ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Minjee Lee birdied the 18th hole Sunday for a one-stroke victory over In-Kyung Kim at the LPGA Volvik Championship.

Lee, who turned 22 on Sunday, three-putted for a bogey on No. 17, dropping into a tie with Kim, who finished her round around the same time. So Lee needed a birdie to win on 18, a reachable par 5. Her second shot landed a few feet to the right of the green, and she calmly chipped to about 3 feet

She made the putt to finish at 4-under 68 and 16 under for the tournament. It was the Australian standout’s fourth career victory and first since 2016.

Kim (67) shot a 32 on the back nine and birdied No. 18, but it wasn’t enough to force a playoff at Travis Pointe Country Club.

Moriya Jutanugarn (65) finished third at 14 under.

Lee took a two-stroke lead into the final round, and that was her margin over playing partner Stacy Lewis before Lewis (71) bogeyed No. 7 and 8. Kim emerged as the biggest threat to Lee when she birdied four of the first five holes on the back nine. Lewis is playing five months’ pregnant with her first child.

Kim and Lee were briefly tied at 15 under, but then Lee made a tap-in birdie on the par-5 14th, while Kim bogeyed 15.

Lee saved par on 15 despite a wayward drive into a bunker, and she’d actually gone 38 consecutive holes without a bogey before making one on the par-4 17th. That, combined with Kim’s birdie on 18, left the two golfers tied, but Lee still had the 18th to come.

Su Oh (68) and Lindy Duncan (69) finished at 13 under, and Megan Khang (67) was another stroke back. Lewis _ playing five months’ pregnant _ finished at 11 under along with Ariya Jutanugarn (69) and Danielle Kang (70).

Lee lost this event by one stroke last year. Shanshan Feng, the 2017 winner, finished tied for 21st this time.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc was the top Canadian finish at the championship. The Sherbrooke, Que. native ended the tournament at 4-under. Fellow Canadians Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont. finished with a 1-under.

POTTSTOWN, Pa. — Christina Foster was the top Canadian finish at the Symestra Tour Valley Forge Invitational.

The Toronto, Ont. native put in a strong effort with five birdies, but struggled after making three bogeys on holes 5,9 and 17. Foster ended the tournament in eighth after an overall score of 203 (67-67-69).

Entering today’s final round, Louise Ridderström (Stocksund, Sweden) was three shots off the lead, but a competitive course record 8-under par 63 at Raven’s Claw Golf Club this afternoon propelled her to victory at the inaugural Valley Forge Invitational.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Ridderström said smiling after her first Symetra Tour win. “Even before the round, I knew I had a chance. After I made a birdie on No. 9 and I was 5-under after nine holes, I was like, ‘I have a pretty good chance now.’ In the same way, I was trying to think just stick to what I’m doing.”

Ridderström finished at 16-under par overall and the 8-under score today was a career-low round, besting her previous mark of 6-under set in the second round yesterday.

With friends by her side and the Swedish Women’s National Team coaching staff in attendance, Ridderström turned in a round for the ages. However, it all came back to one message she recited to herself throughout the final round.

“Winning is hard, but if it’s your turn, then it’s your turn. I was telling myself that all day,” said Ridderström, who won by four strokes. “My one and only goal today was to concentrate on myself and try to hit the best shot that I could possibly hit every single shot. It was just one shot at a time and I think I stuck pretty well to that.”

Exactly one week ago, a fellow Swede in Jenny Haglund (Karlstad, Sweden) won the Symetra Classic in Davidson, N.C., at River Run Country Club. On the bag for the sudden-death playoff was Ridderström.

The experience may have just provided the motivation she was looking for.

“Of course, and it made me so happy to see her win,” Ridderström said. “She is a good friend and we also drove all the way from Davidson to here. We talked and I told her it was so amazing because she won a Ladies European Tour (LET) event just a few weeks ago, too. She was like, ‘If I can do it, you can do it too.’ Seeing her win was very inspirational.”

It’s no coincidence then that Haglund was one of the first players standing on No. 18 green today waiting to congratulate Ridderström, and douse her with water.

“I saw her on top of the leaderboard the whole day,” said Haglund. “That was really exciting and I’m really happy for her. She’s working extremely hard, so it’s great.”

Two weeks off now sit in front of Ridderström, who will travel back to Sweden to attend her sister’s high school graduation. In that time, the winning feeling and how her game has developed is sure not to go anywhere.

“I don’t get to see them very often and to see my sister graduate means a lot to me,” Ridderström said. “I’m not going to lose the momentum. If anything, this gave me more confidence and even more desire to go out and practice and get even better. Now I know it’s possible to win.”

WEARN FINISHES TIED FOR SECOND

For 36-hole leader Laura Wearn (Charlotte, N.C.), today’s final round in the inaugural Valley Forge Invitational was a tough pill to swallow.

Wearn carded a 1-under par 70 and finished tied for second with Min-G Kim (Cheongju, Republic of Korea) at 12-under par overall, four shots back of winner Louise Ridderström.

“Obviously there is disappointment, not necessarily in where I finished, but I was hoping to play well today,” said Wearn. “I don’t think I had my best game, but Louise went out there and won it. Congratulations to her, she had an awesome tournament. She’s a great person and a great player.”

After 18 holes today, Wearn saw four bogeys, three birdies and an eagle on the scorecard. However, following the first two rounds, it was not the performance she was looking for.

“I guess some days you just don’t have your best game,” said Wearn. “I tried to be patient, so hopefully next time I’m in this position I can have a better result. The putts didn’t drop and I didn’t hit the same shots I hit the first couple days.”

Even so, there is plenty of positives to take from her week at Raven’s Claw Golf Club, especially heading into the week off for the Furman University alumna.

“I felt like I was struggling coming into this event,” Wearn said. “To post 12-under is a big confidence booster, motivating me to work harder. Hopefully I can have some good results the rest of the year and finish well.”

VOLVIK RACE FOR THE CARD UPDATE

After the Valley Forge Invitational, there was some changes to the Volvik Race for the Card top-10, including newcomer Louise Ridderström who catapulted up the standings from No. 24 to No. 7 with the win.

The victory earned Ridderström a $15,000 winner’s share, to move her to $23,064 earned in six events.

“To win and find myself in the top-10 on the Volvik Race for the Card all in one day is spectacular,” said Ridderström. “Now I will need to focus even more to improve my game and hopefully improve my spot in the rankings.”

Meanwhile, Nos. 1-4 did not change. Jenny Haglund maintained her position in the top spot by finishing tied for fourth today at 11-under par overall to receive $4,169. The rest of the group in order pitsDottie Ardina (Laguna, Philippines), Elizabeth Szokol (Winnetka, Illinois) and Vicky Hurst (Melbourne, Florida).

Furthermore, Stephanie Meadow (Jordanstown, Northern Ireland) and rookie Pajaree Anannarukarn (Bangkok, Thailand) flipped positions, with Meadow moving up to No. 5 and Anannarukarn moving down to No. 6.

Meadow went 7-under par in today’s final round to finish tied for eighth at 10-under par overall, while Anannarukarn ended tied for 34th at 3-under overall.

“It’s great momentum for the rest of the year because I didn’t put it together the first two days, but I did the last,” Meadow said. “I’m happy to move up one place and will now get some rest to be rejuvenated for the June stretch.”

Finally, behind Ridderström from Nos. 8-10 is Lauren Kim (Los Altos, California), Charlotte Thomas (Guildford, England) and Linnea Ström (Hovas, Sweden), respectively.

Kelowna, B.C. natives Megan Osland and Samantha Richdale finished T34 and T58, respectively.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Britany Marchan shot an even 72 on Saturday at the LPGA Volvik Championship in Ann Arbour, Mich. She started off strong recording two birdies on holes 3 and 4 but then but slowed down recording bogeys on holes 7, 11 and 16 with one more birdie on hole 14.

Minjee Lee shot a 4-under 68 to take a two-stroke lead into the final round, with Stacy Lewis tied for second playing five months’ pregnant.

Lee capped a bogey-free third round with a birdie on No. 18 to get to 12 under, and the Australian standout will try to celebrate her birthday with her first victory of the year. She turns 22 on Sunday.

Lewis (67) birdied five of the last six holes to match In-Kyung Kim (67), Jodi Ewart Shadoff (69) and Lindy Duncan (69) at 10 under. There were nine players within three strokes of Lee.

Play was interrupted for about two hours by a weather delay, but everyone was able to finish.

Lee lost this tournament by one stroke last year.

OTTERVILLE, Ont. ─ Cam Kellett shot a 3-under 68 while Taylor Kehoe shot a 1-under 71 to lead their respective divisions after the second round of the Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario Championship at Otter Creek Golf Club.

Cam Kellett started the day tied for first with Laurent Desmarchais but inched ahead of his co-leader to end round two after recording a 3-under 68 during Saturday’s round.

Kellett, who tied for second at last weekend’s Investors Group Junior Spring Classic (U19) Tournament, fired a spectacular six birdies to finish the day with a one-stroke lead.

“I stayed patient when I made bogeys because I just knew I wasn’t the only guy making them,” said the London, Ont. product with a smile. “My plan for tomorrow is just to stay consistent and go after it.”

Desmarchais isn’t far behind. A double bogey caused trouble for the Longueuil, Que. product on the front-nine, but birdies on holes 4, 15, 16 and 18 saw him finish the second round in second place with a 2-under 69.

Taylor Kehoe, who started the day two-shots behind the lead in a tie for second, moved to the top spot in the Girl’s Division after her 1-under par 71.

“I eagled 15, which really helped today,” said 14-year-old Kehoe. “My game plan going into tomorrow is just to play my game and to not get nervous or worry about what anyone else did.”

The Strathroy, Ont. native overcame five bogeys after she made 4 birdies and 1 eagle in today’s round.

Yesterday’s leader, Hailey McLaughlin struggled to maintain her lead during the second round. The Markham, Ont. product heads into the final round two-strokes behind the lead after carding a 3-over 75.

Team Canada Development squad member Monet Chun was the only player in the girls division, other than the leader, to post a score in the red today. The 17-year-old, who posted a 1-under 71, will start the final round on Sunday T3 with Emily Romancew of Pierrefonds, Que.

Chun’s fellow Team Canada member Alyssa DiMarcantonio sits T7 after shooting a 4-over 76. The highlight of the 15-year-old’s second round was her impressive eagle on the 6th hole.

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.

For more information, including up-to-date results, click here.

FORT WORTH, Texas – While Justin Rose felt good about his four-stroke lead after three rounds at Colonial, he wasn’t yet counting down the holes left in the Fort Worth Invitational.

“I think I’ve won and lost actually from four ahead, so I’ve got experience both ways,” Rose said after shooting a 4-under 66 on Saturday to get to 14 under. “Just shows you can’t get ahead of yourself.”

Rose also remembers how he won his PGA Tour season debut, a surprise in Shanghai in October after he began the final round of the HSBC Champions eight shots behind Dustin Johnson, then the No. 1 player in the world.

“I’ve got experience the other way,” Rose said. “So you can see how things can go both ways real quick. … Great position going into tomorrow, yeah. Look forward to putting it away, but I kind of know there are going to be challenges out there.”

Canadian rookie Corey Conners had eight birdies over his last 12 holes for a career-best round of 63 that matched Ted Potter Jr. for the best of the day.

Conners, of Listowel, Ont., was tied for fourth at 8 under, in a group of five players that included fourth-ranked Jon Rahm and Louis Oosthuizen after they both shot 64. Five more players were at 7 under, including Potter.

Fifth-ranked Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion and Olympic gold medallist with eight PGA Tour victories, led by four over playing partner Emiliano Grillo and defending U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka. Grillo shot 69 while Koepka had a 67.

On a steamy day in North Texas – with temperatures in the upper 90s and it feeling even warmer – Rose birdied the first three holes to quickly extend his lead from one to four over Grillo, who had eight pars in a row before consecutive birdies at Nos. 9 and 10.

“You can’t drink enough (water) out there,” Rose said. “Yeah, it was a factor today. I struggled a little bit on the bad nine with my focus. … I was really trying to put one foot in front of the other and stay committed.”

The closest Grillo got after the opening stretch was three strokes, when he was 11 under with an 8-foot birdie at No. 10. Rose regained his four-stroke edge with a birdie at the 616-yard 11th hole.

“Well, he’s top 10 in the world, so everything he does, he does it pretty well,” Grillo said. “When he missed the driver, he was able to get it on the green somehow.”

Rose’s only bogey was at the 173-yard 16th, when the tee shot settled on the back fringe and he then missed a 5-foot par chance.

This is the largest 54-hole lead at the Hogan’s Alley since Kenny Perry led by seven in 2005 on way to his second decisive win in three years – he had a record eight-stroke lead for three rounds in 2003. The largest lead anyone had taken into the final round since had been two strokes, and that had happened only twice.

Koepka had three birdies his last seven holes after a double bogey at the 11th, the only blemish on his card. His second shot went out of bounds, and his approach went into a greenside bunker after having to take a drop in the rough.

“Just kind of one of those freak things,” Koepka said. “The driver head comes loose off the tee. Felt like the club just wiggled in my hand and we’re in a divot. It’s still a bad swing regardless from the middle of the fairway.”

Rahm, who last year tied for second at Colonial with Jordan Spieth behind winner Kevin Kisner, was 6 under after 10 holes Saturday. Then Rahm bogeyed the par-5 11th when he followed a 342-yard drive in the fairway with an approach hit out of bounds.

“Probably the best 10 holes I’ve played so far this year. It was an amazing performance. Front nine, I felt like I didn’t miss a shot,” he said. “Too bad on that second shot on 11. … It’s a tough second shot try to hit the green. I didn’t want to bail out left. I wanted to be aggressive. I made the only poor swing of the day.”

Spieth shot 70 on Saturday, putting him 11 strokes back at 3 under.

Before playing his first Colonial last year, Rahm had been there during tournament week the previous two years to accept the Ben Hogan Award that goes to the nation’s top college golfer. The 23-year-old Spaniard was a four-time All-American at Arizona State.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., and Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., were tied for 38th. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., was tied for 47th.

POTTSTOWN, Pa. — Canada’s own Christina Foster continued to make a strong showing during the second round of the Symetra Tour Valley Forge Invitational at Raven’s Claw Golf Club.

Foster, a native of Toronto, Ont., shot five birdies and two bogeys to head into the final day tied for fourth with Louise Ridderstrom, Desiree Dubreuil and Demi Runas at 8-under par. The 22-year-old will be looking to add a second top-10 finish on the Symetra Tour to her T8 finish at the Sara Bay Classic in April of 2017.

Fellow Canadians  Megan Osland and Samantha Richdale also advance to the final day after carding second round scores of 4-under and even-par, respectively.

From 18-hole co-leader to 36-hole solo leader, Furman University alumna Laura Wearn (Charlotte, N.C.) heads into tomorrow’s Valley Forge Invitational final round with a one-shot lead at 11-under par overall.

In today’s second round, Wearn signed a bogey-free scorecard that included three birdies and an eagle on No. 10. That proved to be the momentum boost she needed and exclamation mark of her afternoon.

“I think I had a lot of similar shots today,” said Wearn. “Yesterday, I felt like I putted better and so I knew I could do it. The front nine I had to be really patient because I didn’t see many putts drop. On the back nine, once I made the putt on 10, had a really great finish.”

Just one-shot back of Wearn is Charlotte Thomas (Guildford, England), currently No. 9 in the Volvik Race for the Card. The former University of Washington standout also went bogey-free today, only firing a 6-under par 65 by way of six birdies.

“I was in the lead through the first round in Atlanta at the beginning of this [four-week] stretch,” said Thomas, who has her mother Fleur on the bag this week and father Chris also in attendance. “I think I learned a lot from that, not winning that event. Hopefully I can take what I learned there and use that tomorrow.”

The third piece to the final pairing for the final round at Raven’s Claw Golf Club is Jenny Coleman (Rolling Hills Estates, California). She nearly went bogey-free as well, except for a hiccup on No. 13.

Otherwise, six birdies paved the way for Coleman to sit in solo third at 9-under par overall entering the last day.

“It feels pretty good consistently playing well these past two rounds, and this whole season so far” Coleman said. “It’s a ball striker’s golf course. If you miss, you’re going to be in the lush, thick rough.”

Also in contention is a group of five players at 8-under par, with one of them being Demi Runas (Torrance, California). The 2014 Symetra Tour graduate was another individual who found her way to a bogey-free day, firing 4-under par 67.

“I actually played a practice round on the front nine, then the back nine I ended up just walking,” said Runas. “I noticed there’s a lot more target golf on the back nine. When I approached it, I thought the front nine was going to be scoreable and the back nine will be pick your target on the tee shots and give yourself a good position to hit into the green. That’s what I took into the last two days. Ironically, I’ve played better on the back nine than the front nine.”

The contrasting setup between the two just might serve as the deciding factor of who comes away victorious tomorrow in Pottstown. Meanwhile, after 36 holes, exactly 60 players made the cut of even par and will compete in the final round.

Laurent Desmarchais and Cam Kellett share the lead in the Boys Division at the Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario Championship after the opening round on Friday, while Hailey McLaughlin is at the top of the Girls Division at Otter Creek Golf Club, in Otterville, Ont.

Desmarchais and Kellett shot a 3-under 68.

Desmarchais, from Longueuil, Qce., got off to a good start with four birdies on his front nine and continued with four more birdies on the back nine.

“The course was in good shape and the greens were pretty bumpy, but I made a few good putts, and I played well today,” said Desmarchais.

Kellett, from London, Ont., got off to a fast start with three birdies in his first seven holes, but slowed down after he made the turn to the back nine and recorded bogeys on holes 10 and 11, before bouncing back with birdies on holes 14 and 16.

“My short game was solid, and I made a few birdies on holes I shouldn’t have and birdied a couple par 5s. Overall it was a solid day,” said Kellett.

Michael von Schalburg (King City, Ont.) and Matthew Anderson (Mississauga, Ont.) both posted a 72 to sit four strokes behind Desmarchais and Kellett.

In the Girls Division, McLaughlin topped the leaderboard with a 2-over-par 74.

The Markham native started with three birdies and two bogeys but struggled in the back nine with a double bogey on hole 14 and a bogey on hole 18.

Sitting two shots back of McLaughlin in a three-way tie for second place are Jasmine Ly (Windsor, Ont.), Haley Yerxa (Ottawa, Ont.), and Taylor Kehoe (Strathroy, Ont.) who all shot 4-over 76.

Team Canada Development Squad members Alyssa DiMarcantonio and Monet Chun sit a few places behind after firing a 79 and 80, respectively.

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.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Ben Silverman is the top Canadian through 36 holes in the PGA Fort Worth Invitational at the Colonial Golf Course in Fort Worth, Texas. The 30-year-old Toronto, Ont. product finished the round in sixth place after a 1-under 69 put him at 5 under, 5-strokes behind the lead.

Justin Rose considered his first 15 holes in the second round at Colonial pretty flawless. The last three worked out OK, too, even with the only bogey for the leader of the Fort Worth Invitational.

“Last three holes got a bit scrappy,” Rose said after a 6-under 64 that got him to 10 under Friday at Hogan’s Alley.

After missing the green at the 422-yard seventh hole, the Englishman chipped in from 16 feet for a birdie. He missed the green again at the par-3 eighth for a bogey. Then after his tee shot into the rough and an approach that just cleared the water fronting his final hole, the world’s fifth-ranked player two-putted for a closing par.

That was good enough for one-stroke lead over Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo , whose 67 included six consecutive holes without a par. Defending U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka (63) and Satoshi Kodaira (67) were 7 under.

Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champ who won the HSBC Champions in Shanghai in his season debut last October and has four top-10 finishes, said he played “about as good as” he has overall in a long time. Things really got going after caddie Mark Fulcher offered a few words when Rose was a bit frustrated about a couple of missed putts while starting the round with four consecutive pars.

“Fulch kind of said, ‘Come on, mate. Stay with me. Stay patient.’ I got rewarded with the very next hole making a 10-footer for birdie,” Rose said. “I made enough good putts on the back nine today where I have some confidence going into the weekend.”

The birdie at the 457-yard 14th hole was the first of three consecutive birdies for the 37-year-old South African, who has eight PGA Tour wins.

Grillo was at 10 under when he rolled in a 28-footer at No. 17, his fourth birdie in his first eight holes. But his ensuing tee shot went way right into a concrete ditch, and his ball floated with the flowing water before being snagged by a fan just before it dropped into a drainage area. After the penalty stroke and drop, Grillo hit into a greenside bunker and bogeyed.

“It’s a little bit on the downslope and it’s all concrete, so the ball was rolling,” Grillo said. “I was able to make some birdies in there. I got very unlucky on the first hole and No. 3 there.”

The second nine for Grillo started bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie.

Defending Colonial champion Kevin Kisner was even after a 68 on Friday. Jordan Spieth, one of the locals and No. 3 in the world, also shot 68 and is 3 under.

Aaron Wise, the 21-year-old rookie coming off his first PGA Tour victory a week ago at the Byron Nelson, missed the cut after a 73 left him 3 over _ the same as Webb Simpson, who won The Players Championship this month.

After a 62 to take the first-round, Kevin Na struggled on the back nine for a 73. He went into weekend 5 under and in a logjam of nine players tied for sixth place. Tyrone Van Aswegen was alone in fifth after consecutive 67s.

Na was 10 under after a 5-foot putt at the ninth hole, a more traditional birdie than the 92-foot chip-in from the rough he had to end the first round. But Na then had bogey at the 631-yard 11th hole, and double bogey at the 440-yard 12th hole before a three-putt bogey on the par-3 13th.

Koepka, who said he has dislocated his left wrist twice in the last two months, was 7 under through 11 holes Friday _ and that is how he finished.

“I probably could have snuck about two, three more,” he said. “But you know what, I’m pleased. If you had told me I was going to shoot 7 under before I teed off, I would’ve taken it.”

On his first two holes Thursday, his return to the PGA Tour after a course record-tying 9-under 63 on the final day at The Players Championship, Koepka had a bogey and then double bogey at a par 5. But he has 12 birdies and two bogeys in his last 32 holes, three weeks before the U.S. Open.

“I feel like I’ve been playing well. I just haven’t put four days together,” Koepka said. “But I feel like it’s trending in the right direction. I actually feel like exactly where I was last year at the same time. … Hopefully in a couple weeks’ time, it’ll be the same result.”

Corey Conners (68) of Listowel, Ont. is 1 under, Adam Hadwin (72) of Moosejaw, Sask. is even while Mackenzie Hughes (68) of Dundas, Ont. is 1 over. Canadians David Hearn (73) and Nick Taylor (74) failed to make the cut.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Brittany Marchand of Orangeville Ont. is the top Canadian through 36 holes, tied for twelfth at the LPGA Volvick Championship at Travis Point Country Club. The 25-year-old will enter round three at 5-under after a second-round 69. Maude-Aimee Leblanc (71) of Sherbrooke, Que.  is 1 under while Anne-Catharine Tanguay (70)  of  Quebec City missed the cut at 1 over.

After losing in a playoff last weekend, Nasa Hataoka is making another bid for her first LPGA Tour victory.

Hataoka shot a 4-under 68 on Friday, and the Japanese teenager led by one stroke over Minjee Lee after the second round of the Volvik Championship. Hataoka, who is coming off the first two top-10 finishes of her LPGA career, made seven birdies at Travis Pointe Country Club. She began her round on No. 10, and her best stretch came toward the end, when she birdied Nos. 4, 5 and 6.

“I’m really comfortable playing the LPGA,” the 19-year-old Hataoka said through a translator. “I’ve really got confidence now.”

Hataoka made the cut nine times in 17 starts as a rookie in 2017, and she has made significant strides of late. She tied for seventh at last month’s MEDIHEAL Championship and nearly won a week ago at the Kingsmill Championship in Virginia.

Hataoka finished the second round in Michigan at 9 under. Lee (69) was also solid Friday. Gaby Lopez (68), Jodi Ewart Shadoff (70) and Lindy Duncan (70) were a stroke behind Lee in a tie for third.

Hataoka did not make a single bogey in last week’s three-round tournament, and she didn’t have any in the first round in Michigan. She finally made a few Friday, but that didn’t stop her from taking sole possession of the lead.

“I kind of feel like not really perfect, but I just kind of try to (be) aggressive,” she said.

Lee, who lost by one stroke on this course last year, is in contention again.

“I guess the fairways are pretty generous and I think the greens are a little bit on the trickier side to read,” Lee said. “As long as your iron shots are pretty solid, I think you’re going to be in good position around this golf course.”

Lee birdied the first two holes, and the only blemish on her scorecard Friday came on the par-5 14th. After missing the fairway to the right, she hit an aggressive shot out of the rough that went straight toward a water hazard well in front of the green. She settled for a bogey after taking a drop.

“I thought the ball was sitting OK in the rough, but it must have been a bit funny, or underneath it,” she said. “I made a mistake. I thought it was good enough to hit 3-wood there.”

Lee lost last year in Michigan to Shanshan Feng, but Feng will have some ground to make up in her attempt to repeat. She shot 69 on Friday but is still eight strokes behind the leader.

Ariya Jutanugarn was 6 under after a second consecutive 69.

Lopez made only six pars in the second round, tied for the fewest of the day, but her eight birdies and four bogeys put her near the top of the leaderboard.

“It was a little bit of an up and down,” she said. “There’s so many opportunities out here to make birdie, that the most important thing to do is just to be patient, to be in the moment and not to get ahead of yourself. I think I came back from a couple mistakes that I did.”

NOTES: In contrast to Lopez, Brittany Lincicome parred all 18 holes Friday and made the cut at 1 under. … Paula Creamer (71) triple bogeyed the par-4 13th. She followed that with an eagle on the very next hole but missed the cut by a stroke.

Every year, there are about 37,000 charitable golf tournaments in Canada, raising about half a billion dollars for worthwhile causes. There are also innumerable corporate tournaments that entertain clients and customers, many with a charitable aspect.

Congratulations to all involved.

But, as the old saying goes, “No good deed goes unpunished.”

As much as those tournaments and their philanthropic results make for feel-good headlines, there are thousands of volunteers who devote countless hours to making sure these events come off as planned. It’s a largely thankless and, in many cases, frustrating task. It can be punishing.

I speak from experience.

Next month, the 15^th annual Mikey’s Tournament for Autism will take place at Midland Golf and Country Club in Ontario. As a co-founder, even with my background in golf, I can attest to the many hours it takes to pull off a successful event. Kudos to our volunteer committee which knocks on doors, literally, for sponsors, repeatedly phones and emails potential players, puts up posters, and tries to keep track manually of registrations, donations and more.

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief when tournament day arrives.

Where was TournamentCaddie 15 years ago?

After a few years of sharing his technological and marketing expertise working with Golf Canada, Donal Byrne turned his focus towards creating, with the help of a talented team, the TournamentCaddie software.

For those of us far less technically adept, let’s call it “tournament in a (virtual) box.”

“There are lots of other platforms out there but our goal was to simplify the process,” says Byrne. “This is a made-in-Canada, responsive, customizable, intuitive and mobile-friendly solution that is perfect for anyone who wants to raise funds through a golf tournament but doesn’t know where to start.

“You’re good at your day job, no doubt, but when it comes to organizing a golf tournament you have to accept just what you are good at and what you’re not. We’re good at this. This is our day job. We are here to help.”

Click on the website and the first thing you see is, “Sign up for free and create your event website in about 90 seconds!”

It’s not false advertising. I ran through the process during a conversation with Byrne and it takes care of every detail “auto-magically,” as he likes to say.

We will be using TournamentCaddie for Mikey’s. Our fee is $150 but we will bump that to $155 to cover Tournament Caddie’s $4 per-player charge (plus HST). It’s well worth it.

Why? It’s a no-brainer, even for a techno-dummy like me.

Using TournamentCaddie streamlines the entire process, from effortlessly building a great-looking, interactive web site to collecting registration payments and even printing tee and cart signs and scorecards. Organizers can arrange and rearrange foursomes, starting times and formats. Their partnership with Aviva Canada makes arranging hole-in-one insurance a breeze.

If you’re an event organizer, take a run through the set-up process. If you’re a golf course, do the same and look into TournamentCaddie’s “Club Affiliate Program” with its marketing benefits.

Stop punishing yourself for a good cause!