JOHN’S, N.L. – Brisk temperatures and grey skies set the stage for Team Alberta emerging victorious in the Canadian Junior Boys Championship’s inter-provincial team competition. Brendan MacDougall was even-par on the day in leading the prairie province to victory.

“It’s kind of cool,” reflected the 18-year-old when asked about the provincial win. “You don’t see many team events in junior golf. For us to come together as a team and play well is pretty interesting. The two guys on the team are great. Chandler and Matt are great guys, fun to have around and fun to hang out with and they’re good golfers, too.”

Joining MacDougall were Chandler McDowell of Springbrook and Matt Bean of Canmore. The team earned a 2-under 286 result for a nine-stroke victory. Team British Columbia consisting of Tristan Mandur of Mill Bay, Adam Veenstra from Smithers and Team Canada Development Squad member A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam claimed runner-up honours in the 36-hole team competition.

MacDougall began the day in third, but with today’s 72, climbed into a three-way tie atop the leaderboard at 3-under. The Calgarian notched four birdies on the day, but a penalty on the par-5 17^th hole prevented him from claiming sole possession of the lead.

“The round today was pretty good. I was playing well. I started off a little rough, but I found a way to get back. I made a mistake on 17 which cost me two shots, but I’ll get over it,” said the resilient MacDougall.

When looking ahead to the final two days of competition, the High Point University commit remains focused on the process of competing rather than achieving results alone.

“My goal this year was just to come in and a Top-10 would have been awesome. A Top-5 would have been unreal. So that goal still stands right now. It’s pretty good to keep improving every year and see that I’m doing better each year that I’m playing.”

Knotted alongside MacDougall are fellow Albertan Max Sekulic of Rycroft who was 1-over on the day and Callum Davison who carded a 67 for the day’s low round. A native of Duncan, B.C., Davison also leads the Juvenile competition. Thomas Critch of Cedar Park, Texas finished with a 74 and is three strokes off the lead in the 16-and-under division.

In addition to the title of Canadian Junior Boys champion, the winner will receive an exemption into the 2016 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship to be co-hosted by The Royal Ottawa Golf Club and Eagle Creek Golf Club from August 8 to 11.

A total of 74 players finished 154-or-better to advance to the final two rounds of the Canadian Junior Boys Championship. The third day of competition will begin with groups teeing off Nos. 1 and 10 at 7:30 a.m. NST.

Additional information from the tournament can be found here.

SHUBENACADIE, N.S. – Dry heat and harsh winds made for unpredictable conditions at the Links at Penn Hills as the opening round of the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship got underway. Alisha Lau persevered through a blustery back nine and sits alone atop the leaderboard at 2-under 70.

The Richmond, B.C., native tallied four birdies on the front nine to make the turn at 3-under. The 16-year-old added another birdie on the par-4 10th hole, but bogeys on Nos. 15 and 17 cut into her advantage.

“I felt pretty good. I got off to a hot start, so that helped boost my confidence,” said Lau. “The front nine was pretty calm because the trees shielded it from the wind, and then on the back nine it really started picking up. I’m playing pretty conservatively and trying to find my happy medium. I don’t hit it too long either, so I can use the bounce from the fairway to really help me.”

Lau’s best finish at this competition was a T20 in 2014 at Thornhill Golf & Country Club in Thornhill, Ont. In the second round of last year’s championship at Deer Park Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask., she was forced to withdraw due to a bout of food poisoning.

“I took a lot of time off in the winter, so this year I’m just trying to play my game. I haven’t been putting too many expectations on myself. My score today is giving me a little bit of confidence for the next three days, but they’re going to be a long three days still. It’s going to be a grind.”

Victoria’s Naomi Ko leads all Team Canada members in the field at 1-under 71. The Team Canada National Amateur Squad member carded four birdies on the day to join Lau as the only players to finish below-par.

Fellow Victoria native Akari Hayashi recovered from a 4-over front nine with a five-birdie performance through her final seven holes to finish the day in third at even-par. The 13-year-old holds a three-stroke lead over Development Squad member Tiffany Kong in the Juvenile division.

Team Ontario and Team British Columbia lead the inter-provincial team competition at 149 – five strokes clear of second-place. Development Squad member Chloe Currie of Mississauga carded a 73 to lead the Team Ontario contingent consisting of Isabella Portokalis of London and Alexandra Naumovski from Hornby. Team Canada members Tiffany Kong (Vancouver) and Hannah Lee (Surrey) round out Team British Columbia alongside Mary Parsons (Delta).

The 2016 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2017 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship hosted by Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ont., from July 25 to 28.

The second round of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship will see the first group of girls tee off from the first hole at 7:30 a.m. ADT.

Additional information from the tournament can be found here.

They could, in time, wind up being fused forever in our collective imagination. The way Jack and Arnie were. Are.

Or Kathy Whitworth and Mickey Wright. Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. A rivalry to define a generation.

There is that chance. A very real chance. They’re both just teenagers, prodigious toddlers actually, with a big, wide world of golfing nuance yet to explore.

Ko vs. Henderson.

Has a nice ring to it. Looks absolutely smashing up in twinkling lights on a marquee.

In a strong field, Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson are destined to be front and centre at Priddis Greens outside Calgary, Aug. 25-28, when the CP Canadian Women’s Open treks back west. Different storylines for an identical aim.

Ko will be endeavouring to collect her fourth Canadian title in five years, a truly extraordinary accomplishment for anyone, yet someone so young; while Henderson looks to hunt down a first national professional championship and join only Jocelyne Bourassa way back in 1973 as a Canadian winner of our national title.

Given their ages, their abilities and their mutual approach to excellence, golf buffs are anticipating this being a must-watch for the next decade or more.

Great rivalries are healthy for sport.

And if this becomes one, they’ve got one helluva first act to build on: Henderson dropping a 7-iron out of the sky from 155 yards away to within three feet for a tap-in bird and her first LPGA Major title, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club, outside Seattle.

In coming from behind to beat the world’s consensus No. 1, Henderson identified herself as the prime contender to the title.

The best part of all this being the attitude both women bring to the course.

Rivalries need not necessarily be duelling-pistols-at-20-paces. They can also be forged on admiration, common ambition and a may-the-best-player-win attitude.

“She’s one of the nicest girls you’d ever want to meet,’’ enthuses Henderson of Ko. “She’s not out there to beat others, she’s out there to beat the golf course; to be better herself. Which I think it’s an amazing way to look at the game, at competition. I try to do the same thing.”

“Golf is about honestly, perseverance and respect, adds Henderson. “She’s a great example of that. I think it’s really cool. She’s 19. I’m going to be 19. Hopefully we do have that rivalry – if that’s what you want to call it – for the next 10 years, push each other to be better and better. That’s good for us, good for the game.”

“If we had more playoffs like KPMG … even if I was one the losing end of all of those for the next 10 years I think it’d be incredible to be at that level, at her level.”

Henderson’s sister, sometimes caddy and aspiring LPGAer, Brittany, says the atmosphere inside the ropes is no different than it seems from outside.

“Well, we hope it’s going to be like that,’’ she said, smiling. “Not so much a rivalry, exactly. But seeing them playing well week after week, in contention for tournaments. They’re friends. Both so composed. Seem mature way beyond their years.”

“Our dad, I know, was a positive influence on us, taught us about sports and being a good person in general. He deserves a lot of credit for what Brooke has done. Lydia, I think it’s her mom that helps her. So parents should get their due.”

“What both Brooke and Lydia are doing is remarkable. It really is. I don’t know how they’re doing it. I wish someone would’ve told me, let me in on the secret.”

When Ko passed through Calgary earlier in the summer the head-to-head battle at Sahalee had yet to be waged. But she had – and has, no doubt – nothing but positive things to say about Henderson.

“I’ve known Brooke since we were both amateurs,’’ said the two-time major winner. “Obviously she had a great amateur career. I feel like she’s had an even more amazing professional career. She’s doing amazing things for the up-and-coming juniors, for the women’s game and growing the game in Canada.”

“She’s doing fantastic. Putting herself in good positions week in and week out. She’s an impressive player, hits the ball a long way but is also very consistent and one of the best putters out there. So, yeah, I think it’s exciting. I think Canada is going to be very excited for the Olympics. A player like Brooke is going to grow golf in Canada the way Lorie (Kane) did.”

Both women had the opportunity to tour the 6,681-yard, par-72 layout earlier in the summer, Ko during that stopover in early June, Henderson in late July.

“I really like it,’’ adjudged Henderson. “It’s tree-lined, there’s lots of elevation change. More back to the grass I grew up on. The views are phenomenal.

I’m excited to come back here in just a few weeks and play in our national championship. I’m excited for the Canadian fans, too. Over the last couple of years, my fans at this tournament have just continued to grow and the fairways were lined last year, so I’m excited to see what this year holds.’’

The top two female players on the planet. One an adopted citizen of Canada by way of wins and support; the other the genuine article, born and reared in Smiths Falls, Ont.

It quite simply doesn’t get much better than the anticipation the Open at Priddis Greens. A rivalry to define a generation? Like Nancy Lopez and Pat Bradley? Anika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb? Tiger and Lefty?

Well, early indications are that the chance most certainly exists. And time is very much on their side.

Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson.

Their names fused together forever in the collective imagination; both linked to high achievements, low scores and the sight of the two of them walking side by side on late Sunday afternoons, the last ones on course atop the leaderboard as the sun begins to set and the shadows lengthen.

Kimberley, B.C., product Jared du Toit ignited the nation during the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club where he finished T9 amongst some of the best golfers in the world. Here’s what clubs he used during his run at the Open to help him win the Gary Cowan Award for low amateur:

JOHN’S, N.L. – The unpredictable weather conditions characteristic of the Newfoundland golf experience welcomed competitors to the first round of the Canadian Junior Boys Championship. Sam Meek opened with a 6-under 66 showing at Clovelly to sit atop the leaderboard.

The native of Peterborough, Ont., began his round by birdieing No. 10. He would go on to collect nine more birdies on the day, including four back-to-back pairs to claim the early lead.

“It was really good,” said Meek when asked about his round. “I struck the ball really well. I was able to make 10 birdies today, so that always helps your cause. Just closing out the round was probably my main focus once I got to the back nine. I had a few hiccups on the back, but I was able to keep it intact for a good round.”

Beaming sunshine and clear skies gave way to chilly gusts and cloud cover as the day progressed. “Early on in the round, the conditions were very score-able,” explained Meek. “For our front nine, there was no wind, it was sunny, then all of a sudden, we were standing on the eighth tee and we all said to each other, ‘it just got really cold’ and the wind picked up tremendously. So you definitely had to change your game plan accordingly.”

Meek, who finished T35 in 2015 at Summerlea Golf & Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., stressed the need to remain focused in the coming days.

“A four-day tournament is long, it’s not a sprint. You’ve got to stay patient with it. When you get the opportunity to make your birdies, you have to make them and just hold on when the weather gets tough.”

Max Sekulic carded a 68 and is two shots back of the lead. The Rycroft, Alta., native began the day on the back nine and collected a string of three birdies on holes 12 to 14, before registering a bogey-free 2-under 34 across the second half of his round. Fellow Albertan Brendan MacDougall of Calgary sits third following a 3-under 69 performance.

Team Alberta holds a seven-stroke advantage in the inter-provincial team competition. MacDougall’s 69 and Springbrook, Alta., native Chandler McDowell’s 71 gives the team a total of 4-under 140. Matt Bean of Canmore completes the contingent from the prairie province.

Team Canada Development Squad member Charles-Éric Bélanger of Québec City, Marc-Antoine Hotte of Mascouche and Longueil’s Laurent Desmarchais form the team representing Québec, which sits second at 3-over 147.

Sitting atop the Juvenile division is Thomas Critch of Cedar Park, Texas. The 16-year-old notched five birdies and sits T4 in the overall competition at 2-under. One stroke off the lead in the 16-and-under division is Chandler McDowell.

In addition to the title of Canadian Junior Boys champion, the winner will receive an exemption into the 2016 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. The competition will be co-hosted by The Royal Ottawa Golf Club and Eagle Creek Golf Club from August 8 to 11.

The second round of the Canadian Junior Boys Championship will begin with groups teeing off Nos. 1 and 10 at 7:30 a.m. NST. The afternoon wave of competitors will begin their rounds at 12:30 p.m. NST.

Additional information from the tournament can be found here.

SPRINGFIELD, N.J. – Jimmy Walker did everything required of a major champion on the longest final day in 64 years at a PGA Championship.

And then Jason Day made him do a little bit more.

Walker was standing over an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th hole Sunday when he heard a roar that caused him to twice back off the putt. It was Day, the defending champion and world’s No. 1 player, down to his last chance and delivering with a 2-iron that landed in front of the pin and stopped 15 feet away for eagle.

Walker answered, like he had done all day, with a birdie for a three-shot lead.

Moments later, another roar.

Day made the eagle putt, and the lead was down to one.

“There was nothing easy about the day – really about the week, for that matter,” Walker said. “Especially coming down the last hole.”

He went for the 18th green knowing it was his easiest chance for the par he needed to win. The outcome was still in doubt until Walker missed the green to the right, pitched out of deep rough to 35 feet and rolled his first putt about 3 feet past the cup.

Walker calmly made it to capture the PGA Championship, ending a long and wet week at Baltusrol, and still having just enough strength left to hoist the 37-pound Wanamaker Trophy.

“He really put it on me to make a par,” Walker said. “Sometimes pars are hard. But we got it.”

That par gave him a 3-under 67 and a one-shot victory and made the 37-year-old from Texas a major champion. Even with the silver trophy at his side, Walker still had a hard time letting that sink in.

Because of rain, the 36-hole final was the longest in PGA Championship history since Jim Turnesa won his 36-hole match in 1952. Walker at least had time to rest in his travel bus – he’s a frequent neighbour of Day on the PGA Tour – and get right back out into the final round. Walker, who shot a 68 in the morning for a one-shot lead over Day, didn’t make a bogey over the last 28 holes.

Day, trying to join Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back winners of the PGA Championship in stroke play, came out to the 18th green with his son to watch the finish and quickly found Walker. “Great stuff, mate,” he said.

“It was nice to get the eagle, just to try and make Jimmy think about it,” Day said after a 67. “But obviously, Jimmy just played too good all day.”

In a most peculiar final day at a major, the PGA Championship allowed for preferred lies – that never happens in a major – because of nearly 4 inches of rain during the week that drenched the Lower Course. Desperate to beat the clock and avoid a second straight Monday finish at Baltusrol, the pairings stayed the same for the final round.

Walker and Day were playing with occasional mud on their golf balls on the back nine of the third round Sunday morning as some players behind them were able to lift, clean and place their golf balls in short grass in the fourth round.

But it ended on a happy note for Walker. He is a major champion, completing a sweep of first-time winners in the majors this year. Better yet: It moved him from No. 29 to No. 4 in the Ryder Cup standings, all but assuring him a spot on the team.

He finished at 14-under 266, one shot from David Toms’ record score in the 2001 PGA Championship.

Walker began the back nine by holing a 45-foot bunker shot on No. 10 and making a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 11. The final birdie on the 17th was the most important because he had a cushion. And thanks to Day, he needed it.

“Two-putting from that is pretty difficult, especially trying to go for your first major,” Day said. “But he’s handled himself pretty good.”

British Open champion Henrik Stenson, trying to join Ben Hogan as the only players to win back-to-back majors at age 40, faded with a double bogey on the 15th hole.

“It was a long day. I never felt like I brought my ‘A’ game,” said Stenson, who started the final round two shots behind and closed with a 71. “I think I hit more poor shots in the two rounds today than in the previous six or seven rounds combined.”

For the second straight major, this became a duel over the final hour.

Day pulled within one shot with a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 11, but he never had another birdie chance closer than 25 feet until the two par 5s at the end. Even so, the Australian battled to the end with the second of two 2-irons at 18 leading him to shout, “Get back there!” And it did.

Thanks to Walker holding his nerves, it just wasn’t enough.

“God, just to be in it and be there and have a chance and then to finish it off is just … it’s so gratifying,” Walker said.

MILTON KEYNES, England – Ariya Jutanugarn won the Women’s British Open on Sunday at Woburn for her first major championship and fourth LPGA Tour victory of the year.

The 20-year-old Jutanugarn closed with an even-par 72 for a three-stroke victory over American Mo Martin and South Korea’s Mirim Lee. Jutanugarn became the first major winner from Thailand.

“I think it’s really important for me and for Thai golf, also,” Jutanugarn said. “Like my goal, I really want to win major and I did. I’m really proud of my achievement because I accomplished my goal this year.”

She will be one of the favourites at the Rio Olympics.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Jutanugarn said. “I can’t wait. I’m really excited about that.”

She finished at 16-under 272 on the Marquess Course, the hilly, forest layout that is a big change from the usual seaside layouts in the tournament rotation.

Lee closed with a bogey for a 73. She matched the tournament record Thursday with an opening 62.

“I really had fun,” Lee said. “That was the most important thing. I had fun throughout the whole thing.”

Alena Sharp of Hamilton was the top Canadian. She shot a 71 for a share of 31st place. Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., tied for 50th while Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., finished in 69th place.

Martin, the 2014 winner at Royal Birkdale, shot a 70.

“That was my heart and my soul out there,” Martin said. “That’s all I had. I gave it everything I could.”

The long-hitting Jutanugarn had a six-stroke lead over Lee at the turn, but Lee picked up five strokes on the next four holes with three birdies and Jutanugarn’s double bogey on the par-4 13th.

“On 13, I’m like, ‘Oh, what’s wrong with me,”’ Jutanugarn said. “But after that, I’m really like be patient and I can come back really good.”

Jutanugarn made a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th to take a two-shot advantage to the final hole. Jutanugarn closed with a par, and Lee dropped a stroke.

Jutanugarn, the long-hitter who leaves driver out of the bag and hammers 3-wood and 2-iron off the tee, broke through four months after blowing a late lead in the first major championship of the year. In early April in the ANA Inspiration in the California desert, Jutanugarn – at the time, best known for blowing a two-stroke lead with a closing triple bogey in the 2013 LPGA Thailand – bogeyed the final three holes to hand the title to Lydia Ko.

Jutanugarn put the hard lessons to use in May, winning three straight events to become the LPGA Tour’s first Thai champion. And Saturday at Woburn, she shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 to pull two strokes ahead of Lee and break the tournament 54-hole record of 201.

Jutanugarn is projected to jump from sixth to third in the world ranking Monday. A year ago, she was 52nd.

Stacy Lewis was fourth at 11 under after her third straight 70.

The top-ranked Ko tied for 40th at 1 under after a 74.

Jutanugarn’s older sister, Moriya, had a 75 to tie for 43rd at 3 over.

EDMONTON – Former University of Oregon player Aaron Wise won the Syncrude Oil Country Championship on Sunday for his first Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada victory.

The NCAA individual champion in May, Wise closed with a 2-under 70 at Glendale Golf and Country Club for a one-stroke victory over Brock Mackenzie and Argentina’s Puma Dominguez.

“I battled all day long,” Wise said. “I got a couple of good breaks and a couple bad breaks. For it all to come in the way it did and for me to win, that was the goal and I’m very excited.”

Wise finished at 19-under 269 after opening with rounds of 67, 66 and 66.

Mackenzie shot a 71, and Dominguez had a 68.

LEWISTON, NY – The good times continued on Saturday for newfound Canadian fan-favourite Jared du Toit, who rallied with a final-round 67 (-3) to crack the Top-5 at the Porter Cup.

A member of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, du Toit carded four birdies alongside just one bogey to continue his strong rebound after an opening-round 73 (+3) set him back on Wednesday. His effort on Saturday solidified another strong result following his captivating performance at the RBC Canadian Open last week, in which the 21-year-old finished inside the Top-10 to earn the Gary Cowan award (low amateur) amongst the world’s best athletes.

The Kimberley, B.C., native finished at 4-under par (73-67-69-67) for the tournament, sharing fourth place with fellow Canadian Josh Whalen of Napanee, Ont. The pair of Canucks finished 10 strokes back of champion Harrison Endycott of Australia, who closed at 14-under (69-64-67-66) to earn the one-stroke victory over runner-up Gavin Hall of Pittsford, N.Y.

du Toit, entering his senior year at Arizona State, now sits at No.25 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), which will likely improve further following his finish at the “A” ranked Porter Cup event. Team Canada teammates Blair Hamilton (Burlington, Ont.) and Hugo Bernard (Mont-St-Hilaire, Que.) came in at even-par to finish T18, while Eric Banks (Truro, N.S.) was 4-over to finish T35.

Team Canada’s Josée Doyon of St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que. claimed the victory in the women’s event back in June.

Click here for full scoring.

SPRINGFIELD, N.J. – The PGA Championship was halted because of thunderstorms Saturday, raising the possibility of a second straight Monday finish in a major championship at Baltusrol.

Jimmy Walker and Robert Streb, tied for the lead at 9-under par, were 40 minutes from teeing off in the third round when clouds gathered, the sky rumbled and the horn sounded to suspend play. The course was pounded with rain and players eventually were sent home.

The third round was to resume at 7 a.m., weather permitting. More rain was in the forecast.

The PGA said players would stay in the same pairings and go off in the same order for the final round, starting as early as 8:40 a.m. That at least would allow the chance to finish Sunday evening, though it also meant the champion could finish hours before the last group finished.

Kevin Kisner had a 5-under 65 and was done with 54 holes at 5-under 205. Padraig Harrington also had a 65 and was at 4-under 206.

Only 37 of the 86 players who made the cut completed the third round, and 10 players had yet to tee off. Russell Knox lagged his 65-foot birdie attempt on the 18th hole to within a few inches, tapped in for par and a 67, and then the horn sounded right as Marc Leishman was getting ready for his 12-foot birdie putt.

Knox jokingly apologized to Leishman on Twitter: “Grub, showered and feet now up. Make that putt so we don’t play 4 straight days together.”

Phil Mickelson won the 2005 PGA Championship when tournament organizers took a gamble on not moving up the Sunday tee times because of rain in the forecast, and it cost them. Mickelson had to return Monday morning to claim a one-shot victory.

The last Monday finish in a major was just last year at the British Open because of heavy rain that flooded St. Andrews.

Kisner and Harrington showed a glimpse of what figured to be low scoring Saturday because of the soft conditions from two spells of rain earlier in the week. Play had to be stopped Friday morning for nearly an hour because of moderate rain that left the two fairways on the far end of the course filled with too much water.

“You keep it in the fairway, you can attack,” Kisner said. “The course is receptive enough. You can make a lot of birdies.”

Mickelson made the cut with one shot to spare on Friday, rallying from an opening tee shot that went out-of-bounds and onto a side street. He shot a 68 on Saturday and was at 1-under 209.

“There is a low 60s round,” Mickelson said when he finished. “I think somebody is going to break that 63 record in these next two days. The greens are pristine. You can make a lot of putts. They are soft, so you can get the ball very close. I think that there’s that 61 or 62 out there that I was probably trying to chase a little too hard.”

Two weeks ago, Mickelson had a putt for 62 that rimmed out of the cup at Royal Troon in the opening round. Henrik Stenson closed with a 63, needing his best golf to hold off Mickelson.

And then Friday, Streb became the 28th player to post a 63 when he made a 20-foot birdie on his final hole at Baltusrol.

The course was so susceptible that Harrington didn’t feel as though he played all that well and still played bogey-free for a 65.

“Hit the right shots at the right time and any of the shots that I didn’t hit well didn’t do me any harm,” he said. “So it was one of those days. It’s nice when you score better than you play. It was just an average day, as I said. Thursday was the day I played well. It was amazing, the best I played Thursday, is the worst score I shot. That’s the nature of the game.”

The nature of the game Saturday was to wait.

Jordan Spieth played one hole and narrowly missed a birdie putt. Rickie Fowler had 45 feet for birdie on the first hole.

That was as far as they got.

Now they face a marathon Sunday, with a reasonable chance they will not finish until Monday.