DUBLIN, Ohio — Bryson DeChambeau finished off a 6-under 66 with birdies on two of the toughest holes, giving him a one-shot lead going into a final round at a Memorial that features Tiger Woods in the mix at Muirfield Village for the first time in six years.

Woods was in total control of his shots for the second straight day, only to miss short putts down the stretch that spoiled his run. He was briefly tied for the lead Saturday until three-putt bogeys on the 16th and 18th holes, and he had to settle for a 68. He was five shots behind.

Woods wasn’t alone in missing short putts.

Walking off the course with his first 54-hole lead, DeChambeau couldn’t but help but think of the two that got away. He missed a 3-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole, and then missed a birdie putt from 4 feet on the par-5 15th.

With the course soft and vulnerable to low scores, it was tough to leave shots on the course.

“Just keep thinking about those two 3-footers I missed,” said DeChambeau, who was at 14-under 202. “I played great, obviously. Ecstatic about where I am.”

DeChambeau wasn’t even sure where he was when he finished because so many players worked their way up and down the leaderboard over the final two hours. He wound up with a one-shot lead over Kyle Stanley, who bogeyed the 18th hole from the bunker for a 70; Patrick Cantlay, who drove into the creek left of the 18th fairway for a bogey and a 66; and Joaquin Niemann, the 19-year-old from Chile who atoned for one big mistake on the 15th hole with a birdie on the 18th for a 70.

Cantlay made two eagles, including a hole-in-one on the par-3 eighth. DeChambeau rolled in a 20-foot birdie on the par-3 16th, the third-toughest at Muirfield Village in the third round, and he hit 9-iron to 5 feet on the toughest hole , the 18th.

Six players had at least a share of the lead at some point.

Byeong Hun An played bogey-free for a 69 and was two shots behind, while Justin Rose dropped two shots over the last three holes for a 69 and was four back.

Woods played the last five holes of the front nine in 5 under, starting with his second eagle of the week. And then he stalled, just like he did on Friday. He didn’t make another birdie until the par-5 15th, when his sharp-breaking 15-footer dropped to give him a tie for the lead.

That didn’t last long. Woods ran his 45-foot birdie putt about 7 feet by on the par-3 16th and missed it coming back, and then closed by missing a 3-foot par putt.

“I know I shot 68 today, but again, that’s probably the highest score I could have possibly shot,” Woods said. “I played really, really well. I played beautifully, actually. Had total control of what I was doing out there and just didn’t finish it off.”

He won the Memorial for the fifth time in 2012, finished 20 shots behind the following year and then injuries took over. He finished in last place in 2015, the last time he was at Muirfield Village.

This year has produced the kind of golf Ohio fans are used to seeing. And the weather is about par for Muirfield Village, with more thunderstorms expected Sunday. The final round will be threesomes teeing off earlier than usual to account for the forecast.

“The weather is going to be a little iffy,” Woods said. “But I’m in a position where if I shoot another good round like I had the last two days, I’ve got a chance.”

Rory McIlroy, remarkably, has reason to feel the same way.

McIlroy nearly missed the cut, surviving on the number after two days. He played bogey-free for a 64 and wound up just six shots behind. Just like Woods and DeChambeau, he had a few regrets on the greens. McIlroy missed three birdie chances inside 8 feet.

Rose has a chance to reach No. 1 in the world with a runner-up finish, depending on what Justin Thomas does Sunday. Thomas shot a 68 with three bogeys and was seven off the lead.

Along with making his second ace of the season, Cantlay blistered a 4-iron as far as he can hit it on the par-5 15th, the ball landing just short of the green and stopping 4 feet away.

Niemann also made an eagle with a 50-foot putt on the par-5 seventh hole. It was his bid for another eagle that cost him. Going for the green at No. 15, the teenager flared it out to the right and it caught the corner of a creek, leading to bogey.

He still was in good shape to win in just his fifth start on the PGA Tour.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Albin Choi, of Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad, shares a piece of fourth going into Sunday’s round at the Rex Hospital Open at TPC Wakefield Plantation in North Carolina.

The Toronto native, who entered the third round after a tournament-low 64 on Friday, sits four strokes behind the lead at 12-under for the tournament.

Five-consecutive missed cuts. No professional golfer wants to experience it, especially during a season that started off with two top-20 finishes in three starts. It can be easy for a player to get discouraged in the midst of a string of missed cuts. They can start to force shots and change their approach, which can often lead to even more of a rut. Auburn University alum Michael Johnson is not most, though, so when he was hit with a string of five missed cuts beginning in April, he remained patient and focused, knowing his time would come.

At last week’s Nashville Golf Open Benefitting the Snedeker Foundation, Johnson’s patience was repaid with a made cut – and a T15 finish. Now, just a week later, Johnson is in the mix once again, posting a third-round 6-under 65 to take the solo 54-hole lead at the Rex Hospital Open, the first of his Tour career. The 25-year-old enters Sunday three strokes ahead of Sebastian Muñoz and Joey Garber, both of whom played alongside Johnson in the final threesome on Saturday.

Johnson started Saturday slowly, carding two birdies and seven pars on his front nine. Johnson remained in the mix as the leaderboard became more and more bunched around him, with as many as five players tied for the lead at one point. The Birmingham, Alabama, native didn’t let the rest of the field shake him, however, remaining calm despite a bogey on the par-3 12th. It wasn’t until the end that Johnson truly heated up, making birdie on all three of his closing holes.

“I probably need to be more patient than ever tomorrow,” Johnson remarked. “Today I did a great job, I think. I was 2-under through three, but still two back of the lead and the whole day I was just trying to play well, I wasn’t trying to get the lead. So, I’m just going to try and do that again tomorrow and if I go out there and play well and lose, then somebody earned it and I’m fine with that. So I’ll just go out there and try and do the same thing.”

While Johnson has been in the hunt heading into Sunday before, Raleigh will mark the first time he finds himself in the final pairing. Prior to this week, the best position the newly-engaged third-year pro found himself in entering the final round was T6 (2017 Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Heartland Chevy Dealers and 2018 Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by NACHER). Both events turned into a top-5 finish for Johnson, the only two of his career.

Despite not finding himself in this position on Tour before, Johnson will have plenty of prior experience to draw from. He won five times while at Auburn, the second most in school history. He also set the school’s single-season stroke average (70.37) and the single-season win record (three).

“This what we play for,” he said of being in the final grouping, “to be in the final group on Sunday and have the crowd follow you. It was fun out there today. I didn’t get off to a hot start, but I played well and I was patient. I’m glad to have a little bit of a cushion tomorrow. Like I said, this is what we play for. You sign up to be a little nervous on the first tee and have a chance to win.”

Nerves will serve as fuel for Johnson on Sunday as he chases his first Web.com Tour title and a chance to move into The 25 and lock up a spot on the PGA TOUR in 2018.

“Nerves are a good thing,” Johnson laughed. “I think if you’re a little nervous, then you’re doing the right thing. It should be a lot of fun. I have a chance to win and I haven’t really had a chance to win out here yet … so it’ll be fun to get out there and try to play well again.”

Also making the cut are Canadians Ryan Yip (-8), Roger Sloane (-6) and Seann Harlingten (-5).

VANCOUVER — It’s unexplainable, even by his own account, but once again, Cody Blick has signed for a round in the 60s on the B.C. Golf Swing. On Friday it came in the form of seven birdies offset by a lone bogey for his second consecutive 66.

Blick’s 12-under total through two days of the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey Golf and Country Club is good enough for a share of the lead alongside Thursday’s overnight leader Chris Williams.

Carding red in Canada’s Western-most province is nothing new for the San Ramon, Calif., native. Looking back at the last nine tournaments Blick has played in British Columbia, Friday’s 66 actually hurt his scoring average, which now sits at 65.8

At a loss for words over how he has managed to sustain this level of play within B.C., the San Jose State University alum notes that a change in strategy he implemented this offseason has helped him the past few days.

“My first year up here, even last year, I was hitting a lot of irons off the tee,” said the 24-year-old. “These courses are tight, but if you just commit to a line and hammer driver, even if you hit it in the trees you can easily punch it up around the green and make par.”

Blick admired Rico Hoey, a 2017 member now on the Web.com Tour, for this trait when he played alongside him last season. The strategy seems to be working for Hoey, who tied for 15th at the Web.com Tour’s Nashville Golf Open last week.

“All he does is hit these little 10-yard fades and he just hammers it,” said Blick. “Then he goes and finds it and wedges it on.”

Starting on the back nine, Blick got off to a pedestrian start with the putter by his own accounts, making the turn in 35 before going on a run on the front nine—with birdies from holes 3-6 and another on No. 9 to polish off his 66.

Blick mentioned his distance tactic again when discussing Point Grey’s fourth hole, where he’s made birdie in each of the first two rounds.

“You can get right next to the green, and then it’s just up-and-down for birdie,” said Blick. “It’s just a more aggressive and more confident game plan.”

With four top-10 finishes in 2017, Blick is no stranger to the top of the leaderboard as he draws into the final pairing again Saturday.

Meanwhile, Williams once again managed a bogey free round, adding two back-nine birdies to his trio on the front for a 67.

The pair will meet on the first tee on Saturday afternoon at 1:05 p.m.

Riley Wheeldon is the low Canadian through two rounds in Vancouver. Wheeldon started his day 3-under through his first two holes after an eagle at the par-5 12th. The Richmond, B.C., native is looking for his first Mackenzie Tour win since 2013.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Albin Choi was inspired 18-hole leader and fellow Canadian Roger Sloan.

Choi, a Toronto native, fired a tournament-low 64 (-7) on Friday to tie Sloan for the best score through 36 holes, moving him to 10 under for the tournament. Choi finds himself with a share of 3rd, while Sloan sits with a share of 7th.

Sebastián Muñoz of Colombia holds the outright lead at 12 under par.

Click here for full scoring.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Sarah Jane Smith outpaced the thunderstorms and the rest of the field at the U.S. Women’s Open.

The Australian extended her lead to four strokes after a second straight 5-under 67 Friday at Shoal Creek. Smith got her round in before a 2-hour, 49-minute delay caused by thunderstorms, weather that ultimately forced play to be halted with a little daylight left.

Now, she enters the weekend leading a major championship, unfamiliar territory, but also with 36 holes down. Other contenders like Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn still must finish Round 2, which will be completed on Saturday with the low 60 scorers plus ties making the cut. Half the field didn’t finish the round.

Smith is at 10-under 134 heading into the weekend after failing to make the cut in five of her previous six U.S. Women’s Open tries.

“I haven’t been in the position before, I but I hope to show up like it’s another day,” Smith said. “I’m happy with the way I’m playing. I feel comfortable on the greens which has been something that has been a little bit off lately. So it’s nice to be able to feel like I’m seeing the greens really well and seeing some putts go in. Hopefully that keeps going.”

Smith has staged a strong comeback after having missed the cut in five straight LPGA Tour events this year, even switching back to an old set of clubs

She opened the day in a three-way tie atop the leaderboard with Jutanugarn and Korean Jeongeun6 Lee.

Jutanugarn had an opening birdie to move to 6 under through eight holes. Lee fell back to 2 under with a second-day 75. Korean-born Su-Hyun Oh shot 68 and is also 6 under.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was tied for 60th at 4-over par through seven holes when play was suspended. Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., will miss the cut after shooting an 8-over 80.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., withdrew from the tournament early Friday morning to attend to a family emergency.

Smith has played 5-under on the back nine holes each of the first two days and settled for par on the front. She had a 29-hole bogey-free streak end with a three-putt on No. 8 – she started on the 10th tee – a rare mistake for her at the midway point.

Duane Smith, his wife’s caddie since qualifying school, could only compare her current play with a clutch Futures Tour performance to earn her Tour card a decade ago.

“She’s playing so good,” Duane Smith said. “Maybe years ago when she won the last event on the Futures Tour to get a card at the end of 2008. She had to win to get her card and she did and she opened up that nine holes, I think, 7-under on the front nine and then led the whole way. She played great that whole week but this is something totally different.”

Oh, who was born in Korea but moved to Australia at age 8, had an eagle on the par-4 15th hole. She is still chasing Smith, along with everyone else.

“We were looking at the leaderboard saying Sarah is very greedy, just taking all the birdies,” Oh said.

The course had taken heavy rains during the week, raising concerns about the course’s condition, but the sun held out for most of the tournament’s first two days. Play only continued for about an hour after the delay.

“It’s weird because it’s playing longer because it’s so soft but so hot so the irons are going really far,” Oh said. “So it’s just hard to guess and it swirls a lot within the trees so it’s just really difficult clubbing.”

Seven players are at 3 under, including amateur Linn Grant of Sweden and No. 1-ranked Inbee Park. Grant shot 72 and Park 71.

Defending champion Sung Hyun Park finished 9 over after a 76 and 77, which would be well below the projected cut line. Stacy Lewis, the 2012 player of the year, is among a big group just above the cut line at 4 over (through eight holes).

Sitting at 3 under after a 68, Spain’s Carlotta Ciganda said she was surprised to see any one at double-digits under par like Smith.

“I think at the end of the four days not many people will be there because it always happen in the U.S. Open,” Ciganda said. “I’m not too worried. I’m just trying to play my game, follow my strategy and try to hit fairways and greens and I think there can be a few good scores but not many.”

DUBLIN, Ohio – Joaquin Niemann could figure out where Tiger Woods was on the golf course from the mass of people following him a few groups ahead, and he had a pretty good idea what he was doing from all the noise, at least before Woods put a putter in his hands.

“There was so many people,” Niemann said.

The few that stuck behind for the 19-year-old Chilean saw another good show.

In his fifth start as a pro, Niemann finished with two birdies over his last three hole s for a 4-under 68 and a share of the lead with Kyle Stanley, who had a 66. He finished with an 8-foot birdie on the 18th hole.

Woods made Muirfield Village sound like a rock concert until storms arrived. He holed out with a sand wedge from 97 yards for eagle on the par-5 11th hole, and then his tee shot on the par-3 12th struck the flag waving in the wind and settled 6 feet behind the hole.

And then he sat out a weather delay that lasted just under 90 minutes, and he missed four putts under 7 feet the rest of the way.

“It could have been easily a nice little 62 or 63,” Woods said. “I turned it into a 67.”

And he was six shots behind with nearly two dozen players in front of him.

Stanley, who won the Quicken Loans National last summer, was atop the leaderboard for much of the day and was starting to pull away until a poor tee shot at No. 6 led to bogey. He finished with a par save from just off the ninth green and reached 11-under 133.

On the other side of the course was Niemann, the No. 1 amateur in the world and Latin American Amateur champion who wanted to play the Masters before turning pro. He looks his age when his braces shine every time he smiles. He plays beyond his years.

Already with a pair of top 10s on the PGA Tour, Niemann now finds himself in the last group going into the weekend at the tournament Jack Nicklaus built, and he doesn’t appear to be the least bit nervous about being there.

“It feels really nice to be on top of the leaderboard,” he said. “It does feel really nice for tomorrow.”

Byeong Hun An had a 67 and was two shots behind.

Among those three off the lead were Hideki Matsuyama (71), who earned his first PGA Tour title at the Memorial three years ago, and Jason Day, a former world No. 1 who is a member at Muirfield Village and has never come close to winning. Perhaps this is the year. Day had never been within five shots of the lead going into the weekend at the Memorial, and he’s not sure why.

“I think I just (stunk) on it for a long time,” Day said. “I don’t think there was anything, any reason why. I just didn’t really play well. But I’m hopeful I can change that because I feel different this year.

“I want to play well in front of my family,” he said. “Family and friends come out and I want them to be yelling in the crowd when I’m in contention.”

Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose each had a 66 and were in the group at 7-under 137, while Dustin Johnson was among those at 138, even though he has played the par 5s in just 1 under for the week.

Johnson and Rose each have a chance to get to No. 1 in the world. Justin Thomas, in his debut at No. 1, overcame a pair of early bogeys for a 69 and was at 3 under.

Adam Hadwin (70) of Abbotsford, B.C., was tied for 69th at even par. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., missed the cut after shooting a 73.

Woods was another shot behind, and it looked as though he was about to post his lowest score of the year. He made the turn in 33 with a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 9, and then he made a solid escape from the rough and trees on No. 11 before holing out for eagle.

He missed birdie chances of 6 feet, 4 feet and 7 feet, and then missed from 3 feet for par on the 17th that left him exasperated.

And hopeful.

“I missed a lot of short putts, which is something I don’t normally do, which is just frustrating,” he said. “I’ve got to clean that up come this weekend and hopefully, I can get it going. Hopefully I can play well like this on the weekend and I’ve got a great chance of winning this tournament.”

At least he has a chance.

Rory McIlroy made bogeys on both par 5s on the front nine as he tried to finish strong. He had to settle for a 70 and made the cut on the number. That was still better than Jordan Spieth, who finished bogey-bogey for a 72 and missed the cut by three shots.

Since his closing 64 at the Masters, Spieth has finished at least 12 shots behind the winner in his three tournaments and missed the cut in his final event before heading to Shinnecock Hills for the U.S. Open.

HIGH RIVER, Alta. — Kai Iguchi and Emily Zhu shot rounds of 2-under and 1-over to lead their respective divisions at the Future Links, driven by Acura Western Championship on Friday at Highwood Golf.

Iguchi topped the leaderboard in the junior boys division after carding a 2 under 68. The Banff native fired consecutive birdies on holes 8 and 9, finishing the day with three more birdies in the back-nine.

“It went pretty well for the most part,” said the seventeen- year old. “I started off a little slow but I knew I had a lot of golf left to play so I tried to keep it going and not fall apart.”

Edmonton, Alta., native Ethan de Graaf , who posted a round of 1 under today , is not far off the lead. The seventeen-year-old will head into the second day with only one stroke separating him from the lead.

Carter Graf and Benjamin Ferrington both fired even-par 70s to sit in third.

Emily Zhu leads the junior girls division at1 over par. The Richmond Hill, Ont., talent got off to a rough start on the front-nine but made two sets of back-to-back birdies across her last nine holes to top the leaderboard.

“I was just thinking of shooting well,” said the fourteen-year-old, who recently won the Investors Group Junior Spring Classic (U19). “I sank a lot of putts and I’m really proud of those.”

Calgary’s own Annabelle Ackroyd sits two strokes behind Zhu in second after carding a round of 3 over while fellow Calgarian Taylor Stone shares a piece of third with Jenna Bruggeman of Edmonton, Alta., at 5-over.

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.

Round one results can be found here.

Campbell and Li earn medallist honours

CHILLIWACK, B.C. — History was made at the Canadian University/College Championship as Avril Li went wire-to-wire to lead the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds to their third-consecutive win in the women’s team division, while Daniel Campbell helped the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades become the first host institution to win a team title since the 2014 University of Manitoba Bisons.

Once again, the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades showed that they were the team to beat, leading all four rounds of the men’s team tournament to earn a well-fought victory. Going into the final day with a spectacular 18-shot lead, the Cascades successfully held on to win the men’s team title with an overall 26-under-par 1126.

“For the guys, it was just a dream week. We got off to a hot start and got a little bit better each day,” said UFV coach Chris Bertram, the pride in his team evident in his voice. “It’s amazing. To have all our friends and family here to cheer us on makes it special.”

The University of Victoria Vikes maintained their second-place spot and finished the tournament with a 9-under-par 1143, 17 strokes behind the Cascades. The University of Manitoba Bisons scored the lowest round of the day but ended up third, with an even-par 1152 total.

Leading the way for the UFV Cascades was Daniel Campbell, who held onto his third-round lead to come out on top in the men’s individual draw. Campbell, who joined the Cascades in 2017, closed out the tournament with a final 11-under-par 277.

For Campbell, helping the Cascades win the men’s team division meant the most.

“The best part has to be winning the team event,” he said with a huge smile. “Winning the individual is extra but we’re here to win team championships.”

Vancouver Island University Mariners player Wyatt Brook fired the lowest-round of the day, a 4-under to end the tournament sharing a piece of second with Baptiste Mory of the Université Laval Rouge et Or at a tournament total of 7-under-par 281.

Throughout all four rounds of the tournament, UBC dominated the women’s team event. With a 20-stroke advantage heading into the final day, the Thunderbirds successfully defending their titles with a tournament total of 19-over-par 883. This win cements their momentous presence in the tournament, making it their 13th victory in the women’s team division.

“It was really fun. We had three freshman play pretty well and then Avril Li has played a great tournament, said UBC coach Chris MacDonald. “We’ve been away now for three straight weeks so our players are excited but ready to go home and get some rest.”

The University of Victoria Vikes ended the tournament 34 strokes back of the lead at 53-over-par 917. The Cascades jumped two spots to third, rounding out the top-three women’s teams with 58-over-par 922

In the women’s individual competition,Thunderbirds junior Avril Li earned medallist honours at 4-under to help secure victory for the Thunderbirds. The Port Moody, B.C., talent started the tournament off tied for first place with fellow teammate Kelly Hellman before claiming solo-first in the other three rounds.

“I’m so proud of my team”, said Li excitedly when asked about her day. “I was a bit shaky personally in the start but after five holes it got better.”

Sarah Dunning of the University of Guelph Gryphons got off to a rough start with back-to-back bogeys on the second and third hole but managed to hold on to second place with an overall 3-over-par 291. University of Toronto Varsity Blues’ Ana Peric finished third with a 7 over.

The women’s and men’s individual winners receive an exemption into their respective Canadian Amateur Championship. The top three men’s and women’s individual finishers qualify for the 2019 Summer Universiade.

Click here for information on the tournament; credit to Chuck Russell/Golf Canada.

TOP-5 MEN’S TEAMS

1. University of the Fraser Valley Cascades (-26, 278-277-284-287 – 1126)

2. University of Victoria Vikes (-9, 295-278-284 – 1143)

3.University of Manitoba Bisons(E, 298-284-288-282 – 1152)

T4. University of Ottawa Gee-Gees (+5, 297-289-284-287 – 1157)

T4. Humber College Hawks (+5, 298-285-281-293 – 1157)

TOP-5 WOMEN’S TEAMS

1. University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (+19, 221-224-219-219 – 883)
2. University of Victoria Vikes (+53, 226-232-226-233 – 917)
3. University of the Fraser Valley Cascades(+58, 236-223-239-224 – 922)
4. Université de Montréal Carabins (+62, 223-230-237-236 – 926)
5. University of Toronto Varsity Blues (+65, 234-232-228-235 – 929)

TOP-3 MEN’S INDIVIDUAL

1. Daniel Campbell, University of the Fraser Valley Cascades (-11, 69-69-68-71 – 277)

T2. Wyatt Brook, Vancouver Island University Mariners (-7, 68-72-73-68 – 281)

T2. Baptiste Mory, Université Laval Rouge et Or (-7, 70-69-73-69 – 281)

TOP-3 WOMEN’S INDIVIDUAL

1. Avril Li, University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (-4, 72-71-69-72 – 284)
2. Sarah Dunning, University of Guelph Gryphons (+3, 73-77-67-74 – 291)
3. Ana Peric, University of Toronto Varsity Blues (+7, 75-73-73-74 – 295)

Click here for full scoring.

Canadian golf star Brooke Henderson has withdrawn from the LPGA Tour’s U.S. Women’s Open for personal reasons.

The LPGA tweeted Friday that the native of Smiths Falls, Ont., will be returning home to Ottawa to be with her family. The announcement was made before the second round.

Brooke Henderson has withdrawn from the #uswomensopen for personal reasons and will be returning home to Ottawa to be with her family.

— LPGA (@LPGA) June 1, 2018

Henderson later took to Twitter to say she was withdrawing for personal reasons and was en route to Ottawa. She thanked the staff of Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club – who dealt with more than four inches of rainfall early in the week – and said she is looking forward to competing again at the U.S. Women’s Open in 2019 at The Country Club of Charleston.

Unfortunately, I needed to withdraw from the US Women’s Open for personal reasons and am headed home to be with my family.

— Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson) June 1, 2018

Thanks to the hard-working staff at Shoal Creek and I look forward to another opportunity next year in Charleston! @USGA

— Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson) June 1, 2018

Julia Pine, the manager of championship communications for the United States Golf Association, told The Canadian Press that Henderson advised officials at 6 a.m. on Friday that she would be withdrawing from the tournament. No more details were provided as Pine said she was asked to keep things private.

Pine said Henderson did go to the golf course early Friday to gather her things, but was en route to the airport by mid-morning.

Henderson, 20, was tied for 44th after a shooting a 1-over-par 73 in the first round on Thursday. She was six shots back of the lead.

A six-time winner on the LPGA Tour, Henderson was looking to capture her second major title this week.

Individual leaders Li and Campbell help keep their teams into top positions heading to final day

 CHILLIWACK, B.C. – It was another momentous day for UBC and UFV fans alike during the third round of the Canadian University/College Championship at Chilliwack Golf Club on Thursday. For the third consecutive day, the Thunderbirds and Cascades lead the women’s and men’s divisions, respectively, going into the final round.

The UBC Thunderbirds are one round away from continuing their historic showing in the women’s team event after posting a collective 16-over-par 664 and earning a strong 20-stroke lead over the University of Victoria Vikes. The Vikes moved up to second with an overall score of 36-over-par 684 while the Université de Montréal Carabins sit third at 42-over-par 690. Rounding out the top-six women’s teams advancing to the final round are the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, University of the Fraser Valley Cascades and Université Laval Rouge et Or.

The Thunderbirds’ own Avril Li is definitely one to watch as she chases a potential wire-to-wire victory in this year’s women’s individual competition. Even back-to-back birdies couldn’t bring the Port Moody, B.C., talent down as she held on to her lead at 4 under.

Sarah Dunning from the University of Guelph played her heart out to recover after a difficult second round. Thanks to seven birdies and an eagle, Dunning earned the lowest round of the day (-5) and will start the final round in second with a current tournament total to 1-over. Rounding out the top three is Ana Peric of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, who fell one spot back into solo-third.

Meanwhile, host school University of the Fraser Valley Cascades are primed to follow in the footsteps of the 2014 University of Manitoba Bisons —the last host institution to win a team title— as they hold the lead in the men’s team division for the third straight round with a considerable 18 stroke advantage.

“We came into this knowing it was going to be a hard four day grind,” said Cascades coach, Chris Bertram. “Just because we have a bit of a cushion doesn’t mean we aren’t going to come out here and look to put our best foot forward with a solid effort.”

The University of Victoria Vikes go into the final day in second with a combined score of 7-under-par 857 ahead of the UBC Thunderbirds, who are in third with a team total of 6-under-par 858. They are joined by the Humber College Hawkswith a total score of 864, as well as the University of Manitoba Bisons and University of Ottawa Gee-Gees at 6-under-par 870.

The Université Laval Rouge et Or, Western University Mustangs, Université de Montréal Carabins and Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks also advance to the final day of the tournament.

It was a tight race in the men’s individual edition during the third round, but Cascades player Daniel Campbell came on top after firing a 10 under.

“The first two holes were a little rough but I bounced back from there and just played really well on the back-nine,” said Campbell who was recently named PACWEST male athlete of the year. “It always feels good to be on top, especially with only one hole left.”

Four strokes separate Campbell from fellow teammate Zach Olson, who posted a 6-under to share a piece of second with University of Victoria Vikes’ Lawren Rowe.

For more information on the tournament, please click here.

Click here for full scoring.