EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – South Korean golfer In Gee Chun knows she’s in sight of her second major – and a record – after extending her lead to four shots after the third round of the Evian Championship on Saturday.

Chun carded a 6-under 65 in the rain to go to 19-under overall at Evian Resort.

“My game plan for tomorrow is not to think about winning,” Chun said. “Because it puts too much pressure on me.”

Her countrywoman Sung Hyun Park (67) was at 15 under, and Feng Shanshan (69), China’s only major winner, two shots further back. Brooke Henderson (67) of Smiths Falls, Ont., was tied for 10th at 6-under par, 13 shots back of the lead.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc (76) of Sherbrooke, Que., was tied for 68th, at 7 over.

Chun, the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open champion, had six birdies and an eagle in a round blemished only by a double bogey on the ninth hole.

After slicing from the fairway into the woods, the ball buried under foliage on an incline. Discussing what to do with her caddie for several minutes, Chun decided against a drop shot and declared it unplayable, going back to where she took the shot from and incurring a two-stroke penalty.

But it takes more than that to ruffle Chun.

“I just want to enjoy everything,” she said.

Her eagle on the 15th was a 35-yard chip from the back of the green that rolled up and across the green with perfect weighting, prompting her to raise her arm triumphantly. Fans wrapped in warm clothing and raincoats cheered.

Chun was smiling again after the next hole, another birdie, moved her to 19 under. The last two holes were mere pars.

Sunday could be a record-breaking day for Chun, who remains on course for the lowest ever 72-hole score in a major.

Henrik Stenson and Jason Day own the major record for men and women at 20 under, while the women’s record of 19 under is shared by four players.

With Chun struggling on nine and then missing a birdie chance on 10, Park birdied those two to move one shot behind her.

It was only brief hope, because Chun was all smiles again when she restored her overnight two-shot advantage with a birdie on 11.

Feng, who started slowly with four pars and a bogey on five, got her game together too late, drifting six shots behind after making 69.

South Korean So Yeon Ryu, who has been remarkably consistent with only one bogey in three rounds – on her 10th hole on Saturday – was seven shots behind Chun in fourth place.

A good day for South Koreans was made even better with I.K. Kim making 64, including eight birdies and a bogey, to rise to fifth.

“I hit probably better yesterday to be honest, but today on the par-5s I was able to reach on the back nine,” Kim said. “So I was able to birdie on those.”

Overall, she was nine strokes behind Chun, while American veteran Angela Stanford was 10 adrift in sixth place.

Defending champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand had a terrible day, making six bogeys in a 4-over 75, and was 19 shots behind Chun in a tie for 36th.

More rain was forecast for Sunday’s final round, and tee times were moved forward by a couple of hours.

GARDEN CITY, Kansas – Christine Song (Fullerton, Calif.) couldn’t miss with the flatstick and posted a 6-under, 66 on Saturday at the Garden City Charity Classic presented by Mariah Fund to take the 36-hole lead at 10-under, 134. Song will go for her fifth career Symetra Tour win on Sunday. Jessica Wallace (Langley, British Columbia) is two shots back at 8-under, 136 and money leader Madelene Sagstrom (Enkoping, Sweden) is in third at 7-under, 136.

Song, 25, made back-to-back birdies twice on her outward nine to turn in 32. Her lone bogey of the day came on one and then she finished with a flurry of birdies. Song closed with birdies on three of her final four holes including a 6-footer for birdie on nine.

“Whenever I was in trouble, the putter kind of saved me today,” said Song, who attempted just 24 putts. “I made a 20-footer on 15, which was my longest of the day.”

Song has attempted just 52 putts through two rounds.

“I’ve been making everything that I’ve putted basically,” said Song. “Inside 10 feet, I feel so confident. I’m seeing the lines and the speed has been on point.”

Song has finished inside the top 10 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list three times: 2009 (8th), 2010 (3rd) and 2013 (4th). Song has made 61 career starts on the LPGA including 16 this season. Her best finish this year is a T47 at the ISPS Handa Australian Open.

“I’m very pleased with how I’m playing because I haven’t had a very good year,” said Song. “I really just want to build confidence heading into Q-School (Final Stage).”

Saturday’s final-round begins at 8:00 a.m. and the lead group of Song and Wallace will tee at 12:50 p.m.

Jessica Wallace continued her stellar play on Saturday with a 4-under, 68. Wallace has made 10 birdies and just two bogeys through two rounds.

“I’ve played all the conditions over the years here and I’ve had some good finish,” said Wallace, who finished second in 2014. “I think the Tour did a really good job of setting up the course today based on the wind.”

Wallace made a putt from the back fringe on the first hole from 25-feet to get her day started. Her lone
bogey of the day was on the final hole.

“I’m rolling it well and my short game has been solid,” said Wallace. “It is taking a lot of pressure off my long game with this wind, which helps.”

Wallace, who ranks 21st on the Volvik Race for the Card money list, is excited for another shot to pick up her first career win.

“This is all you can really hope for, to be in the mix heading into the final-round,” said Wallace. “Even with the bogey on the last, I’m still happy to be here.”

Wallace played her college golf in Colorado at the University of Colorado.

National Team alumna Jennifer Ha of Calgary holds a share of 7th at 4-under. Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Augusta James of Bath, Ont., is T20 at 1-under. Ontarians Elizabeth Tong (Thornhill) and Brittany Marchand (Orangeville) sit T24 and T30, respectively. Samantha Richdale from Kelowna, B.C., is T51.

BOISE, Idaho – Andrew “Beef” Johnston shot an 8-under 63 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead in the Albertsons Boise Open , putting the bearded Englishmen in position to wrap up a PGA Tour card.

The 27-year-old Johnston birdied the first four holes in the round that started on No. 10.

“I hadn’t even woken up. I was still half asleep,” Johnston said.

Johnston finished with 10 birdies and two bogeys to reach 13-under 129 at Hillcrest in the second of four Web.com Tour Finals events. He won the Spanish Open in April and was eighth in the British Open in July.

Three-time PGA Tour winner Scott Stallings and Argentina’s Miguel Angel Carballo were tied for second. Stallings had a 65, and Carballo shot 64.

The series features the top 75 players from the Web.com Tour money list, Nos. 126-200 in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings – Stallings was 128th, and Carballo 187th – and some non-members such as Johnston with enough PGA Tour money to have placed in the top 200 in the FedEx Cup had they been eligible.

“If I can come out with a card, then I’ll be able to play the best tournaments on both sides,” said Johnston, exempt in Europe until 2018. “I’m not going to give up playing in Europe, either. I’m going to play both sides. If I can do that, it’s going to make for a great year next year.”

Johnston had five birdies in a six-hole stretch on his second nine and made a bogey on No. 8. He hit six of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation.

“I just seemed to hit a lot of good wedge shots today and hit a lot of good putts,” said Johnston, coming off a 28th-place tie last week in Ohio in the DAP Championship. “I was just a bit more dialed in and I think just played slightly better. It was three shots different from yesterday and sometimes it can be such a small difference.”

Stallings was sixth in the DAP Championship

“Last week was a huge step in right direction for me,” Stallings said. “To be able to put a few weeks in a row together is nice. It’s motivating and encouraging, because I feel like it’s been there a while and it doesn’t always happen on our time.”

Sam Ryder and Keith Mitchell, tied for the first-round lead with Adam Schenk at 64, each shot 68 to drop into a tie for third at 10 under with Dundas, Ont., native Mackenzie Hughes (64). The Team Canada Young Pro Squad member won August’s Price Cutter Charity Championship to secure his PGA Tour card next season.

Schenk was another stroke back after a 69.

The top 25 players on the Web.com Tour regular-season money list earned PGA Tour cards. They are competing against each other for tour priority, with regular-season earnings counting in their totals. The other players are fighting for 25 cards based on series earnings.

DAP Championship winner Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut with rounds of 69 and 71. He wrapped up a PGA Tour card with his playoff victory in Ohio.

Defending champion Martin Piller also dropped out, shooting 75-67.

Merritt, B.C., native Roger Sloan sits T32 at 5-under. Young Pro Squad alumnus Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., is tied for 60th. Toronto’s Albin Choi is T112, while Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont., is 126th.

LONDON, Ont. – Lake Elsinore, California’s Aaron Wise took control of the Freedom 55 Financial Championship on Friday, following up an opening 8-under 62 with a 7-under 63 at Highland Country Club to build a four stroke lead through 36 holes at the final event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The reigning NCAA champion and current Order of Merit No. 5 was without a bogey on Friday, carding seven birdies to shoot 63 and set the new record for best 36-hole start in Mackenzie Tour history at 125. France’s Paul Barjon was four shots behind at 11-under after opening with rounds of 63-66.

“I putted very well again, though I didn’t hit the ball as solid,” said Wise, comparing his 63 to the previous day’s 62. “To come out with that score I thought was better than I played, so that was a testament to me getting it going on the greens this week.”

Though the 20-year old comes into the week with finishes of T8 and T11 in his last two starts, Wise was far from pleased with his performance on the weekends. At the Cape Breton Open two weeks ago, he was one shot off the lead through 36 holes, while he was two strokes off the pace at last week’s Niagara Championship before stumbling to weekend rounds of 71-72.

The former Oregon Duck said going through some struggles, especially with the putter, helped him prepare to come out firing this week in London.

“Golf’s a game of ups and downs, and one thing I’ve learned is you have to get through the low parts and then make the high parts that much better. The last couple of weeks were a struggle for me, and that’s how golf goes. I hung in there and this week’s gone a lot better,” said Wise.

Wise, who captured his first professional win earlier this year at the Syncrude Oil Country Championship presented by AECON, will head to the weekend looking to jockey for position in The Five. The rookie pro can move as high as No. 2 on the Order of Merit with a win and a finish of no better than a three-way tie for fourth from Brock Mackenzie, who shot 64 on Friday to sit tied for eighth at 8-under.

“I saw his name on the leaderboard when I was playing, so that was motivation for me to kind of push forward and get it going as far as I could,” said Wise.

One shot behind Barjon in a tie for third were Edmond, Oklahoma’s Dillon Rust and Long Beach, California’s Brett Lederer at 10-under.

A 6-under 64 showing has Toronto’s Sebastian Szirmak in a tie for fifth to lead the Canadians in the field. National Team alumnus Austin Connelly holds a share of 13th at 7-under.

RIVIERA MAYA, Mexico – The Canadian contingent continued to ascend up the leaderboard on Friday at the World Amateur Team Championship, jumping two spots to sit in a tie for eighth through 54 holes.

On the strength of Naomi Ko’s performance, the Canadians have moved 15 spots since Wednesday’s opening round. Ko, a 19-year-old Victoria, B.C., native, carded her second-straight round under-par on moving day with a 71 (-1) and currently holds a share of fourth place individually at 4-under par, just two shots back of the leading Hye jin Choi of Korea.

Teammate Maddie Szeryk of Allen, Tex., contributed the second-counting score on the day for the Canadian trio, posting a 74 (+2) to leave the Canadians sitting at 6-over for the tournament, well back of the leading Koreans.

The Republic of Korea is on the verge of its fourth Women’s World Amateur Team Championship (WWATC) title as it built a 14-stroke lead over Switzerland with a 19-under-par total of 413 after Friday’s third round.

The Koreans posted a third-round team score of 138, with 2016 U.S. Women’s Open low amateur Hye Jin Choi shooting a 4-under-par 68, that included five birdies in her first nine holes, and Min Ji Park, the 2016 Australian Women’s Amateur champion, firing a 2-under 70 on the par 72, 6,167-yard/5,637-meter Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club.

“Some of my players are not really satisfied with their games but I am 100 percent satisfied with their games,” said Korean captain Sang-Won Ko. “Of course, everyone makes mistakes but I’m OK with that and, as I said yesterday, I just want them to enjoy the game and enjoy playing with the other players.”

The Koreans are seeking their fourth victory in the 27th staging of the championship. They won in 1996, 2010 and 2012 and, in capturing the Espirito Santo Trophy in 2010, set the mark for lowest score in the event’s history with a total of 546, which eclipsed the field by 17 strokes.

“At the moment I am happy to be leading the team and the individual leaderboards but this championship is more important for the team event so I am trying not to think about being individual leader and am focused on winning the team event,” said Choi, a 17-year-old high school student. “Although there is a big gap I will try to think this is the first round tomorrow and focus more on my game and then maybe a better result will come.”

Choi was joined by Leslie Cloots of Belgium in carding the day’s best round of 68.

All three Koreans broke par and did not count the 1-under 71 posted by Hyun Kyung Park.

Switzerland kept its position in second with a third-round 145 that included a 3-under-par 69 from Kim Metraux and a 76 from her older sister Morgane.

“I didn’t have real expectations,” said Metraux, whose is a Florida State University teammate with her sibling. “I wanted to enjoy the tournament and play as well as I could. I didn’t focus on the results or a spot that I wanted to finish.”

As for gaining ground on the Republic of Korea, Metraux preferred to focus on her final round.

“I don’t think about it,” Kim said. “I will play my best and then see what happens. I can’t control what they are doing and it’s better if I don’t look at what they are doing and focus on my game.”

Third-place Thailand, however, believes the chase is over and that the only open places are second and third.

“We’ve got to try to finish in the top three. We should just let Korea be the winner,” said Thailand captain Kanes Nitiwanakul. “We will try to be second. Our goals are a little higher now. Korea is so good, they have such talented players.”

Thailand, which has not been in the medal race since finishing second in 2002, posted a third-round score of 143 on a 70 from Kanyalak Preedasuttijit and a 73 from Parajee Anannarukarn.

In the day’s top 10 of the leaderboard: Denmark and Ireland are tied for fourth at 432, followed by Spain in sixth at 435, based on two sub-par scores from Maria Parra (70) and Luna Sobron (71);  the USA is seventh at 436 with host nation Mexico and Canada tied for eighth at 438 and Japan is tenth at 439.

Conducted every two years, the World Women’s Amateur Team Championship has been staged since 1964, with the winner earning the Espirito Santo Trophy. In 2014, Australia claimed the title by two strokes over the Canadian team of Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.), Augusta James (Bath, Ont.), and Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.).

In 25 appearances at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, Canada has earned runner-up honours four times.

The World Amateur Team titles are contested over four days of stroke play. A country may field a team of two or three players. In each round, the total of the two lowest scores constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day total is the team’s score for the championship.

Click here for full scoring.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – In Gee Chun posted a 5-under round of 66 to take a two-shot lead at the Evian Championship on Friday, keeping the 22-year-old South Korean on course for the second major of her career.

Chun, the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open champion, had a bogey on the fourth hole but otherwise played with great control, hitting six birdies in rainy and overcast conditions at the picturesque resort overlooking Lake Geneva.

“I always try not to think about winning,” said Chun, who missed the cut here last year. “Thinking about winning is more pressure.”

South Korean Sung Hyun Park, who shared the overnight lead with Chun, juggled three bogeys and six birdies in a round of 68, tying her for second place with Shanshan Feng – China’s only major winner.

So Yeon Ryu, who is also from South Korea, is three shots behind Chun in fourth place after posting 66, matching her score from round 1.

Feng was a shot back overnight, as was American Annie Park, while defending champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand sat seven strokes behind after a disappointing opening day in her bid for a third major by the age of 19.

Feng started to tire on the back nine, hitting two bogeys, but perked up with birdies on the final two holes for a 67.

“There’s no benefit for just long hitters,” she said. “The rough is really long.”

Ko fared better this time with a 68 but is nine shots off the lead.

Playing the back nine first, the South-Korean born New Zealander went out in an even 36. But Ko improved on her way back to the clubhouse with a bogey and four birdies – including a brilliant chip in from the edge of the green on the fifth for one of the shots of the day.

Teeing off at 7:45 a.m. local time did not work out well for Park.

She ended her round with a bogey on 16th and double bogey on the 17th to finish with a 2-over 73 and drop down the leaderboard.

Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand recovered from her first-round 73 to make a consistent 67 featuring four birdies. But the British Open champion is 11 shots off the lead.

Ko and Jutanugarn are trying to win the Annika Major Award, rewarding the major winner with the best combined record at all five majors of the season. It is named after 10-time major winner Annika Sorenstam.

Veteran American Angela Stanford is four shots behind Chun in fifth place as she tries to win her first major at the age of 38.

“Usually by Friday this course has killed me,” Stanford said. “But I still feel like I have a little energy.”

Her best performance in a major was back in 2003, when she was tied for second at the U.S. Women’s Open.

“Having cameras around all day felt new again,” said Stanford, who has five career wins on the LPGA Tour. “For somebody that hasn’t been in that position for a while.”

Two-time major winner Brittany Lincicome is a shot behind her in a tie for sixth with South Korean Eun-Hee Ji.

Lincicome, who had nine birdies and four bogeys in her erratic 66, had a unique way of describing the course.

“There’s no flat lie anywhere, and then the greens are impossible,” the 30-year-old American said. “Like there’s elephants buried under every one of them.”

Smiths Falls, Ont., native and World No. 3 Brooke Henderson carded an even-par 71 and is tied for 27th. Maude-Aimée LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., holds a share of 57th at 2-over.

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – When the world gathers at Mississaugua Golf & Country Club for the third annual World Junior Girls Championship, a returning champion will be among the familiar faces at the tournament. A total of 47 athletes will represent 15 countries, including 2014 individual winner Mika Liu of Beverly Hills, Calif.

“We are extremely excited for this year’s field,” said Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “There are not many opportunities in terms of international competitions for girls of this age-group. These players are some of the best junior girls in the world and Golf Canada, Golf Ontario and our partners are thrilled to host them in a tournament where they can continue their growth and development.

“The World Junior Girls Championship is a chance for them to not only measure themselves against the world’s golfing talents, but to also learn from their fellow competitors. The 47 athletes in this championship represent the future of international women’s golf over the next few years, both in terms of their skills on the course and the camaraderie they share away from it.”

A then 15-year-old Liu claimed medallist honours at the inaugural World Junior Girls Championship at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont., and paced Team USA to a convincing 18-stroke victory. The Stanford University commit opened 2016 with a win at the 90^th annual South Atlantic Women’s Amateur Championship. The No. 21 player on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, alongside teammates Jennifer Chang from Cary, N.C., and 2015 returnee Elizabeth Wang of San Marino, Calif., will aim to return to the winners’ circle following Team USA’s fifth-place showing last year.

Mexico’s Isabella Fierro and Finland’s Anna Backman will return for their third stints at the world’s premiere junior girls competition. A 15-year-old Fierro claimed a share of 16^th last year and is hoping to build upon a season which has included a win at the 2016 Mexicana Campeonato Nacional Juvenil. Backman, then 17, earned sixth in 2015 and is coming off a third-place finish at the 2016 Duke of York Young Champions tournament.

Eight players from last year’s competition at The Marshes in Ottawa will return in hopes of improving upon their 2015 results. Angelica Moresco, who finished with a share of 23^rd last year, and her Italian teammates represent the only nation in the 2016 competition with all three members sitting within the Top-200 in the world.

In 2015, the trio representing the Republic of Korea captured a wire-to-wire victory to secure the team title. Paju-si, South Korea native Hye-jin Choi finished 12-under to win the individual title by seven strokes. While Choi – who claimed the 2016 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship – and her former teammates will not be present to defend their 2016 titles, a new team of three will proudly represent Korea, looking to continue the country’s winning ways.

Including the Canadians in the field, a total of 37 players will be making their debuts at the World Junior Girls Championship with teams representing the Philippines and Germany taking part in this competition for the first time. Aside from Liu, 17-year-old Esther Henseleit of Hamburg, Germany – whose resume includes a third-place showing at the 2016 German International Ladies Amateur Championship – is the highest-ranked player at No. 113.

The 41 international athletes join the six players chosen to represent the host nation. Canada One will be comprised of Chloe Currie (Mississauga, Ont.), Mary Parsons (Delta, B.C.) and Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.). As host of the competition, Canada will field a second team made up of Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que.), Hannah Lee (Surrey, B.C.) and Isabella Portokalis (London, Ont.).

In addition to the 72-hole team and individual competitions, the World Junior Girls Championship will celebrate the sport and focus upon the promotion and development of junior girls golf. Golf Canada will host a PGA of Canada coaches clinic and a girls skill development clinic on Sunday, September 25, as well as a Golf Fore the Cure clinic on Wednesday, September 28.

The four-day tournament’s opening round gets underway on Tuesday, September 27.

Admission to the competition is free. Additional information regarding the third annual World Junior Girls Championship can be found on the competition’s website.

ORILLIA— Golf Ontario and Golf Barrie unveiled a new concept on September 11 with the first Golf Jam, hosted by Hawk Ridge Golf & Country Club in Orillia. The day, geared at junior golfers under 14 years of age, was a huge success as 64 players comprised 16 teams to take part in the day’s events.

“Golf Jam is a program that we’ve partner with the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport to create and provide to kids across the province. It aims to engage local golf clubs and promote fun family, friends and fitness all in a team environment,” said Mike Kelly, Golf Ontario Executive Director.

The day broke down into two components: a CN Future Links Skills Challenge and a nine-hole alternate shot team golf competition. Half of the teams took to the course, while the other half competed in the skills challenge, before swapping after lunch.

“I believe we continue to create and inspire new ways for kids and families to get into golf but this just blew my mind,” added Kelly. “Based on the reaction from coaches, kids and parents, I see this as a home run! I see it going to different communities across Ontario in future years because it is a great way to bring the province together.”

Kelly’s optimism was echoed by coaches and parents who attended the day. “Golf Jam is a great introduction for players who have participated in our camps, clinics and leagues to be involved in potentially their first tournament,” said Ryan Star, Coach at Geared to Golf. “There are a lot of players who haven’t crossed paths with one another so we hope that there are a lot of new friendships by the end of the day.”

“The day has been fantastic!” Remarked Kevin Potter, a parent attending the event. “What Golf Ontario is doing for the kids is awesome! It is great to see the team sprit and everyone has a smile on their face today! The team competition was a lot of fun. It was well put together and we had a great time playing the alternate-shot format.”

Those sentiments also trickled down to the young golfers themselves who not only enjoyed the golf and skills challenge, but also the fun and games that made up the rest of the day.

“Today has been great especially since we just started school and have been really busy,” said Abigail Dove, 11-years-old from Brooklin. “To have all of these fun things to do like golf with friends, bouncy castles, and play games has been great to enjoy!”

“My favorite part of the day was golfing on the course. I played awesome and so did the rest of my team. Golf Jam has been good and lots of fun. I like it!” Added Aiden Hodgkinson, 8-years-old from Brooklin.

While the emphasis on the day was squarely around fun the teams did want bragging rights as the inaugural Golf Jam champs. When all of the scores were tallied there was a three-way tie between Whistle Bear GC (Peyton Costabile, Andreas Diogenous, Owen Lipskie and Aiden Shan), Barrie CC (David Simon, Andrew Laurin, Olivia Stoggart and Matthew Simon), and TTGA (Alissa Xu, Sopia Xu, Arthur Wang and Joline Truong) who all finished with a score of 21 Stableford points to share the gold medal.

RIVIERA MAYA, Mexico – Team Canada’s Naomi Ko was the lone bright spot on the day for the Canadian trio, carding a tournament-low 66 (-6) on the Iberoster Playa Paraiso Golf Course to lift the team into sole possession of 10^th place through 36 holes at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship.

Following her second round, the 19-year-old Victoria, B.C., native owns a share of third place individually at 3-under par (75-66), just two strokes off the pace. Ko’s round was a much-needed boost for the Canadian contingent, who otherwise struggled with a 78 (+6) from Maddie Szeryk and an 80 (+8) from Josée Doyon.

Szeryk, a 20-year-old Allen, Tex., native, sits at 8-over for the tournament to share 60^th place, while Doyon, 23, of St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que., sits T106 at 14-over par.

The Republic of Korea posted a second-round 137 with a 68 from Min Ji Park and a 69 from Hye Jin Choi for a 36-hole total of 275 to overtake first-round leader Switzerland and gain a seven-stroke advantage at the 27th Women’s World Amateur Team Championship (WWATC).

The Koreans are seeking their fourth victory in the event having first claimed the Espirito Santo Trophy in 1996. In 2012 in Turkey, Korea made a similar surge in the second round, moving from eighth-position into a five-stroke lead, and in 2010 in Argentina, they shot a record 128 to move from a tie for 13th into first place.

“I’m very happy that we are leading at the moment and I’m very proud of the players,” said Korean captain Sang-Won Ko. “It was a little different from yesterday. We struggled in the front nine yesterday but today everyone seemed very calm. I feel that they really enjoyed playing and that’s why the score is very good.”

Park, the 16-year-old Australian Amateur champion, posted six birdies and two bogeys for a 4-under-par 68 and Choi, 16, the low amateur at the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open, tallied four birdies and one bogey for her 3-under 69. The team, which began the day one-stroke behind Switzerland, played on the par 72, 6,295-yard/5,752-meter Mayakoba El Camaleon Golf Club.

“I will give them the same encouragement and advice for the next two days but my players are doing really well so I will give them the freedom to play their own game and enjoy the championships,” Ko said.

“This is a team event though, so we focus on playing as a team, practicing together and keeping a good team spirit,” Choi added. “We trust each other very much and that is good for our performance.”

First-round leader Switzerland, playing on the 6,167-yard/5,637-meter Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club, registered a second-round 145 on the scores of the Metraux sisters, Kim (72) and Morgane (73) to hold second place at 6-under 282.

“I’m really pleased but a little frustrated right now because I finished with two bogeys,” said Kim Metraux, who is a Florida State University teammate with sibling Morgane. “But I couldn’t have wished for anything better, we are in contention and that’s all that is important. We still have two rounds to go so anything can happen.”

Ireland, which was tied seventh after the first round, moved into third position at 287, on a combined 3-under 141 from Leona Maguire (70) and Olivia Mehaffey (71). Maguire is one of two 2016 Olympic participants in the field and the Mark H. McCormack medal winner in 2015 and 2016 as the world’s top-ranked amateur.

“The goal today was to try to be under par as a team,” said Maguire, who is a junior at Duke University in the USA. “I had a lot of chances out there that just edged the hole so going into the last two days I will be trying to hole a few more of them and anything can happen really.

“Two good under par rounds from two of us is all it really needs to jump us up there. We will just be trying to keep giving ourselves chances and hopefully a few more will drop in the next two days.”

Denmark, on the strength of a 5-under 67 from Puk Lyng Thomsen, and a 2-under 70 from Malene Kroelboell Hansen, registered a 7-under 137 (matching Korea for the day’s low team total) to move into a tie for fourth with Thailand at 288.

The rest of the top 10 includes the People’s Republic of China is sixth at 290 with the Austria and the USA tied for seventh at 291. Host Mexico is ninth at 292.

Conducted every two years, the World Women’s Amateur Team Championship has been staged since 1964, with the winner earning the Espirito Santo Trophy. In 2014, Australia claimed the title by two strokes over the Canadian team of Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.), Augusta James (Bath, Ont.), and Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.).

In 25 appearances at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, Canada has earned runner-up honours four times.

The World Amateur Team titles are contested over four days of stroke play. A country may field a team of two or three players. In each round, the total of the two lowest scores constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day total is the team’s score for the championship.

Click here for full scoring.

London, Ont. – Lake Elsinore, California’s Aaron Wise shot an 8-under 62 on Thursday at Highland Country Club to take the first round lead at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship, the final event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The reigining NCAA champion and current Order of Merit No. 5 carded eight birdies, an eagle and two bogeys on the day to lead by one over French Polynesia’s Vaita Guillaume and France’s Paul Barjon after day one at the season-ending event, following which the top five players on the Order of Merit will earn status on the Web.com Tour.

“It was a good day. I made two bogeys en route to that 62, so I had the putter rolling, which I’ve been struggling with the last couple of weeks. It was nice to see some drop early on, and I got it hot when I made the turn,” said Wise.

After a 2-under front nine, the 20-year old caught fire, going birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie on holes 10-13 before recording two more birdies on the way in to reach 8-under.

“It was just really solid. I got off to a bad start with my irons, and I wasn’t giving myself many chances on the front nine. When I made the turn, I started hitting them in the middle and I knew could start doing something because I was rolling the putter well,” said the former University of Oregon star, who captured the NCAA individual title earlier this year while leading the Ducks to their first ever national championship.

At No. 5 entering the week, Wise holds the coveted fifth spot on the Order of Merit. Though Order of Merit leader Dan McCarthy has already secured the top spot on the season-long money list, Wise can move as high as No. 2 ahead of Brock Mackenzie with a win thanks to the increased $200,000 purse for the season-ending event, a target the rookie pro said was on his mind entering the week.

“It’s very volatile with the raised money at this week’s event, and I know can I jump to two if I play well and Brock doesn’t. That’s what I’m looking at, and I’m just trying to focus on playing the best golf I can and let it shake out at the end,” said Wise.

Two shots behind Wise in a tie for fourth were Los Angeles, California’s Jonathan Garrick and Dusseldorf, Germany’s Max Rottluff, who holds the No. 7 spot on the Order of Merit starting the week.