In Lorie Kane’s opinion, anyway, this is one head-to-head match-play duel she can never, ever win.

“I owe golf,’’ she is saying, with utter certainty, “a whole lot more than it owes me. Someone once asked me: ‘What do you love about golf?’ I answered: ‘What it’s afforded me to do.’

Golf helped shape the person I am. I don’t think I’m this Lorie Kane without the game.”

The flip-side argument being that golf in this country wouldn’t be what it is without Lorie Kane, either.

During the CP Women’s Open this week at Priddis Greens, a solid five-iron outside of Calgary, the Charlottetown native will be inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, joining fellow 2016 inductees writer/commentator Bob Weeks and two-time men’s national amateur champion Warren Sye.

So let her protest; to her heart’s content, in fact. Quibble away. This particular tribute has for a while now shaped up as a slam-dunk.

Because it’s not a stretch to argue that for an entire generation of aspiring female golfers aiming of the stars, Lorie Kane has come not only to represent, but to symbolize their game in this country, stem to stern, tip to tip. The way Jocelyne Bourassa or Sandra Post did for preceding eras.

“I feel she’s the continuation of torch passing,’’ says Post, chair of the Hall’s selection committee. “We have a wonderful history of women’s golf in this country. I first think of Ada (Mackenzie), Marlene Streit, then in the late ‘60s we move from amateurs to professional. There was Jocelyn Bourassa, myself, Coe Jones and Lisa Walters. We passed it along nicely. Then we passed it nicely to Lorie.”

“Golf Canada does such a great job of giving amateurs, giving young people, the chance to get better, added Post. “Whether that’s through coaching or advice or travel. They’re really extremely generous. But there are still a lot of rungs you have to climb to get to the top rung.

“Now we have there’s Brooke (Henderson), of course, to continue the tradition.”

“Considering Lorie started so late, the length of time she played on Tour is amazing. I don’t see that happening much anymore, that late bloomer. She’s different in that way. Didn’t have much of an amateur career. It didn’t come easy. She really had to battle. And now she’s heading out on the senior tour. She’s hung in there. It’s not easy to play a long time on the LPGA Tour; it’s not easy to win on the LPGA Tour. And she’s done it all with a smile. So I’d say it’s been a very good, very successful, very kind legacy.”

The credentials are by now familiar, and impeccable: Those 10 professional wins, four arriving on the LPGA Tour, the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as this country’s top female athlete in 2000, the Order of Canada honour six years later.

It’s been quite the journey – from Charlottetown to the grand theatres of the game.

“I’m generally not somebody who spends much time reflecting on where she’s been,’’ reasons Kane. “I try very hard to stay where I am and to think about where I’m going. But when Sandra contacted me to tell me I’d been given the honour of being inducted, and inducted into this year’s group – Bob Weeks is a very good friend, who’s done a lot for golf, and then Warren – I’d be foolish to tell you I didn’t start reflecting on the past and where I’d come from. It’s pretty cool.”

“I sometimes think Hall of Fame as being something at the end. I’m far from the end but things are changing. My relationship with CP has allowed me to do a whole lot more than I ever would’ve done if I’d never met (longtime Canadian Pacific Railway executive) Hunter Harrison. He not only changed my life but women’s golf. Let’s face it, Chairman Brown at DuMaurier, when they pulled in the rules that we couldn’t sponsor anymore, golf was in the tank.”

Kane is spot on in thinking of herself as quintessential Canadian, having learned the game here, developed her skills here, before moving out onto its grandest stage and leaving an imprint.

“I didn’t play college golf. I’m probably one of the most non-traditional athletes imaginable in how I got to where I am. I’ve represented our country on several occasions. I met my coach, Jack McLaughlin, in 1988, when I wasn’t sure what I would be doing. I knew I wanted to play professional sport. I didn’t know it was going to be golf. I’ve had so many wonderful people help me along the way; that believed in me.”

“So now, to be in the Hall, with the great athletes we have on the golf side, is really neat.”

Her 11-under-par, three-stroke victory over American Kristi Albers at the 2000 Michelob Light Classic at the Fox Run Golf Club in Eureka, Missouri, proved to be Lorie Kane’s breakthrough moment.

From there, she’d top the leaderboard at the New Albany Classic, again in 2000 (a season she won nearly $2 million and had nine seconds and 34 Top 10 finishes), then the Mizuno Classic and Takefuji Classic a year later.

No one could’ve possibly foreseen it at the time, naturally, but that fourth and final LPGA triumph – she’d come agonizingly close afterwards, losing in playoffs in each of the next three seasons – would be Canada’s last until Brooke Henderson at the Cambia Portland Classic, a full 14 years later.

“The first one,’’ Kane reflects, “was the important one but I’d be lying to say it’s the one that stands out. I vividly remember the chances that came before, and being so close without winning, deep-down wondering if I was ever going to be able to get … there. You always remember the struggles, right?”

“I love hockey. Absolutely love it. And I remember Mark Messier saying: ‘Winning is an attitude.’ I ran with that for a full week (at the Michelob). I said to myself: ‘I’m responsible for that. I’m responsible for my attitude.’ And it pushed me over the line. That win in St. Louis opened up such great opportunities.”

Sandra Post was, of course, the first Canadian to play on the LPGA Tour. Also the first to win multiple times in a season, and the last before Lorie Kane.

“It all starts with winning,’’ reminds Post. “If you don’t win, you don’t get the chance for the nice stuff. (For Hall consideration) you have to win nationally but you also to win internationally. You go from there. You can say all the other great things about Lorie, and there are so many – but the attention that comes with winning is what puts it all in motion. You can’t do all the great outside things Lorie has done for golf unless you’ve got a pretty good game. And she has that.”

More than the achievements, though, what Kane will be celebrating on induction day are the people who’ve aided one of the great careers in Canadian golf. The late Jack McLaughlin. Hunter Harrison. Bourassa. Danny Sharp, caddy for virtually her entire pro career. The mentors, the colleagues, the champions, and most importantly the friends and family who supporter her along the way.

“Any time you stand up in front of your peers and 1) have to make sure you don’t forget anybody and 2) celebrate this with the people who’ve made an impact in your life,’’ is the frank admission, “well, it can be a little nerve wracking.”

Small smile. “But nothing I can’t handle.”

She’s handled it all so well, from Charlottetown to Glen Abbey, to Oakville, Ont., and the Hall of Fame.

“Nobody,’’ Lorie Kane repeats emphatically, “is bigger than the game. I hope what I’ve brought to it is a smile, hard work, sharing. Coming from our smallest province, I had five golf courses to play on when I was starting. Now there’s 29. Golf is important to Prince Edward Island, the Atlantic provinces and the country as a whole.”

“If my success has in any small way helped that growth, any growth, that’s nothing more than my job, giving back what I took from the game. I’m just so, so thankful to golf.”

Whether the lady is up to admitting so or not, the feeling is entirely mutual.

Connaissez-vous un arbitre dans la Ligue nationale de hockey dont l’objectif est de réussir le tour du chapeau?

Tel est le défi cette semaine de Garrett Rank, un des participants au Championnat canadien mid-amateur masculin disputé au Golf Château-Bromont.

Rank y va pour l’exploit de remporter un troisième titre national de suite chez les 25 ans et plus.

Un Ontarien d’Elmira âgé de 28 ans, Rank compte plusieurs intéressantes histoires dans le sport et aussi dans la vie ou plutôt… la survie.

PROMOTION DANS LA LNH

Commençons par sa très bonne nouvelle du mois dernier. Juste avant de participer à l’Omnium canadien RBC, il apprenait sa promotion comme officiel à temps plein dans la LNH.

Après avoir fait la navette dans Ligue américaine l’hiver dernier, on lui a annoncé qu’il serait assigné un peu plus de 70 matchs l’hiver prochain dans le circuit Bettman.

« Cela adonne que je suis un golfeur décent qui a un très bon travail qui lui permet de jouer beaucoup au golf l’été », déclare-t-il.

Rank parle avec humilité : il appartient à la catégorie d’élite.

Il s’est qualifié pour les rondes finales de l’Omnium, à Glen Abbey à la fin juillet pour terminer 77e, ce qui représente un tour de force pour un amateur auprès des as de la PGA.

Malgré son habilité estival, pas question d’abandonner le sifflet. Membre de l’équipe de golf au Canada aux Jeux panaméricains l’été passé (il avait fini 15e), il est dans les rangs amateurs pour le demeurer.

« J’adore mon emploi. Je suis chanceux d’avoir le temps pour mon golf », affirme-t-il très fier avec raison de cette graduation dans les ligues majeures.

SURVIVANT DU CANCER

Après la jeune phénomène Brooke Henderson en raison de son immense talent, Garrett Rank est probablement le nom qui a le plus défrayé les manchettes au golf canadien en raison de son parcours.

En plus de très nombreux médias au pays, Golf Digest lui a consacré une entrevue.

En 2011, Rank a été diagnostiqué du cancer des testicules.

« La maladie m’a rendu une personne plus patiente et reconnaissante », admet-il avec le recul du temps et la rémission.

Parmi ses autres réussites en août, ajoutons sa qualification au tableau principal du Championnat amateur des États-Unis à Detroit la semaine passée. Il a réussi un top dix (9e à -3) au Championnat canadien amateur masculin à Royal Ottawa remporté par Hugo Bernard.

Après Bromont où le championnat « mid-am » se terminera vendredi, Garrett Rank délaissera la compétition.

Puisqu’il faut bien payer les comptes un moment donné, notre golfeur-chevalier du sifflet doit entreprendre de façon intensive sa préparation en prévision de sa saison de hockey.

Il ne rangera toutefois pas son équipement de golf très loin de ses patins.

« Il est possible que je traîne mes bâtons l’hiver dans les villes au climat plus clément où je serais appelé à travailler », termine-t-il.

Pourquoi pas!

CALGARY – Twenty-one players took to The Hamptons Golf Club in Calgary for Monday’s final qualifying event in hopes of securing one of the four final spots into the 2016 CP Women’s Open.

Briana Mao of Folsom, CA, finished atop the leaderboard with a 3-over par 75 to earn medalist honours.

Mao, who holds conditional LPGA Tour status, battled cool and blustery conditions to top the field.

“It was really difficult conditions today, but I just hit it straight and low and it worked out,” said the LPGA Tour rookie and University of Virginia alumnae. “I knew scores were going to be high because the conditions were so difficult. But, I was patient and hit the ball well. So, I’m pretty happy right now.”

Mao will be playing her first pro event in Canada, but she also competed in the Canadian Women’s Amateur in 2014, where she tied for 30^th.

Briana Mao (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Also earning an exemption was Brigitte Thibault of Rosemère, Que., a 17-year-old amateur who carded a 77 to finish second to qualify for her first LPGA Tour event.

Brigitte Thibault

Christine Song of Oakville, CA and Angel Yin of Arcadia, CA  shot 78 and 79 respectively to claim the final two exemptions into the field.

With the addition of Thibault to the field, a total of 17 Canadians will now compete for Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship at Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club.

Click here for complete results from the 2016 CP Women’s Open Monday Qualifier at The Hamptons Golf Club.

PRIDDIS, Alta. – Canadian golf sensation Brooke Henderson spent well over an hour hammering balls on the driving range at Priddis Greens on Monday as veterans and rookies alike marvelled at her amazing year heading into this week’s CP Women’s Open.

Henderson, just back from the Summer Olympics in Rio, signed a couple of autographs before retiring to the driving range – working out the kinks as rain started to fall and a blustery west wind continued to blow at her back.

Her success and work ethic have not gone unnoticed.

“I think it’s very inspirational to be honest,” said Victoria’s Naomi Ko, a talented amateur who gained an exemption into the CP Women’s Open. “It kind of gives me a way to give myself a chance and know if they can do it I can give myself a chance and hopefully succeed like they do.”

Ko, like Henderson, is 18 and said Henderson’s play isn’t a surprise to anyone who knows her.

“She’s been playing really well but she’s always been a great player,” Ko said. “She’s always been and I think it was just a matter of time for her to get used to it.

“It’s amazing. It’s making Canada proud.”

Stephanie Meadow, an Irish professional golfer who made her debut at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, sees a lot of similarities between Henderson and three-time Canadian Open winner Lydia Ko.

“First off they’re both great people,” said Meadow, who represented Britain at the Rio Olympics. “I’ve played a lot with Brooke and a few times with Lydia and I can’t say enough good things about them.

“Golf-wise they’re fantastic players. They’re extremely consistent. Brooke hits it a long way for her size and fights it out. They’re mentally very tough.”

Tournament director Brent McLaughlin said because the CP Women’s Open is a national championship, it’s a major in the eyes of many competitors.

He also couldn’t say enough about the kind of year Henderson is having.

“It truly is a joy to watch someone like that grow up in front of your eyes and be so beyond her years,” he said. “She’s exactly what Canada needed.

“They needed a great hero on the women’s golf side. She is that.”

McLaughlin said Henderson has been embraced by the LPGA Tour much like Canadian Eugenie Bouchard was in the world of tennis.

“All sports need heroes and if you don’t have a young hero in your sport _ it’s tough,” he said. “You need heroes that you root for and Brooke, whether she likes it or not, is that in Canada.

“She means everything to the game.”

The $2.25-million Canadian Open, which begins Tuesday and runs through Sunday, returns to Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club, southwest of Calgary, after a stop there in 2009. The lucrative purse _ which includes $337,500 for the winner _ is expected to lure the game’s stars out of any post-Rio fatigue.

Tour veteran Lorie Kane of Charlottetown will join Henderson in the Canadian contingent after her induction into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Si Woo Kim won the Wyndham Championship by five strokes Sunday for his first PGA Tour title.

The 21-year-old South Korean player closed with a 3-under 67 to finish at 21-under 259 at Sedgefield Country Club, tying the tournament 72-hole record set eight years ago by Carl Pettersson.

Kim matched Pettersson by sinking an uphill 14-foot birdie putt on the final hole.

Kim set a tournament record with a 60 in the second round. He earned 500 FedEx Cup points and $1,008,000 in prize money in the regular-season finale.

Luke Donald was second at 16 under after a 67. Hideki Matsuyama and Brandt Snedeker were 15 under, also each shooting 67.

Kim pretty much locked up the tournament on the par-5 15th.

Donald birdied that hole to pull within three strokes of Kim at 16 under, and Rafa Cabrera Bello – Kim’s playing partner – joined him by chipping in for eagle from a greenside bunker on that hole.

Kim then pushed a 15-foot eagle putt to the right of the hole, but tapped in a 4-footer for the birdie that put him back up by four strokes with three holes left.

With only six players left on the course and the final pairing headed to the 17th tee, play was suspended for 1 hour, 21 minutes as thunderstorms passed through.

That only meant Kim had to wait a little while longer for his victory party.

He vaulted to the top of the leaderboard Friday with his record round – he missed a 50-foot putt on his final hole for 59 – then stayed there Saturday with a 64 that put him up by four strokes entering the final day.

He’d come close to a win once before, losing to Aaron Baddeley in a playoff last month in Alabama in the Barbasol Championship.

It looked as if Kim would cruise in this one after he had four birdies on his front nine, including two in a row on Nos. 8-9 to move to 22 under and put him on pace for the record. When he made the turn, nobody was within six strokes of him.

But things briefly got tense on the back nine: Kim lost a stroke on the 10th after missing a 4-foot par putt in a driving rain, then gave two more back with bogeys on Nos. 13-14 to slip to 19 under.

“You had to play a perfect round of golf” to catch Kim, Snedeker said. “If he did what he has been doing all week, he’s really, really tough to catch.”

The dominant subplot each year at the Wyndham – the tour’s regular-season finale – is the push by the bubble players to crack the top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings and qualify for The Barclays next week at Bethpage Black.

While Kim – who came to Greensboro at No. 43 on the points list – didn’t need any help, others certainly did.

Whee Kim, a South Korean player who arrived at No. 125, and No. 124 Matt Jones both slipped out of the playoff field after missing the cut.

Kyle Stanley and Shawn Stefani both finished 12 under – good enough to put them both in The Barclays. Stanley arrived at No. 127 while Stefani started at No. 133.

“I knew I had to come in here and have a good week,” Stefani said. “Just been a whirlwind of emotions this week and I’ve really felt good about my game and really love the direction my game is headed.”

Ottawa – If Brock Mackenzie decides to take up another sport outside of golf, he might consider long-distance running.

The 35-year old from Washington State prevailed in a marathon seven-hole playoff over Spain’s Samuel Del Val and Langley, B.C.’s Adam Cornelson on Sunday to win the National Capital Open to Support Our Troops, securing his third career Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada win.

The win, which came thanks to a final round 3-under 68 and then a birdie on the seventh extra hole, moves Mackenzie to second on the Order of Merit with three events remaining.

“Winning is hard,” said Mackenzie. “It seems like it gets harder and harder on this Tour. The quality of guys goes up and up every year on this Tour so I don’t take it for granted, that’s for sure.”

Beginning the day three shots off the lead, the former University of Washington standout admitted he thought he was out of the tournament when Cornelson reached 17-under with three holes to go. Two closing bogeys for the Canadian, however, coupled with a Mackenzie birdie at the 72nd hole, changed the landscape of the tournament, and when Del Val managed two delicate par saves at the 17th and 18th, all three returned to the 18th tee for extra holes.

“I thought Adam had a stranglehold on it,” said Mackenzie. “Unfortunately he made those two bogeys and then all of a sudden the playoff started and chaos ensued.”

All three players made par on the first two extra holes, but Mackenzie put the pressure on after stuffing a 6-iron from 185 to four feet at the par-3 third hole. And while Del Val was able to keep pace after rolling in a long birdie putt, Cornelson’s dreams of a second victory in 2016 were dashed when he wasn’t able to cash in on a birdie try of his own.

“It was dumping rain and blowing 30 km/h, and everything else goes out the window. I just tried to battle and get it done,” said Cornelson, lamenting his bogey-bogey finish. “I was hitting a lot of good shots. Unfortunately, it didn’t go my way but if you give yourself a chance that’s all you can do.”

When the playoff resumed, Mackenzie kept the pressure on, hitting green after green and forcing Del Val to match. But the Spaniard, a two-time runner-up on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, produced several tremendous up-and-downs for par to stay alive and force the playoff to a seventh chapter.

“I kind of thought I was going to win about three different times in that playoff,” said Mackenzie, admiring Del Val’s never-give-up mentality.

Eventually, Mackenzie’s ace ball striking paid off, giving himself a 12-foot look for birdie at the par-3 third that he poured in for the win seven hours and 44 minutes after he originally teed off in the final round.

“I’ve been in a few playoffs before,” said Del Val, “but definitely not a seven-hole playoff. It was a great battle. He made a great putt on the par-3 and I can’t do anything else but congratulate him.”

For Mackenzie, the win puts him in strong position to finish in The Five and earn a promotion to the Web.com Tour, where he played in 2015. Despite finishing second in Greens in Regulation, Mackenzie admitted to struggling on the greens last season and said he would relish the opportunity to get back to the Web.com Tour.

“I’ve played really good golf for probably the last three or four years,” said Mackenzie, who finished 97th on the Money List to retain conditional status. “Last year on the Web.com Tour I think I was the no. 2 ball striker on Tour, and I just putted poorly. Hopefully the putter is coming around and next year I’ll be up there doing what J.J. Spaun and some of the guys that have graduated up there are doing.”

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brooke Henderson signed a few autographs and posed for some pictures after her final round Saturday, the frequent cheers from the grandstands behind her a reminder that others were still playing for the Olympic hardware she coveted.

She knew her 67 wouldn’t be enough to crack the top three at the Rio Games, a respectable 8-under-par 276 eventually leaving her in a tie for seventh place.

The final group came in about an hour after Henderson emerged from the scorer’s tent, a look of disappointment seared on her face.

South Korea’s Inbee Park would run away with the gold medal, a 5-under 66 giving her a 268 and a five-shot win. Lydia Ko of New Zealand birdied the last hole for the silver and China’s Shanshan Feng took the bronze.

Henderson fought hard all day, an aggressive push on the back nine of the Olympic Golf Course nearly paying off.

She birdied the 14th hole, added another birdie on the 16th and just missed a birdie putt on the 17th.

Knowing an eagle on the par-5 18th hole would be needed to have any kind of chance, Henderson crushed both her drive and approach shot. However, a 53-foot putt rolled just past the hole to snuff her faint medal hopes.

“Credit to her, she was 4-under at the start of the day and she pushed for a medal,” said Canadian coach Tristan Mullally. “You can’t ask for any more than that.”

Feng was third at 10-under-par 274 after a 69, leaving American Stacy Lewis (66), Japan’s Harukyo Nomura (65) and Hee Young Yang of South Korea one shot back.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton (69) finished in 30th place at 1-over-par 285.

Henderson did well to contend after a disappointing 75 on Friday. She declined to speak to reporters in the interview area after that round, no doubt still reeling from a rare four-putt on the 16th green.

She started play Saturday in a tie for eighth place, just five shots off the pace for a medal. Henderson recovered after a bogey on the opening hole, scoring birdies on three of her last five holes entering the turn.

Henderson saved pars on the 11th and 12th holes before taking a bogey on No. 13 after missing a nine-foot putt. That forced her to really go for it down the stretch.

“Unfortunately I just missed out but that (bogey) gave me momentum to get my rear in gear and I made birdie on 14 right after,” she said. “After that I was trying to make birdies, I was trying to make an eagle out there on the last (hole) to move my name up a little bit more.

“But at the end of the day I tried my best.”

With two tournament victories — including a major — already under her belt this season, it’s easy to forget that Henderson is only 18 and still in her first full year on the LPGA Tour.

She showed flashes of brilliance this week and also endured some hiccups along the way. It was a learning experience, she said, both on and off the course.

“A lot of them are personal things, but just handling situations,” she said, when asked to expand on what she had learned. “I kind of had some rough weeks so coming here and trying to improve was a big goal for me and I think I did that.”

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., defended her title in Portland in June but finished well behind at her next three tournaments ahead of Rio.

Cracking the top three in the world rankings and earning over US$1.3 million would be dream accomplishments for many players on the Tour, but the young Canadian is always aiming higher.

“She’s a fighter,” Mullally said. “She grinds hard and gets the most out of her game. I think that’s probably what separates her from a lot of players. Some players have to play well to have a good score. Brooke normally tries to get the best score out of however she’s played.

“That’s unique in terms of her and that’s why she has so many top-10s and why she’s done so well so early (in her career).”

The final leaderboard showed Henderson at 276 with Australia’s Minjee Lee (67) and Britain’s Charley Hull (68).

Finishing in the top 10 — although outside the top three — would normally be a satisfying result.

At the Summer Olympics, it may be a position more painful than any other.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Si Woo Kim followed his tournament-record 10-under 60 with a third-round 64 on Saturday to increase his lead to four strokes in the Wyndham Championship.

The 21-year-old South Korean player had an 18-under 192 total at Sedgefield, a stroke off the tournament 54-hole record set by Carl Pettersson in his 2008 victory.

Kim is in contention for his first PGA Tour victory for the second time in a month after losing a playoff to Aaron Baddeley in Alabama in the Barbasol Championship.

“I think tomorrow is much pressure, but I’m just trying to keep confidence. That’s it,” Kim said. “I feel very good now. My shots like much more consistent. Only problem have pressure. … I’m experienced before like Alabama in Barbasol, that’s good experience. Good for tomorrow.”

After making an eagle and eight birdies Friday, Kim played the front nine in 3-under 35 on Saturday with four birdies and a bogey. He added birdies on the par-4 13th, par-5 15th and par-4 18th.

“I feel like really pressure because first time, first time I lead third round, but start very good, first hole and second hole start birdie,” Kim said. “But after little pressure, I felt little better.”

Rafa Cabrera Bello was second after a 65 in the PGA Tour’s regular-season finale. The Spaniard was fifth last week in the Rio Olympics.

“The greens are brilliant,” Cabrera Bello said. “You play good and give yourself chances you will roll putts and that’s what I’m going to try to do tomorrow.”

Jim Furyk, Luke Donald and Kevin Na were 13 under.

Furyk is playing his first event since shooting the first 58 in PGA Tour history Aug. 7 in the Travelers Championship. After playing a three-hole stretch in 4 under with a 60-footer for eagle on 15 and two birdies, he bogeyed the final two holes for a 67.

“Had it rolling and then missed the fairway at 17 and I missed the fairway at 18 and the rough here doesn’t allow you to hit a ball,” Furyk said. “It’s hard to control. I’m disappointed with the two bogeys. Overall, still some good position with the tournament. Need to get over that and play a good round tomorrow.”

Donald scrambled to save par on 18 for a 64.

“I hit a poor tee shot left and had to chip out,” the Englishman said. “I had a good number with a little wedge, stick it to that pin. Would have been disappointing to drop one there after playing so well for the rest of the round.”

Na made a double bogey on 18 for a 67. He hit over the green, chipped off the front edge, and ended up missing a 4-foot par try.

Davis Love III, the tournament winner last year at age 51, is sidelined following hip surgery.

The top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings will qualify for The Barclays next week at Bethpage Black. It the next-to-last chance to earn Ryder Cup points, with the top eight players determined after The Barclays. Love will make his first three captain’s picks Sept. 11 after the BMW Championship. The final pick comes two weeks later after the Tour Championship.

Graeme McDowell, Billy Horschel, Brandt Snedeker and Hideki Matsuyama. McDowell birdied the final four holes for a 64. Horschel also shot 64, Snedeker had a 65, and Matsuyama a 68.

“It’s nice to get the juices flowing a little bit tomorrow,” McDowell said. “I came here for a couple of reasons this week. Obviously, as a bit of a warmup for next week going into the playoffs with Atlanta being my big goal this season and partly to try put myself back on the Ryder Cup radar.”

Patrick Reed had a 64 to move into a tie for 18th at 9 under. The U.S. Olympian won the 2013 event for his first tour title.

“We’re just plugging along,” Reed said. “I just need to tidy it up. It’s close. I go through spurts like today, I went through spurts, nine holes, playing some really solid, pretty good golf and then I go to the back nine and just started getting a little loose. I need to get that better and just kind of figure out a way to tighten it up for all 18, not just nine.”

U.S. teammate Rickie Fowler was tied for 25th at 8 under after a 68. Lucas Glover followed his second-round 61 with a 73 to drop into a tie for 33rd at 7 under.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., collected five birdies on the day, including three across a bogey-free back nine. The 4-under 66 performance moved him into a share of 25th.

OTTAWA – Tucson, Arizona’s Jonathan Khan shot a 9-under 62 on Saturday at Hylands Golf Club to share the 54-hole lead with Bakersfield, California’s Manav Shah at the National Capital Open to Support Our Troops, the ninth event on the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

Khan, a 27-year old University of Arizona grad, reached 15-under through three rounds thanks to nine birdies and no bogeys, while Shah bogeyed two of his final three holes to drop into a tie for the lead after setting the mark for the best 36-hole start in Mackenzie Tour history with rounds of 65-62.

“I hit a lot of good shots and drove it great,” said Khan, who ranks 86th on the Order of Merit coming into the week. “I hit some close ones early, and that got the confidence going and made some putts. I played well the first two rounds but didn’t quite get much out of them.

Khan added that Shah’s sizzling 62 yesterday gave him added motivation, knowing that the chance to go low was out there even on a breezy day at Hylands.

“Seeing a 62 was possible definitely helped though, and I made some putts today and just kept it going,” Khan added.

For Shah, Saturday’s 71 was a step backward after his blazing second round, with bogeys on two of the final three holes, including a missed eight-footer for par at the last.

“It was a bit more windy out there today. I wasn’t hitting it that great so it was kind of a grind,” said Shah, who nonetheless said he took a lot out the experience of being chased on the leaderboard. “It felt great actually. I think it helps me play better when I have a bunch of people following me, it helps me get more locked in.”

One shot behind Shah and Khan were Spain’s Samuel Del Val, who shot a 7-under 64, and Langley, British Columbia’s Adam Cornelson, who produced a 1-under 71 despite admitting to being without his best stuff on Saturday.

“I’ll take this position going into tomorrow. I’m a little disappointed in how I played today but to have a chance to play for the win tomorrow is all I can ask,” said Cornelson, adding that he would have taken a chance to win in a heartbeat at the start of the week. I would have signed wherever you wanted me to.”

Cornelson currently sits fifth on the Order of Merit and can move into second place with a win, provided Taylor Moore finishes no better than a three-way tie for third.

Two shots off the lead was Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida’s Tyler McCumber, who shot a 5-under 66 to sit two of the lead.

RIO DE JANEIRO – Inbee Park added another accolade to her Hall of Fame career following a precision putting performance to capture Olympic gold. A final-round seven-birdie, 5-under 66 – including birdie putts from nine, 10, 25 and 26 feet – provided the native of South Korea with yet another milestone in a landmark career highlighted by seven major championships and a total of 17 LPGA Tour victories. Park finished the competition 16-under 268, five-strokes clear of second-place.

World No. 1 Lydia Ko birdied three of her final five holes, including a dramatic eight-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to capture the silver medal at 11-under, while Shanshan Feng of China finished with bronze at 11-under.

Final-round interview with Brooke Henderson – LISTEN

Brooke Hendrson (Scott Halleran/ Getty Images)

Canada’s Brooke Henderson began the day with a share of 8th, following a third-round 75. The native of Smiths Falls, Ont., opened her final round with a bogey, but settled in for the remainder of the day, carding six birdies en route to a 67 to finish in a three-way tie for 7th alongside Australia’s Minjee Lee and Great Britain’s Charley Hull. A final-round 69 from Alena Sharp earned the Hamilton native 30th-place.

“It was a tough finish for me, but I fought back today,” reflected Henderson. “I bogeyed the first hole today, so I’ve been 5-under the last 17 holes which is really cool. I learned a lot about myself on and off the course this week which I think is always a good thing and it will be really important moving forward for the rest of the season.”

Final-round interview with Tristan Mullally – LISTEN

Team Canada Head Women’s Coach Tristan Mullally reflected on his charge’s performance positively.

“She certainly created enough chances to warrant a chance at some medals. Obviously the finish yesterday put her in a spot where she had to play awesome today and I honestly think she did. It could have been lower today with some of the putts that she created chances with and had an opportunity and maybe didn’t convert as many as she’d like. It’s nice to be able to shoot 4- or 5-under-par and not converting as many chances as you’d want. It shows you just how well she played. But I think she’ll build off of this momentum for next week which is an important week for us.”

“I’m proud of how she played and I know when she walks away and really looks back, I think she will be, too,” he added.

The Canadian will now set her sights on the 2016 CP Women’s Open. She will be joined by both the bronze and silver medallists, with Ko aiming to defend her title at Canada’s Women’s National Open Golf Championship. Before making her way to Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club for the August 22-28 tournament, Henderson plans to continue to take-in the Olympic experience.

“It’s been really fun; It’s been really cool,” said the 18-year-old when asked about her time in Rio. “Seeing the other athletes around the village, just watching them train a little bit, watching them when they’re relaxing or partying is just really cool, just to see the different things and I’m hoping to go see some events later tonight and hopefully tomorrow as well.”

Henderson did not shy away when asked about the impact of the Olympics on the state of the sport.

“I know for the men, it made a huge difference, so I’m hoping as well for the women, but you know, just being the Olympic Summer Games, we had audiences that golf doesn’t necessarily get all the time. I think it was really good for growing the game and improving it. I saw some young kids here today, and more and more, I see them starting to pick up the game or start to follow it a little more closely, so that’s really important to me, and hopefully I inspired somebody to play a little bit better.”

“I think it’s fantastic,” added Mullally. “I do feel like inside the ropes, this felt like a major championship in terms of how the course played and how it was set up. Outside of the ropes, it was very special. You get to rub shoulders with some of the best athletes in other sports in the world and really realize how important this is for them, which does have an effect. I think when you see how people hard people work and how lucky we are in golf, I think that brings another dimension into what you get to do day-in and day-out. I hope golf stays in the Olympics forever and I think if we can continue to have events like this, it should.”