MUNDELEIN, Ill. – It was moving day for Canada’s Ryan Yip at the Rust-Oleum Championship on Saturday. The Calgary, Alta., product climbed 32 spots to sit tied for fifth at 12-under-par 204 going into Sunday’s final round.

Moving Day, maximized.@RyanYipGolf began the third round @RustOleumChamp in 37th place.

After an 8-under 64 @IvanhoeClub, he now shares the lead. pic.twitter.com/WcbIhbQFln

— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) June 9, 2018

Fellow Canadian Mike Weir had a tough day but remains in the tournament going into the final round at 5-under-par 211.

Kyle Jones carded a flawless 4-under 68 in the third round of the Rust-Oleum Championship to take the first 54-hole lead of his Web.com Tour career. The 24-year-old from Victorville, California is 15-under-par heading into Sunday, one ahead of Christian Brand and two clear of Justin Lower and Chase Wright.

There are 13 players within four strokes of Jones, including 36-hole leader Maverick McNealy, who carded a 1-over 73 on Saturday at Ivanhoe Club.

Playing in Saturday’s final group was something new for Jones, but he found comfort in being paired with McNealy. McNealy struggled on Saturday afternoon while Jones remained poised and moved to the top of the leaderboard.

“All the nerves I felt going into today, I felt before the round,” he said. “Once I got on the course it was back to golf and trying to make birdies. It was nice playing with a guy that you know.”

Jones made four birdies in the third round, but it was the par-saves that kept the momentum positive. Each time the Baylor University graduate missed the green, he got up-and-down to remain blemish-free. Jones left little doubt when left with a putt for par, as each attempt hit the back of the cup and disappeared into the hole.

“That’s how I putt,” said Jones. “I don’t see the lines where I die them in. I like to ram them in, and if I miss I have a 3- or 4-footer coming back. I’m putting good, so I feel comfortable over those.”

Jones has posted one top-10 this season and is currently No. 67 on the money list. In 2017, the 24-year-old competed on mini-tours before regaining his status at the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament this past December. A win in Mundelein would move the three-year pro to No. 12 on the money list and one step closer to earning his PGA TOUR card.

“I’m excited,” said Jones, about the challenge Sunday presents. “I’m going to try and not think about it too much because it can get in my head.”

Brand made a significant move on Saturday, posting seven birdies and no bogeys. Last year, the Dick Nugent layout wasn’t kind to the Charleston, West Virginia native as he carded 72-73 and missed the cut. Brand had no trouble on Saturday, hitting nine of 14 fairways and 17 of 18 greens in regulation en route to the second lowest third-round score.

“Today was a great day,” said Brand, who matched his personal best third-round score on Tour. “Ivanhoe played awesome for us. The course is in phenomenal shape and I hit a couple of good shots, so it worked out.”

Brand entered the week No. 124 on the money list. In 13 starts, the 30-year-old Marshall University graduate has made five cuts with his best performance coming at the Savannah Golf Championship (T22). In just his second year on Tour, Brand has a chance to win his first Web.com Tour event and move closer to the top 25 on the money list.

“There’s still a long way to go,” said Brand. “Everyone knows how 18 holes can go. There are a lot of golf shots to be hit. Great round today, I’ll enjoy it for now. Try to rest up and be ready.”

Click here for up-to-date leaderboard

MEMPHIS, Tenn. –  Andrew Putnam matched the best round of his short PGA Tour career with a 6-under 64 and tied Dustin Johnson atop the St. Jude Classic on Saturday.

In position to reclaim the No. 1 ranking with a victory, Johnson had a 65 to match Putnam at 15-under 195.

A two-time winner on the Web.com Tour, Putnam birdied No. 18.

Putnam was bogey-free playing a group ahead. Now he will play in the last group on the final day for the first time on the PGA Tour with Johnson.

Stewart Cink, who had a hole-in-one on No. 8, matched his low round of the year with a 64 to get to 10 under.

Canadians Corey Conners and Ben Silverman also made the cut and head into the final round at 1-over-par 211.

LACHUTE, Que. — Remi Chartier and Emily Romancew fired a 1 under and 2 over, respectively, to lead their divisions after the second round of the Future Links, driven by Acura Quebec Championship.

The battle in the boys division heated up today as players vied for top position, with Chartier ultimately overtaking the lead.

Chartier, who started the day tied for third, began the round strong with a bogey-free front-nine. Though he struggled with three consecutive birdies on holes 14, 15 and 16, a strong finish gave him a one-stroke advantage heading the final day at 1-under-par 143.

“The back nine wasn’t really to my liking. But what did go well was my luck,” said the seventeen-year-old, who currently resides in Naples, Fla. “If I manage my game well tomorrow, it should be just fine.”

Frédéric Rousseau (Longueuil, Que.) and Brandon White (Bourget, Ont.) fired even-par 72s for the second day to share a piece of second close behind to round off the top-three.

In the junior girls division, Emily Romancew posted a low-round 2 over par on Saturday to sit atop the leaderboard for the second consecutive day.

“With the wind in the morning, it was tough to pick the right club but my putts were going in and it shows in my score,” said the Pierrefonds, Que., native. “Tonight will be rest time with the family so that I’m ready to go tomorrow!”

Romancew, who was the only junior girl to score in the red during round one, built a comfortable 5-stroke lead to head into the final round at an even-par 144.

Élizabeth Labbé of Levis, Que. overcame a rough seven-bogey second round to share a piece of second with Ottawa’s Haley Yerxa, who scored a low-round 2 over alongside Romancew.

The top six finishers in the junior boys’ division will earn exemptions into the 2018 Canadian Junior Boys Championship on July 30-Aug. 2 at Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club in Medicine Hat, Alta. The top six finishers in the junior girls’ division will earn exemptions into the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship on July 31-Aug. 3 at Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, B.C.

Current results can be found here.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. —Team Canada member, Augusta James, sits T6 after the first round of the Four Winds Invitational. She carded a 4-under 68, putting her just two strokes behind the lead, firing five birdies and one bogey.

Sitting one stroke behind James is Samantha Richdale (68) with a share of 12th.

For two hours and 33 minutes this afternoon the Four Winds Invitational was under a weather delay, but it didn’t stop Samantha Wagner (Windermere, Florida) and Dana Finkelstein (Chandler, Arizona) from escaping a finish in the dark as co-leaders.

Each player shot 6-under par 66 to head into the second round atop the leaderboard. Just like both found a different way to that mark, they also have different backgrounds on the road to the LPGA Tour.

Finkelstein was a 2016 Symetra Tour graduate and today, signed a bogey-free card. Wagner is a Symetra Tour rookie, who surrendered one bogey and used seven birdies to join Finkelstein in looking down on the rest of the 144-player field heading into round two at Blackthorn Golf Club.

“I definitely think this helps getting settled a little more,” said Wagner, a University of Florida alumna. “This is the first time I’ve shot more than I think 2-under on the Symetra Tour this year. I’m a pretty aggressive player as it is, so just keep doing what I’m doing because it’s working.”

Meanwhile, one-shot back at 5-under par is a group of three players, including Louise Stahle (Lund, Sweden), Pavarisa Yoktuan (Nakhon Is Thammarat, Thailand) and Leslie Cloots (Antwerp, Belgium).

Similar to Wagner and Finkelstein, the path to this point for Stahle, Yoktuan and Cloots is quite contrasting.

Stahle turned pro in 2006 and has spent time on the LPGA, as well as Ladies European Tour (LET). The veteran fired six birdies with one bogey today.

“You’ve got some great players out here and there’s a lot of good competition,” Stahle said. “I think it’s getting tougher every year. I remember when I started, I thought it was tough then, but it’s getting really competitive. The main focus is to get back to playing LPGA, and Symetra Tour is a great way to get there.”

For Yoktuan, two bogeys and seven birdies helped her shoot 67. Coming back from a week off, she turned in this performance with brand-new Callaway irons and wedges, as well as putter. It also came at a good time health-wise.

“In North Carolina I had a wrist injury and it hurt,” said Yoktuan. “I’m recovering and it’s getting better. As I’ve healed, I’ve continued to play better and just keep going.”

Finally, Cloots started working with new coach Patrick Kelley in February. He is based out of Durham, N.C., at Old Chatham Golf Club, and the work the two have put in definitely showed today with results that included eight birdies.

“Totally different swing, kind of starting over,” Cloots said. “I had a lot of basics already set, but it’s really nice because before I thought it was a quick fix. With Patrick, we always work on the same things and just expand on it. I feel like I’m finally getting it on the course.”

A total of 66 players are at 1-under par or better after the first round. Day two gets underway tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. with players going off No. 1 and No. 10 tees.

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada—Despite heavy rainfall making for a damp Friday afternoon, three Canadians are inside the top five, all within 3 shots of the lead, at the Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist at Uplands Golf Club.

Aaron Cockerill shot 1-over on his opening nine of the day, equaling his worst nine-hole score of the year. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native would significantly improve that number on his back nine, making birdie on five of his last seven holes to shoot 30, equaling his lowest nine-hole score of the season and ending the day T2.

Despite playing in just two events last season, Calgary’s Wes Heffernan managed to finish the season 36^th on the money list, thanks to a runner-up finish at the ATB Financial Classic. Heffernan is quickly taking advantage of what he says will be another shortened season, following Thursday’s 65 with a 66 to sit in a tie for fourth heading into the weekend.

With family in the area, Jared Du Toit showed off his acclimation for island golf in the second round, shooting the second-lowest round of the day at Uplands Golf Club—a bogey-free 64. Following a massive drive, Du Toit eagled the par -5 seventh after sticking a 7-iron to five feet. Du Toit shares fourth with fellow Canadian Heffernan.

With three Canadians from the morning wave, Wes Heffernan , Jared Du Toit, and Aaron Cockerill, leapfrogging Wright as he prepared for his second round. the overnight leader kept his nose to the grindstone, making birdie on his first hole of the day to set the stage for a seven-birdie, three-bogey 66.

“I had to battle out there, that’s for sure,” said Wright, who watched the players teeing off in the morning coming in dry as he was getting a rain suit prepped for the afternoon. “Towards the end, [the greens] were getting softer, but early on they were just skipping because they were so wet but still firm.”

Being on the wrong side of the draw didn’t appear to inhibit the Louisiana State University alumni’s game. The second-place finisher of last week’s Freedom 55 Financial Open hit 15 greens Friday, and he takes a two-stroke lead over Aaron Cockerill and Sam Fidone into the weekend.

“When you’ve been in the hunt recently, it helps when you’re in the hunt again the next week because you’re more familiar with it. So you can just play your game,” said Wright. “There’s always a little bit of nerves, but I’ve been handling it very well so I’m going to just keep playing my golf game.”

Going into Saturday’s action, Wright doesn’t intend to change anything and will continue to rely on the game that has him two ahead.

“I’m going to just keep playing golf. There’s not really a secret formula to it,” said Wright. “Sometimes you have it going on and you just have to play golf, and it happens.”

MUNDELEIN, Ill. – Through 36 holes, 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir is T14 at 6-under 138 at the Rust-Oleum Championship. Weir’s last top-10 in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event was a runner-up at the 2014 AT&T Byron Nelson. That finish represents his only top-10 in his last 129 starts on the PGA TOUR.

It’s been a few months, but Maverick McNealy has found himself in a familiar position on the Web.com Tour. After a second-round 8-under 64 at Ivanhoe Club, the 22-year-old Tour rookie takes the lead into Saturday. His 12-under 132 total places him one ahead of Kyle Jones after 36 holes.

On Friday, McNealy got off to a hot start with birdies at 10 and 11. He then played the back-to-back par-5s in 3-under, chipping in for eagle at the 14^th and a routine up and in on 15. Through two rounds, McNealy is 7-under on the par-5s. A recent change in philosophy has helped create more opportunities for the Stanford, California native on the longer holes.

“We were playing to short and to the front of the green,” said McNealy about his approach to the scoreable holes at the start of the year. “I was a little more aggressive, trying to get a balance between the front and back of the green. I think par-5 play has been a key for me and it comes from better strategy and picking good targets.”

In early May, McNealy took a break from the Web.com Tour and competed on the PGA TOUR in Dallas and Fort Worth. He made the cut both weeks and brought that momentum with him to Chicago. The Web.com Tour rookie continues to find comfort on Tour in pressure-packed situations.

“Confidence doesn’t come easily, for me it has to be earned,” he said. “It’s earned through preparation and ultimately through good results. I’m a lot more confident in this position because of what happened at Victoria National and I think I’m a lot more comfortable out here because of the PGA TOUR events I’ve played.”

McNealy took the 36 and 54-hole lead at the United Leasing & Finance Championship but ended the week T3 after a final-round 74. With the help of his caddie, Travis, the former national champion has adjusted his mindset in preparation for the next time he’s in contention.

McNealy has enjoyed success at every level. In college, he won a total of 11 times and collected the Ben Hogan and Fred Haskins Award. The former No. 1 ranked amateur also took home the Nicklaus Award during his time in Northern California. McNealy believes the will to win comes from growing up with siblings.

“I’m incredibly competitive,” he said. “My three younger brothers will attest to that. If you’re not competitive in that household, you don’t really have a place.”

With 36 holes left to decide the outcome, plenty can happen over the next two days. There will be obstacles along the way and McNealy will have his share of frustration over the final two rounds. He understands it’s just a part of the game.

“Golf’s a four-letter word for a reason,” McNealy said. “It’s a frustrating game. It tries you and test you in a lot of different ways. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of it. I’m having fun, I’m learning a lot and I’m just trying to get better every week.”

GALLOWAY, N.J. – Two-time champion Anna Nordqvist shot a 5-under 66 on Friday for a share of the first-round lead with Laura Diaz and Celine Herbin in the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

Nordqvist won the 54-hole event in 2015 and 2016 on Stockton Seaview’s Bay Course and finished second last year. Teeing off Friday in the afternoon when the wind was stronger, the 30-year-old Swede closed her bogey-free round with a birdie on the par-5 ninth.

“Honestly, I have a lot of good memories from here,” Nordqvist said. “It’s a place that makes me happy. I seemed to be striking the ball better today than for most of the year, so I was very consistent, gave myself a lot of chances. I was trying to stay patient out there and I’m very happy to post a good round.”

Brittany Marchand (69) of Orangeville, Ont., was the low Canadian was tied for 28th at 2 under, while Maude-Aimee Leblanc (70) of Sherbrooke, Que., was tied for 49th at 1 under. Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., were tied for 66th after shooting identical even-par 71s.

The eight-time LPGA Tour winner is seeking her ninth career victory, has missed the cut in three of her last five events. She is currently 54th on the LPGA money list with more than $132,000 in earnings.

The 43-year-old Diaz made the field as an alternate. She played in the morning when the greens were smoother and the wind more benign and carded five birdies.

Her 12-year-old son, Cooper, was on the bag for her first competitive LPGA Tour round of the year.

“It’s more special because I have my son with me,” Diaz said. “It was great. He wasn’t nervous. He was perfect. So it’s a calming influence. I think I spent more time worrying about him.”

Herbin, 35, birdied the final two holes.

Lydia Ko, In-Gee Chun and ANA Inspiration winner Pernilla Lindberg were at 67 with Sandra Gal, Su Oh, Beatriz Recari, Amy Yang and Wayne, New Jersey native Marina Alex. Defending champion I.K. Kim had a 68.

Shanshan Feng, at No. 4 the top-ranked player in the field, shot 69.

Leona Maguire, the former Duke star from Ireland, had a 69 in pro debut.

Canadian Brittany Marchand sits T28.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Dustin Johnson wants to sharpen his game for the U.S. Open. Moving back to No. 1 in the world would just be a nice bonus because the only way he can do that before Shinnecock Hills is by winning the St. Jude Classic.

Johnson knows what he wants.

“I just want to win,” Johnson said.

Johnson shot 7-under 63 for his lowest round this year and grabbed a one-stroke lead Friday after 36 holes at the St. Jude Classic. He had four of his seven birdies and an eagle on his back nine for a 29 and finished with a 10-under 130 total.

Ryan Blaum and Andrew Putnam each shot 64 and were tied second, and C.T. Pan (65) and Wesley Bryan (66) followed at 8 under.

Brandt Snedeker shot his best round this year with a 62 that was one stroke off the course record. He was at 7 under.

Irishman Seamus Power, who came in with a one-stroke lead, shot a 69 to reach 6 under. Defending U.S. Open champ Brooks Koepka (69) was at 5 under, and Phil Mickelson (70) was at 4 under.

Two-time defending champ Daniel Berger (71-141) missed the cut.

Johnson spent 64 weeks atop the world ranking until Justin Thomas made the cut at the Players Championship in May and grabbed the top spot to himself. Johnson said the course and not playing only four times in April and May combined prompted his decision to play here before going to Shinnecock Hills.

“Just wanted to play, stay sharp,” Johnson said. “I like this golf course, and I feel like I play it well and wanted to be on top of my game going into next week, too.”

Johnson also had a 63 in the second round of the World Golf Championships-HSBC last October to kick off this season. He won the Tournament of Champions in January and followed with a tie for second at Pebble Beach in February. He has three top 10s and tied for eighth last week at Memorial.

A winner here in 2012, Johnson is back here looking for 18th career title while tuning up for the U.S. Open he won in 2016. He hit everything well from a 3-wood that went 316 yards off the tee to his irons to putter.

“I feel like I’m playing really well,” Johnson said. “I’m swinging the club very well. I know if I can drive it in the fairway that I’m going to give myself a good look for birdie. I felt I did that pretty much all day today and hit a lot of great shots in there and had a lot of really good looks at birdies.”

At 3 under, Johnson opened with a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 10 only to bogey Nos. 12 and 13 after hitting into the rough. He bounced right back by rolling in a 21-foot birdie putt on the par-3 No. 14. He holed out from the right front bunker for birdie on the par-5 No. 16.

His round really clicked into gear after making the turn.

Johnson holed out a sand wedge from 111 yards on the par-4 No. 1 for eagle and nearly holed out again on No. 2 from 114 yards, tapping in from 9 inches for birdie. He two-putted from 29 feet on the par-5 No. 3 and drained a 16-footer for birdie on No. 6. Johnson saved par with a 7-footer after chipping out of the bunker on No. 8.

And Johnson became the first to hit 10 under after hitting his second shot 159 yards on No. 9 to 6 feet for a final birdie .

Snedeker, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, hadn’t played this event three hours away from his home in five years and none of his eight PGA Tour victories have been at the TPC Southwind. Snedeker turned in a bogey-free round with eight birdies needing only 22 putts.

“It obviously went pretty well,” said Snedeker, the 2012 FedExCup champ. “It’s one of those days you like to have. You don’t have them very often out here where the hole looks like it’s the size of a beach ball and can’t miss a putt.”

Canadians: Ben Silverman sits T40 while Corey Conners and Nick Taylor sit T58.

LACHUTE, Que.—  Michael Ikejiani and Daniel George share the lead in the boys’ division and Emily Romancew tops the leaderboard in the girls’ division after the opening round on Friday at the Future Links, driven by Acura Quebec Championship at Club de golf Lachute.

Michael Ikejiani from Minesing, Ont. and Daniel George from Richmond Hill, Ont., both carded a 2-under 70 each bogeying hole 6 and 14 while also birdying 12 and 18.

“I hit the ball solid, could have made more putts but I hit the fairway a lot, I hit my driver well.” said Ikejiani.

Remi Chartier, Olivier Ménard, Frédéric Rousseau and Brandon White all sit T3 after shooting par.

In the junior girls’ division, Emily Romancew, from Pierrefonds, Que.,topped the leaderboard after posting a 2-under par 70. She came out of the gate birdying hole 2 and bogeying hole 8 but finished strong–other than a bogey on hole 10–firing 3 birdies on the back nine.

“I’m really happy with my round today,” said Romancew, “especially with the winds blowing so hard. I made a few good putts and that always feels good when they hit the cup.”

Élizabeth Labbé is sitting three strokes behind the lead after she shot a 1-over 73 while Haley Yerxa (75) and Heather McLean (75) sit T3, rounding out the girls division.

The top six finishers in the junior boys’ division will earn exemptions into the 2018 Canadian Junior Boys Championship on July 30-Aug. 2 at Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club in Medicine Hat, Alta. The top six finishers in the junior girls’ division will earn exemptions into the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship on July 31-Aug. 3 at Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, B.C.

Current results can be found here.

Saturday’s pairings.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Canadian Mackenzie Hughes got the strong start he was looking for. The 27-year-old notched a 4-under 66 in Thursday’s opening round to sit in a 11-way tie for second, one stroke off the pace.

Hughes posted five birdies against one bogey at TPC Southwind and will go off in his second round at 7:50 a.m. local time. The Dundas, Ont., native will play in next week’s U.S. Open, alongside fellow countryman Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont.

Phil Mickelson also opened the event on a positive note. Steve Stricker is having too much fun to just stick to the senior circuit.

Mickelson and Stricker shot 4-under 66 on Thursday in the St. Jude Classic, leaving them in an 11-player tie for second – a stroke behind Seamus Power of Ireland. Mickelson matched his best opening round in relation to par this season.

“Oh, it was a great start for me,” Mickelson said. “I ended up finishing off the round. I had a nice little stretch there in the middle where I went birdie, eagle, and I was able to finish it off with some pars after some poor tee shots.

“It’s a good start. It’s not like you’re trying to win the tournament on Thursday. But it’s nice not to put myself too far behind so I’m playing catch-up. So another good round tomorrow will put me right in it for the weekend.”

Power birdied his final hole for the lead over Mickelson, Stricker, U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka and others. He went to No. 18 tied with seven others atop the leaderboard and took the lead himself with his second birdie over his final three holes.

The 51-year-old Stricker had a long day Monday qualifying nearby for the U.S. Open. He played only six holes Tuesday and a nine-hole pro-am Wednesday to rest up. He turned in a bogey-free round Thursday and capped his day chipping in from 34 feet for his fourth birdie. He has two top-25 finishes in seven tournaments on the PGA Tour this season, and Stricker said he wants to show he can finish off an event.

“I still feel like I should play out here. I belong out here. I’m trying to stick with that,” said Stricker, a two-time winner this year on the PGA Tour Champions.

Koepka is preparing for his U.S. Open title defence next week at Shinnecock Hills.

Second-ranked Dustin Johnson was at 67 with Retief Goosen, Scott Stallings and seven others.

Two-time defending champ Daniel Berger bogeyed three of his first five holes and finished with five bogeys and five birdies for a 70.

Mickelson won in March in Mexico for his 43rd career victory, and he has tied for second at the TPC Southwind twice with a tie for third since 2013. He is looking for his first win here while tuning up his game for the U.S. Open. He matched the 4-under par 68 he opened with at the Houston Open in April with three birdies, an eagle and one bogey.

This tournament at TPC Southwind will become a World Golf Championship event in 2019, and Mickelson said this course is tough for anyone to shoot really low. That makes limiting mistakes crucial.

“If you don’t make any, you don’t lose too much ground and you can make it up quick,” Mickelson said. “It’s just a course that’s hard to go really low on. That’s something I’ve picked up on this golf course over the years. There’s a lot more big numbers on this course than you think. Water comes into play. There’s just some challenges. So I ended up eliminating the big numbers and fortunate enough to salvage par on No. 9 and 12 in today’s round.”

Johnson hit into the water for a double-bogey on No. 9. A winner here in 2012, Johnson also had the shot of the day on the par-4 No. 12. With his ball near the water, Johnson took off his right shoe and rolled up his pant leg before stepping into the water. He chipped in from 40 feet.

“It wasn’t a very easy shot, and I actually didn’t hit it very well,” Johnson said. “I just got lucky and it went in the hole.”

Koepka got to 5 under with a string of four straight birdies but his second bogey cost him a share of the lead.

“I didn’t play well at all to be honest with you,” Koepka said. “We hit some pretty poor shots. We were kind of all over the place, but hope to figure this out for the rest of this week.”

Power played in college across the state at East Tennessee State, the 31-year-old Irishman came into this event ranked No. 345 in the world. Teeing off in the morning and starting on No. 1, Power birdied two of his first three holes before dropping a stroke with a bogey on No. 4. He bounced right back with a birdie, and his sixth birdie came after hitting his approach from 128 yards to 3 feet to match his low round of the year.

“I played here last year and it kind of suits my eye, so I kind of feel good going out,” said Power, who tied for 27th here in 2017.

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., is 2 under while Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., opened with 70s. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., shot a 2-over 72.