MONZA, Italy – Australia’s Marcus Fraser carded the lowest round of his European Tour career to take a share of the lead at the midway point of the Italian Open on Friday.

Fraser produced nine birdies – including five consecutive in the middle of his round – and no bogeys for a second-round 62 that took him to 13-under.

“To come and do that today, I’m pretty proud of myself and it’s quite reassuring that I still can play golf,” said Fraser, a three-time European Tour winner ranked a dismal 136th in the Race to Dubai.

“I felt like I’ve putted well and scrambled well this week,” Fraser added. “Today I took it to a new level with the putter.”

Open de Portugal winner Matt Wallace was also at 13-under following a bogey-free 65.

“I just played good golf out there today and it’s perfect weather for us to shoot low,” Wallace said.

Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Jamie Donaldson are each two strokes behind, while defending champion and home favourite Francesco Molinari was one stroke further back in fifth.

Donaldson had the shot of the day when he used his driver off the fairway on the ninth, his final hole, and hit to within 18 inches from 291 yards.

Masters champion Sergio Garcia and last week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship winner Tyrrell Hatton were among five players tied for sixth four strokes back.

Having entered the Rolex Series, the tournament features an increased purse of $7 million this year as part of the buildup to the 2022 Ryder Cup outside Rome.

Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn was among those set to miss the projected cut of 2-under, a fate shared by the elder Molinari brother, Edoardo, Martin Kaymer, Oliver Fisher, Padraig Harrington and Danny Willett.

Canadian Austin Connelly fired a bogey-free 6-under 65 to jump into a five-way tie for sixth.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Pat Perez led by one stroke halfway through the CIMB Classic after carding a 7-under-par 65 around a four-hour delay for rain on Friday.

Fellow American golfer Xander Schauffele was on Perez’s tail after a long-range eagle on the third hole set up his 5-under 67.

Defending champion Justin Thomas had another poor round by his high standards, a 71. A three-peat on the TPC Kuala Lumpur where he clinched his maiden U.S. PGA Tour title in 2015 seems a tall order.

Two bogeys compounded by a double bogey on the 12th meant Thomas was 10 shots behind Perez, at 3 under for the tournament.

Perez, meanwhile, was hoping for more gusty winds and rain after making eight birdies, including four in a row. He’s at 13-under 131 overall.

“I don’t want sunshine at all. It’s too hot, way too hot,” Perez said. “I like it just the way it is right now, perfect. Cloudy, no wind.

“I didn’t think I really played that well. I got off to a slow start, I was 1 over through four. We had the break, and … I like the front (nine), I play better on the front.”

Kang Sunghoon of South Korea (68), Thomas Pieters of Germany (67) and overnight leader Cameron Smith of Australia (71) were tied for third, four shots off the pace at 9 under.

Tour rookie of the year Schauffele said he was comfortable.

“Everything’s kind of coming easy,” Schauffele said. “Today was one of those weird days where (I had) all the breaks. I had some squirrely tee shots and a couple of weird drops. But they all kind of went my way.”

Canadian Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., carded an eagle on the par-5 3rd hole en route to posting a bogey-free 5-under-par 67, lifting him into a tie for 8th place. Fellow countryman Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., also registered a 67 on Saturday to sit T55.

More unsettled weather is expected over the weekend.

LPGA Tour rookie Angel Yin once again overpowered the par-five holes on the Ocean Course with her prodigious hitting to charge two strokes clear after the second round of the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship on Friday.

On a sun-kissed day at SKY72 Golf & Resort, Yin fired a sizzling seven-under-par 65 to post an 11-under total of 133, the highlight of her round coming at the par-five fifth where she struck a 6-iron to 12 feet and coolly sank the eagle putt.

“That got everything started,” said Yin, who went on to record six birdies and one bogey as she rocketed to the top of the leaderboard. “I made a few pars in the beginning, but that eagle just fired everything up.

“The par-fives, I’m able to hit irons into them, which is very helpful. I can get closer. Like with my eagle, I hit a 6-iron in and ended up with a 12-foot putt. The last hole, the par-five 18th, I had a 4-iron in. Irons, you get more accuracy on them.”

Yin covered the four par-five holes in a blistering five-under to shoot the equal low round of the day, local favorite In Gee Chun having earlier carded a 65 to share second place with World No. 2 Sung Hyun Park (69) and Jin Young Ko (67).

In Gee, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour is still hunting her first victory of the season, having recorded five runner-up spots among her eight top-10s in 2017. However, she prefers to dwell on the positives of her near-misses rather than on the negatives.

“I’m quite proud of myself for maintaining the scores that I have been showing lately,” said In Gee, who along with Sung Hyun attracted the biggest galleries of the day on the Ocean Course. “And this event as well I’m kind of playing without any really negative thoughts. In that sense, I look forward to the weekend. Also I put a lot of meaning in this event, especially that I can have more fun with my fans.”

Canada’s Brooke Henderson rebounded in Friday’s second round with a 5-under-par 67 to climb into a tie for 13th place with Lexi Thompson. Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., registered an even-par 72 to sit in a tie for 55th.

Not even cold gusty sea winds could stop teams from enjoying the awe-inspiring Cabot Links experience for the first round of the RBC PGA Scramble presented by The Lincoln Motor Company.

Twenty-two teams—comprised of four amateurs and one PGA of Canada professional—battled consistent cold, northerly 50 km/h winds on Thursday in Inverness, N.S.

“It was nice playing Cabot Links in the conditions it was probably designed to be played in,” said PGA of Canada professional Chris Barber from The Landings Golf Course in Kingston, Ont. “It was howling winds, cold and there was sea spray hitting you the whole way around—the place is great.”

Located in Inverness, N.S., Cabot Links is Canada’s first and only authentic links golf resort. Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the picturesque town of Inverness, the Cabot Links course represents a dramatic departure from the typical golf excursion. With six holes playing directly alongside the water and every hole offers an ocean view, Cabot Links is where traditional links-land golf comes to life against the spectacular Nova Scotia landscape.

Barber’s team thru the first round sits alone in third at 12.3-under-par. The squad from The Ridge at Manitou leads the 54-hole national championship at 14.2-under-par, with the Cooke Municipal team in second at 13.5-under-par.

“The experience so far this week has been world-class,” The Ridge at Manitou team said. “Without the involvement of RBC and The Lincoln Motor Company, this is more than likely be a destination we’d probably never have a chance getting to play.”

For the full leaderboard click here.

The national championship continues Friday at Cabot Cliffs, with the final round taking place Saturday back at Cabot Links.

The Cabot Cliffs course, designed by the decorated team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, is the newest addition to Cabot. Exquisitely carved out of the breathtaking Cape Breton landscape, with postcard-worthy panoramas vying for your attention and every hole calling out to the sea, it is links-land golf at its best.

Cabot Cliffs ranked No. 1, while Cabot Links ranked No. 4 on SCOREGolf’s 2016 Best Golf Courses in Canada list. Cabot Cliffs also debuted 19th on the World’s Top 100 Courses list by Golf Digest.

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member and golf media personality Bob Weeks is on site this week to handle emcee duties at the opening ceremonies. Weeks will also moderate a special Q&A with Jared Du Toit on the opening night and act as the honorary starter during the second round at Cabot Cliffs.

In addition to the opening ceremonies, participants in the national final will be treated to two RBC dinners at the Panorama restaurant, as well as two receptions by The Lincoln Motor Company and a closing ceremonies event.

Those not playing in the RBC PGA Scramble of Canada presented by the Lincoln Motor Company National Final can still take part in all the action throughout the week at Cabot Links through social media. Watch on Facebook Live with multiple live streams—which include player interviews, behind-the-scene looks, drone flyovers, opening and closing ceremonies, and more. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram as well for great social content.

The RBC PGA Scramble presented by the Lincoln Motor Company saw thousands of golfers from across the country participate in the series of events this summer. The 22 teams participating at Cabot Links made it through local and regional qualifying events.

For more information about the RBC PGA Scramble presented by The Lincoln Motor Company, visit the website by clicking here.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Justin Thomas collected the Jack Nicklaus Award as the U.S. PGA Tour player of the year a couple of days before heading to Malaysia in a bid to win his third successive CIMB Classic.

Little wonder then the two-time defending champion was slightly off his game in the first round on Thursday, managing only a 2-under-par 70 to sit six strokes behind leader CameronSmith of Australia.

Smith opened with a blemish-free 8-under 64 and leads a U.S. PGA Tour event after the first round for the first time in 64 starts.

Keegan Bradley, Xander Schauffele and Poom Saksansin of Thailand were tied for second at 7 under.

Brendan Steele, coming off a victory last week at the Safeway Open, had an opening 67 to be three shots off the lead.

Thomas has barely had time to catch his breath after winning the FedEx Cup and playing in the Presidents Cup. He won his first tour title here two years ago. He successfully defended it last year, and has had a transformative 2017 in which he’s won five titles and his first major, the U.S. Open.

He’s aiming to be the first player to win the same tournament three years in a row since Steve Stricker at the John Deer Classic from 2009-11.

Schauffele, the U.S. tour rookie of the year, said he was taking plenty of notice of how Thomas approaches this course and is trying to keep it simple.

“The rough has been up apparently compared to last year, that’s what Justin told me,” he said. “I pretty much tried to copy everything that he did because I figured he’s a good guy to imitate out here.”

Thomas mixed five birdies with three bogeys. Schauffele and Poom made seven birdies to go into early contention, while Bradley eagled the 12th hole to make amends for his sole bogey.

Smith, an Australian, posted a blemish-free round of eight birdies, including five on the front nine for a 64.

“The putting was easy actually,” Smith said.

He’s chasing his second title of the year after winning the Zurich Classic in April.

The American trio of Kevin Na, Gary Woodland, and Pat Perez were also in contention in the Asian Tour event after carding 66s.

Hideki Matsuyama, the 2016 runner-up, faltered with two bogeys to sit with Thomas in a tie for 23rd place.

In keeping with the idea that the putter is the most personal club in a golfer’s bag, Master Putter Maker Scotty Cameron today introduced his new Custom Shop Creator – a state-of-the-art online putter customizer accessible through ScottyCameron.com.

The Custom Shop Creator (www.scottycameron.com/customshop​) allows golfers to virtually personalize their Scotty Cameron putters like never before, instantly bringing their ideas to life through realistic high-resolution image renderings. Golfers then send their putters to Scotty’s Custom Shop, housed at the Putter Studio in Southern California, where their customizations become a reality.

“I created the Custom Shop to give passionate players a way to preserve, personalize and protect their putters for life,” Cameron said. “The Custom Shop Creator really takes the creative process to another level. From your desktop or mobile device, you can easily experiment with custom stampings, sight lines, different weights and paintfill. You can change the finish from silver to black. It just gives you that feel of a Tour-like experience and creating a one-of-a-kind design.”

All putter models since 2014, plus many of Scotty’s most popular prior models, are available in the new customizer for photo-realistic customization. Owners of older putter models will be seamlessly linked to Scotty Cameron’s Classic Form, where an additional 100 putter models may be customized.

Since 2004, Scotty Cameron has offered personalization, customization, authentication and restoration services in the Custom Shop. From specialty grips, headcovers and authentic accessories to stamps, initials, engraved weights and full restoration of years old, game-worn Scotty Cameron putters, the Custom Shop has provided golfers with a resource to not only customize an already-purchased putter, but to also authenticate and refurbish these valuable clubs.

The new Custom Shop Creator introduces several new features:

• Realistic renderings display vibrant representations of custom stamps, initials, sight lines, weights, finishes and more – including accurate depictions of Scotty’s translucent and opaque paintfill colors – all in real-time as a user moves through the application.

• Responsive design adapts to mobile and desktop devices providing users the flexibility to enter a Custom Shop order from anywhere.

• Seamless workflow presents customization choices in an improved sequence more aligned with the way a customer would logically move through the process.

• Quick links to popular models allow users to easily search and choose from existing putter types to move immediately into the customization process.

• Save customizations feature – provides users with the option to create their custom putter at their own pace, saving within the application to finish later.

• New Custom Shop-only accessories – added to the Custom Shop include new stamps, as well as 12 new headcovers, shaft bands, 15 new paint-filled shaft rings and new grips.

Learn more at www.scottycameron.com/scottys-custom-shop

Following an extensive search of accomplished business and marketing leaders, the PGA of Canada has selected one of its own to lead the association to a new level of sustainable growth and success, its President announced Tuesday.

“Considering the large number of highly accomplished business leaders who entered this competition, I am excited to announce that our Board of Directors has selected Kevin Thistle to lead the PGA of Canada into an exciting new era of success,” Steve Wood, President of the Board of Directors of the PGA of Canada announced Tuesday.

Mr. Thistle, former President of Golf Operations for the Windmill Group in Calgary, has held leadership positions at some of Canada’s most recognized golf clubs including Angus Glen.

“I want to emphasize that while he was, until Wednesday of last week, an active member of our Board of Directors, he was chosen because of his track record in business, his demonstrated leadership skills, his proven marketing acumen and his ideas about sustaining growth and profitability in our business through innovation,“ Mr. Wood said.

“Kevin is extremely well-known and respected in our business across Canada, not only because of his extensive professional accomplishments but because of his ethics, his energy, his ideas and his ability to work with others to achieve common goals. The number of high calibre leaders who expressed interest in this challenge should have made a difficult choice. In the end, Kevin’s knowledge of our industry and experience as a marketing innovator made him a clear and unanimous choice of our Board,” Mr. Wood said.

“Thanks to the work of Gary Bernard, our former Chief Executive Officer, we are in a strong position, with the means to identify and pursue exciting new directions. The transition process towards those new directions will require vision, leadership and strong people skills.  We are confident Kevin has those skills. “

“To me, this is a dream come true,” Mr. Thistle said. “I have been part of the PGA of Canada throughout my career. I have been active in both Ontario and Alberta zones of the PGA of Canada and I have close friends across the country.  Our members value the PGA of Canada and the brand credibility it offers. I think they realize change is inevitable. I look forward to working closely with our Board and our members across Canada to help our association and its members enjoy a robust and exciting future.”

Founded in 1911 the Professional Golfers Association of Canada is the oldest professional golf association in North America and the second oldest PGA in the world. The PGA of Canada is a non-profit association comprising 3,700 golf professionals across the country and has evolved to become one of the most innovative and respected in the world.

Read Thistle’s full biography at the PGA of Canada’s website.

Victory in her last start has certainly made World No. 11 Brooke Henderson one of the players to watch this week at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship, and the bubbly Canadian has set her sights on continuing to ride her wave of momentum.

“It has been a little bit of an up-and-down season for me, but getting my second tour win of the season just a few days ago gave me a lot of confidence and a lot of momentum,” said Henderson, who triumphed by five strokes at the MCKAYSON New Zealand Women’s Open after having to contend with wind-swept, rainy conditions in the last two rounds.

“I only have five events left on the LPGA Tour this year, which really isn’t that many. I really want to focus and work hard and see if I can finish in the top 10 and get some top-five finishes and hopefully move my CME rank up a little bit. That’s kind of where my main focus is going into for the next five weeks.

“Just continuing to gain experience and learn every single day, so that next year I can be even better than this year,” added Henderson, who is the only LPGA Tour player with multiple victories in both 2016 and 2017.

Asked by local reporters to put her finger on why it is that Korean golfers have been so successful in global golf over the past two decades, Henderson replied: “They’re very talented. I’m sitting amongst four ladies that are role models and inspirations to me as well.”

Henderson was accompanied by So Yeon Ryu, Sung Hyun Park and In Gee Chun in a packed media center at SKY72 Golf & Resort for a pre-tournament press conference.

“As for the secret to it, I have no idea,” smiled the Canadian. “You’ll have to ask these girls. I think they do work really hard and they’re very passionate about the game of golf and they have strong goals and they’re willing to work really hard to achieve them.

“I think that’s something that everybody can learn from, golfers or even people in business or just everyday life. You know, pick a goal and then work as hard as you can to achieve it.”