Matt Hill of Brights Grove, Ont., defeated  Jesse Smith of Oshweken, Ont., in a playoff at Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton, Ont., to top the second of three Regional Qualifying events and secure his spot in the 2017 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., July 24-30.

“I know I can play well in a tour event and draw on some of the past experiences I’ve had,” said Hill. “I know how to handle myself in certain situations due to certain things I’ve done in the past and I think that will benefit me this year at the RBC Canadian Open.”

Hill, who won the NCAA Division I Championship in 2009 while at North Carolina State, went out in a 1-under par, 35 on the front nine.

He then caught fire on the back nine, recording four birdies and no bogeys, to card a 5-under par 67.

“I had a few good chances on the front nine and only shot 1-under and I kind of stuck with the positive attitude and told myself that since I missed a few I was going to start making some, so I made a few on the back nine,” said Hill.

Smith equaled Hill’s round of 67 by recording six birdies, three bogeys and an eagle on the par-5 12th hole.

Hill and Smith both teed off early in the day, Hill at 9:09 a.m. and Smith at 9:20 a.m. The playoff didn’t wrap up until around 8:30 p.m., so both players had to deal with a lengthy break between finishing their round and starting the playoff.

“After I just kind of relaxed for a couple hours, I went out a few hours before the playoff, and just got in a full pre-round warm-up,” said Hill. “I stretched, putted, chipped and hit a few, just to make sure all the parts of my game were ready to go.”

For the playoff, Hill and Smith replayed the par-4 18th hole. Smith bogeyed the first playoff hole, while Hill converted a two-putt par from 15 feet, to clinch victory.

143 golfers competed in the tournament vying for a spot in the final RBC Canadian Open Qualifier, on July 24th at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont.

In addition to Hill advancing directly to the RBC Canadian Open, 21 golfers advanced to the Final Qualifying event.

Peter Campbell, a resident of Windemere, Fl., and  a member of the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, came in solo third, carding a 4-under par 68.

The highest-ranking amateur was Joshua Montgomery, who fired a 1-under par, 71, finishing T6 with two other golfers, and advancing to the final qualifier at Heron Point, in his hometown of Ancaster.

Brantford Ontario’s Stephane Dubois, was part of a group of six who finished T9, at even par, his second strong qualifying performance in recent weeks, after winning medallist honours at Golf Canada’s U.S Open Local Qualifier at Beacon Hall Golf Club, in Aurora, Ont., on May 8th.

In total, there are three regional qualifying events, each consisting of 18 holes of stroke play. Provided there are 100 or more players in the field, as was the case at Blue Springs, the low qualifier receives an exemption directly into the 2017 RBC Canadian Open.

Otherwise, the top 15 percent of finishers at each qualifier become eligible to compete at the final qualifying event.

The first RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier at Bear Mountain Resort, in Victoria, B.C., on May 9th, saw Keith Martin and Derek Barron win medallist honours, securing their spot, along with four other golfers, in the Final Qualifying event.

The third RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier, will take place June 5th at Club de Golf de la Vallee du Richelieu on the Rouville Course in Saint-Julie, Que.

Additional information, and full results from Monday’s RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier at Blue Springs can be found here.

THE FOLLOWING GOLFERS ADVANCED FINAL QUALIFIER

2 – Jesse Smith, Ohsweken, ON 34-33–67 (-5)
3 – Peter Campbell, Windermere, FL 34-34–68 (-4)
T4 – Dan Bowling, Brights Grove, ON 38-32–70 (-2)
T4 – J.J. Regan, Burlington, ON 36-34–70 (-2)
T6 – Joshua Montgomery (a), Ancaster, ON 36-35–71 (-1)
T6 – Russell Budd, Toronto, ON 35-36–71 (-1)
T6 – Drew Nesbitt, Shanty Bay, ON 35-36–71 (-1
T9 – Andrew Ledger, Toronto, ON 35-37–72 E
T9 – Nyasha Mauchaza, Port Saint Lucie, FL 34-38–72 E
T9 – Adrian Cord (a), Toronto, ON 38-34–72 E
T9 – Stephane Dubois, Brantford, ON 37-35–72 E
T9 – Eddie Maunder, Oakville, ON 38-34–72 E
T9 – Nic Mazze (a), Caledon East, ON 36-36–72 E
T15 – James Skrypec, Kitchener, ON 35-38–73 +1
T15 – Victor Ciesielski, Cambridge, ON 38-35–73 +1
T15 – Sebastian Szirmak, Toronto, ON 37-36–73 +1
T15 – Chase Komaromi (a), London, ON 35-38–73 +1
T15 – Elliott Whitley, Hamilton, ON 37-36–73 +1
T15 – Brad Kerfoot, Toronto, ON 37-36–73 +1
T15 – Philip Arci (a), Vaughan, ON 35-38–73 +1
T15 – Mike Currie (a), Milton, ON 34-39–73 +1

For the full results click here.

The Shaw Charity Classic kicked off its five-year anniversary celebrations by confirming golf’s greats will be returning to Calgary until 2020.

Shaw Communications Inc. has extended its commitment for three more years as title sponsor of the award-winning PGA TOUR Champions tournament, which has raised more than $13.8 million for youth-based charities in Alberta.

“Over the past four years, the Shaw Charity Classic has had a remarkable impact on children’s charities across Southern Alberta, and there is no better way to celebrate this success than to ensure its support for local charities can continue,” said Brad Shaw, CEO, Shaw Communications. “We are honoured to continue working with the Patron Group and our partners at the PGA TOUR Champions to bring world-class golf to Calgarians for three more years.”

Shaw Communications also announced it would contribute a total of $1 million to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation and the RESOLVE campaign, with $500,000 donated to each as charitable partners of the Shaw Charity Classic. The donations and three-year extension were announced during a special celebration on Monday to kick off the fifth year of the tournament.

“We are excited about the extension with Shaw Communications, which enables us to further cement PGA TOUR Champions roots in the great city of Calgary,” said PGA TOUR Champions Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Miller Brady. “This event has delivered an impressive list of champions in four short years while also creating a lasting charitable footprint in the region that extends well beyond the boundaries of tournament week.”

“Our goal from day one was to bring a family-friendly professional sporting event to Calgary and to support the many incredible children’s charities in our community,” said Clay Riddell, Tournament Chairman. “Over the past four years, the Shaw Charity Classic has exceeded our expectations on every level, and we’re grateful to continue working with Shaw through 2020.”

The Shaw Charity Classic has made an incredible impact on the senior professional golf circuit since its debut in 2013. The tournament received an Outstanding Achievement Award for a first year event by the PGA TOUR Champions before winning back-to-back President’s Awards as the top event on Tour.

“We have white-hatted four incredible champions in Rocco Mediate, Fred Couples, Jeff Maggert and Carlos Franco, but the true champions this tournament creates extends far beyond the golf course,” said Sean Van Kesteren, Executive Director, Shaw Charity Classic. “While focusing on bringing the community together, we have provided networking and team building opportunities for the business community – highlighted by our annual Women’s Day, have created a stage to showcase the skills of Calgary’s junior golfers, and have incredible volunteer spirit. But there is no greater impact than the champions this tournament creates in our youth. The Shaw Charity Classic gives children battling a wide range of personal challenges the opportunity to dream, and enjoy life’s precious moments.”

Calgary’s marquee golf event has set a record for charitable giving on the PGA TOUR Champions each year. Since 2015, when the Shaw Charity Classic initiated its Birdies for Kids program, there has tremendous growth in the tournament’s fundraising efforts. Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink has since expanded its charitable beneficiaries in Alberta, generating donations from more than 1,600 people from all corners of the country. Birdies for Kids gives individuals and corporations the opportunity to make a donation directed to the children’s charity of their choice. Donations are then further leveraged through a tiered matching program that sees a percentage of the first $250,000 additionally donated to each charity.

Tournament officials are encouraging the corporate community to match Shaw Communications’ three-year commitment with a number of specially-designed corporate packages which are available online at www.shawcharityclassic.com. The Tournament is currently planning a number of events to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Shaw Charity Classic, August 30 – September 3, 2017.

Hours after sinking his winning playoff putt at the RSM Classic, after most fans had left the golf course, after running through the media gauntlet, Mackenzie Hughes was finally getting into his car to head home. His mother, Sandra, and wife Jenna were with him, the trio likely worn out from a whirlwind week in Sea Island, Ga.

Four rounds in the 60s — including a sparkling opening-round 61 — and a Monday finish had flipped Hughes’ life upside down but the newly crowned PGA Tour champion wasn’t ready to celebrate just yet. From the car, he dialed Derek Ingram.

“First thing he said was, ‘We’re going to the Masters!’ recounts Ingram, Team Canada’s national men’s coach. “But 15 minutes into the conversation his tone switches and he’s like, ‘D.I., we gotta change my schedule this year and the way we plan. We gotta reset my goals for this year, I really want to do something special so I want to get together in the next day or two to take a look at that plan, the schedule and our goals.’”

In that moment, Ingram was astonished by Hughes’ professional attitude and forward-thinking focus. He loved that the PGA Tour rookie was already mentally gearing up for The Masters, The Players, the PGA Championship and the FedEx Cup. But the more Ingram reflected on the conversation, the less surprising the remarks became.

Hughes has always been regarded as mature beyond his years. Friends describe him with glowing terms like smart, calculated, disciplined, modest and polite. He exhibits those qualities on and off the golf course, polishing his game and producing high results in the process.

“It never ceases to amaze me how good he is at preparing and practising,” adds Ingram.

“He’s always been a guy that has had the right habits and done the right things.”

Hughes’ tactical technique has been sharpened over the years from working with his personal coach, Scott Cowx, and experience with Golf Canada’s amateur and Young Pro squads. It’s allowed him to be solid in every category instead of excelling in one. That approach, combined with the fervent focus he exudes, has been validated time and again, including his first year as a professional in 2013 when he won the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada’s Cape Breton Celtic Classic at The Lakes GC in Ben Eoin, N.S., and, ultimately, that circuit’s Order of Merit.

During that breakout week in Cape Breton, Hughes housed in the basement of billet family Rick and Sharon Preeper’s three-bedroom bungalow.

“He’d practise, have his round, and he might be back at the house before we were,” recalls Sharon. “At night there were a few parties that were happening and he wasn’t interested in that. He was just here to play golf and he was very, very focused on what he was doing.”

“After the tournament I went downstairs and found 10 or 11 golf balls under the couch,” explains Rick. “He was downstairs putting on the carpet and he’d accidentally putt them under the furniture.”

The Preepers still correspond every month with Hughes, who stayed in their home the following two years of the tournament as well. They have all four rounds of the RSM Classic still recorded on their TV — Sharon admits she was so nervous for Hughes that she couldn’t sleep at all the night before the Monday playoff — and are just two of the countless Canadians spurring on the golfer.

“A lot of people at The Lakes are big followers of Mackenzie also,” she says. “In November when he was playing in the tournament and he was doing so well, we would get Facebook messages and texts from our friends and some of the people out there and everybody was rooting for him. And I think that speaks volumes for people who met him once or twice.”

For those who’ve dealt with Mackenzie on more than one or two occasions, they know first-hand the 27-year-old’s strong work ethic and hunger for success. John Kirkwood, the head professional at Hughes’ home club of Dundas Valley G&CC, has witnessed this internal drive for nearly 20 years. He first met Mackenzie when he was a junior member and would give him rides home after work.

Kirkwood describes the Dundas, Ont., native, who had to write to NCAA coaches in order to secure a scholarship at Kent State University, as an “I’m gonna make it kind of kid.” Hughes’ ascension to the PGA Tour and ensuing victory not only backed up that attitude, but also delighted the membership at Dundas Valley.

“To be honest, it’s killing my productivity at the club because every single member has a Mackenzie story,” Kirkwood explains. “Every single person wants to talk about it. Which is amazing, and I’m one that loves to talk as it is, but everybody was over-the-moon excited.”

Like all golfers representing the red-and-white, Hughes’ achievements have rallied fans from coast to coast. As a kid, he attended a handful of Canadian Opens to witness his heroes in person, including Mike Weir, whose multiple victories, most notably his major triumph in 2003, Hughes remembers fondly. Now he’s the player inside the ropes kids will idolize. His humbleness and dedication make him that much more likable, in line with most of the great Canadian athletes we’ve celebrated before him.

“I felt all the support in Canada and all around the world a little bit because I’ve been around,” Hughes said after the victory. “The people supporting me this week and to win it for them, to win it for my hometown of Dundas, it’s just an incredible feeling. To lead all week but to have to do it in a five-man playoff, I can’t put it into words.”

Now his focus shifts forward as one of Canada’s top-ranked male players. What will he do next? How will he play at Augusta? When will he win again? Can he win a major? Those questions will be answered. But for now, as Ingram expected to hear on that phone call in November, let’s relish another deserving athlete etching himself into our national history. He’s the 16th — asterisks noted — Canadian to win a PGA Tour event.

“It’s probably the most satisfied and happy I’ve felt for a player, maybe ever, in the 20 years I’ve been doing this,” Ingram states. “It happened for the right guy. He’s done everything right, worked harder than everybody and he’s also the most coachable individual I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with.”

This article was originally published in the April 2017 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine.

Jeevan Sihota scored a final round 67 to top the leaderboard of the Boys Division of the Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific Championship, while Mary Parsons defended her 2016 Girls Division title after she defeated Euna Han in playoff at Chilliwack Golf Club in Chilliwack, B.C. on Sunday.

Sihota, a Victoria resident, started his final round 1-over through three holes before he turned up his game scoring birdies on holes five and four. After he made the turn, the 13-year-old was lights out, playing bogey free and making birdies on 11, 12, 13 and 15, leading to a 10-under finish for the tournament.

Khan Lee shot the low-score of the day with a 6-under 66. After starting the day with a bogey, the Langley, B.C., native birdied four of his next seven holes, and then birdied four of six holes after making the turn to finish one shot behind Sihota.

Finishing T2 with Lee was Tristan Mandur of Mill Bay, B.C., who made birdies on 17 and 18 resulting in a 69 (-2) on the day, his second sub-70 finish in as many rounds.

Chandler McDowell, a Team Canada Development Squad member, started Sunday in the lead, but after bogeys on two of the first three holes, he was never able to fully recover. He finished 8-under on the tournament after his even-par final round to finish alone in fourth.

Keaton Gudz, from Victoria, and Red Deer’s Carter Graf secured the final two exemptions to the 2017 Canadian Junior Boys Championship on July 31-Aug. 3 at Cataraqui Golf and Country Club in Kingston, Ont. Gudz shot 4-under on Sunday and finished in solo-fifth while Graf shot 3-under and edged out Aidan Goodfellow in playoff for the final spot.

In the Girls Division, Parsons started the day sitting in fourth place but she managed to drop three birdies before she made the turn to put her into striking distance of the top of the leaderboard. Heading into hole 17, the Delta B.C., product was sitting at 3-under and then went birdie-birdie to close out the round with sole possession of first place.

Han, who remained at the top of the leaderboard through the first two rounds, struggled to get things going and headed to the 18th hole 2-over, but managed to nail a clutch birdie putt to force a playoff with Parsons.

Phoebe Yue, of West Vancouver, recorded the low-score of the tournament (and ladies course record) for the Girls Division with a 7-under 65. She recorded two eagles in her final round, including one on the par-4 eighth hole from 140 yards out. Her stellar final round pushed her to 3-under on the tournament and into a tie for third with Surrey’s Susan Xiao.

Xiao, who started in the final pairing, got off to a slow start with a bogey on holes one and three before finishing +1 on the day.

Katherine Chan and Tiffany Kong shot 2-over and 1-over to round out the top-six who earn exemptions into the 2017 Canadian Junior Girls Championship on Aug. 1-4 at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumberland, Ont.

Team Canada Development Squad members Monet Chun (T7) and Hannah Lee (10) both got off to rocky starts
and scored 3-over and 5-over respectively.

2017 FUTURE LINKS, DRIVEN BY ACURA PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS – JUNIOR BOYS DIVISION

1. Jeevan Sihota, Victoria, B.C., *67-72-67-206 -10
2. Khan Lee, Langley, B.C., *71-70-66-207 -9
2. Tristan Mandur, Mill Bay, B.C. *74-64-69-207 -9
4. Chandler McDowell, Sbringbrook, Alta., *69-67-72-208 -8
5. Keaton Gudz, Victoria, B.C., *71-70-68-209 -7
6. Carter Graf, Red Deer, Alta., *71-71-69-211 -5 (P)

2017 FUTURE LINKS, DRIVEN BY ACURA PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS – JUNIOR GIRLS DIVISION

1. Mary Parsons, Delta, B.C., *71-73-67-211 -5 (P)
2. Euna Han, Coquitlam, B.C., *68-70-73-211 -5 (P)
3. Phoebe Yue, West Vancouver, B.C., *78-70-65-213 -3
3. Susan Xiao, Surrey, B.C., *70-70-73-213 -3
5. Katherine Chan, Richmond, B.C., *72-71-74-217 +1
6. Tiffany Kong, Vancouver, B.C., *77-70-73-220 +4

Full results.

Quebec City native Anne-Catherine Tanguay, moved into first place on the Symetra Tour’s Volvik Race for the Card after a third place finish at the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Classic at The Links at Stoney Point.

Tanguay finished at 9-under par, one stroke behind winner Celine Boutier of France, who defeated Columbia’s Paola Moreno in a playoff.

After taking the 36-hole lead, thanks to a bogey-free 65 on Friday, Tanguay carded an even-par, 72, Saturday and was two strokes behind Moreno the 54-hole leader heading into the final round.

Tanguay, a member of the Team Canada Young Pro Squad, made the turn Sunday at 1-over par for the round, after two bogeys and one birdie on the front nine.

She birdied the tenth hole, but then made back-to-back bogeys on 12 and 13. After another birdie on 15, Tanguay was 9-under par heading to the par-5 18th.

On the 72nd hole, Tanguay was one stroke behind Boutier and Moreno, and had the chance to move to 10-under par after her 3rd shot from the bunker set up a birdie putt. She came up short and finished at 9-under par.

Tanguay hit a great bunker shot, but just missed birdie putt. She’s in clubhouse at -9.

Scores ➡️ https://t.co/YH6Iu1k1mw pic.twitter.com/PGeISv8heW

— Symetra Tour (@ROAD2LPGA) May 14, 2017

Moreno and Boutier both parred the 18th, setting up a sudden-death playoff, replaying the 18th hole. Boutier birdied the first playoff hole, to win her first career Symetra Tour event.

Tanguay has been a model of consistency in 2017. Her third place finish was her 5th top-10, and fourth top-5 of the season in six starts. She has yet to finish outside of the top-15 in any of her starts this year.

NEW #1 on #VolvikRace for @LPGA is @ACTanguay??! Her finishes this year…

3
T14
T4
3
T2
T10

Impressive! –> https://t.co/leJn67qz7T pic.twitter.com/ZFfZ8hJOL8

— Symetra Tour (@ROAD2LPGA) May 15, 2017

Fellow Young Pro Squad member, Augusta James, Bath, Ont., finished T11, after carding a 1-over par, 73, on Sunday. James’ 11th place finish was her second best result of the season. She is looking to improve on her 12th place finish in the Volvik Race for the Card last season.

The full leaderboard can be seen here.

Si Woo Kim of South Korea became the youngest winner of The Players Championship with a game and nerves well beyond his 21 years.

On a TPC Sawgrass course where anything can go wrong without notice, Kim was the only player to go bogey-free Sunday and closed with a 3-under 69 for a three-shot victory in golf’s biggest tournament this side of the majors.

He also managed to take all the suspense from the TPC Sawgrass.

All that could stop him was the final two holes, when Kim had a two-shot lead and faced a tee shot to an island green, and then a closing hole with water all the way down the left side. Kim hit the 17th green and two-putted from 45 feet, and he smashed another drive right down the middle.

From one champion to another.

???? pic.twitter.com/MJX0H8pUmS

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 14, 2017

The only drama at the end came from Ian Poulter, who was happy just to be here.

Poulter, who only two weeks ago was spared his full PGA Tour status because of a clerical oversight, was the only player to seriously challenge Kim until he ran out of holes. He pushed his approach to the 18th so far to the right that it caromed off hospitality tents and bounced off a cart path into a palmetto bush. He took a penalty drop, then hit wedge over the trees and nearly holed it, tapping in for par.

Poulter, who had gone 39 holes without a bogey until a crucial one at No. 12, closed with a 71. He tied for second with Louis Oosthuizen (73).

There was plenty of excitement Sunday.

Rafa Cabrera Bello of Spain hit 8-iron that bounded off the side of a bunker and into the cup for an albatross 2 on the par-5 16th. He followed that with a birdie on the 17th, and then holed a long par putt from just off the 18th green. That gave him a 70 and a tie for fourth with Kyle Stanley, a co-leader after 54 holes who shot 75.

The other co-leader was J.B. Holmes, and it was a horror show for the Kentuckian.

Holmes shot 40 on the front nine and still had hope until bogeys on the 14th and 15th holes. And then it turned ugly. He hit too shots into the water on the 17th and make a quintuple-bogey 8, then finished with a double bogey to close with an 84.

He was tied for the lead at the start of the day and finished in a tie for 41st.

It was the worst finish by a 54-hole leader in tournament history, a record that previously belonged to Graeme McDowell (2011) and Alex Cejka (2009), who both shot 79.

Holmes wasn’t alone. Defending champion Jason Day closed with an 80, keeping very much in tact the streak of no winner ever repeating in the Players. Rickie Fowler, who won the year before, closed with a 79.

As for the winner? That was rarely in doubt over the back nine. Even though Kim only hit eight greens in regulation, he went six straight holes on the back without facing a par putt over 2 feet. Kim bumped a fairway metal to just over 3 feet on the final hole and rapped in the par putt to being the celebration.

A career win for Si Woo Kim!

The 21-year-old has claimed @THEPLAYERSChamp! ?

He’s the youngest member on the PGA TOUR. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/f5fZEgXMte

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 14, 2017

“I still can’t believe I’m the champion, and I’m the youngest champion,” Kim said. “I’m looking forward to working hard from now on.”

Kim said he wasn’t nervous because of his victory last year in the Wyndham Championship, which gave him a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour. This victory comes with perks beyond the $1.89 million first prize. He now gets a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, and a three-year exemption to the Masters.

The previous youngest champion of The Players was Adam Scott, who was 23 when he won in 2005.

Kim becomes the second player from South Korea to win The Players Championship, joining K.J. Choi in 2011.

“From that moment, I was dreaming that I really want to be in this tournament,” Kim said through a translator. “And I’m very glad I could practice with him. He gave me a lot of advice. That’s why I could do well.”

Just over four years ago, Kim came over to America to play the final version of PGA Tour’s qualifying school. He earned a card at age 17, but he could not become a PGA Tour member until he turned 18 the following June. That card effectively went to waste, and Kim spent the next two years on the developmental tour until earning his card back to the big leagues.

Now he’s here to stay for at least the next five years, and based on his game, probably much longer.

Mackenzie Hughes, of Dundas, Ont., was the top Canadian finishing T16, after being the 18-hole leader.

The full leaderboard can be seen here.

Chandler McDowell shot a 67 to vault him into first place in the Boys Division at the Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific Championship, while Euna Han shot a 2-under 70 to maintain her lead in the Girls Division heading into the final round at Chilliwack Golf Club in Chilliwack, B.C.

McDowell was dialed in on Saturday as he recorded back-to-back birdies to start his round and then dropped three straight birdies on holes 13, 14 and 15. The only flaw in his second round was a bogey on hole 16, which was a much needed improvement from his opening round in which he recorded four.

“Today I kind of felt a little bit more comfortable out there,” he said, after his round. “I felt like I had a good rhythm out there the whole time. Yesterday I was a little choppy, but today I had one bogey and felt a little different.”

Tristan Mandur shot the low-score of the tournament with a 64, 10 shots better than his opening round. He recorded four birdies on both the front and back nine and jumped up the leaderboard to second, two shots behind McDowell.

“Getting to the fifth hole, I was 2-under through four,” Mandur said. “I knew I had some easy holes coming up so I thought to just play solid and hope I could pull it together.”

Round one leader 13-year-old Jeevan Sihota shot an even-par 72 and dropped to T3 with Chilliwack native Mitchell Thiessen.

A.J. Ewart and Max Sekulic, two memebers of Team Canada’s Development Squad, struggled with their second round and each posted a 2-over 74. They sit at T14 and T11, respectively.

For the second consecutive day, Han is sitting atop the leaderboard in the Girls Division. Her 2-under second round helped maintain her two-stroke lead heading into the final day.

After a rough start where she only scored one birdie on the front nine and recorded bogeys on holes one, six and 11, Han turned her game around and got three straight birdies after the turn and added a fourth on her final hole.

“It was a big comeback,” she said. “I was 2-over through 11 and then birdied four of my last six holes. It was a big fight back.”

Defending champion and Team Canada Development Squad member Mary Parsons had a bit of a setback in her second round and dropped to solo fourth after her 1-over 73. She was 2-under through 10 holes, but a string of three bogeys in six holes saw her dip down the leaderboard.

Her fellow team Canada members, Hannah Lee and Monet Chun sit one spot back tied in fifth. Chun shot 1-under on Saturday while Lee was 1-over. They both sit at +2 for the tournament.

Susan Xiao, from Surrey, B.C., sits in second place after her second-round 70 put her at -4 for the tournament.

The top six finishers in the boy’s division will earn exemptions into the 2017 Canadian Junior Boys Championship on July 31-Aug. 3 at Cataraqui Golf and Country Club in Kingston, Ont. A tie for the sixth position will be decided by a playoff following the conclusion of play on Sunday. The top six in the girl’s division (including ties) will earn exemptions into the 2017 Canadian Junior Girls Championship on Aug. 1-4 at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumberland, Ont.

Team Canada Young Pro Squad member, Anne-Catherine Tanguay, of Quebec City, QC.,  is tied for second with France’s Celine Boutier after round three of the Symetra Tour’s Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Classic.

Tanguay and Boutier are 10-under par for the tournament, two shots behind leader, Paola Moreno of Columbia.

The 26-year-old, Tanguay, who led by two shots entering the third round, hit her tee shot on hole one right and had to scramble for a double bogey. However, she responded well with a birdie on two and finished even for the day.

This was TREMENDOUS approach by @ACTanguay (-9) on 2 that led to birdie at @selfregclassic!

Scores –> https://t.co/fZXpoViOCq pic.twitter.com/Ki6ZO5Pzf9

— Symetra Tour (@ROAD2LPGA) May 13, 2017

“I felt really comfortable on the first hole, it was just a bad swing that put me in a bad position,” explained Tanguay. “The important thing from there is I was able to bounce back.”

Tanguay closed with a birdie on 18 to post a 72.

“I think the conditions were a little different than the other days, but I still gave myself chances, but the putts didn’t go in so I am going to work on making more confident strokes,” said Tanguay. “I was getting the speed right, just not the lines.”

Tanguay will go for her first win and fifth top 10 of the season on Sunday.

I’m happy to be here and I’m excited for tomorrow.”

Fellow Canadian, and Tanguay’s Young Pro Squad teammate, Augusta James, of Bath, Ont., is T7, after firing a 1-over par, 73 on Saturday.

James, also a member of the Team Canad Young Pro Squad, is looking to improve on her 12th place finish in the Volvik Race for the Cup in 2016.

After a 1-under par, 35, on the front nine, James faltered on the second nine, recording three bogeys.

The full leaderboard can be seen here.

The only bogey J.B. Holmes made Saturday could have been a lot worse, and he pieced together a 2-under 70 in strong wind on a punishing course to share the lead with Kyle Stanley going into the final round of The Players Championship.

Holmes hit his tee shot so far to the right on the 14th hole that it went into the water on the 12th hole. He hit a blind shot from 230 yards into the wind to a bunker and managed to get up-and-down to limit the damage, which is what Saturday at the TPC Sawgrass was all about.

“I usually can make a bunch of birdies, so if I can just narrow it down to one bogey, then I’m usually in good shape,” Holmes said.

Stanley got his trouble out of the way early with three bogeys in four holes, and then was bogey-free the rest of the way. He saved par from the back bunker on the 18th hole on the Players Stadium Course for a 72.

“You just kind of have to remind yourself that even though you’re a little bit over par, on the leaderboard I was still in a pretty good spot,” Stanley said.

Co-leader @KyleStanleyGolf talks about his mentality heading into Sunday @THEPLAYERSChamp. https://t.co/teSRrdvC7e

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 13, 2017

They were at 9-under (207), one shot clear of Louis Oosthuizen, who fired a one over, 73, Saturday.

The TPC Sawgrass has trouble at every turn even in calm conditions. Throw in a relentless wind that the final half of the field faced all afternoon, and it was as much about staying in neutral without losing ground – or crashing.

And there was plenty of that.

Jon Rahm of Spain, the best newcomer on the PGA Tour, was five shots behind when he started and missed the 54-hole cut with an 82. Matt Kuchar took a 9 on the 14th hole and shot 81, his highest score ever on this course. Phil Mickelson shot a 78.

Of the 82 players in the field, 49 made a double bogey or worse.

That what’s made Ian Poulter’s round remarkable in so many ways. Two weeks ago, Poulter wasn’t even in the field and no longer had full status until the PGA Tour realized it made a clerical error related to his return from a foot injury. The Ryder Cup stalwart made the most of the opportunity with the only bogey-free round of the day, and even though he had just one birdie, that 71 was enough to give him a serious chance.

“I’ve definitely been freer this week playing golf than I have in the last month, and I think it shows on the course,” Poulter said. “I think it shows probably in my attitude on the course. It’s a big deal. It was a nice phone call to receive, and I definitely feel better on the golf course for it.”

Poulter wasn’t alone in having a shot at a big payoff from the $10.5 million purse.

Si Woo Kim was bogey-free until he hit a shot off the bulkhead and into the water on the par-5 16th and missed a short par putt. He bounced back with a birdie on the island-green 17th and shot 68 to finish two shots out of the lead.

The longest putt of the day at the 17th hole belongs to Seung-Yul Noh.

Watch it in #PGATOUR360
◀️SWIPE▶️ pic.twitter.com/CyqdczuUVI

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 13, 2017

Emiliano Grillo of Argentina had seven birdies in his round of 67 and was tied with Poulter at 6-under 210.

And right behind them was Masters champion Sergio Garcia, who was 4 over through six holes in the opening round and began his recovery project with a hole-in-one on the infamous 17th. Garcia kept pecking away, and his 67 in the third round left him only four shots behind.

The low round belonged to Pat Perez, who shot a 66, with a bogey on the final hole, before the wind began to blow consistently and the TPC Sawgrass became more of a challenge than it already is.

“This is a really tough golf course. It doesn’t matter how good you’re feeling, you have to play really well,” Grillo said. ‘It doesn’t matter who you are.”

That goes for Dustin Johnson, the world No. 1, who looked as though he might have a chance to at least get in the mix until tiny mistakes led to bogeys, and a big mistake led to double bogey on the 16th hole. Johnson shot 40 on the back nine for a 74 and was 11 shots out.

Defending champion Jason Day had two double bogeys in his round of 73 and was eight shots behind, trying to keep alive hopes of becoming the first player to win back-to-back since this tournament began in 1974.

Rory McIlroy could only manage a 71. He will play with Day on Sunday, also eight behind.

Mackenzie Hughes, Dundas, Ont., is T25 at even par.

The full leaderboard can be seen here.

Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Anne-Catherine Tanguay, of Quebec City, QC., birdied three of her first five holes en route to a bogey-free 7-under, 65 to vault into the lead at the Symetra Tour’s Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic.

Tanguay set her personal career-low round to move to 10-under, 134. She takes a two shot lead into the weekend over France’s Celine Boutier. Through 36 holes at The Links at Stoney Point, Tanguay has 11 birdies and one bogey.

Her Young Pro Squad teammate, and first round leader, August James, from Bath, Ont., is tied for third with Rachel Rohanna, of Waynesburg, Pa., at 6-under par after a second round 70.

The 26-year-old, Tanguay, was aggressive from the start. She birdied one, three and five and turned in 31. After six pars to open her closing nine, she tallied birdies on seven and eight.

You guessed it, another @ACTanguay (-10) birdie! Stuck it close from 110 yards.@selfregclassic scores➡️ https://t.co/YH6Iu1k1mw @OU_WGolf pic.twitter.com/JgmzNmcb1E

— Symetra Tour (@ROAD2LPGA) May 12, 2017

The round was made special because Tanguay’s mom, Lucie, and dad, Yvan, flew in last night to watch her play over mother’s day weekend.

“That made the round really special because I feel like they haven’t watched me play in awhile,” said Tanguay. “I told them that the putts were just waiting on you guys to drop so I’m really happy.”

Pretty special to post a career low round (65) w/ mom & dad watching!@ACTanguay leads @selfregclassic by 4https://t.co/fZXpoViOCq pic.twitter.com/BITyQWUQtx

— Symetra Tour (@ROAD2LPGA) May 12, 2017

The putts certainly dropped. She needed just 27 putts on the day after attempting 32 on Thursday when she posted a 69.

“It is always good to play well early in the week,” said Tanguay, who totaled 15 top 10’s at Oklahoma. “I want to stay aggressive the rest of the week and keep making birdies.”

Both Tanguay and James had a helping hand earlier in the week when working with Team Canada’s Women’s Head Coach Tristan Mullally.

“We worked a lot on shaping shots with my wedges and it really helped with my iron play too,” explained Tanguay, who has hit 33-of-36 greens in regulation so far. “I crafted shots and it felt like every yardage was a good yardage today. As long as I keep my driver in the fairway, we’ll be good to go.”

The 24-year-old James, who is looking for her first career Symetra Tour win this weekend, was leading after 18 holes of play.

She was solid Friday, getting as low as 3-under for the day, before making her lone bogey of the day on 15.

James, is currently 22nd in the Volvik Race for the Card standings, and is looking to improve on her 12th place finish in 2016.

Tanguay, started working with a new sports psychologist, Christie Gialloreto, through Golf Canada in February.

“She has been so helpful for me, it just clicks,” said Tanguay. “I’m definitely making
better shots because of her and she is awesome. We talk every week about whatever is on my mind.”

Tanguay currently ranks fourth on the Volvik Race for the Card money list with four top 10 finishes this season. She has nine top 10’s in her career.

The full leaderboard can be seen here.