FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Rickie Fowler kept bogeys off his card for the second straight day and closed with a 5-foot birdie putt for a 3-under 68, giving him a one-shot lead over Patrick Reed going into the final round of The Barclays.

Fowler has gone 45 holes without a bogey at Bethpage Black, the site of two U.S. Opens and among the toughest courses on the PGA Tour. Along with his three birdies Saturday, he made three par-saving putts of at least 10 feet, including one from 25 feet early in his round.

And he needed them all.

Reed overcame three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on the front nine and was tied for the lead on the back nine until the final two holes. Reed missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 17th, and his 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole almost missed weakly to the right.

Fowler, who was at 9-under 204, now is in prime position to win for the first time on the PGA Tour in a year and play his way onto the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

This is the final tournament for Americans to earn one of the eight automatic spots for the Ryder Cup matches at Hazeltine at the end of next month. Fowler was at No. 12 going into the opening FedEx Cup event with its $8.5 million purse and needed at least a third-place finish to earn a spot.

His work is not done.

Reed, who is No. 8 in the Ryder Cup standings, settled into his round and wound up with a 71, putting him in the final group with Fowler. Right behind was Adam Scott, who also saw his share of putts go in, especially a 45-foot birdie on the 15th hole. Scott started out his round by holing a lob wedge from 98 yards for an eagle, and his 65 was the lowest score of the tournament.

Scott, who hasn’t seriously contended since his back-to-back victories in Florida five months ago, was two shots behind at 7-under 206. Martin Laird (69) and Emiliano Grillo (71) were three shots back, while Justin Thomas got into the game a 66 and was in the group at 5-under 208, which included defending champion Jason Day.

For Fowler, the timing could not have been better.

“It’s nice to finally see some putts go in,” Fowler said. “With a few putts going in, it frees up the rest of your game. I’ve been swinging well for a long time, and I’ve been waiting for the putter to catch up.”

Fowler won against a strong field in Abu Dhabi at the start of the year, and he lost a two-shot lead with two holes to play in the Phoenix Open. Since then, he hasn’t been much of a factor has his ranking _ in the FedEx Cup and the Ryder Cup _ began to plunge.

Not wanting to take a chance on being among the four captain’s picks, he has a chance Sunday to secure his spot for Hazeltine.

“It’s pretty simple,” Fowler said. “I’ve got to take care of business tomorrow. It’s been awhile since I’ve been in this position. It’s going to be tough tomorrow. We’re on one of the _ if not the _ toughest golf courses we play all year. It’s been a long time coming, and it’s going to be fun.”

Reed, dressed all in black on another scorching afternoon on Long Island, managed to escape with a bogey from a horrible lie right of the third green. He muffed a chip on the fifth hole and made bogey, then drove well right into a bunker and made another bogey on the sixth hole. He bounced back with a pair of birdies, and made all pars on the back nine. Considering the difficulty of the Black’s back nine, that was more than enough to stay in the game.

Scott can relate to how Fowler is feeling with the putter. He had no complaints with how he played tee-to-green, but he was getting aggravated with his putting. One good round, finally, changed his outlook.

“The front nine is the gettable nine, and to turn in 4 under set up my round,” Scott said. “I knew anything under par on the back, I would have a great round, and that was kind of my goal. I rolled a couple long ones in, and that felt good and kept the momentum going. Hopefully, something to build on for tomorrow and beyond.”

Day was hopeful of more than a 70 as the No. 1 player in the world tried to get into position. Birdies on the par 3s on the back nine helped atone for some wild tee shots, and he was still very much in the mix.

Jordan Spieth scrambled his way out of the rough and the sand. Spieth didn’t hit a fairway from the second hole until the 15th, yet he still played even par. But on the par-3 17th, he flubbed a chip and took double bogey, and a birdie on the final hole gave him a 72. He was six shots behind.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Sarah Schmelzel (Phoenix, Ariz.) posted another 5-under, 67 on the Gary Player Course on Friday to grab the 36-hole lead at Stage I of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament at 10-under, 134. She is three shots clear of Savannah Vilaubi (Downey, Calif.) and Daniela Darquea (Quito, Ecuador).

The low 90 and ties, currently at 2-over, 146, advance to Stage II after final-round play on Sunday. 

Schmelzel, 22, also carded a 67 on day one on the Arnold Palmer Course. Through two days, she has 11 birdies, an eagle and three bogeys, which all came on day one. 

“I was hitting it close early, but wasn’t making the putts so I stayed patient,” said Schmelzel. “Then I made birdie on three and six and made an eagle on seven. I really believe in the preparation I put in for this week and I knew this was possible.”

Schmelzel’s eagle putt on hole seven came from almost 50-feet. She wasn’t expecting to be on the green in two, but ripped a 3-wood to put herself in position to roll in a long putt. 

In her first LPGA Qualifying Tournament, Schmelzel said that not shying away from the pressure has been key. 

“I’m embracing the pressure and the stress that everyone talks about,” said Schmelzel. “I’m so grateful to be out here playing and I’m just trying to stay patient.”

Schmelzel was a Golfweek Honorable Mention All-American as a senior at South Carolina. She posted three top 10 finishes in her final year and closed her career with a scoring average of 74.25, fourth all-time at South Carolina. 

“Every year brought a new challenge, I went through injuries and I went through highs of winning regionals and lows,” said Schmelzel. “Now that I’ve turned pro, I can see how dealing with adversity in college has helped me. I was forced to mature so quickly in order to be successful.”

The adversity in college came right away when she dealt with being on the other side of the country from family and then during her junior year she missed the first half with an overuse shoulder injury. 

Schmelzel won the 2011 Arizona State High School Championship at Xavier Prep, the same school that LPGA player Cheyenne Woods attended. Xavier Prep has also produced professional golfers Kimberly Kim and Katerina Bruner along with former LPGA player Amanda Blumenherst. 

Schmelzel was a competitive gymnast growing up and to the surprise of her parents; she decided to quit in seventh grade to focus on golf. With her dad, Dennis, on the bag this week, she is in position to move a stage closer to her dream. 

“The LPGA is a big goal of mine, but I know there is a lot of golf left,” said Schmelzel. “I’d loved to win a major championship some day.”

Canada’s Anna Kim of Toronto sits as the highest Canadian on the leaderboard through 36 holes at Stage I of LPGA Qualifying School at 6-under par. The recent St. John’s University graduate and BIG EAST Golfer of the Year carded rounds of 70-68 to land in a tie for fourth heading into Saturday. Fellow Canadian Taylor Kim of Surrey, B.C., struggled on Friday with a 75 (+3) to slip outside the Top-10 into a tie for 20th.

Saskatoon’s Anna Young sits T46 at even-par, while Aram Choi of Surrey, B.C., holds a share of 62nd place at 1-over.

CALGARY – No driver, no problem for Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn.

Despite not carrying a driver in her bag, Jutanugarn shot a bogey-free 8-under 64 on Friday to move atop the leaderboard through two rounds of play at the CP Women’s Open.

“I hit my tee shots pretty good and I was calm on every shot, so I feel good,” said the 20-year-old Bangkok native, who’s alone in first place at 12 under after carding eight birdies on the Raven course of the Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club.

“Honestly, I don’t think it suits with my game. To me, it’s a little bit narrow and I can’t hit my driver.”

Not having the big stick didn’t cause any problems for Jutanugarn, who hit 14-of-14 fairways on Friday using either her 3-wood or 2-iron.

“Sometimes I feel more confident with my irons, so I feel like this one I’ve got to make sure it’s in the fairway, so it’s good enough,” said Jutanugarn, who is currently No. 2 in the Rolex women’s world golf rankings behind New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and just ahead of Brooke Henderson from Smiths Falls, Ont. “I mean some weeks I use my driver if it’s wide enough and if I need the distance, but this week I don’t need that.”

South Korea’s In Gee Chun birdied the 17th hole before draining a nine-foot putt for eagle on the 18th to shoot a 5-under 67.

“I had three bogeys today, but it was a really good finish on the 18th hole,” said Chun, whose two-day total of 9 under has put her in striking distance of accomplishing what she set out to do at the start of the four-day tournament. “My goal is top three this week, so I can try.”

Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow followed up her round of 66 on Thursday with a 69 on Friday to pull into a tie with Chun for second spot.

Ko also shot 69 to put her in a five-way tie for fourth spot with Sei Young Kim, Hyo Joo Kim, Mi Jung Hur and Chella Choi, all of whom hail from South Korea.

“I played pretty solid the past few days,” said Ko, who has won the Canadian Open in three of the past four years including last year at the Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C. “There’s still a lot of golf to be played. Right now I feel like I’m playing solid, so it’s a good position going into the weekend.”

Choi finished up the final four holes of her first round early on Friday morning after play was suspended the night before due to darkness. She had the first round lead of 7-under 65, but fell out of top spot after shooting 71 during her second trip around the par-72, 6,622-yard layout.

Thailand’s Budsabakorn Sukapan shot 66 in Round 2 and is tied for ninth spot at 7 under with South Korea’s Amy Yang, Norway’s Suzann Petterson and a pair of Japanese golfers in Sakura Yokomine and Ai Miyazato.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc, of Sherbrooke, Que., sank a long putt from off the green on the 18th hole to finish her second round with an eagle.

“I know the greens are super fast, so I just know I had to roll it on the green and then the green was going to do the rest,” said Leblanc. “Fortunately I did the job and it’s a good way to finish.”

After carding her second straight score of 69, Leblanc is in a tie for 14th spot at 6 under with five other golfers including Hamilton’s Alena Sharp.

“It’s always good to see the Canadian flag on the leaderboard no matter where we are, but definitely this week,” said Sharp. “I know in the past we’ve done well as a group, the Canadians, so it’s nice to see halfway through we’ve got some people up there. Hopefully we can continue it on the weekend.”

Canada's @AlenaSharp on her solid year, nerves and more after Rd. 2 of the #CPWO.https://t.co/vugZY6UncJ

— CP Womens Open (@cpwomensopen) August 27, 2016

Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee followed up the 69 she shot in Round 1 with a 70 to put her in a tie for 20th place at 5 under, one shot ahead of Henderson, who carded a respectable round of 4-under 68.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” said Lee, who’s playing in her first LPGA event as an amateur. “These past two days have been really fun, incredible ? just a great experience. It’s been a bonus on top of that to play well.”

Quite the #LPGA debut for @JaclynLee57. @TheGolfCanada Am. Team member member is 5-under thru 36 holes at the #CPWO.https://t.co/YwQqY255E4

— CP Womens Open (@cpwomensopen) August 26, 2016

Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay was the only other Canadian to qualify to play on the weekend as her two-day total of 1 under put her right on the cut line with a host of other players.

Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham along with Brittany Marchand, of Orangeville, Ont., and Jessica Wallace of Langley, B.C., all finished at even par to miss the cut by one shot.

PONOKA, Alta. – Beaming sunshine and a mild breeze provided a picturesque backdrop for the final round of the 2016 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship. Judith Kyrinis carded a 4-under 68 to claim a trio of titles at Wolf Creek Golf Resort.

“It’s something I’ve always dreamed of for a very long time, so I’m pretty proud,” said the 52-year-old.

The native of Thornhill, Ont., opened the day with the 36-hole lead in the 25-and-over Mid-Amateur, 40-and-over Mid-Master and 50-and-over Senior divisions. A 5-under 31 performance across a bogey-free front nine that included three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 6^th hole secured her a five-stroke victory. Steady play down the stretch held off the advances of 2014 Senior champion Hélène Chartrand.

“I just tried to stay in the process that I’ve been working on all year,” reflected Kyrinis. “Playing the golf course has been a big part and my key is the fairways and the greens…and par is always your friend. I rolled in a lot of really nice putts today – that can never hurt.”

In 2015, Kyrinis finished runner-up in the three divisions to Etobicoke, Ont., native Terril Samuel. Two years ago, she claimed third in the Senior division. After holding the lead following two days of competition, she was determined to close-out the victory and learn from her near-misses.

Her attention now shifts to building upon today’s experience in hopes of finding future success. When asked about her takeaways from the victory, she flatly responded, “that you can get the job done when you’re under pressure.”

“To shoot a final-round 68 is pretty cool – you feel really good. It’s great for that memory bank and going forward, I just hope I keep drawing on that again…coming up, I’ve got the U.S. Mid-Am and U.S. Senior.”

With the victory, Kyrinis has earned entry into the 2016 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship to be played at Wellesley Country Club in Wellesley, Mass., from September 17-22.

Hélène Chartrand from Pincourt, Que., finished the day with three birdies in an even-par round to claim runner-up honours in all three divisions. Port Alberni, B.C., native Christina Proteau was 7-over 223 in her attempt to capture a sixth Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur title. Terrill Samuel earned third in the Mid-Master and Senior divisions.

Kyrinis’ trio of national titles adds to a victory in the inter-provincial team championship which was played concurrently over the competition’s first 36 holes. Alongside teammates Ivy Steinberg from Stouffville and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Mary Ann Hayward of St. Thomas, Team Ontario claimed a three-stroke victory over Team Quebec.

Holly Horwood of Vancouver completed a wire-to-wire victory to win the 36-hole, 60-and-over Super Senior division with a 9-over 153 showing. Heath, Texas product Anna Schultz trailed the champion by two strokes to claim second, while Dartmouth, N.S., native Ruth Maxwell finished third.

The 2017 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship will be contested at Humber Valley Resort in Little Rapids, N.L., from August 22 to 24.

Additional information from the competition is available here.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Patrick Reed’s place in the Ryder Cup is looking better with each round at The Barclays, and so are his prospects of winning.

Even with a careless finish Friday at Bethpage Black, Reed rode a fast start to a 3-under 68 and a two-shot lead over Emiliano Grillo and Rickie Fowler going into the weekend of the opening FedEx Cup playoff event.

The Barclays is the final tournament for Americans to earn one of the eight automatic spots on the Ryder Cup team. Reed, who has gone 55 tournaments worldwide since his last victory, came into the week at No. 8.

At the moment, that’s no longer a concern.

“Really, I’m going into this week trying to win a golf tournament,” Reed said. “If I take care of me and do what I need to do this week, then Ryder Cup will take care of itself. So I’m not going into this week looking at it as, ‘Oh, I need to do this for the Ryder Cup.’ I’m going in this to think, ‘All right, I need to go win a golf tournament.”’

Reed was at 8-under 134.

Fowler mostly likely needs third place alone to have any chance of qualifying for the Ryder Cup, and he has done his part. He played bogey-free in the sweltering heat, though still missing plenty of birdie chances. Par is never bad on the Black Course, however, and Fowler shot a 69.

He has dropped only one shot all week, missing a 4-foot par putt Thursday that spun out of the back of the cup.

“Any time you can go bogey-free out here at this place, it’s good golf,” Fowler said. “Feel very good about my ball-striking and tee-to-green right now. See if we can get some more putts to go in.”

Grillo also had a 69, opening with a double bogey and finishing with a bogey.

Ryan Moore (68) was three shots behind, while defending champion Jason Day (70) and Jordan Spieth (67) were four back.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is in a tie for fifth after shooting a 68 to sit at 4 under for the tournament. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., (70) and Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask. (72) just made the cut and are 3 over.

Day tied for the lead early in the round when he ran off four straight birdies on the easier front nine. But his tee shots got wild, he finished some swings with only one hand on the club, and he dropped four shots around the turn.

“I’m really looking forward to the weekend,” Day said. “I feel like I’m really close.”

Spieth missed the cut at The Barclays a year ago, and he started off Friday in that direction when his approach to the tough 10th buried in the lip of a deep bunker. Spieth had to play away from the green and made double bogey.

And then he decided to start over. His caddie, Michael Greller, told him to forget the hole ever happened and try to get those two shots back before making the turn. He eventually did, and then a lot more.

Spieth played shot 31 on the front nine, including a 6-iron that hopped out of the rough to 3 feet on the par-5 fourth hole for an eagle, and shot a 67 to get back into the mix. He still has a lot of ground to make up on Patrick Reed. Still, this round could have gotten away from him early.

“Resetting a goal there is really key for me to get my mind away from what happened and look forward,” Spieth said. “I know it’s such a tough golf course. It’s rare when we play tournaments on courses this challenging. Normally they’re majors. But 4 under makes up a lot of ground.”

It moved Spieth up to a tie for fifth, which beats having the weekend off.

Spieth is among the few who only have to think about the end of the FedEx Cup. He is No. 5 in the standings, and he already has clinched a spot on the Ryder Cup team.

The top 100 in the FedEx Cup advance to the next playoff event outside Boston next week, and 13 players outside the top 100 were eliminated when they didn’t advance to the weekend. As for the Ryder Cup, three players who missed the cut can no longer qualify _ Bill Haas, Kevin Na and Daniel Summerhays.

Bethpage, host of the U.S. Open twice, showed how it can punish bad shots. Kevin Chappell one shot behind until he went bogey-double bogey-bogey to finish his round, posting a 72. Reed could have avoided his own sloppy finish. He three-putted from 30 feet on No. 16, bounced back with a 5-iron to 2 feet for birdie on the 17th, and then opted for driver on the closing hole.

He was thinking 3-iron off the tee to play short of the bunkers. His caddie suggested driver for a shorter shot into the green, particularly because Reed had hit driver beautifully over the previous hour. This one went enough left to find a bunker, however, leading to another bogey.

BROMONT, Que. – Garrett Rank conquered strong winds at Golf Château-Bromont to claim his third consecutive Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title with a 19-under 269 final score to earn entry into the 2017 RBC Canadian Open.

The product of Elmira, Ont., surged up the leaderboard, beginning with a 7-under 65 showing on moving day. That momentum carried into the final round of competition with Rank carding three birdies on the front nine to quickly separate himself from third-round co-leader Jordan Irwin.

“I got off to another nice start,” said Rank. “I hit a close shot on 6 and missed a three-footer for eagle which would have been a dream. I got a little sloppy through 8 and 9, but started to play really well again on the back nine – great last two days.”

The 28-year-old NHL referee bogeyed the 8th hole, but rebounded with four birdies across the back nine en route to a 5-under 67. The win is Rank’s third Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur victory in as many years, and it has earned him an exemption into the 2017 RBC Canadian Open hosted by Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., from July 24 to 30.

“It’s always special winning a national championship and to win it three times in a row is a huge honour,” said the Team Canada National Amateur Squad alumnus. “My goal for this week was to come here and win and get back into the [RBC] Canadian Open and I accomplished that. No matter the score, no matter what happened this week, I’m really pleased with how it went. I’m happy to be a national champion again and get the privilege of playing in the Open.”

Rank finished with a T77 result at the 2016 edition of the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey.

Ryan Sevigny of Stittsville, Ont., who began the day in a tie for 15th, shot 8-under 64 to match Golf Château-Bromont’s course record and catapult into a share of second. The 27-year-old carded seven birdies across his first 16 holes before an eagle on the par-5 17th moved Sevigny into the runner-up position alongside 54-hole leader Jordan Irwin.

Irwin of Banff, Alta., made consecutive bogeys on his first two holes, but birdied Nos. 6 and 9 to move within two strokes of Rank heading into the turn. Despite an additional birdie on the final stretch, the 2016 Alberta Men’s Mid-Amateur champion finished at 13-under 275.

Rob Couture made a push for the Mid-Amateur title after matching the course record during the third round of competition. The 41-year-old was 2-over through his first 15 holes, but a trio of birdies to end the day earned the Dallas native the 40-and-over Mid-Master title at 8-under 280.

Three-time Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion Dave Bunker of Woodbridge, Ont., looked to reclaim his 2015 Mid-Master title after leading the division through 54-holes, but was disqualified for signing the wrong score card.

Matthew Sim (Oakville), Ryan Kings (Kitchener) and Charles Fitzsimmons (London) combined to finish 15-under 273 in the inter-provincial team competition – contested over the first 36-holes – to claim a second consecutive victory for Ontario.

Additional information from the tournament can be found here.

After four years as a member of Team Canada’s National Team, and a full collegiate career at the University of Florida, Eric Banks has decided to turn professional.

Banks, who turns 24 in November, will begin his journey as a professional golfer at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada’s Cape Breton Open at Bell Bay Golf Course from Sept. 1-4, not too far home. A native of Truro, N.S., Banks felt that the timing to turn professional was right.

“I’ve been an amateur for a while and I picked up a couple of good results along the way and I just think the timing is right,” Banks told the Truro Daily News.

During his time as a Florida Gator, Banks tallied five Top-10 finishes to go alongside winning the David Toms Award—given to the collegiate golfer who most overcomes adversity. He recovered from successful open-heart surgery in 2012 that repaired a hole in his heart.

“I’m very excited for Eric to embark on his professional career,” said Derek Ingram, Team Canada Men’s Head Coach. “He is a very good young player with excellent habits that knows how to handle adversity. I look forward to watching him progress and assisting in any way I can.”

The two-time Nova Scotia Junior champion will also be attending qualifying school for the Web.Com Tour in search of playing status for the 2017 season. The first stage of qualifying runs from Sept. 27-30 at various locations in the United States.

“No matter where I go I’m just going to try and do the things that I’ve been working on with Team Canada coaches and my other coaches and just try and put some numbers on the board.”

While I remain confused and dismayed that the LPGA has not re-designated the CP Women’s Open as a major, I do agree with LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan’s assessment of this week’s tournament at Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club near Calgary, Alta.

“Someone asked me in Rio, “How do you go from the Olympics to a regular Tour event?,” Whan said earlier this week.  His response: “We’re going to have 30 countries in the field at the CP Open … so we’re going to put on another version of the Olympics this week.”

Unlike him, I might have taken umbrage at his questioner’s offhand reference to “a regular Tour event,” because the CP Women’s Open is anything but. A major from 1979 to 2000, the championship now has a reputation that—not just in my mind but those of other observers and participants—rivals or exceeds the majors.

Aside from the impressive international component, consider that its US$2.25-million purse is the highest of any non-major on the LPGA Tour and that 95 of the top 100 golfers in the world committed to the event. It routinely features one of the best, if not the best, field of any LPGA event, including the majors. Ponder the enthusiastic comments of the players, the caddies and the spectators about the amenities, the organizational and logistic excellence, the quality of the courses, and the hospitality.

Much of that can attributed to the vision of one man, Hunter Harrison. As CEO of Canadian National Railway in 2006, he partnered his company with Golf Canada to sponsor the championship after BMO ended its support. In 2013, Harrison had moved to head up Canadian Pacific and, in turn, when CN ended its title sponsorship, Harrison persuaded CP to step in.

(Having said that, CN has continued its generous support of an entire suite of national junior and related development programs including CN Future Links, CN Future Links Championships, CN Future Links Junior Skills Challenge and more.)

“Hunter has always emphasized that every touch point has to be perfect,” says Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons. “His attitude is that this is the most important women’s golf event in the world and he expects everyone involved to buy into that philosophy. Obviously, it’s worked.”

Another “major” aspect of the CP Women’s Open is the commitment to charity.

This year, the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation is the official charity beneficiary and all funds raised through the tournament will support pediatric cardiac care and research at the hospital. The goal is to raise at least $1.2 million, which seems reachable based on the fact that $2.3 million was raised in total in 2014 and 2015.

In total over the past 10 years of CN and CP sponsorship, more than $15 million has been donated to health-related charities across Canada through our women’s Open.

Although Harrison has announced his retirement, to be succeeded next year by COO Keith Creel, CP’s sponsorship is in place through 2018. Next year’s tournament will take place at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club and it is widely speculated that Regina’s Wascana Country Club will play host in 2018.

CALGARY – Stephanie Meadow didn’t mind the inclement weather conditions during the first round of the CP Women’s Open Thursday.

After a lightning delay that lasted nearly three hours, Meadow didn’t miss a beat as she birdied her final two holes to take the clubhouse lead at 6-under 66 before play was eventually suspended because of darkness.

South Korea’s Chella Choi, who teed off with the afternoon group, is 7 under through 14 holes and will have to finish her first round Friday morning. Karine Icher joined Meadow at 6 under through 14 holes and will also finish Round 1 Friday morning.

Golfers also had to battle windy, rainy and chilly conditions, which Meadow often endured while growing up in Jordanstown, Northern Ireland.

“My caddie always jokes that when it’s windy I always play great, so I guess that’s kind of my deal,” said Meadow, who had seven birdies and one bogey on Thursday. “Being from Ireland, that’s just part of it.

“It’s nice to know that I can play in those conditions. I’ve done it a lot, even though it’s when I was little, but I’ve still done it and scored, so I know I can do it.”

Choi and Icher return to the course at 7:15 a.m. MST on Friday along with 52 other golfers to finish their rounds.

The group tied for fourth at 67 includes Lydia Ko, the Olympic silver medallist from New Zealand, who is No. 1 in the Rolex women’s world golf rankings.

“I played solid – birdied the first hole straight off the bat, so when you make a birdie in the first round on the first hole, it gives you good momentum,” said Ko, who has won the CP Women’s Open in three of the past four years including last year at The Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C., when she beat American Stacy Lewis in a playoff.

South Korea’s Mirim Lee held the early lead of 5 under through 13 holes when players were shuttled off the course due to lightning in the area at 11:44 a.m.

When play resumed nearly three hours later at 2:40 p.m., Lee bogeyed the 14th hole before bouncing back with a birdie on 15 and three straight pars to card a score of 67.

Mi Jung Hur, also of South Korea, then birdied the 18th hole just after Lee signed her scorecard to pull into a tie for the lead.

“I was here about seven years ago and I have good memories,” said Hur, who finished in a tie for 16th the last time the Canadian Open was held in Priddis in 2009. “But this year the conditions are super nice. The greens are super fast. I think this is the fastest greens I’ve ever had on the Tour.”

Ko finished her round of 67 a short time later, while Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn also moved into a tie for fourth after getting to 5 under through 14 holes before play was suspended.

Brooke Henderson, the 18-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont. who is No. 3 in the Rolex rankings, was scheduled to tee off at 1:31 p.m., but didn’t hit her first shot until nearly three hours later.

Through 15 holes, Henderson sat in a tie for 46th spot with a host of other golfers at 1 under.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was one of the golfers who started in the afternoon and was also able to finish her round. She carded a score of 4-under 68 and is tied as the top Canadian with Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee, an amateur who ended the night at 4 under through 13 holes.

Maude-Aimee LeBlanc, of Sherbrooke, Que., also had a solid round in the afternoon of 3-under 69.

Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham and Jessica Wallace, of Langley, B.C., were the top Canadians after the morning round as both shot scores of 2-under 70.

“It was up and down,” said Lee-Bentham, who bogeyed her final hole. “I had two three-putts today. It’s a little frustrating because the greens are tough here but overall it was a solid round.”

Playing in her last LPGA event, Bentham will retire at the age of 24 after the tournament. She’s been playing the Symetra Tour, the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour, where uncertainty and expenses have caused her to rethink her future, including a possible return to school.

The $2.25-million CP Women’s Open was last held in Priddis, southwest of Calgary, in 2009 and runs through Sunday. The purse includes $337,500 for the winner.

PONOKA, Alta. – Gusty morning conditions at Wolf Creek Golf Resort set the stage for Team Ontario’s victory at the 2016 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship. Led by a 2-over 74 performance from Judith Kyrinis, Team Ontario claimed its third straight victory in the inter-provincial competition.

“We’re very proud of representing Ontario and Golf Ontario,” said the 52-year-old. “It’s always such a fun competition. It’s always great to have some bragging rights amongst the provinces.”

The team of Kyrinis (Thornhill), Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Mary Ann Hayward (St. Thomas) and Ivy Steinberg (Stouffville) finished with a combined total of 12-over 300. They are the same trio which began Ontario’s string of consecutive victories in 2014, while only Hayward represented her home province on all three occasions.

“It’s great,” said Kyrinis, when asked to reflect on the team. “We’re very supportive of each other. Mary Ann and I, we battle it out back home in Ontario all the time, but we’re good friends. Competition is just a part of what we do. Ivy – we’ve done a lot together this year. We share the same swing coach, so we practice a lot together. It’s been great having them both as teammates.”

Team Ontario claimed a three-stroke victory over the squad representing the province of Quebec. The contingent from British Columbia claimed third at 18-over 306.

At 2-over 146, Kyrinis leads the 40-and-over Mid-Master and 50-and-over Senior divisions and is tied atop the 25-and-over Mid-Amateur leaderboard alongside Margo Dickinson of Hartland, N.B. Kyrinis has seen success at this competition, having finished third in the Senior Championship in 2014 and runner-up across the three divisions in 2015.

“You certainly hope to draw on it,” she said of her past experience in this competition and in her career. “Just the feeling like you can get the job done and just believe in yourself.”

Kyrinis stressed the need for focus and composure when looking ahead to the final day of the national championship.

“It’s one shot at a time,” she noted. “I really do say that a lot in my head as I go out there. And I just try to stay patient. I think I did that well yesterday and today. I had a little rough patch today in the middle of the round. I just stayed patient and a couple of birdies came my way.”

First-round leader Hélène Chartrand from Pincourt, Que., is 3-over and sits third in the Mid-Amateur competition and second in the Mid-Master and Senior divisions. The 2014 Senior winner is four-strokes clear of defending champion Terrill Samuel of Etobicoke, Ont., who claimed the three division titles last year.

Holly Horwood of Vancouver completed a wire-to-wire victory to win the 36-hole, 60-and-over Super Senior division with a 9-over 153 showing. Heath, Texas product Anna Schultz trailed the champion by two strokes to claim runner-up honours, while Dartmouth, N.S., native Ruth Maxwell finished third.

A total of 83 players finished 178-or-better to advance to the third and final round of the 2016 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship. The number of players advancing to the final round includes 12 players who are not eligible for the Senior division, but registered scores equal to the final qualifier in the 50-and-over category. The finale of the national championship will commence at 8 a.m.

Additional information from the competition can be found here.