Team Canada athletes celebrate Canada150 with RBC’s #Make150Count campaign
In support of RBC’s #Make150Count campaign, Team Canada Development Squad athletes did their part to help shape Canada’s future. Team Canada was proud to participate in the campaign, which provided thousands of young Canadians with $150, inspiring them to do something great with it in their communities.

On Victoria Day, Men’s Development Squad member Peyton Callens and brother Maddox of Langton, Ont., led a junior golf clinic at Delhi Golf and Country Club—their home course. Outfitted in Canadian gear, the juniors received a driving range session, putting lesson and nine holes of golf along with a complimentary lunch.
“We’re supposed to come up with our own way to give back and this is my way,” Callens told the Simcoe Reformer. ““It’s harder than it looks,” he said of giving lessons. “It just shows how good actual coaches are – (it takes) a lot of patience.”
On the women’s side, Team Canada’s Development Squad surprised the Westminster Elementary School in Brockville, Ont., on May 26 with a Golf in Schools kit for their physical education program. Athletes Monet Chun—recent winner of Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario Championship—and teammate Chloe Currie of Mississauga, Ont., delivered the kit with help from coach Ann Carroll.
The kit features age-appropriate golf equipment along with a seamless, industry-approved learning resource that helps teachers deliver life skills to students through the sport of golf. With the kit valued at $475, the Golf Canada Foundation proudly subsidized the remaining cost in support of RBC’s #Make150Count initiative.
Click here to learn more about the #Make150Count initiative.

Thunderbirds leading the women’s draw, men’s delayed after round one of the Canadian University/College Championship
On day one of the weather-shortened Canadian University/College Championship, defending champion Kat Kennedy of Okotoks, Alta., fired an even-par 72 to help put the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds on top of the women’s team competition. The men’s side of the draw was unable to finish the first round due to inclement weather.
After 18 holes, Kennedy holds a four-stroke lead.
“It’s a challenging course. I think learning to be patient is key here, the wind picked up on the back nine and I think just keeping the ball in play and trying to hit the green in regulation was my goal for the day,” said Kennedy, from the scoring table following her round.
With a combined score of 19-over par, the Thunderbirds are 11 strokes ahead of the second place University of Fraser Valley Cascades, who posted a team score of 30-over par on day one. The University of Victoria Vikes sit third at +32.
After starting strong with birdies on the first and second hole, Kennedy made a bogey on the third. She recorded another bogey on seven, but rebounded with a birdie on eight to make the turn at 1-under par. On the back nine Kennedy made a five-foot birdie putt to finish her round as the only player not over par.
In her final university season Kennedy had a stellar year. She was first or T1 five times and set a school record for the lowest single round score when she posted a 67 on the second day of the Grand View Battle at Primm, in Nipton, Calif., from March 20-21.
Coquitlam, B.C., product Sharon Park, a freshman at Fraser Valley, is second in the women’s individual competition at 4-over par (76). Kennedy’s teammate, 22-year-old Winnie Hyun, from Langley, B.C., rounds out the top three at +7 (79).
When play was suspended at 5:46 p.m., Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawk Eric Flockhart from Mississauga, Ont., had posted the lowest men’s score at 2-under par (69) thanks to three straight birdies to close out the round.
“I was getting the same kind of breaks on the front nine, but I just couldn’t buy a putt,” said Flockhart. “I got to the back made a good one from about 10 feet on 10, made a few good par saves and then 14 to 18, I made five putts in a row basically, so the putts started to fall.”
Flockhart had a very strong Ontario University Athletic Association (OUA) season in the fall, including a stretch where he won three straight tournaments—the Waterloo Invitational, the Guelph Invitational, and the University of Toronto Invitational.
The University of Victoria Vikes are currently the leading team at 9-over par through 14 holes of play, with the first round resuming Tuesday morning at 7:30 a.m. They are followed by the University of Manitoba Bisons and the Queens University Gaels, who hold second place in the weather-delayed first round at 11 over par. The Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks are the lowest team in the clubhouse at 14-over par.
Check out all the pictures from Monday’s action during Round 1 of the #CDNUnicollege @TangleCreek ?️?⛳️
?https://t.co/LUdu3ZKbRV pic.twitter.com/aenn1AIU6E
— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) May 30, 2017
The University of Toronto’s Kevin Fawcett, a product of Newmarket, Ont., was the second-lowest player to finish his round, posting an even-par 71. Lawren Rowe, (Victoria, B.C.) of the University of Victoria Vikes, is, 1 under par through 14 holes.
The top finisher in the men’s and women’s division will get an exemption into their respective Canadian Amateur Championships and the top finishers in the men’s and women’s draws will qualify for the Summer Universiade Games, in Taipei, Taiwan, from Aug. 19-30.
The first round will resume tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. Second round tee times will begin at 8:30 a.m. For additional information on the championship click here.
Click here for full scoring.
Photos: Click here to download photos; credit to Golf Canada.
Vandette’s final round and Chun’s dominant weekend propel them to victory at Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario Championship
Christopher Vandette out-dueled Jeevan Sihota in the final round of the Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario Championship, while Monet Chun dominated the Girls Division on Sunday at Brockville Country Club in Brockville, Ont.
“I feel good about that win,” Vandette said, after the award ceremony. “It gives me confidence for the rest of the summer.”
Vandette shot a 3-under-par 68 in his final round denying Sihota his second straight win at a Future Links, driven by Acura championship.
The 15-year-old Vandette started the day one shot back of Sihota, who is just 13-years-old, and the two battled it out in the final pairing of the tournament. After both made the turn they were tied at the top of the leaderboard.
Sihota made bogey on the par-4 10th and dropped out of the lead for the first time in the tournament. Vandette, from Beaconsfield, Que., seized the opportunity and recorded four birdies in five holes to close out the victory.
“We were playing similar golf on the front nine,” Vandette said. “After Jeevan made his bogey a switch flicked in my head and I made three birdies in a row. That kind of put me away from the pack.”
Sihota ended his tournament with a 4-over par 75, dropping him into solo third and finishing six strokes back of Vandette. Tomas Giroux, of Georgetown, Ont., moved up into second place after Sihota dropped down the leaderboard. The 18-year-old finished his tournament at 2 over par, five back of the leader.
Louis-Alexandre Jobin-Colgan from Quebec, Que., and Olivier Menard from Valleyfield, Que., finished tied in fourth after they both fired their best rounds of the tournament: 68 and 69, respectively.
Toronto, Ont., native Zachary Greifenberger secured the final qualifying place for the Canadian Junior Boys Championship with an even-par finish. He was 5-over for the tournament.
Chun, a Team Canada Development Squad member, was dominant in her final two rounds of the tournament. After an opening round of 74, the 16-year-old shot two straight 1-under-par rounds of 70 and cruised to a four-stroke victory.
“I’m happy with my result today,” Chun said, after her win. “My putting was really good. I got kind of lucky on some of the bad strokes that I made and I was able to recover from that. My putting was key today.”

Monet Chun (Jim Meagher/ Golf Canada)
The win marks her second in as many weeks as the Richmond Hill, Ont., native is coming off a win at the Investors Group Junior Girls’ Spring Classic at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, in Stouffville, Ont., on May 20-22.
Ellie Szeryk, from London, Ont., finished comfortably in second after she shot a final-round 70, the only other person to shoot under par in the Girls Division. The 15-year-old was tied for the lead after the opening round, but after a 5-over-par 76 on Saturday Chun took over the tournament and didn’t look back.
After co-leading with Szeryk in the opening round, Céleste Dao shot a 3-over-par 74 on Sunday to move into a tie for third with Alyssa DiMarcantonio from Maple, Ont. The two finished nine back of Chun, 10-over for the tournament.
The top six finishers in the Boys Division earned exemptions into the 2017 Canadian Junior Boys Championship on July 31-Aug. 3 at Cataraqui Golf and Country Club in Kingston, Ont. The top six in the Girls Division earned exemptions into the 2017 Canadian Junior Girls Championship on Aug. 1-4 at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumberland, Ont.
Rounding out the top six qualifying for the Canadian Junior Girls Championship are Bridgitte Thibault, from Rosemere, Que., and Chloe Currie, another member of Team Canada’s Development Squad. Thibault bogeyed two of her last three holes, but managed to hang on for a 2-over-par 73 finish and secure her qualifying spot, while Currie, a Mississauga, Ont., product, sat tied in seventh until she dropped a clutch birdie on the par-3 17th hole, vaulting her into a tie for fifth.
PHOTOS: Click here for images; credit to Jim Meagher/ Golf Canada
2017 FUTURE LINKS, DRIVEN BY ACURA ONTARIO CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS – JUNIOR BOYS DIVISION
1. Christopher Vandette, Beaconsfield, Que., *71-71-68-210 -3
2. Thomas Giroux, Georgetown, Ont., *74-72-69-215 +2
3. Jeevan Sihota, Victoria, B.C., *69-72-75-216 +3
4. Louis-Alexandre Jobin-Colgan, Quebec, Que., *76-73-68-217 +4
4. Oliver Menard, Valleyfield, Que., *75-73-69-217 +4
6. Zachary Greifenberger, Toronto, Ont., *77-70-71-218 +5
2017 FUTURE LINKS, DRIVEN BY ACURA ONTARIO CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS – JUNIOR GIRLS DIVISION
1. Monet Chun, Richmond Hill, Ont., 74-70-70–214 +1
2. Ellie Szeryk, London, Ont., 72-76-70–218 +5
3. Céleste Dao, Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que., 72-77-74–223 +10
3. Alyssa DiMarcantonio, Maple, Ont., 74-76-73–223 +10
5. Brigitte Thibault. Rosemère, Que., 75-78-73–226 +13
5. Chloe Currie, Mississauga, Ont., 77-74-75–226 +13
Full results.
Feng holds on for 1 stroke win at LPGA event in Michigan
Shanshan Feng won in Malaysia and Japan during an impressive stretch toward the end of the 2016 season.
On American soil, however, it had been a while since her last victory.
That dry spell ended when Feng shot a 4-under 68 on Sunday to win the LPGA Volvik Championship by one stroke over Minjee Lee and Sung Hyun Park. It was her first victory of the season and seventh of her career – and her first in the U.S. since the CME Group Titleholders in 2013.
“Very happy that I can actually prove to the fans in the U.S. that I can actually win here,” she said.
She led by one shot after a bogey-free third round Saturday, then kept the competition at bay on the 6,734-yard course at Travis Pointe Country Club.
Feng, a bronze medallist for China at the 2016 Olympics, led by four strokes with four holes to play, but she made a bogey on No. 16 and Lee birdied 17. Needing a bogey on the 18th to win, Feng easily tapped in for one and finished at 19-under 269.
Lee (65) made six birdies on the front nine, and Park (66) made four on the back.
"I had a really fun day out there. I started off really hot." @minjeegolf finishes T2 after a great final round at the @VolvikLPGA pic.twitter.com/7NcKozUBL0
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 28, 2017
Playing a couple groups ahead of Feng, Lee knew she needed a strong finish to catch the leader, and after her birdie on No. 17, she tried to reach the green on the par-5 18th in two. Lee missed well to the left and ended up near the scoring tent before scrambling to make par.
“I was like, ‘Oh, I’m four shots behind with like two holes to go.’ So just tried to play and make as many birdies as I could on the last two holes,” Lee said. “I made one.”
But Feng still had room for error as she was finishing her round – not that she necessarily realized it. Feng says she tries to ignore the leaderboard when she plays.
“I had no idea about the others other than my playing partners, so I was maybe assuming somebody in front of me maybe would have a super-low round and maybe would catch me,” Feng said. “So I had no idea. I was just focusing on my own game and own plan.”
Feng’s second shot on 18 left her behind a bunker near the green, and her shot from there still came up short of the putting surface. When she did reach the green, she still had two putts for the win from a pretty short distance.
“I asked my caddie. I handed him the ball, I was like, ‘Is it OK?’ My caddie said, ‘Oh, it’s fine.’ Then I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I’ve got two putt to win,”’ she said. “And I looked at the leaderboard and I was winning by two, so I didn’t have pressure.”
Lizette Salas (69) and Jeong Eun Lee (67) finished tied for fourth, two strokes behind.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a final round of 4-under 68 to finish in a tie for 21st at 11 under.
Lydia Ko skipped this event but remains No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings. So Yeon Ryu and Ariya Jutanugarn each could have displaced her this week, but Ryu (72) finished tied for 56th at 3 under, and Jutanugarn (71) – the defending champion at this event – was 11 under and tied for 21st. Ryu had finished in the top 10 in 11 consecutive events, dating to last season.
Feng finished last year strong after her Olympic medal, winning twice to cap a streak of six straight tour finishes in the top four.
“I got the bronze medal in Rio and that really gave me a lot more confidence,” she said. “After that I just reminded myself every time, ‘Hey, just smile all the time, it doesn’t matter if you hit a bad shot. I mean it’s going to happen because we’re human beings and we should allow ourselves to do that, and that’s what I’ve been doing well.”
"I think overall I've been a consistent player but I want to win more." @shanshanfengCHN watch press conference at #VolvikLPGA: pic.twitter.com/sfRHYufVDY
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 28, 2017
Feng’s most recent LPGA win before Sunday was at last year’s TOTO Japan Classic , and the ending was similar. She took a three-shot lead to the final hole, then made a double bogey that was enough for a one-stroke victory.
She came into the final round Sunday with a one-stroke lead over Salas and was ahead by two after the front nine. Birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 put Feng ahead by four.
For the full leaderboard click here
Spieth charges, Kisner holds on to win Colonial by stroke
Kevin Kisner birdied the first three holes on the back nine to take the lead and held on to win at Colonial despite a Sunday charge by defending champion Jordan Spieth.
Kisner shot a 4-under 66 to finish at 10-under 270, including a clutch par save on the 18th hole after a wayward tee shot and an approach that was off the back side of the green and well below the hole. He finished a stroke ahead of Spieth, Sean O’Hair and Jon Rahm.
Spieth shot a bogey-free 65, and was standing on a chair to see over the crowd at the 18th green when Kisner putted up the mound to 5 feet of the cup and then made the winning putt. That came right after Rahm’s 10-foot birdie chance skirted just to the left of the hole.
.@K_Kisner with a clutch par on 18!
He's your new clubhouse leader. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/WDZxagMUoj
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 28, 2017
The 33-year-old Kisner got his second PGA Tour victory in 148 starts since his debut in 2011, and a check for just more than $1.2 million. He was a runner-up twice this year, and six times over past three seasons.
Kisner had a three-stroke lead at the turn on the final day of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March before finishing a stroke behind Marc Leishman. Kisner made a nearly 95-foot chip-in for eagle to get him and fellow Aiken, South Carolina, resident Scott Brown into playoff at the Zurich Classic’s new team format before losing on the fourth playoff hole to duo of Australia’s Cameron Smith and Jonas Blixt of Sweden.
After a 14-foot birdie at the 420-yard 15th hole at Hogan’s Alley, Kisner had a two-stroke lead. That at the same hole where Spieth, playing two groups ahead of him, punctuated an 11-foot birdie putt with a fist pump.
Picture perfect from @jordanspieth.
One back. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/BgEKBY4r7E
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 28, 2017
But about the same time Kisner made a bogey at the par-3 16th, Spieth was hitting his drive way right at the 18th hole and went on to save par after a chip to 5 feet. Kisner hit a similar drive, and also saved par.
Spieth, who had missed consecutive cuts at The Players Championship and the AT&T Byron Nelson, was trying to become the only player other than Ben Hogan to win consecutive Colonials. Hogan won five times, including the first two in 1946 and 1947, along with consecutive wins again in 1952 and 1953.
O’Hair and Rahm, who the last two years won the Ben Hogan Award as the nation’s top college player, both shot 66.
Adam Hadwin (70) of Abbotsford, B.C., was the low Canadian at 4 over. Graham DeLaet (71) of Weyburn, Sask., was 5 over, Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor (71) was 6 over and David Hearn (73) of Brantford, Ont., was 10 over.
There were several near misses for Spieth, who started the day five strokes behind 54-hole leader Webb Simpson.
Spieth had birdies on the first two holes before a nearly 20-footer lipped out at the 453-yard No. 3 hole. He also just missed a 12-footer at No. 9, and a 25-footer at the 446-yard 12th hole rolled over the left edge of the cup.
Simpson, the 2012 U.S. Open winner, was the 54-hole leader by two strokes, but started the final round with an unusual bogey at the par-5 first hole. His only birdie came at No. 9, and he bogeyed the 18th when he drove into the left rough after Kisner had already posted his final putt. Simpson had a 71 to finish fifth at 8 under.
Congratulations to @K_Kisner!
He is your new @DeanDelucaInv champion! pic.twitter.com/upOt2GnVqq
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 28, 2017
Steve Stricker, the 2009 Colonial winner who turned 50 this year, shot a 63 to move from a tie for 32nd to a tie for seventh for 6 under. He had eight birdies his first 14 holes Sunday, on track to challenge the Colonial course record of 61 and maybe even a 59, before a bogey and three closing pars.
For the full leaderboard click here.
Feng takes 1 stroke lead after bogey free 66 in Michigan
Whether she realized it or not, Shanshan Feng finished the third round of the LPGA Volvik Championship in first place.
Feng, who insists she tries to ignore leaderboards at this stage of a tournament, shot a 6-under 66 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over Lizette Salas. Feng’s bogey-free round left her at 15 under for the tournament as she pursues her seventh career victory.
“I have a habit that I don’t look at the leaderboards until Sunday night, so I actually don’t really know where I’m at and I don’t really know what the others are doing,” the Chinese star said. “But I’m feeling good about my condition right now and what I’ve done the first three days, so looking forward to the final day.”
Feng birdied the last two holes Saturday on the 6,734-yard course at Travis Pointe Country Club. She took over sole possession of the lead when Salas bogeyed No. 18 moments later.
“Finishing like that really just gets under my skin,” said Salas, who birdied Nos. 13, 14 and 15. “I think that is going to be an extra push for tomorrow, too. I had a two-shot lead and now I’m one back.”
Salas (67) was one shot ahead of Suzann Pettersen (69). Second-round leader Sung Hyun Park (72) was tied for fourth with Jeong Eun Lee (68) at 12 under.
Stacy Lewis (68), Jennifer Song (70) and Minjee Lee (71) were 11 under, and six players were another stroke back, including defending champion Ariya Jutanugarn (68).
Jutanugarn has been playing catch-up since shooting a first-round 72, but if she can keep moving up the leaderboard, she has a chance to take over the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Rankings. Top-ranked Lydia Ko is skipping this event.
One scenario that would put Jutanugarn at No. 1 is if she finishes in the top three and So Yeon Ryu is out of the top four. Ryu (70) is well behind at 3 under and appears unlikely to extend her streak of 11 straight top-10 showings.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 72 and is 7 under.
The most recent victory for Feng was at last year’s TOTO Japan Classic. That was her second straight win and capped a run of six straight tour finishes in the top four – and seven in a row counting her bronze medal at the Olympics.
Feng has finished in the top 10 three times this season, including the past two events. Ignoring the leaderboard seems to work out fine for her.
“I actually tell my team, I tell them, people around me,” she said. “I say: ‘Don’t tell me where I’m at. If I want to know something, I’ll ask you, but don’t tell me.”’
It looked as if Salas might be the one entering the final round with the lead when her string of birdies in the middle of the back nine put her at 15 under. She missed only one fairway all day, on No. 13, and she even birdied that hole.
“Just was in the zone and things just came together and I was having fun and I think that’s the most important thing,” she said. “I’m visualizing a lot better and I’m executing.”
Pettersen made the turn at 13 under before playing the back nine in even par. She’s been consistently good all week, shooting two 67s before Saturday’s 69.
“You can see there’s a lot of low scores around this place,” Pettersen said. “If it plays like it does the last couple days, you’ve got to attack pins.”
Brittany Lincicome was 5 under with little chance of winning, but she played one of the more unusual rounds Saturday. She was the first player to tee off and did not have a playing partner, so she breezed to a 68 in under 2 1/2 hours.
For the full leaderboard click here.
Webb Simpson breaks out of crowd to take Colonial lead
Webb Simpson shot a 3-under 67 on Saturday to break out of a crowd and take the third-round lead at the Colonial.
At 9-under 201, Simpson was two strokes ahead of Danny Lee and Paul Casey after both of them made long birdie putts at the 18th hole. Stewart Cink and Kevin Kisner were three strokes off the lead.
Part of a four-way tie for the 36-hole lead, Simpson went ahead alone to stay after consecutive birdies to start his back nine. He made a 6-foot birdie putt at the 387-yard 10th and a 12-footer at the 630-yard 11th before finishing with seven consecutive pars.
It is only the second time in 12 years at Colonial for the 54-hole leader to have more than a one-stroke advantage.
Defending champion Jordan Spieth shot a 68 with a caddie switch after making the turn, and was at 4 under.
Spieth’s regular caddie, Michael Greller, left the course after 11 holes because of heat exhaustion on a steamy day with temperatures in the 90s and the heat index higher than that. Damon Goddard, the personal trainer for the player and the caddie, carried the bag the rest of the round – a stretch when Spieth had a bogey and two birdies.
Graham DeLaet (71) of Weyburn, Sask., and Adam Hadwin (72) of Abbotsford, B.C., were the low Canadians at 4 over. Nick Taylor (73) of Abbotsford was 5 over and David Hearn (75) of Brantford, Ont., is 7 over.
Lee and Kisner also were tied for the second-round lead, along with Scott Piercy, whose shot 72 to fall five strokes back.
After three birdies and three bogeys his first eight holes Saturday, Lee had a steady stream of pars until finishing with a 16-foot birdie for a round of 69.
Casey, who shot 68, was alone in second for only a couple of minutes. He made a nearly 25-foot birdie putt that had just enough speed to fall into the cup at No. 18, while Lee was playing in the group behind him. Casey was 1 over for the day without a birdie until starting his back nine with three birdies in a four-hole stretch that included a bogey.
Piercy was still within a stroke of the lead at 8 under after a par-saving 13-foot putt at the 12th hole after driving into the rough and hitting his approach in a greenside bunker there.
Piercy then promptly hit his tee shot at the par-3 13th into the pond on way to a double-bogey. He followed with another bogey at 15 when he drove into the rough and then hit into a greenside bunker, and did the same at No. 18.
Simpson, the 2012 U.S. Open winner playing in the final group, started the round with birdies at the first two holes. He gave one of those back with a bogey at the par-3, 192-yard No. 8 after missing the green with his tee shot.
Since losing a playoff to Hideki Matsuyama at Phoenix, Simpson had missed four of nine cuts before this week. The four-time PGA Tour winner’s best finish in that stretch was a tie for 11th at the RBC Heritage.
For the full leaderboard, click here.
Team Canada’s Peyton Callens commits to Texas A&M University
Another Team Canada golfer is heading to Texas A&M University. Langton, Ont., native Peyton Callens—a rookie on the Development Squad—has made a verbal commitment to join the Aggies in the fall of 2018.
London, Ont., resident Maddie Szeryk, a member of the Team Canada National Squad, just wrapped up her third year at Texas A&M where she established a new school record with a season stroke average of 71.24 and was named a First-Team All-American.
Callens, 17, considered offers from Kent State, and Arizona State – the home of another Team Canada National Squad member, Kimberley B. C.’s Jared Du Toit.
As a member of Team Ontario in 2016, Callens was a force to be reckoned with on the junior championship circuit. He won the Ontario Junior Boys Championship, the Future Links driven by Acura Prairie Championship, and the Golf Ontario Junior Boys Spring classic.
He also finished 2nd at the Ontario Juvenile Championship and recorded a T3 finish at the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship.
A member of Delhi Golf and Country Club, in Delhi, Ont., Callens currently attends Holy Trinity High School in Simcoe, Ont.
Sihota, Chun lead after the second round at Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario Championship
BROCKVILLE, ON – Jeevan Sihota shot a 1-over-par 72 and Monet Chun shot a 1-under-par 70 to lead their respective divisions after round 2 of the Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario Championship at Brockville Country Club in Brockville, Ont., on Saturday.
Sihota looked like he was going to run away with the tournament as he went bogey-free through the front nine and made the turn at 3-under. However, the 13-year-old faced his first rough patch of the tournament on the back half of the course when he failed to record a single birdie and marked down four bogeys on his scorecard.
“Once again, a good start,” the Victoria, B.C., native said, after his round. “I didn’t close very well today, obviously, but I’m in there so that’s good. I had the same game plan as yesterday and I’ll have the same one tomorrow so we’ll see how that goes.”
If Sihota manages to close out a win tomorrow, he will be crowned the champion of both of the first two Future Links, driven by Acura Championships in 2017.
“At the Pacific Championship I stayed calm and the birdies fell, so I just have to do the same thing tomorrow,” he said.
Nipping at his heals is Christopher Vandette from Beaconsville, Que. For the second consecutive day, Vandette scored an even-par 71 to sit alone in second place.
Eric Byun, from Richmond Hill, Ont., and Taylor Beckstead, a product of Alliston, Ont., are within striking distance of Sihota, sitting just three strokes back.
Logan Boucher, who is also from Beaconsville, Que., was one of two golfers to shoot a 69 — the low score of the day – vaulting him to T5. Robbie Latter, from Mississauga, Ont., was the other junior to score a 2-under-par 69, and he sits at T17 (6-over on the tournament).
Chun, a member of Team Canada’s Development Squad, took solo lead of the Girls Division after her 1-under-par 70, the only girl to record an under-par score so far in the tournament. The Richmond Hill, Ont., native had a flawless opening nine with no bogeys and scored birdies on holes four and six. After making consecutive bogies on 10 and 11, she managed to finish the back nine with two more birdies and a bogey.
Ellie Szeryk, from London, Ont., started the day tied with Céleste Dao at the top of the leaderboard, but four bogeys on the front nine paired with another three in her last four holes resulted in a 5-over-par 76, dropping her into a tie for second with Mathilde Denicourt (74, 74). The pair sit four strokes back of Chun.
Dao struggled to get going on Saturday and opened her round 4 over par through as many holes. Despite making two birdies after the turn, she scored two bogeys and a double-bogey to end her round with a 6-over-par 77, five shots back of the lead.
Chloe Currie, Team Canada’s other Development Squad Member, shot 3-over on the front nine while only registering a single par. After the turn she managed to stay even and her 3-over-par 74 moved her into 6th place on the tournament.
The final round of the 2017 Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario Championship will start at 7:00am tomorrow. Click here for complete scoring information.
Park takes 2 stroke lead with second round 65 at LPGA event, Henderson, T10
Sung Hyun Park leads the LPGA Volvik Championship after 36 holes. Park shot a 65 to enter the weekend at 12 under.
Minjee Lee cost herself a top-10 finish last week when she failed to sign her scorecard. She is in a tie for second after a second round 66, with Suzann Pettersen (67).
It was quite a gaffe, obviously, but it didn’t change the fact that the 20-year-old from Australia was playing pretty well.
“Obviously, it was my fault,” Lee said. “I played good last week and I know my game’s there.”
“I feel pretty comfortable out there,” said Lee, a three-time winner on the LPGA Tour. “I mean, I was having fun out there and kept it pretty light with my caddie. Yeah, just played golf really.”
“I holed a couple long putts & my shots into the green were good as well. Just solid all around today” @minjeegolf leader (-10) @VolvikLPGA pic.twitter.com/1oETM0womE
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 26, 2017
Lee, who turns 21 on Saturday, was disqualified from the Kingsmill Championship because of the mistake with her scorecard. She seems to have put that behind her, and she wrapped up her round Friday with a birdie on No. 9.
On that final hole, playing partner Charley Hull’s approach shot struck Lee’s ball, which was already on the green, so the players had to deal with that unusual situation.
“They said move it three inches so that’s what we did,” Lee said.
Lexi Thompson, who had her own huge penalty at this year’s ANA Inspiration, was in Lee’s group. She shot 68 and moved to 4 under.
Park birdied six holes on the back nine, and the rookie from South Korea appears to be playing with confidence. She was the top earning player in the Korean LPGA last year and also had four top-10 finishes in seven LPGA Tour events. She has three top-10 LPGA Tour showings this season.
“I think I’ve definitely felt the pressure and that’s probably one of the biggest reasons why I haven’t performed up to my standards this year,” Park said through a translator. “But I think this week I’m able to let things go a little bit more and play my game.”
Sung Hyun Park finishes with a birdie to take a two shot lead at 12-under ??#VolvikLPGA pic.twitter.com/VCLYDgy9Y0
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 26, 2017
Aside from Park, Lizette Salas was the only player to shoot a 65 on Friday on the 6,734-yard course at Travis Pointe Country Club. She was at 9 under after missing the cut last week.
“I kind of started off from scratch after Kingsmill after I missed the cut, so I just started from ground zero and worked my way here,” Salas said. “Just really having fun. I love Michigan golf and I finished second in Grand Rapids a couple years ago, so I don’t know, just kind of got my groove back, I guess.”
First-round leaders Stacy Lewis and Wei-Ling Hsu shot 72s and trailed Park by five strokes. Defending champion Ariya Jutanugarn (66) rebounded from a tough first round but still trails the leader by six.
Top-ranked Lydia Ko is not playing in this event, and the other top players in the Rolex Rankings haven’t been at their best. Third-ranked Jutanugarn made some progress Friday, but second-ranked So Yeon Ryu (71) barely made the cut at 1 under. Her streak of 11 straight top-10 finishes is in jeopardy.
“When you play bad, you can find, ‘OK, I have to fix these.’ Or, ‘I have to do this one better,”’ Ryu said. “But I couldn’t really feel it this week. I don’t even know. I cannot hit it well, I cannot really putt it well. So hopefully it’s going to drop for this weekend.”
Paula Creamer (75), Yani Tseng (72), Michelle Wie (71) and Morgan Pressel (75) missed the cut.
The top ranked Canadian is Smiths Falls Ontario’s Brooke Henderson. She is a tie for tenth after a second round 66.
Henderson went out in a bogey free, 4-under par 32 on the front nine, and recorded three more birdies and just one bogey on the back nine, to finish at 6-under for the day (66).
The full leaderboard can be seen here.