BADDECK, N.S. – Syracuse, New York’s Dan McCarthy, Burlington, Ont.’s Michael Gligic and Denver’s Michael Schoolcraft all reached 14-under through three rounds on Saturday at Bell Bay Golf Club to share the 54-hole lead headed into the final round of the Cape Breton Open.

McCarthy, the current Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit leader, rebounded from an opening double bogey to birdie his final two holes of the day and shoot a 4-under 68, matching Gligic, who blazed through Bell Bay with a 10-under 62, along with Schoolcraft, who fired an 8-under 64.

“I told myself I had 35 more holes to play to get it back together,” said McCarthy, who will go for an unprecedented fourth win of the season on Sunday. “There were just a couple squirrely shots to start – not really nerves or anything, just some boneheaded stuff. Birdies on the last two to get a share and have a chance tomorrow, those were huge.”

Gligic, a 26-year old in his seventh full season on the Mackenzie Tour, produced 10 birdies on the day to shoot 62, marking the new competitive course record at Bell Bay.

“It was tough out there, and I probably made it look a little bit easier, but I played my butt off,” said Gligic, who sits 11^th on the Order of Merit. “I didn’t miss to many shots, and when I did it was in the right spots, and my short game was pretty good. My irons were sharp all day, and I was making a lot of 5- to 15-footers, and it added up pretty quickly.”

“That’s pretty ridiculous,” said McCarthy of Gligic’s round. “That’s outstanding. Mike and I have played together at this event and he’s played well, so it’s about time we see his name up there.”

For Schoolcraft, the day’s highlight came when he nearly aced the 17^th hole for the second day in a row. On Friday, the 24-year old holed a 7-iron from 190 yards and nearly did it again on Saturday with a 9-iron, stopping just inches short of the cup.

“It was actually a better shot today. The one yesterday got a really good bounce, and today was all over it and just a little bit short,” said Schoolcraft.

One shot behind the trio at 14-under was Southlake, Texas’ Brian Dwyer, who carded a 3-under 69, followed by Church Point, Nova Scotia’s Austin Connelly at 12-under thanks to a Saturday 67.

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. – Marina Alex eagled her final hole for an 8-under 64 and the second-round lead Friday in the LPGA Manulife Classic.

Alex played the final five holes in 5 under for the lowest score in her LPGA Tour career, setting up the 18-foot eagle putt with a 5-wood approach on the par-5 ninth.

“Super happy,” Alex said. “Just kind of everything fell together, ball-striking, putting. I actually left a couple of putts out there, but I’m not going to complain about the score that I shot.”

The 26-year-old former Vanderbilt player had a 10-under 134 total at Whistle Bear for a one-stroke lead over Thailand’s P.K. Kongkraphan and South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim.

Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn was four strokes back after a 68 in her bid to win three straight events for the second time this season. Using a driver in competition for the second straight day after shelving it for months, the 20-year-old Thai player had an eagle, six birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey.

She began the streak at the Women’s British Open, and rebounded from a knee injury that forced her to withdraw during the Rio Olympics to win the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open on Sunday in Alberta.

Playing in the second group of the day off the 10th tee, Alex took advantage of calmer conditions than she faced Thursday afternoon in a first-round 70.

“I think we were fortunate,” Alex said. “Right now, it’s totally scorable.”

She had eight birdies and two bogeys.

“It actually is a pretty wide-open course, which is sometimes for me a little challenging because it’s hard to pick out targets,” Alex said. “But I’m trying really hard to focus, be as narrow as possible off the tee and into the green and just be very specific with what I’m trying to do.”

Kongkraphan had a bogey-free 66. She recently went through coaching and club changes.

“I have a problem with my iron pretty bad,” Kongkraphan said. “I tried to get better, so I switched the club and changed the coach. … From last week I have so much more confidence.”

Kim closed with a birdie for a 67. She won the season-opening event in the Bahamas.

South Korea’s Mi Hyang Lee was 8 under after a 67. She had a hole-in-one on the fifth hole.

“I think just less wind and the greens more better condition,” Lee said. “So just everything is perfect.”

U.S. Open champion Brittany Lang, second last year at Whistle Bear after winning the inaugural event in 2012 at Grey Silo, was 6 under after a 71.

First-round leader Chella Choi also was 6 under after a 72. The South Korean player three-putted three times. “Hope tomorrow is better,” Choi said.

Defending champion Suzann Pettersen had a 71 to reach 4 under.

Canadian star Brooke Henderson, playing alongside Jutanugarn, shot 71 and sits 3-under alongside Anne Catherine Tanguay of Québec City. Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., eagled the par-5 12th and closed with a birdie.

“Not exactly what I was looking for,” Henderson said. “That birdie on my last hole kind of made me feel a lot better about the day, which is always nice, and 3-under par, I can’t complain too much.”

The 18-year-old Henderson beat top-ranked Lydia Ko in a playoff in June in the KPMG Women’s PGA for her first major title, and successfully defended her Portland Classic title in early July.

Ko was 2 under after a 72.

“I putted much better today, so it was good to see some putts go in,” Ko said. “Without the putter, I don’t think I would have been able to shoot even par.”

Alena Sharp was the top Canadian, shooting a 70 to reach 5 under. She tied for fourth last week at Priddis Greens for her best finish on the tour.

“I didn’t make many putts,” Sharp said. “It was tough to get it close to the pins. I thought they were a little trickier today. The greens are definitely firming up, so you got to hit high shots in.”

Fellow Canadian Maude-Aimée Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., holds a share of 22nd at 4-under.

Michelle Wie missed the cut by a stroke with her second 72. She has missed 12 of 20 cuts this season and is 112th on the money list with $55,375.

CALGARY, Alta. – David Frost made two eagles and shot a bogey-free 8-under 62 on Friday to take the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ Shaw Charity Classic.

The 56-year-old South African player eagled the par-5 11th and 18th holes at Canyon Meadows in the round interrupted by lightning, thunder, hail and heavy rain. He was a stroke short of the tournament record of 61 set by Fred Couples in his 2014 victory and matched by Miguel Angel Jimenez last year.

Defending champion Jeff Maggert and Argentina’s Jose Coceres were a stroke back. Maggert eagled the 12th and birdied 18.

Tom Byrum had a 64, and Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer, Mark Calcavecchia, Mark Brooks, Fred Funk and Kirk Triplett shot 65.

Watson eagled the 18th to break his age by a stroke two days before his 67th birthday. He played alongside Langer, the 59-year-old German star who won the Boeing Classic on Sunday in Washington for his fourth victory of the year and 29th overall on the 50-and-over tour.

John Daly birdied the last for a 67. He has three top-20 finishes in 11 PGA Tour Champions starts since turning 50, with the best a tie for 11th in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.

Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie also opened with a 67.

Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont., had a 68 to top the three Canadians in the field. Victoria’s Jim Rutledge posted a 69 for a share of 48th, while Stephen Ames was even on the day in front of a hometown crowd.

Rocco Mediate, the 2013 winner, had a 71.

NORTON, Mass. – Ryan Moore changed his schedule to pile up tournaments at the end of the year with hopes of getting into a rhythm going into the FedEx Cup playoffs.

He has no complaints with the results.

Moore backed up a good start to the playoffs with a 6-under 65 on Friday to share the first-round lead with James Hahn on a day when hardly anyone seemed too far away. After one round at the TPC Boston, 37 players were separated by three shots.

Phil Mickelson would be an exception.

Mickelson, who leads the PGA Tour in adjusted scoring average and said he wanted to win the Vardon Trophy for the first time in his career, took two swipes out of high grass in a water hazard to no avail, finally took a drop and made a quadruple-bogey 8 on the sixth hole. That sent him to 75 and in third-to-last place.

Moore and Hahn played bogey-free on a breezy day that allowed for good scoring, even though no one went terribly low. They were one shot ahead of Paul Casey and Fabian Gomez. The average score was 69.67 as 80 of the 97 players in the field were at par or better.

As usual, there were Ryder Cup implications.

Jim Furyk, J.B. Holmes and Daniel Berger were in the group at 67, all of them to make an impression before Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III starts filling out the U.S. team with three picks in 10 days. Holmes finished 10th in the standings, while Furyk was at No. 15 even though he four months recovering from wrist surgery.

Love has said every American in the Deutsche Bank Championship would be on his radar, though Moore isn’t even thinking about it. His main goal is to get to the Tour Championship for the FedEx Cup finale, and this stacked schedule at the end of the year is working in his favor.

Along with a victory in the John Deere Classic, he tied for seventh last week at The Barclays to move to No. 11 in the FedEx Cup.

“I like how I’ve been feeling with my game,” Moore said. “This is actually the sixth tournament in a row, which I don’t think I’ve ever done in my entire career on the PGA Tour. I’m getting some positive momentum going into these events. How I’ve been doing it these last few years kind of wasn’t working so I decided to change it up and play a lot more and make a final push and then I know I get a little break.

“It seems to be working, whatever that decision was.”

Emiliano Grillo and Adam Scott played together and each shot 67, though they finished differently. Grillo hit a 4-iron into the hazard on the par-5 18th, took a drop and holed out with a wedge for birdie, looking blankly as the crowd roared before throwing down his club in mock surrender. Scott hit into a greenside bunker with his second shot, had a terrible lie and took two shots to get out in saving par.

“I should have chunked a 4-iron. That’s the way to make birdie,” Scott said with a laugh.

Jordan Spieth played with them and shot a 68, saying after his round he somehow was losing some 30 yards off his driver and would try to figure out why. Barclays winner Patrick Reed and Dustin Johnson also were at 68.

Jason Day, the world No. 1, opened with a 70 and then discovered his wife and two children were involved in a car accident near their travel bus. Day said his wife was taken to the hospital as a precaution, though everyone seemed to be OK.

The top 70 in the FedEx Cup advance after this week, and it was a big start for Furyk and Steve Stricker. Furyk is at No. 84, while Stricker barely made it into the field at No. 97. Both opened at 67.

Furyk is more concerned with getting to the BMW Championship next week than his Ryder Cup lot.

“There’s really nothing you can do but go play well,” Furyk said. “So I’m going to try to do my best not to really pay too much attention to the scoreboard and go play golf and worry about the process more than the golf.”

Stricker went to a different putter, a rare move for him, switching to a face-balanced model after his wife noticed last week he had trouble keeping it square. He decided to give it shot on Friday, and it paid off. His hope is that he gets to keep playing for at least seven more rounds.

“My goal this year was just to finish in the top 125 and get back into some of the tournaments that I had been play – The Players Championship, some of the majors. Then once I did that … you know, we’re all competitive. We all want to keep playing.”

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Adam Hadwin from Abbotsford, B.C., opened with matching 68s and hold shares of 20th.

BADDECK, N.S. – Syracuse, New York’s Dan McCarthy made a move towards solidifying his Order of Merit lead on Friday, shooting a 3-under 69 at Bell Bay Golf Club to share the 36-hole lead at the Cape Breton Open with Southlake, Texas’ Brian Dwyer.

The three-time winner on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada in 2016 carded five birdies against two bogeys, reaching 10-under total through two rounds to share the lead with Dwyer, one stroke ahead of Edmond, Oklahoma’s Taylor Moore, Lake Elsinore, California’s Aaron Wise and Arbuckle, California’s Ben Geyer.

The 31-year old McCarthy, who leads the season-long money list by more than $36,000, is coming off back-to-back missed cuts in his two most recent starts, but said Friday he’s returned to the comfortable state that saw him re-write the Mackenzie Tour record book earlier this year with three wins in his first five starts of the season.

“I’m not going to watch what anyone else does. I can only control what I’m doing and how I play the course. That’s what I did very well early in the year, and I’ve had some time the last couple of weeks to figure that out,” said McCarthy.

Dwyer, meanwhile, recorded seven birdies in Friday’s breezy and often rainy conditions, including a 25-footer on the 18th hole to finish the day tied at the top with McCarthy. The blazing start comes on the heels of four straight missed cuts, a slump the 26-year old said he felt was behind him coming into this week.

“I’m just a little bit more comfortable with my swing. I worked with my coach (John Sinclair) on Monday before I flew out on Tuesday, and so far that’s paid off,” said Dwyer. “My short game around the greens and my putting have made it pretty easy on me when I’ve hit bad shots, which you’re going to do in this wind.”

With Wise and Moore – both currently in The Five and trying to chase down McCarthy for the top spot on the Order of Merit – just a shot back, McCarthy said he’d continue to put the pressure on his pursuers by sticking to the formula that’s earned him more than $100,000 in earnings and three wins this season.

“I’m just going to continue to do what I do well, and if I can continue to do that then I should be fine. The burden is on them to win and come and catch me, but if I do what I do well I should be okay,” said McCarthy.

Team Canada alumnus Austin Connelly shot a 70 and leads the Canadian contingent at 9-under.

THORTON, Ont. – Entering the final round of the Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada, Claude Grenier held a four-shot lead, but by mid-afternoon Friday, his lead had all but evaporated.

Grenier started his final round at Tangle Creek Golf and Country Club in Thorton, Ont., double-bogey, bogey. By the time he reached the 12th tee, he was 5-over for the day and had fallen out of first-place.

“I wouldn’t say I was really nervous early on, but I was definitely feeling something,” Grenier said. “I was 5-over-par after 11 holes and I could see all these guys all of sudden be back in the tournament, I knew I had to do something.”

That something came promptly at the 12th hole.

“Holing out from the fairway on No. 12 definitely saved my bacon out there today and changed the way my round was going.”

Grenier would make par on the remaining six holes, finishing the 54-hole championship at 2-under-par, three shots better than Kevin Dugas, Marc Hurtubise, Jean Laforce and Michael Woodcock.

With the win, Grenier added his name to a list of champions that includes Canadian golf legends Moe Norman, Bob Panasik, Al Balding, Stan Leonard and Bill Kozak.

“I look at the names on this trophy and it’s just amazing,” Grenier said. “I never would have ever thought I’d have my name on the same trophy as the great Moe Norman.”

The PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada was first played in 1938 as a division of the PGA Championship of Canada. In 1973, the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada became an independent event and has stayed that way ever since. Norman won this championship a record seven straight years from 1979 to 1985, while Balding stunned the golf world by winning the championship at age 76 in 2000.

Michel Dagenais, Ian Doig, Luc Guilbault, Gary Jeffrey and Carl Pelletier rounded out the Top-10.

Originally from Sherbrooke, Que., Grenier now lives in Europe and is a member of the PGA of Austria. The 56-year-old said it was a pleasure catching up with many of his old friends this week at Tangle Creek.

“There were guys here who I played junior golf with and now I see them with grey hair – it’s actually very funny,” said Grenier. “But yes, it’s also very nice to see all the old gang again.”

Daniel Talbot defended his Super Senior division title, besting Gar Hamilton and Hocan Olsson by one shot. In the Diamond division, Atilla Becsy was crowned champion.

Ninety-nine-year-old Gord Delatt; 94-year-old and five-time PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada winner Bill Kozak; and 86-year-old John Henrick also participated in a 9-hole PGA of Canada legends exhibition match Friday afternoon at Tangle Creek.

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. – Chella Choi ended up on top of the LPGA Manulife Classic leaderboard Thursday at windy Whistle Bear when Belen Mozo unraveled with a closing triple bogey.

Choi shot a 6-under 66, finishing with a birdie on the par-5 ninth.

“A lot of wind,” said Choi, the South Korean player who won the Marathon Classic winner last year for her first LPGA Tour title. “But my game is good and driving is good, shot was good, so I made a lot of birdies.”

Mozo was 7 under before running into trouble on the par-4 18th. The Spaniard finished with a 68.

Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn was four strokes back after a 70 in her bid to win three straight events for the second time this season. The 20-year-old Thai player began her latest streak at the Women’s British Open, and rebounded from a knee injury that forced her to withdraw during the Rio Olympics to win the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open on Sunday in Alberta.

Using a driver in competition for the first time since May, she dropped two strokes on the back nine after birdieing the first three holes and making the turn in 4 under.

U.S. Open champion Brittany Lang, second last year at Whistle Bear after winning the inaugural event in 2012 at Grey Silo, was a stroke back at 67 along with South Korea’s In Gee Chun, Spain’s Azahara Munoz and Sweden’s Dani Holmqvist. Lang holed a lob wedge for eagle on the par-5 third – her 12th hole.

“The course was playing a little bit tricky with the wind and couldn’t get to that par 5,” Lang said. “I actually laid it up a little bit too far left and through. I was like, ‘Awe, should still be OK.” And then when I hit it, it was nice and high and on the right line. And we couldn’t see it. And then my husband and all our friends were up there, and they were screaming, so it was a pretty cool reaction.”

Munoz noted the tournament’s later dates after her bogey-free round.

“I think it’s nicer playing now than in June,” Munoz said. “I think last year was a little cooler the first few days. The course is great. The greens roll really nice, so if you hit a good putt, the ball goes in.”

Top-ranked Lydia Ko had a 70. The 19-year-old New Zealander has four LPGA Tour victories this year.

Defending champion Suzann Pettersen shot a 69 in the group with Ko and Stacy Lewis (70). Pettersen won at 22 under last season in the first year at Whistle Bear after three at Grey Silo.

Jutanugarn played alongside 18-year-old

Canadian star Brooke Henderson matched Jutanugarn with a 70 in their afternoon group.

“The wind really picked up on the back nine. It was kind of difficult,” the 18-year-old Henderson said. “You could see all three of us not really playing exactly the way we wanted just because of the wind and the conditions. But I finished 2 under on afternoon tee time in windy conditions. I’m happy. I’m just excited to tee it up tomorrow where conditions will be a little bit softer and not as much wind.”

Henderson, from Smith Falls in southeastern Ontario, beat Ko in a playoff in June in the KPMG Women’s PGA for her first major title, and successfully defended her Portland Classic title in early July.

Choi has concentrated on improving her driving. She hit 10 of 14 fairways Thursday.

“I worked really hard the last three weeks,” Choi said. “I want to hit straight and strong my drive four days, so I focus on just my driving four days.”

Alena Sharp and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (Sherbrooke, Que.) topped the Canadians at 69. Sharp, from Hamilton, is coming off a career-best fourth-place finish in Calgary at the 2016 CP Women’s Open. Lorie Kane of Charlottetown had a 70, one week after being the 51-year-old was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

Team Canada alumna Jennifer Ha of Calgary opened with a 71 for a share of 53rd, while fellow alum Anne Catherine Tanguay (Québec City) and current National Team member Josée Doyon (St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que.) sit T70 at even-par. London, Ont., native Maddie Szeryk – also a member of Team Canada – is T97 at 1-over.

Vivian Tsui from Markham, Ont., shot 74, while Samantha Richdale (Kelowna, B.C.) and Jennifer Kirby (Paris, Ont.) carded 75s. Nicole Vandermade (Brantford, Ont.) recorded a 76 and Selena Costabile (Thornhill, Ont.) shot 81.

Arbuckle, California’s Ben Geyer shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday at Bell Bay Golf Club to take the first round lead at the Cape Breton Open, the 10th event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The 24-year old carded two eagles and four birdies on the day, setting the new competitive course record at Bell Bay and leading by a shot over Order of Merit leader and fellow competitor Dan McCarthy through 18 holes.

“I don’t know where it came from. I have been struggling hardcore lately,” admitted Geyer, who has missed four of his last five cuts on the season and ranks 52nd on the Order of Merit. “It’s just nice to get off to a decent start. I had those two eagles in there and I got under par quick. Playing with Dan was nice too, because he had a good round going and I was trying to keep up with him. We had a lot of fun out there.”

For Geyer, things turned around on Wednesday, when a tip from fellow Mackenzie Tour player and travelling companion Talor Gooch led to better shots. The St. Mary’s College graduate hit all but one fairway on day one and was without a bogey.

“It was frustrating because I haven’t been hitting the ball well at all,” said Geyer of his struggles. “It would have been one thing if I knew what I really needed to be working on with my swing, but I haven’t been able to find out what that was. It was one little swing thought that Talor gave me on the range yesterday was real helpful today.”

While Geyer cruised, it was McCarthy who kept pace nearly the whole way. The 31-year old was making his first start in three weeks after missing the National Capital Open to Support Our Troops to rest up for the season’s final three events, a break the three-time Mackenzie Tour winner said was much-needed after missing his last two cuts.

“That little slump that I went through, I definitely learned a lot about how many weeks in a row I can play and what happens when I get tired, because I just got a little sloppy with things I normally do very well with,” said McCarthy, who had played eight straight weeks following the ATB Financial Classic, including a PGA TOUR start at the RBC Canadian Open. “I didn’t have the patience that I started off the year with, so I spent a few weeks back home to kind of re-assess where I was physically and mentally.”

Two shots behind Geyer and one shot behind McCarthy were Lexington, Kentucky’s Kyle Wilshire, as well as current Order of Merit No. 3 Taylor Moore and No. 5 Aaron Wise, who bolstered their chase for The Five with a pair of 6-under 66s.

Team Canada alumnus Austin Connelly opened with a 67 and holds a share of 6th. The dual citizen from Irving, Texas is having a homecoming of sorts, having spent his summers nearby.

“My granddad’s coming up, and a couple of my really close friends are coming up from Church Point. I’ll go to dinner with them tonight, and it’ll be nice to have some friendly support this week.”

Oakville, Ont. – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the six individuals selected to represent Canada at the 2016 World Amateur Team Championship, conducted by the International Golf Federation. The championships—featuring both a women’s (September 14-17) and men’s (September 21-24) competition—will take place in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Representing Canada on the women’s side will be Maddie Szeryk, 20, of Allen, Tex., Josée Doyon, 23, of St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que., and Naomi Ko, 18, of Victoria, B.C. The trio will compete for the Espirito Santo Trophy at the Mayakoba El Cameleón Golf Club and Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club.

The men’s team selected to represent Canada consists of Jared du Toit, 21, of Kimberley, B.C., Garrett Rank, 28, of Elmira, Ont., and Hugo Bernard, 21, of Mont-St-Hilaire, Que. Also contested on both Mayakoba El Cameleón Golf Club and Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club, the men compete for the Eisenhower Trophy.

“The World Amateur Team Championships are one of the pinnacle events that we use to benchmark our players performance and development globally,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “Our recent success in this event is a reflection of our commitment to supporting and developing some of the world-class talent that we have here in Canada, and we hope to demonstrate that again this year with the remarkable group of athletes chosen to represent us. Though the selection process was difficult, I remain confident that this team will represent our country in a very positive light.”

Women’s Team Bios:
Maddie Szeryk, a member of Team Canada’s National Squad for the past two years, will lead the women’s squad into competition as the top-ranked Canadian at No. 40 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). She finished a strong sophomore campaign at Texas A&M by earning First Team All-SEC honours for the second consecutive year, highlighted by a win at the Florida State Match-Up. Szeryk’s summer featured strong finishes at the Canadian Women’s Amateur (T14) and North & South Amateur Championship (Round of 16). The 2015 Ontario Women’s Amateur champion added valuable experience playing in her second consecutive CP Women’s Open against the LPGA’s top athletes. The 20-year-old has prior experience representing Canada on the global stage, finishing tied for 15^th at the 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China.

Josée Doyon is in her rookie year on Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, but has the poise of an experienced veteran. Doyon is fresh off completing her collegiate golf with the Kent State Golden Flashes, where she was named the Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Year in her junior season on the heels of three consecutive wins. The 23-year-old has consistently posted impressive results in 2016, including defending her title at the Quebec Women’s Amateur Championship, a win at the Porter Cup and a T9 finish at the Canadian Women’s Amateur.

An experienced member of Canada’s national team, Naomi Ko is in her fourth year with the Team Canada program. The 18-year-old spent three years with the Development Squad before graduating to the Amateur Squad this season. Ko has shown flashes of brilliance on home soil this summer, capturing the Canadian Junior Girls Championship and recording a T7 finish in the deep Canadian Women’s Amateur field. She also gained LPGA experience in 2016 by qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open and playing in the CP Women’s Open. In 2015, Ko finished 5^th at the B.C. Women’s Amateur and T2 at the Ontario Women’s Amateur.

Men’s Team Bios:
Jared du Toit became a familiar name to Canadians following his captivating performance at the PGA TOUR’s RBC Canadian Open. The Kimberley, B.C., product captured the hearts of many in a thrilling run at Glen Abbey Golf Club, where he played in the final group on Sunday to crack the Top-10 in a tie for ninth. The 21-year-old is entering his senior year of collegiate golf for the Arizona State Sun Devils, following a junior season that saw him post five Top-10 finishes. His impressive campaign also features Top-5 finishes at the Monroe Invitational and Porter Cup, a win at the Glencoe Invitational and a T15 finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur. In 2015, du Toit was crowned the B.C. Men’s Amateur champion.

Garrett Rank is no stranger to competing for Canada on the big stage, having done so for three years as part of Team Canada’s Amateur Squad. At 28 years old, Rank is balancing a busy career on the road as a full-time NHL referee, while continuing to compete at high-level amateur golf events. The Elmira, Ont., native recently locked up his third consecutive victory at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship to add to a T9 finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur and a T2 finish at the Sunnehanna Amateur. He added a T77 finish in his second consecutive RBC Canadian Open appearance and a round of 32 finish at the U.S. Amateur. Rank also boasts the experience of representing Canada in the 2015 Pan-American games, where he finished 15^th.

Hugo Bernard made a lasting impression in his rookie campaign with the Saint Leo Lions, posting six Top-5 finishes in eight events, including medalist honours at the NCAA Div II Championship. His efforts at Saint Leo earned him Freshman of the Year honours to go with being named as a first-team all-American. The 21-year-old Mont-St-Hilaire, Que., product followed his collegiate season with a victory at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship after finishing runner-up the year prior. Bernard also collected a win in his home province at the Alexander of Tunis.

About the World Amateur Team Championships:
A biennial competition, the World Amateur Team Championship has been played since 1958, with the winner taking home the Eisenhower Trophy. The United States won the 2014 title in Karuizawa, Japan, by two strokes over the Canadian contingent of Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.), Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Adam Svensson (Surrey, B.C.).

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 28 appearances at the World Amateur Team Championship, Canada has captured the Eisenhower Trophy on one occasion (1986) and earned runner-up honours five times. 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.

The World Amateur Team Championships are conducted by the International Golf Federation, which was founded in 1958 to encourage the international development of the game and to employ golf as a vehicle to foster friendship and sportsmanship. The IGF is comprised of 146 National Federation Members in 141 countries and 22 Professional Members. The IGF serves as the International Olympic Committee’s recognized International Federation for golf.

The 2018 championship will be contested at Carton House (Montgomerie and O’Meara Courses) in Maynooth, Ireland.

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. – Nicole Vandermade arrived on the putting green Tuesday at Whistle Bear Golf Club, the site of this week’s Manulife LPGA Classic, and the first thing she received was a big hug from Lorie Kane.

“What are you doing here, are you playing?” asked Kane.

“I am!” responded Vandermade enthusiastically, to a high-five from the Hall of Famer.

Vandermade had Monday Qualified the day prior, after a 73 got her through.

She had been playing at her home course – Brantford Golf and Country Club – at least once a week, and thanks to a friendship with Sean Casey at Glen Abbey Golf Club, she practiced there nearly every weekday this summer as well.

“I had been playing well, but playing well on your home course is much different than playing well in a tournament. I honestly just came out here trying to play my game and see what happens. I knew if I did that, I’d have a good shot,” she admitted. “But obviously anything can happen out here, so I just tried to enjoy myself and count them up at the end and see what happens.”

On Tuesday Vandermade, who was part of Golf Canada’s National Team from 2006-2011, enjoyed catching up with old friends like fellow Canadian Jennifer Kirby, and the aforementioned Kane. She also managed to get in some practice, as although she lived close to Whistle Bear, she didn’t play the course growing up.

“It’s weird, I played a junior tour growing up where the Tour Championship was at this golf course, but I played a different event that week and couldn’t play here,” she said. “I’ve always known about it but never gotten out.”

The 26-year-old, who has a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Texas at Austin, worked with Golf Canada in the Player Development Experience department this summer. She worked the National Team and Olympians making sure their gear was in order amongst other important tasks.

She finished Friday, and got right to ‘work’ Monday for the qualifier. But despite her quick success, she’s come to the Manulife LPGA Classic without any expectations on what might happen.

“Honestly I’m taking it week by week,” she explained. “I finished work last week, playing here this week obviously, I’m playing the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada (at Credit Valley Golf and Country Club) next week, and then honestly I have no idea what I’m doing after that.”

Vandermade has even begun applying for “real” jobs.

“One is an athletic department at a university, and a couple other local ones. I’ll see what I get back from that,” she stated. “I’ll probably keep playing but honestly I have no idea, I’m just playing and enjoying it and seeing what happens.”

Also Monday qualifying was Vivian Tsui of Markham, Ont.

With the addition of the pair, there are now 13 Canadians in the field for the 2016 Manulife LPGA Classic.