and missing a short putt at the 18th. HE had to settle for a 68 and was in a group at 9-under 204 that included Beau Hossler (68), Ryder Cup hopeful Tony Finau (67) and Spieth (68).

More than being six shots behind, Woods has to climb past 15 players. He handled the par 5s, but didn’t make much else and spent some 45 minutes on the putting green after his round.

“I didn’t get a lot out of my round today,” Woods said. Looking ahead to Monday, he said he would need a round like he saw from DeChambeau.

“I’ve got to make a bunch of birdies, get off to a quick start and just get rolling early,” Woods said. “Kind of do what Bryson did today.”

Ancer knows what it’s like to be among the chaotic atmosphere that Woods brings to a tournament. He played in the group ahead of Woods in the third round of the Quicken Loans National, heard the cheers and delivered a 62 that hardly anyone saw.

He didn’t play his best from the final group, but it wouldn’t have mattered with Francesco Molinari closing with a 62.

Ancer got hot again, putting for birdie on every hole except No. 12, where he made a mental mistake by hitting 3-wood off the tee into a breeze and into a bunker. He was able to advance it only 100 yards on the 51–yard par 4.

Even with seven birdies and a 65, Ancer missed three birdie chances inside 10 feet, including a 5-footer on the par-5 18th.

SUZHOU, China—Standing on the tee on the final hole of the Suzhou Open, Canada’s Richard Jung trailed China’s Yechun Yuan by a stroke. He knew what he needed to do. Jung drained a 40-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole for a closing 4-under 68. Jung then watched as Yuan made a double bogey on the same hole, giving Jung his first PGA TOUR Series-China title and what was ultimately a wire-to-wire win, finishing two ahead of Yuan of China.

The 25-year-old Jung, a South Korean by birth who plays under the Canadian flag and is a former member of Team Canada, carded a 21-under total of 267 at the Gary Player-designed Jinji Lake Golf Club, where big crowds—many hoping to see Yuan win his first event as a pro—enjoyed a dramatic weekend of action despite weather delays, Sunday no exception.

Jung shared the lead after the first three completed rounds with England’s Callum Tarren, who also played in the final group. Like Yuan, Tarren double-bogeyed the last to finish third, at 18-under.

Jung was one shot behind Yuan after 10 holes of the third round when play stopped Saturday, forcing him to finish his final seven holes Sunday morning. He finished with a share of the lead with Tarren, the duo both shooting rounds of 65-67-67.

As the three battled all afternoon during the final round, Jung watched on the 18th hole as 21-year-old Yuan sliced his tee shot into trouble. Yuan hacked his second into the rough, leading to the double bogey, while the Seoul-born Canadian hit a 6-iron approach to almost 40 feet before holing a huge birdie putt and celebrating wildly.

Dramatic finish on hole 18! ????
Richard Jung of South Korea sinks 40-footer for birdie after Yechun Yuan makes a double-bogey on 18 to win the Suzhou Open! ? pic.twitter.com/rikSAVIL3X

— PGA TOUR Series-China (@PGATOURChina) September 2, 2018

“Once Yuan hit his second shot in the rough again, I was very relieved because that really took off a lot of pressure,” Jung said. “I knew that if I just made par and he somehow made a bogey, then there would still be a playoff.

“I stayed relaxed,” Jung added, “hit a draw 6-iron and the ball stayed dead still and it was close to a 40-footer for birdie. Then I dropped the bomb, so I was very happy with that.” Jung became the third Canadian in history to win a PGA TOUR Series-China event, joining Eugene Wong and Justin Shin, both champions in 2015.

Jung was thrilled with how he kept his composure in front of the huge crowd and was even happier to secure his biggest win as a pro, which should propel him into the top-10 of the Order of Merit with four events left on the 2018 schedule.

“I loved the crowds. I played once before in crowds this big, but it has been a while since I’ve been in front of this many people. It was a little nerve-racking, but I held myself together, so I’m thrilled,” added Jung, whose previous-best result this year was a tie for eighth at the season-opening Chengdu Championship.

“Happy is one word I can say right now. So happy to get the first win under my belt. I’ve been in this position a few times but just couldn’t bring her home, so I’m just very happy with how I played today.”

Yuan, who turned pro on Tuesday after winning a team silver medal in the Asian Games last week, almost won his first event as a pro six weeks after becoming only the second amateur to win on the Tour, having to decline the RMB 270,000 winner’s check after claiming the Qingdao Championship in July.

The former University of Washington golfer has played in the final round’s last group four times in five events on this year’s Tour.

“I am happy with my performance. I didn’t play my best at the Asian Games, so I didn’t have too high expectations this week. This is my first event after turning pro, so it was good to play so well,” said Yuan, expects to come back stronger after learning from the defeat.

“Golf always has its ups and downs, so as a player I’m sure I’ll learn from it and be able to adapt better next time. It’s the experience that counts and although I missed the title, I’m not too unhappy.”

Tarren, 27, was hoping to become the first Englishman to win on this Tour and has come close on many occasions, with three runner-up finishes among a record six top-10s this year.

“There was some incredible golf played between all three of us. One guy would take the lead then another would take the lead, but obviously Richard got it done in the end,” said Tarren, who tied for 29th in last week’s European Tour event in Prague. “He deserves to win, especially with that final putt. That was a great putt and he played very well. I’m playing great, so I don’t feel too disappointed.”

South Korea’s Todd Baek and American Joseph Winslow, both in the top five on the Order of Merit, finished 17-under to share fourth with New Zealand’s Nick Voke, impressing in his Tour debut.

Japan’s Taihei Sato (67) was seventh, at 16-under, two ahead of Order of Merit leader Charlie Saxon, while Japan’s Yuwa Kosaihira, sixth on the Order of Merit, was ninth at 12-under.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Canadian LPGA rookie Brittany Marchand is one round away from the best finish of her young career.

The 26-year-old Marchand carded a 2-under 70 on Saturday to sit in a tie for fourth place at 10-under heading into the final round of the Cambia Portland Classic.

Marchand placed seventh at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic back in July for the only Top-10 finish in her first season on the Tour.

“It’s a good spot. You know, I mean, I didn’t really have too high an expectations of myself this week,” said Marchand. “I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’m going to win this tournament,’ but now that I’m in this position, obviously, that’s my goal. But I don’t feel pressure. I mean, it would be amazing, so if everything clicks tomorrow, that’s great.”

Marchand birdied four of her first eight holes and turned the corner at 12-under, but a double bogey on the par-3 13th dropped her two strokes and she finished with five straight pars.

“I had one bad hole, but actually hit a really good shot. I’m still a little dumbfounded how it went that far over the green,” said the Orangeville, Ont., native.

“Otherwise, I hit a few not great shots coming down the stretch, but had some good saves, so that was good, and played the front nine really well. So overall, I’m pretty happy.”

Georgia Hall pulled away from Minjee Lee late in the third round to take a two-stroke lead into Sunday. Hall is 18 under.

Marchand is tied alongside Ayako Uehara (70).

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., had a 74 to fall into a tie for sixth at 7 under. The Canadian star, the 2015 and 2016 winner at Columbia Edgewater, won the CP Women’s Open last week on home soil in Regina for her seventh career victory.

Meanwhile, Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay shot 67 to move up to 12th spot at 6 under.

Marchand has had some ups and downs at times this season, missing the cut in each of the past three events she’s played including the CP Women’s Open. But she believes she’s got the right frame of mind with 18 holes remaining.

“I think the last week of the Canadian Open … there too much in my head. Put a little pressure on myself, obviously, being Canadian, and had a little bit too much technical stuff going on, so I’m happy with myself this week,” said Marchand. “I feel like I’ve been playing really well all year, and I had a little bit of a slip the last couple weeks, but I’m happy to feel comfortable again.”

NORTON, Mass. – The putt is one that Webb Simpson never practices enough. He wasn’t sure it even required his putter.

He worked it to perfection.

From just over 70 feet away off the green on the par-5 18th, Simpson rolled in the eagle putt for an 8-under 63 to take a one-shot lead Saturday at the halfway point of the Dell Technologies Championship.

“You just kind of laugh at those because you’re not trying to make them, you’re just trying to get them close,” Simpson said. “The grass around the greens is firm enough to where the ball runs pretty smoothly. I didn’t like my lie to chip it. I decided to putt it, and it came off really nice, just how I wanted it.”

A gorgeous Saturday in New England allowed for low scoring at the TPC Boston.

Tyrrell Hatton of England had eight birdies with his store-bought putter for a 63 and was one shot behind, along with Justin Rose (67). Tommy Fleetwood made it a trio of Englishman near the top with his 65, leaving him three shots behind.

Tiger Woods got into the act, too.

Woods only once came close to bogey, making a 12-foot par putt on the par-3 11th hole, and gave himself ample opportunities in his round of 66. It was an important day to move forward with conditions ripe for scoring, though he still was seven shots behind Simpson.

“I’ve got some work to do still,” Woods said. “This is a golf course you can’t sit still on. You have to keep making birdies. You have to keep getting after it. Conditions are going to be like this the rest of the weekend. You’re going to see plenty of birdies out there.”

Simpson was at 11-under 131, worth little more than pole position going into the final two days before the Labor Day finish.

Adam Hadwin, the lone Canadian in the field, sits in a tie for seventh at 6-under. The Abbotsford, B.C., native was 5-under for the day through 10 holes before two bogeys on the back nine left him with back-to-back 68s.

Ten players were assured of their season ending by missing the cut, meaning they will not finish among the top 70 to advance to the third event in the FedEx Cup playoffs next week outside Philadelphia.

Simpson, who won The Players Championship in a landslide in May, is at No. 9 and already assured of being among the top 30 in the Tour Championship.

He is more interested in doing well enough, often enough, to be consistently among the elite.

“I don’t want to just have a couple of good years and have it go away for two years,” Simpson said. “There are a few guys that are always top 10 in the world. I want to do that.”

A lot of those guys are still in the hunt at the TPC Boston.

Jordan Spieth showed signs of getting on track, despite opening with two straight bogeys. He ran off four birdies in a five-hole stretch after making the turn, and saved par from a bunker on the other, and had a 67 to be in the large group at five shots behind.

Dustin Johnson, the world’s No. 1 player, missed several birdie chances and shot 69. He was six behind.

Hatton is riding a hot streak with his $149 putter that he bought last week before the final round at Ridgewood Country Club.

Well, the putter his caddie bought. Hatton wanted to shake up his short game, but the equipment trucks had already left and he was too embarrassed to be seen in a golf store shopping for a new putter, even if not many in Paramus, New Jersey, would have recognized him.

His caddie headed to a Golf Galaxy store, using a video app so Hatton could look at the options.

“Obviously, he made a good choice,” Hatton said.

Abraham Ancer of Mexico was poised to get within one shot until he chipped across the 18th green and into a bunker, and then missed a 4-foot par putt and had to settle for a 69 that left him three shots off the lead, along with Cameron Smith of Australia (66).

It’s a big week for Ancer, who is No. 92 in the FedEx Cup and needs to move into the top 70 to advance to next week outside Philadelphia. After that, the top 30 make it to the Tour Championship for the FedEx Cup finale.

“I don’t play well, I’m not playing any golf next week,” Ancer said. “I’m not trying to put any extra pressure. I know what I need to do. And I just need to execute my game plan and it will be fine.”

Tony Finau had five birdies over his last eight holes for a 68, which might help his cause involving another cup – the Ryder Cup. U.S. captain Jim Furyk makes three of his four wild-card picks on Tuesday, and Finau entered the equation with a runner-up finish last week.

Rafa Cabrera Bello of Spain didn’t hurt his chances, either. The four European selections are Wednesday. Cabrera Bello chose to play in the FedEx Cup playoff event at the TPC Boston instead of going to Denmark with one last chance to qualify. He had another 68 and was at 6 under, which is sure to get the attention of European captain Thomas Bjorn.

CALGARY – Joe Durant eagled the final hole at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club to move atop the Shaw Charity Classic leaderboard.

Durant also had six birdies and one bogey on Saturday during his round of 7-under 63 to take the outright lead at 11 under through two rounds of play at the PGA Tour Champions event.

Charles Schwab Cup standings leader Miguel Angel Jimenez shot 66 on Saturday and is just one shot behind Durant at 10 under heading into Sunday’s final round.

First-round co-leader Kirk Triplett is also in the mix at 9 under, while defending champion Scott McCarron is alone in fourth at 8 under.

Esteban Toledo followed up the 66 he shot on Friday with a 67 on Saturday to move into fifth spot at 7 under.

World Golf Hall of Famer Bernhard Langer is tied for sixth place at 6 under in a group that also includes Doug Garwood, Joey Sindelar and Scott Parel.

Langer carded a round of 5-under 65, a day after opening up the tournament with a 69. The German golfer teed off nearly two hours ahead of first-round leaders Triplett and Jimenez.

“It was the coldest I’ve played golf in a long time,” he said about the morning temperature. “It was probably 49, 50 degrees (Fahrenheit) and a 12 mile-an-hour wind out of the north, so it felt a lot colder than that. Guys were bundled up. My caddie looked like he was going to go skiing. He had a face mask on like he’s doing an exhibition in the Antarctic or something like that.”

The 61-year-old Langer is looking to improve upon his showing at the Shaw Charity Classic two years ago when he finished in a tie for second behind Carlos Franco.

“I’m going to be behind, so I’m going to have to come out aggressive and hopefully go low,” he said of his mindset heading into the final round.

Rod Spittle, of Niagara Falls, Ont., carded a round of 1-under 69 and is in a group of five golfers who are tied for 10th spot at 5 under.

Vancouver’s Stephen Ames is well back in a tie for 61st spot at 3 over after shooting 72 on Saturday, while Calgary’s Steve Blake is even further back in a tie for 71st following a round of 7-over 77.

MAYNOOTH, Ireland — After a rough start in the first round, Team Canada’s trio of women battled back to finish seventh on Saturday’s final round of the 2018 World Amateur Team Championships at Carton House.

The Canadian squad posted a final-round 137 (-7) to continue their ascension up the leaderboard with a 7 under par finish, climbing back from an opening-round score of 10 over par that saw them in an early tie for 39th.

After struggling in the opening round, the Canadian women paced the field at 17 under par in the final three rounds to get back into contention in the biennial competition. They were led by Calgary native Jaclyn Lee, who finished at 8 under par in a tie for 5th (76-69-72-65).

London, Ont., product Maddie Szeryk closed the event at 4 over par to share 46th place. Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C., rounded out the squad with a score of 9 over par.

The American team ran away with the competition, collecting a 10-stroke victory with a score of 29 under par. Pacing Team U.S.A. was former Canadian Women’s Amateur champion Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, Colo., who finished at 15 under par, two back of Korean medalist Ayean Cho.

“We have the strong bond already from the beginning, especially yesterday when we were all struggling we all fought for each other,” said Kupcho, who won the NCAA Women’s individual title in 2018. “We all wanted to win for each other, and I think that was a big thing coming out of yesterday. And, I think that’s how we got our big lead coming into today.

Japan won the silver with a score of 19 under par, while the Republic of Korea captured the bronze at 18 under, which is their fifth consecutive medal-winning performance.

Conducted every two years, the World Women’s Amateur Team Championship has been staged since 1964, with the winner earning the Espirito Santo Trophy. In 2014, Australia claimed the title by two strokes over the Canadian team of Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.), Augusta James (Bath, Ont.), and Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.).

In 25 appearances at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, Canada has earned runner-up honours four times.

The World Amateur Team titles are contested over four days of stroke play. A country may field a team of two or three players. In each round, the total of the two lowest scores constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day total is the team’s score for the championship.

Click here for full scoring.

The men’s World Amateur Team Championship will follow the women’s event, running from Sept. 5-8. Canada will send Hugo Bernard, 23, of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., Joey Savoie, 24, of La Prairie, Que., and Garrett Rank, 30, of Elmira, Ont., to compete for the Eisenhower trophy.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Brooke Henderson followed her opening 64 with a 71 to drop into a tie for fifth at 9 under. The 20-year-old Canadian star, the 2015 and 2016 winner at Columbia Edgewater, is coming off a victory Sunday in the CP Women’s Open on home soil in Saskatchewan.

Georgia Hall shot a 9-under 63 on Friday to take a three-stroke lead in the Cambia Portland Classic and break the tournament 36-hole record.

The Women’s British Open winner four weeks ago for her first LPGA Tour title, the 22-year-old Englishwoman made five straight birdies in the middle of the back nine. She missed a chance to match the course record of 62 when her long birdie try went to the right on the par-4 18th.

“The putts were really good,” Hall said. “I holed some really long ones, as well, and my long game was pretty good today, and I didn’t really miss a green that much. I’m extremely happy. I kind of stayed in there and kept trying to get more birdies, so I was happy with that.”

Hall had a 15-under 129 total. She had four birdies on the front nine, three in a row on Nos. 5-7, and began the birdie streak on the par-5 12th at tree-lined Columbia Edgewater.

“I love this golf course,” Hall said. “It’s very nice to play. It’s in great condition, so I look forward to the weekend and seeing what I can do.”

Minjee Lee was second, following her opening 64 with a 68. The 22-year-old Australian won the Volvik Championship in May in Michigan for her fourth LPGA Tour title.

“I just scrambled when I had to and just took advantage of the shots that I hit close,” Lee said. “It was all-around OK today.”

Marina Alex, the first-round leader after tying the course record with a 62, had a late bogey in a 71 to fall into a tie with Megan Khang at 11 under.

“Had some great looks that just didn’t go in,” Alex said. I just really didn’t make anything. They weren’t bad strokes or putts, they just didn’t go in. So just carry some good juju into tomorrow.“

Khang eagled the par-5 fifth in a 65.

“I just kind of hit some great shots, had some good numbers, and just kind of stayed patient out there,” Khang said. Definitely gave myself a lot of opportunities, and luckily a few of them dropped, and just kind of kept that mentality for the rest of the day.“

“Got off to a shaky start, two bogeys right back-to-back on the back nine, which was my front nine, and I just kind of fought the rest of the day to kind of get it under par,” Henderson said. “So, I’m happy with 1 under. I would have obviously liked to have been better and get up the leaderboard a little bit more, but I just felt like I kind of battled my way through, and I feel like I did a good job of that.”

Australia’s Su Oh also was 9 under after a 69.

Lexi Thompson was 3 under after a 73. She missed the cut last week in Canada after tying for 12th in Indianapolis following a three-week break for emotional and mental fatigue.

Karen Stupples shot 71-79 to miss the cut in her first tour start in more than two years. The 45-year-old English player is a commentator for Golf Channel.

“I accomplished what I set out to at the start of the week, which was to prove to myself that I still had potential to play, even though I don’t want to,” Stupples said.