SHUBENACADIE, N.S. – Gusting winds tempered blistering heat at the Links at Penn Hills as Victoria native Naomi Ko shot a final-round 72 to capture the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship title.

The 18-year-old entered the final round of play in a tie for first at 5-under with Mary Parsons of Delta, B.C. – only one stroke ahead of Mississauga, Ont., native Chloe Currie. Back-to-back birdies on holes 2 and 3 followed by a third on No.5 pushed the Team Canada National Squad member into an early 8-under lead.

“I got off to a really good start on the front nine,” said Ko. “The wind wasn’t really in effect but as I got to the back nine it really started picking up. I really had to adjust and learn from yesterday’s mistakes. I was striking the ball well and I think that was one of the key things today. Putting on the back nine not so good but it got the job done.”

The North Carolina State University sophomore collected three bogeys through the final stretch en route to a 5-under 283 tournament total. Ko has come close to taking the national title in previous years, but fell short in 2014 with a fourth-place finish at Thornhill Golf & Country Club in Thornhill, Ont. She was awarded second-runner-up honours in 2015 when the event was hosted by Deer Park Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask. This victory comes as a relief to Ko who was competing in her last Junior event before she becomes ineligible on the 18-and-under junior circuit.

“Knowing that it was my last Canadian junior I really wanted to win it. I tried to keep myself grounded and play it one shot at a time. I was walking up the last couple of holes and I kind of felt sick. I felt a little bit nauseous and took a deep breath and took advantage on the 18th. I had a good approach shot and knew I just had to get it in or two put, so it was a little less pressure.”

In addition to her 2016 Canadian Junior Girls title, Ko has received an exemption into the 2017 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship hosted at Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ont., from July 25 to 28.

An impressive 73-71-68 week helped Currie slide into second place ahead of Parsons following a final round 75. The 16-year-old Development Squad member fell into a 5-over hole after carding three bogeys and double bogey through Nos. 5 to 12. Back-to-back birdies on holes 15 and 16 kept Currie in line for runner-up honours. Her 1-under 287 performance also solidified her victory in the 16-and-under Juvenile division.

Alisha Lau of Richmond, B.C., stayed even through the day to earn her place in second on the Juvenile leaderboard with a 2-over 290 final showing.

Parsons recorded six bogeys through her final round to capture third in the overall Junior standings at even-par.

The 17-year-old found victory earlier in the week after capturing the inter-provincial team competition title for British Columbia alongside Development Squad members Tiffany Kong (Vancouver) and Hannah Lee (Surrey). The trio finished the 36-hole competition with a 2-over 290 showing.

Additional information regarding the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship can be found here.

There’s nothing so beautiful as sisterly love.

In less than two weeks, Canadian siblings Brooke and Brittany Henderson are set to team up, on the fairways of Rio, as golf returns to the Olympics for the first time since 1904. The Henderson’s hope their passion for the sport — and their love for each other — gives them an edge as they go for gold in Brazil.

When he’s not on tour or crafting another chart-topping song, one of Chip Taylor’s favourite things to do is watch golf. “I especially love the women’s tour and rooting for the Henderson sisters,” says the recent Songwriter’s Hall of Fame inductee.

Taylor, best known for the hits “Wild Thing” and “Angel of the Morning,” has had his compositions covered by the likes of Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield and Frank Sinatra; he gets chills whenever he pens a song with staying power. The story of the Henderson sisters recently inspired the songwriter’s muse. About three years ago, he started to watch YouTube videos of the Canadian golfers. “I thought they were terrific together,” he recalls. “Brooke had this amazing powerful swing. I was rooting for her to make it. I’ve followed her career since and then I started to write some songs about them.”

Chip’s EP I’ll Carry for You released just two weeks ago on Train Wreck Records features a batch of songs that give him the chills. Brooke and Brittany’s deep-rooted love for one another inspired the title cut. In this song, Taylor sings:

“Sisters of the same blood/Same moon up above/Same air that I breathe/Same dreams that you see/Sisters hurt when they fall/ All you’ve got to do is call me/And I’ll carry for you/ I’ll carry for you.”

Born James Wesley Voight in Yonkers, New York, the songwriter says Brooke and Brittany’s journey to the LPGA captivated him from the start. “The story is just so amazing,” he says. “How kind they are together … you can just see their love for each other when they are going around the golf course.”

The 76-year-old songwriter feels a similar bond with his two siblings; his brothers are Academy Award winning actor Jon Voight and Barry — one of the foremost geologists in the world in the area of interpreting volcanic activity. While his brother Jon did not caddy for him, he always walked with him when Chip competed in junior tournaments and offered moral support and encouragement.

Taylor’s love for golf came naturally. Taylor’s dad was a golf professional. Chip played in many amateur tournaments during his formative years and he turned pro a while before he found success in the music business. His adopted name originated because he was so good around the greens.

“My dream was music, but I loved golf,” he concludes. “These days, whether I’m on the road, or making a new album, I’m always trying to catch up on golf … that is my relaxation.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON CHIP TAYLOR.

Brooke and Brittany Henderson (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)

The Rio Olympic Golf Course has been recognised for its commitment and contribution to the enhancement of the environment.

Following three years of extensive reporting, monitoring, evaluation and site visits from an independent auditor, spanning the design, construction and grow in phases of the project, The Rio Olympic Golf Course has achieved GEO Certified^® Development status.

“The IGF is delighted that more than three years of planning, design and construction of the Reserva de Marapendi Golf Course have culminated in the course being awarded GEO Certified^® Development status”, said Antony Scanlon, Executive Director of the International Golf Federation (IGF). “From the start, it was imperative that this once degraded site should emphasise the biodiversity of the location while maintaining its environmentally protected status and ensuring that the risks to the indigenous species and habitat would be minimised. We believe this has been achieved successfully, and we are very proud of the fact that once the athletes leave, Rio will have a sustainable, environmentally protected setting to play an important social, educational and sporting role in the years ahead.”

Notable actions and achievements highlighted in the independent GEO Certified^® Development report include:

Nature

• 80% of the existing site had zero vegetation cover
• Successful transplantation of more than 15,000 native plants with 95% success rate for establishment
• Establishment of on-site plant nursery to propagate more than 475,000 plants from native seeds and stock onto the golf course site
• Removal and control of existing exotic species
• Overall compensation for 1.4ha of loss of reduced quality restinga habitat, with net increase in conservation managed restinga of more than 33 ha
• Design of ‘naturalised’ golf course, creating opportunities for gradual re-colonisation by native species, and strong habitat connectivity across the site
• Long term ecological and environmental monitoring and management plan in place and approved by local authorities
• 167% increase in vegetation cover
• Net increase in biodiversity reported of 118 to 263 species found on the site
• Speedy recolonisation by rare and protected species including burrowing owl, caiman, capybara, lapwings, sandpipers and egrets
• Comprehensive pollution prevention measures carried out across the course throughout construction and management, and integrated into the design and construction of the modern maintenance facility

Resources

• Use of entirely on site construction materials – no extra sand or soil imported
• Use of Zeon Zoysia and SeaDwarf Seashore Paspalum grown locally – the most drought and pest tolerant species for the site, propagated in Brazil, which also allows for lower quality irrigation water, reducing need for water treatment
• Use of fuel efficient and hybrid maintenance machinery. All Jacobsen equipment uses GreensCare™, a 96% biodegradable hydraulic fluid made of renewable seed-oil based product
• Clubhouse designed using passive design principles
• Clubhouse utilisation of local, recycled and certified materials
• 100% recycled slate quarry waste for the pathways
• More than 90% of all construction materials were sourced from within 400Km of the site
• Cleared exotic plants were recycled as mulch to aid transplantation operations
• The Toro irrigation system is pressurised with the most up-to-date energy efficient pump system in order to optimise pressure and minimise energy use

Community

• Agreement between municipality and BGC to run the facility as the Brazilian golf centre of excellence for coaching and training – of local golfers, as well as national teams
• The agreement establishes that the golf facility will be free-access to the public and the development and implementation of four centres:
  • An environmental education centre to increase awareness about the environment and sustainable golf development at the local schools and communities
  • A knowledge and technical centre for youth ages 14-18, to promote social inclusion through sport, in partnership with technical schools and universities, offering caddie, coach and referee development programmes and specialised vocational training in greenkeeping and sports turf, Machine Operator and environmental management
  • A high performance Golf Academy – to improve the quantity and the quality of the Brazilian players at the world ranking

A development golf centre to grow the quantity of new golf practitioners through programmes like “Golfe para a Vida” (golf for life), in partnership with public and private schools and/or other communities.

CROMWELL, Conn. – Jerry Kelly played off the emotion of what he considers a home crowd Thursday in the Travelers Championship, shooting a 6-under 64 for a share of the first-round lead with Vaughn Taylor and Andrew Loupe.

The 49-year-old Kelly played at the nearby University of Hartford. Headed to the PGA Tour Champions after this season, Kelly won the last of his three PGA Tour titles in 2009.

“I’m not that man who has people constantly yelling wherever I go,” Kelly said. “I kind of take those good vibes and run with it. It’s fun.”

Kelly started his afternoon on the back nine, sinking a 45-foot putt for eagle on his sixth hole of the day, the course’s signature par-4 15th. The green was redesigned as part of a $3.5 million course renovation project this year and the front left pin placement was new.

“It was a question mark, how fast it was going to be and I judged it correctly, apparently,” he said.

Loupe and Taylor went out early, when relatively soft greens and little wind helped the scoring.

Taylor, the 40-year-old who won for the first time since 2005 at Pebble Beach this year, strung together five consecutive birdies starting on the 12th hole and shot a 30 on the back nine.

“That was a nice little run and I needed that,” Taylor said. “I was playing well and just needed something to kind of get me going.”

Loupe, who at 27 is looking for his first PGA Tour win, had seven birdies and a bogey on the day. He pulled into a tie for the lead after a 128-yard approach shot on 18 gave him a 2-foot birdie putt.

Nick Taylor, of Abbotsford, B.C., is tied for 24th after an opening round 68 while fellow Abbotsford native Adam Hadwin finished with a 70. Derek Gillespie (72), of Oshawa, Ont., is at 2 over.

Jon Rahm, the 21-year-old Spaniard who turned pro in June, eagled the par-5 13th hole and was a stroke back along with Ben Martin and Marc Leishman.

Ninety-three players shot par or better, including U.S. Olympians Bubba Watson (67), Matt Kuchar (69), and Patrick Reed (70).

They are playing the first two rounds as a trio, and fans stood four and five deep at times to watch them, chanting “USA! USA!” as they arrived at the 18th tee.

Reed was using the red, white and blue golf bag he received this week as part of his Olympic team gear

“All three of us are very excited and eager to get over there,” said Watson, the tournament’s defending champion. “We hear all the USA chants. But at the same time, you want to play well here.”

Besides the Americans, three other Olympians are playing in Cromwell.

Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen and Germany’s Alex Cejka each shot 68, and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington came in at an even-par 70.

The tournament was moved from its traditional spot in June, a week after the U.S. Open, as the PGA Tour shuffled its schedule to accommodate the Olympics.

But the schedule didn’t affect the quality of the field, which includes 10 players ranked in the top 30 in the world, led by Watson, who came into the week ranked sixth.

South Korea’s Si Woo Kim had the shot of the day. The 21-year-old aced the 215-yard fifth hole on his way to a 69.

Austin Connelly, Dillon Rust and Joe Parkinson shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday in ideal scoring conditions at Country Hills Golf Club to share the first-round lead at the ATB Financial Classic, the seventh event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

Connelly began the day with birdies on three of his first four holes, then hit a cold stretch through the middle of his round, which included his only bogey at the par-5 second hole, his 11^th. But over the last six holes, the 19-year-old Canadian rattled off three birdies and an eagle to catch the leaders and post 7-under.

“After the bogey on No. 2 I was 2-under and looked at the leader board and saw that some guys were going pretty low,” said Connelly, who recently logged his best professional finish with a solo third at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel three weeks ago. “I knew the front nine out here is easier than the back so I knew I would have some opportunities coming in.”

Like Connelly, Rust made a late charge at the lead. At 4-under through 16 holes on Thursday, the native Texan did not seem to be a threat to the lead until a hole-out from 120 yards for eagle on the par-4 17^th and a birdie on the 18^th vaulted him to the top of the leaderboard.

“The finish was pretty awesome,” Rust said. “I was 4-under through 16 and on a day like today that score is not really getting after it that much. I hit a perfect 54-degree wedge on 17 and it went right in the hole. Made a couple really nice swings on 18 and made a five footer. I finished with basically four perfect swings.”

After two early bogeys in his round, Parkinson used two eagles on the par-5 seventh and 13^th to regain his momentum. He then birdied the last from 200 yards to put an exclamation mark on his low round of the season, crediting a more aggressive strategy.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit, so for this event I wanted to come out and be a little more aggressive,” said Parkinson, who has yet to finish inside the top 25 through the first six events. “I was very aggressive in college and I felt like since I’ve been out here I have been really conservative trying to play smart golf and I think today I played more aggressive and it paid off.”

Eight players are tied for fourth at 6-under par: Brock Mackenzie, Will Starke, Carlos Sainz Jr., John Chin, Charlie Bull, Sean Kelly, Tyler McCumber and Ted Smith.

SHUBENACADIE, N.S. – Intermittent rain dotted the day at the Links at Penn Hills as the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship completed its third round. Mary Parsons crafted a 2-under 70 showing to join Naomi Ko atop the leaderboard.

Parsons started slow, recording a double-bogey on the 6th hole and a bogey on No. 8. A third on the par-4 10th hole moved the Delta, B.C., native to 2-over with eight holes remaining.

“I felt that I did get off to a little shaky start on the front nine,” said Parsons. “Definitely when the weather started clearing up, I felt like I could play to my advantage, and on the back nine, I started sinking more putts and swinging easier.”

The 2016 CN Future Links Pacific champion rebounded with a birdie on the par-4 12th hole, before stringing another three together on holes 14 to 16 to sit alongside second-round leader Naomi Ko at 5-under 211. The 17-year-old is hoping to improve upon a T14 result from the 2015 national championship at Deer Park Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask., but knows victory will not come easily in such a skilled field.

“Naomi played steady the whole day, and Chloe [Currie] played great, too. I think tomorrow, I’m just going to keep playing to my advantage, playing steady like I always do and hitting more greens.”

Ko, a member of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, collected two birdies on the day, but finished with a 73.

“My ball striking wasn’t as great as yesterday, but with golf every day, it’s different, so I tried to hang in there,” said the native of Victoria. “I think it’s actually kind of nice to share the lead going into the last round. It gives me something to fight for tomorrow. It’ll be a good competition.”

Development Squad member Chloe Currie carded four birdies across a bogey-free round to take hold of third in the overall competition. The Mississauga, Ont., native’s round of 68 extended her advantage atop the 16-and-under Juvenile division. She sits four strokes ahead of Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que., resident Céleste Dao.

Dao finished with a seven-birdie, 5-under performance for the day’s low round. The 15-year-old moved into second-place in the Juvenile division and took hold of fourth in the Junior standings.

The British Columbian trio consisting of Parsons and Development Squad members Tiffany Kong of Vancouver and Hannah Lee from Surrey finished 2-over 290 to claim victory in the inter-provincial team competition which was played over the first 36 holes.

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

The final round of competition will see the first group tee off from No. 1 at 7:30 a.m. ADT.

Additional information from the tournament can be found here.

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Any memories of inclement weather during the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship were all but forgotten thanks to clear skies and brilliant sunshine during the final round at Clovelly. Sam Meek took advantage of the conditions to earn a come-from-behind victory and claim the national junior title.

With the victory, Meek becomes the prestigious championship’s 78^th winner. The history of the competition and the significance of the victory were not lost upon the champion.

“This win means the world,” said the native of Peterborough, Ont. “This is what I’ve strived to accomplish my entire junior golf career. To have my name on the same trophy as some of those winners is incredible. This is the top of junior golf in Canada, so just to be a part of that is an amazing feeling.”

The 17-year-old entered the final round with a share of third, trailing dual-citizen Thomas Critch of Cedar Park, Texas, by three shots. Meek tallied two birdies on the day for a 1-under 71 showing.

“I’ve been hitting it really well all week, so I had a lot of trust in myself there,” he explained when asked about the keys to the win. “Basically just staying patient. I started the day pretty far back. I was three shots behind Thomas. He struggled a bit off the bat, so I was able to get something going there. I believe I made the turn two shots over him, so just staying steady on the back nine was the key from there.”

“Coming in, I feel like I have a lot of experience,” added the champion. “This is my third Canadian Junior now, so I was able to kind of build off what I’ve learned from people who have won this in the past and see what they did to be successful. It just kind of came down to thinking back to all the hard work I’ve put into it and just trying to stay in the moment and not get too far ahead of myself.”

In addition to claiming the Silver Cup as Canadian Junior Boys champion, Meek has earned an exemption into the 2016 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship to be contested at The Royal Ottawa Golf Club and Eagle Creek Golf Club from August 8-11.

“I feel like I have a lot of confidence in my game,” said the Southern Illinois University commit, when asked about the challenge ahead. “The Canadian Amateur is a big tournament, so it’ll be a lot of fun to play against those guys. I don’t have a lot of opportunities to play against them, so I’m just testing my game against the best amateurs in the country, it’ll be a lot of fun.”

Thomas Critch, whose familial ties to the host city garnered him a strong following throughout the competition, finished 1-under 287 to capture runner-up honours in the Junior division. The 16-year-old’s performance earned him the title of 2016 Canadian Juvenile Boys champion. The winner of the 16-and-under Juvenile division held the 54-hole lead before shooting a final-round 76.

A pair of 16-year-olds finished 1-over 289 to claim third in the overall competition and second in the Juvenile division. Peyton Callens of Langton, Ont., registered a 68 on the day to climb the leaderboard. He adds the result to a season which has included the Ontario Junior Boys’ title and a victory at the CN Future Links Prairie Championship. Duncan, B.C., native and reigning CN Future Links Quebec champion Callum Davison collected two birdies en route to a 76.

Alberta claimed the inter-provincial team title which was played concurrently over the championship’s first 36 holes. Calgary’s Brendan MacDougall, Chandler McDowell of Springbrook and Matt Bean from Canmore finished 2-under 286 for a nine-stroke victory.

The 2017 edition of the competition will be contested at Cataraqui Golf & Country in Kingston, Ont., from July 31 to August 3.

Additional information on the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship can be found here.

Nike is getting out of the golf equipment business, a surprising development that likely sends Tiger Woods and other players searching for new clubs.

Nike announced Wednesday it will stop making clubs, golf balls and golf bags, instead focusing more on its shoes and apparel, long its strength in the golf marketplace.

“We’re committed to being the undisputed leader in golf footwear and apparel,” Nike Brand President Trevor Edwards said in a statement. “We will achieve this by investing in performance innovation for athletes and delivering sustainable profitable growth for Nike Golf.”

Woods has been with Nike since he turned pro in 1996 and remains the biggest ambassador of the Beaverton, Oregon-based company. Mark Steinberg, his agent at Excel Sports Management, said that won’t change. But he also said Woods likely will have different equipment in the bag whenever he returns.

Nike also signed Rory McIlroy to a big deal in 2013. It also has Brooks Koepka, who is in position to make his first Ryder Cup team.

GATINEAU, Que. – History abounds at the 112^th playing of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. A number of significant milestones surround this year’s edition of the world’s third oldest amateur golf competition to be co-hosted by The Royal Ottawa Golf Club in Gatineau, Que., and Eagle Creek Golf Club in Dunrobin, Ont., from August 8-11.

The championship returns to The Royal Ottawa Golf Club – the inaugural tournament’s host venue – in celebration of the club’s 125^th year. Eagle Creek will co-host this historic competition as part of its festivities surrounding its 25^th anniversary. The 2016 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will also mark the first time the event has been staged in two provinces.

“This year’s Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship is going to be special,” noted Tournament Director Adam Helmer. “The beginnings of Canadian golf have their roots at The Royal Ottawa – both this prestigious tournament and Golf Canada itself. Every year, this competition offers players the opportunity to add their names to the story of golf in Canada.”

In 2015, Billy Kennerly shot a final-round 2-under 70 to claim a six-stroke victory at Weston Golf & Country Club. The Alpharetta, Ga., native added the victory to an already impressive amateur career before turning professional earlier this year.

A full field of competitors from seven countries will compete for the Earl Grey Trophy and the title of Canadian Men’s Amateur champion, including Travis Smyth of Shellharbour, Australia. The 21-year-old, who is No. 62 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, claimed a runner-up result at the 2016 Australian Amateur Championship and a T4 at the 2016 Players Amateur. Also in the field is No. 76 Kristoffer Ventura of Rygge, Norway, who is coming off a 5^th-place finish at the 2016 European Men’s Team Championship.

Mont-St-Hilaire, Que., native Hugo Bernard and Elmira, Ont., product Garrett Rank earned shares of second last year and translated that result into success in 2016. Bernard was named to Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, then claimed medallist honours at the 2016 NCAA Division II Championship before capturing this year’s Alexander of Tunis. Rank went on to defend his Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title before competing in the 2016 RBC Canadian Open and then securing medallist honours to earn entry into this year’s U.S. Amateur.

Joining Bernard will be teammate Jared du Toit of Kimberley, B.C., who is hoping to build upon a season which has included a T9 at the RBC Canadian Open to earn the Gary Cowan Medal as low amateur and a T4 at the Porter Cup. Eric Banks of Truro, N.S., Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald and Blair Hamilton from Burlington, Ont., will complete the Amateur Squad contingent.

The five members of the National Team Development Squad will also be in contention. Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont., captured the CN Future Links Pacific title in his final year of eligibility on the junior circuit. He will be joined by teammates Thomas ‘Jack’ Simpson of Aurora, Ont., Québec City’s Charles-Éric Bélanger, A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C., and Calgarian Alexander Smith.

An inter-provincial team championship will be played in conjunction with the first 36 holes of the competition with three-member teams vying for the Willingdon Cup. Team British Columbia comprised of National Team members Macdonald and du Toit, alongside Kevin Kwon of Maple Ridge, B.C., claimed a three-stroke victory in 2015.

The Canadian Men’s Amateur Qualifier will be played at The Royal Ottawa Golf Club on August 5. A minimum of five spots into the tournament will be awarded. Additional information can be found here.

Two days of practice rounds are slated for August 6 and 7 before competitors take to both courses on August 8 and 9 for the championship’s opening 36 holes. The field will be reduced to the low 70 and ties for the two final rounds to be contested at The Royal Ottawa.

In addition to claiming the title of 2016 Canadian Men’s Amateur champion, the winner will earn exemptions into the 2016 U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and the 2017 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. The champion will also be eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur, if applicable.

Admission to the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship is free during tournament week. Additional details regarding the championship are available here.

SHUBENACADIE, N.S. – The second round of the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship saw hard greens soften under a dewy morning at the Links at Penn Hills. Victoria’s Naomi Ko carded a 5-under 67 en route to extending a three-stroke advantage.

The Team Canada National Amateur Squad member carded a bogey-free second round to extend her streak of holes without a blemish to 31. She took quick possession of the lead following back-to-back birdies on holes 3 and 4 before adding another on the par-3 No. 8. A 2-under 34 across the back nine moved Ko to 6-under through 36 holes.

“The weather was nice and the greens were holding up better today, everything was pretty solid,” said Ko. “My ball-striking was pretty good and I hit a lot of greens which helps. There were a couple of putts that slipped a bit, but I’ll take a 5-under any day.”

Ko is competing in her fifth and final national 18-and-under championship before she loses eligibility in six days. The North Carolina State University sophomore posted a fourth-place finish at this competition in 2014 when it was hosted at Thornhill Golf & Country Club in Thornhill, Ont., and a second-runner-up result last year at Deer Park Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask.

“I’m excited and kind of sad at the same time that it’s my last Canadian Juniors, but I’m just going to try to do my best and hopefully the results will show. I kind of have to get my head out of the scores and focus on my game. Experience helps a lot and being with Team Canada really helps to support me in this kind of environment.”

A six-birdie day propelled Delta, B.C., native Mary Parsons into second-place at 3-under. The 2016 CN Future Links Pacific champion matched Ko’s 67 after draining three consecutive birdies across holes 2 to 4 and then equaling the feat on holes 16 to 18.

Team Canada Development Squad member Chloe Currie of Mississauga, Ont., shot 1-under on the day to finish in a tie for third with Maple Ridge, B.C., resident and fellow 16-year-old Cecile Kwon. Currie carded three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 16th hole en route to her 71. The pair lead the 16-and-under Juvenile division at even-par, while first-round leader Alisha Lau of Richmond, B.C., carded a 75 and is one stroke back.

Parsons, Vancouver’s Tiffany Kong and Hannah Lee of Surrey combined to deliver British Columbia its second inter-provincial team title in as many years. The trio finished the day 3-under to emerge victorious with a team total of 2-over 290 – seven strokes clear of their first-round co-leaders from Team Ontario.

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

A total of 70 players finished 172-or-better to advance to the final two rounds of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. The third round will see the first group tee off from No. 1 at 7:30 a.m. ADT.

Additional information from the tournament can be found here.