Adam Hadwin’s work on his all-around game has resulted in a steady PGA Tour season, but he hopes it pays bigger dividends at a U.S. Open course known to reward versatile golfers.

The native of Abbotsford, B.C., will tee off at his fourth career U.S. Open when the major tournament kicks off Thursday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, a storied and notoriously tricky course.

“I like tradition and tournaments where par means something,” Hadwin told The Canadian Press in a recent interview. “My game suits that pretty well, which should go hand-in-hand with the U.S. Open.

“I’m really of the mindset that it doesn’t matter what the golf course is, I can adapt my game to fit anything.”

Hadwin, Canada’s highest-ranked male golfer, has enjoyed a successful if unspectacular season. He has three top-10 finishes and hasn’t missed a cut so far.

He arrived at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Sunday, a day earlier than usual for a tournament week, to check out the course for the first time.

Shinnecock, established in the 1891, is hosting its fifth U.S. Open. The course on Long Island in New York has implemented larger greens and wider fairways since 2004, the last time it played host.

Jeff Hall, managing director of rules and Open Championships for the United States Golf Association, said the last three U.S. Open champions at Shinnecock _ Raymond Floyd (1986), Corey Pavin (1995) and Retief Goosen (2004) _ knew how to play the game in a variety of ways.

“If it required knocking the ball down they’d do it. Move it left? move it right? they could do it. It really is a complete examination,” he said. “I don’t think it punishes a long player or favours a long player, you just need to be able to play a lot of shots.”

That could favour Hadwin, who took last week off to work on basics like set-up, alignment, ball position and posture.

The 30-year-old feels his well-rounded game is taking shape just in time for the second major tournament of the season.

“I feel like I’m hitting it well. I’m hitting the ball both ways and I’m seeing different shots,” he said. “It gives me a lot of confidence moving forward that I’m continually doing the right things and I’ve just got to keep at it.”

NO RANK AMATEUR

Garrett Rank, a full-time NHL referee who played only four rounds of golf during the hockey season, was co-medallist at his qualifying site in Georgia and will play his first U.S. Open this week.

Rank, of Elmira, Ont., worked 73 games during the regular season and three playoff games in his second NHL season.

But his golf resume is just as impressive.

He is a three-time Canadian Mid-Amateur Champion and represented Canada at the Pan-Am Games in 2015.

He said U.S. Open-style golf fits his game because he enjoys shooting around par, hitting long irons into greens, and playing steady.

“If it was a tournament where I had to shoot super low, I would probably be a little more uncomfortable,” he said.

Rank was diagnosed with testicular cancer in his early 20s, but since has received a clean bill of health.

“2018 has been pretty cool,” he said. “Playing with the best players in hockey on the ice, and now obviously I’ll play with the best golfers in the world at the U.S. Open. It’s a pretty cool life I’m living right now and I’m very thankful for that.”

HOPEFUL HUGHES

It’s been a year of learning Mackenzie Hughes, but the native of Dundas, Ont., he said he’s hopeful his performance at the U.S. Open qualifier will be a springboard for success.

Hughes shot 10-under par over a 36-hole qualifier in Tennessee to finish tied for second. This will be his second U.S. Open after also qualifying in 2013.

The 27-year-old and his wife, Jenna, welcomed their first child last fall and Hughes has been trying to balance fatherhood with the demanding schedule of professional golf.

He’s made only five cuts in 14 events this year, but is encouraged by his result in the qualifier and is eager to tee it up at another major.

“I’m excited to play, and I know I’m good enough to play well in it,” he said. “It’s one of those things where now that I’m in I’m going to try to treat it like any other event, prepare, and play well.”

WAITING GAME

Toronto’s Mark Hoffman and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., will await their fate this week as both finished as first alternate at their qualifiers.

Conners, who notched his best ever PGA Tour finish at the Fort Worth Invitational in May, lost in a three-man playoff for two spots at Springfield Country Club in Ohio.

He qualified for the 2017 U.S. Open at the same site, but went on to miss the cut.

Hoffman lost in a two-man playoff for one spot at Canoe Brook Country Club in New York. He’s returning from an ankle injury after tearing two ligaments in March, and says the 36-hole qualifier was the first time he’s walked that much in months.

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada—Wes Heffernan claimed the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week Award after a sixth-place finish in Victoria. The Calgary, Alberta, native did so in dramatic fashion, jarring his shot from the fairway on the 15th for eagle and chipping in for birdie on the 18th to shoot 68.

“Golf has allowed me to travel the world and play something I have a huge passion for.” Heffernan said. “When I mentioned I was struggling a bit, sometimes you forget how much it means to you and how much fun it can be if you just let it happen. The past few years I’ve tried to have as much fun as possible, and you see the scores when you do that. When you have fun, you play a lot better.”

After his third round, Sam Fidone mentioned he would likely be feeling some nerves on his stroll up to the first tee Sunday.

Fidone appeared to make that stroll with all the confidence in the world, striping his first tee shot down the Uplands Golf Club fairway to begin his march toward a bogey-free 65 and commanding five-stroke victory.
Going into the day, the Lufkin, Texas, native had built a two-stroke lead over Blake Sattler due to three consecutive scores in the mid-60s. As the afternoon moved on, the nail drew closer to the coffin as Fidone’s lead slowly increased.

On the 11th green, the 25-year-old fist-pumped the entire 10 yards from where he stroked his putt to the hole, and as he picked up his ball from the bottom of the cup he essentially put down any hopes other players had of winning the tournament.

“The putt on 11 was kind of my ‘let’s go get them, you have the control and the dominance over everyone right now’ moment,” said Fidone. “I just continued to game plan the rest of the day, but that putt was really the catalyst to bring me in and make me feel really solid.”

The moment came after a near flawless front-nine that included three birdies and no bogeys. The rest of the back nine was much of the same, consistent golf that allowed him an easy tap-in on the last hole to solidify himself as a Mackenzie Tour winner.

“I definitely feel like I’m on the right trajectory,” said Fidone. “I feel like my game is trending, and my attitude towards my game is trending, in the right direction. I’m making more mature decisions every time I step up to the tee, and I think that’s the biggest part about winning at every level.”

Fidone spent the spring tightening up his game on the Adams Tour, winning the Options for Independence Houma Classic in April, with rounds of 70-67-69-65. Fidone’s only other start this year on the Adams Tour resulted in a second-place finish after losing in a playoff at the Business First Bank Classic, firing scores of 69-63-66-69.

While Fidone cashed his check for $36,000, the Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island also won in a big way. With the help of volunteers, sponsors and donations made by the Victoria community, at the closing ceremony the tournament announced it had raised $180,000 for the foundation.

Next on tap for the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada is the third and final stop of the B.C. Golf Swing, a three-tournament stretch through Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna. A field of 156 golfers will tee it up at Gallagher’s Canyon on June 14-17 to see who can join Fidone, and last week’s winner, Jordan Niebrugge, in the 2018 winner’s circle.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Team Canada member, Augusta James, finished T13 6-under 210 on Sunday at the Four Winds Invitational. She recorded rounds of 68-69-73. She struggled on the back nine of her final round, bogeying hole 12 and double bogeying hole 13. She finished strong with a birdie on hole 16 to finish 1-over 73.

A five-stroke deficit and 55-minute weather delay did not phase Maia Schechter (Chapel Hill, N.C.) today, who fired a 6-under par 66 in the final round to come away the victor.

After missing the cut in five of the first six tournaments this year, Schechter put it all together at Blackthorn Golf Club with an 11-under par overall showing. The win is her first on the Symetra Tour.

“It has been a lot of hard work and it definitely hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Schechter, who signed a bogey-free card this afternoon. “It was really just sticking to the gameplan that I had created at the beginning of the week. I feel like the game has been getting really good and felt really solid early in the week. Just been hitting good shots and making some good putts.”

The University of North Carolina alumna continues the trend of 2018 Symetra Tour champions all hailing from outside the final pairing. Climbing back into the hunt before eventually taking the cake was never in doubt for Schechter, who said her pre-tournament preparation got her ready for a result like this.

“I checked my fundamentals at the beginning of this week,” Schechter said. “My grip was getting a little weak and my stance was getting a little closed, so working on those two things I think was really helpful. It gave me a process and focused goal of getting a good setup on every shot.”

Meanwhile, off the course, Schechter and Leslie Cloots (Antwerp, Belgium) have teamed up to form “Birdiecast,” a new podcast about life on Tour. She pointed to the show as a factor in helping keep her mind at ease throughout the week.

“It has definitely been really helpful, that in-between shot time is something to focus on that’s outside of golf, but still relates to the golf world,” said Schechter. “We’ve been having a lot of fun doing that and is something to do during the week when they get a little long and you’re trying to kill some time.”

The win and $22,500 winner’s check launches Schechter to No. 7 in the Volvik Race for the Card, with $23,355 earned in seven starts. She entered the Four Winds Invitational at No. 132.

As for the 36-hole leaders, Louise Stahle (Lund, Sweden) went even par today and finished tied for second at 10-under, while Samantha Wagner (Windermere, Florida) shot 1-over par to end tied for fourth at 9-under.

LACHUTE, Que. — Robbie Latter prevailed in a playoff victory while Emily Romancew went wire-to-wire to win in the girls division of the Future Links, driven by Acura Quebec Championship at Club de golf Lachute.

The battle for medallist honours in the boys division was fierce at Club de golf Lachute. The end of 54 holes saw three player sharing top spot — Robbie Latter, Remi Chartier and Frédéric Rousseau— with a playoff set to decide the victory.

Though the competition was stiff, Latter and Chartier outlasted Rousseau with 2 birdies at the second playoff hole. In the end, it was Latter who captured the fourth playoff hole with a birdie to win the Future Links, driven by Acura Quebec Championship.

The Mississauga, Ont., talent had started off the day tied for eighth with his younger brother. A share of the tournament-low 69 (alongside fourth-place Olivier Ménard) helped catapult him to share a piece of the lead before ultimately earning medallist honours.

“This is my first big win,” said the seventeen-year-old Team Ontario Member. “I just put everything together and stayed really calm throughout the round, making sure it was more of a marathon.”

Olivier Ménard (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que.), Freddy D’Angelo (Fonthill, Ont.) and Cam Kellett (London, Ont.) round out top-six players in the boys division advancing to the 2018 Canadian Junior Boys Championship on July 30-Aug. 2 at Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club in Medicine Hat, Alta.

In the junior girls division, Emily Romancew held on to claim victory after three consecutive days atop the leaderboard.

The Pierrefonds, Que., native ran into some trouble with four bogeys. A birdie on the last hole, however, helped her secure a comfortable 3-stroke win at 3-over-par 219.

“I had such a great day with the girls. I’m so happy with this result” said Romancew. “There’s no doubt that I’d rather be on the golf course than at home prepping for final exams!”

Ottawa, Ont. product Haley Yerxa shot the low-score in the girls division at 1 over. Though she struggled with a couple of bogeys in the front-nine, Yerxa finished strong with a birdie on the last hole to finish the tournament at 6-over-par 222 in solo-second. Élizabeth Labbé finished in third place at 8-over-par 224.

Rounding out the top six headed to the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship held July 31-Aug. 3 at Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, B.C. are: Lory Paradis (Blainville, Que.), Mathilde Denicourt (St-Césaire, Que.) and Heather McLean (Port Williams, N.S.) at 14-over-par 230.

Full results.

MUNDELEIN, Ill. – Before heading to Ivanhoe Club, Chase Wright lost in a playoff to qualify for the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. The disappointment didn’t linger, as the 28-year-old Wright found himself in another playoff Sunday afternoon, this time at the Rust-Oleum Championship. Wright, who was tied with Alex Prugh at 17-under 271 at the end of regulation, birdied the second playoff hole to earn his maiden Web.com Tour victory in his 83rd start.

“This is so much sweeter,” said Wright, who moved to No. 5 on the money list. “This week was way more important than going out there for one week. I want to be out there for 30 weeks.”

Prugh finished 17-under first after three birdies on the final five holes. The 33-year-old from Spokane, Washington missed a 15-foot putt for birdie on the 72nd hole to post 18-under. Wright, who was in the group right behind Prugh, made par on the final three holes to end regulation at 17-under as well.

“I just wanted to not beat myself,” said Wright, who two-putted the par-3 17th from 80 feet away to remain in a tie with Prugh. “As long as I hung in there and did my thing, I would be fine.”

Wright did just that on second extra hole, hitting a 7-iron from 170 yards to 5 feet from the cup. After Prugh missed his birdie bid, the Muncie, Indiana native all but secured his PGA TOUR card by knocking in his birdie try.

“I kind of calmly knew it was going to happen all day,” said Wright, who started the day two strokes off the lead. “Even in some hard moments when I hit some bad shots, I got it up-and-down and went about my business.”

Wright admitted he felt the pressure coming down the stretch. Each time he sensed the magnitude of the situation, the six-year pro remembered his friend, the late Dennis ‘Zink’ Zinkon, who played on the Web.com Tour in the early 1990s and assisted the Tour’s operations team in all facets. Zinkon passed away in 2016 with a pulmonary embolism, at the age of 55, but still lives on in the memory of everyone involved with the Web.com Tour, including Wright who regularly sought out ‘Zink’ for advice when he was struggling.

“I was actually thinking about him coming in,” said Wright, about his late friend. “He was definitely there with me today. He used to tell me, putting is pretty easy. Aim it, roll it, and repeat one and two if necessary.”

Wright’s journey to the Web.com Tour’s winner’s circle can be traced back to last summer when he competed on Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada. After spending three years on Tour, Wright lost his card and went to Canada to try and earn it back. In 12 events, he posted six top-25s and won the ATB Financial Classic in Calgary. Wright ended the season No. 8 on the Order of Merit and regained his status on the Web.com Tour with a T42 at Final Stage of the Qualifying Tournament.

“Just getting back was one of my goals,” said Wright, about his return to the Web.com Tour in 2018. “It’s just great being around everyone again. I know the courses, and this means a lot. I’ve been in this spot a few times and faltered. To come through is awesome.”

After four years of competing on the Web.com Tour, Wright is now likely headed to the PGA TOUR later this year. Like those that have graduated before him, he believes his time on Tour has prepared him for success at the next level.

“Just to make the cut out here, you’ve played pretty well,” said Wright, who became the 11th first-time winner on Tour this season. “I think it’s the second-best (level of) competition in the world, and most people out here will tell you that.”

Ryan Yip from Calgary, Alta. finished T18 while fellow Canadian, Mike Weir, finished T56.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Dustin Johnson emphatically reclaimed the No. 1 ranking Sunday, holing out for eagle from 170 yards on the final hole for a six-stroke victory in the St. Jude Classic.

“What a cool way to end the day,” Johnson said.

Johnson shot a 4-under 66 for his second PGA Tour victory this year and 18th of his career to take back the No. 1 ranking he held for 64 straight weeks before dropping down a month ago . He won the event for the second time, finishing with the eagle, three birdies and a bogey for a 19-under 261 total.

Andrew Putnam started the final round with a share of the lead for the first time in his career. He shot 72 and finished at 13 under.

Preparing for the U.S. Open, Johnson took the lead to himself with a par on No. 1, while Putnam double-bogeyed, and cruised to the $1.18 million winner’s check. Johnson turned in the lowest score under par by a winner here since David Toms won at 20 under in 2003, and that was before the course was redesigned with par dropped from 71 to 70 after the 2004 tournament.

Johnson, who won the U.S. Open in 2016, heads to Shinnecock Hills after stringing together four straight rounds in the 60s. He went 67, 63 and 65 before wrapping up a final round that felt almost like a practice round with the only question remaining how low Johnson would go.

At least until his dramatic walk-off eagle. Johnson was in the intermediate rough to the right of the fairway, and the ball bounced twice before rolling into the cup to bring fans to their feet.

J.B. Holmes (67) was at 9 under. Stewart Cink (72) and Richy Werenski (71) tied at 8 under. Brandt Snedeker (70) and Retief Goosen (66) tied four others at 7 under.

Phil Mickelson had a 65 and was at 6 under.

Putnam, a two-time winner on the Web.com Tour, had only one bogey through his first three rounds. He pushed his opening tee shot into the right rough and his approach in the rough left of the green. He wound up three-putting for double bogey. Johnson rolled in a 4-footer for par and a two-stroke lead at 15 under on a sizzling day with the temperature feeling like 99.

Johnson worked on keeping the ball in the fairway, hitting 3-wood off the tee on the first of the course’s two par 5s. Even with the 3-wood, Johnson had the second-longest drive of the day, hitting 333 yards on the 554-yard hole.

Even when Johnson three-putt No. 5 to drop to 15 under, Putnam also bogeyed protecting Johnson’s lead at three strokes. Putnam pulled within two strokes with a birdie on No. 7, rolling a putt 11 feet after Johnson parred the hole.

Johnson hit an iron 307 yards off the tee at No. 10 . After hitting iron off the tee at No. 12 and going left of the cart path, Johnson saved par with a 16-foot putt to protect his two-stroke lead. Then Johnson hit a drive 359 yards on the par-4 No. 13, leaving him 95 yards to the pin. Johnson then hit his approach to 3 feet for his second birdie to go 16 under.

He previewed his dramatic finish on the par-5 16th. Johnson’s tee shot found the trees right of the fairway, and he threaded a shot through a couple trees to just off the green. He chipped to 5 feet and birdied for a four-stroke lead.

Canada’s Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, BC had his best day of the weekend finishing 30th in a 66-round. Ben Silverman (75) of Thornhill, Ont. and Corey Conners (76) of Listowel, Ont., finished 67th and 68th, respectively.

GALLOWAY, N.J.–Annie Park won the ShopRite LPGA Classic for her first LPGA Tour victory, closing with an 8-under 63 on Sunday for a one-stroke victory over Sakura Yokomine.

The 23-year-old Park, from Levittown, New York, had an eagle and six birdies on a cloudy day over the Bay Course at Stockton Seaview to complete 54 holes at 16-under 197, a stroke off the tournament record.

Yokomine, the winner of 23 events on the Japan LPGA Tour, flirted with a 59 but parred the par-5 18th for a 61 to tie the course record.

New Jersey native Marina Alex was third at 14 under after a 64. She made a hole-in-one at the par-3 17th. Sei Young Kim, who broke the course record Sunday morning when she finished her second round with back-to-back birdies for a 61, had a 70 to finish fourth at 13 under.

Park earned $262,500, topping her total of $261,096 for her first 49 LPGA Tour events. She won the 2013 NCAA individual title as a freshman at Southern California and helped the Trojans take the team crown.

Brooke Henderson had the best Canadian result, scoring 28th in a 69-round.  Anne-Catherine Tanguay finished eight places down, despite a score of 67.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Augusta James is the top Canadian at the Four Winds Invitational at Blackthorn Golf Club after two rounds. The Bath, Ont., talent sits T3 heading into the final round, three shots behind the lead at 7-under-par 137.

.@augusta_james ?? gets within one shot of the lead after a nice approach and birdie putt on No. 2, moving her to 5-under par overall #FourWindsInvite #Road2LPGA

Scores ➡️ https://t.co/sUcAFxqpt2 pic.twitter.com/d4ibpLY9t9

— Symetra Tour (@ROAD2LPGA) June 9, 2018

Also making the cut into the final round are Samantha Richdale  of Calgary (-3) and Megan Osland of Kelowna (-2).

Just as there was two players tied for the lead after the first round of the Four Winds Invitational, such is the story following play on day two at Blackthorn Golf Club, only this time Samantha Wagner (Windermere, Florida) is joined by Louise Stahle (Lund, Sweden).

They both sit at 10-under par overall and will be joined by Jordan Britt (Chattanooga, Tennessee) in the final pairing tomorrow, who is three shots back at 7-under.

“I’ll keep being aggressive, it’s my gameplan,” said Wagner, who carded five birdies and one bogey for a 4-under par effort today. “If I deviate, that’s when I start to struggle. Keep going after things when I feel comfortable with it and that’s when I’ll play well.”

As for Stahle, she remained consistent, firing a second-straight 5-under par 65 to get her to the double-digit under par mark for the tournament.

“Really hot start with four consecutive birdies. The putter was just really strong today,” Stahle said after finding seven birdies in the second round. “A good course for my eyes and I’m enjoying it. I’m happy to have two really solid rounds and try to make a third good round.”

Meanwhile, Britt finds herself in the final pairing for the first time since the 2015 Garden City Charity Classic. She finished fourth in that event, so is looking to capitalize tomorrow with a better result.

“The opportunity is exciting and knowing what I’ve been working on in my game has put me into contention is great feedback,” said Britt, who shot 5-under par today. “I think I prefer to chase. I don’t know what it’s like to be chased on the Symetra Tour just yet, but I hope to find out what that feels like soon. Mentally, I will try to focus on my one shot and not get ahead of myself.”

Also at the 7-under par mark for the 7th annual Four Winds Invitational is Augusta James (Bath, Ontario). She’ll be joined tomorrow in the penultimate group by Panitta Yusabai (Pattaya, Thailand), one of 12 players at 5-under par, and Cheyenne Knight (Aledo, Texas), who is solo fifth at 6-under par in her first career Symetra Tour event following an illustrious career at the University of Alabama.

“I like this golf course, I’ve played well on it before and I’ve played well the last two days,” said James, who went 3-under par today to enter the final round tied for third. “I like courses that are in good shape, honestly that’s my No. 1 thing. Even if the layouts are different or whatever, this course is really in good shape.”

A total of 71 players made the cut of even par to compete on Sunday at Blackthorn Golf Club. Play begins at 9 a.m. tomorrow of No. 1 and No. 10 tees.

ABE NOT BACKING DOWN IN FIRST CAREER SYMETRA TOUR START

Another member of the University of Alabama women’s golf family is turning in a strong showing this week at the Four Winds Invitational, as Lakareber Abe (The Woodlands, Texas) is not letting the nerves take over in her first career Symetra Tour event.

“I’m just trying to handle them. They’re not going away, but they’re getting better,” Abe said.

The Crimson Tide record-holder for low round (63) is tied for 24th at 3-under par overall; pretty impressive for her first tournament as a professional.

“It’s exciting, a little nerve-racking,” said Abe, who shot 1-under par today. “It’s something you dream of since you were a kid, so it’s really fun to have this chance. There were a little bit [of nerves] today because you still have to go out and play a good 18 holes to make the cut.”

She had an impressive list of collegiate accomplishments, including former two-time Second Team All-SEC performer to her name. In addition, Abe was named a Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Third Team All-American her sophomore year.

One aspect of her amateur career that Abe said truly helped get her to this point is playing for Alabama. Not only did the team prepare her, but the tree of athletes who have gone through the program and now compete professionally that she has at her disposal to learn from.

“Every year we had five or six really good girls, so you’re constantly competing,” Abe said. “You’re lucky enough to have people like Stephanie [Meadow], and Janie [Jackson] and Emma [Talley], who have done it before you. Those people to call, ask for advice and ask for help. It definitely makes a huge difference coming out of there.”

If you’re lucky enough to don the Crimson and White like Abe, the plethora of guidance as she begins her professional career is never-ending.

“These are the girls that I recruited, so it’s cool to see them out here,” said Stephanie Meadow (Jordanstown, Northern Ireland), a 2014 University of Alabama graduate. “No matter what year you’re at, when you graduated, or if you played with them or not, Alabama alums are going to stick together and do what they can.”

Abe tees off No. 1 at 9:11 a.m. tomorrow in the final round and is paired with Muni He (Chengdu, China) and Annabel Dimmock (London, England).

VICTORIA, B.C.— With low scores hard to come by Saturday afternoon at Uplands Golf Club, Lufkin, Texas, native Sam Fidone fought through a windy day to shoot 66 to take a two-stroke lead over Blake Sattler into the final round of the Bayview Place DCBankOpen presented by Times Colonist.

Three Canadian players head into Sunday’s round in the top ten. Team Canada’s Jared Du Toit is the top Canadian three strokes off the lead, alone in third. He is joined by Calgary’s Wes Heffernan (-9) and Stonewall’s Aaron Cockerill (-8) who sit T5 and T9, respectively.

Beginning the day in the second-to-last group, Fidone quickly narrowed the gap to one shot between him and overnight leader Zach Wright, with back-to-back birdies out of the gate.

“I watched Wes (Heffernan) make a 35- or 40-footer on one, so I decided to do the same thing,” said Fidone. “Holes 1 and 2, making birdies, that start affirmed to me that I was doing the right things.”

From there, Fidone cruised through the rest of the nine despite tough conditions, taking advantage of the par-5 seventh, with his third birdie of the round.

“I looked at the Weather Channel this morning and saw 17- or 18 mile-per-hour winds. On Monday, I said ‘I hope it blows out here at least one day,’ and I got my wish,” said Fidone.“Being from Texas, a windy part of the world, it’s fun to play in wind, and I don’t actually mind it that much.”
The defining moment of the round came on the par-5 12th hole. Despite hitting his tee shot a bit fat by his own admission, Fidone hit his second to the edge of the fringe, 15 feet from the hole. Utilizing a shot he learned from a friend at Southern Methodist University, Fidone elected to belly-wedge the ball, taking a potential unpredictable jump from the collar out of the equation.

Fidone watched his shot roll into the hole, giving him a three-stroke lead.

“I’ve never made an eagle like that, I’ve never bellied an eagle, so watching it go in was awesome.”

After making his only bogey of the day on the 13th, Fidone made five consecutive pars to finish off his 66.

“I’ll stick to the same morning routine I always do tomorrow,” said Fidone. “it’s impossible not to think about what ifs, but you have to finish that thought and get on to the next task at hand.”

The Bayview Place DCBank Open is the second of three events on the B.C. Golf Swing, which entails tournaments in picturesque Vancouver, Victoria and next week’s Tour stop in Kelowna.

GALLOWAY, N.J. -Sei Young Kim birdied seven of her last 10 holes for a share of the lead with Celine Herbin in the suspended second round of the ShopRite LPGA.

Kim was 10 under for the tournament with three holes left when play was suspended because of darkness.

Herbin had her second straight 5-under 66.

Herbin birdied No. 18 after play resumed following a delay of nearly three hours because of lightning strikes in the area. The Frenchwoman left her job as a biochemical engineer at age 27 to become a professional golfer.

Herbin had made the cut in just five of 11 tournaments prior to this week.

“There is no secret really, just keep working on what I’m doing,” she said. “I don’t care if you miss 10 cuts if you win the 11th. The missed cut doesn’t mean too much. What means more is the work you do every day.”

Kim, a six-time LPGA Tour winner, was one of 36 players unable to complete the round.

Mariah Stackhouse (65), Annie Park (65), Ashleigh Buhai (66) and Su Oh (two holes left) were two strokes back. Stackhouse is trying to become the tour’s first black winner.

“It’s not added pressure,” said Stackhouse, a second-year LPGA Tour player. “When I’m on the golf course, I’m not performing as a black American. I’m just trying to make as many birdie putts as I can and saving all the pars that I can.”

Two-time champion Anna Nordqvist had a 73 to drop from a tie for first to a tie for 34th at 3 under.

Canadians Brooke Henderson and Brittany Marchand were able to complete the round on Saturday. Henderson posted a 4-under-par 67 to climb up the leaderboard while Team Canada’s Marchand shot a 1-under-par 70.