Michelle Wie launched a 3-wood into swirling gusts and toward the 18th green, wondering if the shot had enough steam to get there. A shift in the wind took the guesswork out of the equation.

“It died down and I got a little surprise,” Wie said. “I got all the way there.”

The 215-yard shot rolled within 30 feet of the flag to set up a two-putt birdie and a 3-under 68 that left Wie two shots off the lead during the opening round Thursday in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She wasn’t the only long-hitter to benefit from windy conditions and a tough front nine at Olympia Fields Country Club.

Defending champion Brooke Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., matched the 3-under start, which left her two back of Chella Choi and Amy Yang. Choi shot a 66 in the morning, and Yang was on the 18th hole at 5 under with a chance to grab the outright lead when play was suspended at 7:01 p.m. because of dangerous weather in the area.

Brittany Altomare shot a 67, and Joanna Klatten also was 4 under with two holes left.

Joining Henderson and Wie at 68 were Alison Lee and Su Oh. Kim Kaufman and Emily Pedersen also were 3 under late in their rounds.

“I was able to carry a couple of fairway bunkers, which is huge, because not a lot of players are able to do that,” Henderson said.

Cuteness from Canada! ???@BrookeHenderson #KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/Q3EJ6mm5xV

— LPGA (@LPGA) June 29, 2017

The second major on the women’s tour is again being played at the site of previous men’s majors, where big tee shots can pay big dividends. Henderson won her first major at Sahalee last year, and Wie claimed her only major – the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open – at Pinehurst.

Praise for Olympia Fields, a tree-lined classic layout just south of Chicago, is nearly unanimous. But it’s being tempered by players struggling to navigate the changing wind, with gusts up to 16 mph. Oh called that a “massive” factor in her decision-making.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was tied for 37th at even-par 71.

The second major on the women’s tour is again being played at the site of previous men’s majors, where big tee shots can pay big dividends. Henderson won her first major at Sahalee last year, and Wie claimed her only major _ the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open _ at Pinehurst.

Praise for Olympia Fields, a tree-lined classic layout just south of Chicago, is nearly unanimous. But it’s being tempered by players struggling to navigate the changing wind, with gusts up to 16 mph. Oh called that a “massive” factor in her decision-making.

“We kind of anticipated it,” she said. “It’s the ‘Windy City.’ But it was like this from the very beginning and I stayed patient out there.”

The Women’s PGA marks the start of a stretch of three majors in six weeks, which should provide some clarity at the top of the game.

So Yeon Ryu, who beat Lexi Thompson in a playoff at the ANA Inspiration to claim the season’s first major, also took over the No. 1 spot this week after becoming the only repeat winner through the first 16 tournaments on the LPGA Tour. Ryu finished at 69, and Thompson at 70. Two-time major winner Lydia Ko also shot 70.

Ariya Jutanugarn, who slipped to No. 2 in the rankings after Ryu’s win last week in Arkansas, struggled to a 77, and Cristie Kerr shot 78.

The forecast for Friday calls for rain and slightly increasing wind. That could make things tougher for both Choi and Henderson, whose caddies are, respectively, their father and older sister.

When Choi was asked whether she could blame any bad shots on her caddie’s calculations, she smiled and said, “Sometimes.”

She added: “My father missed a couple of shots today, but it happens because the wind is every time switching.”

Watch the top highlights from round 1 of the @KPMGWomensPGA right here:https://t.co/59PGuIUZ6c pic.twitter.com/IpT3cYCn1q

— LPGA (@LPGA) June 29, 2017

For the full leaderboard click here.

David Lingmerth is one of a few players in the Quicken Loans National field with any memories to draw on at TPC Potomac – and they’re the best kind of memories.

The winner of a 2012 Web.com Tour event on the tight, tricky layout near Washington, Lingmerth once again relied on his accuracy off the tee Thursday to shoot a 5-under 65 and take the first-round lead.

The 29-year-old Swede, who doesn’t have a top 10 finish on the PGA Tour this season, hit 12 of 14 fairways, which tied for best in the field. Starting on the back nine in the afternoon, he made five birdies in a seven-hole stretch beginning at the 13th hole, three of them from inside 7 feet.

“I feel like that’s kind of one of my strengths, a thing I pride myself in, hitting a lot of fairways,” Lingmerth said. “I like this type of golf course when you can see the definition, you can zone in on your targets. You’ve really got to stay committed off the tee.”

He won the 2015 Memorial Tournament for his lone PGA Tour title.

Troy Merritt, the winner two years ago at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, was a stroke back along with Marc Leishman, Johnson Wagner, Sung Kang, Nick Taylor and Daniel Summerhays.

Taylor, from Abbotsford, B.C., was the low Canadian.

Well, that was fast.

6 holes in and Nick Taylor (@NTaylorGolf59) leads.

• ?(3 ft.)
• ?(5 ft.)
• ? (21 ft.)
• Par
• ?(6 ft.)
• ? (7 ft.) pic.twitter.com/sz7sZxAsHf

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 29, 2017

TPC Potomac is hosting the event for the first time and has been extensively redesigned since it last welcomed the PGA Tour in 2006. It presented a stern test amid sunny, breezy conditions Thursday. Slight misses off the tee were punished severely and, as the weather heated up, even wedge shots were bouncing and releasing on the greens.

Leishman, the big-hitting Australian who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational this year, welcomed the challenge.

“It’s getting pretty baked, which is great. It feels a lot like Melbourne, actually,” Leishman said. “You can hear that real, you know, the hard sound when the ball hits the green. You’ve got that purplish colour, especially by the end of the day. It’s great. I’m enjoying it.”

On the 626-yard, par-5 second hole, Leishman’s 355-yard drive left him with a decision that few players had to confront. He watched his playing partners lay up and waited for the green to clear. He pulled out a 3-wood and then put it back in the bag. He also considered laying up with a 9-iron.

Ultimately, he settled on a 3-iron that he pulled slightly into a massive bunker in front of the green. No worries, though: He blasted out to 12 feet and made the putt for birdie.

The Quicken Loans is a home game of sorts for Leishman, who lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He drove his own car to the Washington area Tuesday and is staying with friends. His wife, Audrey, is home with their two sons. She’s also expecting their third child, due next week. Two years ago, Audrey nearly died from toxic shock syndrome

“We were just hoping she would survive and she survived, and we were hoping she would get somewhere back to full strength and she’s done that,” Leishman said. “Yeah, pretty exciting time for the Leishmans. Hopefully, she’ll hold out until next week and we can finish this tournament and go home and be a dad for a couple weeks.”

Leishman played alongside Rickie Fowler, the top draw at a tournament that is missing most of golf’s stars. Fowler was 3 over through two holes but rallied with four birdies to get back to even par after his first nine. He saved par from 8 feet on the sixth hole and 14 feet on the eighth to shoot 70.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was tied for 15th at 2-under 68. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., were tied for 49th at 1-over 71 and Adam Hadwin, also from Abbotsford, was tied for 66th at 2-over 72.

Holing out from everywhere.

Have a day, @MacHughesGolf!#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/rBETxDSoYk

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 29, 2017

Wagner reaped the rewards of a four-hour practice session Wednesday. At one point he was hitting mid-iron shots from the short-game area through a gap in the trees to the driving range while caddie Matt Hauser watched. They’d come up with a swing thought that was working and he wanted to hit a few more balls.

“I’ve just been struggling with really striking the golf ball the last few months,” Wagner said. “Finally we hit something that really, I could repeat in my head out there today.”

The former Virginia Tech player was back on the putting green Thursday afternoon, grinding over 75-footers. At 140th in the FedEx Cup standings, he could use a big week to lock up his PGA Tour card for next season.

“I’ve been in this situation a bunch,” Wagner said, “and I’m not overly stressed about it.”

The intensity of his practice suggested otherwise.

Brantford Ont., native David Hearn and Weyburn Sask., product Graham DeLaet are T49 at 1 over par.

For the full leaderboard click here.

Team Canada Amateur Squad’s Maddie Szeryk continues to lead the B.C. Women’s Amateur at 6 under par after carding a 1-over-par 74 in round three to sit three shots ahead of her teammate Naomi Ko at Vernon Golf and Country Club, in Vernon, B.C.

Szeryk, 20, led by six after 36 holes but was inconsistent in Thursday’s third round recording five birdies to combat six bogeys and posting her first over par round of the tournament.

The London, Ont., native is coming off a stellar junior season with Texas A&M. She was named a First-Team All-American and won the Dr. Donnis Invitational at Kane’ohe Klipper Golf Course, posting an Aggies’ record season stroke average of 71.24 in the process.

Ko, the 18-hole leader, was ten shots back of Szeryk entering play on Thursday at 3 over par (69-80).

The Victoria, B.C., product was on fire in round three carding the lowest score of the tournament so far – a 6-under-par 67 with seven birdies and just one bogey on her card.

Ko and Szeryk recently dueled at the Women’s Western Golf Association Amateur Championship with Szeryk getting the best of her teammate 2 and 1 in the round-of-16.

Amateur Squad’s Jaclyn Lee (Calgary, Alta.) is in third at 1 under par alongside Surrey, B.C., native Michelle Kim, after matching rounds of 73 (E).

Ottawa’s Grace St-Germain – the fourth member of the team Canada Amateur Squad in Vernon – is fifth at 1 over par (78-70-74).

Development Squad rookie Mary Parsons (Delta, B.C.) is ninth at 14 over par after a third round 79 (+6). Her teammate Chloe Currie (Mississauga, Ont.) is T17 at 25 over par (83-77-84).

For the full leaderboard click here.

The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada goes across Canada with 12 events in 2017, with players competing to take the next step on to the path to the PGA TOUR. Check out tournament profiles, players to watch, feature stories and more in the 2017 Mackenzie Tour Digital Magazine.

Click here to read.

Team Canada’s Maddie Szeryk carded a bogey-free, 4-under-par 69 on Wednesday at the B.C. Women’s Amateur to move to 7 under par and take sole possession of first place through 36 holes at Vernon Golf and Country Club in Vernon, B.C.

The London, Ont., native started the day in second at 3 under par. Four birdies in round two vaulted her into first place—six shots clear of Michelle Kim (Surrey, B.C.) who is 1 under par.

Szeryk, 20, had a stellar junior year with Texas A&M en route to lowering her own season stroke average record with a 71.24 mark in 2016-17 and pouring in an Aggies’ record 128 birdies.

The three-year Team Canada member is coming off an impressive win at the Women’s Western Amateur Championship at River Forest Country Club from June 12-17.

Fellow Amateur Squad golfer Jaclyn Lee is in third at even par (72-74). The Calgary native had five top-10 finishes with Ohio State in her sophomore season helping the Buckeyes reach the match-play quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I National Championship.

Amateur Squad teammate Grace St-Germain is in fourth place at 2 over par. The Ottawa native carded a 3-under-par 70 in Wednesday’s second round.

18-hole leader Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C) struggled in round two. The fourth-year member of the Team Canada Amateur Squad posted a 7-over-par 80 to drop into fifth place at 3 over par.

Delta, B.C., product and Development Squad rookie Mary Parsons is ninth at 8 over par after a second-round 75. Her teammate Chloe Currie (Mississauga, Ont.) is T15 at 14 over par (83-77).

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Team Canada Women’s Head Coach Tristan Mullally shares a tip to help you find the sweet spot in your warm up

The Web.com Tour and Ellie Mae announced today that 2017 National Basketball Association (NBA) Champion and Golden State Warriors All-Star Guard Stephen Curry will play in the Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae, to be contested the week of July 31-August 6, 2017.

Curry will maintain his amateur status in the event and will compete on an unrestricted sponsor exemption.

“We are elated to have Stephen Curry compete in this year’s Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae,” said Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae Tournament Director Trish Gregovich.

“Our longstanding goal has been to create a meaningful community impact through this event, and allowing a true pillar of the Bay Area community and a genuine sports superstar inside the ropes to compete alongside future PGA TOUR stars helps to elevate that effort.”

Curry, a member of the Warriors since 2009, is a two-time winner of the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award for the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons, and has appeared in the last three NBA Finals with the Warriors, helping lead the team to Championships in 2015 and 2017.

The 29-year-old is also currently the Warriors’ all-time leader in three-pointers made, and four of the top five single-season three-point totals in NBA history, including a record 402 three-pointers in 2015-16.

Curry has been selected to three All-NBA Teams and has been a starter on the Western Conference All-Star team in each of the last four seasons.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to play with the pros in the upcoming Ellie Mae Classic, not only to be able to compete against some of the best golfers in the world, but to also help bring light to the tournament’s charitable footprint of giving back to the Warriors Community Foundation,” said Curry.

“Golf has always been a passion of mine and it’s a dream come true to get the chance to play inside the ropes amongst the pros in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned tournament.”

Game! Blouses! @JordanSpieth with the hole-out from the bunker to win it! Congrats bro

— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) June 25, 2017

Last year’s Ellie Mae Classic produced one of the most memorable weeks in the Web.com Tour’s 28-year history, with Germany’s Stephan Jaeger posting a PGA TOUR-record 58 in the opening round on his way to a record-setting 30-under-par 250 total and a seven-shot victory.

“We’re proud to welcome Stephen Curry to the Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae. He’s a terrific player on the court and we expect him to dominate on the green as well,” said Jonathan Corr, president and CEO of Ellie Mae.

“We’re also thrilled to once again partner with our main charitable beneficiary, the Warriors Community Foundation. We love seeing the players, coaches and staff out on the course, supporting the tournament’s tradition of philanthropy, which aligns with our core value of giving back.”

“It’s a huge honor.” ⛳️ ?@Warriors guard @StephenCurry30 officially accepts an unrestricted sponsor invitation into @EllieMaeClassic. pic.twitter.com/fVO2rU8pr9

— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) June 28, 2017

The Warriors Community Foundation serves as the event’s main charitable beneficiary, as charity continues to play a key role in every PGA TOUR-sanctioned event, with other Ellie Mae charities also benefiting.

The TOUR and its tournaments generated a record $166 million for charity in 2016, in turn elevating the all-time total donated to charity to $2.46 billion.

Since purchasing the Golden State Warriors in 2010, Joe Lacob and Peter Guber have continued the club’s longstanding tradition of community involvement. The Warriors Community Foundation, established in 2012 under the new ownership group, serves to expand the team’s impact locally.

Click here for more information on the Ellie Mae Classic.

The addition of a new title sponsor sees the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada take a major step forward in becoming one of the top boutique standalone women’s golf events in the world.

DATA Communications Management has signed on to become title sponsor of the 30-year-old championship.

The sponsorship sees a newly established VIP Pro-Am and the introduction of TEAM DATA—a roster of Canadian female golf professionals who will be invited by DATA Communications Management to become ambassadors and receive sponsorship dollars as they chase their dream.

“We are thrilled to welcome DATA Communications Management as the title sponsor of our premier women’s championship,” said PGA of Canada president Steve Wood. “The unique event is a great celebration of women’s golf and this partnership with DATA Communications Management gives the event a major boost at the perfect time.”

The DATA PGA Women’s Championship of Canada will be held at Scarboro Golf & Country Club Aug. 14-16. The winner of this year’s championship will earn an exemption into the CP Canadian Women’s Open at the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club, Aug. 21-26.

“We are extremely excited about becoming the title sponsor of this very unique professional national championship for women,” said Greg Cochrane, President of DATA Communications Management. “We see it as a tremendous opportunity to support young female professional golfers on their journey to success, while showcasing our brand and entertaining our customers along the way.”

The PGA Women’s Championship of Canada was first played in 1987 and past champions include five-time winner Lorie Kane, Brooke Henderson, Alena Sharp, Cathy Sherk, Gail Graham, Nancy Harvey, and Jessica Shepley.

More details regarding TEAM DATA will be released in the coming weeks before the 2017 DATA PGA Women’s Championship, with an additional unveiling at the event itself.

Player confirmations and announcements will continue in the weeks leading up to the championship.

Admittance to the DATA PGA Women’s Championship of Canada is free and spectators are encouraged to attend during the 36-hole championship play.

Click here for more information on the Data PGA Women’s Championship of Canada.

I’ll admit this is a tad presumptuous, but when Brooke Henderson publishes her autobiography, she might well title it, “Faith, Family, Friends and Fairways.” (I love alliteration.)

For proof, you need look no farther than her tweet after winning her fourth LPGA title, the Meijer LPGA Classic on Father’s Day, a couple of weeks back.

“Thanks to my Dad and to God our father for this amazing day!!”

Thanks to my Dad and to God our Father for this amazing day!!Happy Father’s Day!! ☺️☝?️

— Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson) June 19, 2017

At 19 and in only her second full year on tour, Henderson will try to defend her title this week at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club near Chicago.

When she won the 2016 PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club in Washington, she became the first Canadian woman to win a major since Sandra Post did so in 1968. When she won the Meijer, she tied Lorie Kane’s record of four LPGA victories.

The three are tied together in other ways. They are all sweetness and light on the outside but that masks a fierce competitive nature. Raised in small towns (Post in Oakville, Ont., Kane in Charlottetown, P.E.I., and Henderson in Smiths Falls, Ont.), all three were introduced to golf by their fathers.

And it would be remiss not to mention Jocelyn Bourassa of Shawinigan, Que., who was the LPGA rookie of the year in 1972. The following year, she won our country’s national women’s Open championship, then called La Canadienne and now the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

Among the legacies that Henderson is inheriting, Bourassa’s may mean the most in this, Canada’s 150^th birthday year, for Bourassa was the last Canadian to win our women’s Open. There will be additional pressure as the tournament takes place Aug. 21-27 at what Henderson now calls her home club, the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

But pressure is something the self-confident Henderson is used to. Rather than flinch, she embraces it.

In a recent conference call, she said she was “really excited for the opportunity” to defend her PGA title and enthused about the support she is receiving.

Along with a focus on her professional goals, she is cognizant of the impact she is having on the game, especially in Canada. Her success, like that of Bourassa, Post and Kane, is inspiring.

“Of course I have personal goals but the impact on the game is really huge for me. I have people of all ages coming up to me asking for a photo with me or an autograph. I really hope I can do so much good for golf.”

Henderson is blessed to have her sister Brittany, also an accomplished golfer, as her caddie. Her mother and her father, who is her coach, travel with them frequently. (It should be noted that Henderson, as a member of Team Canada, learned much under the tutelage of national women’s team coach Tristan Mullally.)

“I am extremely grateful for my family’s support. My sister as my caddie, my dad as coach, and my mom as my No. 1 fan and cheerleader. None of this would have been possible without all the sacrifices from all of them.

“I believe everyone is given a special gift and I hope I can make the most of mine.”

Doubtful that anyone who cares about golf in Canada doesn’t believe that Brooke Henderson isn’t a special gift herself.

Team Canada’s Naomi Ko is leading the way at 4 under par after 18 holes of the B.C. Women’s Amateur at Vernon Golf and Country Club in Vernon, B.C.

The Victoria, B.C., product carded a opening round 69 with five birdies and one bogey to sit one stroke clear of her Amateur Squad teammate Maddie Szeryk (London, Ont.), who posted a 3-under-par 70 to grab sole possession of second.

Ko, 19,  will be a junior at North Carolina State in the fall. She posted a season stroke average of 74.53 with the Wolfpack in 2016-17 and recently finished 3rd at the prestigious Porter Cup.

Szeryk is coming off an impressive win at the Women’s Western Amateur Championship at River Forest Country Club from June 12-17. The 20-year-old will enter her senior season at Texas A&M as the Aggies career stroke average leader at 71.64.

Fellow Amateur Squad golfer Jaclyn Lee is T3 at 1-under-par (72). The Calgary native led Ohio State in stroke average during the 2016-17 season at 73.71.

The fourth member of the Team Canada Amateur Squad Grace St-Germain of Ottawa is T9 at 5 over par after an opening round 78.

Delta, B.C., product and Development Squad rookie Mary Parsons is T12 (+6). Her teammate Chloe Currie (Mississauga, Ont.) is T24 at 10 over par after an 83 in Tuesday’s first round.

Click here for the full leaderboard.