LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — Daniel Pow and Michael Gligic are the low Canadians, tied for sixth heading into Sunday’s final round at the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open.

The round of the day, and perhaps the tournament considering the conditions, belonged to Canadian Daniel Pow. The Monday qualifier rattled off five birdies in a row to polish off his round of 63, propelling him 53 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 6th with fellow Canadian Gligic.

Gligic, who fired an impressive ten birdies during the second round of the event, went into the day second. After moving his way up the leaderboard early with birdies on the 2^nd and 4^th hole, the 28-year-old made a double bogey on the 8^th before shooting even par on the back nine to put himself in a tie for 6^th going into Sunday.

While it looked like it could be a one-man show come Sunday, Paradise Canyon Golf Club showed its teeth on Saturday at the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open. Cold and rainy conditions kept second-round leader Zach Wright at bay, allowing Chris Williams to overtake Wright with a remarkable 65.

“The weather was always a challenge, we knew it was going to be going into the day because the forecast called for high winds and some rain,” said Williams. “I just rolled with the punches and hit some good shots when I needed to, made some big putts and it turned out to be a good day.”

Williams, the number-one ranked amateur golfer in the world in 2013, seems to have re-found his form in 2018. Saturday’s 6-under score is his 9^th round under 70 this season on the Mackenzie Tour.

Williams put himself in position to jump up the leaderboard after matching the Paradise Canyon Golf Club course record on Friday with a bogey-free 61.

The 27-year-old spread his birdies sporadically in the third round, making his first on the 3^rd hole before two straight on 7 and 8 had him at 3-under going into the back nine.

On the back, Williams birdied 13, 15 and 18 to sign his second consecutive bogey-free card.

“I knew it wasn’t playing super easy and I knew guys weren’t going super low,” said Williams. “I saw a leaderboard at 13 or 14 that had me at the top, so I had an idea, but I didn’t really know exactly what was happening behind me. Leaderboard watching isn’t something I usually do but walking up 18 and seeing my name at the top was nice.”

Going into the final round with a 3-stroke lead, Williams doesn’t expect to change how he plays heading into Sunday.

“Tomorrow is just another day,” said Williams. “That’s just how golf is. Each day, it’s a new day, and you never know what can happen and you have to prepare for everything.”

Meanwhile, second round leader Zach Wright struggled on Saturday, surrendering his lead after bogeys on the 12^th and 14^th holes.

The major blunder of the week for Wright came at an inopportune time, hitting his ball in the water on the par-3 17^th, where he would make double bogey. Wright isn’t out of the competition by any accounts. Thanks to the lead he built over the first two rounds, Wright finds himself tied with T.T. Crouch at 17-under.

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — A stellar 10-birdie effort catapulted Michael Gligic into a share of 2nd at 13 under par through 36 holes at the Lethbridge Open.

“I made a putter grip change this week. I went from the conventional to the claw and I’ve never really done it before, but I made a bunch today. My ball striking was pretty good, I didn’t get into too much trouble and was just fortunate to make a couple putts,” said Gligic, a Burlington, Ont., native.

With a stellar ten birdies in his second round, ?? @MGligicGolf is close to victory in a tie for second at @PGATOURCanada @LethPCOpen ???
pic.twitter.com/t3TUO2KJmX

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) June 23, 2018

As he has been doing all year, 36-hole leader Zach Wright tore up the course at Paradise Canyon Golf Club on a calm Friday morning, shooting 61 to put himself at 19-under-par at the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open.

The 61 comes with a trio of achievements for Wright: a five-stroke lead going into the weekend, a new course record and a Mackenzie Tour 36-hole scoring record.

The 62-61 start breaks the record previously held by current PGA TOUR player Aaron Wise, who shot 15-under through the first 36 holes at the 2016 Freedom 55 Financial Championship.

Wright, who started the day on the back nine, worked his way around the golf course without a blemish on the scorecard for the second consecutive day.

The Louisianan State University alum began the day rather inauspiciously by his standards, maneuvering the front nine with two birdies, but an eagle on the 18^th hole began Wright’s run.

The Phoenix, Arizona native played holes 9-17 in 8-under par, making three birdies in a row from 3-5 before jotting down back-to-back circles on 7 and 8. Narrowly missing a 25-foot birdie try on his last hole, Wright signed for a 61.

“So far it’s been easy for me,” said Wright. “I’ve just been hitting wedge shots that’ve been going close, driving it pretty well and just making putts when I can.”

Wright has been the most consistent golfer on the Mackenzie Tour this season, leading the Order of Merit by posting T2, T6 and T2 finishes through the first three events of the season. This week though, Wright has been able to separate himself from the field with his ability off the tee.

“I’m hitting the driver really far and it’s going relatively straight,” said Wright, who is playing his first full season on the Mackenzie Tour. “I’ve been leaving myself with short clubs into greens and I’ve been hitting those close. When I’ve had 15 footers I’ve been rolling some of those in too, so things seem to be going my way and I just have to keep going.”

Wright is trailed by five players at 14-under, including Canadian Michael Gligic. The Burlington, ON native had previously missed all three cuts on tour before the event, but 10 Friday birdies has him in position to attack Wright’s lead on the weekend.

Others at 14-under include Cody Blick, Danny Walker, Chris Williams and Jared Bettcher.

ROGERS, Ark. — Since its first year on the LPGA Tour in 2007, the crowds at the NW Arkansas Championship have belonged to Stacy Lewis.

Another former University of Arkansas star staked her claim as the hometown favourite Friday when Gaby Lopez shot a career-low 8-under 63 to take the first-round lead at Pinnacle Country Club.

Like Lewis, the two-time winner of the tournament, Lopez starred as a three-time All-American for the Razorbacks before joining the LPGA Tour in 2016. Despite flashes of potential, Lopez had yet to join Lewis among the ranks of the world’s best — missing the cut in her last two tournaments and entering this week ranked 136th in the world.

For a day, at least, the Mexican standout felt right at home atop the leaderboard in her adopted home state.

“I feel like home,” Lopez said. “I feel so, so comfortable out here, because I feel that everyone and every single person out here is just rooting for us.”

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was just two shots back to tie for ninth after firing a 6-under 65 for her best round on the LPGA Tour this year. She bogeyed on No. 16 but recovered with an eagle on the 18th hole. Her previous best was a second round 3-under 68 at the Kingsmill Championship in mid May.

Moriya Jutanugarn was a stroke back along with Minjee Lee, Catriona Matthew, Nasa Hataoka, Lizette Salas, Mirim Lee and Aditi Ashok. Six others finished at 6 under on a day when only 26 of the 144 players finished over par, thanks to some mid-week rain that softened the greens and calm skies throughout the day.

Jutanugarn finished second at the tournament last year and is trying to win for the second time on the LPGA Tour this year. Her younger sister, Ariya, is already a two-time winner this year and shot an opening-round 66.

Lewis, the former world No. 1 who won the event in 2007 in 2014, finished with a 66. She’s expecting her first child in early November

Defending champion So Yeon Ryu, coming off a victory Sunday in Michigan, shot a 67.

Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay shot a 1-under 70 to tie for 79th, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 2-over 73 to tie for 128th and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was 3-over 74.

Friday was Lopez’s long-awaited day to standout, though, much to the delight of the pro-Arkansas crowd.

After missing the cut her last two times out, Lopez took some time off and returned home to Mexico City to rest her mind and work on her game. The work paid off with two straight birdies to open her round and a 6-under 30 on her front nine.

Lopez needed only 25 putts and finished two shots off the course record of 61, and she overcame a poor drive on the par-5 18th to finish with a par and keep her place at the top of the leaderboard. Her previous low score was a 64 last year, and she matched her career best by finishing at 8 under.

“(Rest) is a key that no one really truly understands until you’re out here,” Lopez said. “… Sometimes resting is actually the part you’ve got to work on.”

CROMWELL, Conn. – Canada’s Mac Hughes carded a 2-under 68 in Friday’s second round to sit at 5 under par heading into the weekend at the Travelers Championship. Hughes, a Dundas, Ont., native, leads all Canadians in a tie for 17th at TPC River Highlands. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. is two back at 3 under par, while Corey Conners, Ben Silverman and Nick Taylor failed to make the cut.

Brian Harman shot a 4-under 66 on Friday to move to 10-under par and watched that hold up for the second-round lead in the Travelers Championship, thanks in part to a 10-second rule.

Harman finished a stroke ahead of Matt Jones and first round co-leader Zach Johnson, who lost a stroke during his round of 68 when his birdie putt hung on the lip of the cup at the third hole for longer than the maximum allowed 10 seconds before falling in, giving him a par.

“After 10 seconds, the ball was moving and at that point even if the ball is moving, It’s deemed to be at rest, because it’s on the lip,” Johnson said. “Don’t ask me why, but that’s just the way it is.”

Harman had his short game working for the second consecutive day, taking 26 putts after needing only 23 during the first round.

“The putter has been really good so far, but I’ve been in position a lot,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of good looks at it. I’m just able to put a little pressure on the course right now, which is nice.”

Jones hit 16 of 18 greens for the second consecutive day, following up his first round 65 with a 66.

Bryson DeChambeau (66), Paul Casey (67) and Russell Henley (65) were two strokes back going into the weekend.

But Johnson, who started on the 10th tee, had the day’s most interesting round, which included just two birdies, but one amazing par save. He hit the ball into the TPC River Highland’s signature lake on No. 17, dropped across the water near the 16th tee box and then put his third shot within 8 feet of the hole from 234 yards away.

“You can’t hit that shot and then not make that putt,” he said. “It felt good to get away with that four. That’s as good an up and down as I’ve ever witnessed or performed.”

Lanto Griffin and two-time Travelers champion Bubba Watson were at even par coming into Friday. But both shot a 63 to move into contention heading into the weekend, three shots behind the leader. Watson jump started his round with an eagle on his third hole, the par-5 13th.

“I had some mental mistakes yesterday, and then I didn’t make some putts,” said Watson. “Today I started out hotter. I made a good shot on 11, our second hole, made the putt, making a solid par putt on 12, and then that freed me up a little bit. Gave me some confidence going into the next hole where I made the eagle.”

Rory McIlroy also is at 7 under after a 69. McIlroy, Watson and Justin Thomas (5 under) were grouped together Thursday and Friday, drawing large galleries.

“I definitely helps, Thomas said. ”It’s fun playing with good friends. You definitely get more momentum when guys are playing well. I obviously couldn’t get a whole lot of momentum out there. I was kind of hovering around 1- or 2-under. It was pretty much just Bubba today. Rory didn’t play great either and both of us definitely could have had a lot lower rounds“

Defending champion Jordan Spieth, tied with Johnson after an opening 63, had a 73 to drop into a tie for 25th at 4 under. His round, which started on the back nine, included a triple bogey on the par-5 13th hole and an eagle on par-5 sixth, when he put his second shot within 2 feet of the hole from 276 yards away.

“I don’t go to the range after 63s very often, and I was there for an hour yesterday trying to figure out the golf swing,” he said. “So it’s not like things are on. Sometimes it can get disguised by rounds, but it’s not far off. It really is close.”

Masters champion Patrick Reed, coming off a fourth-place finish in the U.S. Open, shot a 67 to miss the cut by a shot at minus-1.

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — If it wasn’t a perfect day for scoring, it was about as close as you’ll ever see, as the first round of the inaugural Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open saw the lowest scores of the season at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort.

The three at the top of the leaderboard, Paul McConnell, Cody Blick and Zach Wright, currently sit 15^th, 6^th and 1^st respectively on “The Five,” the season-long chase towards the top five spots on the Order of Merit and the Web.com Tour status that accompanies it.

Paul McConnell was the lone golfer of the three to head out in the morning wave, taking advantage of a rare windless morning at Paradise Canyon.

The Garland, Texas native, who at one point on the B.C. Golf Swing managed 74 consecutive holes without a bogey, began his round with a birdie on the 1st. Two more on the front, supplemented by an eagle on 8, set the stage for a five-birdie back nine to close in 30 and fire his lowest score of the year.

McConnell’s eagle chip on 18 was especially well executed. Playing the shot 25 feet left of the hole, the 27-year-old watched as the ball funneled down a slope and narrowly missed entering for an eagle, which would have set the new course record.

“I thought I popped it a little bit, hit it a little too hard, because it didn’t have any spin coming off,” said McConnell. “But I hit it where I wanted to. I thought it would be six feet past, but it ended up just being a foot.”

Blick’s ascent up the leaderboard can be attributed to a rare deuce on the par-4 16^th hole, Blick’s 7^th hole of the day.

“I couldn’t see it go in. I took a drop off the cart path and got a really bad lie. It was downwind to a front flag and I hammered a 9-iron,” recalled the San Jose State University alum. “Lee (Hodges), who I was playing with, said ‘I think that went in!’ I couldn’t see, but we went up and there was nothing around the hole, so it was a cool little moment.”

The eagle kickstarted Blick’s round as he made the turn with five consecutive birdies to start his back nine. After making his second eagle of the day on the par-5 8^th, Blick’s 8-foot course record attempt on the last hole slipped by as he is forced to settle for a share of the lead going into Friday.

With 2^nd, 6^th, and 2^nd place finishes through the first three tournaments of the year, it’s safe to say that Zach Wright has found his zone.

The Phoenix, Arizona native played a clean game of golf, two-putting both par-5s on the front for birdies and adding two more on the side to begin with a 32. Wright made eagle on the par-5 13^th, a hole he hit only a sand wedge into, and added three more circles on the side to sign for 62.

“I’ve been playing well this season,” said Wright. “I have enough confidence that I feel like I can just keep using that and building off it.”

With tee times flipping on Friday, Blick and Wright tee off in the morning wave while McConnell takes to the course later in the day.

Michael Gligic was the low Canadian in the field after the first day of action, making eagle on his 9^th hole and adding birdies on four of his final six to shoot a 65 and finish the day in a tie for 9^th.

CROMWELL, Conn. – Jordan Spieth has no idea what it is like to play from behind at the Travelers Championship.

The defending champion led after every round last year in his first visit to TPC River Highlands, and a shot a 7-under 63 on Thursday to match Zach Johnson for the first-round lead.

Spieth had six birdies and an eagle out the bunker on par-5 sixth hole _ a shot reminiscent of the greenside bunker shot that gave him a victory last year over Daniel Berger in a playoff.

“They’ve got some sort of magnetic sand for me,” Spieth joked. “But it was actually a pretty tough shot there, almost a little downslope and I had to hit close to the ball, which you just have to commit to it. I just hit the shot that was necessary. I probably could have gone 4-5 feet bye, but I couldn’t hit it any better than I did and I was obviously fortunate for it to hit the pin and go in.”

Johnson went out in the morning and led for most of the day. He had eight birdies, including six straight on the back nine, one off than the course record.

“Six in a row is a treat,” said Johnson, who finished tied for 12th last week in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. “I had a lot of loft in my hand, lot of wedges in my hand. So that’s kind of how you’ve got to think about it is you have a lot of opportunity on the back side if you get the ball on the fairway. There are some holes you can get at.”

Rory McIlroy missed a 13-foot putt for par on the final hole that would have given him a share of the lead and finished in a three-way tie for third place with Brian Harmon and Peter Malnati.

McIlroy, who like Spieth missed the cut in the U.S. Open, said he’s been working on his swing since Saturday. He saw the practice pay off, hitting 17 greens with seven birdies during his round of 64.

“Sometimes when you take your focus away from the result and away from what you’re actually scoring like and focus just on what you’re trying to do within your golf swing, you sort of have days like this,” he said.

A lot of golfers took advantage of the soft greens and favourable wind conditions Thursday. Twenty-two of them shot a 66 or better.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., fired a 3-under 67 to tie for 23rd. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., shot a 2-under 68 for 37th, Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., was even-par 70 to enter a tie for 77th, Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., was 1-over 71 to tie for 99th and Nick Taylor, also from Abbotsford, was 2-over 72 to sit at 114th.

Brooks Koepka followed his second straight U.S. Open victory with a 68. Koepka, who started on the 10th tee, shot a 31 on his first nine, but bogeyed four of his final six holes.

“I’m still kind of going on adrenaline right now,” he said. “But I’ll be honest, I’m dead right now. I think it showed kind of coming in.”

The Travelers was selected by the PGA last year as its “Tournament of the Year” and the “Players Choice.” That has helped attract a 156-player field that includes five of the world’s top 10 ranked golfers and all four reigning major championship winners.

PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas was in a group of 14 players at 66. He made an eagle on sixth hole out of the same bunker as Spieth. His caddie tried to hand him a putter after the shot and Thomas shook him off.

“I don’t know why he did that,” Thomas said. “I think out of instinct went to give me the putter and I told him I didn’t need that, so put it back in the bag.”

Masters champion Patrick Reed had a tougher day, making four bogeys in a 72.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., shot a 67 to settle in a tie for 23rd, one point ahead of Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, BC tied for 37th. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., sits tied for 77th at even-par 70, while Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., tied for 99th at 1 over and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford tied for 114th at 2 over.

Calgary’s Wes Heffernan has won the SVR Alberta Open Championship for the sixth time.

That’s the second most all-time tournament victories only behind the legendary Stan Leonard who won the event nine times between 1937 and 1955.

The 41-year-old veteran closed with a 5-under stretch on the final seven holes to win by three strokes over fellow professionals Riley Fleming and Evan Holmes who finished in a tie for second place at 10-under-par.

“On the back nine we were kind of going back and forth. Every stroke was really important. It was pretty stressful but at the same time really fun. It’s awesome to have three guys in it until the end,” said Heffernan after the round.

Heffernan finished in style with a back-nine score of 31 highlighted by a closing putt made for eagle on the par 5, eighteenth hole to put an exclamation mark on the victory.

When asked about the host venue, River Spirit Golf Club, Heffernan said “the greens were fantastic. If you missed a putt this week it was your fault. Any time you play perfect greens you can shoot numbers like 65.”

The victory comes on the heels of a T6 finish on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada stop in Victoria, BC just over a week ago.

“Next week I have the PGA Championship of Canada in Ontario. I’m looking forward to that and this is a good step towards that. Hopefully I can carry this into next week”, added Heffernan, who also teaches out of the Golf Canada Calgary Centre. The PGA Championship of Canada runs June 25-29 at the Credit Valley G&CC.

St. Albert’s AJ Armstrong, a senior at Washington State, claimed low amateur honours and a trip to the 2019 Pacific Coast Amateur Championship.

Sixty-nine of the best golf professionals from around the country descends upon the venerable Mississauga, Ont., venue all vying for the association’s most prestigious championship and historic P.D. Ross Trophy

[ACTON, ONT.]—The PGA of Canada’s best players tee it up next week at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club for the 97th playing of the PGA Championship of Canada presented by TaylorMade and adidas Golf.

Sixty-nine of the best golf professionals from around the country descends upon the venerable Mississauga, Ont., venue all vying for the association’s most prestigious championship and historic P.D. Ross Trophy.

“The field for this year’s PGA Championship of Canada presented by TaylorMade and adidas Golf is arguably the finest since the rebirth of the championship in 2011,” said PGA of Canada president Mark Patterson.

Teeing it up at Credit Valley includes 21 past PGA of Canada national championship winners and 42 total national championship titles.

“With nearly a third of the field having won a PGA of Canada national championship in the past, we’re definitely going to feature a winner at week’s end with a solid pedigree.”

Additionally, 44 of the top 50-ranked players from the RBC PGA of Canada Player Rankings are in the field, which includes all 10 from the top 10.

Past PGA Championship of Canada winners in the field at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club include:

• JP Cornellier, 2017
• Marc-Etienne Bussieres, 2016
• Danny King, 2015
• Dave Levesque, 2014
• Bryn Parry, 2013
• Eric Laporte, 2012
• Jim Rutledge, 1984

For first round tee times, CLICK HERE.

Cornellier looks to become the first back-to-back winner of the championship since George Knudson won in 1976 and 1977.

Ranked No. 80 on SCOREGolf’s Top 100 Courses in Canada for 2016, Credit Valley traces its golfing beginning back to 1930. Ontario’s then Lieutenant Governor, W.D. Ross, commissioned that a nine-hole course be built on the original property which was located where the driving range and parking lot now stand. Since its original design by Stanley Thompson in 1930, the club most recently underwent renovations to the course including changes to the first five holes, the 10th hole and a complete bunker renovation. In addition, in 2016, the Credit Valley redesigned its practice facility, which now includes 65,000 square feet of bent grass tee decks, eight target greens, a target fairway, two practice bunkers, a short game area, three putting greens and a dedicated teaching area, making it among the best practice facilities in Canada.

Credit Valley last hosted the PGA Championship of Canada 25-years ago in 1993, which was won by 12-time PGA TOUR winner Steve Stricker. The club has also recently hosted two PGA Women’s Championships (2010 and 2016) and a PGA Seniors’ Championship in 2015.

“Our members are very excited to host PGA of Canada top players from across the country in this year’s PGA of Canada Championship,” said Credit Valley’s chief operating officer and PGA of Canada executive professional Ian Webb. “Much has changed in the 25 years since Steve Stricker’s win, but with recent course and practice facility renovations, we have no doubt the players are in for a real treat.”

Credit Valley was also home to PGA of Canada Hall of Fame member Al Balding, a four-time winner of the PGA Championship of Canada, as well as recently deceased PGA of Canada member Jerry Anderson, who won the championship in 1987.

Re-launched in 2011, the PGA Championship of Canada was contested strictly as a match play event through 2014 with players from the four brackets—Stan Leonard, George Knudson, Al Balding and Moe Norman—looking to advance through the six rounds to capture the historic P.D. Ross trophy. However, the 2015 championship at Cabot Links saw a format change, with 69 top-ranked players from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC playing two rounds of stroke play. The top-16 players from the 36-hole stroke play portion of the event filled out the four match-play brackets with the eventual champion winning four match play rounds.

This year’s championship at Credit Valley follows the same format.

In addition to Cornellier, past champions of the PGA Championship of Canada include Moe Norman, George Knudson, Marc-Etienne Bussieres, Danny King, Dave Levesque, Eric Laporte, Bryn Parry, Al Balding, Bob Panasik, Steve Stricker, Tim Clark, Lanny Wadkins, Jim Rutledge, Wilf Homenuik, Stan Leonard, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer.

The player who sits atop the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC at the conclusion of the PGA Championship of Canada earns an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

To follow the PGA Championship of Canada presented by Taylormade and adidas Golf online throughout tournament week, visit pgaofcanada.com, twitter.com/pgaofcanada, instagram.com/thepgaofcanada and facebook.com/pgaofcanada

ABERDEEN, Scotland — It was the end of the road for Peterborough’s Sam Meek after a great run at the 123rd British Amateur Championship at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club.

The nineteen-year-old was cut on the third day of the tournament after the 17th hole in his match play round against Mexico’s Raul Perada.

Meek started strong on opening day, tying for second in the first round of stroke play on Monday. He was the sole Canadian to advance to the match play stage after earning solo-third in the final stroke play round on Tuesday.

Fellow Canada Hugo Bernard finished T7 on Monday but failed to crack the top 64 advancing to the match play round.

Wilco Nienaber, who won the Stroke Play Qualifier heading into match play, eased his way into the third round of The 123rd Amateur Championship with a comfortable 5&4 victory over Niclas Weiland at Royal Aberdeen today.

The 18-year-old South African continued the dominating form which saw him lead both rounds of stroke play qualifying to progress to the last 32. His countryman Matt Saulez recorded the championship’s first hole in one at the 11th during his match with Benjamin Jones but it failed to inspire him to victory as he went down by 2 holes to the Englishman.

“It’s satisfying, you can easily fall out in the first round so it’s a good start,” said Nienaber.

“We had different weather and different wind today so it was tough on the front nine playing into the wind and I think I played nicely. It’s tough so I’m really happy to get the win and go through to tomorrow.”

When the tournament ends on Saturday, the champion will earn a spot in the 147th British Open next month in addition to the 2019 U.S. Open and 2019 Masters Tournament.

NEW YORK – Phil Mickelson has apologized four days after intentionally violating golf rules by hitting a moving ball on the green at the U.S. Open, saying his frustration got the best of him.

The apology came Wednesday in a statement released by his representatives.

“I know this should’ve come sooner, but it’s taken me a few days to calm down,” Mickelson said. “My anger and frustration got the best of me last weekend. I’m embarrassed and disappointed by my actions. It was clearly not my finest moment and I’m sorry.”

Mickelson was struggling in the third round when he reached the 13th green.

His bogey putt from above the hole ran by the cup and was headed down a slope when he trotted over and swatted it back toward the hole with the ball still in motion. He was assessed a two-stroke penalty, scored a 10 on the hole and wound up shooting 81.

Later, after acknowledging he was using Rule 14-5 to his advantage, Mickelson called USGA officials for clarification on the rule after hearing suggestions he should be disqualified from the U.S. Open. USGA officials said disqualification was not in order for his violation.

Asked if people would find his actions on No. 13 disrespectful, Mickelson said Saturday: “It’s meant to take advantage of the rules as best as you can. In that situation, I was just going back and forth. I would gladly take the two shots over continuing that display.”

Some observers were upset that Mickelson and playing partner Andrew Johnston were smiling as they walked off the green.

“How can you not laugh?” Mickelson said. “It’s funny.”