Team Canada’s Naomi Ko lost in 19 holes to Julianne Alvarez (Seattle, Wash.) ending an impressive run at the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Women’s Amateur at Fairwood Golf and Country Club, in Renton, Wash.

The Victoria, B.C., native won hole No. 15 to take a one up lead, but lost hole No. 17 to put the match at all-square, before losing in extra holes.

Ko finished eighth in the stroke play qualifying at 8 over par (76-74). She def. Clare Dittemore (Roseburg, Ore.) 5 and 3 in the round-of-32 and Ziyi Wang (Stanford, Calif.) 4 and 2 in the round-of-16.

Ko recently finished T3 at the B.C. Women’s Amateur and finished 3rd at the Porter Cup in June.

The 5-year-team Canada veteran reached the finals of this event in 2016.

Development Squad’s Hannah Lee from Surrey, B.C., lost in the round-of-16 to Marianne Li (Bellevue, Wash.) in 19 holes.

Ko’s Amateur Squad teammate Jaclyn Lee lost in the round-of-16, falling 1-up to Gigi Stoll (Tigard, Ore.).

Click here for the match-play bracket.

Jim Furyk would ordinarily be playing in the British Open this week.

Instead, the 47-year-old former U.S. Open champion is 4,000 miles away at the Barbasol Championship trying to improve his standing for the FedEx Cup playoffs. It’s the first time Furyk hasn’t been eligible for a major since the 1995 British Open at St. Andrews in just his second full year on the PGA Tour.

“I’ve got no one to blame but myself,” the 17-time PGA Tour winner said Wednesday at Grand National. “I’ve had some shining moments since last summer but since I’ve come back from (wrist) surgery, I haven’t played consistent.”

Furyk missed six straight cuts after a sixth-place finish at Sea Island in November. Now, the Ryder Cup captain is ranked 142nd and needing to move into the top 125 to make the playoffs with four events remaining after this week.

Furyk did fare better at the U.S. Open (23rd) and Travelers Championship (26th).

He didn’t compete the last three weeks while he and his family went on a long-planned river cruise in Europe. He was hoping to stick around for the British Open at Royal Birkdale, where he shared fifth place in 2008 and fourth in 1998.

Furyk wound up missing the field and was left choosing between playing in Reno, Nevada, early in next month or at Grand National, part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. He’ll have to be content with checking out the scores from the Open in the evenings while enduring Alabama’s steamy conditions during the day.

Furyk talked to other players about the course and checked past results to see which playing style seemed to fare best. He opted for Grand National.

“It was easier from a travel perspective but I think for my game it sounded like this golf course might suit me a little better,” he said after finishing a pro-am round. “After playing it for two days … it seems like a place that if I play well, I should have an opportunity to score pretty well.”

Furyk is one of five major champions in the Alabama field, including Davis Love III, Angel Cabrera, Retief Goosen and Y.E. Yang. The winner gets in the PGA Championship but not the Masters.

Love would also no doubt rather be playing in Southport, England, this week. But the trip to Alabama does let him go against son Dru Love for the third time.

“It’s great, probably until we get started in the tournament, then I’ve got to work really hard to beat him,” said Davis Love, who won the 1997 PGA Championship. “There’s so many of these young kids now that hit it so far and play so well. It’s another generation coming out trying to knock the old guys out.”

Gerina Piller shot an 8-under 63 on Thursday in the Marathon Classic to take a one-stroke lead over U.S. Women’s Open champion Sung Hyun Park and Peiyun Chien.

Winless on the LPGA Tour, Piller had nine birdies and a bogey in the first round at Highland Meadows. The American birdied the first three holes and four of the first five.

“Got off to a good start and got the putts rolling,” Piller said. “To be honest, my ball-striking didn’t feel as great coming into this weekend, and the week after a major it’s always tough just because you’re so exhausted mentally. I just went out there and really trusted what I had and just brought it together. My game feels really good right now.”

Park, the South Korean player who won her first major title last week at Trump National in New Jersey, had seven birdies in a bogey-free round.

“My feeling today was so awesome,” Park said. “It was a good start after the major championship, winning. First of all, I need to focus more on the Marathon Classic and want to keep my happiness behind from now on.”

Chien, a LPGA Tour rookie from Taiwan, had eight birdies and a bogey.

“The golf course is narrow,” Chien said. “It’s very tough first shot because you need to play a cut or little draw a lot, not just hit it straight. … I changed my playing because I’m always thinking the swing on the golf course, so today I just played freely, tried to find some feeling and play.”

Kelly Shon, Aditi Ashok and In-Kyung Kim shot 65, Angel Yin and Sandra Changkija followed at 66, and U.S. Solheim Cup players Lexi Thompson, Brittany Lincicome and Alison Lee topped the group at 67.

Stacy Lewis, her U.S. Women’s Open chances ruined by a third-round meltdown, had a 69.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Lydia Ko, winless since her victory last year at Highland Meadows, had a 73. She had three bogeys and one birdie.

“When you’re not hitting the ball fantastic, it’s not going to be the greatest score,” Ko said. “But there’s always tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get a few things better for tomorrow’s round.”

Piller is trying to not get too far ahead of herself.

“Tomorrow is a different day, and I’ll just kind of do the same thing as I did today, go out there and take one shot at a time, as cliche as it sounds,” Piller said. “But you’re not going to win it on Thursday, Friday or Saturday, so it’s going to take all four rounds.”

Sekulic, Hogan and Graf have distanced themselves from the rest of the Men’s Am field

Moving day lived up to its name as several top contenders made their way up the leaderboard at the 2017 Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship. Clearer skies and a gentle breeze offered nearly ideal scoring conditions for the remaining 61 hopefuls. Notably, three players have separated themselves from the rest of the field heading into tomorrow’s final round.

Team Canada Development Squad member Max Sekulic held his own on day three. The 18-year-old shot a solid 68, that featured five birdies and a lone bogey. His lead was narrowed to two strokes after an extremely hot back-nine score of 29 from past champion Brett Hogan of the Glencoe G&CC. Sekulic will look to go wire-to-wire in tomorrow’s final round, just as Hogan did in his 2015 Alberta Amateur victory at the Edmonton Petroleum Club.

Hogan, the 2016 SVR Alberta Open champion, got off to a slow start today, going out in 37 strokes with no birdies. As he made the turn he knew he had to sharpen his focus. After the round, he said “I saw the boys behind me were doing pretty well and I knew I had to get something going. I started off well with an eagle on ten there where I made my putt from about twelve feet. I made some really good par saves on holes 11 and 12, and finally got it rolling. Number 14, made birdie. Eagled 16, then birdied 17 and 18.” Hogan’s third round score of 66 is the best of the championship and it was the kind of finish he needed to get into tomorrow’s last group and put some pressure on the leader.

Hogan knows the pressure of coming down the stretch trying to win a provincial championship and will draw on his experience in the final round. He said “I’m trying to play my own game. I can only control what I can do out there. If he (Sekulic) goes out there and has a great round, then good for him. But I’m going to give it all I have and see how it ends up.”

Sekulic and Hogan will be joined by Team Alberta U19 member Carter Graf in the final group. The youngster from the Red Deer G&CC impressed on day three by firing another five-under-par 67 to get to double digits at ten-under-par overall.

The top three finishers at the conclusion of the championship will form the Team Alberta Interprovincial Squad for the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship to be conducted at The Toronto Golf Club & Islington Golf Club in Mississauga, ON August 7-10^th. The champion will earn the final spot on the 2018 Pacific Coast Amateur Championship Alberta Morse Cup Team.

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CHURCH POINT, N.S. – Calvin Ross defended his 2015 and 2016 title while Meghan McLean completed her wire-to-wire victory at the Future Links, driven by Acura Atlantic Championship at Clare Golf & Country Club on Thursday.

Ross shot a 3-under-par 68, his second sub-70 round of the competition. The 18-year-old from Fredericton, N.B., went bogey-free during his final round and finished with a two-stroke lead.

“The win feels great,” he said, after the award ceremony. “I didn’t get off to the best of starts this summer. I lost a few that could have had and it feels good to win here at the Atlantic championship again.”

Aubrey Farrell finished in second after starting the day tied with Ross at the top of the leaderboard. The 18-year-old from Sydney Forks, N.S., fell three strokes behind Ross by the sixth hole, and his two birdies the rest of the way were not enough to catch back up. He finished at 3 under for the tournament.

Finishing in third place, well back from the top two, was Andrew Bruce from Corner Brooke, N.L. The 18-year-old carded seven bogeys and just one birdie during his final round and finished the competition at 6 over par.

Rounding out the top six finishers in the boys division who earned exemptions into the 2017 Canadian Junior Boys Championship on July 31-Aug. 3 at Cataraqui Golf and Country Club in Kingston, Ont., are: Benjamin Chassé (Fall River, N.S.), Matthew Chandler (Chester, N.S.) and Jack Anderson (Halifax, N.S.).

In the girls division, McLean shot a 3-over-par 74 – the same score she shot in round one – to finish at 12 over par for the tournament. The 18-year-old from Port Williams, N.S., played a strong round throughout the day with the only troublesome spot coming on the par-5 13th hole where she registered a double bogey.

“It feels awesome to win,” said McLean. “I’ve never won this tournament before and it feels really good to say that I’m the Atlantic champion. It gives me a lot of confidence going into the next couple of weeks with Nationals and Canada Games coming up so I’m just hoping to carry the momentum over and continue to play well.”

Finishing in second place, five strokes behind McLean, was 18-year-old Laura Jones from Moncton, N.B. She earned solo-second place honours after recovering from a double bogey on hole 16 with a birdie on the following hole.

One stroke back from Jones was Toronto’s Catherine Zhang who carded a 74, her lowest round of the competition. The 15-year-old got off to good starts on the front and back nine with birdies to start them both off, but they were her only two holes under par during the final day.

Rounding out the top six earning exemptions to the 2017 Canadian Junior Girls Champions held Aug. 1-4 at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumberland, Ont., are: Kiley Rodrigues (Kingston, Ont.), Raesa Sheikh (Markham, Ont.) and Sandee Park (West Vancouver, B.C.).

Full results.

The Dalles, Oregon’s Damian Telles shot a 6-under 64 at Les Quatres Domaines Golf Club before first round play was suspended due to inclement weather at the Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval, the sixth event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The 27-year old, who finished T3 at the Players Cup two weeks ago, carded six birdies and was without a bogey to post the clubhouse lead at 6-under before play was suspended due to dangerous weather in the area at 12:30 p.m.

“Every iron I hit, they were flagged. Everything was on top of the pin, so it made it easy for some short birdie putts,” said Telles. “It’s a lengthy course, and the plan was just to keep it in the fairway just so I could hit the greens and make some putts.”

Coming off his T3 finish in Winnipeg, where he played in the final group with eventual winner Kramer Hickok, the University of Idaho grad said he wanted to keep the momentum going in his third straight week of competition.

Boucherville, Quebec’s Vincent Blanchette, who gained entry into the tournament on a sponsor exemption through his performance on the Circuit Canada Pro Tour this season, was tied for low Canadian and was the low Quebecker at 4-under when play was suspended.

Can one of Quebec's very own make a splash on the #MackenzieTour?

Vincent Blanchette (-4/9) is off to a hot start. pic.twitter.com/Dbg0otBxpB

— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) July 20, 2017

“It was very valuable, when you have people around and you’re in the mix,” said Telles of his experience at the Players Cup. “It gets you going a little bit. It was nice to know I could compete with the best of them, and I just want to keep the hammer down.”

With heavy rains accompanying Thursday’s storms, play was called for the delay shortly before 4 p.m. Round One will resume with players in position at 8 a.m. on Friday morning.

“Unfortunately, the golf course took on a lot of rain during this afternoon’s thunderstorm, and despite a tremendous effort from the grounds crew, the course became unplayable due to standing water in several areas,” said John Slater, PGA TOUR Vice President of Competitions. “We’ll aim to resume tomorrow morning with Round One and get as much of Round Two in as we can, then finish Round Two Saturday morning and make the cut before aiming to get back on track and complete Round Three on Saturday.”

27-year old Telles is making his fifth career Mackenzie Tour start this week. Telles has conditional status on the Mackenzie Tour this season after finishing T19 at the British Columbia Q-School this spring, but Monday Qualified for the GolfBC Championship and finished T49, then got into the Players Cup field on the Monday of tournament week and finished T3 to move up the season’s first re-shuffle.

"Being in the mix gets you going."

After a T3 at @theplayerscup, @D_Mon3y59 is keeping the good play going.

He opened with a 64. pic.twitter.com/4GXG9zZIXp

— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) July 20, 2017

Telles played college golf at the University of Idaho. He ranks 19th on the 2017 Order of Merit.

One shot behind Telles was Bakersfield, California’s Matt Picanso with a 5-under 65, while Winter Springs, Florida’s Hank Lebioda was at 5-under with three holes left to complete in Round One.

Picanso finished T2 at the USA West #1 Q-School earlier this year to earn exempt status for the first eight events of the season. He finished T3 at the Players Cup two weeks ago in Winnipeg.

Lebioda is making his 14th career start on the Mackenzie Tour this week. In 2016, he finished 33rd on the Order of Merit thanks to two top-10 finishes.

The Florida State alum currently ranks sixth on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Order of Merit thanks to four top-10 finishes, including two runner-ups.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Deux superbes coups de fosse de sable par Jordan Spieth et Brooks Koepka _ l’un pour une normale, l’autre pour un aigle _ leur ont permis de tous deux remettre des cartes de 65 et de s’emparer de la tête à l’Omnium britannique.

Matt Kuchar a égalé le meilleur score sur le premier neuf du Royal Birkdale pour les rejoindre au sommet du tableau des meneurs, jeudi.

Koepka, qui n’a pratiquement pas joué depuis qu’il a gagné l’Omnium des États-Unis le mois dernier, se trouvait dans une fosse en bordure du vert du trou no 17, une normale-5, quand il a regardé son coup rouler jusqu’au fond de la coupe pour un aigle qui lui a permis de rejoindre Spieth à moins-5.

Spieth a réussi une ronde sans boguey, mais il a lui aussi dû se surpasser dans une fosse à la droite du vert du 16e trou. Il a visé la droite de la coupe pour ne pas que la balle roule jusque dans une autre fosse sur la gauche. Elle a stoppé sa course à 10 pieds du fanion, en parfaite position. Il a calé son roulé pour la normale.

De son côté, Kuchar a enchaîné son premier neuf historique en accumulant les normales sur le neuf de retour, mais ce fut suffisant pour que l’Américain remette sa meilleure carte à vie dans un tournoi majeur.

Grâce à trois oiselets consécutifs et un pointage de 29, il a égalé la marque établie en 1991 par Ian Baker-Finch, éventuel vainqueur du tournoi. Kuchar a gaspillé des occasions d’oiselets aux 15e et 17e trous.

Le Royal Birkdale est beaucoup plus clément qu’il ne l’avait été il y a neuf ans, alors que des vents violents et de la pluie fouettaient le parcours. Le 146e Omnium britannique s’est amorcé par temps frais, sous une pluie fine et un fort vent. Mark O’Meara, vainqueur au Royal Birkdale en 1998 et qui dispute son dernier Omnium britannique, a frappé le premier coup de départ.

Puis, il en a frappé un autre.

Sa première balle a été perdue dans les ajoncs et il a joué un quadruple boguey, en route vers un pointage de 81.

Peu de temps après, les vents de la mer d’Irlande ont poussé les nuages pour faire place à un soleil radieux pour les rondes d’après-midi.

Si le vent est demeuré assez puissant, les pointages ont été plutôt bons.

Koepka, Spieth et Kuchar ont montré la voie, suivis de Paul Casey

à 66 et d’Ian Poulter, Justin Thomas, Richard Bland, Charley Hoffman et du Canadien Austin Connelly à 67. Un autre groupe, qui inclut le Japonais Hideki Matsuyama, suit à 68.

L’autre Canadien en lice, Adam Hadwin, a connu une journée plus difficile avec une carte de 71, un coup au-dessus de la normale.

Cliquez ici pour le classement complet.

Two great bunker shots by Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka – one for par, one for eagle – led to a 5-under 65 for each of them in the opening round of the British Open.

Koepka, with no competition and very little golf since winning the U.S. Open last month, was in a pot bunker short of the green on the par-5 17th when he blasted out and watched it roll into the cup for an eagle that allowed him to share the lead with Spieth among the early starters Thursday at Royal Birkdale.

Spieth had a bogey-free round, and it required great bunker shots even by his standards to keep it that way.

Great work! @bkoepka holes a bunker shot to move in to a share of the lead. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/cv8UGVpRFD

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2017

His shot out of the rough barely rolled into a pot bunker to the right of the 16th green, leaving the ball on a slight slope near the back edge.

“This is dangerous,” he said to his caddie.

He aimed to the right of the hole to avoid it going off the green on the other side and into another bunker, and it came off perfectly about 10 feet away.

“That was awesome,” were his next words to his caddie.

He made the par putt – Spieth made a lot of putts on Thursday – picked up a two-putt birdie on the 17th and narrowly missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the last. It was Spieth’s best start in a major since he opened with a 66 at the Masters a year ago.

“I couldn’t have done much better today,” he said.

Austin Connelly was the top Canadian after Thursday’s play, sitting just two strokes back of the leaders with an opening round of 3 under. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., opened at 1 over.

Meanwhile, at Birkdale…

The Challenge Tour's own Austin Connelly is 4 under par and just one off the lead at #TheOpen ? pic.twitter.com/DpUFR08Fyb

— Challenge Tour (@Challenge_Tour) July 20, 2017

Royal Birkdale was much more kind than it was nine years ago in raging wind and rain. The 146th Open began in cool temperatures, a light rain and a strong wind. Mark O’Meara, a winner at Royal Birkdale in 1998 who is playing in his last British Open, hit the opening tee shot.

And then he hit another one.

O’Meara’s first shot was lost in the gorse, he made a quadruple-bogey 8 and was on his way to an 81. But it wasn’t long before the wind off the Irish Sea pushed along the rain clouds and led to sunshine in the afternoon.

The wind remained strong. The scores were largely good.

Koepka and Spieth led the way, with Ian Poulter, Justin Thomas and Richard Bland in at 67. It was a businesslike day in more ways than one for Thomas, who wore a tie loosely draped around his neck and a cardigan sweater. He wasn’t all about making a fashion statement. Thomas, who shot a 63 in the third round of the U.S. Open, made eagle on the 17th hole to hang around the early leaders.

Solid start to @TheOpen. @RoyalBirkdale_ was great this morning. The sun has come out and it's the calm before tomorrow's storm ?☔️? pic.twitter.com/viPmyM4cVc

— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) July 20, 2017

Hideki Matsuyama was among those at 68.

Koepka didn’t seem to miss a beat from his four-shot victory at Erin Hills, even if he barely touched a club. He stuck to a planned trip to Las Vegas after winning his first major, and he spent two weeks out West. When he finally got back to Florida, he played golf only one time, with manager Blake Smith at Hambric Sports, and lost to him (though he gave him 13 shots).

Koepka considers himself the consummate gamer, though. He was itching to get back to competition, and after arriving last weekend at Royal Birkdale to learn the course, he proved to be a quick study.

“It feels back in the routine now,” Koepka said.

Whether he and Spieth had the lead depended on the late starts, particularly Matt Kuchar, who made the turn at 5-under 29.

Kuchar was the U.S. Amateur champion when he played Royal Birkdale in 1998, still not even sure he was going to turn pro. Now he’s on the short list of best players to have never won a major. And the way the majors have gone the last few years, maybe this is his time. Koepka was the seventh straight first-time winner of a major.

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Even though all golfers are currently engrossed in “The Open” (a.k.a. the British Open), it’s time to look forward to “Our Open” (a.k.a. the RBC Canadian Open).

There are many reasons to come to Our Open, first played in 1904 and the third-oldest continuously running tournament on the PGA TOUR after The Open and the U.S. Open.

Although the tournament proper doesn’t begin until Thursday, there’s lots going on beforehand.

On Saturday, July 22, the RBC Canadian Open 5K run takes place at 9 a.m. starting near the first tee of Glen Abbey Golf Club and finishing alongside the 18^th green.

On Monday, there’s the Canada Day Pro-Am where teams of three amateurs will be joined by one of our country’s top golfers or a Hall of Fame player. This year, among other notables, Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor, Graham DeLaet, Alena Sharp, David Hearn, Brad Fritsch, and Jared du Toit are scheduled to participate. It’s a celebration of Canadian golf and, suitably, proceeds from the event will go to the Golf Canada Foundation to support the developmental pathway for young golfers in this country.

On Tuesday, the official opening ceremony takes place at 10 a.m. on the stage at the Coors Light 19^th Hole Beer Garden where Judy Darling Evans and Bob Vokey will be inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. Admission is free. Tuesday is practice day for the pros, too, so it’s a great chance to see some of the world’s best players in a relaxed atmosphere.

Things tighten up just a bit on Wednesday, when the Championship Pro-Am pairs three amateurs with a top pro. Although the pros are no doubt thinking ahead to the opening round of the championship the next day, the banter and camaraderie of this event make it almost as fun to watch as to play in.

Come Thursday, it’s on.

Once again, this year’s field is impressive. (Players have until 5 p.m. ET Friday, July 21, to confirm their participation.) World No. 1 Dustin Johnson heads a contingent heading over from that other Open, including Ernie Els, Matt Kuchar and Canadian Adam Hadwin. Other early confirmed stars include two-time RBC Canadian Open champ Jim Furyk, former U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell, and Ryan Palmer.

Way back in 1954, Pat Fletcher was the last Canadian to win Our Open. Oh, we’ve been close since. In 2004, Mike Weir lost a playoff to Vijay Singh. In 2015, David Hearn had a two-shot heading into the final round before being defeated by a charging Jason Day. Last year, Jared du Toit, then still an amateur, finished tied for ninth. Friday at this year’s Open is Red and White Day where spectators have the chance to cheer on our homegrown heroes by wearing red-and-white apparel.

Parking is free as are the complimentary shuttle buses to and from the course. The new GO to the RBC Canadian Open ticket includes a one-day pass Friday to Sunday and a round-trip GO transit fare to the Oakville or Bronte GO station.

I wish I could say that during this, Canada’s 150th birthday year, I could come up with 150 reasons for everyone to attend Our Open. But this is a start. And if you do, I’m sure you will come with close to that number to come back year after year.

Development Squad’s Max Sekulic carded a 5-under-par 67 in the second round of the Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship to lead by four after 36 holes at Ponoka Community Golf Club, in Ponoka, Alta.

Sekulic started his round with an eagle on the par-5 1st hole and recorded three birdies, another eagle, and two bogeys to sit four shots clear of the field.

The Rycroft, Alta., native is coming off a win at the 2017 Alberta Junior Boys Championship. Sekulic, 18, was 12th at the Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific Championship earlier this year.

He has committed to attend Grand Canyon University (NCAA Division I) in the fall.

Carter Graf from Red Deer, Alta., matched Sekulic’s 67 in round two to move to 5 under par for the championship and sit in a tie for second with Andrew Harrison (Camrose, Alta.) and Calgary’s Brett Hogan who recorded matching rounds of 69 in Wednesday’s second round.

Another Calgarian Logan Carver, is tied for fifth with Claresholm, Alta., native Jordan Gustman at 2 under par.

Sekulic’s Development Squad teammate Chandler MacDowell is T9 at 2 over par (71-73).

Click here for the full leaderboard.